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The main event of the season finale of WWE RAW this week saw a Dual-Brand Women's Battle Royal for a shot at Asuka's WWE RAW Women's Championship. There were many rumors doing the rounds about former WWE Superstars returning to WWE RAW for this match, but all of them turned out to be unfounded.
And so, Lacey Evans and Natalya did some really creative stuff in the WWE RAW main event, where they were the two final women. And then, out of the blue, Lana would show up and win the whole thing, in perhaps the biggest win of her entire WWE career.
Why did WWE choose to have Lana, who hasn't really even been presented as a serious WWE RAW Superstar thus far, pick up this big win, defeating so many others in the process? Maybe these 5 points can shed some light on the WWE RAW main event's outcome.
#5 The only real surprise in the WWE RAW main event match
Because of the nature of most Battle Royals and also because it was in the WWE RAW main event spot, many had assumed that there would be guests such as Eva Marie and even Melina in the mix thrown in as potential contenders for the title Asuka now holds. But the mix of women in the match was very standard, to say the least, and at the end of the match, it did seem like Natalya would take on Asuka in a technical masterclass between two of the best.
And then Lana came out of nowhere, for the one and only surprise of the WWE RAW main event. It's genuinely the only taking point from the show, other than the draft picks and the Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss attack on Andrade and Zelina Vega.
#4 Lana gets a chance to break out from Natalya, and branch out as a singles star
Unfortunately, the alliance of Lana and Natalya will cease to be after the events of WWE RAW Talk, where it was announced that while the former would be a part of WWE RAW going forward, Natalya would be heading to SmackDown where she could mix it up with Sasha Banks, Bayley, and others. Now is a great chance for Lana to show us that she is capable of being a singles Superstar in her own right, as she goes up against the WWE RAW Women's Champion.
Lana has constantly been honing her craft in the ring, and while she always had the Natalya safety net until now, going forward, that will not be the case anymore, in her case. Lana certainly has the verbal ability, the potential to accrue heat like none other, the look, and truth be told, has come a very long way in the ring as well, from the time when she started out.
#3 Asuka gets to defeat Lana without the latter suffering any permanent damage
If you think that there's even a remote chance that Lana will become the WWE RAW Women's Champion on the season premiere of WWE RAW, I have to say that you are greatly mistaken. Asuka is absolutely on fire at the moment, and while Lana could definitely have a strong showing, chances are that Lana will be squashed in a matter of minutes by Asuka.
If you put Mandy Rose or even Lacey Evans in such a position, it may affect their position in the WWE RAW card, but thankfully, when it comes to Lana, she has never been presented as a top-tier star yet. A loss to Asuka will not matter in the long run, and to be quite honest, maybe completely forgotten, the following week.
As for Asuka, a victory in almost no time, as is pretty much certain to be the case against Lana next week is going to be a pretty good deal for her, establishing her as a strong Champion.
#2 Asuka vs. Lana genuinely feels like a fresh match
When you are putting on shows with a limited roster, every week, chances are that you'll see the same match a whole bunch of times. Asuka and Zelina Vega have been at each other's throats for some time, and prior to that, we've seen Asuka mix it up with the likes of Mickie James and Nia Jax, in addition to Sasha Banks and Bayley from the SmackDown roster. The point here is that Lana seems like a fresh opponent for Asuka, despite her issues with Natalya and Lana, and Asuka vs. Lana for the title seems like a fresh match.
The likes of Alexa Bliss, Lacey Evans, and even Nikki Cross will eventually come up to challenge Asuka for her title, but you don't want to give those matches away, right away. Those are full-fledged feuds that need ample time to breathe. In the case of Lana vs. Asuka, this will be a one and done match.
Let's hope we get an Asuka vs. Lana promo battle as well.
#1 Genuine reward to Lana for being such a sport on WWE RAW
Sportskeeda had a chance to catch up with Lana prior to WrestleMania, and you can check out the interview right here, at your own leisure. Back then, she was allied with Bobby Lashley on WWE RAW, and little did one know that so many months down the line, Lana would defeat so many other women to win a massive Battle Royal.
And especially if you consider the events of the past few weeks, when it has become a certainty, during these times of uncertainty, that Lana would invariably go through a table on every episode of WWE RAW. Even though many had assumed that this was a punishment for Miro's promo on AEW Dynamite, maybe Vince McMahon is happy with Lana for being a sport.
So, maybe this was a reward for all of the bumps that she's taken and all the humiliation that she has endured.
That said, do not be surprised if Lana goes through yet another table on the season premiere of WWE RAW.
