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WWE has officially kicked-off the Road to WrestleMania 37 and the card for The Greatest Stage Of Them All is starting to shape slowly. With the conclusion of the Royal Rumble, fans expected WWE to go all guns blazing on the RAW and SmackDown episodes this past week. Unfortunately, both the shows didn't really live up to the expectations, especially the Blue brand which has been consistently good recently.
In this article, let's take a look at three mistakes WWE made this week and three things they got right. Be sure to comment down and let us know how excited you are heading into the WrestleMania season.
#3 Mistake WWE made: Dominik Mysterio cheats to defeat King Corbin on SmackDown
WWE has produced some really good storylines on SmackDown recently. However, the one currently going on between the Mysterio family and King Corbin doesn't fit into that bracket at all. This week on SmackDown, Dominik Mysterio faced King Corbin in a singles match and won after Rey Mysterio helped him from outside.
The match didn't really do anyone any favors. The fact that the Mysterios are babyfaces and still had to resort to cheap tactics against King Corbin is a confusing booking, to say the least. The commentators did mention that Rey Mysterio took a page out of the book of the late Eddie Guerrero, but that isn't really a great explanation. One has to wonder what WWE is trying to do with Dominik Mysterio as he isn't getting over as a babyface in this manner.
#3 WWE got right: Damian Priest and Carlito join RAW
Monday Night RAW saw some major additions to its roster this week as former NXT North American Champion Damian Priest officially made his RAW debut. He picked up a win over Mr. Money in the Bank The Miz. Reports suggest that WWE is really high on Damian Priest and that was evident from the backstage moment that he had with WWE Hall of Famer Edge this week on RAW.
Other than Damian Priest, former United States Champion Carlito also appeared on RAW, wrestling on the Red brand after nearly a decade. Carlito returned in the 2021 men's Royal Rumble match and this week on RAW, he teamed up with Jeff Hardy to defeat Elias and Jaxson Ryker. It is to be seen whether he will become a full-time member of the roster following this.
#2 Mistake WWE made: Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens is apparently still not over
Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens had an amazing Last Man Standing match at WWE Royal Rumble 2021. In fact, all of their recent encounters have been a treat to watch. However, all good things must come to an end, especially since Roman Reigns has defeated KO on three occasions now.
This week on SmackDown, the 2021 men's Royal Rumble winner Edge confronted Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who demanded The Rated-R Superstar to acknowledge him and choose to face him at WrestleMania 37. However, Kevin Owens appeared out of nowhere and delivered a Stunner to The Tribal Chief.
Now, this segment would have been great if we had already not seen these two take on each other multiple times in the last few months. There was no need to further drag this feud as there are several other WWE Superstars on SmackDown who could have a mini-feud with Reigns ahead of WrestleMania.
#2 WWE got right: The Intercontinental Championship match on SmackDown
This week on WWE SmackDown, Intercontinental Champion Big E defended his title in a triple-threat match against Sami Zayn and Apollo Crews. The match was great and helped all three Superstars involved to further improve their characters. In the end, Big E emerged victorious, successfully defending his title.
Following the match, there was a small tease of Apollo Crews turning heel and attacking Big E, but that did not happen. However, that is sure to happen in the coming weeks and a heel turn could really revive the career of Apollo Crews on SmackDown.
#1 Mistake WWE made: Randy Orton's reaction to Alexa Bliss on the ramp
One of the most intriguing angles in all of WWE right now is that between Randy Orton, 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt, and Alexa Bliss. However, Wyatt has been missing from WWE TV for a very long time and one has to wonder whether it is time for him to return as the feud almost seems stagnant right now.
One major mistake that WWE made this week was when Alexa Bliss crossed paths with Randy Orton on the ramp this week on RAW. While Bliss stopped and stared at Orton, The Viper passed by without even looking at her. It has just been a few weeks before when Alexa Bliss attacked Randy Orton with a fireball on RAW and then Orton had a burnt face. That was weird, to say the least, but that was not the last of Alexa Bliss that we saw that night.
#1 WWE got right: Edge gets the win over Randy Orton, after an unnerving interference
The main event of WWE RAW saw the 2021 men's Royal Rumble winner Edge go one-on-one against his arch-rival Randy Orton. The two had a great match that had an eerie ending as Alexa Bliss appeared on the ring post, distracting Randy Orton. The sight of blood-like-liquid pouring out of the mouth of Alexa Bliss was really scary.
With this distraction, Edge picked up the victory over Randy Orton, ending his feud with The Viper for now. WWE did a good job of letting Edge move on from Orton and now focus on his WrestleMania title shot while at the same time continuing the storyline arc of Randy Orton and Alexa Bliss. How long before Bray Wyatt finally returns?
Sound off in the comments section and let us know your thoughts on this week's episode of Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown.
