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WWE RAW returned with an average show to kickstart the week. The show also featured two WrestleMania title rematches. AJ Styles and Omos returned on RAW this week and successfully defended their titles against Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler also retained their women’s tag team titles.
Additionally, an interference from Drew McIntyre led to Braun Strowman’s loss against Bobby Lashley in the main event.
In this article, we will take a look at superstars who impressed us on WWE RAW this week and those who didn’t.
#1 and #2 Impressed on WWE RAW: Randy Orton and Riddle
Most of this article might imply that you can skip watching WWE RAW this week. Randy Orton and Riddle, however, will give convincing reasons to at least watch their segment. Both superstars recently allied and created a new tag team, RKBro. It would be fair to say that this team is quickly becoming one of the few redeeming factors on the show.
This week, we saw Orton making an unexpected cameo in the dreadful return of the tomatoes. Last week, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods attacked Elias, Jaxson Ryker, The Miz, and John Morrison with tomatoes. Tonight, Elias and Ryker wanted to get their revenge in a backstage segment while The New Day members dealt with the aftermath of their title rematch against WWE RAW Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos.
They tried to throw tomatoes at Woods and Kingston. Unfortunately for Elias and Ryker, they accidentally ended up hitting Orton. An angry Viper then demanded a tag team match. Later in the night, he stole the show alongside Riddle on WWE RAW. Both Orton and Riddle looked entirely in sync throughout the match. They worked very well as a tag team and delivered a dominant performance.
It was a well-balanced match that allowed both Orton and Riddle to play to their respective strengths. Ryker and Elias also played their part in making their opponents look strong on WWE RAW. In the closing moments of the match, Orton took out Elias with a draping DDT off the second rope before hitting Ryker with an RKO.
Riddle then delivered a Floating Bro and pinned Elias for the win on WWE RAW. Orton was reserved while celebrating the victory while Riddle was living in the moment. This team is unique and exciting from a lot of standpoints. It has brought polarizing superstars together on WWE RAW, and we might have a memorable storyline in the making.
#1 and #2 Flopped on WWE RAW: Naomi and Lana
This week’s WWE RAW witnessed Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler successfully defend their women’s tag team titles against Naomi and Lana. This championship bout barely lasted a couple of minutes, and it was underwhelming in every aspect. It was difficult to find the point of this match, even after watching it twice.
WWE RAW built up a feud between the two tag teams only for them to lock horns in a forgettable title match. Naomi started well, but Jax immediately drove her into the announce desk. Back inside the ring, Lana tried to fight against Shayna Baszler. However, Baszler instantly applied the Kirifuda Clutch, and Lana couldn’t help but tap out.
While the result of this title match was pretty obvious right from the start, the viewers were hoping to see a better match. Lana and Naomi are now expected to go to the back of the line for the title shot. Meanwhile, Jax and Baszler will continue their feud with Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke on WWE RAW while also looking out for Tamina and Natalya on SmackDown.
#3 Flopped on WWE RAW: John Morrison
This week on WWE RAW, John Morrison faced Damian Priest in a singles match. Everything about the bout was repetitive as Priest picked up a routine victory once again. This was Morrison’s first singles match in over two months. However, Priest and Morrison have fought inside the ring enough times to leave no room for surprises.
The Miz was present at ringside, and he tried his best to help his partner on WWE RAW. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do much while Priest brutalized his opponent in the match. In the closing moments, The Miz tried to distract the official while standing on the apron, but Morrison couldn’t capitalize. Eventually, Priest found a small window of opportunity to deliver a Bell Clap for victory.
The Miz and John Morrison have done their part in putting Priest over on WWE RAW. It is high time for all the superstars involved in this feud to move on to other challenges. The Miz and Morrison can be entertaining together, but it won’t amount to anything if they are barely booked in exciting storylines. We hope to see that change in the coming weeks.
#4 Flopped on WWE RAW: Drew Gulak
Surprisingly, Drew Gulak did not chase the 24/7 Championship on WWE RAW this week. Instead, he decided to challenge Angel Garza in a singles match. This ended with Garza picking up a dominant victory over Gulak. But the fact that the latter sustained yet another loss on the Red brand makes for an excellent reason to pick a bone with the writers.
Gulak deserves credit for pouring his heart and soul while selling the attack throughout the match. He is an incredibly talented wrestler who deserves to be involved in better storylines on WWE RAW. At least the creative can invest a little more in his gimmick even when booked in one-off encounters. Instead, they let Garza stick a rose in Gulak’s tights where the sun doesn’t shine and then kicked him in the same spot.
Following a humiliating segment on WWE RAW, we expect Gulak to go after Garza next week. Hopefully, the creative will book a short feud between both the superstars, who deserve to be a part of the exciting angles on the show. There is plenty of time in a three-hour-long show for the writers to script a better narration.
Honorable mention: Eva Marie confirms return on WWE RAW with an impressive vignette
In a shocking turn of events, WWE RAW confirmed that Eva Marie would soon make her way to the Red brand. Her promotional vignette looked promising, and WWE presented her as the ‘Eva-Lution’. The news certainly managed to gain everyone’s attention, and viewers are excited to see what is in store for the returning superstar on WWE RAW.
The WWE Universe had a mixed response to Eva Marie’s upcoming return. Some argue that her first run was too underwhelming to earn her another opportunity. On the other hand, some feel that she deserves a chance to prove herself. Then, there is a third category of viewers (like this author) who would rather wait and watch how she is booked on WWE RAW before forming a judgment.
At this point, we will take anything remotely interesting about the Monday Night show. The announcement of Eva Marie’s return on WWE RAW could stir things up in the women’s division. There are many creative possibilities that can be explored, especially if she has improved inside the ring.
