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It's the RAW after Money in the Bank 2021 and big things are set to happen. John Cena's return is the only thing that has been advertised on RAW so far, but from the look of things, he isn't the only WWE legend that is set to return tonight.
RAW star Nikki A.S.H. walked out of Money in the Bank with the briefcase, while it was SmackDown star Big E won the men's Money in the Bank briefcase. A lot is set to happen on the Red brand as the build to SummerSlam begins.
Although WrestleMania is technically the biggest show of the year, SummerSlam is expected to take that spot in 2021 only as a bigger crowd is set to attend in the Allegiant Stadium.
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Let's start with the WWE Championship picture and who's next for Bobby Lahsley:
#5. Who is next for Bobby Lashley on RAW?
The All Mighty WWE Champion Bobby Lashley finished his feud with Kofi Kingston at Money in the Bank 2021. After having a few slip-ups on RAW in the build-up to the match, a focused Lashley decimated Kingston in a one-sided match.
The bout was praised and so was Lashley. The feud with Drew McIntyre went on for a lot longer than it needed to, but we get the feeling that the same won't be the case for his rivalry against Kingston.
The squash match seemed to mark a definitive end to the feud and we expect a new challenger for Bobby Lashley to emerge on RAW. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful first reported that the plan is for Goldberg to return on RAW and set up a SummerSlam feud with the WWE Champion.
It will be an interesting feud, perhaps until he potentially wins. Goldberg has a habit of returning and winning World titles, but that small streak ended this year at the Royal Rumble when McIntyre defeated him in the opening bout to retain the WWE Championship.
It will be interesting to watch nonetheless. Bobby Lashley seemingly confirmed a feud with Goldberg with his tweet post-Money in the Bank:
Is he the right opponent for The All Mighty? Will the WWE legend finally return on RAW after Money in the Bank? If so, is Bobby Lashley's WWE title reign going to come to an end?
#4. What is the next chapter for RAW Women's Champion Charlotte Flair?
Charlotte Flair had a long gap between her last and current RAW Women's Championship victory. But that doesn't mean that she has been short of accolades. Including her two NXT title wins and a reign with the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, Charlotte Flair is a 14-time Champion.
This marked her fifth reign as the RAW Women's Champion, equalling the number of SmackDown Women's Championships that she has had. It marked the end of Rhea Ripley's brief RAW Women's title reign that lasted for a little over three months.
Unfortunately for Ripley, she might be forced to take a backseat in the RAW Women's title picture. The days of mandatory rematches are long gone in WWE and we wouldn't be surprised to see Becky Lynch make her long-anticipated return to the Red brand after more than 14 months away.
Lynch teased a return to WWE before Money in the Bank on Twitter:
When she made that tease, it was obvious that she wasn't going to return. She even teased a similar return at WrestleMania Night One but it didn't happen.
This is going to be the first episode of RAW with a crowd in over 16 months, so WWE might finally unleash Becky Lynch to reclaim the title she never lost. A SummerSlam feud sounds ideal.
#3. Drew McIntyre gears up for the summer on RAW
Drew McIntyre will walk into RAW a frustrated man. He once again failed to find a loophole into the WWE Championship picture. Since Bobby Lashley is still the WWE Champion, McIntyre isn't allowed to challenge for the WWE Championship anytime soon.
His opportunity to get back to the top of RAW was the Money in the Bank briefcase and he came closer than nearly every superstar other than Big E. But it was Jinder Mahal's henchmen Veer and Shanky who played the spoils as they attacked Drew McIntyre before The Modern Day Maharaja joined in.
They took McIntyre out of the Money in the Bank ladder match and the Scotsman will be looking for retribution. Mahal stole McIntyre's sword a couple of weeks ago on RAW, but as revealed last week, it was a fake. The Scottish Warrior repaid Jinder Mahal by destroying the exhaust pipe from his expensive motorbike.
It's going to get heated between the two former faction members on RAW. The two men are former WWE Champions and have a history together. It looks like they're gearing up for a match at SummerSlam, which is perfect for Drew McIntyre, who has been an important part of RAW for more than a year.
#2. AJ Styles and Omos continue their RAW Tag Team title dominance
AJ Styles and Omos were supposed to defend the RAW Tag Team Championships against The Viking Raiders tonight, but the match got advanced to Money in the Bank after the SmackDown Women's title match changed due to Bayley's injury.
It was a solid and entertaining RAW Tag Team title match, with the crowd evidently favoring AJ Styles and Omos - the heels. It was the latter's dominance that once again made them retain the RAW Tag Team Championships.
It's going to be interesting to see how the reign continues to play out. At this rate, Styles and Omos could keep the RAW Tag Team titles until SummerSlam 2021. But WWE has a habit of booking the tag team title matches on free TV as well, meaning their reign could always be in jeopardy.
It's hard to think of AJ Styles as the "weak link" of any team, but in this case, he is presented as one. Either way, the duo's dominance of the RAW Tag Team titles will continue. Hopefully, Randy Orton will return from his quiet hiatus and RK-Bro can start a program with the RAW Tag Team Champions.
#1. John Cena returns to RAW
It's been a long time since John Cena has been on RAW. The former face of WWE and franchise player made his big return after the main event of Money in the Bank 2021 when Roman Reigns defeated Edge.
While The Rated-R Superstar began to brawl with Seth Rollins to set up their SummerSlam program, Cena set up his without saying much. It was the rumored main event for SummerSlam 2021 and with his return, it's now almost confirmed.
But rather than waiting until SmackDown to set up a program with Roman Reigns, John Cena will be returning on RAW. "Free Agent" Cena is back and we expect his appearance to involve some sort of a confrontation with a superstar.
It will be interesting to see the 16-time World Champion and what happens with him on RAW. It doesn't seem necessary to have him on the Red brand, but it will be a big boost to the show nonetheless.
Are you excited to see John Cena make his long-awaited return to Monday Night RAW?
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