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The second edition of Monday Night RAW in 2020 was a solid one. While we liked last week's episode a bit more, this one certainly gave it a run for its money. It always helps when the crowd is hot and on the latest episode, they were great - being appreciative of the matches they saw.
There was a bunch of twists and turns in the episode and we'll jump right away into what happened in the triple threat match that had a direct impact on the main event. There have been more matches announced for next week's episode and certain Superstars have gained a lot of momentum heading into the Royal Rumble.
Next week is the go-home show and here's what WWE subtly told us on the latest RAW!
#6. Buddy Murphy's stock rises even in defeat
When you get a standing ovation and "This is awesome!" chants twice during a match, you know that you're doing something right. It's been clear since the first time Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy faced off that the two men have great chemistry together.
After having yet another great match with Black, Murphy was defeated and spent the rest of the show ringside looking distraught. You read that right. Even during Erick Rowan's squash match, he was seen ringside, rejecting an interview from Charly Caruso.
In the main event, Seth Rollins asked him to help and Murphy obliged, hitting Big Show with a low blow. He helped Rollins and the AoP pick up the win and joined the faction after the match.
The reason why it happened is possibly that he was always rumored to be a Superstar who Paul Heyman wanted to push. His stock has grown even in defeat and there are big things planned for him. This is a reward in a way for the work he's been putting in the past year and more.
#5. Holding off on Brock Lesnar's next opponent
WWE is making sure that we have no idea who's next for Brock Lesnar and the WWE Championship. All we've been hearing are rumblings about a potential Cain Velasquez or Tyson Fury feud.
Naturally, neither of those prospects excites WWE fans as most feel that it would be a waste of having Lesnar around - especially when he's holding the WWE Championship. There hasn't been any rumor about him facing a full-time star and that could still happen given what WWE is doing right now.
They've made it very clear that as of now, there's nobody ready to challenge The Beast. That's why he is competing in the Royal Rumble 2020 match despite being a World Champion. In 2017 and 2018, he had good opponents but this year, there seems to be something lacking.
WWE made sure to not even give us a tease of a potential opponent or confrontation even though they could have. That means that they're keeping everything under wraps and we'll only find out what lies ahead for him in the Royal Rumble main event.
He's back again next week, so let's see what happens.
#4. Building Rey Mysterio vs Andrade into something special
It's a big surprise to us that on the numerous occasions that Andrade and Rey Mysterio have faced off - not one match has been on PPV. Every match has been of PPV quality and when you put two world-class Luchadors in the ring, only fireworks are expected.
Andrade vs Rey Mysterio has always had a personal grudge rivalry feel to it and that was only fuelled last week when El Idolo removed Mysterio's mask. They'll have another big rematch next week, except it has the biggest stipulation - a ladder match.
We've seen great contests between the two but we could witness the greatest one next week. It appears as though WWE is trying to shape Andrade vs Mysterio into a classic rivalry and to do that - they need a big PPV stage.
Either way, the ultimate objective is to make Andrade the next big Latino star and that's perhaps why the feud even has an element of representing Latino people. Whether there will be a title change or not next week - it's hard to say.
#3. The fantastic storytelling in the RAW Women's Championship feud
Although the two women have a slight language barrier between them, it hasn't stopped either one from telling a fantastic story. There's been only bits and pieces of physical altercations, with WWE wanting to save the best for the Royal Rumble.
On the latest episode of RAW, there was a contract signing between the two women - hosted by Jerry 'The King' Lawler. There wasn't much said before the contract was signed and once the pen touched the paper, Asuka was quick to get one over The Man Becky Lynch after getting struck last week.
She spat the green mist at Lynch's face and the RAW Women's Champion sold it like death. The Japanese star laughed it off with her tag team partner Kairi Sane and Lynch would cut a scathing promo despite not being able to see.
It indicated the fantastic bit of storytelling between both women and even then, Lynch put over Asuka indirectly. We hope to see a great match on the big stage.
#2. Lana is going to be the weak link; the cracks are already exposed
Bobby Lashley and Rusev had their second match since the rivalry began in late September. It's the fourth month of the feud now and somehow, it doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. It took them three months to introduce Liv Morgan, to begin with.
During the bout, Lana interjected but Morgan came out to even the odds. The screaming contest at ringside resulted in The Ravishing Russian taking a fan's cup of Pepsi and pouring it on Morgan. The distraction led to Rusev peaking outside, allowing Lashley to pick up the win.
We expected the scores to be even between the two men but it's far from it. Backstage, Lana and Lashley were interviewed post-match and The Ravishing Russian declared that she wanted to have a Mixed Tag Team match next week against Rusev and Morgan.
Lashley was visibly furious and the cracks have already begun to show. The All Mighty was angry that he had to face Rusev again while Lana was confident in getting the job done. It simply means that Lana will be the weak link that loses it for her team.
#1. Drew McIntyre continues to prove why he could win the Royal Rumble
Drew McIntyre has subtly been gaining momentum on RAW each week. It's one of those cases where the company has been very careful to push and protect him without outright revealing that he could be 'the guy'.
It's been a while since he last lost a match and he has been getting stronger reactions every week. We were supposed to see Randy Orton and AJ Styles open the show in a WrestleMania 35 rematch but McIntyre interjected and added himself to the match.
It was a fantastic opener to the show and Orton hit the Styles Clash, which AJ Styles kicked out of, but The Phenomenal One couldn't kick out of the RKO. However, it wasn't Orton who got the pin - it was McIntyre.
He is going to be one of the favorites to win the Royal Rumble. If not, it's almost guaranteed that he'll be in the final three or four. But the way he's being pushed seems to suggest that he's a frontrunner for the win.
