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The latest episode of RAW featured The Miz defending his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley. Apart from that, former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre returned to WWE RAW and wrestled a tremendous bout against his long-time rival, Sheamus.
Braun Strowman teamed up with Adam Pearce to take on RAW Tag Team Champions The Hurt Business. Shane McMahon was also a vital part of the show, as he played his part in the WWE Championship story and escalated his feud with Strowman.
Charlotte Flair emerged as the challenger for Asuka's RAW Women's Championship, and it seems like the former friends will collide at WrestleMania 37. That said, let's recount all the developments from this week's WWE RAW.
#5 Bobby Lashley wins the WWE Championship on RAW for the first time in his career
Bobby Lashley has won the WWE Championship on RAW after squashing The Miz in the main event of the night. Throughout the show, The A-Lister found multiple ways to delay his match, but when Shane McMahon announced lumberjack rules for the bout, the result became abundantly predictable in favor of Lashley
With most of the RAW roster surrounding the ring, there was no way The Miz could have escaped. In a matter of minutes, Lashley locked in the Hurt Lock on The A-Lister, with the latter tapping out instantly. The Almighty celebrated his win by putting his one leg on top of The Miz's chest, closing the show on a dominant note.
It didn't matter that Lashley is a heel, as everyone wanted him to become the WWE Champion. In a way, he was the de-facto face in the match, as The Miz is the most despicable heel on RAW.
With his win here, Lashley is on course to have a marquee match at WrestleMania 37. With Drew McIntyre ending his rivalry with Sheamus on RAW, it seems like we are heading towards a predictable clash between Lashley and McIntyre at The Grandest Stages of Them All.
Before WrestleMania 37, we still have Fastlane 2021, where Lashley will defend his WWE Championship. It would be intriguing to see who steps up to the new WWE Champion, as there's little to no chance that The Almighty is losing his title before the biggest pay-per-view of the year.
#4 Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus feud culminates with an incredible match on RAW
Drew McIntyre and Sheamus had a pay-per-view-worthy match on this week's WWE RAW. The two worked immensely hard and went at it for nearly 30 minutes. The Celtic Warrior was particularly brilliant in the match and proved why he deserves to be on top of the card even at this stage of his career.
As for Drew McIntyre, the former WWE Champion has momentum on his side after the win here. While the ending of the bout looked a bit clunky on the first viewing, the replays showed McIntyre hitting the Claymore Kick pretty neatly.
Post-match, The Scottish Warrior, looked at Sheamus with respect, indicating towards this rivalry ending for good now. The question, however, is, why didn't this match take place at Fastlane 2021? With Bobby Lashley winning the WWE Championship in the main event, it's practically guaranteed that Lashley and McIntyre would collide at WrestleMania 37.
As such, Sheamus and McIntyre could have wrestled this tremendous bout at Fastlane 2021 instead of on RAW, and the victory would have meant even more precious had it come on a pay-per-view.
#3 Shane McMahon and Braun Strowman tease a match on this week's WWE RAW
Shane McMahon announced Adam Pearce as Braun Strowman's tag team partner on WWE RAW. Many had predicted Shane O'Mac to reveal himself as the partner, but this was a welcome development.
Pearce was initially supposed to wrestle Universal Champion Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble 2021, but WWE did not go ahead with that plan. A former five-time NWA Champion, Pearce is no rookie in the squared circle.
The resulting match for the RAW Tag Team Championship against The Hurt Business thankfully didn't end in a title change. Just when The Monster Among Men delivered a running powerbomb to Shelton Benjamin, McMahon asked him to tag Pearce in and let him secure the win.
The WWE official took forever to come in, and when he did, Benjamin quickly rolled him up to retain the titles. Post-match, Strowman was furious with both Shane O'Mac and Pearce. After tonight's developments, it increasingly feels like we are towards a WrestleMania 37 match between Braun Strowman and Shane McMahon.
While it doesn't sound exciting on paper, the two can have a fun little bout which maximizes the two performer's strengths - Shane O'Mac's daredevilry and Strowman's inhuman power.
#2 Charlotte Flair right on course to get a RAW Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 37 after defeating Shayna Baszler
Before the match begun on WWE RAW, Charlotte Flair said it's just six weeks to WrestleMania 37, and Asuka still doesn't have any challenger for RAW Women's Championship. The Queen made her intentions clear of winning The Empress of Tomorrow's title. However, WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler interrupted Flair and attacked her.
While it looked like Baszler may have it easy, The Queen walked away with the win after a surprisingly short match. The fans know what these two Superstars can achieve in the ring if given time, but the booking left a lot to be desired.
Despite Asuka being the RAW Women's Champion, Flair has been the central focus for quite a few weeks. The Road to WrestleMania 37 has resultingly become utterly predictable, with The Queen probably walking out of the pay-per-view as the new champion.
However, Rhea Ripley can debut soon and shake up the proceedings. The Red brand's women's division desperately needs some energy at the moment, and the former NXT Champion can provide precisely that.
#1 Mustafa Ali picks up a massive victory over United States Champion Riddle on WWE RAW
Mustafa Ali scored a vital pinfall victory over United States Champion Riddle on RAW and can now legitimately claim a shot over The Original Bro's championship. Moments before this match, Riddle and The Lucha House Party had defeated RETRIBUTION in a six-man tag team match. Post that match, Ali was livid and wanted to show the stable how to wrestle. He laid down a challenge to the US Champion, which the latter accepted.
Considering how talented Riddle and Ali are in the ring, it didn't come as a surprise that the match was fantastic. The two traded some impressive exchanges, but RETRIBUTION's number game proved to be the reason why Ali came up on top. While Riddle will now defend his title against Ali sooner than later, it seems like the latter's feud with Kofi Kingston has been put on the backburner for now.
However, if The Original Bro put his title on the line at Fastlane 2021, Kingston can play the spoilsport by costing Ali the title and reigniting that feud. It could also lead to a triple threat feud for the championship involving the former WWE Champion.
