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Wrestling action returned with another episode of WWE RAW the night after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The WWE RAW brand had crowned two new champions at the event, too. Riddle pinned John Morrison to win Bobby Lashleyโs United States Championship in a Triple Threat Match.
However, it was The Mizโs heist that made headlines as The A-Lister cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at the right time to defeat Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax retained their WWE Womenโs Tag Team Championships on the show and were back to competing on WWE RAW this week.
RETRIBUTION had another disappointing match on WWE RAW, where The New Day managed to defeat them handily. Jeff Hardy and Sheamus also locked horns during the night after failing to win the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship on Sunday.
Letโs take a look at five things WWE RAW got right this week.
#5 Bobby Lashley broke into the WWE Championship picture on WWE RAW
John Morrison opened up WWE RAW this week after his match against Bobby Lashley and Riddle at Elimination Chamber. He immediately introduced The Miz to celebrate his WWE Championship victory on Sunday.
The A-Lister made a grand entrance on WWE RAW and then spoke about his journey from being a rookie to becoming the face of the company. After he praised himself a bit more, MVP and Lashley from The Hurt Business made their way to the ring.
Lashleyโs attack on Drew McIntyre had made Mizโs victory possible, and he was looking to get a shot a the title right away. Miz thanked The All Mighty for weakening the WWE Champion for him on Sunday, before making a quick exit.
MVP demanded a title shot for Lashley, and The All Mighty put him on notice. An hour later, Lashley and Miz met in the ring once again to talk about the WWE Championship match, before Braun Strowman arrived.
The to-and-fro led to Strowman challenging Lashley to a match later in the night in an attempt to make his way into the WWE Championship match next week.
The overall segment was good and ensured Miz seemed like someone who had worked hard to reach where he is, while still being cocky. Lashley was the main attraction throughout, as he deserves to become the WWE Champion sooner than later.
Adding Strowman to the mix felt odd, but it looks like WWE has some plan in place for the giant, too. Will Strowman make his presence felt in the WWE title picture?
#4 Riddle competed on WWE RAW after winning the United States Championship
Riddle arrived on WWE RAW with the United States Championship around his waist. Heโd competed against Bobby Lashley and John Morrison in a Triple Threat Match at Elimination Chamber and was able to pin Morrison to become the new United States Champion.
Riddle and Morrison showed good chemistry on Sunday and they looked to replicate that just 24 hours later. Both men pulled off some impressive moves, and it was good to watch JoMo put on a better fight than he usually has over the past six months or so.
Even though Morrison did well in the match and hit a good Spanish Fly from the middle rope, Riddle hit Bro Derek to pick up the victory on WWE RAW. This was a good match for Riddle, who has a long way to go as champion.
The Superstar needs to build a great following, and he can certainly do that with some impressive performances on WWE RAW. It was also good to watch Morrison get a decent match, too. The talented Superstar has been used as an enhancement talent for far too long, and WWE needs to put him in a position to become a threatening competitor.
#3 The Hurt Business impressed against Lucha House Party on WWE RAW
The Lucha House Party has been getting some solid matches on WWE RAW in recent weeks. Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado also got a chance to shine on WWE NXT for a few weeks, and they have also been paired with Riddle for some odd reason.
The duo competed against the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions in a Tornado Tag Team match this week. Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander have been way too impressive since winning the titles, and even though the creatives have teased a divide between them, theyโve managed to continue putting on great matches.
MVP cheered on Benjamin and Alexender as the two men took control of the match early. They used their strength to keep the high-flyers down for as long as possible.
Lucha House Party built some momentum ,but Benajmin caught Dorado with the Paydirt to pick up the victory for his team. WWE RAW creatives have failed to build new challengers for The Hurt Business for some time now.
However, it is good to watch Lucha House Party perform regularly on WWE RAW. It is also good that Benjamin and Alexander have continued to get matches weekly to stay on top.
#2 Charlotte Flair and Asukaโs partnership possibly came to an end on WWE RAW
Asuka and Charlotte Flair teamed up on WWE RAW once again to face Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. Asuka and Flair have won the WWE Womenโs Tag Team Championships in the past, but the two women havenโt really clicked together as a team.
Asuka should be looking for a challenger for her RAW Womenโs title, but instead, she was made to tag with Flair again. Baszler had a good early exchange with Asuka before being restricted to the corner.
The match went on with both teams trading advantage and hitting some big moves. The Empress went on a rampage late in the match, but was taken down by Baszler who locked in an armbar.
Flair accidentally kicked Asuka late in the match and the opening allowed Jax to hit a leg drop to pick up the victory for her team. WWE seems to be ignoring the RAW Women's championship at the moment. However, the pinfall and the way the match ended could signal a divide between Asuka and Flair.
Hopefully, this will effectively bring an end to their partnership and Asuka can work on building her WWE RAW Womenโs title reign, which has been forgetful for quite some time now.
#1 Bobby Lashley dominated Braun Strowman on WWE RAW
The main event of WWE RAW this week saw Braun Strowman lock horns with Bobby Lashley for a chance to reach the WWE Championship match next week. The Miz watched on from the commentary table as the two behemoths took to the ring for their match.
Lashley brought the same aggression into the match that heโs been displaying over the past few weeks. He took Strowman down early in the match to show his dominance.
The two men traded some big blows and Strowman tried to run over his opponent outside the ring. However, he was unsuccessful at taking The All Mighty out for good.
The Monster Among men tried to put Lashley away with the Powerslam, but The All Mighty kicked out with ease. He got back up on his feet and hit a Spear to roll over Strowman and take him out of the equation for next weekโs WWE RAW.
The Miz looked on in disbelief as Lashley celebrated his big victory. It was great to watch the company use Lashley the right way on WWE RAW. He is a force that can take down any competitor and needs to be booked similarly to Brock Lesnar. The victory brings him one step closer to the WWE Championship.
