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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. It was a happening show with a few central themes and figures. There weren't too many storylines, but a lot of emphasis given on the ongoing ones.
Jump in to see what WWE subtly told us this week on RAW!
#6 The truth about the 'weakness' in The Fiend's new storyline on RAW
Things are getting really interesting on RAW. A Moment of Bliss opened the show and Randy Orton entered, constantly checking his surroundings to see whether The Fiend was waiting for him.
There was no doubt that The Fiend was around, but he had to take a little time to get there. Randy Orton had a verbal back-and-forth with Alexa Bliss, who was speaking on The Fiend's behalf. Alexa Bliss' character has taken a whole new shape on RAW and it can be seen in every little thing that she does and says.
Randy Orton said that the man he met a few years ago was Bray Wyatt, but he wasn't formally introduced to The Fiend. Orton said that his objective was to find The Fiend's weakness and he stared into Alexa Bliss' eyes and said that he had found it.
It led to a tense stand-off between the two and surely enough, the lights started going out. It was certainly something Randy Orton anticipated as he was holding Alexa Bliss in his arms by the time The Fiend arrived.
The Fiend only caught her and kept her in his arms while Randy Orton walked away smiling and laughing. It might be very straightforward to think that The Fiend has a weakness, but in reality, that's a little too simple. There has to be another twist in all of this and we wouldn't be surprised if the whole "weakness" angle turns out to be an illusion portrayed by The Fiend. Either way, expect a more interesting rivalry than what they had three-and-a-half years ago.
#5 The Miz and John Morrison's role as the central figures on RAW
The Miz and John Morrison were the central figures of this week's episode of RAW. Not the two most exciting names, especially since neither has had much momentum.
The Money in the Bank briefcase was constantly in the conversation and The Miz and John Morrison attempted to manipulate Sheamus into turning on Drew McIntyre. In fact, the whole episode of RAW saw The Miz trying to manipulate the situation so the Money in the Bank cash-in becomes easier. They tried manipulating Sheamus, who recently turned babyface, but that didn't work out for them and they assaulted him instead.
AJ Styles, who emerged as the No.1 contender (and we'll get back to that later) was also vocal about wanting The Miz to cash in, but that was with an ulterior motive in mind.
Either way, The Miz didn't look too good today despite being the central figure of RAW and Drew McIntyre's line about how he's relevant only because of the briefcase made him look worse.
After the main event, The Miz attempted a cash-in with AJ Styles and John Morrison's help but it didn't materialize.
Ultimately, 2020 doesn't seem to be the year of a successful cash-in. While The Miz could become a two-time WWE Champion, it seems as though the writing on the wall is for him to fail his cash in.
#4 Will the unlikely alliance on RAW lead to a big title win?
Last week, Lana and Asuka went one-on-one in a RAW Women's title match. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax interrupted and soon enough, the match ended after Asuka attacked Nia Jax and it led to a brawl.
Asuka was about to become victim to Nia Jax the way Lana did for over nine weeks in a row. Luckily, Lana saved the RAW Women's Champion and prevented her from going through the table, leading to a non-title tag team match where the unlikely duo won.
With momentum on her side, Lana and Asuka once again teamed up on RAW to face Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax in a non-title match. While Shayna Baszler was seconds away from submitting Lana, Asuka slipped in and landed a shining wizard, allowing her partner to pin one half of the Women's Tag Team Champions and pick up the win.
Now, Lana may not be doing the heavy lifting, but this could lead to bigger things for her. She is yet to win a title on RAW or SmackDown in the last six years and her unlikely alliance with Asuka could very well lead to them becoming WWE Women's Tag Team Champions.
#3 Is Dana Brooke finally getting valuable TV time on RAW?
Dana Brooke is a Superstar who has struggled to get regular TV time for over four-and-a-half years now on both RAW and SmackDown. From being one of the most highly-criticized Superstars in a stacked Women's division, she has worked hard to prove that she belongs.
While there's no doubt that she does, the struggle to find regular TV time is something that continues to be a problem with her. While her tag team alliance with Mandy Rose on RAW would have given her regular TV time, the latter's injury would have normally meant that Dana Brooke would go back to her old position.
However, Dana Brooke surprisingly got involved with Reckoning from RETRIBUTION, and this week, she got a measure of revenge by slapping leader Mustafa Ali during Ricochet's match with Slapjack.
Dana Brooke faced Reckoning and got revenge for the latter taking her out of the Survivor Series Team, beating her via a roll-up.
It'll be interesting to see what her involvement on RAW is going forward, but given that there is a relative lack of names occupying the RAW Women's division, she would be an important character.
#2 AJ Styles returns to the WWE title picture on RAW, but what is his fate?
AJ Styles faced [Matt] Riddle and Keith Lee in a Sudden Death Triple Threat Match to determine Drew McIntyre's WWE title opponent at TLC. The match on RAW was a good one, but it was also somewhat predictable after the rumors of Braun Strowman's injury emerged.
As expected, AJ Styles was the man who emerged victoriously. While Keith Lee and Riddle would have been good opponents, neither of them have the World Championship caliber to challenge for RAW's main title just yet.
AJ Styles vs Drew McIntyre will be a blockbuster TLC match if it happens. What was interesting was that post-match on RAW, Styles interacted with The Miz and John Morrison - who were recurring characters in the episode.
Styles said that he was willing to help The Miz cash in his briefcase successfully. A few seconds later, a perplexed Miz asked why he was willing to help, to which Styles responded that it would be "easier" to defeat him for the WWE title than it would be to defeat McIntyre.
As good an opportunity as it is for AJ Styles, it looks like he will have to wait for a bit to get his hands on the WWE title for the third time.
#1 Riddle's jumps from one title picture to the next on RAW
It's not all bad for Riddle on RAW. It was always too early for him to jump into the WWE title picture for a PPV, but that doesn't mean that he's short on Championship opportunities.
Last week on RAW, you may remember that segment where Riddle went to MVP and pitched the idea of pizza-flavored yogurt. This week on RAW, he had another backstage meeting with MVP - except this time, it was a lot tenser.
MVP told Riddle that he was glad that he lost before the latter was blindsided by Bobby Lashley. It appears as though we have a new United States title contender for TLC.
It's an interesting feud. While we would like to see Riddle overcome his first major opponent on RAW, Lashley has had momentum behind him and could easily hold the United States Championship until a later point in 2021.
It should be a fun feud and a fun match if they're given a stipulation at TLC.
