WWE RAW Flops and Hits: Brock Lesnar in big title match before facing Roman Reigns, New tag team formed ahead of WrestleMania 38 (21st February, 2022)

WWE RAW after Elimination Chamber accounted for an entertaining show. The episode saw the biggest superstars from the red brand take things into their own hands to set up the narrative for WrestleMania 38.

Edge laid out an open challenge on the show to leave the possibility of a dream match against AJ Styles at The Show of Shows.

Dominik and Rey Mysterio will also compete at The Grandest Stage of Them All in a tag team match against The Miz and his newfound friend, Logan Paul.

The most cringy segment in the show saw everyone involved in the 24/7 Championship picture being pushed into a romantic angle. Apart from that, there were hardly any bad segments in an otherwise impressive show.

Here, we look at some of the biggest flops and hits from WWE RAW this week. So, without further ado, let’s begin.

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#5 Hit on WWE RAW: Brock Lesnar

The opening segment of RAW welcomed the newly crowned WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar. The pop at his entrance was brilliant, and babyface Lesnar evidently appreciated the unanimous cheers echoing in the arena.

He had wholesome interactions with fans on his way to the ring and was at his hilarious best on the microphone. The fans screamed “Suplex City’ in unison while The Beast Incarnate took a moment to soak in the epic reaction.

While Lesnar was in the middle of his address, he was interrupted by Special Counsel Paul Heyman, who revealed a piece of interesting news about the WWE Champion’s next title defense.

As confirmed on the show, Brock Lesnar will have to defend his gold on SmackDown next week. He will be heading back to MSG for an epic title clash, and Heyman stated that Bobby Lashley would be back for his match.

However, backstage reports have claimed that Lashley might have to undergo shoulder surgery and probably miss WrestleMania 38. It is worth noting that Heyman hinted at a potential replacement who could pose a similar threat to Lesnar’s title reign.

Not many details were revealed on WWE RAW, but the segment did enough to set the tone for The Beast Incarnate's booking on the road to WrestleMania.

Brock Lesnar stated that he is doing just fine without Paul Heyman, which is a hundred percent true. We are seeing an early-2000s version of Lesnar, who is having fun with his gimmick and getting himself over with the crowd effortlessly.

The WWE Champion wasn’t fazed with the announcement of his title defense. Instead, he shocked Heyman with an announcement of his own.

Lesnar confirmed that he would make an appearance on SmackDown later this week. He is excited to visit Heyman and his “little” Tribal Chief Roman Reigns on the blue brand. Maybe their meeting would be interrupted by Lesnar’s next challenger, and the segment will be used to set up his upcoming title defense.

Brock Lesnar wants that champion vs. champion match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38. As evident in the last couple of months, he will leave no stone unturned to compete in the “Winner Taker All’ match at The Show of Shows.

Not to forget, Lesnar and Heyman repeatedly tried to argue over the superiority of the biggest championships on WWE RAW and SmackDown. Is it a potential hint at a title unison?

#4 Hit on WWE RAW: Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens

WWE RAW's main event saw Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens team up for a high-stakes match against RK-Bro. Rollins and Owens have developed incredible chemistry over the last few weeks, and so far, they have worked well together as a unit.

Tonight, they had a chance to beat Randy Orton and Riddle to enter the tag team championship match against The Alpha Academy.

Both teams started on a great note to set the right expectations from the main event. They took the fight all around the ring to keep the WWE Universe engaged throughout their battle.

There was not a single dull moment in this action-packed encounter between RK-Bro and their opponents. Riddle and Orton proved why they are the top favorites on WWE RAW at the moment.

To his credit, Riddle did well against fighting a plethora of offenses when he was isolated inside the ring and had to face his opponents alone. The Viper made it back to the ring and momentarily restored the balance while the arena was interrupted with 'Randy' chants.

