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This week's WWE RAW was also the go-home episode to Royal Rumble 2021, and we must say, it was a highly newsworthy show that had several notable developments. Edge made his highly-anticipated return to RAW and made an important announcement.
On the other hand, Alexa Bliss was stunned by The Viper, who made his terrifying presence felt in the main event of the night where Bliss took on Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship.
Apart from this, Goldberg and Drew McIntyre came face-to-face before their WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble, and Riddle scored a massive Gauntlet match win over The Hurt Business.
That said, let's take a look at all the developments from that show that has gotten the WWE Universe talking. Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.
#6 WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Goldberg come face-to-face on RAW
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre opened this week's RAW by talking about his upcoming clash against Goldberg at Royal Rumble 2021. He put over the WCW legend by saying he has beaten every world champion since his return. However, The Scottish Warrior then said the streak would come to an end come Sunday.
The Miz and John Morrison soon made their way towards the ring with the MITB briefcase holder, saying he would walk out of Royal Rumble as the new WWE Champion. They were interrupted by Golberg's music, and out came the former two-time Universal Champion on RAW.
Golberg came straight to the point and said 'You're Next' to McIntyre, after which they both took out Miz and Morrison owing to their attempts to instigate the two against each other. It was a predictable booking decision by the WWE creative to avoid any physical interaction between the champion and challenger, instead, align them to take down the MITB contract holder and Morrison.
Considering WWE's booking patterns in recent years, it wouldn't come as a surprise if they book The Miz to cash-in his contract and walk out as the new champion. The development can be followed by the WCW legend possibly defeating The Miz on RAW sometime later, and then lay out a challenge to McIntyre for a match at WrestleMania 37. It would keep the two men strong and ensure The Scottish Warrior gets his WrestleMania moment in front of a decent crowd.
Apart from this, the fact that The Miz is also an entrant in the Rumble match makes it even harder to determine what could realistically happen with him. It's to WWE's credit that they have managed to create so much intrigue around a story that not many were looking forward to initially.
#5 Edge makes his huge return to RAW, announces himself as an entrant in the Rumble match
The highly-anticipated return of Edge to RAW saw The Rated R-Superstar announcing himself as an entrant in the Royal Rumble match. Just a year ago, he had made his triumphant return to the same bout after nine-long years of retirement. He said he wants to win the WWE Championship, a title he relinquished ten years ago after WrestleMania 27, owing to his premature retirement. He further said he knows his days as an in-ring performer are numbered, and that he wants to win the big one before he hangs up his boots.
With his return, Edge has become an instant favorite to match. Until now, there were a lot of doubts over who could win the bout, but it seems like we have someone who can legitimately come up victorious. Given that Drew McIntyre retains his title at the pay-per-view and Edge wins the Rumble, we are staring at a legit dream match, which every fan certainly wants to see. Also, his interactions with WWE RAW Superstar Randy Orton would be fun to see.
#4 Randy Orton costs Alexa Bliss the RAW Women's Championship by attacking her
In the main event of RAW, Randy Orton made his presence felt after attacking Alexa Bliss during her match against Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship. With a burned face, thanks to Bliss' actions a couple of weeks ago on RAW, The Viper RKO'd her and stunned the viewers with his appearance. While the bout itself was reminiscent of last week's clash, The Goddess was yet again brilliant, with her performance being appropriately eerie and creepy.
On the other hand, Asuka continues to be a third-wheel in the story, with Bliss and Orton taking center stage. Also, The Empress of Tomorrow is not defending her title at Royal Rumble, which is disappointing.
Coming back, Orton's attack on Bliss has opened up several storyline possibilities. The Fiend making an appearance in the Rumble match to take out The Viper is a pretty huge possibility now, or even Bliss somehow showing up to do the same can happen. And with Edge also a part of the Rumble match, Orton is staring at a multitude of rivals who would be gunning to eliminate him from the bout.
#3 Riddle gets a shot at US Championship after defeating The Hurt Business in a Gauntlet match on RAW
The dissension among The Hurt Business members came into play during their Gauntlet match against Riddle on this week's RAW. The bout began with The Original Bro taking on one half of RAW Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin. Once Riddle defeated Benjamin, a minor disagreement broke between MVP and Cedric Alexander about who should enter the match next. It was MVP ultimately who entered the match, though he was tapped out just seconds later.
Cedric Alexander was the final entrant, and he had a pretty great back-and-forth with Riddle eventually coming on top via a roll-up. Post-match, US Champion Lashley brutalized the challenger. Ideally, Riddle should have won the match convincingly, as it would have made his challenge even stronger. Nevertheless, a Gauntlet match win is quite impressive and would surely give him the momentum going forward.
As for The Hurt Business, they are the most dominant faction on RAW, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to break them up as they still have so much more to achieve as a unit.
#2 Sheamus takes on both The Miz and John Morrison on RAW in a handicap match
The scheduled match on RAW between Sheamus and John Morrison was terrific and possibly the best showing by Morrison in months. The two Superstars gave their all in the ring, with The Celtic Warrior coming on top after a hard-fought clash. However, post-match, The Miz challenged Sheamus to a handicap match against him and Morrison.
The match saw the former three-time WWE Champion fight resiliently against the odds, though he fell short after The Miz scored a pinfall over him. On one hand, while he was thrashed by McIntyre and Goldberg in the opening segment on RAW, the MITB contract holder scored a momentum-boosting victory in this match. It's tough to determine what the company has planned for him, though it's clear he's certainly going to be involved in the WWE Championship match in some manner or the other.
As for Sheamus, even though he lost, he had a terrific showing and is sure to have an impressive performance in the Rumble match. Though he isn't a favorite to win, he can be in the match right until the final stages, with his dynamic with Keith Lee coming into play as well at some point.
#1 Lacey Evans attacks Charlotte Flair backstage on RAW after The Queen has a word with her father
Earlier on RAW, Charlotte Flair's one-on-one bout against Shayna Baszler was turned into a six-women clash pitting Flair, Dana Brooke, and Mandy Rose against the team of Baszler, Nia Jax, and Lacey Evans due to some outside shenanigans. The match ended with The Queen's team losing.
Later, she made her way backstage, where Ric Flair was teaching The Sassy Southern Belle a few wrestling moves. Asking Evans to go out, Flair had a word with her father, where she told him that only she can save him. While Flair was leaving, Evans attacked from behind and took her down. Unlike previously on RAW, where Ric Flair had willingly sided with Evans, here he seemed a little hesitant and looked worried about his daughter.
While the endpoint of this story would most probably be The Dirtiest Player in the Business aligning back with his daughter, WWE should avoid making this storyline more 'suggestive' in nature, and instead focus on the father-daughter dynamic to advance the narrative.
