With one pay-per-view (PPV) just wrapped and another just three weeks away, WWE goes trick or treating close to corporate headquarters when Raw comes to Hartford, Connecticut tonight!
The Headliner
Goldberg! Halloween!
Those are the two things WWE started hyping well in advance for when Monday night and All Hallows’ Eve coincide on the calendar. They seem to have brought the Boogeyman back for some hijinks, and their may be more supernatural-themed veterans following his lead. While the days of “Divas” costume contests are likely over, you can bet some male and female Superstars will dress up for our entertainment.
But the real “trick or treat” for Vince McMahon and company might be in how the fans in the XL Center welcome Bill Goldberg.
Even before he grabbed a microphone to deliver a speech which clearly came from his heart, the fans in Denver embraced the WCW legend on Oct. 17 when he made his return to a WWE ring for the first time in 12 years. Then, for some reason, the Creative team (meaning Vince, most likely) thought Paul Heyman would be able to get Minneapolis to keep cheering Goldberg - even while their hometown boy Brock Lesnar was jogging in place right in front of them.
That - pretty famously, already - didn’t happen. So now the wrestling world is back to wondering how Toronto will receive the WWE 2K17 dream match at Survivor Series. A match they had to officially announce online instead of in Minnesota because of how badly the Heyman segment went.
We also don’t really have much clue as to what Goldberg’s doing here. WWE can’t really go to the “responding to Lesnar”, because Brock and his advocate never got around to saying anything.
I just hope he shows up dressed as Mr. Clean.
The Title Scene
Charlotte and Sasha Banks continued their game of hot potato with the Women’s title in their historic main event at Hell in a Cell. How will the Queen celebrate her latest impressive PPV win? Can the Boss even walk herself to the ring to address her future?
Jeri-KO defended their WWE Universal championship with a win over Seth Rollins last night in Boston. The two-on-one nature of their victory gives the Architect justification for another go, but “best friends” Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho are already trying to put him in their rear view, and lobbying to be co-captains of Raw’s five-on-five Survivor Series team. Maybe Triple H can show back up and give Rollins something to do?
Even though they weren’t 100% on the same page, Cesaro & Sheamus took New Day to the limit - even picking up a win via disqualification. But they also might have won in a way that would have ended Kofi Kingston, Big E & Xavier Woods tag title run had the referee seen Woods tapping before he called for the bell. If they could manage to really get along for a while, Mick Foley’s odd couple squad maybe really could make the champs be sour...
No one else in the WWE Universe fell for it, but TJ Perkins did. Brian Kendrick suckered him in by begging for sympathy, and now the veteran in Cruiserweight champ. Whatever they’re planning on doing to fix this division, they need to start tonight.
Other stuff to keep an eye on:
- Expect a big focus of the show to be on Survivor Series. SmackDown has already started putting together their teams... it’s time for General Manager Foley and Commissioner Stephanie McMahon to catch-up.
- Despite getting thrown around the past couple weeks, don’t think Sami Zayn is backing down in his mission to take Braun Strowman down a peg or three.
- Their focus on being serious asskickers again helped Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows to a win over Enzo Amore & Big Cass. What’s next for either of these squads? Will they have to learn to get along to represent the red brand in the ten-person tag elimination match at November’s PPV?
- Having beaten Dana Brooke even with a bum right shoulder, Bayley wants in the title picture. Is there room for her there?
- Somebody tell Curtis Axel to come up with a better plan to either turn or defeat his old pal Bo Dallas, cause right now you better Bo-lieve he’s losing the fight.
- Like it or not, Mark Henry & Golden Truth’s issues with Titus O’Neil & Shining Stars will probably continue tonight. Just hope it gets bundled in with the obligatory Boogeyman appearance...
It’s the Hell in a Cell Fallout show/three weeks to Survivor Series!
What will you be looking for on Raw tonight?