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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. This is the first time that we're not going to cover the main feud since there wasn't much that happened between Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre apart from a brawl.
Lars Sullivan made an appearance on RAW as well and was officially drafted to SmackDown. Let's jump right into this week's RAW and what WWE subtly told us!
#6 A major Roman Reigns feud was canceled after two drafts of RAW
It's hard to argue against the opinion that Roman Reigns is currently the best thing happening to WWE. His presence alone makes SmackDown a more watchable show than RAW in the eyes of many. However, the Red brand got a major boost when it was revealed that not only was 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt drafted to RAW, but so was Alexa Bliss. They attacked the duo of Andrade and Zelina Vega with a dual-Sister Abigail.
The dynamic duo will remain together on RAW and while that isn't a bad move, it takes away the possibility of a Roman Reigns-Bray Wyatt Universal title rivalry. It isn't a secret that before plans changed, the original idea was to have Roman Reigns vs The Fiend at WrestleMania 36. Goldberg's presence changed that and Roman Reigns pulling out resulted in Braun Strowman becoming the Universal Champion.
If you remember a few weeks ago, there was a tease where a demented Alexa Bliss stared back at Roman Reigns when he made his entrance. The Fiend and Alexa Bliss now on RAW, that feud has well and truly been scrapped. We can't see a scenario where there's a brand crossover.
It's unfortunate, but WWE likely felt that it was a move that needed to be made. However, one can't deny that Bray Wyatt has come a long way and will be a vital player on RAW as well.
The only question is as to whether he will be a World Championship challenger. Ultimately, it depends on who holds the title, but a feud against Drew McIntyre would be fresh while a tussle against Randy Orton makes a lot of sense in terms of storyline.
We're excited to see what Bray Wyatt's direction on RAW is, though we don't expect him to challenge for or win the WWE Championship anytime soon.
#5 The main event of RAW, a tag team break up and the fallout
Lana has been going through a table thanks to Nia Jax soon after her husband Miro hinted that he thinks WWE may bury her. However, what went down during the main event of RAW reminds us of why wrestling is so weird.
While Lana has seemingly taken her "punishment", she has also been rewarded for it. The main event of RAW was an dual brand Women's Battle Royal to determine Asuka's No.1 contender for the RAW Women's Championship.
It came down to the final four of Natalya, Lacey Evans, and The Riott Squad. Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott were eliminated and while it seemed like Natalya had won, she was pushed from behind and eliminated by Lana - who was taken out by Nia Jax as usual after the Tag Team Champion was eliminated.
Lana's win in the main event of RAW came as an unexpected one. What was interesting was that her defeat in a tag team match earlier hinted at Natalya breaking up with her. After the seventh round of the WWE Draft on RAW Talk, it was revealed that Natalya will be moving to SmackDown while Lana will be on RAW.
Lana challenges Asuka next week on RAW and while we don't expect her to win, it came as a nice surprise.
#4 Kevin Owens wraps up his duties on RAW before shifting brands
Kevin Owens was shifted to SmackDown as expected. Last week on SmackDown, he faced 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt and lost the bout. On RAW, he faced Aleister Black and as usual, he came out on top.
We have our doubts about WWE and Vince McMahon's perception of Aleister Black. The way he's being presented and pushed, it doesn't appear as though there are any serious or long-term plans for him.
Not that there seem to be plans for Kevin Owens either, but we now know that in the last five years, if there's anything guaranteed for Kevin Owens, it's TV time. The same can't be said for Aleister Black, who was also drafted from RAW to SmackDown, but only in the sixth round.
That isn't a position that people get pushed from. Aleister Black benefited greatly from being drafted to RAW last year, but that was when he had Paul Heyman's backing. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore, but Kevin Owens wrapped up his duties on RAW and we're not sure if his feud with Aleister Black will pour on to SmackDown.
#3 The big title swap on RAW
We were a bit surprised when the newly-crowned SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day were drafted to RAW. It was only further confusing as The Street Profits, the longest-reigning RAW Tag Team Champions since The New Day were drafted to SmackDown.
Adam Pearce brought both teams backstage and had a simple solution - that the two teams simply swap titles. The Street Profits are now SmackDown Tag Team Champions while The New Day are RAW Tag Team Champions.
Now we're not sure about how exactly it's going to work or whether WWE will continue their reign to be a continuation of the previous one, but the tag team division is getting a bit of a shake-up.
Unfortunately, there still aren't enough teams present to make it appear as though WWE is finally taking the tag team division seriously. Either way, one would imagine that a shake-up was needed, especially for The Street Profits who have been the main attraction of RAW's tag team division in 2020.
#2 Ricochet outsmarts The Hurt Business on RAW
Ricochet had an interesting offer on RAW. He anticipated that Apollo Crews would be drafted to SmackDown and he was right. He challenged Cedric Alexander to squash the beef between himself and The Hurt Business.
It was very clear to him - if he lost, he would join The Hurt Business and if he won, they would have to leave him alone. It was a decent match and once the referee went down, it was clear that there was going to be a dusty finish.
MVP slid a steel chair to Cedric Alexander, but it was caught by Ricochet. The One and Only would find himself surrounded by the other three members of The Hurt Business. Once the referee was regaining his senses, he slammed the steel chair against the floor and threw it to Cedric Alexander - channeling his inner Eddie Guerrero.
Cedric Alexander was instantly disqualified and that may or may not end Ricochet's feud with The Hurt Business on RAW. Either way, it was a good moment for Ricochet, though we're not sure why there was no RETRIBUTION on RAW.
#1 Jeff Hardy gets his first feud on RAW
Seth Rollins came out to say his farewell on RAW and there wasn't any mention of Murphy. However, it does look like the feud between the Mysterios and Rollins will be moving on to SmackDown as all the people involved in the feud have been moved to the Blue brand.
Either way, he was interrupted by RAW's newest Superstar Jeff Hardy and another new but familiar name in AJ Styles. It led to a triple threat clash - one that Jeff Hardy was close to winning.
However, Elias made his return to WWE and slammed Hardy with his guitar, allowing AJ Styles to take advantage and get the victory. It was the conclusion of Seth Rollins' incredible run on RAW - one that dates back to before the 2016 WWE Draft. He was always Monday Night Rollins but it's time for something new.
As for Jeff Hardy, his first RAW feud will be against none other than Elias - a man who was involved in Hardy's framed car crash on SmackDown almost half a year ago.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
