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WWE RAW kicked off just one night after WrestleMania Backlash hosted some major matches. Bobby Lashley retained his WWE Championship against Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre at the pay-per-view. The All Mighty appeared early in the night for a big segment.
Rhea Ripley retained her RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania Backlash and was looking for new challenges. Sheamus, on the other hand, was looking to get his coat and hat back from Ricochet on RAW.
Damian Priest competed in yet another match against John Morrison. RAW needs to find new opponents for Priest and move him out of his rivalry against The Miz and Morrison.
Angel Garza continued to show his more aggressive side as he took down Drew Gulak again. Garza’s new attitude could help him find his way back into some meaningful storylines.
The 24/7 Championship found its way back on RAW as Akira Tozawa pinned R-Truth to win the title.
With so much going on, let’s take a look at the five things WWE got right on the RAW following WrestleMania Backlash.
#5 Sheamus and Ricochet had another good match on WWE RAW
WWE RAW saw Sheamus come out to the ring looking angry. Sheamus had issued an open challenge at WWE WrestleMania Backlash that was answered by Ricochet. The two superstars had a good match at the pay-per-view before Sheamus picked up the victory. However, Ricochet took off with Sheamus’ gear following the match.
Sheamus grabbed a mic and demanded Ricochet return the coat and hat he stole from him. The two soon got into another match, and Ricochet used his speed to stay over the United States Champion.
Sheamus answered back with some thunderous blows and showed off his superior strength. He threw Ricochet into the timekeeper’s area and continued to keep the pressure on the high-flyer.
The two superstars went for their signature moves but could not put each other away. Sheamus finally leveled Ricochet with a Brogue Kick to pick up another victory.
The match was great and set the tone for the rest of the show. Humberto Carrillo seems to be out of the rivalry with The Celtic Warrior, and Ricochet has replaced him perfectly well.
It's odd that Mansoor was once again kept away from Sheamus on RAW. However, he could re-enter the picture soon after The Celtic Warrior is done picking up a few victories over Ricochet.
#4 Kofi Kingston defeated Randy Orton on WWE RAW
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were looking for an apology from Randy Orton after he delivered an RKO to both men on WWE RAW last week. Instead, Kingston got a match against The Viper later in the show.
Riddle wanted to see all four men get along, but instead, he had to accompany Orton to the ring for the match. The two veterans started the match with some textbook holds and moves to warm up the action.
The Viper started dominating the action throughout the middle part of the contest but did not use many heelish tactics. Both men exchanged some signature moves before Woods distracted Orton.
The distraction allowed Kingston to roll up Orton with a schoolboy pin to pick up the win. After the match, Riddle kept The Viper from attacking The New Day as they continued to argue. In the end, he shoved Woods to the floor as team R-K-Bro ended the segment.
Both men have competed in several matches over the past decade. Their chemistry in the ring allowed them to deliver yet another good performance on RAW.
WWE seems to be building an interesting connection between R-K-Bro and New Day. Will their rivalry continue over the coming weeks before one of the two teams challenges AJ Styles and Omos for the RAW Tag Team Championships?
#3 Alexa Bliss and Lilly turned their attention to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on RAW
Alexa Bliss and Lilly hosted Tamina and Natalya on Alexa’s Playground on RAW. The new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions promised to retain their titles against Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler later.
Jax and Baszler came out with Reginald by their side in hopes of winning back the titles. The challengers targeted Natalya early on and isolated her. Baszler focused on her arm and built up towards the Kirifuda Clutch.
The Queen of Harts managed to break free and tag Tamina into the contest. Tamina locked up against Jax and the two exchanged some explosive moves to show off their power.
Bliss appeared on the stage late in the match just as Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch. The Goddess of the WWE set off flames from a ring post that blinded Reginald. The distraction allowed Natalya to hit the Hart Attack to pick up the win.
The women’s tag team division in WWE seems to be shaping up better now than it was before. It looks like Lilly and Bliss have their eyes set on the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on RAW.
#2 Asuka bounced back on WWE RAW after her loss at WrestleMania Backlash
Charlotte Flair demanded another shot at Rhea Ripley’s WWE RAW Women’s Championship after WrestleMania Backlash. However, Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville told her that she’d have to beat Asuka first to get a rematch for the title.
Asuka took the pin on Sunday night but came out looking confident on RAW. She attacked Flair right after the bell, but an elbow to the face slowed her down.
Both superstars hit each other with their signature moves before Ripley’s music hit, and she came out to watch the match up close.
The Empress of Tomorrow kept the pressure on Flair and continued to fight out of some big moves. Ripley laughed as she watched Asuka dominate Flair in the latter part of the contest.
The Queen hit Ripley with a big boot late in the match, and Asuka took advantage of the situation by rolling her up for the three-count. The match was good and allowed Asuka to bounce back immediately after WWE WrestleMania Backlash.
The WWE RAW women’s division is finally getting more interesting, and it looks like these three superstars will remain in the title picture for some time.
#1 Kofi Kingston pinned Bobby Lashley on WWE RAW
Bobby Lashley arrived on WWE RAW following his massive victory at WrestleMania Backlash looking more confident than ever. The All Mighty boasted about his win before allowing MVP to issue an open challenge on his behalf.
Drew McIntyre came out to accept the challenge, but MVP made it clear that McIntyre and Braun Strowman were exempt from the offer. Throughout the night, several superstars made their intentions clear to answer the open challenge.
At the end of the night, Kofi Kingston surprisingly decided to come out and accept Lashley’s challenge. Before the match could begin, MVP clarified that the match was not for the WWE Championship.
Kingston took a few shots at Lashley before the opening bell. The All Mighty responded by taking Kingston down with a slam for a near fall. Kingston then tried to stay alive in the match with some quick strikes and high-flying maneuvers.
Xavier Woods once again used the trombone to distract Kingston’s opponent and allowed him to take advantage. The WWE Champion still managed to get back in the match and used his power well to stay over Kingston.
In the final moments of the match, McIntyre appeared to hit Lashley with MVP’s cane while the referee was distracted. This allowed Kingston to roll up Lashley for a massive victory on RAW.
The match was good and allowed these two veterans to compete against each other for the first time. Lashley needed to pick up a loss after such a dominating run. Kingston was the right man for the job as he is a former WWE Champion who has picked up several big victories in his career.
RAW should now build a short rivalry between Lashley and Kingston for the WWE Championship. The RAW creative team need to keep McIntyre away from the title for some time, and Kingston is the right man for the job.
