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This isn't the kind of RAW that fans expect on the road to WrestleMania. It was the penultimate edition of RAW to WrestleMania 37 and it's safe to say that it didn't deliver as hoped.
With SmackDown seemingly a bigger priority than RAW, WWE simply went through the motions. Some of the in-ring performances on the Red brand were fantastic, but the overall flow and pace of the show didn't resemble a build to WrestleMania at all.
However, that seems to be a repeated story more often than not. Let's jump right into what we feel was one of the better parts of RAW:
#6. Drew McIntyre's incredible character work on RAW and what lies ahead
In a RAW that didn't live up to expectations less than two weeks before WrestleMania, Drew McIntyre was by far the highlight of the show. As you may know, Bobby Lashley put a bounty on his head last week on RAW.
This week, not only did Lashley reiterate that, but he confirmed that anyone who takes out Drew McIntyre on RAW will receive a WWE title shot at Wrestlemania. Cut to Drew McIntyre backstage.
The Scotsman was unusually nervous and started asking members of the RAW locker room as to whether they plan to take the opportunity. AJ Styles was the first man he confronted backstage, and The Phenomenal One told him that he had other plans for WrestleMania.
Later in the show, Drew McIntyre was still sitting anxiously - seemingly waiting for a blindside attack that didn't come. He went directly to the locker room and started berating the members for not stepping up. McIntyre said that if he was in their position two years ago, he wouldn't hesitate to step up and try to get a WrestleMania WWE title opportunity.
The most interesting confrontation was when he went to Braun Strowman. McIntyre told The Monster Among Men that he should have been a five-time World Champion by now. Strowman reassured him that once he's done with Shane McMahon, and if Drew McIntyre wins at WrestleMania, he will come for the title.
It seems clear that a McIntyre-Strowman WWE title feud could be planned for post-WrestleMania. If you may remember, the match was supposed to happen at TLC 2020, but an injury kept Strowman out and he was suspended on RAW in storyline to write him off.
Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre are expected to win at WrestleMania and they could end up feuding with one another. It isn't a bad option at all. Ultimately, after berating the likes of Drew Gulak and Humberto Carrillo, McIntyre went to Ricochet - who politely told him that he was up for a challenge.
They met in the ring later on RAW and McIntyre won in what turned out to be an entertaining match. Mustafa Ali blindsided him after that and McIntyre picked up his second successive victory before calling out the WWE Champion Bobby Lashley.
King Corbin made his return to RAW and seems to be the new member of The Hurt Business after attacking Drew McIntyre to end the show.
#5. Braun Strowman adds a big WrestleMania stipulation on RAW
Shane McMahon came out on RAW with his cronies Elias and Jaxson Ryker. The segment was meant to "expose" Braun Strowman. So what was all the fuss about? Turns out that McMahon's genius plan on RAW was to expose Strowman's alleged school grades - where he did terribly on all subjects, only getting a "D+" for his gym class.
Strowman came out and made quick work of Ryker on RAW. Post-match, there was more chaos, and Shane McMahon was standing on the ramp - where Braun Strowman told him that the stipulation of his choice for WrestleMania is a steel cage match.
So it's now official. Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon will take place inside a steel cage. While it's a good stipulation, we feel that it could be a mistake at WrestleMania. Especially given that a crowd will be there for the first time, Hell in a Cell would have been a better option. Not only because of the marketing potential, but the fact that it's a bigger structure and more visible to the crowd, and also more exciting for fans.
#4. Sheamus' road to WrestleMania is now cemented
Last week on RAW, Sheamus attacked United States Champion Riddle and it set up a non-title match this week. Their match took place, but it wasn't before Sheamus had already attacked Riddle backstage beforehand.
With a slight disadvantage, Riddle ended up losing to Sheamus in another solid performance. On a side note, 2021 must be one of The Celtic Warrior's best years purely from an in-ring perspective.
After Sheamus won the match on RAW, Riddle attacked him to get a small measure of revenge. It's clear where we're headed for WrestleMania. Soon after the match, the WrestleMania graphics even featured Sheamus followed by Riddle - another indicator. It was later on RAW that WWE made the match official for WrestleMania.
It's a good US title match to have at WrestleMania, and Sheamus deserves to be in a championship bout for his recent run. While the WWE Championship match isn't available, a United States title bout isn't a bad second option. We're not sure whether Sheamus will walk out with the championship or not, but we expect him to put on another fantastic match.
#3. Bad Bunny gears up for WrestleMania on RAW
This week's episode of RAW was where The Miz and John Morrison debuted their song "Hey Hey Hop Hop" - a parody of Bad Bunny's hit music. Whatever you may feel about it, the feud on RAW has garnered some mainstream attention.
WWE has gone out of their way to make Bad Bunny look good, and he came out to have a confrontation with The Miz. Damian Priest was by his side as Bunny declared that he would make The Miz his "B***h".
Bad Bunny got the better of The Miz on RAW with a good strike, and John Morrison told his tag team partner to save it until WrestleMania. We're not sure whether the direction on RAW is still a singles match or whether WWE has any intention of making it a tag team match.
A tag team match would be a good and fun way to protect Bad Bunny while also elevating Damian Priest for his run on RAW post-WrestleMania. It's believed that the match could change to a tag team bout at any time.
#2. The Hurt Business gets a big change on RAW
In what was an extremely unfortunate occurrence on RAW, Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander have been kicked out of The Hurt Business. Last week on RAW, Alexander and Benjamin failed to defeat Drew McIntyre in a two-on-one Handicap match.
As a result, they won't be allowed at ringside for WrestleMania 37's main event on Night One. It doesn't matter anymore as they are not with The Hurt Business moving forward.
Bobby Lashley publicly humiliated Benjamin and Alexander and announced that The Hurt Business is over - even though it technically isn't. It seems like an all-around bad move by WWE to change the members of the faction, especially given how great they have been over the course of the last eight to ten months.
Shelton Benjamin later lost to Bobby Lashley, and Cedric Alexander will likely face the same fate next week on RAW.
For one, WWE seemingly took the RAW tag team titles off Alexander and Benjamin to get a New Day vs. AJ Styles and Omos match at WrestleMania. To add to it, the reason behind this move seems to be a way of getting more heat on Lashley.
We understand the latter, especially since WWE will want the crowd to cheer for the babyface Drew McIntyre.
It's just unfortunate that The Hurt Business has to end their run so quickly, at least the original line-up. They've been the best faction in a while and the most consistently entertaining part of RAW apart from Drew McIntyre.
The new member King Corbin seems to be a downgrade.
#1. The Women's Tag Team and RAW Women's title picture mix up in a repeated mistake
While the RAW Women's Championship match at WrestleMania should be a straightforward affair, WWE has tried to complicate it just like they did with the SmackDown Women's title picture.
Charlotte Flair didn't interfere in the Asuka-Rhea Ripley contract signing that made the RAW Women's title match at WrestleMania official. Instead, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler did. It was just sometime before when Baszler lost to Naomi in a singles match.
The Women's tag team title picture seems clear at this point. After the chaos at ringside on RAW, Lana and Naomi have cemented themselves as potential WrestleMania opponents for Jax and Baszler, while Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke are in the running as well.
On SmackDown, Tamina and Natalya are clear-cut contenders who are expected to get a title shot at WrestleMania. We're looking at a Triple Threat or Fatal-Four-Way for the Women's tag team titles.
However, next week, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will face Asuka and Rhea Ripley in a tag team match. It's WWE recycling what they did with Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. Unfortunately, the confusion simply summed up this episode of RAW in a nutshell.
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