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WWE

The WWE infrastructure was drastically rearranged last week with the announcement that Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff would be taking the creative reins of Raw and SmackDown, respectively, in the roles of executive directors. That announcement gave way to speculation as to whether we would see some changes to the product immediately, and Monday night's edition of Raw may have provided a quick answer. 

Raw on Monday night simply felt fresh and different (for better or worse) from start to finish with an action-packed three hours of entertainment that featured everything from an opening that had everyone buzzing throughout the night, surprising debuts and a main event that gave way to a heel turn that was not only obvious, but very much necessary at the same time. 

Let's take a look at everything that went down on a rollercoaster episode of Raw on Monday night. 

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Stunning chaos reigns to open Raw

Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley in a falls count anywhere match ends in a no contest: The advertised Strowman-Lashley falls count anywhere match kicked off the show, and the two brutes put on a thrilling battle as they fought both in the ring and throughout the arena. They eventually made their way to the top of the ramp, and that's where things took one of the more insane turns that we've see on the flagship show in a while. 

Strowman bull-rushed Lashley straight through the set at the top of the ramp -- yes, a spot we've seen many times before on WWE television. This time, though, the intensity knob was turned all the way up to 11 as nearly all the behind-the-scenes electrical equipment began to explode and the power went out for a short time. Taking the red-hot moment a step further, Corey Graves even let out a very loud "holy sh--!" call on commentary which added just a bit more edginess to the whole angle. EMTs immediately ran in with fire extinguishers to put out the flames as WWE used a unique, aerial camera angle to shoot the madness that was taking place. Both Lashley and Strowman were stretchered into ambulances and hauled away following a commercial break, and Graves, Michael Cole and Renee Young then continued to sell the severity of the angle before the show moved forward. 

Fans have long pleaded for WWE to present to us a product that has a different feel from the monotonous episodes that we've become accustomed to. Well, in what was presumably the first night of the Paul Heyman era on Monday nights, we got a heavy dosage of a product that can't be looked at as anything less than satisfying. From Graves' audible cuss on commentary to the unique views of the action to the selling of the angle throughout the entire night from commentary and superstars alike, everything about this screamed "fresh." Yes, it was just one angle on one particular night, but if this opening segment was the slightest bit of a hint as to where this show is headed moving forward, then our Monday nights are about to become much more enjoyable. Grade: A

The Club reunites to batter Ricochet

AJ Styles met with The Good Brothers to lecture Gallows & Anderson once again about their recent failures, but they turned the tables on him a bit by pointing out he didn't look so hot himself last week in his victory over Ricochet. Later in the evening, Ricochet told Charly Caruso backstage that he's confident he can beat Styles in a rematch. The Good Brothers interrupted, leaving the U.S. champ with a message that he might not be in any trouble with them, but he might be with someone else. Back from commercial, Gallows & Anderson informed Styles of Ricochet's claim and then turned the tables by calling out Styles for losing his edge. Styles immediately confronted Ricochet and said he's taking the U.S. title tonight. The two then traded stiff slaps across the face as we anticipated the rematch in the main event. 

United States Championship -- Ricochet (c) def. AJ Styles via pinfall: Earlier in the match, Styles believed he had won the U.S. title after the referee counted three following a Phenomenal Forearm. The match was restarted, however, as Ricochet's foot was underneath the bottom rope. Ricochet would then go on to earn his win back over Styles with a rollup to conclude another good match between the two stars. 

Following the bout, Gallows & Anderson, who were ringside, jumped up on the apron and mouthed something about the "real AJ Styles." In a scene reminiscent of his 2016 heel turn on John Cena, Styles turned around and clocked Ricochet before motioning to his buddies to come join him. Gallows & Anderson put Ricochet down with the Magic Killer, and Styles followed with a Styles Clash from the second rope. The once-again-heel Styles added in a few more punches before the reunited The Club celebrated to close the show. 

We've seen this coming in recent weeks, though in this instance, that's not a negative whatsoever. Styles has needed a return to the dark side while serving as one of the top babyfaces in the company for the past couple years, and it really goes without saying that Gallows & Anderson were desperately in need of something meaningful to do. It's worked well before, so getting these three back together full time made all the sense in the world. Plus, we're obviously going to get to see Styles and Ricochet work together some more, so who could complain about that? Grade: A-

What else happened on Raw?

  • Samoa Joe & The War Raiders def. The New Day via submission in a match scheduled to feature Big E & Xavier Woods taking on Erik & Ivar. Joe emerged to attack Woods which prompted WWE champion Kofi Kingston to make the save and turn this into a six-man contest. Joe choked Kingston out with the Coquina Clutch for the victory. 
  • Drake Maverick brought his real-life bride Renee Michelle to Raw, and he was given an ultimatum backstage: it's either her or the 24/7 championship. As he hugged her and pledged his allegiance, R-Truth showed up to taunt Maverick as he looked on in anger. 
  • Cesaro destroyed No Way Jose after their match never got started. R-Truth was part of Jose's conga line and he taunted Maverick who was watching the show with his wife at ringside. The usual group of mid-carders chased off Truth before Cesaro inflicted his damage. 
  • Charly Caruso introduced The Street Profits as "making their Raw debut" in a backstage interview segment. NXT tag team champions Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford then cut a promo about bringing the swag back to Monday nights. Later in the night, the duo hilariously interrupted a Heyman promo about Brock Lesnar possibly being in the building.  I ... guess this is the second consecutive call up of reigning NXT tag team champs?
  • Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre were out for a promo with McIntyre calling out The Undertaker, who was "rumored" to be there all night. Undertaker made his presence felt, vintage lightning striking the ring posts and all. McMahon and McIntyre retreated into the crowd, and Taker told them that he's coming for their souls at Extreme Rules when he teams with Roman Reigns. 
  • Lacey Evans def. Natalya via pinfall when Baron Corbin distracted Natalya by grabbing her leg from the outside. Evans won with the Woman's Right as Rollins and Lynch looked on from the backstage area. 
  • The Miz def. Elias via submission in a 2-out-of-3 falls match (2-1). The Miz opened quick with a pinfall following a Skull Crushing Finale. Elias evened things up in the second fall with a Drift Away, and Miz came away with the third and decisive fall by making Elias tap to the Figure Four. As Miz was walking backstage before the match, Mercy the Buzzard from the "Firefly Funhouse" made a cameo in the background. 
  • Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins def. Mike & Maria Kanellis via submission. There's a bit to unpack here. Lynch and Rollins were cutting a very cringe backstage promo when they were interrupted by Mike & Maria, who are now presumably over from 205 Live. When it was Maria's turn during the match that ensued, she grabbed a microphone before Lynch could connect with a punch and screamed that she was pregnant. She then berated her husband for being useless before Lynch made Mike tap to the Dis-Arm-Her. After the match, Maria ran down Mike some more, telling him that the only "man" here is Lynch. 
  • Carmella def. Alexa Bliss via pinfall after she interrupted the "A Moment of Bliss" segment with Nikki Cross. Carmella was victorious in mere seconds with a rollup. | Nikki Cross def. Carmella via pinfall in a match that was made during the break to further drive the point home that maybe it's Cross who deserves the SmackDown women's title shot at Extreme Rules, not Bliss. Cross was asked backstage about the WWE universe wanting to see her challenge Bayley but Bliss immediately cut the interview off. 
  • 24/7 Championship -- Drake Maverick def. R-Truth (c) via pinfall to win the title when Maverick and his wife were just about to depart the arena for their honeymoon. While Maverick's wife was away, he nailed Truth with his luggage and regained the 24/7 title.