Orton doing a thorough job of putting over Drew McIntyre as a perennial main eventer for the next number of years and leaving no stone unturned
The Viper’s in-ring work has been impeccable as always in 2020, but where he has flourished the most by far is on the microphone – he has undoubtedly done the best work of his career in that department, and this Monday was no exception. He will look to win his 14th career WWE Title this Sunday in his 8th career match inside Hell In A Cell. Another interesting fact is that Orton will look to win the WWE Championship for the 3rd time inside the structure.
On the other hand, Drew McIntyre will compete in his first HIAC match. This is exactly why McIntyre wanted to work with Orton – Drew knew it would benefit him exponentially to be able to work with one of the top two or three superstars in the entire company and serve to establish him as a legitimate main event – caliber superstar. Whether he gets the victory or not inside the Cell, it will do wonders for his status in WWE to even be in there with a superstar of Randy Orton’s caliber.
The fact that McIntyre has defeated Randy Orton twice already for the WWE championship (including at the second biggest Pay-Per-View of the year – SummerSlam) has elevated him exponentially and proven that his victory at WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar was no fluke. An adequate amount of time has been invested into making McIntyre successful. Randy Orton is one of the best storytellers in all of pro wrestling, and the main thing that makes him so great in this department is the extremely methodical approach he takes (a lost art in today’s extremely fast-paced world).
There was some confusion about the way Monday Night Raw ended this week, but it was the ending Mr. McMahon approved and envisioned – it served as a great cliffhanger for Sunday’s Hell In a Cell Pay-Per-View.
Strowman provides the impetus for Keith Lee to add another dimension to his character; Mustafa Ali may have found his niche
Braun Strowman got a victory over Keith Lee by using the same tactic Roman Reigns used to get the victory over him on October 16 on SmackDown – the subtle low blow the referee was unable to see. Keith Lee retaliated with one of his own after the match, and it showed a sense of aggression the WWE universe hasn’t seen before. This adds an entirely new dimension to Keith Lee’s character and serves to diversify his personality by showing that he has more than one gear or dimension to his personality that he did not show in NXT.
Strowman, in the meantime, is simply incubating after dropping the Universal Championship and in the process giving younger superstars who have less exposure under their belt (like Keith Lee, who is only a year younger than The Monster Among Men) more of a platform on Monday Night Raw
RETRIBUTION lost a little momentum at the beginning of Raw by taking a loss to The Hurt Business, but fortunately they got it back later in the program. Ali revealed himself as the SmackDown hacker from several months ago – hopefully he can now settle into a niche in WWE after a few years of searching for what exactly he wants to be. Most of the WWE universe could sense from the beginning of Mustafa Ali’s career that he had an unspoken quality about him that could profoundly resonate with the WWE universe someday. In his own words, “WWE could not figure out how to make a dime with Mustafa Ali.” However, he can only do so much on the microphone to overcome the inconsistent booking RETRIBUTION has received – the faction will have a hard time ever being taken seriously if they keep taking losses.
Kofi Kingston and Sheamus produce an unbelievable match; Miz foreshadows plans to take the Money in the Bank contract and in the process displays why he is so valuable to the company with his level of charisma
Kofi Kingston and Sheamus met in a match on Raw for the first time in nine years and had the best match of the night, getting adequate time to deliver and tell a good story. Kofi got the victory, which means that:
- The New Day will remain tag team champions for quite some time and
- For right now, Sheamus will just hang out and buy time as a mid-carder
It’s nice to simply see Sheamus still in the ring and able to give solid performances (he looked like he was on his last leg at ‘Mania 35 1.5 years ago.
The Miz took an embarrassing loss to Otis (El Gordo), but Miz is still one of the best promos in the company consistently (comedy or not). The writing is on the wall for The A-lister to steal the Money in the Bank contract – and for the WWE universe to simultaneously develop more sympathy for Otis. Otis is becoming a valuable commodity in the comedic department and he is beginning to rival R – Truth as the best comedy act in the company.
Styles getting a bodyguard; Jeff Hardy and Elias could put together an underrated gem of a match at HIAC
According to Fightful Select, AJ Styles now has a new wrinkle added to his character – the ability to hide behind a bodyguard. Mr. McMahon has now found a spot for Jordan Omogbehin. After bouncing around as a ninja a few months ago for Akira Tozawa and the bouncer for Raw Underground (which may or may not still be in existence). Jordan was part of the recruit class at the WWE performance center in 2018 along with Matt Riddle (who wrestled Styles this Monday), Damian Priest, and Mia Yim. This 7ft tall former basketball player will provide security for AJ Styles during his matches and be a person The Phenomenal One can blame when the heel loses.
WWE is resurrecting the HBK-Diesel alliance from about 25 years ago. Shawn Michaels and Diesel (Kevin Nash) met at WrestleMania XI in 1995. Styles is so similar to Michaels – in terms of in-ring ability as well as look, and Omogbehin can serve as a similar presence to what Diesel did for Michaels back in the day. The Undertaker, who participated in what could very well have been his final match with Styles at WrestleMania 36 in a Boneyard match, acknowledged that part of the reason he chose to work with The Phenomenal One was that he reminded Taker of Shawn Michaels (most WWE fans remember very fondly the first Hell In A Cell match between HBK and The Undertaker at Badd Blood 1997).
October 19 was by far the best musical performance Elias has ever given – the band significantly elevated his presence. It didn’t quite have the aura or mixture of cadences that Led Zeppelin has in “Stairway to Heaven,” but it was close. Most of the WWE universe would know it maintains continuity that Jeff Hardy was involved in the performance, because Elias attacked Jeff on October 12 with a guitar. This has the potential to be one of the better matches at Hell In A Cell on Sunday – Elias likely will not pick up the victory like he did at WrestleMania against King Corbin, because WWE is prioritizing the push of Jeff Hardy right now to keep him happy and away from AEW with his brother.
New stars emerging in the exponentially deep Women’s Division in WWE
According to reports, Lana quietly turned babyface on October 12 after being in the opposite role for nearly her entire tenure on the main roster in WWE. She recently formed a temporary alliance with Natalya as well as being put through the announce table 5 weeks in a row by Nia Jax. It’s great to see her get even a little bit of an opportunity coinciding with the release and AEW debut of her husband Miro.
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are certainly not a typical tag team, but they are effective nonetheless as dominant heels. The Riott Squad are currently being positioned to become the faces who ultimately dethrone them.