SPOILERS: Major Heel Turn And Title Change On WWE Raw
It could go down as one of the most shocking Raw episodes of all time.
The main event of tonight's Raw saw an incredible and shocking sequence of events, capped off by a heel turn from one of WWE's top babyfaces.
Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre defended their Raw Tag Team Championship against Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to close the show. A near 20-minute match ended after Braun Strowman attacked Drew McIntyre, isolating Dolph Ziggler and allowing Seth Rollins to pin him for the title change.
Then, as the new champions celebrated in the ring, Ambrose shockingly hit Rollins with Dirty Deeds. Despite looking frantic and conflicted, he continued the assault, following Seth out of the ring and hitting a second Dirty Deeds onto an exposed section of the arena floor.
This, of course, echoes Seth Rollins' original betrayal of The Shield back in 2014.
Ever since Ambrose returned from injury with a slightly changed look, many predicted that a heel turn would be incoming. However, it was still incredibly shocking given the segment that opened tonight's Raw.
At the beginning of the show, Roman Reigns took to the ring and revealed his ongoing battle with leukemia. He explained that he was originally diagnosed at the age of 22, only for the disease to go into remission. Sadly it has recently returned, and Reigns is set to take time off to focus on his health and family.
The heartfelt segment ended with Roman embracing Rollins and Ambrose at the top of the ramp.
Debate is already ongoing on social media with regards to whether the latter should have happened tonight. On one hand, Ambrose and Rollins promised to win the Raw Tag Team Championship on behalf of Roman - and did so. On the other hand, was it a wise decision to turn one of Reigns' close allies heel so soon after such legitimate and sad news?
Then again, Roman's opening promo was clearly explained to us as existing outside of the realms of WWE storytelling. He referred to himself by his real name (Joe), and WWE's YouTube channel has already uploaded a video of many of his kayfabe rivals embracing him backstage - particularly Braun Strowman.
It's a difficult debate, with valid points on either side. Regardless, this week's episode of Raw has certainly been a very memorable one - for both entertaining and sad reasons.
Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre defended their Raw Tag Team Championship against Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to close the show. A near 20-minute match ended after Braun Strowman attacked Drew McIntyre, isolating Dolph Ziggler and allowing Seth Rollins to pin him for the title change.
Then, as the new champions celebrated in the ring, Ambrose shockingly hit Rollins with Dirty Deeds. Despite looking frantic and conflicted, he continued the assault, following Seth out of the ring and hitting a second Dirty Deeds onto an exposed section of the arena floor.
This, of course, echoes Seth Rollins' original betrayal of The Shield back in 2014.
Ever since Ambrose returned from injury with a slightly changed look, many predicted that a heel turn would be incoming. However, it was still incredibly shocking given the segment that opened tonight's Raw.
At the beginning of the show, Roman Reigns took to the ring and revealed his ongoing battle with leukemia. He explained that he was originally diagnosed at the age of 22, only for the disease to go into remission. Sadly it has recently returned, and Reigns is set to take time off to focus on his health and family.
The heartfelt segment ended with Roman embracing Rollins and Ambrose at the top of the ramp.
Debate is already ongoing on social media with regards to whether the latter should have happened tonight. On one hand, Ambrose and Rollins promised to win the Raw Tag Team Championship on behalf of Roman - and did so. On the other hand, was it a wise decision to turn one of Reigns' close allies heel so soon after such legitimate and sad news?
Then again, Roman's opening promo was clearly explained to us as existing outside of the realms of WWE storytelling. He referred to himself by his real name (Joe), and WWE's YouTube channel has already uploaded a video of many of his kayfabe rivals embracing him backstage - particularly Braun Strowman.
It's a difficult debate, with valid points on either side. Regardless, this week's episode of Raw has certainly been a very memorable one - for both entertaining and sad reasons.
Written by Jack King
jack.king@cultaholic.com Twitter: @JackTheJobber
