6 Takeaways From WWE RAW (1/8)

The January 8th, 2018 episode of WWE RAW aired live from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN. Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s episode of RAW:

Hardy & Wyatt Shared Another Laugh

Woken Matt Hardy faced Curt Hawkins tonight on RAW and came down to the ring with new entrance music. It was also announced that Hardy will be in the Royal Rumble match on January 28th.

Hardy bit Hawkins while the referee wasn’t looking. Hawkins battled back and took control of the match. Hawkins climbed to the top turnbuckle and went for a Crossbody but Hardy got out of the way. Hardy then slammed Hawkins’ face into all three turnbuckles over and over again. Matt planted Hawkins with the Twist of Fate for the pinfall victory.

The lights in the arena went out and Bray Wyatt appeared in the ring. Bray and Hardy stared at each other for a moment and then started laughing. The two Superstars got in each other’s face and continued to laugh before Wyatt retreated.

I feel like WWE is wasting an opportunity here with this feud. A rivalry between Wyatt and Woken Matt Hardy should contain chaos and memorable moments every week. Instead, this is just phoned in right now and there is barely anything to it. It took such a long time for Matt Hardy to become Woken in WWE, you would think WWE would have something better than this prepared.

The Miz Returned To RAW

Elias performed a song for The Miz in the ring. The Miz then made his return to WWE and came down to the ring with Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel for an edition of Miz TV. The crowd gave Miz a great reaction when he asked if they missed him.

The Miz went on to praise Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel for turning around their careers last year. Axel stated that 2017 was the best year of his life and that every singe day felt like “Mizmas”. Dallas chimed in and stated that it felt like they were winning a Mizzie award every single day. Bo started a “thank you Miz” chant and some fans played along.

Dallas then presented The Miz with a gift, which was a framed photo of The Miz. Bo comically added that he will have a difficult time falling asleep tonight without the photo. Axel then gave The Miz his jacket and referred to it as a new coat. Dallas didn’t want to be shown up so he gave The Miz the watch off of his wrist. Axel then took off his shoe and gave it to The Miz. The Miz told them to stop and take a seat.

The Miz stated that 2017 was a huge year but he has a lot planned for the future. The Miz spent the next couple of minutes bragging about his run with the IC Title and how he made Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel relevant on RAW. Miz claimed that he simply let Reigns borrow the Intercontinental Championship while he was off filming The Marine 6. He added that he is coming back for his title and that he will become the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all-time.

It is great to see The Miz back on RAW. It has been pretty noticeable that he wasn’t on the show for the past several weeks. It was announced that The Miz will get his IC Title rematch in two weeks at the 25th anniversary of RAW.

Enzo Amore Is Still The Cruiserweight Champion

Enzo Amore defended his Cruiserweight Championship against Cedric Alexander tonight on RAW. This match was supposed to happen last week but Enzo missed the show due to an illness.

Enzo cut a promo before the match. Enzo thanked Nia Jax for bringing him chicken noodle soup while he was recovering in the hospital last week. Amore added that Alexander teamed up with Goldust recently and that is the closest he will get to gold in 2018.

Alexander controlled the match early and Nia Jax was shown concerned backstage. RAW went to a commercial break and during it Enzo was able to take control of the match. Enzo beatdown Alexander for a minute and then connected with a Dropkick for a two count.

Cedric connected with a massive kick and went for the cover but Amore was able to kick out at two. Alexander followed it up with a springboard Clothesline and Enzo rolled out of the ring. Alexander connected with a dive onto Enzo Amore outside the ring. Enzo grabbed his ankle in pain and sold an injury as the referee started to count. Alexander got in the ring at the count of 9 and then Enzo Amore was counted out.

Alexander won the match via count-out but did not capture the Cruiserweight Championship. Nia Jax was once again shown backstage as trainers were checking on Amore.

It was hard to envision Alexander winning the title here given then the fact that he was a replacement for Rich Swann in this match. I’m still curious to where this storyline with Enzo and Nia Jax is heading. However, I don’t think Enzo Amore is adding anything to the Cruiserweight Championship. It is hard to get invested in the Cruiserweight division and tune into 205 Live when you are presented with no incentive to do so on RAW.

Strowman Sent Brock Lesnar To The Hospital

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar came down to the ring alongside his advocate. Paul Heyman once again started complaining about Lesnar having to defend his Universal Championship against multiple challengers at the Royal Rumble. Heyman added that Lesnar  laughed in Kane’s face last week and that the same thing will happen on January 28th at the Royal Rumble. Heyman said that the real question is who will Lesnar pin at the PPV. Will Lesnar pin Kane or Strowman, or will he stack them on top of each other and pin them both at the same time.

