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Following Payback, WWE has been trying to build on some major storylines, especially with Clash of Champions on the horizon. Clash of Champions usually hosts several championship matches, and we could see the company develop some major contenders in the weeks to come.
WWE Monday Night RAW focused on finding a challenger for Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship for the upcoming pay-per-view. We also saw The IIconics split up after their match against Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan, who are now next in line for a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
WWE NXT was held on a 'Super Tuesday' this week, and the biggest match of the night looked to crown a new NXT Champion. However, the match ended in a surprising way, leaving the door open to another bout this week that will likely decide the new champion.
WWE SmackDown was as eventful as ever, as fans saw Bayley turn on her best friend Sasha Banks to make a big point after losing their Women's Tag Team Championship rematch. Roman Reigns also got his first challenger for the WWE Universal Championship; someone who is very close to him.
In this article, we look at the five things that must happen on the three brands of WWE this week.
#5 MVP invites Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir to join The Hurt Business on WWE RAW
MVP seems to have done a good job of bringing together a team that seems to be on the right track to dominate WWE RAW. After enlisting Bobby Lashley, MVP went one step further by taking Shelton Benjamin under his wing. He's also tried to get Cedric Alexander and other WWE Superstars to join him, but to no avail so far.
Lashley finally won the WWE United States Championship at Payback, and the trio has gone on to take over WWE RAW Underground, destroying everyone in their path.
Another duo that has been wreaking havoc on RAW Underground for the past few weeks is the team of Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. The duo was prominent during Shayna Baslzer’s stint in NXT, but had been sidelined since Baszler lost the NXT Women’s Championship and later moved to RAW.
Now that they're both doing well on RAW Underground, we could see MVP approach the two dominant women and ask them to join The Hurt Business, if they want the right opportunities and become more dominant.
WWE seems to be investing a bit in Duke and Shafir, and a partnership with MVP will allow them to get an immediate push. Add some great bookings and it could lead them onto the Women’s Tag Team Championship picture.
#4 Aleister Black removes his eyepatch on WWE RAW
Aleister Black returned to WWE Monday Night RAW a couple of weeks ago and made an appearance on the Kevin Owens Show. While KO wanted to know what was next for the man who lost his eye to Seth Rollins, Black turned heel and kicked the host’s head off to end the segment.
Last week on RAW, Black appeared before Owens’ match against Randy Orton and delivered a Black Mass to the WWE Superstar, ensuring he’d be in no position to win his match.
This week, Black must appear before the WWE Universe and clarify why he decided to attack KO and turn heel. He must then removed his eyepatch to reveal a black eye, showing that he now sees the truth.
This will allow Black enough time to develop his new character and build on his rivalry with Owens in time for a match at WWE Hell in a Cell. Black seems to be the next biggest heel on RAW and since WWE is stretching the rivalry between Orton and Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, he will get enough time to develop into the next challenger for the title.
#3 Austin Theory goes over Thicc Boi on WWE NXT Super Tuesday
Timothy Thatcher looked to redeem himself during a match against Bronson Reed last week on WWE NXT. While Thatcher started strong in WWE, he has been going through a rough phase in recent months. On the other hand, Reed has been on a golden run and has been getting some big opportunities and victories.
While Reed was doing a good job during the match and it seemed like he was heading towards a victory, Austin Theory appeared out of nowhere to attack AusZilla and allowed Thatcher to pick up the victory.
Reed now wants to get his hands on him and with that in mind, the two men will likely have an epic match this week as both Superstars are incredible athletes.
While Reed has the power advantage and seems to be on a hot run, Theory should be allowed to take down the big man with some heelish tactics to get back on track in NXT.
Since Theory has recently returned from the main roster, he cannot afford an immediate loss as that can damage his overall value. Instead, WWE can allow him to cheat to win so that the rivalry continues, and he gets some heat back while competing against a big babyface.
#2 Finn Balor becomes the new WWE NXT Champion
The WWE Universe was treated to a magnificent Fatal 4-Way Iron Man Match for the WWE NXT Championship last week. Four former NXT Champions, in the form of Tommaso Ciampa, Finn Balor, Adam Cole, and Johnny Gargano competed for 60 minutes in hope of winning the title.
While Balor recorded two pins with less than a minute remaining, Cole blasted him with The Last Shot to pick up his second pin just before time ran out. With both men tied, William Regal made the difficult decision of booking another match between the two men this week to crown the new NXT Champion.
Balor was the longest-reigning NXT Champion before Cole broke his record earlier this year. Both men are regarded as the best champions the brand has ever seen and Cole’s reign is arguably the best in NXT’s history.
While Cole is the leader of The Undisputed ERA and it would be good if he has the title around his waist, Balor should be the man to shoot down The Panama City Playboy to become the NXT Champion once again.
WWE is constantly looking for new rivalries and with Balor as the champion, fans will get to see many more new rivalries than we will get with Cole as Champion.
Balor was aiming for the NXT UK Championship before the pandemic saved WALTER from the former WWE Universal Champion. However, we could see him become the NXT Champion instead, allowing many new faces to get some matches against the experienced Superstar.
#1 The Miz and John Morrison target Otis’ Money in the Bank contract on WWE SmackDown
Last week on WWE SmackDown, Heavy Machinery got a tag team match against former WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Miz and John Morrison. With the SmackDown Tag Team Championship scene wide open, it was good to see the brand focus some action on the division.
While Miz and Morrison managed to get some offence in, they were unable to put away the two big men once again and tasted defeat. After the match, Morrison surprised everyone as he stole Otis’ Money in the Bank briefcase and took away with it.
Later on, Otis revealed that he’d saved his contract in his lunchbox, while all Morrison got was Otis’ lunch.
However, this storyline could play out well in the following weeks as we could see Miz and Morrison actively try to steal Otis’ Money in the Bank contract, so that they can cash it in before the big man.
With Roman Reigns as the new WWE Universal Champion, it seems unlikely that the company will allow him to lose the title to anyone soon. Otis is on the rise, and whenever he cashes in his contract, he will likely be unsuccessful.
In that case, allowing Miz or Morrison to take the contract and cash it in on Reigns will help WWE use up the opportunity, and give Reigns a chance to defeat either man while protecting Otis, giving him another big storyline for later.
