The Good, The Bad and The NXT
Thursday 11 January 2018 08:55, UK
It was a great week for Braun Strowman and Mojo Rawley, but not so memorable for Brock Lesnar, Kane and The Ascension.
Not only do WWE fans have the Royal Rumble to look forward to in less than three weeks' time, but Raw's 25th Anniversary is now right around the corner and it that looks like it could turn into one of the biggest and best celebrations in WWE history.
This past week, more legends were revealed for the event, whilst WWE also attempted to simultaneously announce matches for the 31st annual Royal Rumble as well.
Good Week
Braun Strowman (Raw)
Braun Strowman showed off a number of feats of strength back in 2017 when he was able to flip an ambulance with Roman Reigns inside as well as being able to break a WWE ring when he suplexed The Big Show off the top rope.
The former strongman decided to continue this incredible streak into 2018 by beating down both of his Royal Rumble opponents before using a grappling hook to pull a metal structure down on top of them.
Brock Lesnar and Kane were the victims of another thought-out attack from Strowman as he sent a message to the two men who will stand across the ring from him in less than three weeks' time at the Rumble. Right now it is hard to see anyone but The Monster Among Men walking out of Philadelphia as the new Universal Champion.
Mojo Rawley (SmackDown)
Mojo Rawley has been floating around SmackDown Live over the past few weeks with very little to do since he split from his former tag team partner Zack Ryder and this week faced his former friend once again and came out on top after a corner forearm strike.
It is thought that this could be the beginning of a huge push for the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale winner, which could finally see him step into a feud with someone other than Ryder and be pushed into the main-event level of SmackDown Live for the first time in his career.
The Undisputed Era (NXT)
The dominant team of Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly were scheduled to face Sanity in a rematch for the NXT Tag Team Championships this week on NXT but it appears the champions had a better idea.
After attacking Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dane ahead of their match to ensure that they could not compete, the trio gloated in the ring about their lack of opponents, before Roderick Strong and Aleister Black decided to take the fight to The Undisputed Era.
WWE Late Night Raw
Once again the clever trio used the numbers game to find an advantage and ensure that they retained their Championships, before sending a message to Black, but it general manager William Regal has now opened up a world of pain for Adam Cole after he announced that his match at NXT Takeover: Philadephia against Black is now an Extreme Rules match.
Who does this style of match truly benefit more?
Bad Week
Brock Lesnar (Raw)
Brock Lesnar has been the most dominant superstar in WWE since 2012 and finally it seems as though there is a new beast on the scene.
Brock and Kane stood no chance against the Monster Among Men, who was on a mission to prove that he is the right man to lead the Raw brand moving forward.
Lesnar was stretchered out of the arena after Strowman's attack which saw him thrown into a number of metal carriers backstage before he became stuck under a metal structure. Has The Beast finally met his match?
The Ascension (SmackDown)
Konnor and Viktor have not had a good week since their time in NXT, where they are former tag team champions, but more than two years after their promotion to the main roster it looked as though the duo were about to embark on the perfect feud with The Bludgeon Brothers.
Sadly, this was not the case since once again the team of Harper and Rowan easily defeated The Ascension to remind everyone that WWE really does not think very highly of the former champions.
With Tyler Breeze and Fandango moving into a feud with Rusev and Aiden English, it seems that The Ascension are set to once again disappear from WWE TV for a number of months as the company works out what to do with two superstars who are as uniquely gifted as these two stars.
Dakota Kai (NXT)
It was never going to end well for Dakota Kai after she was the woman who drew the short straw and would sadly be used to prove the dominance of Mae Young Classic finalist Shayna Baszler as she finally made her in-ring debut on NXT.
Baszler ended the match in record time after a brutal stomp to the elbow which looked like it could have broken her opponent's arm.
WWE Late Night Smackdown Hlts
This wasn't enough for the former MMA fighter, who then locked in the Kirifuda Clutch until Kai passed out and NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon came out to make the save.
This may well be the last time we see Dakota in a WWE ring for a while, but it seems to just be the beginning when it comes to Shanya Baszler and the NXT women's division.
