WWE Raw: 10 Things You Might Have Missed (Oct 16)
Big Red Monsters. And Kane.
Beyond this introduction, Bray Wyatt won't feature in this week's selection of Raw's hidden highlights. But then, how could he? Last week's effort was a breathtaking new low.
His tête-à-tête with Finn Bálor last week followed all the regular beats. Finn came to the ring in his leather jacket and pants to talk about how he finally had the measure of this poisonous leech that just will not leave him alone, Bray retorted, Bálor made it weird, end.
Beyond the viscous acidic barbecue sauce Wyatt brought with him to draw out 'The Demon' ahead of SummerSlam, each verbal spar has followed the same dispiriting pattern. But last week's pitch-shifted response from Wyatt as Sister Abigail herself transcended the dreary retorts into the infamous confines of bad wrestling lore. By not laughing off such an absurd new veneer immediately, Bálor lowered himself to farce once more.
Presenting the pumpkin'ed version of himself as a final threat, the dead eyes behind his halloween-inspired 'Demon' seemed to mourn the death of his well-honed character rather than commit to another 'bit'. Former Cruiserweight Champion Neville was a disillusioned disaster area after his loss to Enzo Amore, and that turned out to be a shocking reflection of a disparate reality too.
It's a locker room in a state of flux, misunderstanding and mistrust. Maybe that's why The Shield have immediately taken to getting back amongst the crowd.
10. Forces Of Nature
The Shield are even more back than they were last week, b*tch!
Many felt the tried and tested presentation of the triumvirate would be saved until their Tables, Ladders and Chairs entrance, but WWE elected to dish out their 2012 vintage on the go-home edition of the flagship. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose enthusiastically adorned the riot gear for the first time in three years and emerged from within a rabid crowd to open the show, scaring Kurt Angle from the ring to announce their arrival.
Well, sort of.
Reigns turned on the old Shield charm by threatening to batter the General Manager, before Seth Rollins rather unfortunately misspoke in curbing his rage. 'Easy Big Dong' he uttered, perhaps tacitly introducing the company's next attempt at getting Roman over as a babyface once the current nostalgia tour has concluded.
Ambrose was the next to drop a clanger. In a hamfisted reminder of his over-exuberance to plant seeds for the evening's final twist, 'The Lunatic Fringe' suggested no 'force of nature on this earth was as powerful' as the trifecta. In a year where hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and landslides have devastated countries the world over, it was perhaps not the best boast.