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From AJ Styles "exposing" The Undertaker to Edge getting his hands on Randy Orton, this week's edition of Monday Night RAW featured several contrasting moments.
WWE finally shifted focus to solely building WrestleMania 36 as the next big event. After Elimination Chamber 2020, the fallout episode from the Red brand featured some huge stars, while Seth Rollins and his faction members served as the backdrop for last night's proceedings as well.
What were your thoughts on this episode in general? Let us know in the comments section below.
Here are the 5 biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE RAW (March 9, 2020).
#5: Rhea Ripley stepped up to Charlotte Flair on The Queen's show
The NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley was featured in a video of her visiting the site of this year's WrestleMania event.
Charlotte Flair would show up to the ring after that, and The Queen talked about the frequent comparisons made between herself and the Australian NXT Superstar.
Brand supremacy has managed to exist even after Survivor Series, but this is not just about RAW vs. NXT at the Grandest Stage of Them All. In The Queen's book, this is about Charlotte Flair dethroning the biggest NXT Women's Superstar at the moment.
Flair referred to her opponent as the latest temporary sensation, but the NXT Women's Champion came out to prove her wrong.
Just when Flair reminded her that this wasn't NXT anymore, Rhea Ripley responded with a big punch that dropped her opponent in the ring.
This was a simple confrontation that didn't transition into a huge brawl just for the sake of it. The segment was about Rhea Ripley stepping up to Charlotte Flair as her equal, and while it wasn't too flashy, this particular feud is yet to reach its full potential.
#4: Seth Rollins tried to recruit Aleister Black as a new member of his faction
Before the show, Seth Rollins and his goons mugged Kevin Owens after the latter cost Rollins & Murphy their match against Street Profits at Elimination Chamber.
During the episode, Rollins knocked on Aleister Black's door and offered him a proposition that would possibly help The Ominous Man From Amsterdam in his battle against The O.C.
Black has been on a roll lately. The Dutch Destroyer defeated AJ Styles with a little help from The Undertaker at Elimination Chamber and was scheduled to face The Monday Night Messiah in the main event of RAW after rejecting Rollins' proposal to join his club.
Black would defeat Rollins via disqualification when things got out of hand, and in a seemingly weird transition, The Dutch Destroyer wouldn't be a part of the 8-Man Tag Team Match (Rollins, Murphy & AOP vs. Street Profits & The Viking Raiders) that followed immediately.
At the end of the night, Seth Rollins stood dominant after putting down Kevin Owens when The Prizefighter decided to get some payback for what happened earlier.
This multi-man feud was Monday Night RAW's unofficial backdrop to keep the episode rolling between big feud segments throughout the night.
#3: Becky Lynch called Shayna Baszler a "black hole of charisma" following the latter's dominant victory at Elimination Chamber
This week's episode of Monday Night RAW kicked off with Becky Lynch responding to Shayna Baszler dominating the Elimination Chamber match last Sunday.
Baszler versus Lynch at WrestleMania 36 is entirely structured around Baszler's superior in-ring dominance against a Champion who fights with heart.
Becky Lynch has been the top star of the women's division since Ronda Rousey after last year's WrestleMania event, and she has managed to keep her status intact throughout all these months as well.
After the women's Elimination Chamber match brought the event to a screeching halt, Becky Lynch threw some of her trademark insults at Baszler, while also calling her a "black hole of charisma".
This jab highlights a huge difference between the different types of WWE Superstars, especially with Lynch and Baszler being the focal point of this conversation.
The Man's rise to the top was filled with some of the most charismatic moments last year, and Lynch's vibrant character is a direct contrast to Shayna Baszler's pure-MMA background.
#2: AJ Styles exposed The Undertaker's mystique and challenged him to a match at WrestleMania 36
The Undertaker has cost AJ Styles two of his most recent matches, with one of them taking place at Elimination Chamber last Sunday.
AJ Styles set his sights on facing The Deadman at WrestleMania on last night's episode of RAW. But unlike most of The Undertaker's previous WrestleMania matches, Styles exposed the mystique of what makes The Deadman so special.
A notable silence and a small wave of jeers amongst the WWE Universe could be felt during this segment. This wasn't out of boredom at all, as a matter of fact, the silence marked how the fans felt uncomfortable when someone called The Deadman by his real name, or when Styles pulled the curtain by referring to The Phenom as a broken-down old man.
Styles also blamed Michelle McCool for whatever has happened during The Undertaker's post-WrestleMania 30 career in a move that may see Mark Calaway's wife being integrated into this program as well.
On the brighter side of things, this seems like a unique approach to an Undertaker match in 2020.
What happens when the mystique holding The Undertaker's legacy by a thread is broken down by someone like AJ Styles?
#1: Edge returned and went after Randy Orton and MVP in a moment of fury
Edge was out for Randy Orton's blood after The Viper attacked his wife on last week's episode of RAW.
Both of them had an intense confrontation that resulted in Orton getting a taste of his own medicine in the form of an RKO.
This segment was also where Edge crossed the line between a traditional babyface and someone who destroyed everyone in his path for the sake of vengeance.
MVP wanted to recruit Edge as a client, but the poor man ended up on the wrong side of Edge's fury at the end of this segment, as the Rated-R Superstar delivered two chair shots to MVP's head.
Under normal circumstances, one would question Edge's actions that put MVP in danger for the sake of a brutal display in front of Randy Orton.
But then again, there are no traditional heel or babyfaces in this unique feud.
Randy Orton's immoral character is contrasted by Edge's unbridled lust for revenge at this point. Edge and Randy Orton's feud continues to be one of the very best things about wrestling entertainment in 2020.
