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This week’s WWE RAW did not have many pre-announced matches or segments. Randy Orton started the night by running his mouth, but ended by nursing it after Drew McIntyre made a return to get back at The Viper.
Keith Lee got another match on the show, while The IIconics faced each other just a week after they broke up as a tag team.
Asuka teamed up with her future rival to compete against Natalya and Lana, while Cedric Alexander surprised the entire WWE Universe by making a very interesting choice that could help lift his career.
RAW Underground showed us a glimpse of what to expect from Aleister Black and Kevin Owens, and Dabba-Kato returned to the scene to make an immediate impact.
The final moments of the show gave the fans a feel food moment as Dominik Mysterio and his family got some revenge following a very personal rivalry.
In this article, we will look at the five things WWE got right on this week’s episode of RAW.
#5 WWE RAW tries to fill the gaps in the tag team division
WWE RAW’s tag team division has been all over the place over the past year or so, and even with teams such as The Viking Raiders, The Street Profits, and The Hurt Business, the company have struggled to build good storylines.
This week on RAW, The Street Profits once again competed against Angel Garza and Andrade. Garza and Andrade did not seem united, especially after Garza left El Idolo during RETRIBUTION’s attack last week.
Zelina Vega watched on as we patiently waited for Andrade and Garza to implode during the match. It didn’t take long before Garza walked out, leaving El Idolo to take a frog splash from Montez Ford to lose the contest.
At one point, it seemed like Garza and Andrade would become RAW Tag Team Champions, however, it seems like there are other plans in store for te duo.
After the match, SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura made a surprise appearance. The heels called out The Street Profits for their antics and laid down a challenge for next week which was accepted by Angelo Dawkins and Ford.
At a time when both SmackDown and RAW seem to have no real challenge for their tag team champions, it’s good to see WWE bring in something different to keep the flow going.
#4 Cedric Alexander joins The Hurt Business on WWE RAW
WWE RAW saw another match between The Hurt Business and the team of Ricochet, Cedric Alexander, and Apollo Crews. While the latter team were doing a good job against the heels, Alexander surprised everyone by turning on his partners.
Alexander’s actions allowed The Hurt Business to pick up the victory, even though they’d attacked him prior to the match. About an hour later, Alexander confirmed his alliance with The Hurt Business as he came out and joined them on The VIP Lounge. He said he was chasing better bookings and more money.
Ricochet, Crews, and The Viking Raiders came out to confront The Hurt Business, and a brawl broke out, leading to an 8-man tag team match.
The match was fun, but the botched finish sort of ruined the action. Alexander’s heel turn could finally make him a serious competitor on WWE RAW. Just like Benjamin, who had been sidelined for years, we could see Alexander get a push, and the two men could move into the RAW Tag Team Championship picture with MVP’s support, in the coming weeks.
#3 Drew McIntyre manages to settle a score with Randy Orton on WWE RAW
Randy Orton kicked off this week’s WWE RAW and sent a warning to his opponent, Keith Lee. He made it clear to The Limitless One that the more they compete, the more there’s a chance that he’ll have to take a Punt kick.
He then recapped the three Punt kicks he delivered to Drew McIntyre, after which a siren sounded and McIntyre appeared, and attacked The Viper with a Claymore.
Later in the night, Orton and Lee squared off for the third time in two weeks as. While Orton managed to gain the upper hand in the contest, McIntyre once again arrived, despite being banned from the arena by Adam Pearce, and hit The Viper with another Claymore.
This led to a disqualification, and McIntyre seemed all fired up while Orton was nursing his jaw.
Soon after, we were treated to some action from RAW Underground after which The Scottish Psychopath once again arrived to deliver another thunderous Claymore kick to Orton to send him to the hospital.
This was a good way to have McIntyre stand tall as the two men will once again compete at WWE Clash of Champions. RAW needed its WWE Champion to arrive and make a statement, and that’s exactly what McIntyre did this week.
#2 Mickie James and Asuka score a victory on WWE RAW
RAW Women’s Champion Asuka teamed up with her future competitor Mickie James, to take on the team of Lana and Natalya, this week on WWE RAW. James only recently returned to the ring and it’s good to see the veteran get a shot at the title to keep the RAW Women’s Champion busy.
Surprisingly, Natalya and Lana had James on the backfoot for a major portion of the match, and a near-fall on her had to be broken up by Asuka.
While The Empress was knocked off the apron, James tried to climb the ropes to deliver a move before Asuka appeared and tagged herself in to enter the ring and trap Lana in the Asuka Lock. Lana tapped in quick time to give Asuka and James the victory.
This wasn’t a great match, but it allowed the two babyfaces to work together before their showdown. It looks like the RAW creative team wanted to highlight James’ ring-rust in this match, and they managed to do that well.
The Empress needs an opponent to stay busy before facing off against either Nia Jax or Shayna Baszler, and James seems like an ideal choice, and the two can put on a good match in the ring.
#1 The Mysterios unleash on Murphy to end WWE RAW
Earlier on WWE RAW, Dominik Mysterio and Murphy had an encounter in the arena but neither Rey Mysterio or Seth Rollins were around. The two got a chance to showcase their mic-skills, which are still average at best, and their segment led to a Street Fight for the end of WWE RAW.
The main event of WWE RAW saw Rey, Aliyah, and Angie accompany Dominik to the middle, for his match against The Disciple. Murphy took control of the match early on before Dominik made a babyface comeback to keep him down.
Murphy once again almost gave in to his dark side as he tried to shove Dominik’s eye into the corner of the steel steps before sending him into the barricade.
While Murphy seemed to be gaining the upper hand in the fight, Dominik’s family came to his aide and freed him from the ropes to allow him to deliver a beautiful sunset flip powerbomb through the table.
He could not finish The Disciple with a frog splash, and the father and son duo united to deliver kendo stick strikes to Murphy. Dominik’s sister and mother joined in on the fun as the family treated Murphy like a pinata, before he tapped and the referee called for the bell.
This was a good match that allowed Dominik to show his skills once again, and the Mysterios managed to get some revenge. Hopefully, this was the final chapter in the rivalry between the Mysterios and Rollins and Murphy.
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