8 Things WWE subtly told us on RAW after Extreme Rules 2021: Former World Champion's move to SmackDown confirmed, Babyface star turns heel after 2 years

It was an eventful episode of RAW after Extreme Rules 2021. It was also the final show before the WWE Draft. In the upcoming episode of SmackDown, a two-part Draft will begin, and the first day will be on Friday, and it will pour on to RAW the coming Monday.

This means that this was the last RAW with this current roster. From next week onwards, there will be huge changes, with quite a few SmackDown stars moving over to the red brand.

However, what was most interesting about RAW this week was that there were more "Extreme" stipulation matches than Extreme Rules itself. When accounting for the brutal assault by Shayna Baszler, the overall show was more brutal than Sunday's pay-per-view.

Either way, here's what WWE subtly told us on the RAW after Extreme Rules 2021.

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#8 Big E, Bobby Lashley, Goldberg, and the next big step on RAW

Big E and Bobby Lashley had their WWE Championship match to open RAW this week. It seemed like a significant bout since this was the official rematch two weeks after Big E dethroned Lashley on RAW.

The match was going well until Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin, two former stablemates of The All Mighty, showed up wearing their Hurt Business shirts. They didn't get involved, but their presence alone was enough to distract Big E.

The other two members of The New Day, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, came out to even the odds, and the action spilled over to the ring, causing a disqualification. A furious Adam Pearce announced that the match wouldn't end like that and said Big E and Lashley will settle the feud inside a steel cage later on RAW.

Right before the last half hour of RAW, Goldberg cut a pre-taped promo, vowing to destroy Bobby Lashley for what he did to his son Gage. While nothing was announced, a rematch between Lashley and Goldberg is almost set for Crown Jewel 2021 next month.

The steel cage match proceeded, and while the other two Hurt Business members got involved, Kingston and Woods once again came out to even the odds. Once one-on-one, Big E and Bobby Lashley had a stellar match, with the WWE Champion retaining in an incredible main event.

Right after the bout, Big E was confronted by Drew McIntyre, who stood at the ramp and indicated that he was next in line. Now that Bobby Lashley is done with the WWE Championship, Drew McIntyre can challenge for the title again.

For Bobby Lashley, it was the third time he suffered a clean pinfall in one week. This essentially confirms that he will be heading to SmackDown in the WWE Draft, possibly alongside other members of The Hurt Business.

#7 Humberto Carrillo confirms his status as a heel on RAW

Humberto Carrillo has been directionless on RAW for a while now, as has Angel Garza. WWE's solution was to pair them up, which will probably work in the short run. So far, the partnership has worked.

This week on RAW, Angel Garza faced Erik of The Viking Raiders, as the duo looked to get one over one-half of the former RAW Tag Team Champions. Angel Garza won, thanks to a distraction from Humberto Carrillo.

While Humberto Carrillo may have turned heel when associating himself with Garza, his actions on RAW fully cemented it.

As for Garza and Carrillo's next destination, it could very well be SmackDown.

There's nothing tying either man to RAW, and given that SmackDown needs more tag teams, it wouldn't be surprising to see both men getting drafted together.

Perhaps a move to the blue brand is exactly what both men need. Many see Angel Garza as a competitor with a bright singles future, and that could eventually be realized on SmackDown post-WWE Draft.

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#6 Will Jinder Mahal and his faction get a big push following their win on RAW?

Jinder Mahal, Veer and Shanky teamed up to face the trio of Jeff Hardy, Mustafa Ali, and Mansoor. It was a quick match that saw Veer pick up the win after hitting a vicious lariat on Mustafa Ali.

Jinder Mahal and the duo of Veer and Shanky could make the move to SmackDown, but there doesn't seem to be a place on the blue brand for them. RAW seems to be the best option, and if they stay, then they could get a small push.

#5 Is Sheamus or Damian Priest leaving RAW?

Damian Priest continued his string of incredible matches as the United States Champion on RAW as he faced Sheamus in a singles US Title match with a No Disqualification match.

Ironically, there were more "Extreme" stipulations on RAW than there were at last night's pay-per-view. Either way, Sheamus and Damian Priest had yet another incredible match together, with the United States Champion facing a great deal of adversity before eventually coming through and retaining the title. This also meant that Priest ended his feud with Sheamus.

