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RAW had a hugely improved episode this week compared to the last. WWE pulled out all the stops, with Big E making the headlines for obvious reasons. But it wasn't just him who made the episode good.
Some of our honorable bests go out to Damian Priest and Sheamus, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, as well as Karrion Kross. All in all, RAW delivered, and here are some of the bests and worsts of the episode:
#3. Best: Keeping Drew McIntyre relevant on RAW
Ever since getting booted out of the WWE title picture on RAW, Drew McIntyre has only feuded against Jinder Mahal. That culminated at SummerSlam and McIntyre defeated his old faction member in a matter of minutes.
Since then, he hasn't exactly been in any feud to note of. However, WWE has ensured to keep him relevant on the Red brand by giving him TV time. This week was another example of that.
Drew McIntyre teamed up with The Viking Raiders to face Jinder Mahal, Veer, and Shanky. The match was over before it even started, with McIntyre getting the Claymore Kick on Shanky and an easy pinfall.
Although one could argue that Mahal and his group should be treated better, the promotion has made one thing clear - McIntyre is still a long-term project. While Bobby Lashley had greater success in 2021 than Drew McIntyre, there's a difference between the two.
Lashley's WWE title win seemed to come out of the circumstances surrounding the pandemic and WrestleMania 37, whereas McIntyre has been a long-term plan for a while. He carried RAW in 2020 and was undoubtedly the superstar of what turned out to be the company's most unique year.
The issue that WWE faced with The Scottish Warrior was this - when fans came back, he had already overstayed his welcome in the world title picture. He was a two-time Champion, but he got more rematches than fans felt was warranted.
There was a point where he was even getting booed, and he may not have gotten a favorable reaction had he won the Money in the Bank briefcase. Thankfully, he didn't.
This is a better route to take with Drew McIntyre, as the company is slowly building him back up to return to the WWE title picture. We wouldn't be surprised to see him re-enter right away, although we feel he shouldn't.
#2. Worst: The botched ending to Nikki A.S.H. vs. Tamina
The Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley feud against Women's Tag Team Champions Tamina and Natalya continued on RAW. This week, Nikki faced Tamina, and following that, Ripley faced Natalya.
The finish to the first match was sloppy. The pin hardly looked clean, and although it was Nikki A.S.H. who got the pinfall, Tamina's music played and even the ring announcer made a mistake by announcing her as the winner.
That was undoubtedly the low point of the show this week. Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya was a fairly enjoyable match, with Ripley getting the submission win over the veteran.
#2. Best: Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss' RAW Women's title feud
Charlotte Flair defeated Shayna Baszler on RAW, with Nia Jax causing the distraction this week. Last week, Baszler distracted Jax and cost her a potential RAW Women's title win against The Queen.
The pair seems to have broken up and will face off on the Red brand next week, but that seems to be secondary. Charlotte Flair was given a gift by Alexa Bliss, her title challenger at Extreme Rules 2021.
Flair's gift was a lookalike doll named Charly, who was eventually trashed backstage. The feud is surprisingly interesting and feels like a breath of fresh air. Bliss was once criticized for being "too involved" in the RAW Women's division between 2017 and 2018, but she hasn't been a singles champion in over three years.
It's funny how time can change that perception. It's good to see her back in the Women's title mix.
#1. Worst: No real payoff to Doudrop vs. Eva Marie on RAW?
Doudrop and Eva Marie finally had their match on RAW. While it was originally scheduled for a few weeks ago, the former attacked Marie pre-match and she was deemed unfit to compete.
This week, they finally had their payoff match, with Doudrop squashing Eva Marie for the win. It was certainly the right way to go about it, but the overall payoff felt underwhelming in the end.
With that said, there isn't much else that could have been done. Perhaps WWE could have stuck with the pairing longer than they did.
#1. Best: Big E's WWE title win
The only real way to conclude this edition of best and worst of RAW is with the central point of the show - Big E and his WWE title win.
Bobby Lashley vs. Randy Orton was moved from Extreme Rules to the Monday night show, and the New Day member announced that he would cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase beforehand.
This seemed to be classic trolling by the company, but that wasn't the case. Lashley retained the WWE title against Orton, and Big E cashed in as expected. He is now the new WWE Champion and it received a huge pop.
A new era on RAW begins next week with Big E.
