5 Opportunities WWE missed on this week's RAW - Better direction for top babyface, Champion regains credibility (May 11th, 2020)

Just why is Andrade continuously engaging with Drew McIntyre?
Just why is Andrade continuously engaging with Drew McIntyre?

The RAW after Money in the Bank was a whirlwind of emotions, to say the least. While there were several great segments during the show, it must be said that some booking decisions were downright unprecedented- and I don't mean this in a positive sense at all.

Becky Lynch's pregnancy announcement stole the show as it should have and while it was rather difficult for other Superstars to match the opening segment of RAW, we did see a few good matches on the night.

Having said, WWE surely could've made this iteration of the Red brand all the more memorable and for additional reasons besides The Man's statement. The Creative certainly had a lot to work with following the events of last night's Money in the Bank. Without further ado, let us look at the opportunities that WWE missed during RAW this week.

Disclaimer: The Opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.


#5 Giving Aleister Black a better feud on RAW

Aleister Black has been one of the most pushed Superstars in recent times on RAW and the fact that he was just casually thrown off the roof at Money in the Bank left fans scratching their heads. Now it was revealed just moments into this week's show that Black actually landed on a secondary roof and sustained minor injuries.

While that allowed WWE to sidestep the whole Money in the Bank fiasco, pairing him with Rey Mysterio where the latter eventually had his eyes gouged.

The Dutch Destroyer could've simply moved on with life and found himself a better feud instead of being involved in an angle that might write off Mysterio from WWE programming but did Black no favors.

For what it's worth, many expected him to be feuding with AJ Styles because of the frequent run-ins that the two Superstars have had over the last two months or so. Styles himself isn't too busy either, which is visible from the fact that he was simply watching a documentary backstage on RAW this week.

#4 Giving Zelina Vega's faction some stability on RAW

Not long ago on RAW, Zelina Vega united the likes of Andrade, Angel Garza, and Austin Theory on RAW to form the strongest faction on the brand. Ever since though, we haven't since all the three stand tall together during an episode of the Red brand.

Andrade consistently getting in the way of Drew McIntyre doesn't help his case at all, because the latter keeps coming out on top, following a few Claymore Kicks of course. Instead, the United States Champion could be given a feud of his own that would help elevate the mid-card of the company.

The likes of Angel Garza and Austin Theory were also seemingly fighting amongst themselves on RAW this week, hinting at a possible mutiny within the group. If that indeed is on the cards, I must add that WWE will be pulling the plug far too soon on this trio for my liking. All three of Andrade, Garza, and Theory deserve better feuds.

#3 Making Liv Morgan feature regularly on RAW

WWE lost out on the face of RAW and the entire women's division with Becky Lynch set to be out of action for the foreseeable future. Yes, Asuka is very much capable of taking over the reins but the company ought to find a replacement for the outgoing star.

One Superstar who could very much become a household figure in the weeks to come is Liv Morgan. If the reactions on social media are anything to go by, fans have loved her recent run and want to see more of her.

Morgan very much seems to have all the tools in her bag as well. She cut a fantastic promo on Charlotte Flair last week and her skillset inside the ring has seen massive improvements too. So having her feature on RAW this week would've certainly been enjoyed by the WWE Universe.

Instead, we saw a quick match between Shayna Baszler and Natalya which, in my opinion, could've been deferred to next week.

#2 Improving the RAW Tag Team Championship picture

It goes without saying that both The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders are fantastic performers inside the squared circle. However, while the former can thrive with comedic skits, I don't think Erik & Ivar are meant to be engaging in humor spots.

The duo proclaims to love a fight and then they go on to play a basketball match on RAW? This surely has to be one of the worst things in all of the company's programming this year.

The Viking Raiders already have a gimmick which is not very relatable in the modern world, especially after the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, so making them do anything besides delivering scathing promos or bashing some skulls would only take credibility from them. And since they are the first in line for the RAW Tag Team Championships as of now, what does that speak about the credibility of the titles themselves?

The tag team division, in general, is not in such bad shape on RAW with Ricochet & Cedric Alexander and Shane Thorne & Brendan Vink delivering some great matches. But at the same time, the teams involved in the title picture need to live up to the billing as well.

#1 A more meaningful RAW return for both Edge and Randy Orton

Both Edge and Randy Orton have feuded for the better part of 2020 so far on RAW. The rivalry culminated in a hellacious Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania where the Rated-R Superstar came out on top. Most fans, including myself, believed that it was the end of that chapter.

Yet, when the two Superstars did make their return on RAW this week, The Viper challenged Edge to a traditional match at Backlash with the latter yet to respond. I know that bonafide stars such as these two are always good draws when it comes to rating. But is there anything left to his rivalry. It was already too personal before the match at WrestleMania, what now?

Instead, both Edge and Orton could've gone their separate ways and landed separate feuds. Orton, in fact, could've gone after McIntyre who is in need of a new challenger. Edge could've exchanged barbs with AJ Styles or even Andrade for that matter. The possibilities were plenty, and yet WWE chose to elongate the Orton-Edge rivalry.

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