WWE Raw: 10 Things You Might Have Missed (Oct 9)

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enzo amore kurt angle
WWE.com

Enzo Amore is Daniel Bryan.

The 'Smacktalker Skywalker' may not possess the in-ring skill or the independent pedigree of the former WWE Champion, but he has used the talents he does have to rise above petty punishments and cynical bullying to earn himself a plum spot on two live shows a week mostly doing what he does best, with some occasional wrestling thrown in for good measure.

This being WWE in 2017, the snake has eaten itself. In an organisation sometimes so out of touch with their audience that they can't effectively even bury a talent let alone push one, repeated attempts to shovel dirt on the career of the New Jersey nuisance has ensured he failed upwards, winning the Cruiserweight Title on (verbal) merit, justifying the division's spot in the minds of the entire fanbase.

Neville is probably the company's best all-rounder this year, but even he failed to lift perception of the entire league during his superlative stewardship. Enzo managed it in a fortnight. The manner in which WWE tried yet again to undercut his momentum in Raw's finale was a new low. Corey Graves played company hitman, eviscerating a fellow heel with the type of brutality that presumably had broadcast journalist Bobby Heenan rolling in his grave.

The hatchet job that made up the entirety of this week's segment was unforgivable and thus, completely unmissable. For those that still like some nuance in their pro wrestling, not everything was quite so obnoxiously blatant.

10. Foundations

enzo amore kurt angle
Diego Delso [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Shield is back, b*tch!

Luckily, Roman Reigns isn't still trapped in his short-fused verbal war with John Cena, otherwise that's perhaps exactly how the formal announcement would have been made. As it was, 'The Big Dog', Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose mostly let their actions do the talking as they reunited to cap off an electric opening segment on this week's edition of the show.

Either by careful consideration or the happiest of accidents, their 2017 coming together took place in exactly the same building as their turtle-necked arrival and heartbreaking collapse.

Wreaking havoc during the main event of the 2012 Survivor Series in order to ensure CM Punk's lengthy reign with the WWE Title continued, The Shield hopped the rail of the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana to a mix of shock and awe from the capacity crowd. Less than two years later, tears would be shed as Triple H unveiled Seth Rollins as his 'Plan B' to shockingly dismantle the unit whilst still in their prime.

The Miz and The Bar clearly should have checked their travel itinerary ahead of decking Reigns, Ambrose, and Rollins last week. This wasn't just a crowd pleased to see a heroic reunification - this was Shield home turf.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett