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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. It was a mixed bag of an episode, but the focal point was quite entertaining to watch. The ending and main event of RAW was fantastic, which is often enough for fans to praise it.
There was a great deal of storyline progression heading into Extreme Rules 2021 this week. Here's what WWE subtly told us this week on RAW:
#5 Bobby Lashley's next opponent on RAW and title pictures intertwining
RAW began with WWE Champion Bobby Lashley getting an Extreme Rules challenge when he interrupted Randy Orton and Riddle. To recap, last week, RK-Bro retained the RAW Tag Team Titles against MVP and Bobby Lashley.
The episode of RAW ended last week with Randy Orton hitting an RKO on Bobby Lashley, setting up a future title match between them. Orton challenged The All Mighty to a WWE Title match at Extreme Rules, and the bout was made official soon after.
Following this, RK-Bro sat at ringside to witness who would become their next RAW Tag Team title contenders. The New Day became the big stars as they eliminated The Viking Raiders, Jinder Mahal and Veer and Mace and T-Bar.
However, when they eliminated the former RETRIBUTION members, they were assaulted, as were the following entrants in the Tag Team Turmoil, Mustafa Ali and Mansoor.
Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce halted the match and said it would continue later on in the night. It should be noted that Bobby Lashley and MVP inserted themselves into the bout as well.
When the match restarted half an hour before RAW ended, The New Day had to take on Mansoor and Mustafa Ali. Kingston and Woods got through them, but it was game over once AJ Styles and Omos came out.
The New Day inevitably succumbed to the former RAW Tag Team Champions, and Bobby Lashley and MVP were the last competitors. What was most notable about this was the interaction and face-off between WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and Omos.
The crowd reacted well to the two powerhouses, and it essentially teased an unexpected future match between the two men. We haven't seen Bobby Lashley get manhandled the way he did by Omos, giving a further claim to AJ Styles' tag team partner.
Ultimately, Bobby Lashley speared AJ Styles and got the win, securing a RAW Tag Team Title match next week. The WWE and RAW Tag Team title pictures are now intertwined.
Bobby Lashley could even be the first man to pin Omos on RAW. But that's in the future. For now, Bobby Lashley will cross paths with Randy Orton, who gave him an RKO for the second week in a row to end the show.
#4 Did Drew McIntyre tease a heel turn on RAW?
Whenever Sheamus and Drew McIntyre have stepped into the same ring on RAW, they always deliver. Last week, both men were involved in a Triple Threat match against Damian Priest, who successfully defended the US Title against both men.
This time around on RAW, Damian Priest watched from backstage to find out who his Extreme Rules opponent would be. The crowd showed their appreciation towards the match as they put on another instant classic.
It was Sheamus who walked out victorious. However, he held a fistful of Drew McIntyre's tights while pinning him. Drew McIntyre got pinned on RAW for the second time in a row and he launched a post-match assault on Sheamus.
Although it wasn't a particularly heel move, it came off that way in front of the WWE Universe. It's the first time in a while that we've seen the two-time WWE Champion tease a heel turn, but it doesn't seem like it will happen.
But it could help Drew McIntyre's character grow. As for Sheamus, he gets a SummerSlam rematch against Damian Priest at Extreme Rules 2021.
#3 Nikki A.S.H. & Rhea Ripley a step away from Tag Team title glory on RAW?
Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley were interviewed before their match on RAW, where they both admitted to not having much in common. They were booked to face current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina, who have lost momentum in recent months.
Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley could easily gone down the pecking order after losing the RAW Women's title bout to Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam. However, their pairing together has worked out so far. It's week three, and they're already in a prime position to compete for the Women's Tag Team titles.
Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley continued to gain momentum on RAW as they faced and defeated the tag team champions in a non-title match. As of this writing, they're not booked for a Championship bout just yet, but we expect the announcement to come very soon.
Hopefully, it's a match that takes place at Extreme Rules 2021 and not on RAW. While odd pairing tag teams seem to be all the rage these days, Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley have shown genuine chemistry together on RAW so far.
#2 Did Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler finally split on RAW?
This week on RAW, Women's Champion Charlotte Flair defended her title against Nia Jax. It seemed clear that the Alexa Bliss program is going to be a priority for Extreme Rules, but the Nia Jax match was set up for the show tonight.
Although Jax beat Charlotte Flair last week on RAW in a non-title match, she couldn't replicate her feat this week as The Queen retained her crown. However, what was interesting was the fallout between Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.
There was already a lot of tension between the former Women's Tag Team Champions. But it was Shayna Baszler's distraction that ultimately led to Charlotte Flair retaining the RAW Women's Title.
What followed after was WWE bringing back Alexa Bliss to confront Charlotte Flair. Alexa Bliss (and Lilly) invited The Queen to her playground, but Charlotte Flair declined the offer. Bliss said that she would have to come to her, and within seconds, the former Women's Champion popped out of nowhere.
Charlotte Flair asked her what she wanted and Alexa Bliss simply pointed to the RAW Women's title. The match has been made official Extreme Rules 2021 and we are in for an interesting battle.
#1 WWE is doing surprisingly well with Karrion Kross on RAW
Despite the weird Moist TV segment that happened on RAW, the outcome wasn't bad. For starters, RAW newcomer Karrion Kross was interviewed on Moist TV, where John Morrison's music was playing in the background while he was talking, for some odd reason.
Karrion Kross stated his intent to destroy Morrison, who thought that he was joking. He asked Kross whether he was going for the US title, the WWE title, or something else, and Kross said he would do all of it - but not before destroying John Morrison.
Although Morrison tried to show his veteran status by revealing his encounters with The Undertaker, Kane, DX, etc., Kross vowed to give him a beating in the ring.
That's exactly what happened as Karrion Kross squashed the veteran John Morrison on RAW. Morrison tried using a dripstick, but it backfired on him and made Kross angrier.
This is the best way for WWE to handle Karrion Kross. Since he isn't in any active storyline, it makes sense to be booked in squash matches on RAW. These type of bouts are a tried and tested formula to get heels over with the WWE Universe. Despite mishandling him at first, WWE has been doing well with Karrion Kross.
