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WWE RAW had several matches and segments scheduled for this week’s show. This week’s edition RAW opened up with a video package for Memorial Day before going live from the Thunderdome.
The Miz hosted Charlotte Flair and RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley on Miz TV. Soon, a match between Flair and Nikki Cross was set for the night. Cross managed to outlast The Queen in a Beat the Clock Challenge to make her case for a shot at the RAW Women’s title.
Reginald shocked the WWE Universe by picking up a victory over Shayna Baszler. It was surprising that RAW creative continued to humiliate the former NXT Women’s Champion and make her look weaker. However, what does Reginald have to do with all the pyro going around on the show every week?
Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke defeated Lana and Naomi to get into the WWE Women’s Championship scene. Mace and T-Bar also made their return to the RAW ring.
Cedric Alexander picked up a quick victory over Shelton Benjamin in a storyline that seems to be heading nowhere.
Take a look at the five things WWE got right on RAW this week.
#5 Humberto Carrillo and Ricochet humiliated Sheamus on WWE RAW
Last week on WWE RAW, Sheamus defeated Humberto Carrillo before he was attacked by Ricochet. The Celtic Warrior wasn’t too pleased with the two superstars’ actions and called them out to face him this week.
Ricochet wasted little time in coming down to the RAW ring to face the United States Champion in a non-title match. The One and Only managed to undo the champion’s brute force with his speed and skills.
Sheamus tried to weaken him by pulling him out of the ring and throwing him into the barricade. Carrilo came out to distract Sheamus just in time for Ricochet to roll him up for the three-count.
After Ricochet picked up the win, Carrillo took on The Celtic Warrior in a non-title match. Sheamus was furious throughout the contest and vented his frustration on the babyface superstar.
He clubbed at his chest as Ricochet tried to give Carrillo some words of encouragement. Carrillo made a comeback late in the match and got some shots in before Ricochet distracted the United States Champion.
The distraction allowed Carrillo to pin Sheamus to pick up the victory. Sheamus is a great heel, but it is not clear what the RAW creative are looking to do with the United States Champion at this point.
Victories for Ricochet and Carrillo signal towards a shot at the United States Championship for both men at Hell in a Cell. WWE could end up booking a great Triple Threat Match for the pay-per-view where Sheamus could dominate both superstars to come out looking strong.
#4 Mace and T-Bar returned to WWE RAW\
T-Bar and Mace walked out on WWE RAW for their first match since late April. The two superstars seemed to have gotten into a rivalry with Drew McIntyre before disappearing without any reason.
The two giant wrestlers took on The Lucha House Party in a tag team match. T-Bar controlled the match early and made Lince Dorado pay. Dorado answered back with some moves of his own and put T-Bar in a sleeper hold.
Gran Metalik tagged himself into the match and hit a big splash off Dorado’s shoulders. However, things went down for the Lucha House Party as soon as Mace tagged in. T-Bar and Mace bulldozed Metalik with a tag team maneuver and soon hit a double chokeslam for the win.
The match wasn’t anything special but it allowed the former RETRIBUTION members to get some spotlight again. The RAW creative team gave them a chance against McIntyre but quickly pulled the plug after a countout victory over Braun Strowman and McIntyre.
T-Bar and Mace can do wonders for RAW’s tag team division if given the chance. Hopefully, this victory will allow them to rise up the card.
#3 Elias and Jaxson Ryker split on WWE RAW
Jaxson Ryker turned a few heads when he pinned AJ Styles to pick up a big victory on WWE RAW last week. Styles and Omos teamed up to defend their RAW Tag Team Championships against Ryker and Elias in a tag team match.
Elias took control of Styles early and hit him with a few forearm strikes. Styles answered with a few moves of his own followed by a snap suplex.
Just as The Phenomenal One tagged Omos into the match, Elias decided to bail on his partner and left him alone in the ring. Ryker could not make the tag and suffered the wrath of the giant all by himself.
Omos dominated Ryker as Elias watched on from the ramp. The Giant tagged Styles back into the ring to hit the Phenomenal Forearm to retain the titles.
This was a decent defense for the RAW Tag Team Champions. However, they need to build a better storyline to make their reign more memorable. Elias and Ryker splitting could end up being good for both men.
Elias has remained in the spotlight on the main roster despite being more of an enhancement talent. Ryker could do much better on his own as a singles performer on RAW.
#2 Randy Orton takes the R-K-Bro forward on WWE RAW
Riddle was excited about meeting his bro Randy Orton on WWE RAW. Orton was scheduled to take on Xavier Woods in a one-on-one match during the night. Riddle accompanied The Viper out for the match while Woods did not have Kofi Kingston by his side.
Woods and Orton showed great chemistry and traded some top moves throughout the contest. Orton tried to go for the RKO early in the match, but Woods managed to avoid it. The Viper took control of the match and slammed Woods onto the announcers table.
Woods tried to make a comeback into the match, but Orton was more than prepared for the former RAW Tag Team Champion. He went for the draping DDT, but Riddle’s distraction allowed Woods to fight back.
The Viper missed another RKO but finished Woods off with Riddle’s BroDerek to pick up the victory. It was interesting to watch Orton perform another superstar’s finisher to win the match.
It looks like Orton is getting more comfortable with Riddle and their partnership could end up being beneficial for the RAW tag team division.
#1 The main event of WWE RAW between Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston
Bobby Lashley and MVP were not too worried about the match between Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre on WWE RAW. Last week, Lashley and MVP attacked the two men, causing a disqualification.
McIntyre looked much more aggressive this week and planted Kingston into the corner early before hitting him with some big strikes. Kingston tried to get a roll-up victory early but failed to keep The Scottish Warrior down for the three-count.
A Glasgow Kiss rocked Kingston, but he managed to make a comeback soon after. He hit the SOS, but could not put McIntyre away.
The two men hit each other with some big moves, and McIntyre sent Kingston flying off the top rope with a massive suplex. Kingston managed to make a comeback and rocked McIntyre with Trouble in Paradise. The Scottish Warrior grabbed the bottom rope to break the count.
Kingston climbed the ropes in desperation and tried to hit a splash. However, McIntyre countered and hit the Claymore to pick up the victory after a good match on RAW.
RAW needs to book more matches like these to elevate the action on the brand. These two men put on a great show to get a shot at the WWE Champion.
The only way forward is to book another great contest between Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley at Hell in a Cell before ending the rivalry for good.
