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This week's RAW was a bit of a letdown compared to the explosive action last week. We got a lot of squash matches and subdued segments - but none of it was meaningless.
Each segment served a purpose, at the very least. The red brand continues to build up its programs well as April 6th gets closer and closer.
With WrestleMania in mind, who got the most and least out of last night's show?
Winner: Shayna Baszler
Well, at least this hit all the right notes, making up for the dud of a match at Survivor Series. I'm still not sold on a Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler feud given the limitations of both women. I just don't think they're going to play off against each other very well. Nevertheless, I'll give WWE credit for the way they kicked this feud off. It featured something that nobody expected to see.
After a tough match with Asuka, who definitely got the short end of the stick here, Shayna Baszler ambushed the victorious Becky Lynch, then, like a vampire, bit her in the neck and dripped blood from her mouth.
That will get people talking, at least.
As much as I don't think these two will have good chemistry, at the very least, Shayna Baszler feels like a real danger to Becky Lynch, the likes of which she hasn't faced since her reign as RAW Women's Champion began nearly a year ago.
The feud might be clunky - we'll just have to see, but it will be good for the RAW women's division regardless, since things will feel like they have real stakes for the first time in a year.
We'll just have to see how it goes. Hopefully Paul Heyman has it all planned out.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Credit to the red brand, they're doing everything they can to make the 2020 Royal Rumble winner look cool on the road to WrestleMania. There have been some doubts about Drew McIntyre, and they were cleverly placed into the return of MVP's VIP Lounge last night.
McIntyre overcame those objections coolly and laid out MVP with the Claymore, which is rapidly becoming one of the most over moves in the company. Job done.
Winner: Angel Garza
It's sad to see the fate of one of the longest-reigning Cruiserweight Champions in Cedric Alexander, but this did its job of getting Angel Garza over. The match lasted only a few minutes.
Previously, Angel Garza brawled with his cousin, Humberto Carrillo, who you have to imagine is going to fall prey to him in similar fashion. WWE seems keen on pushing the newly-debuted Garza.
Things will get more interesting when Andrade gets back. Might Garza even find himself on the WrestleMania stage in a United States title match? That would be a big promotion from 205 Live - and the possibility is open.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley was back on RAW last night, defeating Sarah Logan in a few minutes and demanding an answer from Charlotte Flair about a WrestleMania match.
The fact that Rhea Ripley is getting this much promotion from the company shows how high they are on her. The timing works out, given that NXT just moved to the USA Network four months ago, but one gets the feeling that never have the higher-ups in the company been higher on an NXT Women's Champion - except perhaps Charlotte.
This match just got a whole lot likelier after last night, with Shayna Baszler's ambush of Becky Lynch. Now, we only need to see if the former will take place at Elimination Chamber instead, which doesn't seem likely.
While Charlotte wasn't an ideal Royal Rumble winner this year, using it to get her embroiled in a program with Rhea Ripley would be the best way to go. Nobody wants to see Charlotte vs. Becky or Bayley again.
Even if Ripley loses her title to Charlotte, it would still be a win, because she would just be drafted to RAW or SmackDown straight afterward. And a win over Charlotte at WrestleMania might be even bigger for her.
We'll see!
Winner: Randy Orton
Randy Orton explained a little about his motivations in attacking Edge, but Matt Hardy quickly came out and defended the Rated-R Superstar, which was somewhat shocking, given their personal history.
But given all of their history in WWE which goes back 20 years, it wasn't particularly shocking at all.
Randy Orton promptly laid him out in the same way he decimated Edge a couple of weeks ago, making him even more believable as a despicable villain. No doubt, everyone will be waiting for Edge to answer.
Loser: Aleister Black
Suddenly, Aleister Black looks like he lost the feud with Murphy after all, because all he's done since then is get involved in squash matches. It looks like he has no direction on the road to WrestleMania.
Perhaps everyone is just waiting for Andrade to get back? We all know how much history they have and how well those two work together. That would be a good United States title match, especially with Angel Garza now around to add further uncertainty.
But either way, something needs to give, soon, or people are just going to stop caring.
