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From RETRIBUTION's controversial booking decisions to a huge twist in the Mysterio Family's storyline with Seth Rollins, this week's edition of WWE RAW featured many contrasting moments.
The go-home RAW episode before Clash of Champions has divided the WWE Universe to its core. Some have gone so far as to call it the worst episode of the year, while others have dubbed it as an entertaining show despite the glaring issues at hand.
Clearly, there is no singular reaction to this bizarre edition of RAW, so it's this writer's job to stay as objective as possible. Let us know what you thought about this particular episode in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE RAW (September 21, 2020).
#5: Randy Orton outsmarted Drew McIntyre on two separate occasions before their Ambulance Match at Clash of Champions
Keith Lee and Drew McIntyre were scheduled for a one-on-one match on this week's episode of WWE RAW. Lee and McIntyre's clash was a stellar one, to say the least.
Both men fought in a slugfest against each other, and fans would definitely love to see a rematch between them down the road. Their bout could have had a definitive finish if it wasn't for Randy Orton. Orton caused a disqualification by attacking the WWE Champion with a chair.
The Viper cut a sadistic promo on how he will decimate Drew McIntyre at Clash of Champions. Orton creatively used the ambulance as a plot device for his promo, which is something that should be taught in promo class at WWE's Performance Center.
Even at the end of the show where the entire RAW roster appeared to fight RETRIBUTION, Orton's selfish motives resurfaced as he delivered an RKO to Drew McIntyre inside the ring.
Character-wise, Randy Orton stole the spotlight from everyone on this week's WWE RAW. There is a good chance he could become the new WWE Champion at this Sunday's Clash of Champions event.
#4: Braun Strowman overpowered Dabba-Kato during their anticipated fight in RAW Underground
WWE SmackDown's Braun Strowman appeared on RAW Underground last week. Since then, the only one to stand against The Monster Among Men was Dabba-Kato, who got an opportunity to fight the former Universal Champion in Shane McMahon's RAW Underground this week.
Speaking of Shane McMahon, he appeared on The KO Show to promote this fight. Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon are longtime rivals in WWE, so that was certainly an interesting crossover last night.
Shane hasn't lost his antagonistic tendencies at all. He introduced Dabba-Kato during The KO Show to compromise things for Owens. The latter got ambushed by Aleister Black as a result.
Braun Strowman and Dabba-Kato's fight ended with Strowman winning, which simultaneously affects Kato's creative direction on WWE RAW. WWE fans were led to believe that Kato would be introduced as the next big threat to the Red brand. Instead, the primary focus has become Braun Strowman being an unstoppable force on WWE RAW.
Kato has been relegated back to his former position, although he could face Owens in RAW Underground, as both of them had teased an eventual fight earlier during The KO Show.
#3: Andrade and Angel Garza became number 1 contenders as Billie Kay and Peyton Royce kept crossing paths despite their breakup
The current era of WWE is certainly confusing for someone who loves tag team wrestling. Last week, Zelina Vega ditched Andrade and Angel Garza and both of them even brawled against each other for a while.
This week, it seemed as if Andrade and Garza became a more efficient unit without Zelina's presence. Zelina was the rock holding both of them as a tag team, so it makes little to no sense why they could resolve their differences only when Zelina left the duo.
Andrade and Angel Garza earned a shot for the RAW Tag Team Titles at Clash of Champions, even though The Street Profits have defeated the duo before.
Meanwhile, Peyton Royce got herself a match against Asuka by provoking WWE's RAW Women's Champion on last night's episode.
It was Billie Kay who provoked Asuka first, but Peyton swooped in and took the opportunity from her former tag team partner. However, both Peyton and Kay stated that they had each other's backs despite The IIconics not being a tag team anymore.
Peyton lost against Asuka anyways (via disqualification), but there was no reason for WWE to split apart The IIconics if Peyton and Billie keep crossing paths and still remain allies on Monday Night RAW.
#2: Aaliyah Mysterio got mad at her father because Rey said she is just 19 years old and "knows nothing about the world"
The Mysterio Family's feud against Seth Rollins won't end anytime soon, thanks to what happened on this week's WWE RAW.
Despite successfully defeating Dominik in a Steel Cage Match last week, The Monday Night Messiah chose to provoke Rey Mysterio and his family once again.
Rollins revealed a DNA test where Rey might not be Dominik's father. Rollins created more suspense by saying that perhaps it is Aaliyah who is not Rey's daughter. This "new" DNA test was possible because of the advancement in technology, according to Rollins.
But even the most naive WWE fan wouldn't fall for The Monday Night Messiah's tricks here. The Mysterio Family wasn't fooled by Seth's antics either, but there came a point where Aaliyah got mad at her father because of Rey's overprotectiveness towards Aaliyah.
This sounds too soap-operatic to be true but stranger things have happened in WWE before. Later, Murphy approached Aaliyah and apologized to her for whatever her family was put through at the hands of Seth Rollins.
Earlier in the show, Rollins ditched Murphy in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match. Murphy could very well turn babyface soon, and a potential romance angle between Murphy and Aaliyah might be the catalyst for that storyline.
All around, this was just a weird angle that has drawn various reactions from WWE fans all over social media.
#1: Key members of RETRIBUTION were revealed as they wrestled against The Hurt Business in the main event
WWE RAW kicked off with RETRIBUTION taking over the show this week. The identities of key members of the anti-establishment faction were revealed as well, which can be read here.
RETRIBUTION brawled against The Hurt Business throughout the night, and the two factions faced each other in the main event. Eventually, things got out of hand and the entire WWE roster arrived to dismantle RETRIBUTION for the night.
The parts were RETRIBUTION brawled against WWE Superstars throughout the show were exciting, to say the least. There is no denying that RETRIBUTION has changed the format of the show in an interesting way. But from a logical perspective, RETRIBUTION's booking has been all over the place.
Surely, there are traitors backstage who got RETRIBUTION officially signed with the company, in kayfabe. But even then, why would RETRIBUTION members willingly sign those contracts if they criticize the Superstars who get paid by WWE just like them from this point onwards?
In an effort to represent the unrepresented, RETRIBUTION has become a part of the system, which contradicts their ultimate goal as anti-establishment miscreants. It is exciting to see how a wildly polarizing and a poorly written angle like this exists in WWE today. It's like watching a movie that's bad yet entertaining at the same time, which ironically, makes WWE RAW a more engaging show these days.
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