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From the new number one contender for Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship being determined to Alexa Bliss laying down a huge challenge, this week's edition of RAW featured many contrasting moments.
The pro wrestling world hasn't been the same since Brodie Lee passed away last Saturday at the age of 41 due to a non-COVID-19 lung issue. Various WWE Superstars on the last episode of RAW in 2020 paid tribute to the man known as Jon Huber, and the show as a whole stepped up in different ways this week.
Let us know what you thought about this particular episode in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE RAW (December 28, 2020).
#5: The Hurt Business dominated on the last WWE RAW episode of 2020 against The New Day and The Hardy Bros.; Lashley confirmed his appearance for the Royal Rumble match
When it comes to the best pro wrestling factions of 2020, The Hurt Business will probably make the top three picks for the same criteria in most WWE fans' lists.
MVP's faction has not only earned him a new purpose in WWE, but the group has elevated stars like Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin, who are currently the RAW Tag Team Champions. As far as Bobby Lashley is concerned, The All-Mighty has become one of the most dominant stars in the current WWE landscape.
The Hurt Business fought against The New Day - Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods - and The Hardy Bros. (Jeff Hardy and Matt Riddle) in an eight-man tag team contest this week.
It was Lashley's Hurt Lock hold on Hardy that led The Hurt Business to a victory.
Lashley announced his participation in the Royal Rumble match on the same episode, and he has to be one of the frontrunners who could win that contest in 2021.
Additionally, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were also established as entrants in the Women's Royal Rumble match during this episode of WWE RAW.
#4: Mustafa Ali and RETRIBUTION attempted to crush Ricochet's spirit on WWE RAW, but Ricochet still didn't join RETRIBUTION
RETRIBUTION's current storyline on WWE RAW is centered around Ricochet. The anti-WWE faction wants Ricochet to join their group to add more strength in terms of numbers.
Despite being stacked against all odds, Ricochet hasn't given up in his fight against RETRIBUTION. The high-flying WWE Superstar faced Mustafa Ali in a one-on-one match this week.
RETRIBUTION members got involved with shenanigans during this match. Ricochet somehow managed to take out every member of the anti-WWE faction, but he couldn't successfully pull off a shooting star press against Ali towards the end.
Ali used a Koji Clutch submission to defeat his opponent. After the match was over, the leader of RETRIBUTION gave Ricochet another chance to join their faction. The babyface would decline, once again, and hit a Recoil before escaping the ring.
As far as this WWE RAW storyline is concerned, Ricochet may somehow manage to stay true to his opinions and get RETRIBUTION off his scent, or it's just a matter of time until he will break and finally give in to Mustafa Ali and his faction's demands.
#3: Keith Lee defeated Sheamus to become the number one contender for Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship
Drew McIntyre tried to bring Sheamus and Keith Lee on the same page heading into this week's WWE RAW. However, there would be no clear resolution as Sheamus couldn't help but give in to his heelish tendencies.
Lee and Sheamus would face each other in a hard-hitting one-on-one match to kick-off WWE RAW. Both men put on a good back-and-forth contest, but The Limitless One prevailed as the winner after executing a Spirit Bomb on The Celtic Warrior.
Keith Lee vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship has been made official for next week's 'Legends Night' special episode from the Red brand.
The aforementioned clash is expected to be a great one with all factors considered, but the main storyline here is still between Sheamus and Drew McIntyre. Both WWE Superstars have remained close friends despite their differences in character, which has been an intriguing contrast in their equation so far.
Perhaps WWE fans could even get to witness a triple threat match between Lee, Sheamus, and McIntyre next year, on the road to WrestleMania 37.
#2: Adam Pearce re-instated The Miz as the Money in the Bank contract holder on WWE RAW
After TLC, fans were pretty confident that The Miz blew his shot at winning the WWE Championship.
However, The A-Lister accidentally stumbled upon a potential technicality that could make him Mr. MITB once again. John Morrison had cashed-in the contract on the behalf of his tag team partner at the TLC event, instead of The Miz himself.
This was the story heading into the last WWE RAW episode of 2020. Miz was defeated by Gran Metalik in a one-on-one match during this week's show. Although some fans didn't like the result of this bout, it was only booked in such a manner to establish a low point for The Miz before he would receive some good news later in the night.
The shot of Miz and Morrison sitting alone on the steps backstage during the holiday season was a good setup for Adam Pearce's arrival. Pearce gave The A-Lister a holiday present of some sort by revealing that The Miz was correct about the technicality and he had been re-instated as Mr. MITB heading into 2021.
The Money in the Bank contract is the only thing that legitimizes The A-Lister as a threat in the top title scene, so it was a nice way to keep the WWE title storyline interesting on the road to WrestleMania 37.
#1: Alexa Bliss wanted Randy Orton to set her on fire just like The Fiend; the last WWE RAW episode of 2020 ended in a massive cliffhanger
WWE teased that Alexa Bliss had sinister plans for Randy Orton for this week's episode, but the tables turned around at the end of the show in a very bizarre manner.
Orton didn't arrive at Alexa's Playground this week. Instead, he entered the Firefly Fun House in Bray Wyatt's absence and proceeded to wreak havoc on the puppets. Bliss begged The Viper to stop, and she challenged Orton for something vague later in the night. The way it was presented made some WWE fans believe that Orton and Bliss could have very well wrestled each other on this episode.
But the challenge itself turned out to be a moral one, as Bliss revealed a can of gasoline and a box of matches as a present for The Apex Predator. The subtext here was that Bliss wanted to be with The Fiend in his 'home'/hell, and this required Orton to burn her just like The Fiend.
Alexa Bliss put on a great, emotional performance towards the end. Orton hesitated for a while since he was aware that this was all a part of Bliss' demented plan. The lights went out in a trademark Fiend-like manner, just after Bliss had set herself up for a sacrifice.
In the darkness, Orton finally struck a match as the last WWE RAW episode of 2020 ended in a huge cliffhanger.
Of course, they couldn't show a person burning a woman on weekly television, no matter how bizarre and despicable the characters of this WWE storyline have become. The intriguing answer to whether or not Randy Orton actually burned Alexa Bliss is an excellent hook for next week's episode of WWE RAW.
In the video embedded above, do check out former WWE Head Writer Vince Russo's thoughts on all that went down during this week's RAW in the latest edition of Legion of RAW with Dr. Chris Featherstone.
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