'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The season premiere of RAW was set to be a memorable show, as WWE had announced several matches and segments before the day of the event.
With SmackDown moving to the FOX Network and preparing for some radical changes, RAW too had to deliver a great show to ensure that the action stayed tight all around.
One of the biggest matches set for the night was between Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio for the Universal Championship, while the challenger to the RAW Women’s Championship Sasha Banks was set to face Alexa Bliss.
Apart from that, a huge RAW Tag Team Championships match was also scheduled to take place, and the “Miz TV” was set to host two legendary Superstars. 'The Beast' Brock Lesnar was advertised to make an appearance on RAW prior to his WWE Championship match on SmackDown.
With so much scheduled for the event, there was little that could have gone wrong during the night. In this article, we will look at the 5 things WWE got just right on the season premiere of RAW.
#1 Kept the United States Championship on AJ Styles
From defeating Drew McIntyre clean to pinning AJ Styles in the center of the ring, there are many things Cedric Alexander has done on the main roster that’s sure to make many seasoned wrestlers jealous.
While his move from 205 Live to RAW did not see him get too many opportunities, he soon became one of the hottest underdogs on the red brand in the past three months.
This week on RAW, Cedric got another opportunity to pin AJ Styles and take home his first main roster title from The Phenomenal One. This was arguably one of the biggest opportunities he has received in his career.
However, Styles was able to cut short Cedric’s offense and planted him with a Styles Clash to take the win and retain his United States Championship.
While many will argue that it was the right time to hand Cedric a mid-card title, WWE did the right thing by keeping the title on Styles for now.
The O.C. needs at least one title among the three men to stay relevant and also seem threatening. As Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson won and lost the RAW Tag Team Championships fairly quickly and haven’t been too successful since then, Styles should continue his reign as a champion.
#2 Built The Viking Raiders quickly
From battling in repeated squash matches to coming toe-to-toe with the former RAW Tag Team Champions, The Viking Raiders have done significantly well in establishing themselves as a threatening tag team.
While fans usually grow tired of watching repeated squash matches involving Superstars, The Viking Raiders' character was helping them stay relevant while going through the routine for the past few months.
After coming face to face with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, the two men managed to find their first top rivalry and defeated them in their first outing.
This week on RAW, the two teams met once again with Gallows and Anderson looking to avenge their loss from last week. However, they weren’t able to do too well this time around either, and Ivar connected with a diving splash to pick the victory for The Viking Raiders.
This has allowed the two men to gain significant momentum after repeated squash matches and built them well in the eyes of the WWE Universe.
With Heavy Machinery losing to the RAW Tag Team Champions this week, we could well see The Viking Raiders challenge the champions at Crown Jewel after laying out some more top tag teams.
#3 Announced Team Hogan vs. Team Flair for Crown Jewel
At a time when everyone was focused on the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, WWE decided to once again build on their next Saudi Arabia show ahead of everything else.
On the season premiere of RAW, The Miz hosted the “Miz TV” with special guests Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. After a few exchanges of words, The A-Lister revealed the two would be helming teams for Crown Jewel. With the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia heavily invested in the Superstars of the previous generation, it was a smart move from WWE to utilize these two men for such a big international event.
Seth Rollins and Randy Orton quickly got involved in the segment as the Captains of the two teams, and King Corbin and Rusev followed, becoming the next two members of each team. The match will feature five Superstars from each team.
This was the right thing to do as WWE has always brought back legends for their international shows to build hype for the events. Similar to the WWE World Cup, a 5-on-5 match featuring some top Superstars from the main roster will allow the company to feature several stars in a single event.
#4 Built heat towards Brock Lesnar at the expense of Mysterio & Dominick
Whenever a Superstar opens up a show to thank the WWE Universe or the company and address how important it is to get an opportunity, always keep in mind that things are going to go wrong soon.
Things were no different this week, as Rey Mysterio took center stage to address the importance of getting a Universal Championship match before Brock Lesnar came out to ruin the party.
After attacking everyone’s favorite babyface, Lesnar turned his attention to Dominick who finally made his appearance on RAW, this time watching from the audience. Lesnar pulled Dominick out and broke him in half, drawing as much heat as possible towards himself from the WWE Universe.
This was absolutely necessary keeping in mind that Lesnar will be challenging for the WWE Championship on Friday Night SmackDown this week, going against another babyface, Kofi Kingston.
WWE booked this spot to perfection and protected Rey Mysterio from the Universal Championship match in the process. Will Mysterio get another chance to challenge for the top title any time soon? It is possible, keeping in mind that Dominick might start playing a much bigger role in the storyline from this point onwards.
#5 Ended the main event in a no-contest
How do you protect two top wrestlers in a big match? By ending it in a no-contest, of course.
At a time when Rey Mysterio was being thrown around like a ragdoll by Brock Lesnar, Rusev was backstage wondering how he could take his place in the main event match for the Universal Championship against Seth Rollins.
Rusev came to Rollins' aide later in the night during a two-on-one beatdown against Randy Orton and King Corbin and demanded a Championship match against Rollins to repay the favor.
The two met in the main event for a Universal Championship match, but interruptions caused the match to end in a no-contest.
At first, Bobby Lashley returned to RAW after a break and brought out Rusev’s wife Lana who made out with The All-Mighty in front of the entire WWE Universe. This was followed by an attack on Rollins by The Fiend who caught the Universal Champion with the Mandible Claw.
While the initial interruption was bizarre, it served its purpose and helped protect both Rusev and Rollins during the high-profile clash. The entire segment seems to have also helped book Lashley and Rusev’s next feud while making things even more bitter between Rollins and The Fiend.
Follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news. Do not miss out!
