RAW Deal: Where’s Brocky?

NEWARK, NJ, USA—I don’t and won’t usually do this.

Here’s the thing. The scope of this column, as much as possible, is generally everything that goes on onscreen. The kayfabe narrative, if you will. I feel that stirring in too much of the backstage drama—most of which we don’t even completely know, as fans, even when a guy like CM Punk spews a tell-all on a podcast—in my weekly show reviews would create an opinion that isn’t largely based on the merits of RAW as a TV show. As a work of fiction. As a work of creative writing.

However, I feel that this week’s episode demands that we address the backstage goings-on so that we can address the WWE’s current flaws. When we’re less than a month away from WrestleMania and the excitement level is lukewarm, we have to start really looking at what’s going on.

If you haven’t already noticed, Brock Lesnar is nowhere to be seen. In March. The more this goes on, the more it becomes dangerous. For those who don’t know, Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar got into an argument backstage last week during RAW, resulting in Lesnar not appearing as advertised. The duties of hyping the WrestleMania main event have fallen solely to Paul Heyman, unequivocally the best talker the WWE has right now. Not to Roman Reigns, because Creative is unsure which Roman Reigns they should be writing (hint: it should be the sulking, angry one we saw last month in the build-up to Fastlane), and without Lesnar around, Reigns has no one to physically clash with. He can’t turn the heat up with Heyman.

The reason why Lesnar and McMahon are at an impasse in such a crucial time for the company, it’s speculated, is simple: McMahon won’t pay him the money he’s asking for in order to remain exclusive to the WWE. Lesnar has stated he wants to compete in the UFC again, and it’s understandable why the WWE would be against that after ultimately losing Punk to their rivals. Again, that’s not verified, but it’s the most likely scenario.

If Brock Lesnar is your top guy, acts like your top guy, is booked like your top guy, and you want to keep booking him like one of your top guys, then why not pay him like your top guy? I get that Roman Reigns is being groomed to take over the responsibility of being WWE Champion, but if you still need Lesnar around for one reason or another, or if you don’t want him to fall in the hands of your biggest rival right now, then I see no reason not to pony up.

Even if you didn’t want him around, however, the fact that his disgruntlement over his pay is disrupting the build for the biggest show of the year should actually be enough to guilt McMahon into paying up. Heyman is great, but he’s not the champion. As much as he is great, I have to admit that he’s merely coasting us through until Lesnar shows up again. At the end of the night, the champion’s presence is needed to light that spark and start the fire that will take us into WrestleMania.

High spots:

• The current Intercontinental Championship storyline is giving us a few decent midcard matchups, but there’s an big, obvious low blow with the whole thing. You already know what it is, but we’ll go into it later.

• Mindgames Orton is still one of the best things happening right now; Orton stopping Reigns from getting the win was a clever nuance. Again, I wish it could’ve started earlier—like, you know, right after the Royal Rumble earlier—and the three weeks remaining until WrestleMania is going to make this not as good as it should be, but it’s amazing. Some people prefer a storyline in which both men are angry and take out their rage on each other in varying ways, but we’re gonna see way too much of it now. Taking a slightly more subtle route is a gamble that I think will work.

• Miz/Mizdow is coming along nicely. Both men are playing their part wonderfully to make sure the payoff will be big.

• Stephanie McMahon’s promo on John Cena was wonderful. I’m okay with how they’re making Cena/Rusev only a small part of a much bigger Authority/Cena/Cena’s future storyline, and this time, I think it’s finally gonna stick. I wanted Cena to actually stay in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal just for kicks (and to keep Rusev away from a WrestleMania loss). Looking forward to the next chapter in this storyline. 

• Just a thought: if the midcarders are playing for the Intercontinental Championship in the ladder match, then that leaves a true lower-midcarder to possibly emerge as the winner of the Battle Royal and have a chance to ascend through the ranks with it.

• AJ’s finally back! Let’s see how they’ll deal with her after publicly telling off Stephanie McMahon for the WWE’s treatment of Divas. 

•  THE ROMAN REIGNS DIVE! 

Low blows:

• I believe there were no matches that went as long as 10 minutes tonight. Not even Luke Harper/Daniel Bryan. That should already say a lot. 

• All right. What’s going on with the Intercontinental Championship? Who thought it would be a good idea to turn it into a pseudo-Hardcore Championship that THEY’RE JUST PASSING AROUND? While there’s more justification to hang it from the rafters where no one can steal it, this is making everyone involved (yes, even Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler, who joined in on the thievery) look like giant idiots. Thank heavens Daniel Bryan hasn’t resorted to stealing it too. I wonder when they’d realize they should be leaving the championship with the timekeeper. 

• Brock Lesnar isn’t the only part-timer that’s problematic. Triple H vs. Sting and Bray Wyatt vs. Undertaker are also suffering from the absences of the veterans. Sting was a hole they dug themselves in due to his very limited dates. Undertaker, however, should’ve already shown up after the Royal Rumble. These are ideally three of your biggest matches, and they’re being crutched by old age. Good talking from one of the participants will not be enough, because at this point they’re only talking to themselves. Someone needs to show up, and fast.

• I’m no longer sure where they’re heading with Natalya and Tyson Kidd. I thought Natalya turning heel last week was the end of Douchebag Husband Tyson, but apparently not. Is Natalya a heel, or what? Pick one and stick with it.

• Jon Stewart was a wonderful guest and a great little tie-in, but at the end it was of relatively little dramatic impact. Because it was only a little detour they were able to capitalize on and never really intended to drive into, it wasn’t a consequential deal. It literally could’ve been any other legend, and the same purpose would’ve been achieved. It just didn’t feel like much. 

• The Rollins/Reigns main event felt a little flat, for some reason. They’ve been able to put out better matches in the past, but there was just something off about this, big dive notwithstanding.

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