WrestleTalk Roundtable – WWE Raw – October 1, 2018

I have to hand it to WWE. I’ve been kinda hard on Raw for the past little while – *cough* six months *cough* – but the red brand may have accidentally stumbled onto an intriguing storyline.

When the Shield reformed just over a month ago, I was entirely ambivalent. There’s only so many times that a legendary team can break up and get back together before their magic starts to wear a little thin. Just ask D-Generation X. Or Oasis.

But credit to the WWE: this reunion, unlike the last, doesn’t appear to exist purely for purposes of pushing Roman. Instead, they’ve re-purposed the stable to launch Dean Ambrose as a complex, multifaceted singles star. Maybe.

You might say that Dean was acting slightly heelish on last night’s Raw, and I wouldn’t argue with you. But you could also say that he was acting HUMAN. Too proud to admit that he was in real trouble against Braun Strowman and too envious of Seth’s and Roman’s success to accept their help, Dean acted like a petulant, agitated, selfish man last night… who could’ve been either Intercontinental or Universal Champion right now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoaZYhOFS11/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

There’s a reason why pride and envy are known as two of the seven deadly sins. At worst, they lead to Brad Pitt finding his wife’s head in a box. At best, it tears brothers apart.

That is, if WWE decides to see this narrative through. The Shield are one of the most popular groups in company history and together sell a ton of merchandise each month. The disintegration of the faction, prompted by Dean turning on his partners, would undoubtedly effect that, resulting in less revenue for the promotion.

So, the only question then is: would WWE really sacrifice good storytelling for financial gain? And to that I say: have we told you about Crown Jewel yet?

#BigRedMachine @KaneWWE in one corner, @ShawnMichaels in the other…

It's #Undertaker vs. @TripleH for the LAST TIME EVER this Saturday at #WWESSD! #RAW pic.twitter.com/LFlJMv3tMu

— WWE (@WWE) October 2, 2018

What did our WrestleTalk writers think of Raw last night though? In our weekly Roundtable, we debate the good and the bad from the show, before giving it an overall rating. Did they enjoy Konnor’s second consecutive win? Was Shawn Michaels’ appearance everything we had ever dreamed it would be? What are their thoughts on whether Seattle deserves a basketball team?

Also, Alexa Bliss is great. Don’t @ me.

Roll on with the good!

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