Even in a week in which WWE made deep cuts to its roster and company personnel due to the coronavirus pandemic, followed by the death of legendary ring announcer Howard Finkel, the company stuck tight to its overarching mantra -- the show must go on.
SmackDown, Raw and NXT had an extra pall hanging over them beyond the weeks of crowdless shows, and yet each wrestler did their absolute best to entertain the fans watching at home.
For those who skipped out on WWE programming this week, or those who are looking to process everything they saw, let's break down five of the biggest storylines of the week.
Money in the Bank will be a race to the roof of Titan Towers
In the midst of a strange week,WWE announced circumstances for the men's and women's Money in the Bank ladder match that, in any other moment, would've been eye-popping and completely unbelievable. In present day, however, it was simply appreciated for its madness. Both briefcases will be hung from trusses on top of the WWE's headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut (aka Titan Towers), with the participants for each match starting on the ground floor and having to fight their way up.
It seems likely that this match will be presented in a similar format to the "Boneyard" match and "Firefly Funhouse" match at WrestleMania 36 -- a non-traditional, more cinematic presentation. With the positive response to both WrestleMania 36 standouts, and a general lack of a crowd for at least the near future, expect more of these types of efforts in the future.
SmackDown tag team titles change hands in non-tag match
For the second time in the month of April, the SmackDown tag team titles were defended in most unusual circumstances. In the chaos of scrambling together a WrestleMania match amid the chaos of growing restrictions, John Morrison successfully defended his and The Miz's tag belts against Jimmy Uso and Kofi Kingston in a ladder match in one of the highlights of the first night of WrestleMania 36. To balance out the other side of the equation, the other halves of those tag teams -- The Miz, Jey Uso and Big E -- met in a triple threat title match of their own on SmackDown.
What few could've expected is that a tag title change actually played out in a non-tag team match. Big E came back from several interactions with a ringside table to pin The Miz with a Big Ending, making the New Day eight-time SmackDown tag team champions.
It's anybody's guess where things go from here, although a proper tag team title match seems to be in order.
Drake Maverick
Drake Maverick tries to hold back tears after sharing the news he was let go by the WWE.
Among the more than two dozen wrestlers released in the last week, one of the more surprising names among the bunch was Drake Maverick. The former 205 Live general manager was also part of one of the most surprisingly entertaining storylines on WWE TV in the summer of 2019 as he tried to match wits with R-Truth and a variety of other stars over the 24/7 title, which he won six times.
Maverick had already been announced as one of the participants in the interim NXT cruiserweight championship tournament, and in the immediate aftermath of the cuts, Maverick cut an emotional promo in which he confirmed that while he was released, he'd still be a participant in the tournament. With a pool format being utilized, that guarantees Maverick three more matches. It's an unusual situation in an unprecedented time, and it's curious as to why he wasn't simply replaced in the tournament field, as it hadn't yet started.
Things got pretty wild on #WWERAW tonight CC: @ShawnMichaels pic.twitter.com/uSNau8V8mQ
— Drew McIntyre (@DMcIntyreWWE) April 21, 2020
The video that Maverick released blurred the lines between real life and scripted programming. While WWE has gone to great lengths to fold real feelings and events into their programming, the likeliest scenario is that Maverick was simply promised a chance to fulfill his planned run in the tournament. But in the world of WWE, even in the face of very real cuts to WWE's workforce, there's always this tiny, nagging sense of doubt that all may not be as it appears. In this scenario, a storyline in which Maverick "won" his way back to a job would seem beyond the pale.
No matter the motivation or the endgame, it's unclear how Maverick's status will be addressed in the weeks to come, if at all on WWE TV, as they don't typically discuss releases or other personnel changes on air.
Sarah Logan
Speaking of surprising releases, Sarah Logan's inclusion on that list seemed puzzling. Just six weeks prior, Logan was one of six participants in the Raw women's championship Elimination Chamber match, and just two days prior Logan had played a key role as the victim to a brutal attack at the hands of Shayna Baszler in a women's Money in the Bank qualifier.
While WWE has tended to wipe out most traces of recently released stars in the past, Logan was featured more on Monday night's edition of Raw than she'd been for most of 2020. First there was a highlight package for Baszler in which Logan's arm was brutalized. A little bit later in the show, as Logan's former Riott Squad compatriots Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott (which it's worth noting was an eye-opening effort for Morgan) went one-on-one in a match, Logan's name and image featured multiple times.
Drew McIntyre
Under tremendously stressful circumstances, Drew McIntyre has seemingly found his comfort zone in the unusual environment of crowdless wrestling shows. After breaking the fourth wall in his post-WrestleMania celebration, McIntyre has made the camera feel like an active portal between what's going on in the ring and the fans at home.
From his looks to his vocalizations, McIntyre has taken a campy, yet effective approach to his performances and has really gotten into a groove. His match against Angel Garza featured some breathtaking moments, including a particularly memorable flip over the top rope onto Garza, Andrade and Austin Theory. McIntyre even seemingly freestyled in the closing moments of Raw, as his post-match celebration at the commentary table was interrupted when he decided to run back to the ring and deliver a second Claymore kick to Garza -- interrupting a match graphic for McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank in the process.
McIntyre also, seemingly accidentally, recreated an infamous picture of Shawn Michaels with the WWE title belt when he tried to reposition himself into Andrade's "tranquilo" pose as Raw went off the air.
As Raw and WWE in general move forward into an era of uncertainty in terms of when fans will return, McIntyre is providing early dividends for the company as WWE champion.