The Springfield version of WWE Raw, this week, was no ordinary episode of wrestling; it was a go-home show, the episode was intended to make the most of expectations towards Wrestlepalooza, which is being broadcast on ESPN Unlimited this Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Full of emotional goodbyes, explosive competitions, and outrageous revenge scenes, the broadcast was the ideal catapult to the next quality live event that WWE has to offer.
Cena Emotional Homecoming: Embracing his Fear as a Champion.
John Cena visited one of the most personal stops to date, with just seven more appearances before his retirement in December. The city means a lot to the 17 world champion, who is an offensive line player at Springfield College at the end of the 1990s and who joined WWE in the year 2001.
Facing a full capacity crowd of fans, family, and former teammates, Cena gave a candid talk about his next encounter with Brock Lesnar. He acknowledged that it would have been the safe thing to do and run out of the fight. Rather, he has shown that the real champions have to face their fears right on, even when it is The Beast.
His emotional speech not only enhanced the seriousness of their main event in Wrestlepalooza but also enriched his legacy. The stakes are massive: their initial singles match in more than 10 years, and Lesnar is the one dominating their career series 42. In the case of Cena, it is beyond a match, but it is a test of bravery.
Power Couples Unleashed: Punk and AJ vs. Rollins and Lynch.
Next on the Raw spotlight was the mixed tag match that Wrestlepalooza was looking forward to: CM Punk and AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. The four megastars gave a verbal clinic in a 20-minute segment, hurling barbed and intensely personal barbs at one another, which hit far outside the ring.
Seth and Becky doubted the preparedness of AJ Lee after ten years of retirement and her return as a possible liability to Punk. Fists then replaced words and writing, and the result was Becky planting AJ with a Manhandle Slam and then slapping Punk on the face.
I dare hope that this preview is no measure of the fact that the clash between the wrestlers at Wrestlepalooza will have an emotional firearm as much as it will be a physical action.
Knight Vengeance: Anarchy in the Main Event.
The main event in the Raw tag team match, which was similar to a main event in Raw, saw Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker make a comeback over LA Knight and Jimmy Uso, but the nature of the events that followed the match took center stage. Ironically, in a beautiful stroke of revenge, Knight went through Jey Uso with his trademark BFT, which served as a reminder of momentum and a warning to Saturday night.
Outside the Headline: Suspense in the Background.
The night was not an exclusively headline-driven affair, however: there were a number of major plot twists that contributed to the build of Wrestlepalooza:
Bayley Enigmatic Return: It has been two months since Bayley appeared last, and the first thing she does is return with her popular Hugger character to join Lyra Valkyria against an attack by the Judgment Day. However, she then betrayed her later by embarrassing Valkyria backstage when she went into her locker room. The contradictory mannerism foreshadows an intriguing two-character story.
Comic Chaos, El Grande Americano: Having lost Dragon Lee with the support of several masked accomplices, the Americanos brought a hilarious piece of Spider-Man pointing performance on the stage. AJ Styles then entered to even things out, and commentators Joe Tessitore and Corey Graves contributed to the comedy by pointing mockingly under the ring. It was an ideal mixture of ridiculous comedy and standard wrestling anarchy.
Raw Results September 15
- Lyra Valkyria overcame Roxanne Perez.
- Penta def. Kofi Kingston
- El Grande Americano vs. Dragon Lee.
- Stephanie Vaquer wins over Kairi Sane.
- Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed won over LA Knight and Jimmy Uso.
Last Minute Show: A Go-Home Show Done Right.
The Raw this week was a masterpiece in go-home storytelling. The speech of John Cena was expository but assertive, and this move brought the feud between him and Lesnar to a battle of legacy and intimidation. The hot mic cut-up between the mixed tag rivals brought out the best character-based drama of WWE, and the reappearance of Bayley brought the possible introduction of a new character. Even the comic mayhem of the Americanos added to an overall entertaining performance.
WWE offered the right combination of emotional appeal, personal feuds, and one of the most unforeseen twists to provide the population with what it really required: a Raw that made the fans eager, agitated, and hyped up to the big stage of Wrestlepalooza.
