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WWE RAW this week was full of surprises that proved to be a massive help in keeping the show interesting for over three hours. We finally know who is the mastermind behind RETRIBUTION, and literally, no one saw that coming. We also saw WWE Champion Drew McIntyre back in action while Braun Strowman once again arrived on the Red brand.
The main event of the show saw a six-man tag team match in which Drew McIntyre teamed up with the Street Profits to take on Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode. The WWE Champion’s team ended up losing after McIntyre was pinned and that happened for the first time in almost a year.
There’s a lot more than transpired on WWE RAW this week. In this article, we will take a look at Superstars who impressed during the show and those who flopped. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Impressed on WWE RAW: Braun Strowman
I always struggle to understand WWE’s fascination with ending matches in a no contest. It gets particularly difficult to take them seriously when it happens as often as it does in the weekly shows and PPVs. This week on WWE RAW, we saw another match end in the same fashion. It was not the best because WWE RAW is three hours long and this match could have had a better end. However, it still ended up showing us a few positives, the biggest of which was Braun Strowman and his brand new persona that was on full display.
Strowman arrived on WWE RAW looking for a fight. He found an opponent in Keith Lee and both powerhouses locked horns in a singles match. The storytelling was good and allowed both Superstars to show their strength. Following that, Strowman ran into Lee and put him through the barricade. The latter stood up and both of them continued brawling up the ramp.
Finally, Lee took the fight to Strowman and threw him into the huge LED screen behind him. They both then went off the stage and crashed through a table. Both Superstars are expected to lock horns on again and the WWE Universe will surely look forward to their rematch.
On WWE RAW, Strowman’s match made it clear that he is working extremely hard to reinvent himself. He doesn’t want to limit himself to a big, strong guy in the promotion. He looks leaner, more agile, and is now attempting difficult moves to become more of a threat. Strowman definitely deserves a better spot, and it is good to see him putting in so much effort.
#1 Flopped on WWE RAW: Lana
The opening match of WWE RAW this week saw a six-woman tag team match. Asuka teamed up with Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke to take on Zelina Vega, Natalya, and Lana. The match was alright, and Lana ended up looking the weakest inside the ring. While it is pretty clear that her in-ring prowess doesn't remotely match that of others who were competing in the match, it's the specific spots that made her look extremely out-of-place.
To make things worse, the torment didn't stop with the final bell for this match. After Asuka, Mandy Rose, and Dana Brooke picked a victory over their opponents; it was time for the Women's Tag Team Champions to make a statement. Both Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax announced their arrival on the Red brand and immediately went after Lana and Natalya. And once again, Jax put Lana through the announce desk.
This was the third time that Lana was put through the announcers table. It does little to nothing concerning Lana's progress on WWE RAW. She is anyway booked as someone more active as a social media influencer than she is inside the ring. It doesn't make much sense to book her as anyone other than a cowardly heel. Thus, it looks strange (and is almost impossible to ignore) when it comes to the intensity of punishment that Lana has been taking over the last few weeks on WWE RAW.
#2 Impressed on WWE RAW: Murphy
This week on WWE RAW, Murphy finally snapped at Seth Rollins, and it now appears that the Monday Night Messiah will finally move on from his feud with the Mysterio family. Although Aalyah Mysterio will still be involved, at least we won’t be seeing Rey vs Rollins or Dominik vs Rollins for a few weeks.
Murphy teamed up with Rollins to take on Dominik and Humberto Carrillo. Despite the constant verbal spat between Rollins and Murphy, they managed to pick up the win. Following that, the Monday Night Messiah gave an hour to his Disciple to apologize. Murphy refused and ended up assaulting Rollins on WWE RAW.
Both Superstars beat each other up with a Kendo stick, and Rollins wanted to use a steel chair, but Aalyah saved Murphy. The Mysterio family walked out to take her back while Murphy was inside the ring in agony. In the coming weeks, we could see both Murphy and Rollins engage in multiple brawls. Both share a long history, and Rollins even tried to damage Murphy’s eye tonight. Finally, we will see this much-anticipated feud between Murphy and Rollins.
#2 Flopped on WWE RAW: Riott Squad
In this week’s episode of WWE RAW, we saw the Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax return to action. The Clash of Champions match scheduled between them and the Riott Squad transpired tonight, and it ended with the champions successfully retaining their titles. This match was not as exciting as you would typically expect from a title match.
Both Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan looked quite weak inside the ring and hardly posed any threat to Baszler and Jax. While it is understandable that the champions are often booked better, the Riott squad members looked nothing close to their intense self when they were brawling with Jax and Baszler on WWE RAW.
The finish to the match looked slightly awkward which worked well for Baszler as she forced Ruby Riott to tap out. If you consider the fact that the Riott Squad won this opportunity in a match that forced The IIconics to split, you would expect they will come across as a much bigger threat on WWE RAW. Hopefully, they will live up to their full potential in the coming weeks.
#3 Impressed on WWE RAW: Mustafa Ali
Adding Mustafa Ali’s name to the list of Superstars who impressed is something I will not think twice about. But I never imagined that I would be including his name because of the mind games he pulled. Tonight on WWE RAW, Mustafa Ali seemingly revealed himself as the leader of the RETRIBUTION, and all hell broke loose.
Earlier in the episode, MVP offered Mustafa Ali, Ricochet, and Apollo Crews an offer to join the Hurt Business. They denied, and Ricochet teamed up with Crews to take on Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. The Hurt Business members went on to pick a victory on WWE RAW.
Ali’s match against MVP was interrupted by the RETRIBUTION. The Hurt Business asked Ali to join them to fend off the faction, and he rolled out of the ring to stand in front of Mace and T-Bar. Before anyone could react, he turned and ordered RETRIBUTION to attack the Hurt Business. After brutalising MVP, Lashley and Benjamin, RETRIBUTION joined Ali inside the ring and it was revealed that he was the mastermind behind it all.
After the SmackDown hacker gimmick was dropped, man spectators were worried a promising WWE Superstar could lose his push. But the creative had a massive surprise in store. Mustafa Ali significantly raised his stakes on WWE RAW. It will be interesting to see how WWE will book Ali and RETRIBUTION members as we advance.
