WWE RAW Flops and Hits: Seth Rollins busted open, Vince McMahon’s interesting gift for young superstar (22nd November 2021)

WWE RAW after Survivor Series 2021 was interesting for many reasons. Apart from a couple of low points, the show was entertaining and full of surprises. We saw excellent matches unfold on the red brand after it earned bragging rights by beating SmackDown in the battle for brand supremacy.

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

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#6 Hit on WWE RAW: Seth Rollins

This week on WWE RAW, Seth Rollins was scheduled for a bout against Finn Balor. The Architect first cut a promo that saw him boast about him being the sole survivor while simultaneously ridiculing his Survivor Series teammates, including Balor. The Prince soon walked out for his match, looking determined to make Rollins pay for his words.

While he was still making his entrance, Seth Rollins saw an opportunity and launched an attack on his opponent even before the bell could ring. Balor fought back for a while, and both superstars moved at ringside, pushing each other against the barricade.

However, Rollins eventually got the upper hand after he smashed Balor against the announcement desk. He then delivered two Stomps before leaving the ring while backstage officials rushed to Finn Balor’s aid on WWE RAW.

The two superstars share a long history in the promotion. Balor was the first-ever Universal Champion but had to relinquish his title due to an injury that was accidentally caused by Seth Rollins. The writers can use this angle for scripting a memorable storyline between these two superstars on WWE RAW.

They always deliver incredible matches together, and their feud is found to be an entertaining one. It will allow Rollins to draw more heat from fans. Moreover, this storyline might just be the one thing that can propel Balor right at the top of the roster.

Another highlight from this match segment included an idiotic “fan” attacking Seth Rollins while he was on his way back. Everyone was taken aback by the moment, and the 24-year-old man was soon escorted out of the arena before being handed over to NYPD.

Rollins’ lower lip was already cut during his brawl with Balor, but his whole mouth was covered in blood once he came out of the altercation with the fan mentioned above.

While most people condemned the person disrupting the show, few saw this as an opportunity to make fun of Seth Rollins for not doing enough, which is ridiculous. If you go back and watch the full video of the incident, it is evident that those claims are far from the truth. The attack blindsided Rollins, and it took everyone a while to understand what exactly happened.

Even Becky Lynch stood right at the entrance to check on her husband after the incident. Moreover, it would be asking for trouble if a professional wrestler lays his hands on a commoner – regardless of how moronic they act in a show.

It is always better to let the officials and security personnel deal with the trespassers on WWE RAW. We hope that people refrain from repeating such acts in the future.

#5 Hit on WWE RAW: Austin Theory gets title match against Big E

Vince McMahon returned to WWE RAW in search of Cleopatra’s Golden Egg that was gifted to him by The Rock. He said that whoever got it back would win be gifted a title opportunity.

Sami Zayn took the responsibility of finding out who had the jewel-laden egg and discovered that it was Austin Theory. The latter explained that he just wanted to take a selfie and was eventually forgiven. Zayn objected by saying that McMahon is not staying true to his words, to which the WWE Chairman replied by saying that no one likes a snitch.

Theory got an incredible opportunity to prove himself against Big E in WWE RAW’s main event. Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens were seated at ringside, adding fuel to their ongoing feud. Austin Theory made the most of his golden chance by delivering an impressive in-ring performance. His dropkicks and counters had fans cheering for the young superstar.

At one point, Rollins attacked Big E hoping that Theory would capitalize. Unfortunately for him, E kicked out of the pinfall right in time. Following that, Owens threw The Visionary inside the ring, which led to him brawling with KO. Their interaction kept Austin Theory distracted long enough for Big E to hit him with Big Ending and retain his title.

Although the WWE Championship picture is currently stacked with Big E, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens feuding amongst themselves, Theory made a great addition with his one-off appearance. He has definitely earned credit backstage on WWE RAW, and it appears that he has a great future lying ahead of him on the red brand.

#4 Flop on WWE RAW: Cedric Alexander in 24/7 Championship picture

This week on WWE RAW, Cedric Alexander was shockingly involved in the 24/7 Championship picture. He had a good match against Reggie and got his hands on gold. However, his celebration was cut short by a mob of superstars who were chasing the 24/7 title.

Alexander lost the title in less than a minute when Dana Brooke attacked him. The latter pinned Cedric Alexander and took the 24/7 Championship while the rest of the WWE RAW Superstars debated over who should attack her. The only good thing about this entire segment was Alexander’s in-ring performance which begs the question: why is he criminally underused on the red brand?

He is an extremely talented superstar who deserves to be a part of much better things on WWE RAW. He should be competing in the United States Championship picture as a top heel.

