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Compared to WWE SmackDown, RAW has been doing a lackluster job of building toward WrestleMania. Thankfully, the red brand heated up a few rivalries this week to strengthen its road to Fastlane and WrestleMania.
With a major announcement, WWE told the fans who’d challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 37. Later in the show, Asuka showed a more violent side in a match against Shayna Baszler, and this aggression could help her in the months to come.
Plus, Alexa Bliss gave Randy Orton the opportunity to kick her out of his life at Fastlane. In another memorable segment, a scheduled match between Braun Strowman and Shane McMahon ended in chaos after McMahon covered The Monster Among Men with a bucket of slime.
Finally, Bad Bunny surprisingly handed over the WWE 24/7 Championship to R-Truth. But Bad Bunny’s night wasn't over, as The Miz attacked him a few minutes later.
With that being said, let's take a look at the five things WWE RAW got right this week.
#5 WWE RAW set up the main event of WrestleMania
This week, the red brand needed to hype up the WWE Championship scene ahead of WrestleMania 37. After seeing how good the Universal Championship picture on SmackDown has been, fans have been hoping to see Bobby Lashley get an exciting build, too.
MVP and the WWE Champion Bobby Lashley opened up RAW this week, and they announced that McIntyre would challenge for the title at WrestleMania.
Drew McIntyre eventually made his way to the ring to send Lashley a message. The champion attacked his new contender, and The Miz got in the action. Sheamus joined the fray by taking Lashley down and assaulting McIntyre.
Shortly thereafter, McIntyre faced The Miz in a singles match on RAW. Though John Morrison tried his best to distract The Scottish Warrior, he couldn't give his partner enough time to take the former champion down.
McIntyre delivered a Claymore to The A-Lister, but he didn't go for the pin. Instead, The Scottish Superstar mocked Lashley and put the The Miz in the Hurt Lock to make him tap out.
The creative team could have booked a match between McIntyre and Sheamus to determine Lashley's challenger. But this progression was enjoyable, too, and it gave the fans an exciting WrestleMania match to look forward to.
#4 The New Day won the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships again
For the past several months on WWE RAW, The Hurt Business has been flying high. But the creative team has kept the WWE Champion away from the RAW Tag Team Champions for some time now. This week, Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander had a chance to prove that business is still booming when they defended their gold against The New Day.
Woods and Alexander had a dynamic exchange early on, and their athleticism made this championship match even more exciting. Likewise, several quick tags allowed both teams to hit some combination moves.
After an electric match, Kofi Kingston hit The Gold Standard with the Trouble in Paradise, and it seemed like the end was near.
Seconds later, the challengers hit Daybreak on Benjamin to win the RAW Tag Team Championships once again. With the win, the New Day became 11-time tag team champions.
After the match, AJ Styles and Omos confronted the new champions, and the duo challenged the New Day to a title match at WrestleMania.
The match between Hurt Business and New Day was as good one would expect. Still, WWE could have kept the titles on The Hurt Business until WrestleMania in order to make their title reign more impressive.
Adding Styles and Omos to the title picture seems a little forced because Styles wasn't engaged in a rivalry for WrestleMania before Monday night. Hopefully, the match will be a worthwhile addition to the card.
#3 Riddle retained his United States Championship on WWE RAW
Mustafa Ali pinned Riddle in a non-title match on WWE RAW a couple of weeks ago. This week, Ali got his chance to win the United States Championship from The Original Bro on RAW.
RETRIBUTION watched on as their leader tried to win some gold and put the faction on the map. Ali got some offense in early on, but he simply couldn't match Riddle's raw power.
Ali tried to take control of the action with some high-flying moves that stunned the United States Champion for few minutes. Overall, the former 205 Live star capitalized on his opportunity to put on a show and prove his worth.
Ali nearly had the match in the bag, but T-Bar distracted the referee at the wrong moment. As a result, Riddle kicked out of a pin and caught Ali with a Bro Derek to pick up the victory.
After the match, Riddle escaped an attack from RETRIBUTION, and Ali was angry with his faction for costing him this important match.
While Riddle should have had a dominant first title defense, it was saisfying to watch Ali come close to a monumental win on RAW. The two competitors could face each other again at Fastlane, where Ali could finally win his first title in the company.
#2 Asuka showed her true colors on WWE RAW
A few weeks ago on WWE RAW, Shayna Baszler knocked one of Asuka's teeth out. This week, The Empress of Tomorrow was out for revenge, and she also hoped to build some momentum on the road to WrestleMania.
Asuka showed a more aggressive side on Monday night when she attacked The Queen of Spades before the bell. Many fans quickly compared this version of Asuka to the one that dominated her competition on NXT.
Ultimately, the two women tried to lock in their signature submission holds on each other. The Empress won the exchange when she reversed the Kirifuda Clutch into a pin and picked up the victory.
After the match, Baszler tried to attack Asuka again, but the RAW Women’s Champion snapped and brutally assaulted her opponent. Asuka targeted Baszler's teeth, and the referee had to stop her from doing any more damage to The Queen of Spades.
This clash offered fans the chance to watch a good match between two of RAW's best wrestlers. Plus, the RAW Women’s Champion showed a new edge, and this change could reinvigorate her run on the red brand.
Asuka’s title reign has been forgettable up to this point, but Monday night could have marked the beginning of a compelling storyline for the champion.
#1 Bobby Lashley gave Drew McIntyre a preview of WrestleMania 37 on WWE RAW
After he attacked Bobby Lashley on RAW, Sheamus got a match against The All Mighty to end the night. Drew McIntyre came out to cut a promo before the match between his two rivals, and he also watched the match from ringside.
The Celtic Warrior found ways to break Lashley’s momentum, though the WWE Champion kept overpowering him. The two powerhouses put on a remarkable main event show and delivered some thunderous moves.
In another high-profile match, Sheamus was impressive once again. He managed to get the upper hand on the WWE Champion several times. Still, throughout the contest, Lashley proved why he's The All Mighty. He drove The Celtic Warrior into the barricade and delivered some big elbows to the Irishman.
Near the end of the match, Sheamus was about to hit the Brogue Kick for a huge victory. But Lashley recovered just in time and floored him with a Spear to pick up the win.
This explosive main event was a good way to end RAW. Lashley managed to pick up a victory by pinfall after he has won several contests by submission. With another win under his belt, Lashley looks unstoppable heading into WrestleMania.
But in a potential preview of their match at WrestleMania, McIntyre dropped Lashley with a Claymore Kick to end RAW with a statement. This exchange left many fans eager to see their titanic battle at the biggest show of the year.
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