Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)
WWE is always on and constantly evolving. From one era to the next, there's no break, just a slow progressive move toward a new direction. Often that change is fueled by the talent. Until Stone Cold Steve Austin told the world about Austin 3:16, there were no plans for him to take over the business.
In the last decade, WWE has been very careful to craft stars. After John Cena's breakout in popularity, he was molded into the face of the company with others carefully developed around him. The same sanitized approach to crafting main-event stars continued with Roman Reigns.
For this reason, it was almost impossible for any male star to stand out. The only division being allowed to let loose was the women's division because WWE was just trying to rectify the mistakes they made representing the women for decades.
For all these reasons, it was not completely surprising that the next true breakout star in WWE was not a man but a woman, who took her one chance at true main-event success and ran with it, potentially changing the industry for years to come.
In the last decade, WWE has been very careful to craft stars. After John Cena's breakout in popularity, he was molded into the face of the company with others carefully developed around him. The same sanitized approach to crafting main-event stars continued with Roman Reigns.
For this reason, it was almost impossible for any male star to stand out. The only division being allowed to let loose was the women's division because WWE was just trying to rectify the mistakes they made representing the women for decades.
For all these reasons, it was not completely surprising that the next true breakout star in WWE was not a man but a woman, who took her one chance at true main-event success and ran with it, potentially changing the industry for years to come.
Witness the new face of WWE... in black and white because WWE will not allow blood to be shown in color.
Monday Night Raw November 12, 2018
Becky Lynch Has Become the Breakout Star WWE Has Been After for Years
Overview: After Alexa Bliss announced the members of Team Raw for Survivor Series, Becky Lynch was shown trapping Ronda Rousey in the Dis-arm-her backstage. She then marched to the ring and led an attack by all of the SmackDown women on the red brand.
During the scuffle, Nia Jax landed a hard shot on Lynch that broke her nose and severely concussed her, but Lynch soldiered through, laying out Rousey again after The Baddest Woman on the Planet ran to the ring.
It was announced on SD that The Irish Lass Kicker would not be able to compete at SS due to the injury she sustained, and she hand-picked Charlotte Flair as her replacement.
Analysis: This week was The Man's Austin 3:16 moment. While the injury she sustained will delay an exciting match, it sparked a wave of excitement around Lynch that has rarely been seen in WWE. The only one to get close to this moment since Cena was Daniel Bryan, who was on his way to the top before his retirement.
It's nice to throw around buzzwords like "making history" and "women's revolution", but they don't mean much. These short-term opportunities were progress but not a definitive movement. It was always possible WWE could regress and still rely on the men solely going forward.
Lynch vs. Rousey though was a real turning point. They weren't being highlighted to make history or give women a chance. They were highlighted because they were legitimately the best thing going on Raw. The women got chances, and they seized them. Now Lynch may just lead to a new era where the women outshine the men.
Nia Jax Need Additional Help to Improve on Her Fundamentals
Analysis: Jax injured Lynch this week with a straight punch. While you could argue there was a lot going on in the ring, there's little excuse for what she did to Lynch. Even if I think this moment will only make Lynch more popular (and potentially set up Rousey vs. Lynch as the main event of WrestleMania 35), it also needs to be rectified.
The current No. 1 contender to the Raw Women's Championship has developed quickly since she first started in 2014. While she had put on some great performances and adds a fresh element to the women's division, her tendency to injure other stars has been documented.
For that reason, it is important that she be given extra training in the coming months to improve at fundamentals. She needs to be able to better look like she's hurting her opponents without actually doing it. If nothing is done now, it will soon be required that she's taken off the road entirely to train if not fired.
Conclusion
I don't really feel like talking that much about Raw this week. Before the main event, it was a bland show. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are still great together. Brock Lesnar still makes throwing people around exciting (but he could also use some fundamentals training on protecting his opponents).
Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler are likely close to breaking up, which is a shame because they are still great together. Braun Strowman should be Universal Champion, but he's not and likely won't be any time soon for no easily discernible reason.
The talent on the brand is elevating lazy storytelling while the even the longer matches feel crippled by frequent commercial breaks. The best part about this show was Lynch, who's not even on the brand's roster, invading and spitting on the brand while bleeding all over the place.
Overview: After Alexa Bliss announced the members of Team Raw for Survivor Series, Becky Lynch was shown trapping Ronda Rousey in the Dis-arm-her backstage. She then marched to the ring and led an attack by all of the SmackDown women on the red brand.
During the scuffle, Nia Jax landed a hard shot on Lynch that broke her nose and severely concussed her, but Lynch soldiered through, laying out Rousey again after The Baddest Woman on the Planet ran to the ring.
It was announced on SD that The Irish Lass Kicker would not be able to compete at SS due to the injury she sustained, and she hand-picked Charlotte Flair as her replacement.
