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WWE RAW had a big match between Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre scheduled for Monday Night. However, the match had to be scrapped just before the show, and the creatives had to work hard to fill in some segments.
This required a few Superstars to compete in multiple matches during the night, and the quality dipped a little during the middle part of the show. Xavier Woods competed in a match against T-Bar of RETRIBUTION. This was the first time fans saw Woods appear in WWE without either member of The New Day in a while.
Jeff Hardy competed in a match against Jaxson Ryker, followed by another match against Elias. Riddle, on the other hand, competed in a United States Championship match against Bobby Lashley, followed by another match against MVP.
Keith Lee and Sheamus teamed up before locking horns on RAW this week, while Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax took down the team of Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose.
As the creatives tried to do their best with the resources available, let’s take a look at the 5 things WWE RAW got right on this week’s show.
#5 Ric Flair continues his storyline on WWE RAW
Last week on WWE RAW, Ric Flair made a small mistake that led to a big storyline. During a match involving his daughter Charlotte Flair, he tripped The Queen which led to her loss. After the match, Charlotte vented her frustration by asking Ric to leave the arena.
This week on WWE RAW, Charlotte competed in a match against Lacey Evans. Evans had tried to get closer to Ric last week, and WWE decided to progress with that storyline this week. Ric appeared with Evans and continuously tried to help her win the match against his daughter.
Ric finally tripped The Queen as she prepared to hit a Suplex, and then held her leg down behind the referee’s back to prevent her from kicking out of a pinfall. This allowed The Sassy Southern Belle to pick up another huge victory.
While many fans aren’t too happy seeing Ric appear with Evans in a “romantic” storyline, it’s good to see WWE bring something new to the table. Ric has appeared with Charlotte and Randy Orton for extended periods, and it’s good to watch him appear with a rising Superstar.
Evans could possibly get a major push out of this storyline, and therefore it seems like the right move to make at a time when the women’s roster can use a lot of development.
#4 Riddle tries to become more of a babyface on WWE RAW
Riddle was looking for a match against Bobby Lashley for the United States Championship. That’s exactly what The Original Bro got this week on WWE RAW.
Riddle prepared to take on The All-Mighty but was beaten down by the Champion before the match could begin. Lashley took some revenge from last week, and Riddle was visibly shaken by the beatdown before the match could begin. While The Bro tried his best to win the United States Championship, he finally tapped out to The Hurt Lock.
It was awkward watching Riddle tap out to the painful submission for the second week in a row, but WWE managed to cover up some damage soon after on WWE RAW. Riddle challenged MVP to a match right away and gained the upper hand before Lashley caused a disqualification.
After the match, Lashley and MVP beat down Riddle and left him in a heap. The second match and the beatdown helped Riddle appear as more of a babyface than before. His will to fight in another match after getting torn apart by Lashley helped show that he’s always up for a fight. This will likely help him get another United States Championship shot on WWE RAW soon.
#3 Keith Lee and Sheamus tease an unlikely alliance on WWE RAW
Keith Lee and Sheamus have had some tension on WWE RAW for some weeks now. After the two men teamed up with Drew McIntyre to defeat AJ Styles, The Miz, and John Morrison a few weeks ago, they have been throwing punches at each other.
After Lee defeated Sheamus a couple of weeks ago, the two men were put in a tag team match together against Miz and Morrison. After a physical contest, The Celtic Warrior was able to steal the tag and plant Morrison with a Brogue Kick to pick up the victory for his team.
While both men hugged after the match, they soon got physical and fans got to watch a match between them on WWE RAW. Lee was able to pick up the victory after delivering a vicious Spirit Bomb, after which the two men embraced once again.
This love-hate relationship could mean that the two men will likely get in a tag team for some time. Sheamus had a good run with Cesaro after the pair turned their rivalry into friendship, and fans could watch something similar happen between these two men on WWE RAW.
Having The Celtic Warrior and The Limitless One compete together is a treat to watch for the WWE Universe.
#2 Triple H saves WWE RAW
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre was scheduled to compete in a match this week against Randy Orton. While fans could have expected the match to go in many different directions during WWE RAW, McIntyre had to pull out after he tested positive for COVID-19.
This led to the creatives hitting the panic button, but Triple H stepped in to save the day for RAW. The COO of WWE and the leader of NXT opened up the night and soon ended up in a feud with Orton. The Legend Killer laid down a challenge to the man who hadn’t competed in over a year, and fans got a match no one could have dreamt of this week.
The main event of WWE RAW was held between the two veterans, and Triple H tried to take Orton out for good to avenge the legends of WWE. However, their contest ended abruptly.
Triple H was able to save the day for WWE on a day when they had to use the same Superstars to fill many slots. Some of the matches on WWE RAW weren’t solid at all and could have caused a drop in ratings. However, Triple H’s arrival would have surely boosted the brand in a big way, and the veteran was once again able to help the company recover during a difficult time.
#1 Alexa Bliss’ fireball on WWE RAW
Triple H was looking to end The Legend Killer’s reign for good on WWE RAW this week. He found a sledgehammer under the ring during their contest to shut The Viper up for good, but the lights began to drop as he climbed the steel steps to re-enter the ring.
As the lights went out, Trips’ sledgehammer caught fire before things went dark completely. Once the lights came back on, Randy Orton was in the ring all alone before the cameras turned to Alexa Bliss.
The Goddess stared The Viper down before launching a fireball at the former WWE Champion, blinding him in the process. This was arguably the best segment of the night that raised the overall mood of the show.
Orton had burned down The Fiend at TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, following which he’d seemingly set Bliss on fire. However, Bliss returned during this week’s WWE RAW to take down The Viper instead.
The segment was well done, and fans may have gotten the same ending to RAW even if Drew McIntyre would have been available for his scheduled match.
