The fun thing about season premiers are that they get a chance to do a type of restart. It’s a clean break from the old season. Since there isn’t really an offseason with professional wrestling, it’s a great excuse to retool what wasn’t working and set things right.
With all of that said, let’s get down to business.
Into the new season we go
- New theme song, logo, stage, and reintroducing fireworks. What’s not to like? This felt like the Raw many of us remember way back when, and it’s great to see McMahon embracing a harder edge again.
- Brock Lesnar giving Dominic Mysterio a taste of the WWE ring. While we expected things to go differently, this was a great way to set the stage for unpredictability WWE creative hopes to imbue in their shows. It also drags Dominic (pun intended) into the action. He’s expected to debut this year alongside his father once he’s deemed ready. Maybe we’re about to see him in action?
- Great pop. The boos and chants of “a-hole” toward Lesnar show why he should be champion over the current ones as he is the draw and gets a loud pop when he’s allowed to do his thing. Love him or hate him, we’re invested in him.
- Kingisms are back. It’s great to have Jerry Lawler back, dropping his Kingisms throughout the night to spur the announcer’s table into action. His role is even more important as the new Raw announce team finds their footing.
- Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. There’s something beyond awesome at seeing the two biggest hams in the wrestling business throw barbs back and forth. Through it all, we could see the joy they had to be in the ring once more, and the crowd was just as appreciative in giving them the loudest pop of the night.
- Back in the spotlight. Not only were Hogan and Flair brought in for a Miz TV, but they were named coaches of their respective teams for Crown Jewel on October 31. Hogan selected Seth Rollins as his team captain (no surprise as they continue trying to put Rollins over), and Flair selected Randy Orton. Interrupting Orton and Rollins’ impromptu match were King Corbin and Rusev, who are now on Flair and Hogan’s team, respectively.
- The Fiend cleaned up a sloppy ending. For the first time in weeks, a highlight didn’t involve the Fiend tormenting Rollins, though that was a plus. Nope, Bray Wyatt saved the show from a clunky ending to set the stage for Hell in a Cell.
Final thoughts
Monday Night Raw’s season premiere was a good show overall with virtually nothing rough or bad to note until the end. While it’s great Rusev stepped in and had a pretty decent match with Rollins. It’s also great they brought Bobby Lashley out to feud with him, though Lashley signaled he wanted the championship. But to have Lashley motion to the back not once or twice, but three times before Lana came out. Even their makeout session wasn’t bad, but the idea that the match would come to a complete halt for several minutes while Rusev watched was beyond rough. Thankfully, the Fiend attacking Rollins closed it out. It gave us closure on what was a fun show.
