'%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)
WWE's last show of the 2010s was a surprisingly memorable experience, as there was a lot of great ring action where losers and winners alike shined. The Royal Rumble is now less than a month away, and everyone is looking forward to WrestleMania season.
Who got closer to having a good experience in those most important three months on the WWE calendar and who got further away? Let's take a look at the last RAW of the decade and see what happened!
Winner: Samoa Joe
As good as Samoa Joe is in the commentary booth, it's still nice to see him back in action, and he got involved in a big way, teaming up with Kevin Owens to attack Seth Rollins and AOP.
This will be a big angle going forward, and Joe's involvement is great to see, as we know that good things happen when he's given the spotlight. Now, he'll start the new decade and the road to WrestleMania in a big story, with a prominent spot in Tampa a possibility.
Let's hope it stays that way.
Winners: Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy
We often harp on WWE for the constant rematches it gives us, but I think with Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy, we didn't mind. I don't think we'll mind if they make this a best of seven, or 10, or 12 series.
This was an incredible TV match to close out the year. Hopefully, it will mean big singles pushes for both of them going forward and impressive performances in the Royal Rumble for each man. Both of them deserve some kind of prominence at WrestleMania 36, as we know that they'll add electricity to the show.
Given how good this was, and how praised it was on social media, that's a much greater possibility now.
Loser: Erick Rowan
This has been going on for a while now, these random squash matches. What's the point of them and why are they taking up valuable air time? We still don't know. There hasn't been a hint of an angle since Erick Rowan's arrival on RAW after the Draft.
It's unlikely that this will lead anywhere. Rowan needs to do something bigger if he wants to secure some kind of prominence at WrestleMania, which is a remote possibility at this point, in turn begging the question of why we've been seeing this every week.
Loser: Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair issued an open challenge that Natalya answered. She won, of course, but suddenly, she looks like the odd woman out. Always the default favorite to win the women's Royal Rumble match, her odds have fallen thanks to Shayna Baszler finally dropping the NXT Women's Championship to Rhea Ripley.
We also shouldn't underestimate the possibility of Ronda Rousey returning for that one on one match with Becky Lynch which should have happened last year.
So where does that leave Flair on The Road to WrestleMania? That's a question that doesn't have an obvious answer right now.
Winners: The Street Profits
This wasn't anything special, but the Street Profits nevertheless put on a good showing against The O.C. Their victory in the match should put them in title contention against the Viking Raiders, after all, the Champions can't face a team of local jobbers at the Royal Rumble.
And given that tag team title matches at WrestleMania are always multi-team affairs these days, their performance here probably guaranteed them a spot on the card in Tampa Bay. That's the stuff that makes for a good night.
Winners: AJ Styles and Randy Orton
This was a great segment, with Randy Orton deceiving AJ Styles and delivering an RKO. During the promo, both men implied that there would be a WrestleMania match between them. It would be a rematch of what we saw this year, though with the roles reversed, as Styles will play the villain and Orton the hero.
Whether it happens there remains to be seen, but given the status of these two men in the locker room, don't be surprised if it does. It's not the most glamorous match, but any singles match on the WrestleMania card is precious. That makes for a good night at work.
Winner: Andrade
Not only did the partnership with Zelina Vega not end, as it looked like it might a few weeks ago, but Andrade also won the US Championship at a Madison Square Garden house show. He followed up his victory with a great title defense against Ricochet on RAW last night. No one would object if this becomes a greater rivalry.
Of course, mid-card title reigns in WWE aren't long, so Andrade's place on the WrestleMania card is still in doubt, but if he can have a good rivalry with Ricochet, both he and his opponent have a higher chance of seeing their hostilities get them to Tampa.
Winner: Liv Morgan
This segment might have just been one of the strangest of the year, maybe even the decade. Maybe it's fitting that this was the last part of WWE programming in the 2010s.
It was all over the place, but the most interesting reveal was Liv Morgan objecting to the wedding of Bobby Lashley and Lana because her love for the latter gave her a purpose in life.
WWE attempting a same-sex angle is new, and they haven't exactly earned a high degree of trust to carry something like that out, but at least there's the novelty factor to it.
I'm betting it winds up being a train wreck, but it will at least be an interesting one, and Morgan's involvement in such a big angle is certainly a step up for someone who couldn't get TV time before this.
