5 shocking moments from WWE Raw and SmackDown Live this week (25 & 26 March)

It's hard to believe that WrestleMania is just over a week away, as this year's road to WrestleMania has come and gone so quickly we just haven't realized it. But here we are with just one more episode of SmackDown Live and Raw before the big event, and the narratives on each of these shows seem to be coming to a close, as WWE is putting the final touches on the match card for WrestleMania.

This week has been quite an eventful one in WWE, as we have seen everything from title changes to multiple dream matches being realized, and one could say that there were many more surprising moments on display in these shows. So lets us go through all the unexpected moments that happened on Raw and SmackDown Live this week.

#1 Balor overcomes the odds

Finn Balor may not be the most popular superstar in the WWE officials' eyes, but he does manage to get the job done in many narratives in which they put him in, and yet Balor doesn't get many chances to shine.

This week on Monday Night Raw, Balor got one of those chances to cement his mark on the WrestleMania match card, as he shockingly defeated Jinder Mahal, and current IC Champion Bobby Lashley, in a handicap match, also he had to overcome the hindrance of the Singhs at ringside.

This victory earned Balor an IC Title shot at WrestleMania, which would probably see him bring out his alter ego at the event, and if we are being honest here, that is possibly the only reason why WWE is booking Balor on the show.

Nevertheless, Balor outlasting four men by himself is quite a shocker as not so long ago WWE portrayed him as a superstar who couldn't hang with the big boys.

#2 The dream match gets ruined

While Kurt can't move like before, at least WWE could have given Styles more time to create a great match

AJ Styles may be over forty years old, but he is still one of the most talented, intelligent, and gifted wrestlers in the business today, as Styles being propped up by WWE as the top guy on SmackDown Live says a lot about his position in the company.

So, it was understandable when WWE put Styles in Kurt Angle's retirement tour plans, as there is no other man in the company that can get a better match out of Kurt Angle at this stage in his career, but what no one saw coming during their match on SmackDown Live this week was an interruption.

Just as this match was getting into a fever pitch, Randy Orton came out of nowhere and assaulted Styles with an RKO, which drew a disqualification. This was a shocking moment for one reason only, and that was WWE denying Kurt Angle the opportunity to elevate his SmackDown legacy.

#3 Kofi gets to WrestleMania

Kofi Kingston is fighting for the WWE Title at WrestleMania, that is a sentence that would have sounded so insane if you said it one year ago. As Kofi went from a mid-card act to a main-event player in a matter of weeks, and now we are witnessing a wrestler that has never had the opportunity at the big time finally getting his chance at WrestleMania.

This week on SmackDown Live we finally found out how Kofi Kingston was going to get into the WWE Title match at WrestleMania, as Vince McMahon laid out one more challenge for Kofi to pass, and this time it was in The New Day's hand to ensure that their best friend makes it to WrestleMania.

The New Day participated in a gauntlet against multiple other competitors, and after a back and forth war with each of their opponents The New Day came out on top. While Vince McMahon might try and derail Kofi's dream once again, for now, Kofi freaking Kingston is in a WWE Title match at WrestleMania!

#4 The Riott Squad gets the boot

This week on Raw, the main eventers of WrestleMania participated in a meaningless beat the clock challenge where they tried to outdo one another to prove who can beat their opponents the fastest.

And which unfortunate group of superstars was going to have the honor of being their opponents?

Well, it was no else but The Riott Squad, as Ruby Riott and her buddies are always on the receiving end of WWE's worst decisions. Many thought that Ruby Riott would be rehabilitated as a legitimate threat in the women's division after her career damaging loss to Ronda Rousey at Elimination Chamber.

But we were mistaken, as WWE has no intention of making The Riott Squad anything more than stepping stones for bigger stars. And on this week on Raw, we saw Becky, Charlotte, and Ronda squash this credible faction in a matter of minutes, which is the last straw for this team.

#5 The new champion

Many were actually shocked when Charlotte Flair came away with the SD title

On SmackDown Live this week we received an unexpected title match between Charlotte Flair and champion Asuka. While some may have thought this was just another WrestleMania re-match courtesy of WWE, many were actually shocked when Charlotte came away with the title.

This was a booking decision from WWE that felt way out of place, as what is truly the point of Charlotte taking the title from Asuka? Will there be a rematch at WrestleMania? Will Asuka get involved in the main event? Or will Charlotte drop out of the main event entirely?

There are so many questions lingering around this decision, as so many members of the WWE Universe feel that this was complicated and unnecessary, and there was no particular reason for Charlotte to bury Asuka once again during WrestleMania season.