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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW! It was an interesting and unexpected one since WWE Champion Drew McIntyre was announced to have tested positive for COVID-19.
Thankfully, he's asymptomatic, and he made sure to make a cameo from his house to address what's ahead for him. But RAW was about more than just the WWE Champion.
There was the return of a legend, but before we get to that, let's start with another legend in his own right and what happened with him on RAW:
#7 A romantic angle for Ric Flair on RAW at the age of 71?
Last week on RAW, Ric Flair "accidentally" tripped Charlotte Flair, costing her the match against Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce. This week on RAW, it was a singles match between Charlotte Flair and Lacey Evans.
This time around, the trip was intentional. For some reason, Ric Flair is in a romantic angle with Lacey Evans on RAW at the age of 71. Now we're not sure why, but we can only imagine that it's going to eventually lead to Charlotte Flair and Asuka losing the women's tag team titles on RAW.
Interestingly, it appears to be a case where a botch from Ric Flair on RAW last week has turned into a storyline.
What we're not a big fan of is the fact that the Women's Tag Team titles have taken a big back seat ever since Charlotte Flair and Asuka won them at TLC 2020. With Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, they seemed to be defended most of the time. Even Asuka's role has reduced on RAW despite being the Women's Champion on singles and tag team level.
Will the Ric Flair-Lacey Evans storyline overshadow the Women's Tag Team titles on RAW?
#6 The Sheamus & Keith Lee dynamic on RAW
When your first feud upon your RAW debut is against a legend like Randy Orton, it's clear that big things are lying ahead. Keith Lee was always positioned as an important superstar on RAW, perhaps becoming a key babyface in the last four months.
However, a bit of messy booking to protect him (and yet, not have him win) made The Limitless One lose a bit of momentum. But given that he is always in important feuds and positions on RAW, it seems that the former NXT Champion is one of the next big breakout stars in WWE.
This week on RAW, he teamed up with Sheamus in a fun match to defeat The Miz and John Morrison, who has been on a downward skid. After Sheamus stole the win, the two men suddenly found themselves in a match against each other.
On this occasion, it was Keith Lee who walked out victorious on RAW.
After the match, they shook hands despite some tension, indicating that they could be in an alliance despite not being best friends.
What was most notable, however, was Keith Lee's interaction with Triple H.
Keith Lee offered to face Randy Orton in what would have been his third match of the night. Although Triple H refused his offer, it shows how important Keith Lee is on RAW.
#5 The United States Championship picture on RAW
[Matt] Riddle faced Bobby Lashley for the United States title on RAW, and this time, it was the latter who came with a gameplan. Attacking Riddle before their match on RAW, he took advantage of the situation to defeat him convincingly.
This time, the referee on RAW saw the tap, and Bobby Lashley successfully retained the United States title once again. It's hard to see anybody displacing Bobby Lashley right now, especially given his momentum.
Post-match, Riddle challenged MVP, who came to give him a beatdown. While he was in a prime position to win the match, Lashley saved MVP and speared The King Of Bros, causing a disqualification.
It means that Riddle could still be in the United States title picture on RAW. It won't be surprising to see him challenge Lashley again. Hopefully, their next match takes place with a stipulation.
We still don't expect Lashley to lose the title, however. Riddle is a great superstar, but Lashley has had great momentum since April 2020, and it should continue for some more time.
#4 Is Elias' Universal truth on RAW an unfortunate one?
Elias took on Jeff Hardy after a couple of losses to AJ Styles on RAW. It appears as though Elias is on a downward skid following a match on RAW against his old rival, Jeff Hardy.
It was Jaxson Ryker who initially took Elias' spot after an "injury", but Jeff Hardy successfully convinced Elias to return to the ring. Jeff Hardy beat him and declared "there's your universal truth"
Elias appears to be on a major downward slide on RAW. Not that he's losing to incompetent Superstars, however.
#3 The Royal Rumble competition heats up
Unlike Superstars like Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles, Drew Gulak doesn't seem entitled to declare his entry to the Royal Rumble match. Backstage on RAW, the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion announced his intentions to be a part of the marquee match, but authority figure Adam Pearce stated that he had to earn the opportunity.
Pearce made Gulak face AJ Styles on RAW, and thanks to a little help from Omos, the two-time WWE Champion was victorious. As a result, Drew Gulak won't be entering the Royal Rumble. It just goes to show how competitive things are on the RAW and SmackDown side.
#2 The Drew McIntyre-Goldberg situation on RAW
Drew McIntyre was originally scheduled to face Randy Orton on RAW in a non-title match, but it was then revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19. While WWE normally doesn't announce positive tests, it only makes sense since Drew McIntyre happens to be the WWE Champion.
Thankfully, he revealed that he is asymptomatic, and will be under quarantine for presumably 10-14 days.
Drew McIntyre had to respond to Goldberg, and he couldn't do it at the ThunderDome. Instead, he sat at home and responded to the WWE Hall of Famer on RAW, telling him that he accepted his challenge from the previous week.
We're not sure how it will turn out, but Drew McIntyre's chances at Royal Rumble could be slim. He has been the face of RAW for almost all of 2020, but don't be surprised if all that comes crashing down in a short match. It wouldn't be the first time WWE worked so hard to build a Superstar just to feed them to Goldberg.
#1 Triple H returned to RAW for a "fight"
It's clear that Triple H's RAW appearance only happened because Drew McIntyre tested positive for COVID-19. He opened RAW as advertised and was confronted by his age-old rival Randy Orton.
After the provocation, the main event of RAW was set and Triple H accepted a challenge for a "fight". Triple H didn't wrestle for all of 2020, and this hardly counted as a match as well.
When there were only ten minutes left for RAW and the match hadn't started, it was evident what was happening. What we didn't expect, however, is how it would end up playing out.
Triple H vanished towards the end after his sledgehammer somehow caught fire. Alexa Bliss appeared and shot a ball of fire towards Randy Orton's eyes, blinding him to end RAW.
When will The Fiend return? How much longer will Alexa Bliss do his bidding? Is Bray Wyatt being positioned as a babyface? RAW will get interesting heading into the Royal Rumble 2021.
