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The world is being hit by some bad news day after day in recent months, but the WWE is trying to keep its fans entertained through it all and working tirelessly to churn out the best content possible behind closed doors.
Since WrestleMania 36, the RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch had been missing from action, causing several fans to call her out on social media and even go as far as to call her a part-time Champion.
However, Lynch appeared on RAW this week with the Money in the Bank briefcase in her hand and made a huge announcement to bring some good news to the fans. Not only did she tell Asuka that she was now the new RAW Women’s Champion, but she also revealed that she’d be taking some time off as she pregnant.
This segment was more than just about storylines, as the top Superstar in the industry, today made a huge announcement and had to step back for all the right reasons at the height of her career.
With The Man taking some time off from RAW and going away for personal duties, the Superstars of RAW will now have a chance to replace her as the most valuable star in the industry.
While Lynch is irreplaceable, we will look at the 5 RAW Superstars who have the capabilities required to become the next face of the Red brand.
#5 Aleister Black
Aleister Black is still relatively new to the RAW brand, but we’ve seen the Dutch Superstar achieve a lot more in his initial days than many other Superstars usually manage to.
Even though Black has not won a single Championship on RAW, the former NXT Champion will likely be taken straight to the top by the company without having to worry about getting in a secondary Championship feud.
Can The Striking Man from Amsterdam become the face of RAW?
Black is an outstanding athlete and has managed to get the fans behind him in a way no other Superstar has been able to do. While his mic-skills may not be too polished, the company could call upon his real-life wife Zelina Vega to take him under her wing and take him all the way to the top of the RAW brand.
Black and Vega together can stir up a storm on RAW and their unison could help both Superstars become the face of the Red brand even without a Championship under their name.
The Dutch Destroyer’s superior fighting skills and his gimmick is likely to keep him afloat at the top of the roster. The company must not waste this opportunity to make him one of RAW’s biggest players and allow him to build into so much more without getting into a WWE Championship feud at this time.
#4 Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler was the leader of the women’s division on NXT not too long ago, and she had a huge RAW debut where she appeared to bite the neck of Becky Lynch to make a statement.
Baszler may not be the best woman on the mic, but she lets her actions do the talking for her, as we have seen her bulldoze through her competition and make a huge statement whenever she’s been given the chance to do so.
After a one-sided victory at Elimination Chamber, Baszler was the only Superstar to completely take Lynch to the edge in their RAW Women’s title match at WrestleMania 36 before she lost after a great effort.
Shayna Baszler is currently dominating on RAW
Even though Baszler lost the Money in the Bank ladder match, she’s still among the top women on RAW, with Charlotte Flair pulling off double duties on RAW and NXT.
Baszler can end up having a great rivalry with Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship before taking the title away from the Japanese Superstar and then becoming dominant enough to become the face of the Red brand.
Lynch broke the barriers by becoming the most prominent female Superstar to become the face of the Red brand, and The Queen of Spades has all the capabilities The Man had to do the same.
#3 Kevin Owens
Kevins Owens has been one of WWE’s most unique, capable, and responsible Superstars for quite some time now. The former NXT Champion took down John Cena early in his career to prove that he has what it takes to become a big star, and has played great babyface and villainous characters ever since.
Kevin Owens has all that it takes to lead the RAW brand
While Owens has been one of WWE’s top stars for some time, he has never really had the opportunity to lead a brand like other Superstars. Even his Universal Championship win did not allow him to become the face of the brand for long, and fans will be looking towards the babyface character to rise in the ranks once again.
KO took out RAW’s biggest heel Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 36 and has been away from television ever since to nurse an injury. However, we could watch The Prizefighter return once again, and try to take his spot as the face of the Red brand even without holding a title.
KO is one of the best men in the ring, and arguably the best WWE has on the mic at the moment. Apart from that, his social media presence is excellent, and he is not afraid to take risks to entertain the fans.
All these factors combined can help Owens become the face of the brand and lead it in the right direction with Becky Lynch taking some time off from wrestling.
#2 Drew McIntyre
It took a while for Drew McIntyre to find his footing once he arrived on RAW but it was the backing of the fans that helped him remain on top and in the eyes of the WWE Universe.
McIntyre’s elimination of WWE’s biggest force Brock Lesnar from the 2020 Royal Rumble was no fluke, and he silenced his critics with a jaw-dropping victory over The Beast at WrestleMania 36 to win the WWE Championship.
The Chosen One may be a natural selection to lead RAW
As WWE Champion, there is no doubt that McIntyre is up there with the best Superstars in the company and one of the faces of the company. But competing on the same brand as AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens can lead to a lot of competition.
With that said, McIntyre has improved his mic skills over the past few months, and become much more natural since turning face. He shook hands with Rollins after defeating him at Money in the Bank, and while it felt like he did so out of respect, it could also have been to congratulate the father-to-be in his own way.
McIntyre is a force to reckon with in WWE and a reign as Champion for a few months can help him catapult himself ahead of the veterans of the brand and become the face of the Red brand in the months to come. However, to achieve that tag, McIntyre still needs to put in a lot more work.
#1 Asuka
Asuka was the face of NXT for almost two years before she moved to the main roster and instantly became a crowd favorite by winning the 2018 Royal Rumble. The longest-reigning NXT Women’s Champion of all time did all she could to remain at the top of the RAW and SmackDown brands, but certain restrictions caused some hindrances in her rise.
The former SmackDown Women’s Champion proved her worth once again to the creatives as she became the most entertaining character on television by outperforming everyone else during the shows held behind closed doors.
Asuka has proven to be the best of the best on RAW
While language barriers exist, Asuka has even taken to the announce table more than once and given fans some laughs with her comic timing and Japanese commentary.
With that said, WWE might want to pair Asuka with an able manager or mouthpiece like Paige or Zelina Vega to allow her to break the shackles and truly become the top Superstar on RAW.
Asuka has proven to have great social media skills and gels with the crowd well, something that works well for Superstars who become the face of a brand. Just like Becky Lynch, we could see Asuka rise up thanks to prevailing circumstanc and become the face of the Red brand.
As the new RAW Women’s Champion, we could see Asuka’s job become much easier from hereon.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
