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Welcome to this special "Championship edition" of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. It was a great episode filled with three advertised Championship matches, but we ended up with four title matches as Akira Tozawa faced (and defeated) R-Truth to win the 24/7 Championship, thanks to a little assistance, of course.
Since that was more of a comedy bit, we're not going to be focusing much on that. However, it was an action-packed episode from start to finish, with many new rivalries, a few confirmed matches for Extreme Rules 2020, and quite a few unexpected moments as well.
The episode was fantastic in terms of storyline progression and Extreme Rules is already looking like it's going to be a stacked PPV. Add to the fact that no stipulations have been announced, it means that things are likely to get more exciting.
While we weren't confident how the post-Paul Heyman era on RAW would be, things are shaping up nicely. Now, all that's required is overall consistency every week. Let's jump right into this episode of RAW!
#10. What's brewing with Edge on RAW?
Edge was rumored to be out for the rest of the year following surgery to fix a torn tricep. The injury was confirmed by WWE, but think about this - when does WWE emphasize so much on an injury that they bring a superstar back to RAW or SmackDown?
Normally, an injury means a quiet disappearance from WWE programming, which is what they would have done with Edge had the injury been as serious as they claimed. We're not outright saying that Edge's injury is a part of the storyline, but we believe that it's been played upon and slightly exaggerated to build anticipation to the third and inevitable trilogy match against Randy Orton.
What was most notable about the promo was how Edge seemed to indicate that he's fading away from his "old grit" character and is returning to his most iconic role - The Rated-R Superstar.
We haven't gotten a taste of the "Rated-R Superstar" since he returned to WWE, but it looks like that's the side of Edge we're going to get. On another note, we urge you to check out Edge's promo on RAW if you haven't seen it already. It's the perfect example of an intense promo done right and it's clear as to just how superior he is to everyone else on the roster in that department.
#9. Natalya turns heel for a new alliance?
Natalya hasn't had much momentum on her side and last week after Lana was seemingly dumped by Bobby Lashley, they had an interaction backstage, teasing an alliance. Backstage on RAW, Natalya slammed the Women's locker room for not having a leader and felt that Asuka wasn't suited to that role.
She had an "announcement" to make but didn't mention anything to Charly Caruso. Instead, she went out and defeated Liv Morgan with Lana by her side. She submitted the young star and refused to let go of the sharpshooter until the referee had to force her to remove the hold.
This indicated a quiet but concise heel turn from Natalya, who will now likely have Lana as her new manager. With the Lashley storyline behind her, Lana has something new to look forward to. It's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.
All we hope is that it leads to an actual PPV match with Liv Morgan where the latter wins. However, we anticipate more screentime for Natalya.
#8. Bobby Lashley in pursuit of another title
Bobby Lashley may not have been successful in his effort to capture the WWE Championship from Drew McIntyre at Backlash, but it looks like he has something big in store.
MVP's guidance has done wonders for him, but he isn't the only elite star that the veteran is trying to guide. MVP once again attempted to recruit United States Champion Apollo Crews, when he got him on the VIP Lounge.
While MVP respects the "fighting champion" spirit of Crews, he told the US Champion that he doesn't understand the business side of things, offering his services to Crews, who he's been praising a lot lately. MVP told Crews that if he took him under his wing, he would have a long and historic United States title reign, similar to his over a decade ago.
Crews defeated Shelton Benjamin clean after MVP tried distracting him at first. However, post-match, Bobby Lashley assaulted Apollo Crews, indicating that he's gunning for the US title at Extreme Rules 2020. We can see him beating Crews and capturing the title.
#7. The Street Profits have a new challenge
This has been an enjoyable feud that seemingly led to an enjoyable payoff. For more than a month now, RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders have been having a competitive but friendly rivalry known as the "What you can do we can do better championship".
As you might have seen by now, it's led to all sorts of different segments - from basketball to bowling to golf to axe-throwing and more. The two teams would even form an alliance to unite against Akira Tozawa and his ninjas.
The Big Show came to help last week and suggested a simple solution to settle their competitive rivalry - a traditional tag team title match. While we're not sure why they didn't think of that earlier, it certainly was the best way to do it and The Street Profits defeated The Viking Raiders clean, pinning Ivar to retain the titles.
There was a show of respect, with the rivalry seemingly over. The big question is - who's next? We got our answer immediately as Andrade and Angel Garza, now on the same page, attacked The Street Profits post-match. The lethal duo united by Zelina Vega will be challenging for the titles next.
#6. Asuka finally gets the big one over Charlotte Flair and receives an unexpected new challenger
Asuka vs Charlotte Flair was one of the three planned title matches in the Championship edition of Monday Night RAW. The WrestleMania 34 rematch had a background story - Charlotte Flair constantly having Asuka's number.
Charlotte Flair ended Asuka's legendary undefeated streak at WrestleMania 34, beat her for the SmackDown Women's Championship before WrestleMania 35, and even beat her on the RAW before Backlash in a non-title match.
