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This week’s episode of WWE RAW had more than its fair share of flaws. We saw a couple of repetitive encounters, but there were a few surprising segments as well. Goldberg returned and confirmed his intentions of challenging Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2021.
We also saw Nia Jax fight impressively despite being busted open in a brutal match against Rhea Ripley. Overall, the show was quite monotonous. Here, we will look at the hits and flops from WWE RAW this week. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 Hit on WWE RAW: Drew McIntyre swings a sword
Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre arrived on the Red brand with a sword. Angela, the sword, is named after McIntyre’s late mother, and he used it to whack a steel chair out of Jinder Mahal’s hands. But we will get to that part in a bit. First, it is vital to discuss McIntyre’s battle against Shanky and Veer in a two-on-one handicap match.
Both Shanky and Veer were impressive, making McIntyre look more credible as a fierce “warrior.” The latter was dominant throughout the bout and took special care to make his opponents look good on WWE RAW. He was close to picking up a victory, but his plans derailed after Mahal interfered and used a steel chair to lay out a vicious attack.
The match ended in a disqualification, which was arguably a weak booking for an otherwise engaging in-ring encounter on WWE RAW. Mahal equipped both his friends with a chair and tried to attack McIntyre once again. However, The Scottish Warrior used his sword to scare The Modern Day Maharaja and his men into escaping from the arena.
While we are discussing this segment, it is essential to point out a hilarious (and equally embarrassing) spot. It appears that the company piped in the crowd noise during McIntyre’s entrance because we could hear a faint announcement about a “16-time champion” in the background. The production team might need to take another look at that one.
#4 Flop on WWE RAW: Eva Marie spoils Doudrop’s match, again
This week on WWE RAW, Doudrop returned to action in a match against Tamina. Both superstars faced each other in a balanced match that ended ridiculously. Eva Marie tried to help Doudrop, but the conversation kept the latter distracted long enough for Tamina to capitalize. The one-half of women’s tag team champions then picked up an easy victory and left the ring.
Soon after that, Alexa Bliss appeared on screen and made fun of Marie. Later in the night, Doudrop attacked Bliss in her playground while Eva Marie took all the credit. While it is evident that the company is heading towards a feud between both superstars, Marie’s recent booking doesn’t make her look like a credible threat in front of Bliss.
In fact, her lackluster presence on WWE RAW often compromises the interest surrounding Doudrop’s matches. Their alliance is not benefitting anyone, and it will primarily allow Bliss to play mind games quite conveniently in the coming weeks. There is no element of surprise, and it wouldn’t be an over-exaggeration to say that Eva Marie had one of the weakest performances on WWE RAW.
#3 Hit on WWE RAW: Nikki A.S.H. gets her revenge against Charlotte Flair
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. faced Charlotte Flair in a brutal No Holds Barred Match this week that saw them use chairs and tables as weapons. The Queen dominated most of the match, and staying true to her current gimmick, Nikki fought resiliently until the very end.
The match’s closing moments saw Flair attempt a Spear. Nikki A.S.H. moved out of The Queen’s way right in time, and the latter crashed against a table that was balanced on the turnbuckle. The champion capitalized on the turn of events and pinned Flair to pick up her first big victory since winning the title.
Nikki A.S.H. needed this victory ahead of her triple-threat title match against Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam 2021.
#2 Flop on WWE RAW: Riddle gets squashed
This week on WWE RAW, Riddle faced Omos in a singles match. Throughout this encounter, the latter was dominant and showed no mercy towards the Red brand’s Original Bro.
Riddle did try to fight, but his brave intentions were of no match against Omos’ sheer size and brute strength. The latter threw the former all around the ring before pinning him for a win. Purely from a store-telling perspective, Riddle did great in making Omos look like a monster.
Perhaps the creative team is trying to garner more sympathy towards The Original Bro to fuel the hype surrounding Randy Orton’s return. The latter is expected to return on WWE RAW soon and even out things for RK-Bro against tag team champions AJ Styles and Omos.
Hopefully, Riddle will also get his opportunity to even things out against Omos before the two tag teams engage in a championship feud.
#1 Flop/Hit on WWE RAW: Karrion Kross loses against Keith Lee
NXT Champion Karrion Kross returned on WWE RAW this week for a match against Keith Lee. Both superstars were involved in a match last week that ended in Lee’s loss. This time, The Moment Maker settled the score by picking up a convincing victory over Kross. While the match was good, its results were not completely devoid of any negative impact.
The good thing is that Lee finally got a much-needed win on WWE RAW. He's an incredible superstar who can stir things up in the hottest championship feuds on the Red brand. His return was quite underwhelming after picking up losses for two consecutive weeks. Now that he finally has his victory, the creative team should start afresh by building upon his momentum as we advance.
While things looked great for Lee, one can’t help but wonder about its impact on Karrion Kross and NXT’s overall credibility. How is it that a ferocious champion from one brand is struggling to assert his dominance over another? Maybe the company is going ahead with this angle to make his alliance with Scarlett seem more impactful.
Unless that is the case, it is better if Karrion Kross continues to compete on NXT alone and prepare for his big match against Samoa Joe. Since Lee and Kross desperately needed to win for their respective reasons, maybe it would have been better if WWE didn’t book them in a match against each other.