However, KO eventually forced Orton to leave the ring, and he was hit with a Stomp at ringside. Back inside the ring, Owens and Rollins attacked Riddle some more before hitting him with a Stunner and a Stomp to seal their victory

As mentioned before, both Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens are top heels on WWE RAW. They both are known for being opportunistic and could turn on each other in the blink of an eye.

While that betrayal is bound to happen, fans can enjoy their alliance for a while until the two world champions turn this friendship into a bitter rivalry before going separate ways. Also, it would be criminal not to mention how the crowd kept singing the tune of Rollins' theme music throughout the match.

#3 Hit on WWE RAW: Finn Balor

Finn Balor made a huge return on WWE RAW this week. He teamed up with his former rival and NXT Superstar Tommaso Ciampa to take on Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.

Balor and Ciampa have a lot of history dating back to their days in the black and gold version of NXT. They were once bitter rivals, but they came together to deliver an entertaining match tonight.

Finn Balor was at his usual best, and he shared great chemistry with Tommaso Ciampa in the ring. The duo dominated their opponents in their tag team match that eventually ended with Ciampa pinning Roode for the victory on WWE RAW.

It was a good match that conveniently left room for Ziggler and Ciampa to continue their feud on NXT 2.0. The two superstars will face each other in a match to determine the next challenger for NXT Champion Bron Breakker.

Later in the night, Damian Priest defeated Shelton Benjamin in a singles match. Following that, he demanded to face a worthy WWE Superstar from the red brand, and it was Finn Balor answered the open challenge.

The two superstars will face each other for gold next week. Priest now has a huge challenge awaiting him, as Balor will look to win the US Championship for the first time and gain momentum on the road to WrestleMania.

#2 Hit on WWE RAW: Bianca Belair

This week on WWE RAW, Bianca Belair returned from a fresh victory in the Women’s Elimination Chamber match. The EST of WWE defeated four other superstars to win a title opportunity against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 38.

Both superstars were involved in a war of words on the show tonight as they each tried to establish their dominance while setting the tone for their title feud over the next few weeks.

Following that, Belair locked horns in a highly-impressive match with Doudrop. The latter pushed her to her limits inside the squared circle. Both superstars took turns dominating the match as they played to their respective strengths.

However, Bianca Belair’s brute power inside the ring, especially in some of the offenses that required her to lift Doudrop, forced the entire arena to get on its feet. The crowd was thoroughly impressed with Belair’s performance by the end of the match, with everyone cheering for the championship contender.

Even Becky Lynch was shocked to see her potential while seated with the commentary team. In the end, Belair pinned her opponent to make a huge statement in front of Lynch on WWE RAW.

The match also made us think that Doudrop should be involved in more compelling storylines. She is doing well inside the ring and could use a good narrative to establish herself as a top heel.

#1 Flop on WWE RAW: Nikki A.S.H.

Nikki A.S.H. was back on WWE RAW to face former friend and tag team partner Rhea Ripley. The two superstars faced each other once again in a one-sided match that mostly saw Ripley dominate the encounter.

Nikki did have her moments in the about, but they were far too few to make an impact. In the end, The Nightmare beat her opponent, and “Almost a Superhero” had no place to fly. Two days ago, she was the first superstar to be eliminated from the Elimination Chamber match.

Now, the creative team is understandably inclined towards capitalizing on their history, but they have both already clashed in multiple matches before this week. The two superstars split up after Nikki A.S.H. repeatedly lost on RAW, and things haven’t changed for her ever since.

As a heel, she should at least be booked in a manner that makes her character seem more credible on television.

In fact, WWE could have easily booked her in a match against Alexa Bliss to exploit their history. After all, Nikki was Bliss’ first victim when she switched to a darker character.

Now that Alexa Bliss is seemingly returning to her older gimmick, it would make perfect sense to have her cross paths with her former friend and tag team partner. On the other hand, Rhea Ripley could have started a feud with Doudrop, allowing both superstars to engage in a promising storyline.