Welcome back to another Monday Morning Q&A where I toss out some questions to get a feel of how you guys and gals are feeling about certain topics.
So here are 5 questions I’d like to toss out for this week. I’ll give my answers, too, but the key here is that I want to know what YOU think! So make sure you chime in!
1) Which legends are you most looking forward to seeing at the 30th anniversary of Monday Night Raw?
Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker are my two favorites of all time, so any time you tell me they’re going to pop up, it is hard not to rank them as the biggest draw for me.
To be perfectly honest, though, I don’t think this is going to be a great spectacle.
I’m expecting more of the lackluster presentation we’ve seen before, where they don’t have a ton of people that can really do anything but pop up for a split second on screen.
For instance, I don’t think a 3-hour 30th anniversary of Raw is going to be good enough if it is a series of clips and one generic backstage segment where a big group of legends just stand around until someone does something that sparks Ron Simmons saying “Damn!” and not much else. That’ll be a fun moment, but it isn’t enough, and many of the past specials haven’t had much more beyond that.
We just saw D-Generation X, so they can’t just do that act again a few weeks later and have it feel special. I can’t expect anyone like Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair to get physical.
But I’m hoping they sort out some fun ways to use these Superstars with the current crop. Let’s see The Bella Twins, if they CAN fight, go up against Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky. Put Boogeyman in a scene with Dexter Lumis, if Boogeyman is going to pop up. Maybe have Jerry Lawler host a King’s Court with Bianca Belair and Alexa Bliss so he can play off those two instead of them cutting promos on their own. Hell, bring Honky Tonk Man out there to play music with Elias!
2) What would you say is the biggest and/or best moment in Monday Night Raw history so far?
Some that spring to mind are Stone Cold with the beer truck, CM Punk’s pipe bomb, the invasion of WCW, “This is Your Life” and the Money in the Bank cash-ins, naturally.
But in my mind, it really comes down to two moments that are almost on equal ground.
The first would be Mike Tyson’s brawl with Steve Austin. That was a media frenzy. The second—and the one that I would lean more toward, if I had to pick—would be Mankind’s first title win. That put some butts in seats and turned the momentum of the Monday Night Wars.
3) What are your predictions for Raw is XXX? Do you think there will be any big surprises or title changes?
- Becky Lynch beats Bayley in the steel cage match due to some legends (probably The Bella Twins) stopping Damage CTRL from interfering.
- Austin Theory retains the United States Championship over Bobby Lashley, possibly by intervention by Brock Lesnar, Omos, or someone else to start a feud with The All Mighty.
- The Usos lose the Raw Tag Team Championship to The Judgment Day either due to interference from Kevin Owens and/or a screw-up by Sami Zayn.
4) Do you think any more matches will be added to the Royal Rumble card? If so, what?
Charlotte Flair against Sonya Deville for the SmackDown Women’s Championship is the only match I can imagine happening. The Usos are already having their Raw tag title defense tonight and don’t have SmackDown challengers yet. Austin Theory’s having his United States Championship match on Raw, too. Gunther is in the Royal Rumble, which rules out an Intercontinental Championship match being shoehorned in there.
Deville wouldn’t be a favorite to win the Royal Rumble, but she’s a solid enough challenger for Flair on the card to fill that spot. Flair, meanwhile, obviously shouldn’t be in the Royal Rumble match as champion. It just makes sense.
5) What is your biggest, most “out there” prediction for a possible Royal Rumble entrant this year?
As I’ve stated in this post, which breaks down my full predictions of remaining spots, I think we could be in store for these potential surprises:
- Nick Aldis
- Matt Cardona
- Chelsea Green
- Deonna Purrazzo
Safer bets are Edge, Beth Phoenix, Johnny Garagno (he is injured, after all), Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Logan Paul. Roderick Strong, Gable Steveson, and John Cena are among others that are possible. At this point, I’m thinking The Rock isn’t going to show up. I also highly doubt Keiji Muto will. I’m not holding my breath for Tyson Fury.
Let us know your thoughts about these questions by answering them in the comments!
