The wrestling staff of Pop Break, obviously loves wrestling. They wouldn’t write about it if they didn’t. However the last few weeks of the longest running series on cable has been…not so good. In fact it’s been downright bad. So the our Four Horsemen of Wrestling Writing — Wrestling Editor M.J. Rawls, Senior Editor Michael Dworkis, and contributors Rob Crowther IV and Matthew Widdis have offered up way to improve the show — quickly and effectively.
Rob Crowther IV: It’s no secret that the past two weeks of Monday Night Raw have been absolutely abysmal. With top names such as Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Kevin Owens out of action, the show has failed to highlight their mid-card division. The storylines have been awkard, and the dialogue even worse. But fear not! The gang at The Pop Break has come up with some solutions on how to fix Monday Night Raw!
Before I start listing a bunch of trades with Smackdown or NXT call-ups, let’s work with the tremendous talent we already have on Raw. As far as the men’s division is concerned, guys like Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Elias, and Ambrose should be in the absolute forefront of the show.
I understand last week’s episode was very Finn-tastic, but his time to be THE guy is now. And how about a guy like Seth Rollins who is constantly putting on top notch matches? I understand we are sticking to the script with his Ambrose feud, but the show could really benefit from a solid twenty minute Rollins match. Obviously not with Ambrose yet, but someone new. Maybe even another IC title open challenge with a fresh match-up. Gable vs. Rollins or something like that.
If we are considering NXT call-ups, I would absolutely love to see a Johnny Gargano response to an IC title open challenge from Rollins. What a match that would be! I know Johnny Wrestling needs to capture that NXT title before making any moves though. Aleister Black however, could debut on Raw as a mysterious, unstoppable force. I honestly think he could be the next Undertaker.
Getting back to Dean Ambrose, two very important things: Can we not ask the amazing Renee Young every week about her husband? It just makes her look awkward every time. Let her do her thing. Also, Dean is getting shots from a doctor, and wearing a gas mask to the ring? I understand the theatrics, but this does not fit the character at all. Ambrose has always been a rough around the edges, tough guy. Not a germaphobe. He’s slept in grimy apartments infested with roaches.
His issue isn’t with the fans, it’s with Seth/The Shield. Ambrose has always struck me as a guy who’s authentic and a bit off the cuff when it comes to the script. I’m cool with the heel turn but I expected him to be the kind of heel who just doesn’t care what the fans think. I’ve always thought he’d go down the path of a Stone Cold, but right now Becky Lynch is absolutely taking that role.. (And Crushing It!) I’m a big Dean Ambrose fan, and I can tell you that he really cares about his craft. Let’s not get too silly, and just let him be Dean Ambrose.
Concerning the women’s division I do have to acknowledge that they really are getting everyone involved. I appreciate the heel pushes for Nia, Ruby, and others. I do think we need to lay off Natalya a bit, but maybe this will lead to her turning on Ronda. Maybe she will just snap, but I’m ready for it. Let’s stop benching Natalya. Alexa being in charge of the women’s division is great on paper, but these Q & A’s are killing me. Also, if they are going to address something as monumental as Women’s Tag Titles, let’s not dance around it. Have Bliss or Stephanie announce a tournament on the Road to Wrestlemania. Something like that would ignite some excitement and showcase a majority of the phenomenal RAW female talent. Another obvious fix would be to call in the likes of Brock Lesnar, with you know, the big time title that’s on RAW.
Before I go on a Universal title relevance rant, let’s just face the facts that Brock ain’t comin to RAW unless he has to. So let’s focus on some lower and mid-card moves. I actually love the Heath Slater ref move, so I’ll give them some points for creativity on that one. Now let’s get Apollo Crews cruising with some solid matches against quality opponents. Lucha House Party is fun, but I hate throwing rules right out the window without any sort of rhyme or reason. I would love to see Kalisto back as a singles competitor. But mostly, I would absolutely LOVE to see Bobby Roode straight up lay out Chad Gable and begin his Triple H-esque heel run. Injuries happen, plans change, and sometimes you just can’t stick to the script. It’s time to make some moves. Believe that.
