'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After two brilliant nights of WrestleMania 36, WWE managed to give us an above-average episode of Monday Night RAW. The show started with Asuka getting the better of Liv Morgan, as the former tried to regain momentum after losing the Women's Tag Team Titles.
Street Profits teamed up with Bianca Belair and defeated Angel Garza, Austin Theory, and Zelina Vega. RAW also saw the return of Nia who picked up a win over Deonna Purrazzo. Furthermore, Aleister Black emerged victorious over Apollo Crews in an incredible bout, while an angry Seth Rollins took out of all his frustration from his WrestleMania loss on Denzel Dejournette.
Cedric Alexander & Ricochet teamed up again and picked up a win against Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch. Humberto Carrillo got a win over Brendan Vink before the main event saw Drew McIntyre retain the WWE Championship against The Big Show in the match that was taped after McIntyre's win at WrestleMania.
Here, we are going to look at the top 5 moments from this week's episode of the Red brand.
#5 A new pairing
Since Ricochet lost to Brock Lesnar at WWE Super ShowDown, he had been on a continuous downward spiral. But his pairing with Cedric Alexander promises something good.
This week, they got a big win over Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch and as expected, we saw a lot of high flying action in the bout. Alexander & Ricochet are a face tag team and because Street Profits are the RAW Tag Team Champions, we might not get to see the former tag team get a title shot anytime soon. WWE doesn't really like pitting faces against faces but just imagine how good that potential match can be.
Nevertheless, it's good to see both Alexander and Ricochet get some direction after weeks and weeks of poor booking.
#4 Bianca Belair's debut
After making a cameo appearance at WrestleMania 36, Bianca Belair made her RAW debut as she faced Zelina Vega in singles action. The match, unfortunately, ended in a disqualification and a mixed tag team match took place instead.
Predictably, Street Profits & Belair picked up a win and for now, it looks like The EST of WWE is going to be around Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. That doesn't necessarily seem to be such a good decision as the Red brand could use someone like Belair as a singles competitor.
Now that Becky Lynch has defeated almost every Superstar in her path, there is a need for some freshness in the RAW Women's division. If Belair is booked as well as she was on NXT, she could very well turn out to be a stern challenger for Becky Lynch's RAW Women's Championship somewhere down the line.
#3 Nia Jax's return
Finally, after weeks of wait, Nia Jax returned to WWE and faced Deonna Purrazzo. She absolutely demolished her opponent and picked up an easy win. The way she mocked Deonna throughout the bout makes us think that Nia has returned as a heel and that's a good thing.
Besides Shayna Baszler and Asuka, there aren't many intimidating heels in the Red brand and that's why Jax's return is a big boost. Though WWE made it clear that Becky Lynch and Shayna Baszler are far from done, adding someone like Nia Jax into the mix could further elevate the RAW Women's Championship storyline.
#2 Match of the night
As mentioned above, there weren't many surprising things that happened on this week's RAW. Hence, it's only fair to judge the episode by its wrestling action and there's no doubt that Aleister Black vs Apollo Crews stole the show.
It was an incredibly fast-paced bout that showed exactly how good both these Superstars are. For the first time in a long time, Crews looked really good and it wouldn't be wrong to speculate that he is in line for something good on RAW.
On the other hand, Black continued his momentum and it wouldn't be surprising if he in line for a shot at the United States Championship. The Dutch Destroyer has been on the main roster for well over a year and it is about time he has some gold around his waist.
#1 Drew McIntyre's win
Drew McIntyre became the new WWE Champion at Night 2 of WrestleMania 36 but just 20 minutes after he picked a huge win over Brock Lesnar, The Big Show challenged him to a match for the WWE Championship.
Unsurprisingly, The Scottish Psychopath retained the gold and that, in fact, was the most exciting thing that happened on this week's episode of the Red brand. McIntyre had a WrestleMania to remember and next week, we might get an idea about who is next in line for RAW's biggest prize.
For now, the best option seems to be Seth Rollins and if that is indeed the case, then one can't wait to see both of them square up against each other.
