6 Things WWE subtly told us on RAW: Possible spoiler for Clash of Champions main event, Epic title rematch happening after 4 years? (August 31st, 2020)

Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW! We could likely have over ten pages on this episode alone, but we've decided to cut it down a little bit.

The two major parts we'll be cutting out is RAW Underground and the RETRIBUTION segments. RAW Underground was intense this week, with Jessamyn Duke making her debut, Riddick Moss knocking out a game Titus O'Neil, and Apollo Crews brawling with Shelton Benjamin.

As for RETRIBUTION, they made their presence known during The Street Profits-Andrade and Angel Garza rematch from SummerSlam 2020. Angel Garza went running away with Demi Burnett when RETRIBUTION came and abandoned her backstage when he encountered them again.

But that was only one part of it. There were layers to the show and while it got mixed reviews on social media, a lot of things happened on tonight's show. It wasn't the worst episode of RAW. Though it wasn't without its faults, it was one of the better shows this past month.

Here are a few things WWE subtly told us on RAW!

#6 Randy Orton secures a title shot on RAW - What awaits him at Clash of Champions?

Randy Orton opened RAW and was quickly confronted by Keith Lee - who looked like a star from start to finish. Randy Orton's entire mannerism and body language changed when he was confronted by the man who beat him in just six minutes.

Keith Lee managed to get a win over Dolph Ziggler to earn a slot in the main event - a Triple Threat match featuring a No.1 Contender's spot. Randy Orton beat Kevin Owens thanks to a little assistance (we'll get to that) while Seth Rollins defeated Dominik Mysterio.

In the main event, the three men went at it and it was Randy Orton who walked out victorious at the end. Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre will be expected to headline Clash of Champions 2020 and if Dave Meltzer on WOR is to be believed, then Randy Orton could end up beating Drew McIntyre for the WWE title at Clash of Champions - setting up a readymade feud with Keith Lee.

#5 Asuka's next RAW Women's title challenger

We're a bit surprised Mickie James is being teased as the next RAW Women's Championship challenger, especially since she hardly got time in her return match against Natalya.

With the feud against Sasha Banks and Bayley now over on RAW, it seems like Asuka will have to look for more challengers. That's exactly what she did on RAW and she was first involved in a backstage altercation with the Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. When she was in the ring, she was waiting for a challenger and Mickie James stepped up before Lana and Natalya interrupted them.

Mickie James easily went past Lana and the indication seems to be that she will be getting another shot at Asuka's title after four years. The last time the two faced was at NXT TakeOver: Toronto in 2016 - a good match between two veterans. While it won't be a focal point like Asuka's feud with Sasha Banks, it should be a good one.

#4 The Aleister Black-Kevin Owens connection on RAW

Aleister Black hitting Kevin Owens with a black mass before RAW

Aleister Black's heel turn on RAW has taken everyone by surprise. Now with an eyepatch on, he assaulted Kevin Owens on RAW last week and this week as well. Kevin Owens was supposed to face Randy Orton in one of the three qualifying matches, but before Owens could even get in the ring, Aleister Black blindsided him and assaulted Kevin Owens, hitting the Black Mass as well.

This resulted in Randy Orton getting a quick RKO and a quick win. While it may seem like Kevin Owens is getting "buried", the reality is that it's just a part of his storyline with Aleister Black. It's always good to see two relatively underutilized Superstars get involved with each other.

Kevin Owens vs Aleister Black is a match that we fully expect to see at Clash of Champions 2020. It'll be interesting to see who walks out stronger from that. We would imagine Aleister Black, but with WWE you can never tell.

#3 MVP continues his recruitment process on RAW

The Hurt Business tried to recruit again

MVP has had his eyes on Cedric Alexander for a while now. While he's been full of praise for his talent, he's been a bit aggressive in his approach. There's nobody who MVP has been seeking more on RAW than Cedric Alexander.

Cedric Alexander teamed up with The Viking Raiders to take on The Hurt Business. Cedric Alexander got a sneaky pin on MVP to win the match, and just as Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin were getting ready for an assault, MVP stopped and smiled, instead choosing to applaud Cedric Alexander's efforts.

While it seemed like a classy gesture at first, Cedric Alexander was later seen on RAW backstage getting beaten up. Ricochet mentioned how Cedric Alexander won't get manipulated that easily, but there seems to be a tease of him possibly joining The Hurt Business.

It would be a big character shift for Cedric Alexander and perhaps that would be required for him to take it to the next level on RAW.

#2 An IIconic breakup on RAW

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay are done for

We wonder what the rationale behind the decision to break up The IIconics on RAW was. WWE hasn't put in much effort into the Women's Tag Team division as it doesn't have much depth on either roster - RAW or SmackDown. So why split a team up? Especially two best friends who have been together in WWE for over five years.

Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan faced The IIconics in a No.1 Contender's match on RAW - with the stipulation stating that the winners would earn a Tag Team title shot, while the losers would have to break up.

Surely enough, Riott and Morgan won and The IIconics are now done for as a team. They appeared on RAW Underground as well, where Peyton Royce, for some reason, threw Billie Kay in between Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. It's safe to assume that Billie Kay's night ended very quickly on RAW Underground. As for what's next for either member, we can't be sure. It's still hard to understand the decision to split the duo up.

#1 Are Seth Rollins and Murphy done for on RAW?

The longtime face of RAW Seth Rollins, right before he took on Dominik Mysterio, berated and humiliated Murphy. He slammed Murphy for being responsible for getting pinned by the 23-year-old and continued to insult him before sending him away so he could face Dominik by himself.

He even shoved Murphy away and the Australian seemed completely furious and distraught - looking like he wanted to turn around and attack Seth Rollins. While there wasn't any confirmation of a split, WWE could be going a different direction for the duo on RAW.

Austin Theory left RAW and is now back on NXT. With The AoP out, it leaves only Seth Rollins and Murphy in the group. With Seth Rollins having no active feud (apart from that with Rey Mysterio), WWE might be splitting up Rollins and Murphy on RAW to go with a short-term feud.

Ultimately, the objective should be to build Murphy as a star. For that, they need to give him more screentime and character work.