The Pride is (Ry)Back!

Sure, Cesaro might be getting punished after making comments about John Cena and Randy Orton, but — and UNPOPULAR OPINON ALERT — in the highly unlikely event this was a shoot, he had it coming. Complaining about the fans being tired of two of the biggest stars in your company, no matter how true it might be, is grounds to be punished or at the very least, given a good ribbing. And getting attacked by one of the most popular guys in the company in what was almost definitely one of the highest rated segments of the night (and with the possibility for a rematch either Friday or next Monday) is probably the best way to get it. Much like his getting swept by Dolph Ziggler at Hell in a Cell, while this certainly didn’t do Cesaro any good, this was much more about the WWE needing to “destroy something beautiful” to give what happened  — Ziggler establishing himself as a VERY dominant Intercontinental champion and Ambrose as having went completely off the deep end — enough gravitas.

The transition from Waylon Mercy to the Undertaker is almost complete for Bray Wyatt. Now he just need to only wear the butcher’s smock going forward and make sure he is accompanied by a fog/smoke machine at all times and he’ll get there in no time.

The idea of two solid women’s matches — even one with a cockamamee ending like “Jerry Lawler helps young woman without soliciting her for sex” — on a Raw isn’t something that should come as a shock, but, well, there you have it, I suppose. The Nikki Bella, forever.

And while it doesn’t make a great deal of sense for Brie to be doing things like deliberately cheating for her sister at this point, them finally allowing Nikki to just push and pull her in whatever direction she pleases is making for some fun and compelling television. It will almost certainly devolve into the pits of misogyny and McMahon-brand scat humor, but for now, they’ve established that Nikki is a monster, but one with a point and they’ve allowed Brie a “way out” — she can quit again — that is simultaneously a way to build sympathy for her and allow her to overcome the failings in her past that allowed this to happen.

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