Analysis: This week was The Man's Austin 3:16 moment. While the injury she sustained will delay an exciting match, it sparked a wave of excitement around Lynch that has rarely been seen in WWE. The only one to get close to this moment since Cena was Daniel Bryan, who was on his way to the top before his retirement.
It's nice to throw around buzzwords like "making history" and "women's revolution", but they don't mean much. These short-term opportunities were progress but not a definitive movement. It was always possible WWE could regress and still rely on the men solely going forward.
Lynch vs. Rousey though was a real turning point. They weren't being highlighted to make history or give women a chance. They were highlighted because they were legitimately the best thing going on Raw. The women got chances, and they seized them. Now Lynch may just lead to a new era where the women outshine the men.
Nia Jax Need Additional Help to Improve on Her Fundamentals
Analysis: Jax injured Lynch this week with a straight punch. While you could argue there was a lot going on in the ring, there's little excuse for what she did to Lynch. Even if I think this moment will only make Lynch more popular (and potentially set up Rousey vs. Lynch as the main event of WrestleMania 35), it also needs to be rectified.
The current No. 1 contender to the Raw Women's Championship has developed quickly since she first started in 2014. While she had put on some great performances and adds a fresh element to the women's division, her tendency to injure other stars has been documented.
For that reason, it is important that she be given extra training in the coming months to improve at fundamentals. She needs to be able to better look like she's hurting her opponents without actually doing it. If nothing is done now, it will soon be required that she's taken off the road entirely to train if not fired.
Conclusion
I don't really feel like talking that much about Raw this week. Before the main event, it was a bland show. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are still great together. Brock Lesnar still makes throwing people around exciting (but he could also use some fundamentals training on protecting his opponents).
Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler are likely close to breaking up, which is a shame because they are still great together. Braun Strowman should be Universal Champion, but he's not and likely won't be any time soon for no easily discernible reason.
The talent on the brand is elevating lazy storytelling while the even the longer matches feel crippled by frequent commercial breaks. The best part about this show was Lynch, who's not even on the brand's roster, invading and spitting on the brand while bleeding all over the place.
Grade: C-
I really hope you know what you've been asking for, Bryan. You vs. Brock Lesnar sounds like another concussion on the horizon.
SmackDown Live November 13, 2018
Daniel Bryan is Getting Everything He Ever Wanted Even if It's a Weird Direction
Overview: AJ Styles opened the show to address Brock Lesnar before Paul Heyman interfered and talked up Daniel Bryan. This brought out Bryan with the champ and The Beard getting into a brawl that ended with Shane McMahon announcing a WWE Championship match for the main event.
As the match reached its end, Bryan sent Styles into the referee on a missed Phenomenal Forearm then connected with a low blow. The running knee and pinfall were academic after that. Afterward, The "Yes" Man stomped on the former champion repeatedly while standing tall with his new gold.
Analysis: This was a swerve at a weird time, but it all makes sense. The plan was likely always to turn Bryan heel, but he backed out of Crown Jewel, which delayed the move. The company then needed to rush it after Lynch's injury to add more excitement to Sunday.
It feels like Bryan is exactly where he wants to be now. He's champion. He gets the Brock Lesnar match he has long talked up. Plus he's now a heel, so he can let loose again. I doubt fans will outright boo Bryan (especially not on Sunday against Lesnar), but it's not unusual to have popular heels.
Team SmackDown's Men's Team is Unnecessarily Old
Overview: After Bryan's fight with Styles, he was taken off Team SmackDown to prepare to win the WWE Championship. The Miz became sole team captain and reveled in it, announcing Jeff Hardy as the final member before trying to kick Rey Mysterio off the team.
Paige disagreed and forced The A-Lister to fight Mysterio in a match where only if the luchador lost would he lose his spot. The Master of the 619 managed to roll up Miz to save his spot.
Analysis: For all its shortcomings, Raw has done one thing right for Sunday, create an impressive men's teams with actual stakes in the fight. SmackDown on the other hand has relied on Miz to carry the excitement around a lackluster line-up that is averaging 40+ years old.
It doesn't help that Shane McMahon got a spot on the team, but, even if Randy Orton was in that spot instead, this would still be a wildly uninteresting representation of SmackDown.
Conclusion
WWE really went all out to make up for losing the Survivor Series main event. This show still rode the excitement around Lynch with her segment crowning Charlotte as her replacement was great, but it also made multiple surprise moves to make Sunday feel bigger.
Bryan's heel turn and title win shook up everything and could make Bryan vs. Lesnar the main event at Survivor Series (assuming The Beast Incarnate feels like showing up for more than 5 minutes). Multiple hot matches defined the show and made this feel like a can't miss event.
I would not be surprised if this SmackDown is better than Survivor Series on Sunday. This week even managed to avoid the obligatory final week invasion angle, which was a good idea since the Raw invasion angle was never going to be topped.
