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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW after Hell in a Cell 2021. The build to Money in the Bank 2021 started instantly with no time to waste.
This episode of RAW was a big one, filled with a few upsets, a Hell in a Cell main event, great storyline progression, and an eye towards the next month or two of programming.
Money in the Bank is arguably the fifth most important pay-per-view of the WWE calendar year, and here is what the company subtly told us on RAW this week.
#6 The Men's Money in the Bank playing field on RAW and the potential winners
The Money in the Bank qualification started excellently. The Women's field is complete on RAW with four superstars having qualified for the eight-woman match. On the men's side, three qualifying matches were announced: AJ Styles vs Ricochet, Randy Orton vs John Morrison, and Drew McIntyre vs Riddle.
In what can only be described as a bit surprising, the underdogs came out on top in every match. Ricochet defeated AJ Styles, John Morrison took out Randy Orton, and Riddle pinned Drew McIntyre clean in a pay-per-view-level match.
The last one, in particular, was fascinating to watch because the story of Drew McIntyre on RAW was an interesting one. After taking a severe beating at the hands of Bobby Lashley at Hell in a Cell, McIntyre shouldn't have been anywhere close to competing.
Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville even insisted that the Scotsman didn't have to compete if he didn't want to, but McIntyre was stubborn. The gamble didn't pay off, and Drew McIntyre was left with more heartbreak as Riddle got him with the roll-up pin.
Randy Orton lost and didn't seem too pleased with Riddle qualifying when he didn't. That doesn't matter since Randy Orton, AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre will all get a "last chance" opportunity next week to secure the final Money in the Bank spot on RAW.
It will be a triple threat match between three top stars. It's hard to say who should win because none of the three superstars are in a position to be in the conversation for Mr. Money in the Bank 2021.
Either way, what this says clearly is that the chances of a RAW superstar winning the Men's Money in the Bank match are extremely slim this year. Expect a SmackDown superstar to walk out with the briefcase yet again.
Meanwhile, Jinder Mahal, Jeff Hardy, and Cedric Alexander complained backstage about not getting considered for the Money in the Bank qualifier. Sheamus was there too, but he walked away after Adam Pearce asked if he was ready to defend the United States Championship.
Jinder Mahal said that if any competitor was forced to pull out under any circumstances, Adam Pearce should consider him as a replacement. Make of that what you will.
#5 Nikki Cross has a change of character on RAW ahead of Money in the Bank
Nikki Cross, the only other female star involved in the RAW Women's title picture, qualified for the Women's Money in the Bank match. She reunited with her old tag team partner Alexa Bliss to face Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
The winners of the match would qualify for the Money in the Bank briefcase. Similarly, Asuka and Naomi qualified earlier in the night by defeating the duo of Eva Marie and DOUDROP (Piper Niven), who seemed to split up in the process.
Just like that, the Women's Money in the Bank is complete on the RAW end. Nikki Cross, Alexa Bliss, Naomi, and Asuka make up half of the playing field. What was interesting, however, was that before her match, Nikki Cross debuted a new character.
It's a "superhero" character and said she's representing everyone. Nikki Cross still did well on RAW, so for all we know, she can get this gimmick to work. It will be interesting to see, but regular TV time on RAW is a win for her. This could be the start of a good push.
#4 There aren't many options for the RAW Women's title picture
We can only hope that on the RAW side of the Money in the Bank build-up, a legitimate future Women's title challenger emerges. The winner of Women's MITB Ladder Match will get a title shot at any point in the next year, but apart from that, it sometimes feels like the RAW women's roster is lacking.
The last month has been built mainly around Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair, with Asuka taking a backseat post-WrestleMania Backlash. In what can only be described as a weird segment on RAW, authority figures Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville called out Rhea Ripley.
Despite the DQ loophole being exploited for decades in WWE now, the authority figures made an exception and weren't happy with the RAW Women's Champion for how she handled the match. They booked a rematch for Money in the Bank, and the WWE Universe seemed to get together in collective dread.
WWE doesn't trust other stars to feature in the Women's Title picture on the red brand at the moment. It's a bit of a shame, and hopefully, Money in the Bank is the end of Charlotte's RAW Women's title pursuits.
#3 Did Eva Marie's alliance on RAW end before it began?
Eva Marie appeared on RAW for her official in-ring return that was supposed to happen last week. On that occasion, she used Piper Niven as her muscle and replacement to squash Naomi. Her luck wasn't as great this week.
For one, Eva Marie named Piper Niven as DOUDROP, an instant mistake. It's hard to take anybody seriously with that name, so we can only hope that it's changed back to Piper Niven.
Secondly, Eva Marie has already lost her muscle when she made a big mistake. DOUDROP/Niven looked like she was ready to finish the match and secure Money in the Bank qualification for both women, but Marie tagged herself in looking for glory on RAW.
The payback was bad as DOUDROP walked away from her and Marie ate a pinfall from Naomi. We're not sure what the direction of Eva Marie will be on RAW, but we assume that the next few weeks will involve her trying to make amends with DOUDROP on RAW.
#2 The Women's Tag Team titles finally has a proper feud on RAW
Natalya and Tamina seemed to continue their new feud on RAW. They've been having arguments with Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke lately. While Natalya and Tamina come from wrestling royalty, they accused Rose and Brooke of getting to WWE based on their looks and not talent.
Rose and Brooke argued that Natalya and Tamina are only there because of their last names. It's a simple feud and it was featured in the Hell in a Cell Kickoff show. This week, they had another backstage segment to establish their rivalry.
This means that Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are out for good and that the Women's Tag Team Champions have moved on. We expect the two teams to have a title match on RAW in the coming weeks.
Otherwise, it would simply be better to put them on the Money in the Bank card. But either way, it's hard to see Brooke and Rose winning the titles as of this moment. But they stood tall on RAW this week.
#1 Bobby Lashley enters Hell again on RAW
If Bobby Lashley isn't appreciated as the WWE Champion on RAW now, he will be once his reign is over. Having surpassed 100 days as the champ, he has moved on from Drew McIntyre.
We've spoken a lot about what McIntyre went through, but Lashley is entering elite territory by competing in two Hell in a Cell matches two nights in a row.
This week on RAW, Bobby Lashley was confronted by Kofi Kingston - the man who fell short of No.1 contendership to Drew McIntyre a few weeks ago. Lashley made no hesitation in accepting his challenge for Money in the Bank. But on RAW, Xavier Woods was the man who would face The All Mighty.
And it wouldn't be any ordinary match, it was inside Hell in a Cell. The reported reason for this was that WWE wanted to cool down any heat they had with the USA Network - who wasn't pleased that SmackDown on FOX got a Hell in a Cell match.
Perhaps this was WWE's way of showing that they didn't favor FOX (although their broadcast deal for SmackDown justifies favoring them) and they kept the Hell in a Cell structure suspended above the ring on RAW.
Either way, Xavier Woods and Bobby Lashley had an incredible match on RAW, proving how underrated the former is inside the ring. He lost via The Hurt Lock and RAW ended with the sight of Kofi Kingston frantically trying to enter the Cell while Bobby Lashley was provoking him.
It was an excellent finish to a great episode of RAW. Bobby Lashley's win over Kofi Kingston at Money in the Bank seems to be guaranteed, but it should be an enjoyable match to watch.
