'%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 RAW's first episode after Hell in a Cell pay-per-view was surprisingly entertaining. The Red Brand had great matches planned for the night, and the creative executed some of the booking decisions brilliantly. WWE has already started building up to the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view, and they did a stellar job on WWE RAW this week.
WWE also confirmed that Charlotte Flair is set to challenge Rhea Ripley for the RAW Women’s Championship once again at Money in the Bank. The show had a couple of drawbacks, but this week, the positives outweighed the disappointments.
In this article, we will look at Superstars who impressed us on WWE RAW tonight and those who didn’t. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#3 Impressed on WWE RAW: Riddle
This week on WWE RAW, Riddle and Randy Orton featured in separate Money in the Bank qualifiers. Orton locked horns with John Morrison in an entertaining contest. He had previously asked Riddle to stay away from his match during a backstage segment. Unfortunately, Riddle arrived at ringside when he saw that The Miz is trying to distract Orton during the bout.
Miz and Riddle’s interaction distracted Orton while Morrison capitalized by setting up a perfect Starship Pain. He then pinned Orton to qualify for the Money in the Bank match while Riddle stared in shock. Later on, Riddle faced Drew McIntyre in the final Money in the Bank qualifier on WWE RAW and delivered the night's best match.
Riddle went for an early offense and managed to dominate McIntyre from the start. He tried hard to keep the Scottish Warrior from gaining control over their match on WWE RAW. McIntyre was still feeling the effects of his Hell in a Cell match against Bobby Lashley from last night. However, he insisted on competing in the qualifier and delivered yet another brilliant performance.
Both superstars came close to pinning each other on several instances. Riddle was particularly impressive for resiliently fighting through the former world champion’s dominant spells. Towards the end, McIntyre started to look tired, and Riddle realized that it was his best opportunity to win the big match on WWE RAW. Despite taking a Glasgow Kiss headbutt, Riddle managed to come back with an effective counter and rolled up McIntyre for the pin.
Following his victory, Riddle rushed to Randy Orton, who was standing at the entrance area of the ramp. He looked happy about his win and wanted to celebrate with his tag team partner. However, he soon realized that Orton was unhappy and urged him to open up about his internal conflicts. This turn of events is bound to impact RK-Bro on WWE RAW in the future.
It is too soon to split up the duo on WWE RAW. Riddle and Randy Orton are polar opposites in nature but share good chemistry. As a result, their on-screen interactions always account for entertaining segments on WWE RAW. Riddle needs to stay alongside Randy Orton a little longer, and the latter can afford to wait a while before turning on his tag team partner.
#3 Flopped on WWE RAW: Eva Marie
Eva Marie returned on WWE RAW last week but had her protege, Piper Niven, wrestle in her place against Naomi. Tonight, she was scheduled for a tag team match against Naomi and Asuka in a Money in the Bank qualifier. Right before this match, Marie insulted her tag team partner in a backstage segment and named her "Doudrop."
It would be fair to say that Naomi and Asuka carried the match on WWE RAW. Doudrop also accounted for a couple of good moments, whereas Marie just stood at the corner and refused to help her partner during the fight.
She only tagged herself in when Doudrop’s attack forced Naomi to stay down for a while. The latter had some time to recover when Marie was engaged in an argument with her tag team partner.
This time, Doudrop refused to get inside the ring. Naomi took advantage of the distraction and executed a quick roll-up pin for the victory. Marie's heavily advertised in-ring return on WWE RAW was very disappointing, and it appears that her protege is close to breaking off their alliance. It was strange to see WWE deciding to pull the plug so early.
#2 Impressed on WWE RAW: Ricochet
The first qualifying match on WWE RAW saw AJ Styles lock horns with Ricochet. It was a well-balanced match between a top champion and a promising superstar. It was great to see Ricochet competing in a high-profile contest on WWE RAW, and the Resident Superhero used this opportunity well.
Ricochet initially tried to launch multiple attacks, but AJ Styles successfully dodged most of them. Eventually, Ricochet figured out the right pace required to stay in control against the one-half of WWE RAW Tag Team Champions. Styles also worked incredibly well to help put Ricochet over throughout the match.
Towards the end, Styles managed to take complete control of the match. However, The Viking Raiders suddenly charged for the ringside and started brawling with Omos. The latter tried to take them out of the equation but accidentally drove himself through the barricade. Styles was distracted by it all long enough for Ricochet to capitalize on WWE RAW.
Styles attempted a Phenomenal Forearm and blocked the attack mid-air. He eventually pinned Styles to pick up a big win on WWE RAW. Ricochet deserves good opportunities on the red brand, and he will make for an entertaining competitor in the Money in the Bank match. He should aim to make the most of this chance by delivering his best-ever performance in the weeks leading up to the next pay-per-view.
#2 & #1 Flopped on WWE RAW: Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax
Shayna Baszler is one of the most dominant superstars on WWE RAW. Unfortunately, she was once again betrayed by repetitive bookings. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax were scheduled to face Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in one of the Money in the Bank qualifying matches this week.
Baszler and Jax had minimal opportunities to showcase her in-ring skills during this match. Baszler looked like her brutal self at times while exchanging blows with Nikki Cross, but those spots rarely arrived. Towards the match's closing moments, Bliss hypnotized Reginald and tried to make him slap Nia Jax.
However, Reginald refused, and Nia Jax hugged him at ringside. Cross took advantage of the momentary distraction and took out both Jax and Reginald. Back inside the ring, Alexa Bliss pinned Baszler to win the Money in the Bank qualifier on WWE RAW.
It was good to see that Bliss and Cross can still work well as a tag team. Meanwhile, Jax and Baszler spent another week struggling against a weapon they didn't understand.
It would be fair to say that they tried to make the most of what was given to them on WWE RAW. That said, the creative should invest more effort in Jax and Baszler's booking on the red brand if they wish to protect their credibility.
#1 Impressed on WWE RAW: Xavier Woods
The opening segment of this week’s WWE RAW saw MVP and Bobby Lashley celebrating the latter’s successful title defense at Hell in a Cell.
They were soon interrupted by the New Day, and their verbal altercation led to a Hell in a Cell match between Bobby Lashley and Xavier Woods. Both superstars then met in the main event to lock horns inside the hellacious structure.
Like Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley was also struggling with the effects of his match the previous night, but he still looked strong. Woods was determined to make the WWE Champion pay for constantly discrediting him, and he made a solid argument in his favor with an epic performance. There were times in this match when Woods was toying with the Almighty champion on WWE RAW.
Woods orchestrated his offenses near the Cell wall to use it as a weapon. He used dropkicks to slam Lashley into the cage and then assaulted him with kendo sticks. Woods also brought a table inside the ring and placed Lashley on top of it before hitting him with a flying elbow drop.
The champion then went through the table and stayed down for a while. Woods also took a lot of punishment during this match on WWE RAW, which made Lashley look like a monster.
The WWE Champion eventually delivered a Spear and followed it with a Hurt Lock to win the match. He then locked the cage from inside after MVP hurriedly snuck inside. They continued to lay out a brutal attack on Woods while Kofi Kingston restlessly screamed at ringside.
This could play a key role in building up the title feud between Lashley and Kingston on WWE RAW. It will be exciting to see the two superstars involved in heated segments in the weeks leading up to their title match at Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