Even in the Mixed Match Challenge, Asuka ended up tapping out to Charlotte Flair, but this time around, the RAW Women's Champion managed to beat Flair clean with an Asuka Lock. It was a good payoff, but it had the background of Nia Jax having attacked Charlotte Flair earlier in the night.
What was more interesting is how Sasha Banks is the next RAW Women's title challenger. That's right, the SmackDown star, after beating The IIconics and retaining the Women's Tag Team titles with Bayley, teased challenging her best friend for the title.
After a tense moment, she revealed that her challenge went out to RAW Women's Champion Asuka, who accepted her challenge for Extreme Rules. We will be having a Champion vs Champion match on the show!
#5. A spinoff from the RAW Women's title feud
While we thought this might have led to a Triple Threat match for the RAW Women's title, it seems like we've got a spinoff feud. As mentioned, Charlotte Flair was defeated by Asuka for the first time.
However, Nia Jax and Charlotte Flair got into an altercation at the start of the show and it was a backstage assault from Nia Jax that weakened Flair. The 12-time Champion refused to fight another day against Asuka and her pride may have cost her the match.
Nia Jax continued the assault afterward, with Charlotte Flair seemingly transitioning from "tweener" to babyface again. This likely means the end of her run in NXT, but we're happy to see a solid Women's feud on RAW that doesn't involve the title.
Sasha Banks' challenge of Asuka at Extreme Rules confirms that neither Jax nor Flair will be in the RAW Women's Championship picture in the coming month.
However, they have the potential to put on a great PPV stipulation match.
#4. Liv Morgan's next step
Liv Morgan hasn't had the best run since WrestleMania 36. Despite beating Natalya at the Grandest Stage of Them All, she's found herself on a downward slip after losing to the veteran on multiple occasions.
This week was no different, and backstage, Liv Morgan was visibly frustrated at her recent run on RAW. Her former faction member Ruby Riott approached her, but Morgan wanted nothing to do with her.
Riott seemed to indicate that she wasn't there to rub salt on the wound, but a frustrated Morgan chose to walk away. We could see a rekindling of the past alliance but in a different form. Liv Morgan is not in a position to turn heel and the RAW Women's division needs a rising babyface anyway.
While Riott may not be the focus on RAW, she could turn face as well and they could form an interesting tag team, perhaps competing for the Tag Team titles. While we can't be sure about Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan is undoubtedly a future Women's Champion and these losses are simply a part of her story.
#3. Rey Mysterio and Dominik get new allies
An emotional final segment of RAW saw Rey Mysterio step into the ring with his son Dominik to confront Seth Rollins. As you might know, Seth Rollins attacked Rey Mysterio's eye and nearly risked him going blind, which prompted Dominik to make a shocking appearance on RAW last week to attack and avenge his father.
They called out Seth Rollins, who offered to sacrifice Dominik for the greater good. We're liking the progression of his character as he descends into madness and this might be Dominik's welcoming party.
Rollins approached the ring and Austin Theory and [Buddy] Murphy joined him in the attack. However, this time around, they were saved by Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo - two men who have had issues with Seth Rollins and Murphy in the past.
The numbers game became 4-on-3 but there was a tense moment where Rollins nearly shoved Dominik's eye into the steel steps to end his career before it even begins. While we're not sure what direction this is heading, things could become interesting.
#2. Why is Dolph Ziggler back in Drew McIntyre's hair?
While we wish there would have been a better opponent for Drew McIntyre at WWE Extreme Rules 2020, we aren't too mad about this. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode were traded to RAW in exchange for AJ Styles going to SmackDown.
To start things off, Dolph Ziggler confronted Drew McIntyre and reminded him how he "brought him back" to RAW. It was a bit of revisionist history since he conveniently forgot to mention the three years where Drew McIntyre scratched and clawed his way back to WWE and had a successful yet short stint in NXT before returning to RAW.
Either way, Ziggler felt he was "owed" a WWE title shot after everything he did for McIntyre and the Scotsman was more than happy to accept his challenge for Extreme Rules.
While we admit that it's a bit of a weak WWE Championship match, it's one that'll do wonders for McIntyre's run as Champion. Moreover, Ziggler can make him look like a million bucks even though he isn't going to win.
#1. Another legend for Randy Orton to slay
The Big Show has returned, and this time, it's in a more serious role. He was seemingly furious at how everything went down with Randy Orton and Edge and Christian, vowing to get revenge for his two friends.
Ric Flair was going to host a segment declaring Randy Orton the greatest wrestler of all time, but it was quickly interrupted by The Big Show, who wanted to get his hands on Randy Orton. The difference between the two was that The Big Show was willing to go at it right from the start, but Orton didn't.
Randy Orton escaped the ring instead, choosing to fight another day. However, he indicated that The Big Show was another legend he wanted to kill, indicating a return to "The Legend Killer" gimmick.
The problem in 2020 is that the number of legends is far and few in between. Either way, Randy Orton is having one of the best runs in the last decade and we're looking forward to seeing him potentially face and beat The Big Show at Extreme Rules 2020.
How did Ric Flair spend $1500 at a pizza place? More details here
