'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW! We're happy to bring you a heavy edition for a simple reason - the show was fantastic from start to finish. This RAW marked the beginning of the post-Heyman era and WWE managed to deliver in a big way.
From great storylines, solid matches, hilarious comedy skits, and more, it felt like this episode had it all. Since so much happened, we'll start with one of the most exciting parts of the night - the arrival of Dominik:
#9. What's the direction for the Dominick-Seth Rollins-Rey Mysterio storyline?
This has instantly turned into one of the most exciting storylines in WWE. Anytime, Dominick has been remotely involved in programming, it gets exciting. We saw him have his first piece of action last year at Survivor Series when he hit a low blow and a 619 on Brock Lesnar.
This time around, it was Seth Rollins who has been calling for Dominick, telling Mysterio that he either joins his side or he'll have to be "sacrificed". Mysterio was talking to Rollins over satellite, distraught over the fact that Dominick left to go to RAW.
While he was worried about his son on RAW, it turns out that the 23-year old could take care of himself just fine - attacking Rollins from behind on RAW and outwitting Murphy and Austin Theory before escaping.
We expect that the direction of this is going to lead to a tag team match either next month or at SummerSlam since that was the match that Dominick wanted for his debut. The storyline just got a whole new boost to it. Rey Mysterio returns next week and things are only going to get more intense.
As for the lesson, Seth Rollins was taught today - it was "an eye for an eye".
#8. A foreshadowing for Apollo Crews?
We'll just start by saying that we love MVP in his current role. His presence has been heavy on each episode of RAW, but he was featured more so than usual on the latest episode of RAW. Not only was it due to his involvement with Drew McIntyre and R-Truth (which we'll get to later), but his interaction with Apollo Crews made us believe a change is coming for the United States Champion.
Every Champion wants to be a fighting Champion, but it isn't as easy as it looks. John Cena certainly set the standard for being a fighting United States Champion, but it's been five years and understandably, nobody has been able to touch the level he was on every week.
MVP has been taking a careful look at Apollo Crews and gave him a pep talk backstage on RAW. While impressed with his run so far and his potential, he told him that an important part about being a Champion is fighting the right opponent at the right time for the right money - something that he would know, being one of the longest-reigning United States Champions in WWE history.
He offered his services to Apollo Crews on RAW, but the Champion refused before proceeding to defeat Shelton Benjamin. While he may have rejected MVP now, we wouldn't be surprised to see him align with Lashley and the WWE veteran, turning heel in the process.
#7. What happened with the RAW Women's Championship match?
We had a rematch from WWE Backlash 2020 - Asuka vs Nia Jax for the RAW Women's Championship. It was a logical move to make since WWE made sure to have a dusty double count-out finish for their match at the PPV just one night before.
We expected a clean finish, but it was dusty again. This time, however, we had a winner, and it was the RAW Women's Champion Asuka who retained the title. While the match was somewhat brief, they had some time to put in some character work, which is what interested us.
Nia Jax got hotheaded and shoved the referee John Cone, who was a second away from disqualifying her. However, Asuka rolled her up and got a quick count from the referee to retain the title.
We're not sure if it was the end of the feud or not, but the finish would have been a weird way to go about concluding a rivalry. Ultimately, it was done to protect Nia Jax but we hope that she begins to show more of her character in the ring. That's the best way for fans to start getting invested in her again.
As for Asuka, we expect Charlotte Flair to be her next challenger.
#6. The divorce was a long time coming
Lana went from being moments away to having a WWE Champion as her husband to being a soon-to-be divorcee. Of course, those watching knew that it was always inevitable. They started their romance right at the end of September on RAW and would stick together as Lashley feuded with Rusev for months on end.
They managed to get married on-screen at the start of the year (after their first marriage was sabotaged) but for months now, there has been a tease of dissent between the two. Even after his loss to Aleister Black at WrestleMania 36, Lashley mentioned that he would probably "need a new wife".
MVP's arrival saw Lashley invigorate the fire from within, going on a tear and getting a WWE Championship opportunity. He was close to beating McIntyre but fell short in a fantastic match due to the interference of Lana.
Lana and MVP had a heated confrontation on RAW that led to Lana being told by Bobby Lashley that he wanted to divorce her. And thus, the storied romance comes to an end on RAW after almost nine full months.
Lana had a segment backstage on RAW with Natalya after the latter lost her match and they seemed to find some solace in each other. Natalya has been on a downward slip as well, teaming with Liv Morgan and losing to The IIconics.
#5. The dissent between Andrade and Angel Garza
Andrade and Angel Garza have had a rift lately on RAW. Charly Caruso asked Angel Garza about Andrade's loss to Apollo Crews at Backlash and Garza didn't seem to take much responsibility for the fact that he potentially cost his ally the title match.
