7 things WWE subtly told us on RAW: Face turn canceled, Paul Heyman makes incredible backstage move? (April 20th, 2020)

Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. It wasn't the best episode in recent weeks, but it wasn't one you would easily tune away from either. As with most episodes of RAW, this one had some faults, with The Viking Raiders having a weird carpool karaoke segment and Bobby Lashley seemingly spending the entire episode trying to flip tires.

It was still an episode with some good storyline progression. As we know, WWE has had to make do with a limited staff, including talent, which is probably why we saw a bunch of Superstars appearing multiple times throughout the show.

Either way, there were some extremely interesting points to note about the episode. Let's jump right into it:

#7. Charlotte Flair's character status

Charlotte Flair might be the NXT Women's Champion, but that's certainly not stopping her from appearing on RAW. One could argue that she's too big to stay in NXT. She took on a Superstar from the yellow and gold brand - Kayden Carter.

It was always going to be a win for Charlotte Flair, but Carter managed to get some offense in and looked good coming out of it - seemingly a theme of the night. Rumors were floating around that Charlotte Flair has quietly turned face or will be.

However, that doesn't appear to be the case. She showed heel mannerisms, including the finish where she wouldn't let go of the Figure-8 leg lock despite Carter tapping and the bell being rung.

While it doesn't necessarily mean that she's a heel, it appears as though the plans of her face turn has been canceled or pushed back. Right now, she appears to be more of a tweener - a role that might suit her best.

#6. Paul Heyman could be making a major backstage change to matches on RAW

We mentioned the "theme of the night" on the last page. The reason we say this was that the so-called squash matches or one-sided matches weren't the same as before. Earlier, WWE would have traditional squash matches, but Paul Heyman seems to have made an alteration.

Aleister Black faced Austin Theory and made the 22-year old Superstar look great in defeat. He did the same for Apollo Crews, who had a moment of his own on RAW. Even with Superstars such as Santana Garett, it wasn't as one-sided for them as one would have imagined.

While WWE is normally heavy on promos and non-wrestling segments, they've made a slight shift, giving matches more time and allowing Superstars the opportunity to look good even went they lose.

We hope that this is something that they carry forward even when the crowds return later this year. It'll certainly be an interesting change to overall programming and make matches feel fresher and more exciting.

#5. Apollo Crews' momentum will roll on

This is one of the parts of RAW that left us excited and wanting to see more. Apollo Crews could be in for something big in the future. Certain Superstars do better when they have backstage support and the way Crews has been rolling in the past few weeks, it appears as though he might have been added to Paul Heyman's list of Superstars to push.

He faced WWE legend and former United States Champion MVP in a Money in the Bank qualifier and looked incredible throughout, withstanding the best of the legend and overcoming the odds before winning and qualifying for the MITB "corporate" ladder match.

Crews' first notable appearance on RAW was a few weeks ago when he narrowly lost to Aleister Black after taking the Dutch Superstar to his limit. While we don't expect him to win the ladder match, something good could come out of this. WWE is finally utilizing Apollo Crews and if he can get the character aspect right, we fully expect his momentum to continue.

#4. Liv Morgan to take the next step?

Liv Morgan took on former Riott Squad member Ruby Riott in a grudge match. It wasn't the best match by any means, but an important one for the up-and-coming Superstar, who's now focused on establishing a singles career.

Since coming to the main roster, she's been overshadowed in The Riott Squad, was forgotten about on SmackDown and then involved with Lana, Rusev, and Bobby Lashley. It's taken a while for her to break out on her own. While she's still in that process, it seems like it's going to happen sooner than later.

WWE is being careful with how they push and protect Morgan and this could be a sign that she's finally taking the next step on the card. She's likely to leapfrog Ruby Riott and it could only be a matter of months before she's in the RAW Women's title picture. Luckily for WWE, she's still young and has a lot left to offer. If she has a long career with WWE, multiple accolades are almost guaranteed.

#3. Rey Mysterio's MITB role

Rey Mysterio faced Murphy for the first time and it delivered as expected. While we're sure their match would have gotten a great reaction with the live audience, it was still a treat to watch.

As expected, Mysterio won and Murphy looked great in defeat. This was a match that we wish wouldn't happen as a MITB qualifier since both men would have been perfect for that spot. Either way, one can only hope that Murphy gets his chance later on.

As for Rey Mysterio, he's set to compete for the Money in the Bank briefcase. His role in the match is that of the high-flyer who's going to be responsible for controlling the pace of the match. While a MITB win would be great for his career, he doesn't need to win it right now nor do we expect him to.

We're excited to see what he can do in the MITB match, particularly this year since it's not a traditional ladder match. This time, they're climbing the "corporate ladder".

#2. Zelina Vega's importance on the show

We were a bit surprised as to how important Zelina Vega was to the show. Since she now manages three Superstars (Andrade, Angel Garza, and Austin theory), she's been frequently appearing on RAW.

This past episode, she made between 3-4 appearances on the show and was likely the most heavily-featured Superstar. The reason for this is likely due to the limited staff and WWE pushing her three-man faction.

She appeared to confront Drew McIntyre and was on commentary for her real-life husband Aleister Black's MITB qualifying match against Austin Theory. She was also ringside for Andrade's match against Akira Tozawa and the main event where Angel Garza was defeated by the WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.

We're likely to see Vega get a consistent role on television with increased TV time. WWE values her and her ability to carry three Superstars, which is likely why she's been given a big responsibility on the show.

She deserves it and we hope it rubs off on Andrade, Garza, and Theory.

#1. Who's walking out on top in the WWE title feud?

Drew McIntyre's first WWE Championship feud will be against Seth Rollins. The WWE Champion opened the show and challenged The Monday Night Messiah to a match at Money in the Bank, welcoming him as an opponent.

What we like about Drew McIntyre is that he isn't going to follow the traditional post-WrestleMania babyface World Champion character. While being a "fighting Champion" isn't anything special, McIntyre doesn't appear to be trying too hard to pander to the audience.

This could be the result of the empty arena shows, which has helped Superstars drastically with their promos. There's a sense of authenticity about them and it seems far removed from the overly-scripted promos that WWE has used for the last few years.

The big question is as to who's going to come out on top of the feud. Rollins' role is similar to AJ Styles' last year - to be the legitimate Superstar that the World Champion beats to gain momentum.

AJ Styles put over Rollins last year at Money in the Bank 2019 and we expect Rollins to pay it forward and do the same for McIntyre. The Scotsman defeated Angel Garza in a solid main event bout.

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