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This week, we saw WWE RAW’s go-home show before Survivor Series. The episode was rather interesting, and it concluded with a good main event featuring Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton. In the Red brand’s final show ahead of the next pay-per-view, we saw the WWE Championship change hands.
In addition to that, the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships were also on the line this week. But unlike the WWE title, the tag team champions Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods managed to retain their gold. We also saw Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke getting injured this week. Hence, they have been replaced by Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce in the women’s team that will represent the Red brand at Survivor Series.
In this article, we will take a look at Superstars who managed to impress us on WWE RAW this week and those who failed. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Impressed on WWE RAW: Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre is undoubtedly one of the best performing Superstars in 2020, and he continued to impress us on this week’s episode of WWE RAW. He kickstarted the show, looking confident about his title match against Randy Orton in the main event. McIntyre was sure that he would win the WWE Championship once again and that’s exactly what he did tonight.
Drew McIntyre was booked in a WWE Championship match against Randy Orton on RAW. The two Superstars locked horns in an epic match that demanded both of them to deliver their best inside the squared circle. McIntyre and Orton looked equally dominant inside the ring as they continued to exchange hard-hitting blows.
At one point during the match, Orton decided to walk away with his title in an attempt to escape with his championship from WWE RAW. However, his plans were ruined by Adam Pearce who then came out to announce that the title match would now be governed by the no-disqualification stipulation. Following this, McIntyre and Orton were engaged in a brutal encounter involving, chairs, tables, and every other weapon at their disposal.
Ultimately, it was Drew McIntyre who managed to prevail as he picked a clean victory over Randy Orton to become the WWE Champion for the second time this year. He will now represent WWE RAW at Survivor Series during his much-awaited clash with Universal Champion Roman Reigns. The fans are excited to see what will transpire when these two powerhouses will clash at the upcoming pay-per-view.
#1 Flopped on WWE RAW: Lana
Lana was put through the table on WWE RAW once again this week. Can she be blamed entirely for this? No. But does she look weak? Yes. Think of a friend, colleague, an ex-partner, or a family member who is always complaining about something or the other. You feel bad for them initially, and you want to show your support. But at some point, your sympathy for them turns into annoyance if the problem is dragged for way too long.
There’s a thin line between sympathy and annoyance with such repetitive segments, and currently, it appears that the creative are moon-walking over that really, really thin edge. Lana teamed up with Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler to take on the team of Asuka, Mandy Rose, and Dana Brooke. But she was forced to tap out by the WWE RAW Women’s Champion.
Following the match, Nia Jax pretended to appreciate Lana, but she soon showed her true intentions by putting the latter through the table for the ninth consecutive week. At this point, the viewers are desperately hoping that the writers have a good redemption planned for Lana. Otherwise, this segment that has been a part of WWE RAW or two months now would account for absolutely nothing.
#2 Impressed on WWE RAW: Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss is the only Superstar on today’s list who didn’t compete in a match on WWE RAW this week. That said, she deserves to be appreciated for her brief yet impressive appearance on WWE RAW tonight. Bliss was a part of the Firefly Fun House segment alongside Bray Wyatt, and she later went on to attack two other Superstars.
Ahead of Bray Wyatt’s match against The Miz, Bliss walked out to a slightly modified theme that suits her new gimmick very well. She was then approached by Nikki Cross on the ramp who tried to convince her former best friend to snap out of Bray Wyatt’s control over her mind. However, that didn’t sit well with Bliss who then went on to attack Cross until she was stopped by Adam Pearce.
Later, she helped even things out during Bray Wyatt’s match against Miz after she attacked John Morrison. The latter wanted to interrupt the match but Bliss, being a good friend to Wyatt, made sure that Morrison is shown his place at ringside. She helped Bray Wyatt in winning the match and proved that she is indeed a significant ally of The Fiend.
We now hope to see her engage in a good feud with Nikki Cross on WWE RAW. In addition to that, it would be interesting to see what other antics she can pull off while she is at ringside during Bray Wyatt’s matches.
#2 Flopped on WWE RAW: Nia Jax
As one-half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions, you are expected to be a dominant force. While Nia Jax is often booked as a strong contender on WWE RAW, the plan rarely comes to fruition on the Red brand. Once again, she lost in a match and then put Lana through a table. Needless to say, neither of those two things made her look like a champion.
Think of it this way. Despite being the tag team champions, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler fail in tag matches unless their title is on the line. In addition to that, a dominant powerhouse puts a rather weak talent through the table for nine weeks, and the latter still manages to come back. This does nothing to make Jax look like a strong and brutal heel. If anything, it makes the viewers feel bad for Lana on some level.
Over the course of the last couple of years, Nia Jax has improved inside the ring and can deliver good matches if booked well. WWE RAW needs more and more convincingly good performers. This would be the right time for the creative to help elevate Jax her in-ring skills and her overall gimmick by booking her in more compelling spots instead of the same old, predictable ones every week.
#3 and #4 Impressed on WWE RAW: Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin
On this week’s episode of the Red brand, we saw Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin of The Hurt Business challenged Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods for the RAW Tag Team Championships. While The New Day members were successful in retaining their title ahead of Survivor Series, Benjamin and Alexander deserve credit for their brilliant in-ring performance tonight.
After a long time, we saw Alexander back to displaying his highly impressive in-ring maneuvers as he locked horns with Kingston and Woods on WWE RAW. It reminded us how good he is and why he deserves to feature in matches regularly. His skills, coupled with his stable, made his character all the more compelling inside the ring.
The same goes for Benjamin. Adding him to The Hurt Business finally paid off for the talented Superstar. Prior to this, Benjamin was rarely booked to be a part of such compelling encounters, but that changed on WWE RAW tonight. He looked great in this match, and at no point did he appear to be a weak link throughout this encounter. It can now be said that Alexander and Benjamin will make for a good tag team on WWE RAW in the coming months.
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