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WWE announced early on Monday that Drew McIntyre had been affected by the COVID-19 virus just before his big non-title match against Randy Orton. After WWE pulled the Champion out of RAW, the creative team had to book some last-minute matches.
Triple H took McIntyre’s place in the main event, while a few Superstars competed in multiple matches during the night. However, WWE left out a few top Superstars from RAW and missed a couple of opportunities.
The Dusty Rhodes Classic kicked off on WWE NXT where a number of major teams were booked to go head-to-head. While some of the more established teams are taking part in the tournament, NXT has forged some questionable alliances to increase the number of participants.
However, the most interesting part of NXT was the alliance teased between The Undisputed ERA and NXT Champion Finn Balor.
WWE SmackDown once again knocked it out of the park with some good matches and great segments. A divide was teased between Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, while Kevin Owens returned to take his place in his rivalry against Roman Reigns.
Will an upcoming Superstar help Big E get a much-deserved push on the Blue brand? Let's take a look at some of the biggest questions from this week's WWE RAW, NXT, and SmackDown.
#5 What is the deal with the WWE RAW Women’s Championship?
Remember the last time Asuka defended her WWE RAW Women’s Championship? In case you forgot, Asuka last defended the title on the November 23, 2020, episode of RAW against Lana. The match was short-lived as Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax caused a disqualification.
Before that, Asuka had a full title match against Zelina Vega on the September 28th episode of RAW. While Asuka is now also the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, it seems like RAW is more focused on her partner, Charlotte Flair.
This leads to the question of what is the deal with Asuka and her RAW Women’s Championship? She hasn’t had a proper challenger since Sasha Banks and Bayley fell out of the RAW Women's title picture, and WWE has failed to develop any new challengers for her in months.
In fact, having Asuka in the Women’s Tag Team Championship scenario once again has also not helped The Empress of Tomorrow. This is because the story has been all about a returning Charlotte Flair and her rivalry against Lacey Evans and Ric Flair.
WWE needs to address Asuka’s situation sooner than later and build a challenger for her title. With the Royal Rumble fast approaching, it’s rather surprising that the top woman of RAW has no challengers for her title. Instead, she is holding the Women’s Tag Team title as well, which could have helped some other female Superstars to get over with the fanbase.
Perhaps this question will be answered during Alexa Bliss and Asuka's upcoming non-title bout on the next edition of RAW.
#4 Is WWE RAW building the next big tag team?
The love-hate story between Keith Lee and Sheamus has been one of the more interesting storylines on WWE RAW. The two powerhouses displayed their hatred for each other when they teamed up with Drew McIntyre, and then were forced to team up on this week’s show.
After Lee and Sheamus defeated The Miz and John Morrison, they started brawling with each other. The two men got into a singles match on RAW. After Lee defeated Sheamus, the two men embraced again.
Fans have watched Sheamus in a similar storyline that led to his partnership with Cesaro years ago, and WWE could be heading down a similar path on RAW.
Is WWE RAW looking to build the next big tag team on the brand? It seems to be the case, and when Lee and Sheamus start working together, The Hurt Business could lose the RAW Tag Team Championships soon.
It will be tough for WWE to keep The Limitless One afloat without having him win the WWE Championship. Therefore, it could be wise to have him compete or team-up with Sheamus.
Will WWE decide to keep the two men busy by having them form a makeshift tag team to protect the top Champion of the brand?
#3 Why weren’t KUSHIDA and Dexter Lumis paired together for the WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Classic?
Dexter Lumis got a non-title match against WWE NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano last week. Lumis had the upper hand in the match before Austin Theory’s interference saved the NXT North American Champion.
After Gargano rolled-up Lumis to pick up the victory, the heels tried to take down The Tortured Artist for good. However, KUSHIDA arrived to make the save and also to make his intentions for the North American title clear.
KUSHIDA has been partnered with Leon Ruff for the WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Classic, while Gargano and Theory (The Way) will participate as a team. Ruff and KUSHIDA have some history, but why did WWE not give Lumis the spot instead?
Lumis is a big star on NXT who is still looking for some gold on the brand. Ruff, on the other hand, has already had his golden run in 2020. Lumis and KUSHIDA could have told a better story against The Way, and it’s surprising that Lumis has been kept out of the tournament.
KUSHIDA will likely get into the NXT North American Championship picture after the tournament, and Lumis could have been given a chance to continue a rivalry against Theory to stay relevant on the brand.
#2 How long will the truce between Finn Balor and The Undisputed ERA last on WWE NXT?
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor has come across as a lone wolf since his move to the brand. Balor has competed against almost all the top Superstars of NXT and has shown that he’s not ready to forge any alliances on the brand.
However, last week on NXT, Balor was attacked by Pete Dunne, Danny Burch, and Oney Lorcan. While it seemed like The Prince had nowhere to go, The Undisputed ERA arrived to help Balor fight back.
Later in the night, Balor returned the favor by saving Kyle O’Reilly from getting torn apart by Dunne and his men. While Balor and O’Reilly had proven to be bitter competitors, they seem to have found common ground in WWE.
While the alliance between Balor and The Undisputed ERA sounds wonderful for NXT, how long can WWE continue this truce? Karrion Kross is looking to hunt down The Prince sooner than later, while Pat McAfee might return to partner with Dunne, Lorcan, and Burch.
Keeping that in mind, this alliance may not last too long and it should not have been teased in the first place. An alliance between Balor and The Undisputed ERA seems too good to be true and it could complicate a few booking decisions in WWE.
#1 Will Apollo Crews act as the bridge between Roman Reigns and Big E on WWE SmackDown?
WWE SmackDown this week had a few explosive segments. While Adam Pearce’s bait and switch stole the night with the return of Kevin Owens, Apollo Crews also got a bit of spotlight during the show.
Earlier in the night, fans surprisingly watched Apollo Crews in Roman Reigns’ locker room where he was absorbing some knowledge from the Universal Champion. Later in the night, Crews cemented his heel turn while defeating Sami Zayn.
After the match, Crews got into an argument with his former friend, Big E. Fans have been dreaming of a Universal Championship match between Big E and The Tribal Chief for some time, and a long storyline could lead to just that in the months to come.
Will Crews prove to be the bridge between Reigns and Big E in WWE? The creative team could be looking to push Crews on SmackDown while including Big E in the top title picture.
Fans could end up watching Crews join Reigns and then winning the Intercontinental Championship with The Tribal Chief's help. This angle could lead to a rivalry between Big E and Reigns on the road to WrestleMania.
