WWE has another big week, highlighted by championship matches on Raw and NXT and capped off by SmackDown Live’s Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View this Sunday (October 8). Survivor Series is only a month away, which means the Road to WrestleMania is rapidly approaching and the pieces need to start being put into place now.
Monday Night Raw (10.2.17)
Even though No Mercy just took place a week ago, Monday Night Raw is continuing to put exciting matches in the weeks towards TLC. Several titleholders don’t currently have #1 Contenders, so tonight should help fill those gaps. There is also going to be a title match and a first time ever match between two of Raw’s biggest stars.
Perhaps the biggest match of the week until Hell in a Cell begins is the Intercontinental Championship match between The Miz and Roman Reigns. Reigns defeated Miz in non-title action last week even with the interference of the Miztourage, so there is a good chance that Raw might end with a new champion.
Speaking of champions, there are several titles that remain unopposed. Brock Lesnar successfully retained the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman. Strowman, Samoa Joe (whenever he returns from injury), and Finn Balor have all made it clear that they are pursuing the Universal Championship; it is just a matter of when. Alexa Bliss might have found an opponent for her Raw Women’s Championship in Mickie James last week, or it might be a transitional feud leading up to TLC.
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose have spent the past week trying to fight Braun Strowman, but they still are the Raw Tag Team Champions. Sheamus and Cesaro, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, and Heath Slater and Rhyno are all teams vying for a chance to become #1 Contenders. Notably, Jeff Hardy and Scott Dawson are suffering from injuries so Raw is down two teams for a while.
It might be a little off-putting tonight, but for the first time in a long time, Michael Cole will not be at Raw. While he is attending his son’s wedding, Tom Philips of SmackDown Live will take his place for the play-by-play.
SmackDown Live (10.3.17)
The past month of SmackDown Live has been filler content just seemingly trying to get Hell in a Cell out of the way, so expect more of that this week. WWE hasn’t announced anything for the go-home show, so there is no reason for fans to get excited about tuning in. Expect an update on the condition of Sami Zayn, more on the Kevin Owens/Shane McMahon feud, and a little attention to every match happening this Sunday.
205 Live (10.3.17)
In a shocking turn of events, 205 Live has a match planned in advance. When Gentleman Jack Gallagher aligned himself with The Brian Kendrick, the two former adversaries attacked Cedric Alexander. Now, Alexander has his chance to get revenge when he goes one-on-one with Gallagher.
WWE NXT (10.4.17)
NXT continues to deliver interesting episodes every week. Coming off of the heels of Adam Cole’s in-ring debut, Drew McIntyre will defend the NXT Championship for the first time. While Bobby Roode moved onto SmackDown Live and never cashed in his rematch, McIntyre will defend the belt against Roderick Strong, who defeated Roode a couple weeks ago.
There are still some unanswered questions that NXT hasn’t addressed. Where are the Authors of Pain? They have been noticeably absent since losing the NXT Tag Team Championships at TakeOver: Brooklyn III and The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly) seem to be next in line for a title shot. Also, what is going on with Aleister Black and the Velveteen Dream? Hopefully, these questions will be answered this week.
WWE Hell in a Cell (10.8.17)
This Sunday, SmackDown Live hosts Hell in a Cell, a Pay-Per-View focused on the match of the same name that is not nearly as exciting at Raw’s No Mercy Pay-Per-View a couple weeks ago. As usual, there will be a more detailed preview later this week, but here is the match card as of this writing:
- Randy Orton vs. Rusev
- Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler
- Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon – Hell in a Cell Match
- AJ Styles (c) vs. Baron Corbin – United States Championship
- Natalya (c) vs. Charlotte Flair – SmackDown Women’s Championship
- The New Day (c) vs. The Usos – SmackDown Tag Team Championships (Hell in a Cell Match)
- Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Championship
