6 Things WWE subtly told us on RAW: Champion gets humiliated, Controversial story being used to make superstar a top heel? (January 18th, 2021)

Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW! It was unfortunately a below-par episode of the Red brand, and one of the main saving graces of the show was the ending.

As usual, Alexa Bliss was the star of RAW, and we saw the aftermath of her attack on Randy Orton. The parts we won't cover include The Miz and John Morrison's segment with Gillberg, Xavier Woods' loss to Mace of RETRIBUTION, Jaxson Ryker's match against Jeff Hardy, Riddle and Lucha House Party's match against The Hurt Business, and Drew McIntyre's appearance.

The WWE Champion revealed that he will be returning to RAW next week:

Goldberg is returning to RAW as well. So let's jump right into the most interesting part of the night on RAW:

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#6 Is Alexa Bliss in pursuit of the RAW Women's Championship?

Alexa Bliss and Asuka in an incredible segment

Alexa Bliss was by far the best part of RAW, but that should come as no surprise since she has been stealing the show for a good part of the last month. Since post-TLC, Alexa Bliss re-emerged and has been one of the central figures on RAW.

She had a Playground segment with Asuka, one that saw the RAW Women's Champion get creeped out. The fear was visible in her eyes, and it was then that Alexa Bliss declared her entry into the Royal Rumble.

We incorrectly assumed that she would be challenging for the RAW Women's title at the Royal Rumble, but there must be some way that she fits into the picture. As of now, Asuka doesn't have a Royal Rumble opponent for the RAW Women's Championship, but after what happened, it should be Alexa Bliss.

In the main event, there was a cut to a commercial that ended on a cliffhanger. When we returned from the break, Alexa Bliss' look had changed and she had black lipstick out of nowhere.

It was a great moment and she overpowered and humiliated the RAW Women's Champion and defeated her with relative ease. While Asuka has always been presented as strong, this was still a good way to protect her, and her expressions were on par with Alexa Bliss.

As for Randy Orton and the aftermath of last week's RAW ending, we will get to that later.

#5 Ric Flair and Lacey Evans' bizarre romantic storyline on RAW

An odd duo

Charlotte Flair took on Peyton Royce on RAW, and for the first time in three episodes, she finally picked up a win. It didn't come easy, however. It was a random singles match, with seemingly no Tag Team title picture even brought up.

The most notable moment of the match was when Ric Flair came out, followed by Lacey Evans wearing his robe. We're not sure why there's a feud between Charlotte and Lacey Evans on RAW when no title is on the line.

Either way, the Ric Flair storyline with Lacey Evans is bizarre, and it's in full swing. We're not sure what the full objective or payoff of it all is, but we imagine that it's to help establish Lacey Evans as a top heel on RAW.

Lacey Evans did have a lot of Championship opportunities in 2019 but lost every single one of them. The romantic storyline and turning on Ric Flair could be the start of her journey in 2021 that culminates with a major Championship reign.

#4 The cracks are showing between Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler on RAW

Shayna Baszler on RAW

Backstage on RAW, it was clear that Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax weren't on the same page. Shayna Baszler faced Mandy Rose on RAW and defeated her in what was actually a good match.

However, it appeared as though Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax were all over the place. They wanted a rematch against the Women's Tag Team Champions, but they also had the Royal Rumble to focus on.

On RAW, all four Superstars involved in the Baszler-Rose match (including Nia Jax and Dana Brooke at ringside) had already declared themselves for the Royal Rumble match. The women's roster being thin helps since nobody actually has to qualify to enter the Royal Rumble match.

Either way, Shayna Baszler defeated Mandy Rose on RAW yet again, and post-match, she got into an argument with her tag team partner Nia Jax. Dana Brooke jumped and struck Jax from behind, leading to the latter accidentally pushing Shayna Baszler into the ring post.

It was a good moment for Dana Brooke on RAW, and we're glad that she's getting featured well.

#3 AJ Styles and Ricochet steal the show on RAW

A tense moment backstage

There's little doubt about which match was the best of the night on RAW. In 2019, AJ Styles and Ricochet feuded with one another, but none of their matches had the same quality or level that their bout on this week's RAW possessed.

Ricochet was set to face AJ Styles, with Adam Pearce stating that it was a big opportunity for him to get into the Royal Rumble, even though it wasn't a qualifying match by any means.

Those were more about the implications of the match, but that didn't matter too much, as both AJ Styles and Ricochet stole the show in a technical classic. It's the perfect example of the art of looking good in defeat.

AJ Styles had some tension with Adam Pearce and mocked him for running away from his match against Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. Adam Pearce gave Ricochet an opportunity, but after a performance like that, we feel as though he deserves one more.

It was a great match with an incredible finish, and there's not much more than we can ask for on RAW.

#2 Are the Women's Tag Team titles being forgotten about on RAW?

Asuka is a double Champion

What happened to the Women's Tag Team titles on RAW? It seems as though Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax care about it more than Asuka and Charlotte Flair do.

While we understand that Charlotte and Asuka are singles stars first, it seems as though WWE is wasting the Women's Tag Team Championship. Charlotte Flair's return to TLC meant that they had to have a title change.

However, they should have dropped them soon after on RAW. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax were much better off holding the titles. At this point, we would argue that even Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose are more suitable for being Tag Team Champions.

Putting together two top singles stars doesn't always work. While it seemed like Charlotte Flair was targeting Asuka and the RAW Women's Championship, she's now in a feud against Lacey Evans instead.

WWE has neglected the Women's Tag Team titles once again on RAW, and that usually happens unless there's a serious team that isn't going to break up anytime soon.

#1 Randy Orton opens RAW with a new look

Randy Orton

The biggest question after RAW last week was what the aftermath of the assault on The Viper would be. Randy Orton's face was set on fire, and that was the end of the show.

Thankfully, WWE decided to open RAW with Randy Orton. While at first, he looked like a member of the Lucha House Party, it was his new look. He proceeded to cut a promo, stating that he held no malice towards Alexa Bliss, nor did he blame her for anything. His target is The Fiend.

The big question is - where is The Fiend? This was the penultimate episode of RAW to the Royal Rumble, which means that there is only one episode of RAW left before the road to WrestleMania begins.

The Fiend's influence runs through Alexa Bliss on RAW, but how long must we wait for Bray Wyatt to return? It will be interesting, but given all this build, it would be a shame if Bray Wyatt doesn't return and decimate Randy Orton.

The entire build on RAW has centered around Alexa Bliss vowing that The Fiend will return stronger than ever, and his influence has been felt. Hopefully, it's implemented well on RAW.

The only confusion we have is as to who the babyface is supposed to be. Perhaps it's one of those storylines that transcend any requirement for a face-heel dynamic.