Overview: AJ Styles opened the show to address Brock Lesnar before Paul Heyman interfered and talked up Daniel Bryan. This brought out Bryan with the champ and The Beard getting into a brawl that ended with Shane McMahon announcing a WWE Championship match for the main event.
As the match reached its end, Bryan sent Styles into the referee on a missed Phenomenal Forearm then connected with a low blow. The running knee and pinfall were academic after that. Afterward, The "Yes" Man stomped on the former champion repeatedly while standing tall with his new gold.
Analysis: This was a swerve at a weird time, but it all makes sense. The plan was likely always to turn Bryan heel, but he backed out of Crown Jewel, which delayed the move. The company then needed to rush it after Lynch's injury to add more excitement to Sunday.
It feels like Bryan is exactly where he wants to be now. He's champion. He gets the Brock Lesnar match he has long talked up. Plus he's now a heel, so he can let loose again. I doubt fans will outright boo Bryan (especially not on Sunday against Lesnar), but it's not unusual to have popular heels.
Team SmackDown's Men's Team is Unnecessarily Old
Overview: After Bryan's fight with Styles, he was taken off Team SmackDown to prepare to win the WWE Championship. The Miz became sole team captain and reveled in it, announcing Jeff Hardy as the final member before trying to kick Rey Mysterio off the team.
Paige disagreed and forced The A-Lister to fight Mysterio in a match where only if the luchador lost would he lose his spot. The Master of the 619 managed to roll up Miz to save his spot.
Analysis: For all its shortcomings, Raw has done one thing right for Sunday, create an impressive men's teams with actual stakes in the fight. SmackDown on the other hand has relied on Miz to carry the excitement around a lackluster line-up that is averaging 40+ years old.
It doesn't help that Shane McMahon got a spot on the team, but, even if Randy Orton was in that spot instead, this would still be a wildly uninteresting representation of SmackDown.
Conclusion
WWE really went all out to make up for losing the Survivor Series main event. This show still rode the excitement around Lynch with her segment crowning Charlotte as her replacement was great, but it also made multiple surprise moves to make Sunday feel bigger.
Bryan's heel turn and title win shook up everything and could make Bryan vs. Lesnar the main event at Survivor Series (assuming The Beast Incarnate feels like showing up for more than 5 minutes). Multiple hot matches defined the show and made this feel like a can't miss event.
I would not be surprised if this SmackDown is better than Survivor Series on Sunday. This week even managed to avoid the obligatory final week invasion angle, which was a good idea since the Raw invasion angle was never going to be topped.
Grade: A-
Xia Brookside really cannot catch a break in tournaments. First beat up by Io Shirai, now has to face Rhea Ripley.
NXT and NXT UK November 14, 2018
NXT's Women's Division Has Been in Flux for Too Long
Overview: Bianca Belair fought Mia Yim in the undefeated Superstar's biggest challenge to date. While Yim almost caught Belair with Seoul Food, Belair reversed it into the KOD to take the win.
Analysis: Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane could easily steal the show at NXT TakeOver WarGames, but the rest of the women's division in NXT right now feels out of focus. Candice LeRae has been barely used. Nikki Cross is half out the door. Dakota Kai has likely left for NXT UK from here on out.
This leaves the division focused on stars like Bianca Belair, who is ridiculously talent but clearly still learning, and Mia Yim, who is an incredible veteran that probably should have just gone to the main roster but is instead losing in developmental. There's no balance or focus right now beyond the title scene.
The NXT UK Women's Championship Tournament Should Bring More Variety to NXT UK
Overview: Triple H and Johnny Saint announced the start of the NXT UK Women's Championship tournament with all the first round match-ups. Dakota Kai defeated Nina Samuels with the Kairopractor while Jinny made her debut by defeated Millie McKenzie with a rolling kick for the win, both advancing to the semifinals.
Analysis: I mentioned this tournament a lot in past weeks as this feels like the real turning point for NXT UK. The show needs more stories and champions to vary up the product. It all should begin with this tournament. The NXT UK women can stop talking about being champion and start fighting for it.
Hopefully, it doesn't take too long for the NXT UK Tag Team Championships to also be announced as it is clear that tag teams are forming for that division as well with Zack Gibson and James Drake main eventing this week as they reformed the Grizzled Young Veterans to outshine Moustache Mountain.
Overview: Bianca Belair fought Mia Yim in the undefeated Superstar's biggest challenge to date. While Yim almost caught Belair with Seoul Food, Belair reversed it into the KOD to take the win.
Analysis: Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane could easily steal the show at NXT TakeOver WarGames, but the rest of the women's division in NXT right now feels out of focus. Candice LeRae has been barely used. Nikki Cross is half out the door. Dakota Kai has likely left for NXT UK from here on out.
