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WWE RAW had a big segment planned for this week after Randy Orton decided to invite himself to the Firefly Fun House. The Viper had some hidden plans that were revealed during RAW where he decided he wanted to have a match against one of the hosts of the show.
Drew McIntyre and Sheamus appeared on The Miz TV and tried to even the odds for the Handicap Match scheduled for this week’s show before AJ Styles appeared to stack up the odds in the heels’ favor.
Jeff Hardy appeared as Bobby Lashley’s new challenger and tried to prove his worth by competing against the United States Champion in a non-title match. However, an unlikely ally helped Hardy come out of the match without an injury.
That wasn’t all, as Ricochet and Dana Brooke teamed up this week for a mixed tag team match against Slapjack and Reckoning of RETRIBUTION.
All this and much more was scheduled for this week’s RAW, and we will look at the five things WWE got right during the show.
#5 Ricochet and Dana Brooke cause problems for RETRIBUTION on WWE RAW
Riddle ran into Dana Brooke and Ricochet backstage on WWE RAW and asked them to lead him to The Hurt Business. However, the two Superstars were too focused on their match against Slapjack and Reckoning from RETRIBUTION.
Mustafa Ali looked to take down Ricochet and Brooke to prove that both the RAW Superstars were failures. Reckoning tried to teach Brooke a lesson for defeating her last week with some early offense.
While Ricochet and Slapjack got into their own fight, Brooke found an opening and took Reckoning down with a sit-out slam that allowed her to pin the only female member of RETRIBUTION. After the match, Ali ensured both the losers saw his disappointment.
This was an ordinary match that allowed Ricochet and Brooke to get some screentime and perform in the ring. Both Superstars are great at what they do, and hopefully, they will get a bigger spot on RAW in the months to come.
RETRIBUTION, on the other hand, has nowhere to go. Reckoning threatened the RAW Women’s Champion for a couple of weeks and is now losing to a Superstar who has been an enhancement talent for months. Slapjack has failed to impress after being a top performer on NXT, and it seems like Ali’s faction has no real direction at the moment.
#4 Bobby Lashley gets a good challenger on WWE RAW
Riddle was having a little fun backstage on WWE RAW this week as he approached many Superstars and offered them some Bro-Nuts. He caught up with Jeff Hardy backstage and asked The Charismatic Enigma if he’d like to team up as 'The Hardy Bros.'
Hardy then walked out to the ring for his match against the United States Champion, Bobby Lashley on RAW. The non-title match saw Lashley go after Hardy’s bad back from the opening bell, but the veteran managed to get back in the match with some reversals.
MVP tried to get involved in the match, but Riddle ran down to help even the odds. The All-Mighty continued to work on Hardy’s back, but The Enigma was able to hit Whisper in the Wind to make a comeback in the match.
He hit the Twist of Fate on Lashley and set up the Swanton Bomb, but Lashley dodged it and hit a Spear, followed by the Hurt Lock. Lashley refused to let go even after Hardy tapped, and Riddle had to make the save.
The idea of having Riddle and Hardy team up is quite interesting. The veteran could help the newcomer head on the right path on RAW. It seems as though Riddle will get into a rivalry with Lashley sooner than later, and we could watch the two former MMA fighters give us some good matches.
#3 Cedric Alexander impresses once again after Shelton Benjamin fails on WWE RAW
Cedric Alexander surprised the entire WWE Universe by getting himself into a match against The New Day’s Xavier Woods last week and defeating him clean during WWE RAW. This week, Shelton Benjamin squared off against Kofi Kingston one-on-one for the first time in 12 years to try and replicate what Alexander did last week.
Benjamin used his experience to target Kofi’s leg during the match, but could not stay on top for long. The former WWE Champion knocked him out of the ring, and then hit him with Trouble in Paradise when he returned to pick up the victory.
Alexander wasn’t happy with the result and demanded a match against Kofi right away. Alexander continued to damage Kofi’s leg as soon as their match began and showed a lot more aggressiveness as compared to Benjamin.
MVP tried to calm an over-confident Alexander who finished Kofi off with a Lumbar Check to pick up the victory. Alexander has now defeated both the RAW Tag Team Champions, and it seems like WWE is building him up to win the titles for The Hurt Business before breaking away from the faction.
Alexander is finally in the spotlight on RAW, and The Hurt Business could end The New Day’s RAW Tag Team Championship reign as early as WWE TLC.
#2 AJ Styles steals a victory over Sheamus and Drew McIntyre on WWE RAW
Sheamus and Drew McIntyre ruined Miz TV earlier in the night which led to a 2-on-3 Handicap match on WWE RAW. The Celtic Warrior and The Scottish Psychopath teamed up to take on Miz, John Morrison, and AJ Styles.
While the numbers advantage was with the heels, the babyfaces had the power advantage that worked in their favor. Styles tried to stay out of the match for as long as he could, leaving Miz and Morrison to face the wrath of The Scottish Psychopath.
While the heels managed to take down McIntyre and Sheamus for some time, the WWE Champion got back in the game with a renewed energy and almost took out Morrison with the Claymore before Miz saved his friend.
Sheamus hit McIntyre with a Brogue Kick by mistake which was originally meant for Morrison. This allowed Styles to hit Sheamus with the Phenomenal Forearm to pick up the victory for his team.
This was a big win for Styles, and the angle teased some differences between The Scott and the Irishman. The two men engaged in a heated exchange of words and brawled backstage which led to Pat Buck getting beaten down.
Styles has continued to outsmart the faces of RAW with his heelish tactics, and this match was a perfect showing of how he could end up winning the WWE Championship from McIntyre by outsmarting him at WWE TLC.
#1 'The Fiend' has the last laugh during Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt’s match on WWE RAW
Early on WWE RAW, Randy Orton demanded a match against Bray Wyatt before his scheduled match against ‘The Fiend’ at WWE TLC. Wyatt accepted the challenge, and both men competed at the end of RAW.
Orton went on the attack from the opening bell, but Wyatt continued to laugh off the strikes from The Viper. He had a big smile on his face as he slammed the former WWE Champion onto the announce table with a body drop.
Orton tried to get back in the match, but nothing seemed to affect the Firefly Fun House host. Orton blocked a Sister Abigail attempt later in the match and hit a draping DDT. He caught Wyatt with an RKO just before the lights went out. As the lights came back on, The Fiend laid next to Orton and he proceeded to choke him out with a Mandible Claw to end the match without a result.
This was a fun match that helped hype up the two Superstars' match for WWE TLC. Orton seemed to be on top in the rivalry with his promo, but The Fiend left his mark on The Viper during this match.
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