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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. It was an interesting episode and a lot happened on RAW. That's why we won't waste much time with an introduction. Here's what WWE subtly told us on RAW!
#6 The Drew McIntyre-Randy Orton feud takes another turn on RAW
Randy Orton opened the show on RAW describing what happened at the end of last week when he viciously assaulted the legends. He would challenge Drew McIntyre to a match at Hell in a Cell 2020, but his promo was cut short when the WWE Champion Drew McIntyre found him and attacked him.
Later on, Drew McIntyre would accept his challenge for the WWE title inside Hell in a Cell and the main event is now official. The storyline has been solid, but it wasn't one that had a lot of emphasis on RAW despite being in the main event slot.
We'll get back to the other parts later, but the main event was a six-man tag team match that saw Drew McIntyre team with RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits to face Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, and Bobby Roode.
It was a fun main event but the most interesting part was the end, where Drew McIntyre ate an RKO and was pinned by Randy Orton. This marked the first time in 11 months that Drew McIntyre was pinned in WWE - with Roman Reigns being the last man to pin him at Survivor Series 2020.
As for a singles match, it's been around 13 months since we've last seen him pinned, with Ricochet being the last man to do so.
We're impressed with how WWE has protected Drew McIntyre throughout his time on RAW for the last year and it's a good example of how to correctly push and protect someone.
Randy Orton could be getting set for his 14th World Championship.
#5 Did WWE unofficially confirm Braun Strowman's move to RAW?
Braun Strowman has been appearing on RAW for a few weeks now, primarily for RAW Underground. Last week and this week, there was no RAW Underground due to reported scheduling reasons and lack of personnel.
Braun Strowman acknowledged that there was no RAW Underground this week and went to WWE official Adam Pearce demanding competition. While Pearce reminded him that he's still a SmackDown star, he offered an "Exhibition match", which was eventually accepted by Keith Lee.
It was a clash of titans that we were surprised to see on RAW or any free TV for that matter. The reason is that it seems like a marquee PPV match. However, it was clear that WWE is going to run it back as the match ended in a count-out and a post-match brawl.
It was fun to watch and seemingly confirmed that Braun Strowman is done with SmackDown and will most likely be drafted to RAW in a week's time. Perhaps it's the right place for him to be in.
#4 Mandy Night RAW shines as Lana continues to get buried
An interesting women's match on RAW saw six female stars go at it, with RAW Women's Champion Asuka teaming up with the newly-formed duo of Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke. They faced and defeated Zelina Vega and the duo of Lana and Natalya.
Unsurprisingly, Lana took the pin, but it wasn't the RAW Women's Champion Asuka who got the win for her team - it was Mandy Rose. That seemed to be an indicator that Mandy Rose could be getting a big push on RAW and that her alliance with Dana Brooke could only be temporary.
With that said, after winning their six-woman tag team match, the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax came out and made another statement. While they were about to attack Natalya and send her through the table, Lana made the save and went through the table herself.
They're continuously taking a shot at Miro/Rusev, which seems like an odd thing to do since Lana has nothing to do with that. Either way, the burial of Lana continues on RAW.
Also, since we didn't make much of a point about it, Baszler and Jax would defeat Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan and retain the Tag Team titles later on RAW.
#3 The Kevin Owens conundrum on RAW
Kevin Owens has problems whichever brand he's in. He has been feuding with Aleister Black on RAW and the Dutch Destroyer's recent character change prompted Owens to go from RAW to SmackDown and talk to Alexa Bliss - another superstar undergoing a major change.
That resulted in Owens clashing horns and getting attacked by 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt. He hosted the Kevin Owens show with Bray Wyatt - who appeared in the Firefly Fun House.
It's evident that their feud is happening, but for that, Kevin Owens needs to go to SmackDown. He was ready to leave RAW and find Bray Wyatt in the Firefly Fun House, but Aleister Black had other plans, hitting Owens with a Black Mass to halt his night on RAW.
The state of Kevin Owens' feuds is a bit confusing since he has to wrap up a rivalry on both RAW and SmackDown. We imagine that he could be announced as a SmackDown star this Friday, jumping brands to feud with 'The Fiend'.
#2 Murphy is finally starting to come on his own on RAW
Admittedly, we're a bit torn on our thoughts about the ongoing RAW storyline involving The Mysterio Family, Seth Rollins, and Murphy. While we're happy to see Murphy finally getting his spotlight and coming to his own, there's also the fact that Aalyah Mysterio's increased involvement takes away from her brother Dominik Mysterio.
The entire storyline in the summer on RAW was meant to set up the debut of Dominik Mysterio and he's succeeded, but there doesn't seem to be too much focus on him in this story. The main star of the Mysterio family in the last few weeks on RAW has been Aalyah.
Murphy gave Seth Rollins a set time to apologize to Aalyah Mysterio for all that he's said and done, while The Monday Night Messiah demanded an apology from Murphy.
Murphy picked up the win for his team against Dominik Mysterio and Humberto Carrillo, indicating that the latter could be set for a move to SmackDown. As for Murphy, he finally exploded and attacked Seth Rollins, making him forcefully apologize.
The tables would soon turn and Murphy would be on the receiving end of a typical RAW beatdown, all while Aalyah Mysterio came out to stop it all. Dominik Mysterio had to come out to take Aalyah away, asking her why she's doing what she is.
The positive of this is that we're finally getting to see a Murphy push on RAW.
#1 Mustafa Ali changes the landscape of RAW
RETRIBUTION made an appearance this week on RAW and it was their most significant one yet. As usual, The Hurt Business locked horns with the trio of Apollo Crews, Mustafa Ali, and Ricochet.
MVP offered the trio a place in his faction on RAW but two of them ridiculed it and left while Ricochet was seen pondering about the offer. That turned out to be nothing more than a distraction thrown by WWE.
It first led to a tag team match where Bobby Lashley submitted Apollo Crews. Mustafa Ali was scheduled to face MVP later. What was interesting was that Ali was alone backstage and told MVP that he won't have his friends at ringside for their match. However, he insisted that MVP bring Lashley and Shelton Benjamin along. This turned out to be the focal point of the entire episode of RAW as it foreshadowed what happened next.
RETRIBUTION interfered in the match and MVP told Ali to join them, even temporarily to fight off RETRIBUTION. While it seemed like a united effort against a common enemy, it was anything but that.
Ali slid outside the ring and went face-to-face with T-Bar and Mace, prompting a smile from MVP, who was admiring his guts. Once Ali's back turned, he pointed his finger at the trio inside the ring and that smile turned upside down.
RETRIBUTION did Ali's bidding, only for us to find out that Ali is the mastermind behind the faction. Not only does that change his role on RAW, but it changes the entire landscape on Monday Night RAW.
We're excited to see where this goes and this was undoubtedly the highlight of the episode, with WWE subtly telling us on RAW that Ali is set for a much bigger role.