Cedric Alexander recently reunited with Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley, teasing the return of Hurt Business. Wouldn’t it be better if he and Benjamin competed in the tag team division that needs new feuds on the show?

#3 Hit on WWE RAW: Riddle (with Randy Orton)

Randy Orton met a different version of Riddle on WWE RAW this week – one that had completely mirrored The Viper. The Original Bro talked about how he is trying to be more like Orton. The latter wasn’t too pleased with these actions, and it certainly sowed the seeds of a potential split.

Randy Orton did not shy away from letting Riddle know that he is not a big fan of identity theft. If you go back to watch the episode, there is a moment during Dolph Ziggler’s entrance when Orton angrily looks at his partner while they are standing inside the ring.

This moment was brief but impactful and would make for a great addition to the promo when the eventual betrayal transpires on WWE RAW.

Riddle faced tough competition inside the ring against Dolph Ziggler. The one-half of The Dirty Dawgs was excellent in all of his offenses, and he even removed his opponent's fake mustache and goatee.

However, Riddle truly had truly embraced Randy Orton’s persona as he started to move inside the ring, just like The Viper on WWE RAW. He was vicious in his attacks, which added another layer of brilliance to his already impressive performance.

Towards the end of the match, Orton looked proud of his tag team partner as Riddle borrowed his moves. The latter then delivered an excellent RKO to seal his victory over Ziggler while The Viper cheered at ringside.

He then entered the ring and delivered Bro Derek on Robert Roode before celebrating with Riddle on WWE RAW. It was an entertaining opening match and set the right tone for the rest of the show. The impressive performances from everyone, especially the tag team champions, accounted for great story-telling and left us pondering over what could happen in the future.

A lot of people have warned Riddle about Orton’s history of tuning on his partners. His fascination with copying Randy Orton can motivate him to channel his inner Viper. However, WWE RAW can pull off a major surprise by having The Original Bro turn on his tag team partner and justifying it as learning from the best.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but one of them now shares a legendary identity while the other is transforming into one of the best performers the business has ever seen. Either way, this is an excellent storyline in the making, and hopefully, the creative team will make the most of the same.

#2 Flop on WWE RAW: Doudrop

Doudrop was offended when Bianca Belair was included in WWE RAW’s Survivor Series team. She attacked Belair before the pay-per-view and decided to extend her feud tonight on the show.

It all started with Bianca Belair cutting a promo after her dominant performance in the Survivor Series match, where she became the sole survivor. Soon, Tamina walked out for a match against The EST of WWE, and they engaged in a decent in-ring action.

Bianca Belair eventually emerged victoriously but was soon attacked by Natalya, who was present at ringside. She went for the Sharpshooter, but Belair pushed her out of the ring. Following that, Doudrop attacked her from behind in one of the most underwhelming segments of the entire show.

She missed two out of her three offenses on Belair, who was trying her best to make her rival look strong.

Doudrop is an impressive superstar, but this was not her night. She is going after someone who was the sole survivor 24 hours ago and will not be silenced by such weak moves.

She didn’t look as threatening as she should have, but we hope that she will make up for it in her next meeting with Bianca Belair on WWE RAW. Another interesting point to note from this segment is that Doudrop, Natalya, and Tamina have seemingly formed an alliance.

#1 Honourable mentions from WWE RAW: Queen Zelina & Carmella, Becky Lynch

This week’s edition of WWE RAW saw the Women’s Tag Team Championships change hands. Queen Zelina and Carmella teamed up to take on Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. in a decent in-ring encounter.

Both superstars worked well against the former champions, strategically navigating their way through Ripley’s brutality and Nikki’s resilience.

Towards the end of the match, the heels took Ripley out of the equation by attacking her at ringside. They then used the number’s advantage against Nikki and pinned her to win the tag team titles on WWE RAW.

This feud is expected to continue on the red brand for a while, but it will be interesting to see how the writers will book Queen Zelina and her trusted friend as titleholders.

Early on in the show, RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch cut a scathing promo. She rightly called out fans for wanting to see a new talent but distracting themselves with CM Punk chants and Mexican waves when ten superstars were working hard to deliver a match at Survivor Series.

However, she smartly used the argument in line with her current run as a heel as she took shots at her No.1 contender, Liv Morgan.

Lynch and Morgan met backstage, and The Man started to poke fun at her challenger's lack of accomplishments on WWE RAW. The latter responded by hitting Becky Lynch right in the face in an attempt to make a statement. Big Time Becks won’t take kindly to this insult, and we will soon see them engage in a title feud on the red brand.