6 things WWE got right on this week’s RAW (February 3, 2020)

This week’s RAW was loaded with some great matches and segments that kept fans glued to their screens from the beginning till the end.

RAW’s veteran performer Randy Orton kicked off the show but failed to deliver one of the most important promos of his entire career. NXT Superstars were also at the show as the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion and current NXT Champion helped set the pace for the night.

Kevin Owens once again tried to take down The Monday Night Messiah and his faction, but he was outnumbered once again. ‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar also met his challenger for Super ShowDown at the end of the show.

This week’s episode was one of the finest we’ve seen in a long time, and we will look at the six things WWE got right this week below.

#6 Randy Orton's segment

Last week, Edge made his return to RAW to a huge pop from the crowd. While he was addressing the WWE Universe, his former friend and tag team partner Randy Orton arrived to congratulate Edge on his return and embraced him.

However, The Viper struck moments after and took Edge out completely with the use of steel chairs which may have reinjured Edge’s surgically repaired neck which had forced him to retire almost a decade ago.

The night opened up to a video package showing Orton’s brutal attack on Edge before The Viper walked out to explain his actions.

While fans were desperate to know what pushed Orton to do such a thing, Orton seemed at a loss for words and walked out of the arena.

This was an effortless segment that left many questions unanswered while returning The Apex Predator to his throne as the biggest heel in the company. Was it the voices in his head that made him do it? Or is his dark side pulling him back? Will Orton ever explain his actions to anyone?

While we will get the answers very soon, Orton’s arrival this week reminded fans that his differences with Edge were far from over.

#5 Riott returns

The Lana saga continued this week as The Ravishing Russian was scheduled to take on Liv Morgan in a one-on-one match during the early stages of the night.

Lana tried to fake an injury in order to gain an advantage, but Morgan did not let the match slip too far. It didn’t take long for Morgan to hit the Flatliner to pick up the victory over Lana.

While the match seemed to be over pretty quickly, it was what RAW was setting up next that made all the difference.

Ruby Riott made her return to the brand after months away due to injury and immediately went after her former stablemate. Riott did not seem pleased with how Morgan has transformed and attacked her former friend without any reason. After she was done, Lana picked up the pieces and delivered her beating to Morgan to close out the segment.

RAW seems to have done well to return Riott during an ongoing storyline to allow her to get more attention. She could return with a new character just like Morgan, and a rivalry between these two women could turn out to be better than the one between Lana and Morgan.

#4 Garza arrives

This Monday Night, Humberto Carrillo took to the ring when former Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza arrived to attack his cousin. Garza, accompanied by Zelina Vega, seemed to have arrived to avenge Carrillo's attack on Andrade last week.

Garza set up Carrillo to plant him on the cement just like what had been done to Andrade, but Rey Mysterio once again came out to make the save.

This led to a match between the newcomer and the veteran, as both the highflyers showed extremely good chemistry in the ring.

After Mysterio set Garza up for the 619 on his way to pick up a victory, Vega once again caused a disruption. This allowed Garza to take control and pulled Mysterio out to the floor and then planted him on the concrete with a vicious DDT.

This was a surprisingly good segment that saw Garza make a great first impression after his short run as the NXT Cruiserweight Champion. He got to work with his cousin, followed by the best cruiserweight this industry has ever seen and play an excellent heel. With the mid-card crowding up, this is a good way to keep the cruiserweights busy, and the return of Andrade could set up some great matches involving the four men.

#3 KO continues the build

With the odds stacked up against him, KO was not ready to back down

Kevin Owens and The Viking Raiders joined forces to take on Buddy Murphy and the AOP this week in a six-man tag team elimination match.

Murphy was overconfident coming into this match and was ready to show the world that their faction was the one that was holding the brand together.

The match started off strong, but Seth Rollins used his usual heel tactics to deliver a Stomp to Erik while the referee was distracted to set up the first elimination of the match,

Soon after, Ivar picked up an injury as he collided into the LED board at ringside which took him out of the match too. The Prizefighter was the last man left to take on the three heels, but he never let the numbers get to him.

A pop-up powerbomb set up the first elimination as Murphy was taken out by Owens. Soon after he connected a Stunner on Akam and pinned him to leave Rezar as the last man standing on the heel side.

After a hard-fought match, Rezar was able to hit a couple of spine busters on KO to pick up the victory for the heels.

However, this only built KO who now seems like the only constant in the fight against the heelish faction and also the biggest babyface on RAW.

#2 Rhea Ripley laid down the challenge

The winner of the two Royal Rumble matches can’t wait to get their opportunities at WrestleMania 36. While the men’s Royal Rumble winner Drew McIntyre has chosen who he wants to face at the event, Charlotte Flair is still working hard to make up her mind.

Fans were expecting and hoping that she makes her decision soon so that the suspense could come to an end, but she seems to be enjoying it all too much.

Many fans were also of the opinion that she would head over to NXT on Wednesday night and challenge the NXT Champion Rhea Ripley to a match for the title.

However, this week, WWE surprised everyone by bringing the NXT Champion on Monday Night RAW instead. Flair was in the ring to remind fans that she had already done it all in the ring and defeated every single Champion.

This statement brought out The Nightmare who reminded The Queen that she never beat her and instead Ripley had beaten Flair during the build-up to Survivor Series.

Ripley laid down the challenge to book herself for a match at WrestleMania 36 too, but WWE did not make things easier for the fans as they did the right thing by not allowing Flair to commit to who she would challenge.

The suspense will keep the rumor mills churning and give fans a lot to discuss on social media before the final announcement is made.

#1 The One and Only gets his chance

The main event of the night was truly a blockbuster match as RAW decided to allow one of the three top RAW Superstars to earn a spot to face Brock Lesnar at Super ShowDown.

Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, and Ricochet were the three men who faced off to decide the challengers and while fans expected a fair match, interferences from Buddy Murphy and AOP titled the game in The Monday Night Messiah’s favor. However, help arrived in the form of Kevin Owens and The Viking Raiders who took down Murphy and AOP and sent them running.

Rollins was taken out and this provided Ricochet to hit his signature 630 Splash on The All Mighty to pick up the victory.

The One and Only overcame two bigger guys to earn the biggest opportunity of his entire career and continue the story that had been building since a week before Royal Rumble.

However, The Beast arrived to lay out Ricochet with an F5, sending a clear message to WWE’s Resident Superhero.

This was a great piece of booking as not only did the creatives work with the angle set up before and during the Royal Rumble, but Lesnar’s arrival after the match confirmed that he saw Ricochet as somewhat of a threat.