WWE Raw preview (Nov. 18, 2019): Future star
WWE.com
Team Red’s last preparations before The Battle For Brand Supremacy™ take place in Boston on Mon., Nov. 18.
The Headliner(s)
We’ll get into
the announced stuff for this show and other things we’re expecting from the red brand’s last big push toward Sunday’s PPV in Chicagoland. But ever since typing up the spoiler reports from Manchester a week-and-a-half ago, and even more after seeing the episode of
Raw filmed there last Monday, something’s been sticking in my craw.
What in the wide, wide world of sports entertainment is WWE doing with Kevin Owens?
He’s not as over everywhere as he was in England, but he’s still pretty dang over everywhere. This despite a too long program with Shane McMahon. We all thought he’d been cast as Stone Cold Steve Austin in that feud. Instead, he was pretty much just a generic 21st century WWE babyface using the Texas Rattlesnake’s finisher.
KO was shipped to Raw in the Draft and then took most of October off… I guess because he wasn’t going to Saudi Arabia so they didn’t want to use screen time on him. When he has been on television, it’s been to do what he did last Monday - team with Street Profits.
And that’s great!
Big Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins fan here, and have no problem with the Profits getting a rub hanging with a former Universal champ. A meaningful program of their own would be next on my wish list for them. But back to the subject at hand.
The list of guys and gals who would be getting more/better from WWE creative is long. Raw’s men’s Survivor Series team has several, and captain Seth Rollins puts his spot on the line tonight against another in Andrade. But the difference between Owens and Andrade, Drew McIntyre and even Ricochet is hungry the fans are to see Kevin get a run at the top.
Owens has been there before, of course. But that was a villain, and with the current AEW World champ at his side. That he’s a good guy now (and perhaps a little bit because of how that main event run ended so Goldberg could have a belt for
WrestleMania 33) changes things. It almost feels like he could be on the cusp of Daniel Bryan or Becky Lynch-esque fan-driven rise.
It’s the perfect time of year for it, with the Royal Rumble coming up and The Granddaddy Of Them All closer than it seems. He’s got a clean slate. And something like being the sole survivor on Sunday could be the perfect launching pad.
Just a thought. Now back to your regularly scheduled smart-assery about what will definitely or at least probably happen on
Raw.
The title scene
Current
WWE champion Brock Lesnar isn’t advertised for TD Garden, and an appearance isn’t teased in
the official preview over at WWE.com. His
Survivor Series challenger Rey Mysterio will be on hand to speak on their upcoming match and very good, personal rivalry. We’ll probably spend at least a few seconds during that promo fantasy booking Brock vs. KO, though.
All signs point to
Raw Women’s titleholder taking back up the “Becky Two Belts” handle soon, or trying to, anyway. The team-up she had last week with friend-turned-enemy-turned-hesitant ally Charlotte Flair looks like it’s an ongoing thing. They’re in action in Beantown. They won’t be challenging Kabuki Warriors for the
Women’s Tag belts again this week, since Asuka has a bout lined up with Natalya. But those will be coming after The Battle of Brand Supremacy™ is in the rearview. Speaking of which, if Flair & Lynch’s unannounced opponents aren’t from Team NXT or SmackDown, expect some of those ladies to crash the match. And maybe even if they are facing SmackDown or NXT talent.
As a tune-up for their Triple Threat against New Day & Undisputed ERA,
Raw Tag champs face Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins. I know they gave themselves a team name, but I don’t remember it. And bless their hearts, but I don’t care enough to look it up, either.
He doesn’t have a warm-up lined up as of this writing, but
United States champion AJ Styles will have his mind on the blue and black-and-gold brands. He faces his counterparts Roderick Strong & Shinsuke Nakamura on Sunday.
Samir Singh is
24/7 champion. To R-Truth’s consternation, Samir & brother Sunil are as good at running away as they are Bollywood dancing and getting their butts kicked by Randy Orton.
Other stuff to keep an eye on
- Speaking of Orton, he doesn’t really get along with his Survivor Series teammate Ricochet.
- Raw still needs to announce their women’s team. Looking at their roster page, it seems pretty safe to assume it will be Charlotte and some combination of a tag team and people who haven’t been on TV in a while (or if The IIconics join the squad, both). We’ll see what they do tonight, I guess.
- Happy belated Sexiversary to Lana and Bobby Lashley. And congrats to Rusev on being in the hottest angle in wrestling.
It’s the Survivor Series ‘go home’ show!
What will you be looking for on
Raw tonight?