Kane attacked Lesnar from behind as they were making their way back up the entrance ramp. Lesnar battled back and the brawl continued backstage. Braun Strowman came out of nowhere and launched Brock onto a table backstage. Strowman then slammed a cart into Kane as Kane was on the floor. Strowman then launched a grappling hook in the air and it latched on to part of the stage.

Braun used his strength to tear down part of the stage and it fell onto Lesnar and Kane. Lesnar was taken away in an ambulance and Kane was able to limp away. Brock pleaded with Heyman to let him out of the ambulance but they wound up heading to a local hospital.

.@KaneWWE and @BrockLesnar's worlds come CRASHING DOWN as @BraunStrowman sends a message to his #RoyalRumble opponents! #RAW @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/8hGqc3Yfk6

— WWE (@WWE) January 9, 2018

This was great and hopefully we get more moments like this as we make our way towards Royal Rumble. This match would be much more interesting if it becomes No DQ or another stipulation added to it.

Nia Jax Attacked Asuka

Alexa Bliss approached Nia Jax backstage. Alexa stated that she is worried that Enzo Amore is holding Nia Jax back. Nia disagreed and said that she wanted to become a champion like Enzo. Jax then announced that she will be in the women’s Royal Rumble match on January 28th.

Bliss brought up the possibility of Nia Jax getting her shot at the RAW Women’s Championship against her at WrestleMania 34. Bliss used this as a way to get Nia Jax to go over after Asuka and try to take her out. Bliss claimed that Asuka said something bad about Nia Jax and then whispered it into her ear.

Asuka then made her way down to the ring but Nia Jax attacked her from behind. Nia beat Asuka down and then made her way back up the entrance ramp. Nia stopped at the top of the entrance ramp and stared at Asuka. The camera cut to Asuka and she looked very pissed off as the segment ended.

Alexa Bliss has once again convinced Nia Jax to do her dirty work. Jax is a Superstar that I wouldn’t mind seeing win the first ever women’s Royal Rumble on January 28th. She hasn’t really had her moment on the main roster yet.

The Miz Sent A Message To Roman Reigns

WWE Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns kicked off this week’s episode of RAW and made his way down tot he ring. Reigns got his typical reaction from the crowd and began cutting a promo about how he silenced Samoa Joe last week when he defeated him to retain his title.

Jason Jordan interrupted and joined Roman in the ring. Jordan claimed that he re-watched the match last week and got goosebumps because he felt like he was a part of something meaningful. Jordan added that Reigns proved that this really is his yard and thanked Reigns on behalf of he and his tag partner, Seth Rollins.

Rollins’ music then hit and Seth joined the party in the ring. Rollins told Jordan that he still had a lot to learn and that he was stepping on Reigns’ moment. Jordan said that it was all their moment and claimed that they are the most dominant trio in WWE. Balor, Gallows and Anderson then came down from backstage.

Balor stated that he was dominating with Gallows and Anderson before Jordan even knew that Kurt Angle was his father. The crowd then started chanting “who’s your daddy?” at Jason Jordan. RAW GM Kurt Angle and announced that the two teams will face each other in the RAW main event.

Balor, Gallows and Anderson went on to defeat Reigns, Rollins and Jordan in the main event. Jordan ran into the ring and the referee didn’t realize that Reigns was tagged in. Gallows and Anderson planted Rollins with a Magic Killer and then Reigns took them both out. Jordan and Reigns began arguing and that led to the team’s downfall. Balor connected with the Coup de Grace on Rollins to get the pinfall victory for the Balor Club.

After the match, The Balor Club was shown with smiles on their faces as Reigns and Jordan continued to argue in the ring. The Miz and The Miztourage leaped into the ring and attacked Jordan, Rollins and Reigns. The Miz delivered a Skull Crushing Finale to Reigns in the middle of the ring to the delight of the crowd. They chanted “one more time!” and The Miz obliged and hit another Skull Crushing Finale on Reigns as RAW went off the air.

Hey, @WWERomanReigns…@mikethemiz is BACK! #RAW pic.twitter.com/cIFYjF9gja

— WWE (@WWE) January 9, 2018

I doubt that The Miz will get his title back when he gets his rematch two weeks from now at RAW’s 25th anniversary. It was good to see Balor, Gallows and Anderson pick up the victory tonight and I hope WWE continues to build the Balor Club up. All three of those Superstars have been underutilized on RAW, Gallows & Anderson to a ridiculous extent. There are only two more episodes of RAW left until the Royal Rumble. I’ve yet to feel the buzz that a big WWE PPV is around the corner.