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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. It was an impressive follow-up to a good SummerSlam pay-per-view. There are a lot of talking points, and the only parts we'll miss out on are the Natalya-Lana-Mickie James segment and the Angel Garza-Andrade-Street Profits-Demi Burnett match and segments.
They didn't add too much to the show, but a lot did happen on RAW, from heel turns, to debuts, and an epic end to the show. Without wasting much time, let's jump into what WWE subtly told us on RAW!
#7. Aleister Black's character change on RAW
Kevin Owens welcomed back Aleister Black to the Kevin Owens show on RAW. We haven't seen Aleister Black on RAW since Murphy shoved his head into the corner of the ring steps almost month ago.
The discussion was naturally over what Seth Rollins had done with Aleister Black on RAW, with the latter now wearing a cloth over his eye. It seems like that made Aleister Black flip the switch as he turned heel for the first time in nearly four-and-a-half years and attacked Kevin Owens.
While Aleister Black's heel turn could have been reserved for 2021, WWE probably felt that RAW needs another rising heel. RAW is not as short as SmackDown when it comes to top babyfaces, but it's good in a way since it adds a new layer to Aleister Black's character. And more importantly, it gives Kevin Owens a storyline.
We can't help but feel that Kevin Owens is often in important positions, only to be swept to the side on many occasions. The Aleister Black heel turn and feud on RAW should be a good one. Their match hasn't been announced for Payback as of this writing, but we wouldn't be surprised to see it on the pay-per-view and continue on RAW. Otherwise, it could end up being a TV feud.
#6. Apollo Crews stands tall on RAW, but is Payback the end of his title run?
The feud on RAW has finally led to the right match. Apollo Crews and Bobby Lashley are finally set to have a pay-per-view match for the United States Championship at Payback. We've been wondering why they didn't go that direction earlier, but perhaps MVP wanted to put over Apollo Crews as much as possible.
It's no secret that Apollo Crews has been having the best run of his career so far. Despite no crowds on RAW, Apollo Crews has found a way to make it work and his promos (his biggest weakness) have improved considerably as well.
This week on RAW, he had a confrontation with Bobby Lashley and told him that he didn't need MVP or Shelton Benjamin to beat him. They had an arm-wrestling contest as well.
The segment ended with Apollo Crews taking Lashley and The Hurt Business out, after which Lashley took out all his anger on Dolph Ziggler and some enhancement talent on RAW Underground.
Apollo Crews may have stood tall, but Bobby Lashley winning the United States title at Payback seems all but certain.
#5. Randy Orton takes out Drew McIntyre from RAW and Payback
Given the finish of the Randy Orton-Drew McIntyre match at SummerSlam 2020, it was only obvious that the feud would continue on RAW. As expected, WWE wasted no time in kickstarting it again, with Randy Orton attacking Drew McIntyre post the Champion's promo. The attack went to the gorilla position on RAW, where Randy Orton hit two punt kicks to Drew McIntyre to take him out.
Later on, Drew McIntyre interrupted Orton's match against Keith Lee - who was making his RAW debut. Soon after, when McIntyre was being interviewed by Charly Caruso, he was blindsided by Randy Orton and ate his third punt kick to the head, resulting in him getting taken out of RAW in an ambulance and possibly suffering some serious damage to the skull.
As a result, Drew McIntyre won't be competing at WWE Payback 2020. Instead, the marquee match from RAW will feature Randy Orton against another Superstar. It's interesting to note that WWE decided not to have Drew McIntyre at Payback 2020. Perhaps the Universal Championship main event has something to do with that.
#4. Bianca Belair makes everything better on RAW
RAW was a good episode for this trio. Notice how Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan have been finding themselves on the receiving end of repeated losses against The IIconics, whether it's been in singles matches or tag team matches.
This week on RAW, Bianca Belair teamed up with the united Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan to take on Zelina Vega and The IIconics, and it was nice to see various feuds merge together. What's also good to see is the fact that both RAW and SmackDown have multiple women's feuds.
Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, and Liv Morgan managed to pick up the win. Bianca Belair's beef with Zelina Vega was over the poisoning of Montez Ford - something that Vega continued to deny.
Bianca Belair hasn't been featured on weekly TV, but one thing has been made clear - she's a strong force who is going to ascend to a bigger role in a matter of time. It's better for WWE to slowly break her away from The Street Profits without any angle involved so that she can thrive as a singles star.
#3. Keith Lee makes his presence known on RAW
WWE was quick to move Keith Lee to RAW as soon as he lost the NXT Championship to Karrion Kross at NXT TakeOver: XXX. It was a bit surprising, especially since Karrion Kross had reportedly suffered a shoulder injury.
Regardless, Keith Lee is now on RAW and he confronted Randy Orton after his brutal assault of WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. It was a great way to hand him his debut, though we're not sure why WWE decided to change Keith Lee's music when he came to RAW to something more generic.
Either way, Randy Orton's assault of Drew McIntyre on this week's edition of RAW wrote the WWE Champion out and Payback will now feature a Keith Lee-Randy Orton rematch. Their match on RAW ended in a DQ finish and at Payback, we're almost certain to get a finish.
The big question for WWE is whether they go with Randy Orton, the hottest star on RAW these last few months, or Keith Lee, who has just arrived on the scene. We expect big things for Keith Lee on Monday Night RAW.
#2. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler - Enemies or frenemies on RAW?
Sasha Banks and Bayley had another busy episode of RAW. It started with Bayley taking on Shayna Baszler before Nia Jax interrupted and caused a DQ. The two of them seemed to be enemies at first and even though the two RAW stars don't get along, they seem to be united towards a common cause.
Sasha Banks attempted to regain the RAW Women's Championship against Asuka in a SummerSlam rematch - this time with a lumberjack stipulation. Asuka managed to get the better of Sasha Banks in a chaotic finish, thus ending their feud on RAW.
Sasha Banks and Bayley will focus on defending the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at Payback 2020. Their opponents will now be RAW stars Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.
It's going to be a fun match to watch, but it shouldn't serve any purpose apart from possibly starting a feud between Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. However, what's a bit odd about this potential match is that all four women are heels.
#1. Dominik impresses, but RAW is RETRIBUTION
Despite the beatdown at SummerSlam, Dominik Mysterio appeared on RAW and made his in-ring debut on the Red brand as well. He was with Rey Mysterio and the two would finally have the long-awaited tag team match together in the main event - going up against Seth Rollins and Murphy.
For a 23-year-old with no developmental experience whatsoever, Dominik is impressing early on. He's got a long way to go, but his in-ring style and ability has left no doubt about the fact that he belongs in the big leagues.
His performance against Murphy and Seth Rollins was nothing short of fantastic and he was about to pick up his first win on RAW until the lights flickered - indicating the arrival of RETRIBUTION.
While Seth Rollins ran to the ramp like a coward, Rey Mysterio went into the ring to protect the ambushed Dominik. They were both assaulted and RETRIBUTION stood tall in one of their finest moments so far.
What was interesting to note, however, is the difference between the SmackDown and RAW locker room's approach to RETRIBUTION. While the SmackDown locker room seems united against a single cause, RAW's locker room couldn't care any less.
We're not sure if that's intentional or not. but it's a good bit of storytelling that we've enjoyed.
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