WWE Monday Night Raw comes to us tonight from the well-known Norfolk Scope of Norfolk, Virginia. The venue was a regular for the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling, including being home to Starrcade 1988. It’s been home to Pay-Per-View events for the NWA, WCW, WWE, Ring of Honor, and IMPACT Wrestling; a very unique distinction of the venue. It famously housed WCW Nitro on April 27, 1998, while Monday Night Raw was just a short drive away at the Hampton Coliseum of Hampton, Virginia. This facilitated the famous segment where D-Generation X marched from Raw to Nitro’s venue on a Jeep with a mounted cannon barrel, knocking on the Scope’s parking garage door. This week, on WWE Raw, we see Bobby Lashley face Omos in a Steel Cage Match and much more.
WWE Raw (5/16/22) – Card, Preview
Tomorrow.
Locked in.
Can’t stop what you can’t control! 😤 #WWERaw @WWE pic.twitter.com/omo7ahteJb
— Bobby Lashley (@fightbobby) May 15, 2022
Two Behemoths in a Steel Cage
Many of this year’s WrestleMania feuds seem to continue for the Raw brand. One of those feuds is Omos vs Bobby Lashley, especially after MVP’s betrayal the night after WrestleMania, where Lashley was victorious. However, at Wrestlemania Backlash, Omos was able to defeat The All-Mighty. Now one apiece, Lashley and Omos look to settle the score this week inside a Steel Cage on WWE Raw.
Given the proximity of WWE’s Hell In A Cell premium live event, it’s a bit suspect that a Steel Cage match is scheduled weeks before it teasing the culmination of one of the Raw brand’s primary feuds. Perhaps they feel Lashley vs Omos shouldn’t take place inside the famous structure the event is named after. Given Omos’ very clear lack of experience, it’s understandable. This Steel Cage encounter on WWE Raw may also be a tool to extend the feud towards the Hell In A Cell event and justify the use of the match type.
A 3 Way Match for Bianca on the Horizon?
Last week’s main event, with just 5 minutes before the top of the hour, saw Becky Lynch attack Asuka as she was about to face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s title. At first, it seemed Asuka vs Lynch would be a story completely divorced from the Raw Women’s title The Man had lost at WrestleMania. However, it seems that given the lack of high-level challengers, we may be headed into yet another Becky vs Bianca situation with Asuka in the mix to add some variety.
It was a similar case in the fall last year as Bianca and Becky would face each other along with Sasha Banks when on SmackDown or others when on Raw. So it does seem like just going back down the same well due to lack of foresight regarding the women on Raw.
What's next for @AlexaBliss_WWE? pic.twitter.com/LtegWrf36C
— WWE (@WWE) May 12, 2022
Alexa Bliss is Back, Again
Speaking of that lack of foresight, last week, Alexa Bliss made her second return of 2022. After seeing many a bizarre vignette through January of her in therapy, Bliss made her return to the ring at Elimination Chamber, completely neglecting said therapy segments after they sought to change her character away from her ‘Fiend’ persona. Afterward, she vanished without a trace.
Now back again following her real-life wedding, let’s see if this return sticks. Will she feud with the recently “de-authoritied” Sonya Deville? Bliss beat her very quickly just after Deville lost her status as a WWE official.
Speaking of Returns, Lacey Evans (?)
Perhaps one of the most confusing returns in recent or even long-term memory is Lacey Evans. Weeks ago, WWE started to air vignettes of Evans discussing her very traumatic past. At first, they felt like a genuine attempt to make her a beloved babyface. But as with wrestling tradition, when something seems good, wrestling promoters tend to lean on a good thing until it bends. The vignettes continued, detailing more and more how hard Evans had it growing up. Abusive father, homelessness, deaths in the family, and difficulties in education, these vignettes went past the point of feeling genuine and began to feel like WWE begging fans to cheer for her. It then became even weirder when she appeared in SmackDown and was introduced with the particular line of “Lacey Evans has asked to give her the proper respect” before she appeared for hugs with the fans.
And now, she’s on Raw out of the blue and according to website reports, meant to be a heel. It would seem WWE did, in fact, lean too hard on said tragedies of Evans’ life with the intention of seeming disingenuous. It feels like something far too self-aware by the part of WWE to be real and not just another case of bad planning. But, let’s see what’s the plan with the former ‘Sassy Southern Belle’. At least she’s not flirting with Ric Flair.
Who should join #TheJudgmentDay? pic.twitter.com/nl7flelarg
— WWE (@WWE) May 16, 2022
Other Notes:
Edge has already declared his intentions to recruit more members for The Judgment Day as he continues his feud with AJ Styles and Finn Balor. Will we see a new member?
Seth Rollins attacked Cody Rhodes last week and cost him the United States title. Given Rhodes is now front and center for Hell In A Cell’s promotional material, it’s safe to assume where we’re going with these two, as Rollins has yet to beat the former All Elite Wrestling EVP and founder.
The 24/7 soap opera continues as R-Truth tries to keep Dana Brooke/Reggie and Akira Tozawa/Tamina from divorcing.
Did Kevin Owens really get DNA tests done for Ezekiel?
All that and more tonight on WWE Monday Night Raw.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
