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This week's edition of RAW wasn't as strong as the last one, but the build to Money in the Bank continued nonetheless. The women's and men's ladder match is now full on the RAW side.
The Elias-Jaxson Ryker feud seemingly concluded after the latter won their strap match. Ricochet had a non-finish against John Morrison in what was arguably the best match of the night. There was some progress and a few bizarre finishes. Here's what WWE subtly told us on RAW.
#5 The last chance MITB qualifier on RAW and the fallout
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The original main event of RAW was supposed to be Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre vs AJ Styles to secure the last spot in the Men's Money in the Bank match from RAW.
Randy Orton wasn't on the show tonight and a battle royal was booked to replace him. Riddle gave a hand-written note on Randy Orton's "behalf" and chose to represent him on RAW. He won the battle royal by eliminating Damian Priest.
Had Riddle won the main event, Randy Orton would have qualified for the Men's Money in the Bank match. Things turned out to be rather interesting on RAW. It was a solid main event, as one would have expected, with three big names.
In the eyes of many, it should have been either Riddle/Orton or AJ Styles who should have qualified for the Men's Money in the Bank match. Instead, it was Drew McIntyre who walked out victorious in the main event.
But before we jump to the conclusion, let's discuss a few things. Firstly, it seems like WWE is either setting up Drew McIntyre to go on a downward skid and lose his chance at winning the Money in the Bank, or he will win it and challenge for the title as soon as Bobby Lashley gets dethroned.
The latter would be a mistake. But there were three big mistakes made in this match. Firstly, Riddle was taken out with an injury and made a miraculous (but predictable) comeback, only to lose. Why bring Riddle back to the picture to have him lose?
Secondly, why did Omos prevent AJ Styles from getting pinned but stood by and did nothing when Drew McIntyre got the pinfall victory?
Finally, WWE is going to kill Drew McIntyre's momentum on RAW when crowds return. He was the superstar of the year in 2020 and fans are going to be sick of him if he keeps getting inserted in the World title picture in some form or the other.
It will be interesting to see what happens with RK-Bro on RAW next week, but Riddle or AJ Styles should have won the main event.
#4 A directionless RAW Women's division?
The RAW Women's division needs to be revitalized and that was none more so evident than on the latest episode. We witnessed numerous matches in the women's division, but little was done to maintain interest.
Perhaps the main match was the six-woman bout featuring RAW Women's Champion Rhea Ripley, Mandy Rose, and Dana Brooke vs Charlotte Flair, Natalya, and Tamina. We're not even sure why or when Natalya and Tamina turned heel, but it was a quiet move.
A good way to use this match would have been to have either Mandy Rose or Dana Brooke pin Natalya or Tamina, but that wasn't the case. Instead, the babyfaces lost and Charlotte Flair was immediately attacked by the RAW Women's Champion Rhea Ripley. It doesn't make too much sense right now and WWE will be desperately waiting for the return of Becky Lynch.
When Becky Lynch returns to RAW, WWE will likely need to make her the focal point of the division again. Until then, we may have to deal with another month or more with a directionless women's division.
A rumor emerged recently about two reasons why WWE held back on Becky Lynch's return - one of which was a contractual issue.
#3 A heated rivalry on RAW with a less intense outcome?
Bobby Lashley was one of the few top names absent on RAW. Last week, Lashley became the first person in WWE history to wrestle inside Hell in a Cell two nights in a row.
Following his match against Xavier Woods on RAW last week, The All Mighty took what one could consider a well-deserved hiatus. Kofi Kingston was out on RAW and confronted MVP over Bobby Lashley's actions.
What followed was a good back-and-forth between the two veterans. It's cool to think about it because MVP was seen crying two years ago when Kofi Kingston became the WWE Champion at WrestleMania 35.
No mention will be made of that on RAW, however. It's an intense grudge rivalry for the biggest prize in the industry. What's slightly surprising is the fact that Xavier Woods will be back next week. Not only this, but he will face the WWE Champion Bobby Lashley in a rematch.
It will be interesting to see how this feud plays out in the coming weeks on RAW. However, the outcome of the match at Money in the Bank seems all but predictable.
Kofi Kingston is the right challenger, but is he the right man to dethrone The Almighty Bobby Lashley? Based on what the outcome at Money in the Bank is most likely going to be, we doubt it.
#2 Is EVA-Lution encouraging or infuriating Doudrop on RAW?
Last week on RAW, Doudrop turned on Eva Marie, costing both of them a spot in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match. Asuka and Naomi were the beneficiaries of it.
There was a rematch on RAW with no actual stakes. Eva Marie seemed delusional and unaware about why Doudrop/Piper Niven abandoned her last week.
This week, however, things were slightly different. In an attempt at revenge, Eva Marie abandoned her partner when she was needed. This didn't stop Doudrop from going all out and taking out both women before pinning former RAW Women's Champion Asuka.
This storyline could go in an interesting direction if done right. Eva Marie is the obnoxious manager-wrestler who likes to take credit for all of Doudrop's work. It's only a matter of time before Doudrop/Niven turns on Eva Marie, but a more interesting direction would be for the tense dynamic to work.
It would be a bit predictable if their partnership ended so early on RAW. Instead, Eva Marie's infuriating behavior could be used to get the best out of Doupdrop - who is already looking like one of the most threatening challengers in the RAW Women's division.
The most positive takeaway from this is that the women's division on RAW has two fresh new faces.
#1 Are Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss set for an unexpected reunion on RAW?
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were a fun tag team to watch on RAW, but they eventually split up last year as Bliss completely changed her character. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much of a storyline made out of it due to the focus put on Alexa Bliss with 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt.
Last week on RAW, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross teamed up again to defeat former Women's Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. This cemented both of their spots in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match.
What was more interesting, however, was the fact that Nikki Cross debuted a new superhero-like character on RAW. While criticized by some, it was later revealed that the character was Cross' idea. So far, it's been fun to watch.
Early in RAW, Nikki Cross faced Shayna Baszler and was victorious thanks to some help from her old partner Alexa Bliss.
Will Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross have an unexpected reunion of sorts before or after Money in the Bank 2021? It's a bizarre contradiction between the two characters and it could be more entertaining than their first run on RAW - a successful one in its own right.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
