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WWE Fastlane is out of the way and all eyes are now on WrestleMania. Bobby Lashley defeated Sheamus on WWE RAW last week to show his dominance once again. Drew McIntyre, on the other hand, defeated Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin on RAW. Lashley and McIntyre will compete for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, but will Lashley try to take McIntyre out before the event?
WWE did not address RETRIBUTION’s implosion on WWE RAW last week. Will the creatives pick up the story this week? And will Rhea Ripley show what she’s made of on RAW before her big match at WrestleMania?
Raquel Gonzalez showed her supremacy on WWE NXT again. She won the match for her team and then delivered a single-handed chokebomb to Io Shirai to hype-up their TakeOver match.
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell have their eyes on the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships. Will the two heels challenge the champions for the titles on this week’s show?
WWE SmackDown delivered yet another solid show where several WrestleMania matches were confirmed. Apollo Crews pinned Big E in a six-man tag team match ahead of their scheduled Intercontinental Championship match at The Show of Shows.
Cesaro and Seth Rollins’ rivalry became more intense, while WWE worked hard to build the SmackDown Women’s Championship feud. Sami Zayn also accepted a challenge from Kevin Owens on The KO Show.
Let’s take a look at five things that must happen on WWE RAW, NXT, and SmackDown this week.
#5 Drew Gulak must try to take out Drew McIntyre on WWE RAW
Drew McIntyre competed against Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander in a Handicap Match on WWE RAW last week. McIntyre made it clear if he won the match, Alexander and Benajmin would be banned from ringside during the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania.
The Scottish Warrior was at the top of his game once again and overcame the former RAW Tag Team Champions with a couple of Claymore Kicks. MVP and Bobby Lashley were not happy with The Hurt Business’s loss backstage on WWE RAW.
Lashley then offered members of the RAW locker room a WWE Championship match against him if someone could take McIntyre out. Many WWE Superstars backstage could benefit from this opportunity on the upcoming episodes of WWE RAW.
This week, WWE must allow Drew Gulak to try and take out McIntyre before challenging him to a match. Gulak must then do well against The Scottish Warrior before McIntyre picks up a dominant victory.
Gulak is a superstar who is extremely good in the ring but hasn’t really taken off yet. WWE could bring him to the limelight once again and give him a chance to work against a former WWE Champion.
#4 Sheamus must defeat Riddle on WWE RAW
Sheamus competed in a hard-hitting match against Drew McIntyre at WWE Fastlane. He followed it up with another match against Bobby Lashley the next night. However, The Celtic Warrior failed to win either match.
Sheamus came across Riddle backstage on WWE RAW this week, and the two men got into an interesting conversation regarding Riddle’s scooter. Sheamus took out his frustration by slugging the scooter right in Riddle’s gut.
The Original Bro will seek some payback this Monday as he is set to take on Sheamus in a non-title match on WWE RAW. While Riddle is holding the United States Championship, WWE must allow Sheamus to pick up the victory.
The Celtic Warrior has had some good matches against McIntyre and Lashley in recent weeks. He deserves to get a big victory over a current champion to retain his value.
The victory could allow him to get a shot at the United States Championship at WrestleMania 37. Riddle is currently without any challenger for The Show of Shows, and this match could take both men to WrestleMania.
Even though Sheamus failed to win the WWE Championship, a United States Championship reign could be on the horizon for The Celtic Warrior.
#3 Austin Theory must help Dexter Lumis win the Battle Royal on WWE NXT
Last week on WWE NXT, William Regal announced a Battle Royal that will lead to a Gauntlet Eliminator on Night 1 of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. Twelve NXT Superstars will participate in the Battle Royal, and the final six will become a part of the Gauntlet Eliminator. The winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator will get a shot at the WWE NXT North American Championship at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver on Night 2.
Austin Theory and Dexter Lumis are two of the twelve men who will take part in the Battle Royal on Wednesday. Theory has been working with Johnny Gargano as part of The Way, while Lumis has proven to be the biggest pain in their backsides.
Theory has shown interest in The Tortured Artist time and time again. His obsession with the NXT Superstar could cause more problems for Gargano.
During this week's Battle Royal, WWE must allow Theory to stop Lumis from getting eliminated a couple of times in the match. They must then remain the final two participants in the Battle Royal before Theory blunders and allows Lumis to win.
This will create a bigger divide between Gargano and Theory who are already on poor terms. The order of elimination of the final six in the Battle Royal will likely determine the Gauntlet order.
WWE must allow Lumis to get the upper hand at the expense of Theory. This will allow him to likely win the Gauntlet Match at TakeOver followed by the NXT North American Championship.
#2 Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell must get a shot at the WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell seem to have their eyes on the WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart have already defeated the two women twice in February, but it looks like WWE is willing to stretch their rivalry.
Moon and Blackheart have been working great as a tag team on NXT. They won the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships from Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez on the first night after the titles were unveiled.
LeRae and Hartwell have already shown their interest in the titles, and they must compete against a babyface team on NXT this week and win the match. After their victory, the two superstars from The Way must call out Moon and Blackheart and challenge them for the championships at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
NXT is doing a good job at building the value for its Women’s Tag Team Championships as compared to RAW and SmackDown. Having two top teams compete for the titles at TakeOver will be the right way to build the division going forward.
#1 Dominik Mysterio must defeat Robert Roode on WWE SmackDown to earn a big match for WrestleMania
Rey Mysterio has already made it clear that he’s looking to win the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships with his son, Dominik Mysterio. Rey is currently in the twilight of his career, and he will be looking to achieve this feat soon.
This past week on SmackDown, Rey teed off against Dolph Ziggler in a singles match. The Master of the 619 survived a few near-falls to pick up a victory over The Show Off.
This week on SmackDown, Dominik must enter a match against the other half of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Dominik and Robert Roode must compete in a match, and the younger superstar must pick up a surprise victory over the veteran.
The victory will help WWE book a match between the two tag teams for WrestleMania 37. The Street Profits and the team of Otis and Chad Gable are also in pursuit of the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
However, giving The Mysterios a chance to win the titles on The Grandest Stage of Them All will be the perfect way to allow a legend like Rey to make his dream come true before retiring.
