WWE has an all new Monday Night Raw TONIGHT from the Century Link Center in Omaha Nebraska.
The focus is on the Extreme Rules 2016 rematch between Roman Reigns and AJ Styles for the WWE World Heavyweight Title.
WWE.com:
AJ Styles refused to brutalize WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns with a steel chair last Monday night, but as the rivalry between The Phenomenal One and The Big Dog continues to escalate, he won’t show the same restraint this week on Raw. Will Reigns need The Usos to watch his back as Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson remain in pursuit?
AJ has officially sided with his former Bullet Club comrades Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, who have been clearly positioned as heels. Does this mean that AJ is turning heel as well? Or will there be a twist in this storyline? There continue to be rumors that Finn Balor will join the main roster to get involved with this storyline as well, more probably at the PPV or the Raw after.
Of course the primary focus of Raw will be the sibling power struggle between Shane and Stephanie McMahon. The story so far is the Stephanie is gritting her teeth and pretending to be a good guy to get along with Shane. However, the cracks are already showing, as she fired Dean Ambrose from the Ambrose Asylum, and reinstated the Highlight Reel. There should be more of this style of Shane and Stephanie segments on Raw, with an emphasis on Stephanie. Still no word on how or if HHH will fit into this storyline.
Speaking of Dean Ambrose, after Chris Jericho took over the interview show set, he destroyed Dean’s plant Mitch. WWE is selling this as Ambrose’s biggest defeat to date, saying that even with beatdowns from HHH, Brock Lesnar and Kevin Owens, Dean has never responded like this. There should be some big segment on the show with Ambrose returning to WWE TV after missing Smackdown TV this week for storyline purposes.
The Intercontinental Title scene has been white hot since Wrestlemania, when it’s hard to even remember that Zack Ryder won the ladder match and the title for a hot minute. Now a four way rivalry over the title, which is held by the Miz, has been a highlight in the post-Wrestlemania 32 “new era”. Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Cesaro are three of WWE’s top workers and the Miz’s new character with his wife Maryse is a heat magnet. The next chapter in this feud unfolds on Raw.
Over in the Woman’s Division, the rivalry between Charlotte and Natalya is hotter than ever too, because of the Montreal screwjob-style finish to their match at Payback. With a submission match on the horizon for WWE Extreme Rules, there should be a lot more physicality between these women in the coming weeks.
The US Title has some new life now that Rusev is once again being pushed as a singles monster, with Lana by his side. He has his sights set on Kalisto:
The tag titles will be up for grabs between the New Day and the Vaudevillains at Extreme Rules 2016. However, the entire tag division is on fire with no fewer than six teams in the hunt. The Usos and the Bullet Club (Anderson & Gallows) are at odds, and Big Cass is going at the Vaudevillains and the Dudleys until Enzo returns.
The New Day had a full inflatable box of Booty-O’s in their entrance on house shows this weekend:
The #NewDay now comes complete with their own giant inflatable box of #BootyOs! #WWERioRancho pic.twitter.com/h3NaswtZYc
— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2016
Mark Henry posted this amazing pic on social media this weekend:
Left to Right is Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, Mark Henry, Roman Reigns, Titus O’Neil, Big Cass.
The lady on the bottom is Dasha Fuentes from NXT:
All this on Raw plus more on the Golden Truth saga, The #SocialOutcasts, Baron Corbin and much more!
Here is the WWE Quick Hits Preview:
- Will AJ Styles embrace his ruthless side? Will Styles intense desire to attain the WWE World Heavyweight Title take him down a new, more sadistic path?
- Who deserves to challenge The Miz? Will the Intercontinental Title picture become clearer on Raw?
- Where is Dean Ambrose? Will Ambrose appear on Raw, or has “The Best in the World at What He Does” put the former host of “The Ambrose Asylum” on indefinite hiatus?
- Is Charlotte running scared? Expect Natalya to keep Charlotte on the defensive
- Will Rusev devour Kalisto’s ‘big heart’?
Here’s the updated card for the May 22nd Extreme Rules pay-per-view from Newark, NJ:
Extreme Rules Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Title
Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles
Submission Match for the WWE Women’s Title
Charlotte (c) vs. Natalya
Ric Flair is banned from ringside
WWE United States Title Match
Kalisto (c) vs. Rusev w/Lana
WWE Tag Team Title Match
The Vaudevillains vs. The New Day
In addition, these are likely matches for the show
WWE Intercontinental Title
The Miz (c) vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows vs. The Usos
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Check out this video:
The WWE Women’s Championship hits the canvas: WWE Canvas 2 Canvas
Artist Rob Schamberger pays tribute to Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte after they stole the show at WrestleMania 32 in a triple-threat match for the WWE Women’s Championship.
Listen to this week’s Rabblecast!
