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The fallout from WrestleMania Backlash led to some pretty interesting developments on WWE RAW. This week's show, for better or worse, featured a few unexpected moments.
No zombies were booked for RAW, but the plot developments that took place introduced a couple of roadblocks on the road to Hell in a Cell. Most people have similar ideas regarding early predictions for the said pay-per-view. So it remains to be seen if there will be a few twists and turns along the way to keep things interesting until Hell in a Cell.
Let us know your thoughts about this particular episode in the comments section below. Here are the five biggest news stories from WWE RAW (May 17, 2021).
#5 The dark side of Riddle emerged on WWE RAW
For months, WWE fans have grown accustomed to Riddle's light-hearted shenanigans on RAW. His babyface persona also acts as an excellent contrast to Randy Orton's sadistic tendencies. However, R-K-Bro's saga took a dark turn this week.
Riddle tried to bring Orton and The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) on the same page during a backstage segment on RAW. Since The Viper delivered separate RKOs to Woods and Kingston last week, the two sides couldn't agree on a peaceful resolution. Instead, matters escalated to the point where Kingston challenged Orton to a singles match.
During the bout itself, a distraction from Woods allowed Kingston to win the match by successfully pinning down his longtime rival.
Although Orton was expectably frustrated over the result, Riddle surprised viewers by snapping out of his calm demeanor. Due to Riddle's disapproval of Woods' unfair tactics, he shoved the latter down and subsequently walked away from the scene.
These events may foreshadow The Original Bro's potential heel turn in the long run. Chances are that R-K-Bro will be split at some point in the future, but could Riddle undergo a character change as a result of this storyline?
#4 Alexa Bliss' witchcraft influenced the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match
Alexa Bliss made her presence felt in the WWE Women's Tag Team Division this week. Alexa's Playground featured Tamina and Natalya as special guests, which seemed like a strange booking decision. While Natalya tried not to offend Bliss' character, Tamina's domineering persona just couldn't gel properly with the host's eerily playful nature.
Natalya and Tamina recently became the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, and they were scheduled to defend their belts in a rematch with Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
Alexa Bliss appeared during this match, along with her doll, Lilly. Thanks to their presence, a hot pyro shot came from the turnbuckle when Reginald tried to shift the bout in Jax and Baszler's favor. As Reginald backed off in pain, the surreal distraction allowed the champions to retain their titles.
For the second week in a row, Bliss has sabotaged Baszler's chances of winning a match. This time around, she targeted Reginald, which means her actions indirectly affected Jax as well.
All the evidence and circumstances so far indicate that Alexa Bliss's targets are most likely Nia Jax (w/ Reginald) and Shayna Baszler. She could even use them as stepping stones to enter the women's tag team championship scenario alongside Lilly. Yes, a voodoo doll could potentially make history unless WWE takes a grounded approach by letting an actual Superstar portray Lilly.
WWE's track record with supernatural storylines has been very inconsistent in recent memory. Whatever the company has in store for Bliss, let's hope it doesn't enter the zombie-angle territory from WrestleMania Backlash.
#3 Charlotte Flair hit an unexpected roadblock during WWE RAW
At WrestleMania Backlash, Rhea Ripley retained her WWE RAW Women's Championship in a triple threat match against Asuka and Charlotte Flair. After the bout, Ripley and Flair's interaction indicated that Asuka had been effectively removed from the top title picture.
But during this week's WWE RAW, Charlotte Flair had to earn her way back to the top in a singles contest against Asuka. The Queen was expected to win here and solidify her position on the road to Hell in a Cell. However, Ripley's distracting presence affected Flair's in-ring game, indirectly allowing Asuka to pick up the victory.
As a result, Flair's RAW Women's Championship pursuits are now in jeopardy. But over the next few weeks, she will likely come up with a different plan to receive another title shot against Ripley.
Meanwhile, Asuka's latest victory on WWE RAW suggests that her triple threat saga with Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley is far from over. It will be interesting to see how these conflicts eventually shape up the RAW Women's Championship match at next month's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
#2 Damian Priest fought in a normal Lumberjack match on WWE RAW
In one of the strangest plot developments that WWE has booked recently, The Miz was "devoured" by zombies at WrestleMania Backlash. His ally, John Morrison, was also overwhelmed by these supernatural creatures.
But unlike The Miz, Morrison appeared on WWE RAW to exact revenge for his fallen comrade by fighting Damian Priest in a normal Lumberjack match.
Interestingly, Nikki Cross was the only female lumberjack present in the match. WWE made sure to highlight her exuberating ringside presence throughout the bout. Other lumberjacks featured during Morrison and Priest's clash were as follows:
- Erik
- Ivar
- T-Bar
- Mace
- Cedric Alexander
- Mustafa Ali
- Mansoor
- Titus O’Neil
- Cedric Alexander
- Akira Tozawa
- Shelton Benjamin
- Lince Dorado
- Gran Metalik
The Lumberjack match ended with Damian Priest defeating John Morrison inside the squared circle. It seemed as though his feud with The Miz and Morrison had also come to an end.
So after the match, Priest was asked about his future pursuits in WWE. The former NXT star hinted that he could enter the WWE Championship picture. While Priest didn't appear during Bobby Lashley's open challenge in the main event, he should move up the pecking order in some way on RAW.
#1 Kofi Kingston surprised viewers in WWE RAW's main event
Kofi Kingston had a great night on the latest edition of WWE RAW. The New Day member picked up a victory over Randy Orton, and he unexpectedly popped up during the main event of the show.
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley teased an open challenge to anyone except Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre. Many assumed that his World Title would be on the line. When Kingston finally answered the challenge, MVP revealed that the WWE Championship wouldn't be on the line at all.
Despite the non-title stipulation, pinning any champion is considered a significant accomplishment. Kingston approached the clash with this mindset and eventually scored a major pinfall victory over Lashley.
The All Mighty hadn't been pinned in four months before this week's RAW, so Kingston's main event victory shouldn't be forgotten anytime soon.
McIntyre's interference helped Kingston defeat Lashley, which conveyed that the main WWE title feud still exists between the two heavyweights.
Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre will likely face each other at Hell in a Cell. However, Kofi Kingston's inclusion in this scenario could prove to be an interesting roadblock over the next few weeks.
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.
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