5 shocking moments from Raw this week (25 February 2019)

This week's episode of Monday Night Raw was nothing like you would have expected when anticipating this show, as WWE took some of the biggest rumors surrounding their Wrestlemania plans and twisted them in a way no one could have actually predicted.

From huge returns no one would have guessed, to heel turns we would have never seen coming even if it was right under our noses, WWE surprised fans this week on Raw by putting on an episode of Raw that didn't really leave fans regretting the three hours they spent watching this broadcast.

So the question is, was Raw a great show this week? Well, it was sort of in between, to be honest, as some moments truly made this show better than it was ever going to be, while other moments left fans thinking if we could get more of the great booking WWE showed glimpses of on this episode. But if there was one thing that wasn't short on this episode of Raw, it was the surprises, as they kept on coming.

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#1 Lio Gets A Chance At The Big Time

An unexpected opportunity for the hype man.

When WWE brought Lio Rush on Raw from 205 Live, they did it with the intention of making Rush the official mouthpiece of Bobby Lashley; let's just say Lashley was not Samoa Joe on the mic. And for the most part, it worked to perfection, as Bobby improved so much as the silent powerhouse that kicked ass while his hypeman got the message across on the mic.

But since their miscommunication cost Bobby Lashley the IC Title at the Elimination Chamber 2019, Lashley parted ways with Rush, as he couldn't bear to be associated with the man that cost him his first major title in years.

Ever since then Rush has been trying hard to get the big man his IC Title back but to no avail. So this week on Raw, Rush decided to interrupt Finn Balor's interview with Alexa Bliss to ask Balor for another title shot for his boss Bobby Lashley.

Balor did the unexpected and didn't give the title shot to Bobby Lashley but to Rush instead. A back and forth match lead to Balor picking up the win as many predicted he would, but the case here was not Balor overcoming Rush, it was Rush getting his first singles opportunity for a major title in WWE.

While many may overlook it, it shows that WWE sees something in Rush, as he put on an excellent display against Balor, and almost became the new IC Champion. WWE having this much faith in Rush is surprising, as it may be a sign of a bright future for him on Raw.

#2 Becky Lynch Returns

Becky decided to return to Raw this week to take out Ronda Rousey.

The career of Becky Lynch has been a really wild one, as just imagine a few years ago, Becky was Sasha Banks sidekick on NXT, and now she might be one of the first women wrestlers to main event Wrestlemania. Time flies and characters evolve, and Becky is a prime example of that, as WWE has done her a lot of favors by portraying her as an unhinged badass that could pounce at any moment, and this week, WWE did just that.

Ronda Rousey teamed with Natalya to take on The Riott Squad this week on Raw, many didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to occur in this match, as the only thing that could potentially be a surprise is The Riott Squad actually winning for once, but WWE had other plans in mind. Just as Rousey was going to put this match away, out came Becky Lynch to ruin her night once again, Becky beat the living daylights out of Natalya with her now infamous crutch and went straight after Rousey.

After a small but somewhat entertaining brawl between these two rivals, the 'cops' arrived and arrested Becky for the second time, and escorted her out of the building. This was a moment not many expected at this point, as WWE has done it before at Elimination Chamber, so was it a hit or miss? Well, that's up to you to decide, but if we're honest here, WWE doing the same thing twice is never a good thing, as you could expect a third time at this point.

#3 Rousey Drops The Raw Women's Title

A moment no one could have predicted.

The post-match reaction to Becky Lynch's actions on Raw this week, saw Ronda Rousey help her battered friend Natalya up the ramp and then storm down the ramp in anger to call out Vince McMahon to address the situation. But it wasn't the chairman that came down to the ring to converse with Rousey, it was his daughter, as this segment between Stephanie and Rousey was truly shocking.

Rousey demanded that Stephanie put Becky Lynch back into the Raw Women's Title match at Wrestlemania, as the UFC Hall of Famer is tired of having to deal with Becky's assaults every single week, McMahon obviously refused. Which led to Rousey threatening the billion dollar princess, but it was to no avail as McMahon said no one is bigger than the WWE.

This led to Rousey making a surprising decision of dropping the mic and her Raw Women's Title on the mat and leaving. This was something no one thought would happen, as there is so many twists and turns in this programme, it's hard to see where WWE is going with this.

Does it mean Rousey just relinquished her title, does it mean we are not getting the rumored triple threat match at Wrestlemania, or is it just an opportunity for WWE to redesign the Women's Title? Who really knows, as this is a programme WWE is doing great at keeping the details discreet, as the more surprises the better.

#4 The Sheild Teases A Reunion

With Reigns back could we see The Shield return?

The main reason why fans were so hyped up to watch Raw this week, was due to Roman Reigns making his big return to the company to address his health, and to everyone's delight Reigns announced that his health is back on track, and he will return to ring action very soon.

This is excellent news, as no fan was feeling alright when they heard that Reigns would have to retire from wrestling due to his health, and now that he is to make his comeback to the ring, so many possibilities open up for the big dog.

And it seems like WWE has the first plan in execution, as Reigns and his former Shield brethren Seth Rollins reunited on Raw this week to aid a former friend. Dean Ambrose took on Drew McIntyre in a no DQ match on Raw, but things went south quick for Ambrose when he was assaulted by Elias, Bobby Lashley, Lio Rush, and McIntyre all at once.

At that point, it was clear something was going to go down, as Reigns and Rollins entered the fray and destroyed the heels. This is a clear indication WWE is going to reunite the Shield before Dean perhaps leaves the company, but not many expected it to be this soon, and that was the shocking part.

#5 The Animal Unleashed

A heel turns out of nowhere.

Batista is back, and that feels so good to say. The former World Champion has been in the news for months now, as many have speculated whether WWE would actually set up a dream match between himself and Triple H at WrestleMania, and this week on Raw we got our answer. It was the 70th birthday of wrestling living legend Ric Flair, and it is hard to believe that for as long as he has been around, Flair is still quite young.

Flair has done a lot for the wrestling business during his legendary career, and WWE had decided to throw him a party honoring him, but little did we know that WWE had other plans for this birthday bash. As all the superstar's and legends came out to the ring to honor Flair, as the camera cut to the backstage area where we saw backstage personal being assaulted.

And the man that was kicking ass was Batista, it was truly shocking to see the former World Champion back on Raw, as this time the rumors didn't spoil it. Batista then went into Flair's locker room and dragged him out, looked down the camera and asked Triple H if he had his attention now.

Holy kayfabe was this the best thing WWE did with Batista in years, we all knew that WWE bringing Batista back as a babyface was a mistake, as wrestlers turned Hollywood actors are never babyfaces in the eyes of the diehard fans unless your name is The Rock.

This was the best way WWE could have brought the animal back, and while some may complain its hard buying into the fact that Batista would destroy a man he truly loves and respects, it just shows how far he is willing to go to get this match with Triple H.

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