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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. Happy to be back after almost a month away and a special thanks goes out to Riju Dasgupta for covering 'things WWE subtly told us' for RAW, SmackDown, and Survivor Series during this absence.
It was a happening episode of RAW without Drew McIntyre, but one that centered around finding his next opponent. Since that was the central theme, let's start off with what transpired and what it could mean going forward on RAW.
#5. RAW's explosive start and the fallout
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The Red brand had quite the explosive start with WWE official Adam Pearce in the ring alongside the five members of the Men's RAW Survivor Series team. As you probably know, the RAW Men's team enjoyed a clean sweep and while it wasn't unprecedented, Adam Pearce couldn't hide the fact that it was impressive.
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As a result, RAW started off with the search for a title challenger for WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, and naturally, the five potential contenders were Keith Lee, Riddle, Braun Strowman, Sheamus, and AJ Styles.
Adam Pearce asked each member to make a case for getting a WWE Championship opportunity and each member cut off the other and stated their case. Braun Strowman, however, didn't take too kindly and ended up grabbing Adam Pearce before attacking him.
Braun Strowman was escorted out and his night on RAW was over. As a result, he seemingly lost his No. 1 contender's opportunity, and while Adam Pearce came out from the trainer's room, he was approached by Charly Caruso, Bobby Lashley, and then Randy Orton.
He then declared that there would be three singles matches that would lead to a No. 1 contender's triple threat match, with the three winners facing off next week to cement themselves as Drew McIntyre's next opponent.
It appears as though a few things have come off this - Firstly, Braun Strowman and Adam Pearce could have a clash of heads again (not literally), with Pearce stating that if he had the power, Strowman would be fired for his actions on RAW.
That would be an interesting way to go about, but back to the contender's matches, the outcomes saw Riddle defeat Sheamus, while Keith Lee defeated Bobby Lashley by disqualification.
AJ Styles defeated Randy Orton thanks to some help from The Fiend, but we'll get back to that.
While AJ Styles might be a clear favorite among the three, Braun Strowman's interaction and role in the entire situation could lead to him becoming Drew McIntyre's TLC opponent.
Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman as the TLC main event would be solid with the said stipulation and it could be an explosive match-up. Until then, we'll have to see how it plays out going forward next week.
#4. Lana's solo journey on RAW is taking a new turn
Lana has been getting quite the spotlight these last two months. The attention she has been getting on RAW has primarily been due to the fact that Nia Jax has put her through a table nine times in a row.
Both Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler refused to let Lana participate for RAW in the Women's elimination match and a series of circumstances saw Lana emerge as the sole survivor. An impressed Asuka assumed that Lana asked for a title shot (which she technically didn't) and gave it to her anyway.
Soon after, a happy Asuka came to the ring, and their match had begun, but Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler and came out and sat on the commentary desk. While Shayna Baszler was proclaiming that she should be next in line for a RAW Women's title shot, Asuka came to the table and had a moment of provocation where she squeezed water from a bottle on the Women's Tag Team Champions before getting attacked, causing a DQ.
Lana was the unlikely savior in the situation and it led to an impromptu tag team match. For once, Nia Jax failed to put Lana through a table and she dodged her, leading to Jax flying over the announcer's table. That proved to be the turning point and Asuka rolled up Shayna Baszler.
We could see a situation where Asuka and Lana become unlikely tag team title contenders, if not Champions. The payoff is coming soon for Lana and we wouldn't be surprised to see the story end for her with her first title win on RAW or pay-per-view.
#3. The true end to the Alexa Bliss-Nikki Cross story on RAW
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross finally clashed heads after the latter was done trying to convince Bliss to stray away from The Fiend. It was a solid match on RAW with some good storytelling, but Nikki Cross certainly did no favors by looking like a gullible babyface.
Before that, let's backtrack to the Firefly Fun House segment, where there was a cameo from the newest character - The Friendship Frog. That didn't sit too well with Alexa Bliss and Bray Wyatt, with the former smashing the Friendship Frog to premature death - quite the graphic scene.
It was representative of what was to come and it was clear even before that Alexa Bliss wouldn't be changing alliances. That didn't stop Alexa Bliss from playing the fool on RAW and making Nikki Cross believe that she was a changed woman and reverted to her old ways.
This led to Alexa Bliss hugging Nikki Cross before giving an altered version of Sister Abigail. That officially ends their friendship, and potentially even their storyline. What lies ahead for Alexa Bliss on RAW?
#2. A bad night in the office on RAW for The Hurt Business
RAW wasn't the best night for The Hurt Business. It started off with a RAW tag team title match between The New Day and Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander. We have no doubt that Benjamin's current run on RAW with The Hurt Business has been his best since returning to WWE. However, the inconsistencies have done them no favors.
Don't get us wrong - The Hurt Business is still one of the best things about RAW, but not many have been benefiting except Bobby Lashley. The United States Champion represented RAW at Survivor Series and defeated Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, but he went up against Keith Lee in a WWE title qualifier.
MVP cost Bobby Lashley his opportunity by attacking Keith Lee mid-match - a decision that seemed questionable.
However, The New Day still defeated The Hurt Business yet again and while we're not sure if that marks the end of their feud, it doesn't look good for The Hurt Business. Riddle's interaction with MVP suggests that he could be a potential opponent for the United States title.
#1. Randy Orton and The Fiend's RAW encounter
After Randy Orton won the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell, it became clear that a feud with The Fiend was inevitable on RAW. While his feud with Bray Wyatt in 2017 was interesting, the payoff wasn't. Randy Orton even told Sportskeeda's own Riju Dasgupta that he didn't feel as though he was very compatible with Bray Wyatt in the ring.
Randy Orton slithered his way into the WWE title conversation after speaking to Adam Pearce, and his opponent was AJ Styles in the main event of RAW. Thanks to a distraction from The Fiend, AJ Styles was able to pick up the win with a Phenomenal Forearm.
What's interesting about the AJ Styles-Randy Orton dynamic is that last year when they faced off at WrestleMania, Styles was a face and Orton was the heel. In early 2020 when they had a brief rivalry on RAW, Randy Orton was the babyface, and AJ Styles was the heel. This time, they were both heels and it will be another heel that Randy Orton will feud with The Fiend.
While AJ Styles vs. Riddle vs. Keith Lee is the main match next week, The Fiend vs. Randy Orton will begin shortly. Will it be different this time on RAW or will it lead to another disappointing payoff?
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