This leaves the division focused on stars like Bianca Belair, who is ridiculously talent but clearly still learning, and Mia Yim, who is an incredible veteran that probably should have just gone to the main roster but is instead losing in developmental. There's no balance or focus right now beyond the title scene.
The NXT UK Women's Championship Tournament Should Bring More Variety to NXT UK
Overview: Triple H and Johnny Saint announced the start of the NXT UK Women's Championship tournament with all the first round match-ups. Dakota Kai defeated Nina Samuels with the Kairopractor while Jinny made her debut by defeated Millie McKenzie with a rolling kick for the win, both advancing to the semifinals.
Analysis: I mentioned this tournament a lot in past weeks as this feels like the real turning point for NXT UK. The show needs more stories and champions to vary up the product. It all should begin with this tournament. The NXT UK women can stop talking about being champion and start fighting for it.
Hopefully, it doesn't take too long for the NXT UK Tag Team Championships to also be announced as it is clear that tag teams are forming for that division as well with Zack Gibson and James Drake main eventing this week as they reformed the Grizzled Young Veterans to outshine Moustache Mountain.
205 Live November 14, 2018
Feel Free to Put Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher in the Main Roster Tag Division
Overview: The Brian Kendrick finally got a chance at revenge on Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher by teaming up with Akira Tozawa. Due to some miscommunication between Tozawa and Kendrick though, the heels emerged victorious as Gulak rolled up Tozawa.
Analysis: With the decision to clearly not add Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles to 205 Live, it feels only right that the best tag teams on the brand get a chance to work the main roster. The Lucha House Party has already made the transition, but there's another team that should do the same.
Gulak and Gallagher are a great unit of technicians that would add more of The Revival's ground game to the Raw tag team division. They are not doing a lot on 205 Live even if their story with Kendrick and Tozawa has been fun enough. They need to spread their wings.
Overview: The Brian Kendrick finally got a chance at revenge on Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher by teaming up with Akira Tozawa. Due to some miscommunication between Tozawa and Kendrick though, the heels emerged victorious as Gulak rolled up Tozawa.
Analysis: With the decision to clearly not add Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles to 205 Live, it feels only right that the best tag teams on the brand get a chance to work the main roster. The Lucha House Party has already made the transition, but there's another team that should do the same.
Gulak and Gallagher are a great unit of technicians that would add more of The Revival's ground game to the Raw tag team division. They are not doing a lot on 205 Live even if their story with Kendrick and Tozawa has been fun enough. They need to spread their wings.
Match of the Week
Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles, SmackDown Live November 13, 2018 (Rating: 8.75/10)
Bryan vs. Styles is a fantastic combination of styles that has followed a similar pattern both times out. They started technical and built to the nervous excitement of who would break down to the other man's submission finisher. This time though, Bryan took a shortcut rather than failing again.
This was not quite the match they had the first time around. The pacing felt a bit less fluid, and the finish was not as effective. Still, these two are great together every time. I would love to see what they can do with a bit more time and no commercial breaks.
That should hopefully come at TLC. Just thinking about what the two could do together in a TLC match has me excited.
Honorable Mention: Cedric Alexander vs. Lio Rush, 205 Live November 14, 2018 (Rating: 8.5/10)
While The Man of the Hour may be an annoying mic worker, he's one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch in the business. His fluidity with every move is incredible. He is faster than anyone else, and he makes it look easy.
It was great to see him finally get it go all out against someone at the level of Cedric Alexander. The two had a great back-and-forth clash that told a great story. The desperate Alexander was vulnerable but also willing to take any chance to succeed.
Meanwhile, Rush has always been far too overconfident for his own good, and it was his downfall. He cost himself the match rather than Alexander looking like the clearly better man.
Bryan vs. Styles is a fantastic combination of styles that has followed a similar pattern both times out. They started technical and built to the nervous excitement of who would break down to the other man's submission finisher. This time though, Bryan took a shortcut rather than failing again.
This was not quite the match they had the first time around. The pacing felt a bit less fluid, and the finish was not as effective. Still, these two are great together every time. I would love to see what they can do with a bit more time and no commercial breaks.
That should hopefully come at TLC. Just thinking about what the two could do together in a TLC match has me excited.
Honorable Mention: Cedric Alexander vs. Lio Rush, 205 Live November 14, 2018 (Rating: 8.5/10)
While The Man of the Hour may be an annoying mic worker, he's one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch in the business. His fluidity with every move is incredible. He is faster than anyone else, and he makes it look easy.
It was great to see him finally get it go all out against someone at the level of Cedric Alexander. The two had a great back-and-forth clash that told a great story. The desperate Alexander was vulnerable but also willing to take any chance to succeed.
Meanwhile, Rush has always been far too overconfident for his own good, and it was his downfall. He cost himself the match rather than Alexander looking like the clearly better man.
