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SmackDown this week proved that you don't need a live audience to put on a show for the ages. Roman Reigns and Goldberg clashed in the middle of the ring, and Otis showed us a side of his that none have yet seen when he was pushed to the edge by Dolph Ziggler's actions.
RAW will look to continue the excitement of SmackDown, and in fact, big stars like Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, as well as Randy Orton have been advertised for the same already. But what the show needs are some genuine surprises that can get people excited about WrestleMania 36, being aired without a live crowd.
It'll be a very different WrestleMania and it's a shame that it won't be as loaded as it could have originally been. But kudos to WWE for taking the health and safety of fans into consideration.
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So, with that said, let's run down what surprises could potentially take place on this week's episode of RAW.
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#5 Brock Lesnar gets confronted by someone like Ricochet
Brock Lesnar is scheduled to make a return to RAW on this week's show and it does seem like he will be made to look strong ahead of his big match with Drew McIntyre. I mean Lesnar suffered quite the beating when the two men met the last time around, and it established McIntyre as a legitimate star. But how does Brock Lesnar look like The Beast that he is without him destroying Drew McIntyre?
The easy answer is that he could destroy someone like Ricochet again, to prove his dominance. Ricochet could come out and say that ever since he suffered the loss to Lesnar he's been on somewhat of a losing streak. And Lesnar could pretend to sympathize before destroying Ricochet for good.
#4 Rey Mysterio becomes the WWE United States Champion
Andrade suffered yet another loss at the hands of Rey Mysterio and the last time I checked, this means that the victor gets a shot at the title. I think that Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade is not an exciting enough match for WrestleMania, considering how many times we've already seen it and so could the title change hands on RAW itself?
Rey Mysterio could win the same and go on to challenge someone like Aleister Black at the show, or even someone like Buddy Murphy. It would also involve him in the whole Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens storyline, where he's a friend short thanks to Samoa Joe being out of commission thanks to a Wellness Policy violation.
So, Rey Mysterio could capture the prized title and then could be confronted by his WrestleMania opponent to set the big match up. Andrade may not necessarily be 'buried' but I'm guessing that he's being punished for the recent violation if you look at the way that he's been booked ever since he has made his return.
#3 A special guest referee is added to Edge vs. Randy Orton
Edge vs. Randy Orton already has a storyline that a lot of title feuds don't have. But at the same time, the result is already a little predictable if you consider the fact that this is Edge's comeback match and unless your name is Sting, a babyface doesn't lose a match of this nature at WrestleMania.
And now what we know, from the way that things are lining up, is that Randy Orton vs. Edge will be a 'Last Man Standing' match. It could be very interesting indeed if the company chooses to insert a special guest referee into the match so that things do not entirely spiral out of control.
Mick Foley was mentioned during the course of this feud and while he is certainly someone who could make the proceedings grander, someone like Stone Cold Steve Austin could certainly add a whole new flavor to the proceedings, considering the vast amount of interest for RAW when he showed up last week.
#2 Asuka returns to commentary, Alexa Bliss attacks her
There are two things that we have learned with regard to the WWE commentary team ever since the world went crazy. The first thing is that Triple H is absolutely fantastic behind the desk and that he and Michael Cole make quite the combination. And the second and most important thing is that Asuka can be extremely entertaining when she's calling Andrade's matches.
So, let's just imagine that she's at the desk again this week and then, out of nowhere, Alexa Bliss shows up to attack The Kabuki Warrior. This would be to set up a women's tag team Championship match for WrestleMania 36. I know that this is an attitude unbecoming of a babyface but I think that you can give The Goddess a free pass on this occasion if you consider the fact that this is retribution for the time when Asuka did pretty much the same thing to her on SmackDown.
The match could be made official on WWE Smackdown, in that case.
#1 Bianca Belair is added to the NXT Women's Championship match
Not long ago, I had the chance to interact with Bianca Belair, the EST of NXT and you can check it out in the link that I have shared above. One of the possibilities that she brought up during the course of the remainder of the teleconference that I was on, was her being added to the match between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania.
What if this were to happen, just to make the match even more memorable and historic than it is right now? We all remember how Charlotte Flair was interjected into the mix against the wishes of the WWE Universe last year, but it still turned out to be a very big deal and a very memorable affair.
Bianca Belair can certainly hang with Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. And WWE needs all the cards up their sleeve right now to make WrestleMania seem special.
This won't be the worst idea in the world, in my opinion, at least.
