WWE has the first Monday Night Raw of May live tonight from the Scottrade Center, St Louis, MO!
This is the first post-Payback 2016 show and everything revolves around. There are now less than three weeks until the next PPV – Extreme Rules 2016 – so WWE has some work to quickly set up the next card.
Vince McMahon decided that it would be both Shane AND Stephanie McMahon to run Monday Night Raw beginning tonight. They seemed to be on the same page as the Payback 2016 PPV went off the air, but there is no telling what will happen on Raw.
Last night at WWE Payback, Mr. McMahon decreed that both of his children will share the responsibility of running Monday Night Raw. What do the warring siblings have in store? WWE.com has some ideas.
Roman Reigns retained the title, and posted a great pic with the Usos:
Roman Reigns and AJ Styles had a main event title match marred with controversy – it was restarted twice with varying stipulations and tons of interference. Their feud is intensifying into Raw and into the Extreme Rules match where both will battle over the title again. It’s still not clear if Anderson & Gallows are truly on Styles’ side or if something else is afoot. We should find out more on Raw.
The other major title match at the show – the WWE Woman’s Title – ended in extreme controversy as well. It was an attempt at recreating the 1997 Survivor Series screwjob where Bret Hart was put into the Sharpshooter by Shawn Michaels and the bell rang despite Bret not tapping. This happened again at Payback, when Charlotte put Natalya into the Sharpshooter and the bell rang. Considering the involved parties, something was definitely off. The ref was Charles Robinson – who in WCW was aligned with Ric Flair at times as Little Naitch – and he could be a factor. We should find out more on this storyline and a likely rematch for Extreme Rules.
Enzo Amore suffered what appeared to be a major injury in the tag team match at Payback 2016.
Here is the clip:
Referee stops the match. Medical personnel attend to the injured @WWEAaLLday21. #WWEPayback pic.twitter.com/3D8nlWtnL3
— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2016
But it appears that Enzo suffered a concussion but no apparent paralysis which had initially been feared. Here he is in the hospital:
https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/726983158730756096
and here he is being released!
#BREAKING @WWEAaLLday21 has been released from the hospital! pic.twitter.com/HMxK0GsNOC
— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2016
While he might not be on Raw, it’s a relief that he is already released from medical attention.
The New Day will certainly be on Raw, and some sort of next steps for the tag titles. They could give the shot to the Vaudevillains, or do a rematch if Enzo is recovered enough before Exteme Rules.
Dean Ambrose defeated Chris Jericho, but their issue might not be done as it looks like there will be many rematches on Extreme Rules. How will Y2J respond to losing to the Lunatic Fringe? Both should be a big part of Raw.
Kevin Owens defeated Sami Zayn, but Zayn attacked later in the evening at Payback. Both were involved in the Intercontinental Title match between The Miz and Cesaro, which ended with the Miz keeping the title. These four wrestlers seem headed for a 4-way over the IC title, with various combinations of them wrestling on Raw and Smackdown in the weeks between.
Ryback and Dolph Ziggler have a social media friendship, and posted about their Payback appearances together:
Ziggler scored a fluke rollup over Baron Cobin, but Ryback fell to Kalisto in the second straight pre-show match for the US Title. These guys should all be on Raw.
Here is the WWE.com quick hits preview for Raw:
- Can Shane and Stephanie McMahon coexist as Raw showrunners? Will Shane and Stephanie be able to co-exist as WWE’s New Era moves forward?
- Will Styles and Reigns go to new ‘Extremes’ tonight? how will Styles adjust his strategy knowing that he faces The Big Dog under one of the most perilous stipulations in all of sports-entertainment?
- How will Natalya respond to the ‘Chicago Screwjob’?Might The Queen of Harts strike back against the champion tonight on Raw?
- Who will be next to challenge The Miz? Expect more fallout surrounding the Intercontinental Championship — and all those who pursue it — live on Raw
- What’s next for the tag team division? Expect more on this developing story tonight on Raw
Vote in the Payback 2016 poll!
[poll id=261]
Here is the early card for WWE Extreme Rules 2016
Extreme Rules Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Title
Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles
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Rob Schamberger paints the new NXT Champion, Samoa Joe, in his latest addition to his painting series.
Listen to this week’s Rabblecast!