If The Archer Of Infamy continues his momentum, this could end up being the best United States Championship reign since 2015. The WWE Draft is coming up, so it seems guaranteed that one of the two men will make the jump to SmackDown.

If Damian Priest moves to SmackDown, then it's almost guaranteed that King Nakamura will move to RAW for the first time in his career. Sheamus has been better on the red brand since his move last year, and Damian Priest is a rising star, so it wouldn't be surprised to see him take his momentum to Friday Nights.

#4 Karrion Kross' dominance on RAW continues

After a slippery start to his run on RAW, Karrion Kross is being treated exactly as he should. The newly-engaged RAW Superstar faced the controversial Jaxson Ryker in a bout made for one purpose - destruction.

That's exactly what we witnessed as Kross put away Ryker with relative ease. There's no storyline in place for Karrion Kross on RAW just yet, but we anticipate that they can do this for another month without it getting boring.

These squash matches are a tried-and-tested formula when it comes to creating "monster heels." Hopefully, Karrion Kross stays on RAW.

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#3. Keith Lee to get a new character with the "Bearcat" name

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful had mentioned a week ago that Keith Lee was introduced with the "Bearcat" middle name during a dark match. For the uninitiated, it's seems to be a tribute to the legendary wrestler, Bearcat Wright.

It was Akira Tozawa who asked for a challenge on RAW, expecting the likes of 24/7 title-chasers Drew Gulak, R-Truth, etc.

Instead, it was a serious Keith "Bearcat" Lee who came out with a different demeanor altogether. From the look of things, the name change will be accompanied by a change in personality as well. Whether it will result in a heel turn or not is yet to be seen.

#2 The RAW Tag Team title feud gets brushed aside again

We mentioned in another article that WWE seems to have more plans for tag teams without the titles than with them, and that has been the case recently on RAW.

Both AJ Styles & Omos and RK-Bro seem to have had no plans whatsoever while holding the RAW Tag Team Championsheek, Randy Orton wasn't present on RAW this week, but Riddle was booked against AJ Styles, who he has never had a bad match with.

Once again on RAW, Styles and Riddle delivered an instant classic. The finish was a brutal one, with AJ Styles hitting the dangerous and rarely-used Burning Hammer - a move made famous by Japanese wrestling legend Kenta Kobashi.

It was followed up with a Styles Clash, finishing Riddle. Omos launched a post-match attack on The Original Bro, indicating that the SummerSlam feud is far from over. While it will be interesting to see how it plays out, it feels like it's time for a new challenge for RK-Bro on RAW.

#1 The RAW Women's Title gets two or three new potential contenders

After Alexa Bliss lost her RAW Women's title match to Charlotte Flair at Extreme Rules, it was reported that she would be out of action for a while. The angle with Lily wasn't meant to book an immediate rematch but to write Alexa Bliss off.

She has received a well-earned time away from RAW, where she has been an integral part of programming throughout the year and the pandemic era. Charlotte Flair held an open challenge for the RAW Women's Championship, and Doudrop approached authority figures, Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce.

Both the WWE Officials seemed to like the idea of Charlotte Flair vs Doudrop for the RAW Women's Title, with Deville once again taking a shot at Naomi, claiming that she doesn't even belong on the SmackDown roster.

In the main match itself, Doudrop picked up momentum, but Eva Marie came out to distract her. Charlotte Flair took advantage and hit the Natural Selection on Doudrop to retain the RAW Women's Championship.

Eva Marie stood in the center of the ring while Flair was announced as the winner, infuriating the Champion. Charlotte Flair then attacked Eva Marie, hinting at a potential triple threat match.

However, Shayna Baszler came out while Eva Marie proclaimed that she would be the RAW Women's Champion if she were in Doudrop's shoes. Baszler choked Marie and destroyed her at ringside, potentially writing her out of RAW for a little while.

WWE is finally unleashing the "real" Shayna Baszler - something we haven't seen since Elimination Chamber 2020. Baszler looks as legitimate a contender as one can get without Nia Jax as a "crutch".