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WWE has been delivering top-level episodes of RAW since rumors turned into reality, and Paul Heyman took charge of the Red Brand. Heyman has had a great influence over the product, a result of which RAW has gained pace in recent times.
On August 26th, WWE presented RAW live from the Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. The company hustled to deliver a strong show with eyes on its next special event, Clash of Champions.
The King of the Ring 2019 tournament was set to continue with Drew McIntyre v Ricochet and Baron Corbin v The Miz slated to be the two big matches of the episode. Both the heels had great chances to win the tournament, but only one of them could walk out of RAW still in the hunt for the crown as McIntyre was ousted by Ricochet while Corbin beat The Miz.
We got a new contender for Seth Rollins' Universal Championship as Braun Strowman challenged him for a title match at Clash of Champions while the alliance of Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode came out victorious from the Tag Team Turmoil segment to set up a clash with Rollins and Strowman.
In brief, it was a noteworthy night of RAW and in this article, we look at the top three things WWE got correct on RAW.
#3 The King of the Ring tournament matches
Top heels Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin were pipped to advance in the King of the Ring tournament on Monday. However, As things unfolded, the Scottish Psychopath crashed out of the tournament.
Ricochet defeated McIntyre in a strong bout to book a spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament. While it was surprising to see McIntyre lose in the first round, the match didn't harm him much as he looks to have lost a lot of momentum recently while Ricochet, on the basis of his win, looks set to go all the way till the final.
On the other hand, Baron Corbin v The Miz turned out to be an ordinary affair. Yet, Corbin rightly won the match and should be a serious contender to win the tournament regardless of the criticism he might face. The King's crown fits his gimmick perfectly and would help him considerably as a top heel.
#2 Cedric Alexander vs. Cesaro
To be brutally honest, WWE didn't need to do much more than get Cedric Alexander and Cesaro in the ring, squaring off in a heated clash. The two men, unsurprisingly and emphatically, were able to put across a strong show and leave a lasting impact.
The match proved, yet again, how good Cesaro is. He put on a great match, just as he has done throughout his career, putting over other Superstars. After each one of these showings, one can only wonder when he would receive his long-due push.
However, Alexander was the star here. After a win against Sami Zayn in the first round of the King of the Ring tournament last week, he beat Cesaro in a tough fight. He has excelled in all the opportunities he has got recently on RAW.
Though it's unlikely that Alexander would get past Baron Corbin in the next round, this former 205 Live superstar has established himself as one of the premier figures on the red brand.
#1 AJ Styles retains the US Championship
WWE has been unpredictable regarding the booking of their titles in recent times. Less than a month ago, we couldn't predict Seth Rollins beating Brock Lesnar cleanly in the center of the ring to win the Universal Championship.
Later, more bookings came out of nowhere. Firstly, the OC surprisingly won the Tag Team Championship just weeks after Luke Gallows and Kyle Anderson's union with AJ Styles. Then, the two big men lost their titles to the temporary alliance of Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins.
Things have been unpredictable.
There were chances that Strowman would walk out as the new United States Champion on Monday as he battled AJ Styles. However, better senses prevailed and Styles retained his title. Though Styles, faking an injury in theatrical circumstances, won the match via disqualification, the result was the right one.
Though there would be critics of Strowman singlehandedly obliterating the OC, his permanence gives him momentum before his Universal Championship match against Rollins while Styles needs to move on to a meaningful story.
