WWE Raw: Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman have tense interview

There are two matches that have been primarily the focus for No Mercy: John Cena vs Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship.

Afterward, on Raw talk, when Cena was asked by Jerry Lawler if this was it for his career, he danced around the question, noting he has been going strong at an elite level for 15 years, and that realistically he’s not sure how much longer he can keep it up.

Just a few hours ago, WWE announced that on the Kickoff Show, Apollo Crews of Titus Worldwide will be facing The Drifter, Elias Samson. I would then have Roman out of action for a while, recovering, and build up to some big epic rematch at a pay-per-view down the road. It would only make sense that Brock comes out at No Mercy struggle against Braun for the majority of the match, comeback halfway in the match, and retain his title. The match went over 10 minutes with Jordan getting in an offensive flurry late in the bout.

Who should win: The Miz.

Finn Balor def. Bray Wyatt via pinfall: Wyatt had seemingly everything in his favor after a pre-match attack that left Balor’s ribs in anguish as referees attempted to walk him back to the locker room. Finn, at least, can benefit from getting a win over Wyatt.

Raw Tag Team Champions Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins once again went to war with former champs Cesaro and Sheamus, and once again the match was pretty damn great. At one point, Cesaro had teeth knocked loose or out, bloodying his mouth up. Cena and Reigns worked WrestleMania style with all the kick outs from major moves. Sheamus was as powerful as ever while Ambrose and Rollins put on a good show to retain the title in a good chaotic finish.

Who should win: Ambrose and Rollins.

Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Emma in a five-way match for the Raw Women’s Championship: The women’s match exceeded my expectations. Bliss though managed to find a way to get on top and with a quick DDT on Bayley, got the pinfall victory to retain her title.

Now that John Cena is done with the WWE, Roman Reigns can be the face of it all. But Balor chose to fight on after Wyatt taunted him on the microphone by saying, “You ain’t no demon, you ain’t even a man”. Reigns kicked out of an Attitude Adjustment, a Super AA off the second rope and a roll-through double AA. That wasn’t enough to pin Cena, though. Now, Cena faces the man closest to taking over his role as the face of WWE: Roman Reigns. After this a massive superman punch and a spear brought him the victory.

John Cena raised the hand of Reigns after he had been pinned as a sign of respect, and seemed to hint towards retirement with an elongated goodbye to the fans.

So, at No Mercy, Cena put Reigns over. Was this Cena saying he’s leaving for a bit?

Enzo did what he’s continued to do since joining the Cruiserweight Division-he cheated to win.

In front of WWE fans at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Strowman started off the bout strong, by throwing around Lesnar and almost ending things with a choke slam just one minute in. This makes a ton of sense, considering that Miz has been insulting Jordan and Angle for weeks beforehand. Things started well, with Braun dominating the early goings and Lesnar selling everything really well.

Those who are rooting for Strowman to beat The Beast Incarnate, however, are in for disappointment because the reports suggest things will go Lesnar’s favor.