WWE RAW Flops and Hits: Kevin Owens breaks top champion’s streak, Seth Rollins gets a message from Roman Reigns (January 17, 2022)

WWE RAW had a good show lined up for fans this week. The red brand witnessed several high-profile matches as top superstars looked to gain momentum ahead of Royal Rumble. The episode had its fair share of drawbacks, but most of them were non-consequential.

Before we discuss the biggest flops and hits from this week’s WWE RAW, let’s take a moment to acknowledge this gem of a fan in the background who stole the show with his non-verbal antics.

He was one of the best parts of the segment involving Edge, Beth Phoenix, Maryse, and The Miz and deserved a special mention for making the most of his accidental screen time.

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#5 Hit on WWE RAW: Kevin Owens becomes the first superstar to pin Damian Priest on the main roster

Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins featured in the KO show on WWE RAW. Owens took the opportunity to officially declare himself a participant in the men’s Royal Rumble match later this month.

He also reminded Rollins about their recent friendship. KO believes that his “best friend” can dethrone Roman Reigns as the Universal Champion at Royal Rumble 2022.

Owens predicted that he would win the Royal Rumble match and challenge Rollins for the title at WrestleMania to give fans the match they want to see. It was an entertaining segment, and both superstars have been nothing short of brilliant in their respective runs as heels on WWE RAW.

Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens were glorifying their friendship inside the ring when they were interrupted by United States Champion Damian Priest.

The latter boldly claimed that Rollins wouldn’t beat Reigns and Owens wouldn’t win Royal Rumble. He further decided to prove his superiority in the singles match against KO on WWE RAW.

It was a good match that allowed both superstars to play to their respective strengths. Priest orchestrated several spectacular spots in the match and made for an impressive opponent against a well-established star.

The match eventually ended when Kevin Owens tricked everyone into believing he was hurt only to hit Damian Priest with a Stunner out of the blue. He then pinned the champion to pick up a statement victory.

This booking was executed well as it protected Priest while simultaneously ensuring that Owens gets a shot at the United States Championship in the future.

It is worth noting that this was the first time that Damian Priest was pinned in a singles match on the WWE main roster. It would undoubtedly serve as the perfect groundwork to start a brutal title feud between Priest and Owens.

Brock Lesnar is currently feuding with Bobby Lashley, and Roman Reigns has an old score to settle with Seth Rollins. This temporarily leaves Big E and Kevin Owens out of the world championship picture.

It is good to see that KO is still competing with top champions, an acceptable way to keep him busy for the time being. We hope to see Big E being booked just as strongly as well.

#4 Hit on WWE RAW: Bobby Lashley shines in the main event

The main event of WWE RAW saw Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley engage in an impressive singles bout.

Lashley had to look prepared for a battle against Brock Lesnar, and Rollins needed to look strong before his match against Roman Reigns. The match served both those purposes as both Rollins and Lashley stole the show with their performances.

The All Mighty relied on his brute strength to dominate the match, whereas The Visionary used his speed. The combination worked well as it gave us a glimpse of what to expect from both superstars’ respective matches scheduled for Royal Rumble.

Unfortunately, the match ended in disqualification as Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander attacked Bobby Lashley as he had refused to reform The Hurt Business.

Lashley still dominated both his former allies, and his double suplex was enough to prove that he is more than prepared to face The Beast Incarnate next. A shocked Seth Rollins was greeted by The Usos, who hit the Architect with a superkick back in the ring.

Last week, he dodged the SmackDown Tag Team Champions on the blue brand, but we all know Roman Reigns knows how to get his message across.

Usually, a non-finish jeopardizes the credibility of top superstars, but tonight that wasn’t the case. WWE RAW has had several loose knots since Day 1, and tonight’s show saw at least some of them being tied to make room for crucial developments as we inch closer to Royal Rumble 2022.

#3 Flop on WWE RAW: Finn Balor gets pinned, again

This week, Finn Balor returned on WWE RAW for a singles match against Austin Theory. The latter was given a chance to redeem himself in the rematch against the former Universal Champion, and he made the most of the opportunity.

Not to forget, a backstage segment saw Vince McMahon motivating Theory to win at all costs by threatening to cut him open and sending gory pictures to the budding superstar's mom.

We saw Finn Balor and Austin Theory face each other in a good match. It was all too good until Theory got a clean win. The pinfall accounted for another underwhelming booking decision involving Balor on WWE RAW.

Austin Theory added to the insult by attacking The Prince once after the match had ended. Finn Balor's booking has been a recurring issue since his return to the main roster, but there are still a couple of positives for the writers to explore.

Now that both Balor and Theory have one victory each, WWE should book them for a third and final encounter to determine a clear winner. At the moment, Austin Theory can afford a loss or an unclean victory, but the same can't be said for Finn Balor.

He is one of the most talented performers on the red brand, and the creative team should refrain from repeatedly subjecting their first-ever Universal Champion to weak booking decisions.

#2 Hit on WWE RAW: Doudrop makes a statement

The opening segment of this week’s WWE RAW saw Doudrop and Becky Lynch join forces to take on Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan in a tag team match. The self-proclaimed GOAT took it upon herself to paint a little picture for her next challenger.

Unfortunately for her, Doudrop came prepared. The new championship contender for Lynch’s title looked the strongest in a questionably weak opening segment.

All four superstars took turns to assert their dominance during the tag team match on WWE RAW. However, Belair and Morgan couldn’t keep their opponents at bay for too long. Lynch’s picturesque slam was impressive, but she couldn’t use it to seal her victory.

Just as the champion went for the pin, she was interrupted by her tag team partner, who forced her way into the match and pinned Liv Morgan to pick up a victory for her side.

Following that, Doudrop attacked Big Time Becks to make a strong statement ahead of their title match at Royal Rumble 2022. Considering that the RAW Women’s Champion had helped her next challenger win a title opportunity, it was important for Doudrop to come across as a legit threat during the build-up.

#1 Honourable mention from WWE RAW: Top stars make their intent known ahead of Royal Rumble

WWE RAW also featured an eight-man tag team match that saw The Street Profits and The Mysterios take on the team of Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Apollo Crews, and Commander Azeez.

It was a fast-paced encounter that was essentially booked to serve two big purposes. One, to make these WWE Superstars look prepared for the Royal Rumble, and two, to subtly draw attention towards the red brand’s tag team division.

Rey and Dominik Mysterio once again worked in complete sync to better their opponent. The masked legend deserves a lot of credit for doing the things he does at his age. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins worked hard to maintain the right flow of this crowded in-ring battle.

Ziggler, Rhoode, Apollo, and Azeez did well to draw heat towards themselves. Eventually, we saw Montez Ford pin Apollo Crews to pick up a win for his team on WWE RAW.

Rey Mysterio pushed Dominik off the top rope following a brief celebration to warn his son about watching his back at Royal Rumble. It was an excellent way to establish that the former champions are eyeing a good run in a career-defining match scheduled for later this month.

Moreover, the four teams in action added credibility to the tag team division. It was good to see that RAW has options once RK-Bro and The Alpha Academy are done feuding for the tag team championships.