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WWE Fastlane turned out to be a good pay-per-view. WWE RAW built upon several storylines just 24 hours after Fastlane. Drew McIntyre and Sheamus competed in a hard-hitting match at the pay-per-view. They fought against different opponents from The Hurt Business on this week's RAW.
Riddle seemed overjoyed after his victory over Mustafa Ali on Sunday but had an unpleasant interaction with The Celtic Warrior backstage. Rhea Ripley arrived on RAW and issued a major challenge to a current champion.
Elias once again felt the wrath of Braun Strowman on RAW. Additionally, Shane McMahon accepted Strowman’s challenge for WrestleMania soon after attacking him.
Plus, The Miz and John Morrison tried to mock Bad Bunny before The A-Lister challenged the popular rapper to a match at WrestleMania. Bunny accepted the challenge after he blasted The Miz with a guitar on RAW.
With so many developments from this episode, let’s take a look at the five things WWE got right on RAW this week.
#5 Sheamus and Bobby Lashley had a hard-hitting match on WWE RAW
Sheamus was booked in a big match on WWE RAW just one night after he competed in a No Holds Barred match against Drew McIntyre. To kick-off Monday Night RAW, The Celtic Warrior fought Bobby Lashley in a one-on-one match.
The two powerhouses tried to take control of the match in the beginning. Lashley was able to beat Sheamus down in a corner to pick up the advantage. The Celtic Warrior broke free and took the WWE Champion down with a clothesline.
Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin from The Hurt Business tried to distract Lashley’s opponent. It was good to see Sheamus take control of the match again for some time as he put the WWE Champion on the backfoot.
However, the distractions helped Lashley to take Sheamus down with a Spinebuster. Soon after, Lashley applied the Hurt Lock to pick up the victory. After the match, The Hurt Business continued to attack the Irishman before McIntyre arrived to make the save.
Sheamus has been doing extremely well on RAW in recent months. His matches have been solid even though he’s ended up on the losing end more often than not. It’s heartbreaking to watch him compete against two men who are in the WWE Championship picture without getting a shot at the title himself.
Sheamus looked like a babyface in the match, and the save from McIntyre could signal towards another partnership between the two men on RAW.
#4 Kofi Kingston picked up a victory over AJ Styles on WWE RAW
AJ Styles and Omos came out on WWE RAW to hype up their match against The New Day for WrestleMania. The RAW Tag Team Champions followed and mocked Omos and Styles. Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston asked Styles some questions regarding Omos, and The Phenomenal One got every question wrong.
Kingston and Styles got down to business in the ring and gave fans a good match to watch. Kingston kept The Phenomenal One down with some takedowns and holds to score the early advantage.
The fight spilled onto the floor where Styles was finally able to get the better of Kingston. Styles sent Kingston into the steel steps and Omos ensured that Woods could not help his partner out.
Back in the ring, Kingston regained control and attempted the Trouble in Paradise maneuver, but Styles caught him with a jumping kick to the head.
Woods distracted Styles just when he was ready to hit The Phenomenal Forearm, allowing Kingston to hit the S.O.S. and pick up the victory.
This was a good match between the two men heading into WrestleMania, as both veterans showed just how good they can be in the ring. Kingston's victory allows the RAW Tag Team Champions to look strong ahead of Omos’ in-ring debut.
#3 Asuka found a different challenger for WrestleMania on WWE RAW
Peyton Royce has been very vocal about deserving a shot at the WWE RAW Women’s Championship in recent weeks. The Australian Superstar got a chance to prove herself against the RAW Women’s Champion, Asuka.
Royce put up a good fight against The Empress and kept her on the backfoot for extended periods.
Asuka gained back the momentum late in the match with a kick to the head followed by a German Suplex. She tried to lock in the Asuka Lock, but Royce countered it into a near-fall. Royce kept trying her best to stay in the match but finally tapped out to the Asuka Lock.
After the match, Rhea Ripley’s music hit, and The Nightmare came out to confront the RAW Women’s Champion. Ripley challenged Asuka to a title match at WrestleMania right away. The Empress replied, "You are not ready for Asuka," before officially accepting the challenge.
This helped set up one of the most interesting matches for The Show of Shows. The RAW Women’s Championship scene had been bland for too long, and it seemed like Charlotte Flair would eventually challenge Asuka for the title.
However, bringing Ripley into the mix at the right time was the right decision. The WWE Universe is no stranger to The Nightmare, who has proven her worth both inside and outside NXT over the past year or so.
#2 Drew McIntyre made an example out of The Hurt Business on WWE RAW
Drew McIntyre competed against Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin in a two-on-one Handicap Match on WWE RAW. McIntyre wanted to be in the match given the condition that if he won, Benjamin and Alexander would be banned from ringside during the WWE Championship bout at WrestleMania.
McIntyre went after both men early on and overpowered them with ease. Benjamin took him down for some time but could not keep him grounded for long. Alexander helped save Benjamin from a Claymore attempt early in the match.
The Hurt Business tried to do some considerable damage to the former WWE Champion outside the ring and threw him into the barricade. Once The Scottish Warrior got back to his feet in the ring, he threw both men around with ease.
Moments later, McIntyre nailed the two men with Claymore Kicks to pick up the victory on RAW. The Hurt Business did well to keep McIntyre grounded for some time and still made him look strong.
Backstage, MVP and Bobby Lashley were extremely unhappy with Benjamin and Alexander. The All-Mighty offered the RAW locker room a chance to take out McIntyre before WrestleMania and earn themselves a shot at the WWE Championship.
This angle will help develop McIntyre and Lashley's story further on the Road to WrestleMania. It looks like WWE will build McIntyre as a big babyface once again just like the company did last year.
#1 Randy Orton summoned The Fiend on WWE RAW
Randy Orton came out with a black bag in his hand for the final segment of WWE RAW. Orton vowed to end The Fiend for good before Monday Night RAW came to an end. The Viper looked a little disturbed before Alexa Bliss arrived.
Bliss told Orton to be careful what he wished for before playing the jack-in-the-box toy. Soon after, the lights went out in the Thunderdome. Fireballs were shot from the ring posts as The Fiend appeared behind Orton in the ring.
Orton took out a gas can from the black bag he’d been carrying and threw gasoline all over The Fiend. He nearly lit the match before hitting the sinister creature with an RKO.
Bliss entered the ring and The Fiend got back up on his feet to lock Orton in the Mandible Claw before hitting the Sister Abigail maneuver.
Bliss pointed towards the WrestleMania sign to make the match between Orton and The Fiend official for The Show of Shows.
WWE has finally done well to build the story between the two big superstars ahead of WrestleMania. As for the entire show, it’ll be interesting to see how RAW shapes up in the remaining two episodes before WrestleMania.
