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 The Snowman is a genius Follow @TheDocLOP QUESTION OF THE DAY: What did you think of Monday Night Raw? Did it help you get more invested in the Road to WrestleMania? Pros Setting up matches on Raw that actually mean something is a really positive trend. I have made it clear in past columns and podcasts that I'm not the type of fan that, generally, has a strong desire to see “more wrestling” on WWE TV because, generally, wrestling on WWE TV is irrelevant. The matches have meant so little, by and large. I'm at a stage in my fandom where, barring rare exception, I cannot just sit down and watch a match if nothing is at stake. Stories are required. So, I have very much appreciated the recent trend of seeing multiple segments, backstage or in-ring, that set-up the coming in-ring competitions. The Authority began that trend to start the show and Stephanie continued it to start the second hour. The matches benefited from it. Otherwise, these TV bouts take on the roll of a glorified equivalent to an NBA or MLB regular season game, of which there are too many with seemingly little on the line. Dean Ambrose cuts a basic promo to stay relevant. Often times during WrestleMania season, if you aren't a big part of the plans, then you basically just disappear for two months while all the more important people get TV time. It doesn't appear that Ambrose is destined for anything major at the Show of Shows, so it was nice to see him get on the mic and make his intentions clear. He's going after Wade's IC title and will probably get a shot at Fast Lane. Fair enough. That works for me. Do that again in 3 weeks once the February PPV is out of the way and I'll rejoice. Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt was a thoroughly enjoyable TV match. One of the few things about the 3-hour Raw format is that it affords matches like this one an opportunity to have a legitimate Match of the Month contender. WWE has also done a nice job of limiting Wyatt's TV matches, making them seem like a special attraction. Most of the time, I find myself watching his bouts on Raw and Smackdown. Ziggler is the perfect type of opponent for Wyatt in a match like this with little back story. He's a fantastic David; Wyatt a very strange but fitting Goliath. That tale does not need 3 weeks of hype to be told. I was invested after the commercial break and they especially held my attention through the duration of the climax. Bray Wyatt cuts a promo clearly hinting at Undertaker. I had this “Con” written out for there being so little WrestleMania-specific happenings tonight. Rumors can be a dangerous thing. They create expectation when there is none planned, in reality. I read a rumor that Wyatt was going to start making his WM intentions clear tonight. After his match with Ziggler, I figured that it had just been a rumor. I was pleasantly surprised to see him pop back up and ask (presumably Undertaker) to come find him. Let me just flat out state that I am enthralled with the prospect of a Wyatt vs. Taker match. #ComeFindMe #Run Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan is a gutsy move, but a good call. As I'll go into this week on “The Doc Says,” I think there's a perfectly logical reason to go with Reigns at Mania. Putting him against Bryan at Fast Lane will further invest everyone into the Road to Mania, whether they pull the trigger on changing the main-event or, more likely, stick to their guns. WWE apparently has no problem making another controversial, crowd-splitting top babyface in the John Cena mold. Reigns-Bryan is another risk, but only in the sense that fans may feel alienated if Bryan doesn't win. If they want adult males to dislike Reigns the same way that they dislike Cena, then clearly having him beat Bryan to reaffirm his title shot is a wonderful idea. Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan is a match worth revisiting on PPV in the near future. These guys work incredibly well together. I'd still advocate putting them against each other at Mania 31 and letting that be the match that appeases the jaded part of the audience. Undeniably, Rollins vs. Orton will be great, but Rollins vs. Bryan could be Match of the Year, as just previewed. What a thoroughly enjoyable match! Cons The Authority's announcement felt like a red herring, as I unfortunately expected that it would be. This is a marginal “Con” in my opinion. The hype made it seem like something monumental was going to happen, but really it was just a way to set up Fast Lane. I've never been a fan of the February PPV or its general direction. I'm a “show me what you've got and hype me for it” type of fan during Mania season. Tonight's “huge announcement” was not huge at all. I liked the cluster segment, but there was no need to spend 4 days making it seem like it was going to be a foundational shift of a promo by the Authority. I've spent the last 2 hours on Twitter reading thoughts ranging from apathetic to downright angry. Sure, that's pretty common amongst our sect of the fan base, but segments that promote and, largely, fail to deliver on the promise don't help set the right tone.
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