What is Raw Underground?
After one outing last Monday, it appears to be a Shane McMahon mid-life crisis come to kayfabe, and another vehicle for MVP to remind us we’d been sleeping on him for far too long.
John Cena said that Raw Underground being rolled out with much explanation is a good opportunity for wrestlers to make it their own. It’s also a good opportunity for us fans to let our imaginations run wild.
With the in mind, as await out second trip to Shane’s basement o’brawlin’ tonight (Aug. 10), here are three Raw Superstars we’d like to see show up for a fight in the Underground.
3. Shayna Baszler
Throughout her WWE run, Baszler’s in-ring style to be a tough sell for some fans. You know where her slower, punishing-looking work would fit in great? Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport Raw Underground, baby. How can you not put the pioneer of women’s MMA in a shoot fight-inspired concept like this? A few squashes down below could be just the boost Shayna’s new tweener/babyface character needs to connect to audiences.
2. Mustafa Ali
What’s the point of putting a high-flier on a mat with no ropes? I’m not sure, but they’re not doing much with Ali anyway, and that continues to make no sense at all. The Chicagoan isn’t all movez, though, and getting gritty could be a great way to expose more people to what a good storyteller he is. WWE has plenty of acrobats. Let’s turn one of them into a street fighter. Plus, if it helps keeps him away from the domestic terrorism-adjacent RETRIBUTION gimmick, that’s even better.
1. Brock Lesnar
The allure of the Beast Incarnate in a Kickboxer-like world is pretty self-explanatory, I think. An added benefit is it would keep him out of the WWE or Universal title pictures whenever he returns. WWE planted seeds for a Shane O’Mac vs. Brock feud all the way back at SummerSlam 2016. That may not be high on anyone’s list of dream matches, but if it’s gonna happen, how about in a no ropes match at Survivor Series? Whether it’s Shane or someone else, we need to see Lesnar suplex someone off the mat and send the Nitro Girls running for cover.
That’s my three, but there are lots of good choices. If I wrote this again in an hour, I might give you three different names.
Give us yours. Then join us in our live blog tonight for our second trip to Raw Underground.