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It's no secret that at this point, WWE RAW isn't the most ideal professional wrestling show for today's audiences. Last year, there were a couple of episodes that delivered in terms of quality on random occasions.
Now, Monday Night RAW seems to have entered a constant phase where the three-hour timeslot is just too much to bear for most viewers, despite a few noteworthy moments.
This week's WWE RAW followed the same pattern, as the episode left us with moments to ponder upon, even if the entire show was not worth everyone's time.
Let us know your thoughts about this particular episode in the comments section below. Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's WWE RAW (April 26, 2021).
#5 Randy Orton reluctantly accepted an alliance with Riddle on WWE RAW
Not too long ago, Randy Orton's stint on WWE RAW involved attacking women and burning a supernatural monster. Orton's longtime rival, Bray Wyatt, seems to have disappeared from television once again.
This has allowed Randy Orton to pursue other goals on the Red brand. While he couldn't secure a spot in the WWE Championship scenario on the Road to WrestleMania Backlash, Orton recently entered a storyline with Riddle.
Riddle surprisingly defeated him during last week's episode. Instead of lashing out against The Original Bro this week, Randy Orton acknowledged his own shortcomings instead.
He then reluctantly agreed that there might be some scope for "R-K-Bro" — a potential tag team with Orton and Riddle on WWE RAW. As a result, the two stars teamed up together against Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin.
Everyone expected Orton to betray Riddle at some point during the match. But the big turn never happened, and both of them emerged victorious over Alexander and Benjamin.
Judging by the general feedback regarding this turn of events, R-K-Bro could be a fun idea moving forward. But at the same time, Orton may very likely earn Riddle's trust now, only to betray him a few weeks or months down the line.
It's unclear what lies ahead for Bray Wyatt, but there is still a chance his bitter rivalry against Randy Orton will be rekindled at some point. How long do you think R-K-Bro will last in WWE?
#4 The "WrestleMania slip" saga continued on WWE RAW
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship scenario has led to a lot of melodrama in recent memory. Most of it has been amplified ever since Mandy Rose accidentally slipped at WrestleMania 37.
This week, Shayna Baszler instructed Nia Jax to focus on wrestling and forget about the distractions. Soon, Jax received some flowers in the same segment.
Much to Reginald's chagrin, Angel Garza turned out to be the man responsible for sending those flowers. Jax threw the flowers at Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke to end the segment.
Jax's actions would later result in an embarrassing sequence during a six-woman tag team match. Jax and Baszler teamed up with Rhea Ripley to face Lana, Naomi, and Asuka this week.
During the match, Rose and Brooke came out and splashed Baszler with a bucket of water. Jax tried to pursue the duo, but she slipped in the puddle.
Despite the setback, Jax eventually managed to pin Lana and gain victory for her team. Now the question remains — who will be the next superstar to slip and slide on WWE RAW?
A bucket of water isn't the only prop that was used for a silly sequence this week, as The Miz's musical display was tarnished by a bunch of flying tomatoes.
#3 Sonya Deville controversially lifted Charlotte Flair's suspension on WWE RAW
Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce's power struggle in WWE was teased just before WrestleMania 37. WWE has significantly accelerated their storyline, as Deville made some controversial decisions behind Pearce's back this week.
Firstly, Charlotte Flair was indefinitely suspended because she attacked a referee in the previous episode. However, Deville escorted Flair to the ring this week, where the latter "made amends" for her behavior. The referee accepted her apology, and she had also paid the fine in terms of the storyline.
As a result, Charlotte Flair was reinstated on WWE RAW. Adam Pearce seemed furious over the decision, but that wasn't the only judgment Deville made on the fly.
Flair had to face anyone from the RAW locker room in a one-on-one match this week. Deville approached her former best friend and biggest rival, Mandy Rose, and booked her to face a top star like Charlotte Flair.
While the reasoning behind this decision was that Rose had treated Nia Jax unfairly, it's more likely that Deville's character did this out of spite.
Charlotte Flair defeated Mandy Rose, as expected. But the bigger story here is how Sonya Deville's power struggle with Adam Pearce will impact other superstars moving forward.
#2 Humberto Carrillo significantly stepped up on WWE RAW
Sheamus' WWE United States Championship reign is off to an intriguing start. Humberto Carrillo stepped up to The Celtic Warrior during last week's WWE RAW. Unfortunately for Carrillo, he received a beatdown from Sheamus.
At the time, many thought Carrillo was used as a stepping stone to showcase Sheamus' brutality, and nothing more.
But he once again answered The Celtic Warrior's open challenge on the latest episode of WWE RAW. This time around, Carrillo was prepared to make a statement. He earned the upper hand against the United States Champion in a short brawl, thereby solidifying his position in the mid-card title picture.
Sheamus and Humberto Carrillo will likely fight each other at WWE WrestleMania Backlash. However, Carrillo's chances of becoming the new United States Champion are pretty low.
Sheamus has undergone a resurgence in 2021, and a feud against Carrillo seems like a way for him to gain some steam and wrestle against more formidable challengers in the long run.
But for Humberto Carrillo, getting even some amount of television time, that too, with a current champion, is a pretty good development.
#1 Braun Strowman will be part of the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania Backlash
One of the main reasons why many viewers change the channel while watching WWE RAW is because of the show's repetitive nature. This week's episode kicked off with a handicap match pitting Braun Strowman against Mace and T-Bar.
The match ended in disqualification in Strowman's favor. This is exactly what happened with Drew McIntyre's handicap match against T-Bar and Mace from last week's show.
The roles were reversed this time around, as McIntyre arrived to rescue Strowman after the match. As a result, Strowman and McIntyre wrestled RETRIBUTION's former members in a tag team contest. Just like last week, T-Bar and Mace emerged victorious once again.
A miscommunication between Strowman and McIntyre led to a main event showdown between the two powerhouse competitors. This is where things finally picked up in a major way.
Strowman bargained a position for himself where he would be inserted into the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania Backlash upon winning against McIntyre.
During the main event, Bobby Lashley and MVP sat in the ringside area to try and influence the result in McIntyre's favor. This was certainly an interesting situation, as Lashley hoped his current biggest rival, McIntyre, would win the match. After all, no champion wants to find themselves in a triple threat situation.
But thanks to Mace and T-Bar's interference, the result shifted in Strowman's favor at the end of the match. At WWE WrestleMania Backlash, Lashley will have to defend his title against McIntyre and Strowman at the same time.
Mace and T-Bar's involvement in the main event was a clever development. Many had suspected that the two former RETRIBUTION members were working alongside The Hurt Business, despite MVP openly denying this possibility. As it turns out, Mace and T-Bar went against The Hurt Business' interests this week, thereby confirming MVP's claims.
Braun Strowman will most likely be pinned to lose at WrestleMania Backlash. Perhaps the decision to turn the WWE Championship match into a triple threat was made to continue Bobby Lashley's reign without compromising Drew McIntyre's momentum.
Do check out the latest edition of 'Legion of RAW' with Dr. Chris Featherstone and former WWE Head Writer Vince Russo in the video embedded above.
