WWE 'Monday Night Raw' Preview 11/23/15: 'Survivor Series' Fallout with Sheamus as Champion

WWE will present the November 23, 2015 episode of Monday Night Raw from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and tonight's installment will feature all the fallout from the Survivor Series pay-per-view last night that ended with Sheamus as champion. We've got a full preview of the show, so let's dive into it.

For a few brief moments last night, Roman Reigns was the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He defeated WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio in the semifinals and then beat his friend and brother, Dean Ambrose, in the finals to finally capture the title he has chased for more than a year. He shed tears, and confetti fell from the rafters as Ambrose hugged and congratulated him.

Then, Triple H emerged. He offered Roman his hand, but the champion rebuffed him. But to take it one step further, he decided to spear the COO just to put an exclamation point on the evening.

And that's when Sheamus flew into the ring with a Brogue Kick to flatten Roman. He cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase as a collective wave of terror gripped the fans. Reigns kicked out to provide a glimmer of hope, but a second Brogue Kick ended Roman's reign almost as quickly as it began. So we now have The Celtic Warrior as champion aligned with The Authority.

Yeah, this sucks.

I get what WWE is trying to do here. The company is acutely aware that fans love to root for a sympathetic babyface who gets screwed out of the top prize and has to fight tooth and nail as the underdog, before he finally climbs to the top of the mountain. So they put the title in Reigns' hands for the briefest of moments only for The Authority to rip it away.

By the way, if this all sounds familiar, that's because WWE ran this exact story with Daniel Bryan in late 2013 and early 2014. He won the title, Triple H came out, and The Authority's golden boy (Randy Orton back then, Sheamus now) took the belt away with the Money in the Bank briefcase.

The difference is that this type of story doesn't work with Roman Reigns. Fans loved Daniel Bryan because they could buy into his story. He was a believable underdog. Reigns, on the other hand, has been running through every opponent in his path because he's a beast. This could very well be the start of his hero's journey, but right now it just feels hollow.

Now let's be clear. I don't believe that every top babyface has to be Daniel Bryan. Stone Cold Steve Austin was the most ass-kicking SOB on the face of the earth in his heyday, which gives him way more in common with Reigns than Bryan. But Austin lost on multiple occasions. There were stakes to his matches.

With Reigns, it feels too much like John Cena 2.0. Fans haven't been able to fully support him despite his considerable skills because half the fan base, if not more, thinks that he's just a pretty boy handpicked by WWE, while others point to the fact that he never loses matches.

But that could change. In a few months, we could look back on last night as the moment when the fans rallied behind Reigns on his true road to the championship. Unfortunately, we have to endure Sheamus as champion until then.

As always, check back with MStars immediately after the show for a full recap of all the action. But for now, let us know your predictions for tonight's episode in the comments section below.