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RAW has been rebuilding quite well since a poor showing at Survivor Series (where they got the least victories out of all three brands). TLC saw the brand have some good matches, especially during the main event, and fans were all geared up for another week of great entertainment.
In the pre-taped RAW Christmas episode, the WWE Universe got to watch some great action and story building. Becky Lynch laid down a challenge to her current enemy, while The O.C. geared up to take on Randy Orton & The Viking Raiders.
Other than that, the United States Championship was on the line in the main event, and the defending champion, Rey Mysterio, was outnumbered once again this week.
In this article, we will look at the 5 things that WWE got right on this week’s episode of RAW.
#5 Another NXT Superstar on RAW
Last week on RAW, NXT’s Deonna Purrazzo made a surprise appearance on the Red brand as she took on one-half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions, Asuka.
Even though Purrazzo tried to make an impact in her debut RAW appearance, The Empress of Tomorrow proved to be too much for the new star and picked up the victory.
This week, another woman from the NXT roster got her big moment on the Red brand. Chelsea Green entered the ring to take on former RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in a one-on-one match.
While she tried to make most of the opportunity, Flair proved to be too much for the determined Superstar. The Queen caught Green in her signature Figure-Eight submission hold and picked up a decisive victory over the debutant.
Since NXT had made a huge impact at Survivor Series, it’s good to see some lesser-known stars from the brand step up to the bigger brands and get some spotlight.
This can help the Black and Gold brand and its Superstars in a great way and can lead to it further cementing its place as the third main brand of the company.
Will the men of NXT also get similar chances in the weeks to come?
#4 A victory for The O.C.
Last week, Randy Orton scored the first victory in his current rivalry with AJ Styles. Both men gave a good performance and set the crowd up for the things to come from these two men going ahead.
This week, the two faced off against each other again, this time in tag team action. Orton joined the RAW Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders to take on AJ Styles and his faction, The O.C.
The action was as good as you’d expect from all six Superstars involved, and the momentum flowed back and forth.
At the end of the match, Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm once again just like he did last week. However, this time The Viper was unable to counter the move with an RKO, leading to a pinfall victory for the heels.
This was a great battle in the rivalry between Styles and Orton, and The Viking Raiders and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson. It was fast-paced, unlike the usual action between the two teams, and worked to put their rivalry forward.
Since Orton pinned Styles last week, the company did the right thing by allowing The Viper to take the pin this week and further continue the rivalry.
#3 Kept Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy’s rivalry on the cards
At TLC, one of the best matches we saw was between two relatively newer men on the main roster who’ve been underutilized lately -- Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy.
While the former picked up the victory at the PPV after a hard-fought battle in which he fought through a bruised and bloody nose, the latter also put on an epic performance to give the fans a treat.
This week, Black fought against an enhancement talent on RAW in another regulation match (like he’s been doing for the past few weeks). He picked up the victory quickly with the Black Mass.
Buddy Murphy was up next for a match of his own and, while making his way to the ring, stared down at the man he's currently in a feud with.
He, too, picked up a quick victory by delivering Murphy’s Law and then had a face-off against Black. The Dutchman then dropped The Aussie with a Black Mass to end the segment and announce that the rivalry between the two men wasn’t over just yet.
It will be extremely interesting to watch how the story progresses between these two extraordinary men.
#2 Becky’s challenge
Becky Lynch and Asuka had some intense moments in their Tag Team match at TLC. The Empress of Tomorrow was able to overcome The Man and retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships for herself and Kairi Sane.
Since the victory, it was becoming clearer that Lynch wasn’t too happy with Asuka going over herself and Charlotte Flair, and the way she’d taken over as a heel.
This week, The Man came out to the middle to cut a promo and express herself. She spoke about her challenges and then laid down one to The Empress of Tomorrow herself. She went as far as to say that she won’t be taking “no” for an answer. This brought out Asuka, who claimed that she would become ‘Asuka2Belts’ soon, mocking the RAW Women’s Champion in the process. Lynch then asked Asuka to pick the time and place for the fight.
This was an incredible way to set up the next RAW Women’s Championship angle as it did much more than just establish Lynch as a fighting Champion and her current archrival as a top heel.
While she may not lose the title to Asuka soon, it will help her get more credibility as The Empress of Tomorrow is one of the most worthy contenders for the Championship on the RAW brand.
#1 Rollins and Authors of Pain
After beating down Rey Mysterio last week on RAW for handing Kevin Owens a steel pipe to defend himself against the Authors of Pain, Seth Rollins laid down a challenge for the United States Championship.
Mysterio, who never backs down from a fight, accepted the challenge and came out this week to defend his US Championship against The Architect.
The Master of the 619 took Rollins to the brink after a determined performance, which led to Akam and Rezar’s interference to protect their leader. This drew a disqualification, but Mysterio’s night wasn’t over yet. The AoP decided to become his worst nightmare and beat him down before setting up a powerbomb through the announce table.
Samoa Joe, who’s currently a commentator on RAW, refused to move and stood up to the heels which led to them beating him down too, following Rollins' orders. After The Beast Slayer delivered a Curb Stomp to Mysterio on the ramp, AoP put Joe through the announce table with a double chokeslam.
This was an incredible segment which not only gave a push to the US Champion but also provided the fans with something to look forward to in the coming weeks.
The AoP’s attack on Joe also sets up his return to the ring big time, and we could watch him team up with Mysterio and/or Kevin Owens soon to neutralize Rollins and his two cronies.
