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Welcome to a special edition of Monday Night RAW Preview! This week, we conclude the WWE Draft 2019. The first half occurred on SmackDown this past Friday and things were certainly shaken up a bit.
We'll see tonight just how much things shape up and we have a much bigger pool of superstars to draft from this time around. We had four official rounds on Friday, of which one spot was wasted because Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross were drafted separately. Either way, tonight will truly determine the direction of things as the year eventually concludes.
It's going to be interesting to see how things turn out and whether USA Network or FOX bidded and got the better end of the deal with the draft. We have a slight feeling that FOX will end up getting the better roster, but it's hard to say. Either way, here's what you need to look forward to in the draft!
#5. Becky Lynch takes on Charlotte Flair to determine the #1 pick of the night
We've had a big replacement in the opening match of the night. SmackDown kicked us off last week with a good match between Seth Rollins (RAW) and Roman Reigns (SmackDown). We were originally supposed to get Becky Lynch (RAW) vs Sasha Banks (SmackDown) to determine the #1 pick but due to a tailbone injury, Banks has been pulled from the match and according to reports, has been replaced by Charlotte Flair.
This is going to be interesting assuming that it's true. Flair wasn't drafted yet as she falls into the second draft pool and Becky Lynch was the overall #1 draft pick - a big money spot. We predict that The Man will pick up the win, once again giving RAW the first pick.
#4. Bobby Lashley and Rusev's rivalry heats up
Rusev has had quite an unfortunate last couple of weeks. The returning Bobby Lashley came back with Lana and The Bulgarian Brute's wife has seemingly left him for The Almighty Lashley.
Things got worse last week when they shared a bed and Randy Orton and King Corbin, who were there at ringside, made the big mistake of laughing and mocking him. A furious Rusev ended up taking out all his anger and frustration on them, slamming both men against the barricades, ring posts and giving them a taste of their own medicine by super kicking them.
The rivalry between Rusev and Lashley has only gotten more intense and it's not calming down anytime soon. With Lashley and Lana likely present in the arena, it's possible that Rusev will end up going after them and we could get a huge brawl between the two men.
Will Rusev get a measure of revenge on Lashley? Or will the latter and Lana continue playing mind games on Rusev?
#3. The Draft continues
The Draft continues and it's the most highly-anticipated part of the show for a good reason. We get to see who goes where and once Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair/Sasha Banks is done, we'll get right back into the mix.
We assume that we're going to see atleast 4-5 rounds of drafts since it's a longer show and they can draft more superstars to the brand. Here are all the available superstars in the Draft pool for today. Quite a large list:
Aleister Black, Ali, Andrade, AOP (Akam & Rezar), Apollo Crews, Bayley (c), Brock Lesnar (c), Buddy Murphy, Carmella, Charlotte Flair, Cedric Alexander, Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder, Dana Brooke, Daniel Bryan, Drake Maverick Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode (c), Elias, Erick Rowan, Fire & Desire (Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville), King Corbin, Jinder Mahal, Liv Morgan, Luke Harper, Mojo Rawley, The Miz, No Way José, Rey Mysterio, R-Truth, Rusev, Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins (c), Sarah Logan, Shelton Benjamin, Shinsuke Nakamura (c) (with Sami Zayn), The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce), The Kabuki Warriors (c) (Asuka & Kairi Sane), The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E & Xavier Woods) and Titus O’Neil.
We anticipate that a possible World Championship brand change will happen, with Brock Lesnar moving right back to RAW while Seth Rollins moves back to SmackDown. That would be quite a shocking draft exchange.
#2. Things are heating up in the Women's Tag Team division
The Kabuki Warriors are finally running the Women's Tag Team division. They defeated a strong duo in Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross at Hell in a Cell to win the titles after Asuka paid tribute to The Great Muta and spat green mist to help pick up the win.
On RAW, Asuka did the same thing to Becky Lynch and Kairi Sane took advantage, pinning the RAW Women's Champion and now the #1 draft pick Becky Lynch. After the match, they unleashed a post-match attack and it was Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross who made the save, attacking the women who dethroned them.
This may be the most high-profile rivalry so far in the Women's Tag Team division this year and it'll be fun to see where it heads. It's clear that Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross, freshly drafted from RAW, will be going right after the tag team championships. Will they manage to secure a win over The Kabuki Warriors and subsequently a title shot? Or will we see a singles match between one woman from each team?
#1. A fresh start for the new RAW superstars
On Friday night, Randy Orton and The Street Profits were among those who were drafted to RAW in what may be considered a fresh start. Orton has been on SmackDown for the last three years and has also been an integral part of the brand.
The others who were drafted were mainly RAW superstars, to begin with. However, tonight, we will see a lot of fresh names jump brands to RAW and it's going to be a new start. Of course, many will consider next week's RAW to be the official fresh start for the red brand while this coming Friday will be a fresh start for SmackDown as they have their third episode on FOX.
Whichever superstar moves to RAW, it may be a lot more beneficial than they realize. SmackDown is all but likely to get the more stacked roster as FOX is splashing a lot more money in WWE's way. But whichever superstar does move to RAW has a lot more potential to become a bigger star.
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