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The WWE RAW post-Elimination Chamber is going to be an interesting one. We instantly begin the build to Fastlane on RAW, and we're taking one step closer to WrestleMania 37.
While Elimination Chamber wasn't considered the most eventful PPV (likely because of its relatively short run-time), it ended with a big twist. Let's start with the aftermath of that on RAW this week:
#5. The Miz is now on top of WWE RAW, but for how long?
The Miz will be heading into RAW as the WWE Champion for the first time in ten years. It's surreal to think that The Miz, in 2021, with little to no momentum, is the World Champion again.
Many argued that The Miz should have been the WWE Champion in 2016 while he was having the hottest runs of his career on SmackDown (Live).
As you know, Drew McIntyre won the WWE RAW Elimination Chamber match, getting through the likes of Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, and AJ Styles to retain the title.
However, Bobby Lashley, who had just lost the United States Championship to Riddle (after not getting pinned), was furious. MVP said that they would make it right, and he was seen backstage talking to The Miz.
As it turns out, it was all a ploy, and Bobby Lashley attacked Drew McIntyre post-main event, allowing The Miz to successfully cash-in the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Just because The Miz won the WWE Championship, it doesn't mean that he will hold it until WrestleMania 37. If anything, he could be set up for an incredibly short title reign.
We can only presume that the terms of Lashley's attack on Drew McIntyre were to set up a WWE title shot for the former US Champion. In what would be the biggest surprise on WWE RAW in a very long time, Bobby Lashley could face and beat The Miz to become the new Champion.
Where it leaves Drew McIntyre, we're not sure. While we were certain that the Scotsman would be the Champion on WWE RAW leading up to WrestleMania 37, that may not be the case anymore.
Does it lead to a Brock Lesnar return? Or is Drew McIntyre inevitably going to become a three-time WWE Champion?
#4. What is Riddle's direction on WWE RAW after his US title win?
[Matt] Riddle punched his ticket to WrestleMania with a US Championship win at Elimination Chamber, and he will have a big role on WWE RAW. Riddle dethroning Bobby Lashley seemed inevitable given their feud on RAW, but once Keith Lee entered the picture, things changed.
However, Keith Lee, despite defeating Riddle on WWE RAW, was eventually replaced by John Morrison, who defeated Mustafa Ali, Ricochet, and Elias in a Fatal-4-Way match at the Elimination Chamber pre-show.
Morrison's role was to take the pin, and Bobby Lashley's focus seems to have moved away from the United States Championship to the WWE Championship. A big twist would be if Riddle turned heel for the first time in his WWE career on RAW.
While WWE RAW certainly needs a babyface like Riddle, it would be a big change in direction if he starts feuding with a babyface for the US Championship. Many would argue against it, but Riddle could still turn heel at some point in his WWE career, whether it's on RAW or SmackDown.
#3. Naomi and Lana get passed for a title shot on WWE RAW
Naomi and Lana were quietly passed off from a Women's Tag Team Championship shot despite becoming the #1 Contenders on WWE RAW. Lana even has a victory over Nia Jax on RAW, but when the Tag Team Champions went to SmackDown, they secured a different team for Elimination Chamber.
Thanks to a fluke pin by Reginald, Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair earned a Women's Tag Team title shot at Elimination Chamber. Unfortunately, it was also Reginald who cost them the Tag Team title match.
Now that Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will return to WWE RAW, it's time for them to refocus on the actual #1 Contenders. While Naomi and Lana aren't the strongest team, they have decent momentum.
Lana beat Nia Jax but lost to Shayna Baszler. We either expect a non-title match between the two (though that makes no sense) or another mix of singles matches between the four women on WWE RAW.
If not, WWE may quietly pass on Naomi and Lana as title challengers. It would be odd, but crazier things have happened. An alternate scenario is the duo getting squashed in a title match on RAW.
#2. Asuka has to go through Charlotte Flair in a WWE RAW Women's Championship match
We're a bit surprised that Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair for the WWE RAW Women's title hasn't already happened. Charlotte Flair was Lana's replacement at TLC, and she teamed up with former rival and RAW Women's Champion Asuka to win the Tag Team Championship from Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
A night later, Charlotte Flair teased going after the RAW Women's Championship, but she eventually got entangled in a feud with Lacey Evans. The latter was supposed to face Asuka for the RAW Women's title at Elimination Chamber, but the match was quietly removed after Evans announced her pregnancy last week on WWE RAW.
Asuka's next default challenger for the RAW Women's title might just be Charlotte Flair. If that is the case, then the result is quite obvious - Charlotte Flair will beat Asuka again.
We hope that isn't the case, but the match could happen even on RAW. While we imagine it would happen at Fastlane, WWE could surprise us with a big title change on RAW this week.
#1. Brock Lesnar finally returns to WWE RAW
Brock Lesnar hasn't been a Superstar for months now, so there's a reason why we've never seen him return to WWE RAW. This has been his longest hiatus from WWE since his return in 2012, and a large part of it also has to do with the lack of crowds in attendance for the last 11 months.
We understand WWE's point of view, but it's hard to imagine a WrestleMania without Brock Lesnar. Given that WWE brought Goldberg back for Royal Rumble, we don't see why they shouldn't have Brock Lesnar return to RAW.
We're less than 50 days away from WrestleMania 37, and it's high time for Brock Lesnar to return to WWE RAW. We could see the possibility of him simply not being utilized or contacted, but given that the biggest show of the year is coming, big names are needed.
Brock Lesnar returning to RAW, potentially to feud with Drew McIntyre, would make a lot of sense. Their rivalry ended at WrestleMania 37, and not much mention of him was made on RAW.
However, a Sheamus-Drew McIntyre feud still seems to be on the cards as well.
