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Things took an interesting turn on WWE RAW this week. The opening segment of the show witnessed Bobby Lashley and Sheamus engage in a brutal match. Right after the WWE Champion secured a win, he was surprised to see that Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin had started assaulting Sheamus.
After watching The Hurt Business members gang up on Sheamus, Drew McIntyre walked out to help his best friend. This led to a Handicap match in which Alexander and Benjamin teamed up to take on McIntyre on WWE RAW. The Scottish Warrior won that in-ring bout, which prompted Bobby Lashley to search for someone else who can tame his WrestleMania opponent inside the ring.
The WWE Champion will expect someone to answer his challenge soon. Whoever can get the job done will get a world title shot and possibly find an ally in The Hurt Business. In this article, we will take a look at five superstars on RAW who can step up for the task.
#1 Sheamus (one final shot at being involved in the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 37)
WWE Superstar Sheamus has been one of the top performers on RAW for a while now. He delivered five consecutive brutal matches facing Drew McIntyre thrice and Bobby Lashley twice. A little over a month ago, Sheamus had a WWE Championship match within his reach, but the plans quickly changed after McIntyre lost the title.
Although his former best friend came to his aid on RAW, Sheamus was not happy that all the attention went to the staredown between McIntyre and Lashley. He believes that a WrestleMania match was booked between the two superstars because he built up that feud. Thus, he feels neglected from the title picture.
Right after this week’s RAW, Sheamus discussed his past year in WWE and talked about working hard inside the ring every night. He said that he brought out the animal within Big E on SmackDown, pushed McIntyre to his limits, and dominated Lashley inside the ring. Sheamus could use Lashley’s open challenge to fight McIntyre once again. This will be his final shot at booking a spot for himself in the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania.
Even if that doesn’t happen, Sheamus wants everyone to know that keeping out of the title match is a big mistake. A memorable confrontation with McIntyre will help strengthen his argument. Sheamus also attacked Riddle backstage, teasing the possibility of a United States Championship match at WrestleMania.
However, Sheamus stated that he doesn’t care about Riddle during his appearance on the recent edition of RAW Talk. It appears that The Celtic Warrior has plans to hijack one of the biggest title feuds in WWE before WrestleMania.
#2 Keith Lee (returns and turns heel on WWE RAW)
Keith Lee has been away from WWE television for some time. He recently stated that he would be back on the Red brand soon. Lee could accept Lashley’s challenge to take out Drew McIntyre. Both superstars have faced each other before, and Lee could use this opportunity to reassert his dominance on RAW.
Keith Lee has lost a lot of momentum since his arrival on the WWE main roster. He seems to be an ally of Drew McIntyre, and thus, helping Lashley against McIntyre could mark his heel turn. It would add something new to his gimmick on RAW and will make him interesting once again. It could also lead to Lee potentially joining The Hurt Business.
Lashley has openly stated that he wanted Lee to be a part of his faction on RAW. The latter could benefit from being a part of one of the most dominant stables in WWE today. It would also allow The Hurt Business to go after all the titles on RAW and establish themselves as the most dominant group on the Red brand.
#3 Cedric Alexander (sends a message to the WWE Champion)
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley was not happy after Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin interfered in his match against Sheamus. He was further disappointed that Alexander and Benjamin could not beat Drew McIntyre in their two-on-one Handicap match on RAW. The former tag team champions might want to make up for it on the Red brand.
Alexander merely wanted to send a message by attacking Sheamus earlier on the show. But he now desperately needs to redeem himself in the eyes of Lashley and MVP. Alexander could use Lashley’s open challenge on WWE RAW to face McIntyre once again and prove his mettle inside the ring.
Between Benjamin and Alexander, the latter has a better chance of seeking another match with Drew McIntyre. He has always been the more egoistic one and has implied that he is better than Benjamin on several occasions. This could be a huge opportunity for him to prove that the WWE Champion will be benefited from keeping Cedric Alexander on his side. A singles match between McIntyre and Alexander certainly looks promising.
#4 Braun Strowman (fuels his feud with Shane McMahon in WWE)
WWE Superstar Braun Strowman is currently feuding with Shane McMahon on RAW. The latter has spent the last few weeks bullying Strowman for his apparent stupidity. They were scheduled to face each other at Fastlane, but Shane McMahon sustained an injury. That turned out to be false because he attacked Strowman on RAW right after the pay-per-view.
Using Strowman in the ongoing WWE Championship feud could help the creative strike two birds with one stone. He has been desperate for a title shot, and Shane McMahon can use that to play yet another game. McMahon can convince The Hurt Business to promise a title opportunity to Strowman in exchange for taking out McIntyre. The only thing is that MVP will have to use clever words to manipulate The Monster Among Men.
Once Strowman gets the job done, he can be denied the promised chance owing to a technicality in their agreement. A frustrated Strowman will then become an easy target for Shane McMahon, who can ridicule his WrestleMania opponent for being tricked once again. This will add more substance to their ongoing feud in WWE and set up a path to reintroduce Strowman in the WWE Championship picture after the next pay-per-view.
#5 John Morrison (reclaims a WWE title opportunity for The Miz)
WWE creative is probably using the open challenge angle to keep Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley from engaging in a match before WrestleMania. It is the perfect way to involve someone in a one-off encounter without worrying much about how it will affect the title feud in the future.
It is clear that The Miz and John Morrison will keep an eye on any opportunity that can take them closer to the WWE Championship. Morrison can suggest that they once again make a deal with The Hurt Business. Only this time, Morrison would like to face McIntyre, and if he wins, The Miz or him can get another shot at Lashley’s title.
McIntyre will end up picking up an easy victory, and WWE can stall his in-ring meeting with Lashley. It would not be the best booking decision, but it would still be hilarious to see John Morrison squaring up to Drew McIntyre. Morrison excels at selling, and he can add more credibility to McIntyre’s dominance inside the ring as we inch closer to WrestleMania.
