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This week’s WWE RAW had a big six-man tag team match scheduled for the night as Drew McIntyre teamed up with The New Day to take on The Miz, John Morrison, and WWE Champion Randy Orton.
The night kicked off with The Miz Show, while a few mid-card matches also featured in a stacked RAW card. The 24/7 Championship was defended in a 7-man match, while Bobby Lashley successfully defended his United States Championship against Titus O’Neil.
The final member of RAW's men’s Team was revealed, following which a tag team match between the members of Team RAW at Survivor Series took place.
Nia Jax competed against Asuka to prove her worth to the women’s RAW team, while Shayna Bazler took out Lana during the night.
In this article, we will look at the 5 things WWE RAW got right during this week’s show.
#5 Asuka and Nia Jax display their power on WWE RAW
Earlier in the night on WWE RAW, Shayna Baszler and Lana competed in a one-on-one match. While Lana tried to get some offense in, she was no match for the former NXT Champion who was able to lock her in the Kirifuda Clutch to pick up the victory. After the match, Nia Jax tried to put Lana through the announce table again but Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke were able to save The Ravishing Russian.
Later in the night, Jax took on the RAW Women’s Champion, Asuka. The Irresistible Force wanted the match to show that she could be the Team Captain of RAW at Survivor Series.
Both women got a lot of offense in the match, and the rest of Team RAW got involved in the match one way or the other as they fought amongst themselves.
The distractions allowed the RAW Women’s Champion to lock Jax in the Asuka Lock, but The Queen of Spades entered the ring to cause a disqualification. After the match, Jax and Baszler attacked Brooke and Rose following which they sent Lana through the table once again.
The men’s and women’s teams of RAW are in turmoil and it’ll be interesting to see how WWE's creative team book the interbrand matches for Survivor Series. Will Jax put Lana through the announce table again at the show, or will Lana finally get her revenge and dish out the same punishment to Jax?
#4 Riddle is the final member of Team RAW for WWE Survivor Series
Matt Riddle lost his first name following last week’s show, but seems to have not lost any of his confidence at all. Riddle entered the ring to compete in a Triple Threat match against Elias and Jeff Hardy to grab the final spot on Team RAW for WWE Survivor Series.
Elias delivered a promo and played a song before the match began, and all three men tried to pick up a quick victory as soon as the opening bell sounded.
Riddle and Hardy took the fight to the outside the ring and Elias joined them by taking both men out with a dropkick through the ropes. The self-proclaimed Team Captain of RAW watched on from backstage as The Drifter took control of the match in the latter half.
While Hardy tried to make a comeback, Elias took him down with the Drift Away. He went for the pin, but Riddle broke it up and then caught Elias with the Bro Derek soon after to pick up the victory.
This was a chaotic match that did not allow the three men to showcase their potential to the fullest. However, Riddle is the right choice for Team RAW as he is still climbing the roster while Hardy and Elias have a rivalry of their own to continue.
#3 Keith Lee and Riddle showcase their chemistry on WWE RAW
The self-proclaimed Team Captain of WWE RAW, AJ Styles, called a team meeting in the middle of the ring with Keith Lee, Riddle, Braun Strowman, and Sheamus. While none of the Superstars wanted to acknowledge Styles as the team captain, he booked a tag match with himself as the special guest referee.
Lee and Riddle took one corner while Sheamus and Strowman were in the other corner as the opening bell rang. Lee controlled Sheamus for the initial part of the match, and then Riddle entered to keep the pressure on.
However, Strowman’s entry into the match shifted the advantage to his team’s favor as he dominated The Original Bro for some time. Soon after, the special guest referee took a few blows from the competitors as he got in the line of fire.
After taking a knee strike and a kick from Riddle, Styles found himself sandwiched between Lee and Strowman as both the monsters tried to tackle each other.
Styles’ bodyguard tried to get involved, but The Phenomenal One told him to stay put. The match came to an end after Sheamus hit Strowman with a Brogue Kick and The Original Bro took advantage of the situation by scoring a roll-up.
This was a fun match that helped divide Team RAW even more en route to Survivor Series. It looks like WWE is weakening Team RAW for some reason, and that could give a few big moments during the show. Will Team RAW implode at Survivor Series?
#2 Ricochet and Mustafa Ali finally put on a good match on WWE RAW
The leader of RETRIBUTION was scheduled to take on Ricochet on WWE RAW in a one-on-one clash. Mustafa Ali told his former friend that he could help and save him before the bell, but The One and Only wasn’t interested in it. Both men traded big blows, and Ricochet finally had the chance to once again show what he’s got to offer against Ricochet.
After the fight spilled over to the apron and outside the ring, RETRIBUTION surrounded Ricochet which gave Ali the opportunity to get back into the match.
Not only did Ricochet show his high-flying skills, but he also brought out some power moves on the leader of RAW’s rebellious faction as he took him down with a suplex and brainbuster.
While Ali got back in the match, Ricochet once again took control and took out the rest of RETRIBUTION with a springboard corkscrew. However, he missed a Phoenix Splash on Ali, and the heel locked him in the Koji Clutch to choke him out for the win.
This was arguably the best RETRIBUTION match we’ve gotten to date and a great showing by The One and Only. Ricochet has been at his best whenever he’s involved in a big rivalry, and this was possibly his best match on RAW of the year.
Will Ali and his crew continue to hunt down Ricochet on RAW in an attempt to recruit him?
#1 The New Day and Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton, Miz and Morrison on WWE RAW
The opening segment of WWE RAW saw The Miz and John Morrison host Miz TV. The New Day was their scheduled guests for the night, but WWE Champion Randy Orton came out first to direct his anger at The Miz.
Soon after, The New Day also made their way out and Kofi Kingston ate an RKO from Orton. Drew McIntyre tried to make the save, but he too fell prey to the heels in the ring to end the segment.
At the end of the night, the babyfaces united to take on the heels in a six-man tag team match. Adam Pearce had informed The Viper that he’d have to defend his title against McIntyre next week on RAW, and Orton tried his best to stay out of the match.
While The Scottish Psychopath tried his best to get Orton to enter the ring and face him and give the fans a preview of what to expect next week, The Viper stayed out. Finally, Orton decided to grab his title and leave the match as Morrison took a Claymore to take the pin from McIntyre.
This was a good match, and the overall segment showed that Orton has many challengers waiting for him. While ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt did not feature this week, it seems like he is also aiming for the WWE Championship on RAW.
It's not often that fans witness heels having so many challengers lined up at one time, which is something different and interesting that WWE is trying to do with Orton on RAW.
