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We are all set for the first episode of WWE RAW after WrestleMania Backlash. The promotion delivered a decent pay-per-view on Sunday night. Four out of five championship matches at the event ended in a successful title defense. The events that transpired at the show are bound to cause repercussions on Monday night.
Things are looking promising on WWE RAW for the first time in the last few months. Between much-awaited returns and new rivalries, there’s a lot that can unfold tonight. There are a plethora of underused WWE Superstars who can receive career-changing opportunities after the recently concluded pay-per-view as the creative can now turn their attention towards fresh narratives.
In this article, we will take a look at things that can happen on WWE RAW this week.
#1 WWE Championship picture changes on WWE RAW
WrestleMania Backlash featured a brilliant triple-threat match between Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, and Braun Strowman. All three WWE RAW Superstars locked horns in a brutal encounter for the WWE Championship. In the end, an opportunistic Lashley managed to defend his world title successfully, but that didn’t undermine the effort from both his challengers.
McIntyre stole the show with his performance at the pay-per-view and proved that he deserves to remain in the title picture on WWE RAW. Strowman came across as a legit monster inside the squared circle and asserted his dominance as well. Both these superstars might have to go back to the back of the line for another title opportunity. However, they still cemented themselves as the biggest threats to Lashley’s championship reign.
Since Sheamus is busy protecting his United States Championship on WWE RAW, the creative will look to involve fresh faces in the title feud. It is possible that Lashley’s next title feud is likely to be against Keith Lee, who is expected to return to the Red brand soon. There is a desperate need to push more talent on WWE RAW in order to avoid repetitive bookings.
We can also see the likes of T-Bar and Mace returning to the conversation. Both superstars need direction on WWE RAW. Even though they may not get the title shot immediately, they can certainly feud with the top babyfaces on the Red brand in order to move further up the roster. It will be interesting to see who will emerge as Lashley’s next challenger, especially as we move closer to the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
#2 Alexa Bliss kickstarts a new feud on WWE RAW
On the final episode of WWE RAW before WrestleMania Backlash, Asuka teamed up with Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke to take on Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Shayna Baszler. Interestingly, Alexa Bliss made her presence known during the match and suggested that she has an eye on one particular superstar who was inside the ring. It appears that Bliss was possibly hinting towards a feud with Asuka.
Both superstars were briefly engaged in an altercation earlier this year. Bliss also managed to pin Asuka, which led many into believing she could challenge The Empress of Tomorrow for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and Asuka would eventually lose her gold to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania. Following that, she was engaged in a title feud with Ripley and Charlotte Flair.
Now that Asuka has lost her title rematch, she is free to turn her attention towards other rivalries on WWE RAW. She would like to settle the score with Bliss, but it won’t be an easy task. The feud will work wonders in establishing Alexa Bliss as the top heel on the Red brand, and we can see the beginning of this storyline as early as tonight.
#3 Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax address recent title loss on WWE RAW
This week’s episode of WWE RAW will witness Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler's return to the Red brand without their Women’s Tag Team Championships. They lost their titles to Natalya and Tamina on SmackDown’s go-home episode before WrestleMania Backlash. Both superstars are expected to address their defeat on the show tonight.
Jax and Baszler are bound to get their title rematch, but it is highly unlikely that Natalya and Tamina will drop the tag team championships. Moreover, Jax and Baszler have to look out for Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Naomi, and Lana, with whom they feuded extensively on WWE RAW during their title reign.
Losing the Women’s Tag Team Championships could also fuel a split between Jax and Baszler on WWE RAW. Both superstars had agreed to work together as long as they kept winning. The creative have already teased tension between the two superstars owing to Jax’s obsession with Reginald.
A brief moment of blame game would immediately prompt Baszler to turn on Jax or vice versa. This would be a good way to kickstart Shayna Baszler’s singles run that will ultimately push her into the WWE RAW Women’s Championship picture once again.
#4 R-K-Bro emerge as new challengers for the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions
Last week on WWE RAW, Randy Orton and Riddle teamed up with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to take on AJ Styles, Omos, Elias, and Jaxson Ryker in an eight-man tag team match. The brief altercations between the RAW Tag Team Champions and R-K-Bro accounted for the night's biggest highlights. It is possible that both these teams will soon engage in a title feud.
Styles and Omos defeated Kingston and Woods for the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania. Following that, they went missing from the television for almost a month. The creative can now make their title reign even more exciting by booking them in a title feud with R-K-Bro. Both teams will deliver a memorable storyline that could be mutually beneficial.
Riddle and Orton have been fantastic as a team on WWE RAW. Their contrasting personalities make for an entertaining watch, and it can lay the groundwork for several long-term storylines. The tag team division of WWE RAW has been in a rut lately, and this feud can single-handedly change the monotonous dynamic surrounding the titles on the Red brand.
#5 Big returns on WWE RAW
WWE RAW after WrestleMania Backlash could witness two big returns on the show tonight. We could see someone like Keith Lee return to the Red brand this week. He went off television for medical reasons in February, with the latest rumors suggesting that he is inching closer towards an in-ring return. Lee’s arrival will have an immediate impact on both the WWE Championship and the United States Championship pictures.
Lee had a brilliant start to his main roster career, and he immediately rose through the ranks on WWE RAW. However, his momentum came to an unfortunate halt owing to his prolonged absence. It might take him some time, but Lee can quickly re-establish himself as a huge threat in the locker room upon his return.
Other backstage rumors suggest Aleister Black could also move to WWE RAW. The talented superstar has been off television since last year’s Draft when he was moved to SmackDown. He is now set to make him come back, and he only needs to be a part of a couple of good storylines to remind everyone of his caliber. Both of these arrivals can shake things up on WWE RAW, and it will be interesting to see what’s in store for them on the Red brand.
