5 things WWE got right on this week’s RAW (February 17, 2020)

Monday Night RAW continued to build upon certain storylines while introducing new characters to some old ones.

Bobby Lashley joined forced with former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza as the two men battled their old rivals Rusev and Humberto Carrillo.

Randy Orton was scheduled to fight the man who he injured last week in a No Holds Barred match, as fans waited anxiously for Matt Hardy’s big match.

Becky Lynch arrived on the show to address Shayna Baszler’s actions last week and cut a rather interesting promo. Aleister Black, on the other hand, got a better booking this week as compared to the previous month.

While the story and the action were not really up to the mark this week, we will look at the 5 things WWE got right on the show to give fans something to cheer about.

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#5 Riddick Moss’ reign continues

While the 24/7 Championship was one of the most talked-about titles in WWE last year, its value has slowly slipped down due to some bizarre storylines.

This week, Mojo Rawley and R-Truth battled in a Triple Threat Match against Riddick Moss in an attempt to win the latter’s Championship. Truth was himself during the clash and looked to win the title for the umpteenth time, while Rawley was not playing around. He managed to clam Truth to the mat, but Ross got the pin on the veteran to pick up the victory.

While the match itself was nothing to talk about, it’s the push Moss is getting on RAW that's good to see.

Rawley was missing from television for several months before he got his chance by pairing with Sami Zayn for a few weeks and then getting in the 24/7 Championship picture. Truth, on the other hand, is doing an excellent job of keeping the interest of the fans in the Championship alive.

While Moss won’t be enjoying the spotlight for too long, it is good that he is getting some time on the flagship show. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before Rawley wins the title on his way to Super Showdown.

#4 Becky Lynch & Shayna Baszler

"Everything ABOUT this is laid out perfectly for ME to be the one who takes your title at @WrestleMania."@QoSBaszler has no doubt she's punching her ticket to face @BeckyLynchWWE at #WrestleMania when she's inside the Elimination Chamber... #Raw pic.twitter.com/8muPJ5SAyj

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) February 18, 2020

Last week we saw the Netflix-inspired Shayna Baszler walk out on RAW and attack Becky Lynch before biting the RAW Women’s Champion on the back of her neck.

This week, The Man came out on RAW with a paper bag in hand, which made it seem like she’d brought her lunch along. She directed all her anger at the former NXT Champion and then took out 100 dollar bills, which she threw all over the ring as a preemptive payment for the fines she would be given for making The Queen of Spades pay for her actions.

Lynch’s warning did not go unheard as Baszler appeared on the screen and informed Lynch about her intentions of entering the Elimination Chamber to earn a shot at Lynch’s red belt. The Man did not flinch and told Baszler that she would be rooting for her to win.

The promo was on point and did what it had to do efficiently. Instead of pulling off any more theatrics, the two women did well in the time they were given together and we already seem to have the next WrestleMania 36 Championship match ready.

RAW should now keep Baszler out of the ring till Elimination Chamber and allow her to show what she can do during the match itself to prove to the WWE Universe that she can be a worthy challenger to The Man.

#3 Black & Red

Black took out Big Red after a good fight

Aleister Black has been running through smaller opponents and local competitors for several weeks and he needed some major competition on RAW to move forward.

This week, the Superstar did not hold back as he got some real competition against Erick Rowan. Just like Black, Rowan has been on a winning spree of his own against smaller opponents and jobbers.

The match saw Big Red kick off grandly and take the fight to Black. However, his strikes weren’t enough to keep The Ominous Man From Amsterdam down for long.

Black managed to escape an Iron Claw attempt by Rowan and then hit a couple of big Black Masses to seal the victory against a bigger opponent.

This match was perfect for both men as Black sold Rowan’s attacks well, as he's already built as an invincible force. This was probably Rowan’s best fight on RAW since his move to the brand, while Black is the right man to push forward, and his victory came as no surprise. The Dutch Destroyer needed a victory against a bigger opponent to seem more dominating, and he got just that.

Let’s see whether we will get the second edition of this rivalry or the creative will move both men on to other competitors.

#2 A lasting impact

The voices in Orton's head are getting louder again

Randy Orton is known to make the biggest statements possible, and he did just that when he attacked Matt Hardy last week. Hardy, who’d come out in defense for his former rival Edge, met the same fate as the Rated-R Superstar.

While Orton and Hardy were scheduled to battle in a No Holds Barred match this week, The Viper revealed that the match was not happening. However, Hardy came out with a neck brace and stated that he’d still fight Orton even when the doctors had not cleared him to.

The Viper apologized for his actions and decided to leave the arena before the voices in his head called him back. He returned to attack Hardy with a steel chair again and then hit a couple of con-chair-to maneuvers, laying out the legendary Superstar for good.

With rumors circulating that Hardy is leaving the company, this could be termed the perfect way to write him off after giving him some high spots. The segment was perfect to build towards Edge and Orton’s rivalry without the need of bringing out the Rated-R Superstar two weeks in a row.

#1 The Street Profits finally arrive

#WWESSD will see The #StreetProfits @AngeloDawkins & @MontezFordWWE challenge @WWERollins & @WWE_Murphy for the #Raw #TagTeamTitles! https://t.co/cagJAr7GyO

— WWE (@WWE) February 18, 2020

Early in the night, the Monday Night Messiah gave a sermon where he told everyone about the next phase of his plan. He revealed that he would reach out to the weak to help them, and those who were non-complaint would get hurt.

The Viking Raiders came out to attack the Authors of Pain, after which Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy retreated. However, Kevin Owens caught him on the ramp and hit a Stunner.

During the main event, fans again got a six-man tag team match between the two teams as Rollins looked on.

KO shined throughout the match and took the fight to the heels, showing that he is the man who is determined to bring an end to the Monday Night Messiah’s reign.

After he hit a Stunner on The Best Kept Secret near the end of the match, Rollins interfered to attack The Prizefighter, drawing a disqualification.

The heels threatened to end KO’s career for good, but The Street Profits finally joined the resistance and helped KO and The Viking Raiders clear out the ring. The Street Profits were expected to be the first ones to join KO, but they were kept away until last night.

The new team needs a storyline and a boost, and this feud could provide them just that if booked properly.