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Last night, WWE delivered an average pay-per-view as Backlash 2020 had very few memorable moments. Drew McIntyre successfully defended his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley, whereas Asuka retained her RAW Women’s Championship after her match against Nia Jax had a controversial finish.
We also saw Apollo Crews, Braun Strowman, and Sasha Banks and Bayley defend their United States Championship, WWE Universal Championship, and WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships respectively. Finally, in the main event, we saw Randy Orton defeat Edge after a gruelling encounter.
Following the Backlash 2020 PPV, we are now set for this week’s episode of RAW which has quite a few interesting things lined up for the fans. From old rivalries getting more intense to new championship feuds, a lot can happen tonight in WWE.
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In this article, we will take a look at things that can transpire on this week’s episode of RAW. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Seth Rollins extends an invitation to Rey Mysterio on RAW
As confirmed on last week’s episode of RAW, WWE Superstar Seth Rollins extended an invitation to Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik. While the intentions behind this invitation from the Monday Night Messiah remains unknown, one can be certain that he has not-so-pleasant things planned for the high-flying Superstar and his son for this week’s RAW.
The feud between Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio started on RAW after Money in the Bank 2020 when Rollins brutally attacked Mysterio by mercilessly pressing his eyes against the edge of the steel steps. Mysterio was taken away from the Performance Centre by the medics whereas his ally Aleister Black would go on to engage in a feud with Rollins.
Soon after that, we saw Rollins host a ‘retirement ceremony’ for Mysterio on RAW, which was interrupted by Black. The latter also managed to beat Rollins on RAW, but both he and Humberto Carrillo were then attacked by Rollins’ disciples, Buddy Murphy and Austin Theory. In the meantime, WWE reached out to Rey Mysterio for his statement, and the Superstar addressed his retirement alongside his son.
For a long time now, there have been rumours about Mysterio grooming his son for a career in WWE, and it appears that this storyline might set up the foundation for that. But even if Dominic is far from making his WWE debut, one can be assured that Rey Mysterio is determined for the brutal attack laid on him on RAW. It will be interesting to see if Mysterio will accept Rollins’ invitation and show up on RAW tonight as their feud, which involves a lot of other young talents, are expected to engage in a long-term rivalry on the Red brand.
#2 Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley to continue their title feud on RAW; possible break-up with Lana?
In one of the best matches of Backlash 2020, we saw Drew McIntyre successfully defend his WWE Championship in a match against Bobby Lashley. The build-up to this feud was quite promising, and the two Superstars worked very hard to put up a memorable encounter at the PPV. However, it is quite possible that their championship rivalry will continue on RAW for the coming weeks.
In their match, Lashley only lost after a mistake on Lana's part. When Lashley missed a near pinfall, Lana made her way to the ringside. While they were busy accusing the referee of cheating, McIntyre hit Lashley with a Glasgow Kiss that knocked him into Lana. In turn, Lana fell on MVP and took him out of proportion which proved to be a significant loss for Lashley as MVP was helping him gain the upper hand throughout the match.
Following that, a distracted Lashley was hit by a devastating Claymore which allowed McIntyre to pin Lashley and retain his WWE Championship. While the growing distance between Lashley and Lana has been evident on RAW in the last few weeks, it appears that the two might not stay together for long after what transpired last night.
Both Lashley and MVP were looking at Lana in disgust after the match, and even when they went backstage, neither of the two Superstars stopped for her. On tonight's episode of RAW, Lashley might finally cut ties with Lana whom MVP blames for everything. Moreover, the finish to Lashley's match against McIntyre hints at the possibility that he will once again challenge for the WWE Championship in the coming weeks.
#3 Kevin Owens to start a feud with Apollo Crews on RAW?
At Backlash 2020, Apollo Crews successfully defended his United States Championship against Andrade in the first match of the night. This match lived up to the expectations and certainly deserved better than being a part of the pre-show. After successfully defending his title against Andrade, it appears that Apollo Crews might find his next challenger in Kevin Owens and it can happen on tonight's episode of RAW.
At the recently concluded PPV, Kevin Owens joined the commentary team during the United States Championship. As usual, Andrade had Zelina Vega and Angel Garza on his side which gave the challenger a slight advantage. Towards the end, Garza went to attack Crews, but he was taken out of the equation by Kevin Owens with the help of a stunner.
As a result, Crews could bring back his focus on Andrade and moments later, the latter was pinned. Although it was Kevin Owens who helped Crews in retaining his title, it is quite possible for him to initiate a championship feud with the latter. And maybe, we will see this feud kickstart on this week’s episode of RAW.
Owens’ entire gimmick has been that of an opportunistic guy, and after spending weeks on RAW, it is possible that he is now desperate to enter a title picture. A feud with KO will also be immensely beneficial for Crews as it will help the RAW Superstar in cementing his place as a dependable talent irrespective of the final result of this storyline.
#4 Liv Morgan to challenge Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship
At Backlash 2020, Asuka successfully defended her RAW Women’s Championship against Nia Jax after their match ended in a controversial fashion. Both Superstars were counted out, which allowed Asuka to retain her title, but she seemed disappointed with the match. In fact, she even attacked Jax after the final bell before picking up her title and walking backstage.
This match was fairly disappointing, and Jax did not look good inside the ring. However, the finish to their match indicates that WWE intend to protect Nia Jax and she might challenge Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship once again. Having said that, she is not the only one who has eyes on the title.
Soon after their match ended, RAW Superstar Liv Morgan took to Twitter and said that ‘she wants’ the RAW Women’s Championship. It appears that Morgan could be the next one in line to challenge Asuka for the coveted prize of the Red brand. Moreover, WWE would like to keep Nia Jax out of the title picture for the next few weeks following her performance in last night’s title match.
As for Liv Morgan, the WWE Universe is behind the RAW Superstar and would love to finally see her involved in the title picture. A feud with Asuka will also help Morgan in ensuring that she will receive a good push on RAW in the coming months. Morgan is a promising Superstar and is over with the crowd. Now all she needs is a compelling feud that will put her on the map, and Asuka can do that job effortlessly.
#5 What’s next for the RAW Tag Team Titles?
In the last few weeks, we have The Street Profits engage in an unconventional yet entertaining feud with The Viking Raiders that is seemingly building up to a match with the RAW Tag Team Championships on the line. From Basketball matches to Axe throwing competition and from Golf matches to Bowling games, this rivalry has seen it all.
Most recently, the two teams were set to compete at Backlash, but they had a cinematic segment which saw them engage in a brawl with the Ninjas. Finally, the two teams were on top of the truck and were engaged in an extremely short brawl before they all found themselves in the bottom of a container instead. As a result, their match was cancelled as the referee felt that they were not fit to compete.
Now, this entire rivalry for the RAW Tag Team Championships has fetched mixed response from the fans. While some believe that it has gotten progressively worse, others have grown to love it. In either case, it is now necessary that WWE brings this RAW Tag Team Title feud back inside the ring and have both the teams lock horns inside the squared circle.
The RAW tag team division is not really benefitting much with this feud, and the creative must bring this action back inside the arena. Now that they have competed in almost everything but a wrestling match, one can’t be blamed to assume that if this trend is continued, the creative will end up overkilling the idea.
