The WWE universe will be wishing Sasha Banks all the best in her recovery from injuries to her hip and tailbone suffered at Hell in a Cell.
I will begin by stating the two picks in the draft which may be two of the most underrated.
The first is Buddy Murphy, who appears to be a perennial top-level superstar for the next decade.
The second is the final pick Liv Morgan, who is on hiatus after losing a big match in July and subsequently promises to be “real” when she comes back. She definitely has the look and charisma to be the next breakout star in the Women’s Division. Her in-ring abilities have also steadily improved.
There is also speculation that Liv may be incorporated into The Fiend Bray Wyatt’s conflict with Seth Rollins over the Universal Championship by portraying Sister Abigail. While this would be awesome, some members of the WWE universe may not feel this way, and the reaction that this may get from the WWE universe might be too risky even for Vince McMahon. It is unfortunate for the FOX execs that both of these choices went to Monday Night Raw on USA.
Seth Rolling staying on Raw is another big surprise. One would have thought FOX would have wanted him on their brand because he is so gifted in the ring. If Seth would have gone to Raw, that would’ve meant the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar could’ve come to Raw. The two major heavyweight champions in WWE switching brands would get a lot of people talking and also shift attention away from the success of AEW (since attention is the new currency).
Seth is also in the midst of a heel turn since he is quite clearly embracing the darker side of his personality. There have been gradual hints of this since WrestleMania 35, but the most recent example occurred this week when Rollins burned The Fiend to the ground. This would be welcome because he was excellent as a heel back in 2014-15, the most memorable aspect being that maniacal laugh. We’ll have to see if Seth turns into a full-blown heel by the time his next Universal Championship match with The Fiend rolls around.
Another reason this possibility would have been a good one to go with is that it would put Brock Lesnar on the same show as Bobby Lashley so the two former MMA fighters could potentially have at least one big match in the future. But now, with both men already being in their 40s and being on separate brands for what looks to be the next few years, WWE may have missed out on this big-money match. Let’s face it, one or both of them will most likely retire within the next few years. Lesnar has even said it’s possible he may retire as soon as WrestleMania in 6 months.
That is my own personal fantasy booking, now let’s get down to what actually happened. The Viking Raiders have done everything the right way on their way to winning the Raw Tag Team Championships, and the future of the tag team division on Raw looks extremely bright. Paul Heyman has to be ecstatic by the addition of Erik and Ivar as these two athletic freaks are guaranteed to give classic matches.
One would have to assume that WWE will hold brand-exclusive Pay-Per-Views for the foreseeable future. The Raw and SmackDown rosters are both plenty big enough to accommodate this.