6 things WWE subtly told us on RAW after Day 1: Brock Lesnar's WrestleMania match possibly confirmed, two former world champions to align and dethrone RK-Bro?

The RAW after WWE Day 1 kickstarted the road to the Royal Rumble. While the likes of The Mysterios and Austin Theory have already been announced as entrants to the Men's Royal Rumble match, this episode was centered around title feuds and setting the stage for the road to WrestleMania.

Here's what WWE subtly told us in a stacked episode of RAW:

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#6. Brock Lesnar's eventful first RAW of 2022

The fallout from Brock Lesnar's WWE title win was always going to be a big one, and on the first RAW of 2022, we saw exactly what lies ahead. For starters, Paul Heyman introduced him again, and the air of familiarity was back after almost two years.

Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman have officially re-aligned, but that's not all. His Royal Rumble opponent was to be determined on RAW. The originally planned Fatal Four-way between Big E, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins became a #1 contender's match, with the winner challenging Lesnar for the WWE Title at the upcoming premium live event.

The story for all four men was different. For Big E, it was about righting the wrongs of Day 1 and rebuilding his way back to the WWE title. For Bobby Lashley, it was securing the dream match against Brock Lesnar and also reclaiming the WWE title.

For Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins, things were a bit different. They continued to align, and the idea was that at least one of them should become the number one contender. Following this, the other would help the number one contender beat Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, and a Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins match would be for the WWE title at WrestleMania 38.

Of course, the latter didn't go as planned. But it seems Owens and Rollins were a genuine unit, and the idea of them as a tag team might materialize in 2022.

However, Bobby Lashley won and secured a WWE title shot against Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble. When asked for a comment, the latter ignored Lashley's win on RAW and said that he would see Roman Reigns on Friday's SmackDown.

This means that Bryan Alvarez's report that WWE is planning a Champion vs. Champion match between Lesnar and Reigns for WrestleMania 38 is potentially accurate. Whether it's title unification or simply a Survivor Series-like match, it would be a bit disappointing if both world titles were in one match and could not even be defended.

The other possibility, which we hope happens, is that of Roman Reigns costing Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, giving Bobby Lashley his second WWE title win. The Tribal Chief defends the Universal title against The Beast Incarnate in a different direction at WrestleMania.

For Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins, their alliance seems to be leading to WrestleMania, where they could be favorites to dethrone RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro.

#5. Does the Alpha Academy earn a title shot on RAW?

The RK-Bro-Alpha Academy feud continued on RAW with significant consequences. While Randy Orton may have won over Chad Gable and Otis on RAW, that wasn't enough this week.

RK-Bro started 2022 with a successful defense of the RAW Tag Team titles against The Street Profits. But this week, they faced The Alpha Academy in a non-title match and lost after Riddle took the pinfall.

This is the next direction for the tag team titles on RAW after Day 1. Whether it leads to a match at the Royal Rumble is yet to be seen, but this feud has been built into one that is more exclusive to weekly television.

To add to that, Orton and Riddle would be two valuable participants in the Royal Rumble match this year, as would Otis and Gable. That alone makes up four spots. Expect a RAW Tag Team title match to be announced between both teams soon and a potential series of singles matches between the members.

#4. Omos' "big" new role on RAW and in WWE

Has WWE found their next big giant on RAW? While Braun Strowman held the role of being the company's giant and strongman from 2015 to 2021, his shocking release left a big void on the roster.

WWE may look to Omos to fill that gap, and perhaps that's one of the reasons why AJ Styles and he split up a bit prematurely (although some would argue that 14 months was long enough for them).

This week on RAW, Omos and AJ Styles finally had their scheduled match. Although the two-time world champion has quietly turned babyface during the new year, the focus of the match was to help get over Omos.

AJ Styles has already accomplished all there is. Hence, what better superstar to put over Omos? The match was one-sided, and it did an excellent job in establishing Omos as the next giant of WWE.

The only question is whether Omos will excel as Braun Strowman did in 2016 and 2017.

#3. WWE drags on the Edge vs. Miz feud on RAW

Although it doesn't feel necessary, we got a continuation of the Edge-Miz feud on RAW. This time, however, things were a bit different. Maryse said that she would slap Beth Phoenix if she showed up, and of course, the latter's music hit.

Edge came alongside her, and the couple challenged The Miz and Maryse to a mixed tag team match at Royal Rumble. This seems to confirm that Edge, while he could still participate in the Royal Rumble, is unlikely to win it.

His focus will be more on the mixed tag team direction on RAW, and we wouldn't be surprised to see him mix it up with The Miz again. Alternatively, we could see Maryse vs. Beth Phoenix on the red brand as well.

It's not the most exciting direction for Edge on RAW, but we must admit that mixed tag team feuds are often entertaining for the casual viewer to watch. They also tend to get significant reactions from live crowds, and seeing Edge and Beth Phoenix team up for the first time does sound good.

#2. Damian Priest officially ends his feud with The Dirty Dawgs on RAW

Damian Priest has had a few US title defenses on RAW, but none like the January 3rd. Because if he lost to Dolph Ziggler by count-out and disqualification, this title match had a very clear stipulation.

If Damian Priest was disqualified or counted out, he would lose the title. This prompted him to control the "heel" side of him that we've seen recently - the impulsive and out-of-control freak who does more harm than good.

The US title match was one of Damian Priest's best matches since coming to RAW. It was a brilliant bit of storytelling, with Robert Roode doing all he could to provoke the champion while Dolph Ziggler tried using the stipulation to his advantage. The match's climax was when Priest had a chair in his hands, and both Roode and Ziggler were egging him on to take the shot.

Refusing to go down the dark road, Priest instead threw the chair on Roode's head and barely escaped defeat before he finally retained against Dolph Ziggler.

The match only proves how unappreciated Dolph Ziggler can be, and it's a great feather in Damian Priest's cap on RAW as he kicked off 2022 in the best way.

#1. Becky Lynch has a big task ahead of her on RAW

Becky Lynch entered 2022 as the RAW Women's Champion as she defeated Liv Morgan at Day 1. However, the latter wasn't done. Although she technically lost clean, she still insisted on rechallenging the title.

Bianca Belair, who had a feud with Lynch from August to early November, also made a case for herself. The two contenders brawled in the ring until Becky Lynch ended it, but that wasn't all there was to it.

Later on RAW, a furious Doudrop stormed into Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville's office and demanded to be added to the title picture. Hence, next week will feature a triple threat match between Liv Morgan, Doudrop, and Bianca Belair, with the winner facing Becky Lynch for the RAW Women's title at the Royal Rumble.

It's hard to say who will walk out as the winner. WWE could potentially have a dusty finish to make a triple threat or Fatal Four-Way for the Royal Rumble. The only problem is that the women's roster has thinned down with all the releases, and it will be hard to fill 30 spots for the Royal Rumble match.