Instead, he simply said on RAW, "he'll get over the disappointment". Zelina Vega and Angel Garza were about to go out to the ring for the latter's match against Kevin Owens, and Andrade wished him luck. He also made a snide comment saying that if he doesn't win, he hopes that he'll "get over it".
Of course, Andrade came out to the ring to take a closer look and Kevin Owens took advantage. It was a short, but a great match where both Owens and Garza went at it relentlessly. Owens ended up winning and it was clear that there was Trouble in Paradise, with Zelina Vega shouting at both men on RAW.
It's clear that there's a lot of dissent between the two. Will it mean the ejection of Garza from the group?
#4. The IIconics' next challenge
The IIconics defeated Liv Morgan and Natalya on RAW tonight. While we thought Morgan would be protected, it was the young rising star who took the pinfall while Natalya looked on frustrated.
The story of Liv Morgan seems to be one where she's still "maturing" in terms of her career and progress. While Natalya was having none of it, Morgan got the pinfall at one point, only for the referee to miss is it due to a distraction.
After the match on RAW, The IIconics called out The Women's Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley. They faced them a night before in a triple threat match also involving Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross.
As you know, it was The Boss N' Hug Connection that walked out with the titles. They would even come out later on RAW to celebrate Bayley's birthday but were confronted by The IIconics.
It's not too often that we see a heel vs heel feud, so it'll be interesting to see where this goes. The IIconics were the ones who dethroned Banks & Bayley for the titles at WrestleMania 35.
#3. The feud that needs to finally end?
The Viking Raiders vs Street Profits has been going on since post-WrestleMania 36. It seemed to be a clear-cut case of WWE having no other tag teams to work on. While Ricochet and Cedric Alexander were slated for a tag team push on RAW, they have seemingly been forgotten about quite quickly.
In the meantime, we've seen The Viking Raiders turn into a much more lighthearted team on RAW and they've been having a friendly but competitive rivalry against The Street Profits. It's called the "What you can do, we can do better" feud and it's seen both teams try to compete with each other in various things, from basketball to golf to ax throwing to archery and so much more.
What we've learned is that women seem to find Ivar attractive but not Erik. That aside, they have been in two entertaining segments for two nights in a row - involving Akira Tozawa and his ninjas.
While there has been one giant ninja, in particular, Big Show came out to even the odds. He later suggested backstage on RAW that a simple solution to end their rivalry is to just have a title match next week. So there we go! Street Profits vs The Viking Raiders next week for the RAW Tag Team Championships. Will it finally be the end of the feud?
#2. Drew McIntyre and R-Truth's unusual alliance
One Superstar whose presence was surprisingly heavy on RAW this week was WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth, who was scheduled to team up with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre to face Bobby Lashley and MVP.
He was involved backstage all night and his altercation with MVP and Lashley eventually led to him being provoked and offering to put the title on the line against them in a tag team match. Except, it wasn't for the 24/7 title - it was for the WWE Championship.
Drew McIntyre showed fantastic character work on RAW, being as calm as possible while also referring to the WWE title as his "life's work". It speaks volumes as to how great a Champion he already is and he managed to avoid trouble by hitting one Claymore kick to MVP. Unselfishly, he let R-Truth get the pin to seal the victory on RAW.
There seems to be an indication that Lashley isn't done with the WWE Championship just yet. It'll be interesting to see if he sticks around and continues to feud with Drew McIntyre. Even in defeat, he has a lot of momentum now.
#1. A clever way to set up Edge's return?
It's hard to know where to begin with this one. Randy Orton is currently doing some of the best work he's done in years - possibly among the best in the later stage of his career. Everything about his character work on RA has been fantastic and it was confirmed that the rumors of Edge having a tricep tear at Backlash were true.
Christian came out to confront Randy Orton and The Viper, being the manipulator that he is, provoked Christian into accepting a match against him in the main event on RAW. Since Christian wasn't medically cleared to compete, he offered an unsanctioned match.
The story of Christian through the entire episode was the dilemma of whether it was worth risking his life to get revenge for Edge. He took advice from Big Show and Ric Flair, with the latter insisting that he doesn't get back in the ring on RAW.
Ultimately, Christian accepted the challenge, but he was hit with a low blow from Ric Flair, after which Orton punted him and pinned him mercifully on RAW. The show ended with Randy Orton talking to Christian and seemingly showing a sense of mercy. It was beautiful character work and a fantastic way to set up Edge's inevitable return.
How did Ric Flair spend $1500 at a pizza place? More details here
