5 things that must happen on RAW, NXT, and SmackDown this week

Last week’s RAW delivered a bomb to end the night, garnering the attention of many fans. It wasn’t just the main event that was very interesting, as the entire episode did well to end 2019 on a high and lay the foundation for the new year.

Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy wrote a new chapter in their rivalry, while the RAW Tag Team Championship picture boomed overnight.

NXT, on the other hand, utilized its television time to hand out the NXT Year-End Awards to the most deserving Superstars on the Black & Gold brand.

SmackDown was not far behind in delivering a good episode and setting the pace for WWE and the brand in the new year with a few massive returns which have stacked the Blue roster.

In this article, we'll look at the 5 things that must happen on RAW, NXT, and SmackDown this week to ensure that the company kicks off the new decade in style.

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#5 Liv Morgan addresses the WWE Universe

Liv Morgan shook up the RAW landscape last week

Last week’s RAW main evented with a rather bizarre segment to continue a strange storyline. Lana and Bobby Lashley were scheduled to get married during the episode, but the two lovebirds were interrupted by more than a couple of people during their marriage ceremony.

However, none of the interruptions were as surprising as the one from the returning Liv Morgan. At a time when fans were expecting Morgan to return as Sister Abigail or a follower of ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt on SmackDown, she returned as Lana’s former lover on RAW.

Morgan returned to try and put an end to Lana’s wedding ceremony but was treated to a flurry of slaps and shoves by The Ravishing Russian.

This week, we should watch Liv come out to address the WWE Universe and also call out Lana to talk about their past.

This should be done in the best possible manner with Lashley and Rusev arriving later on and getting into a brawl to end the segment and plant the seeds for a match at Royal Rumble.

WWE had an excellent response to criticism with last week’s segment involving the four Superstars, and they should strike while the iron is hot this week.

#4 AOP cost Rey Mysterio the Championship match

AOP must cost Rey Mysterio the US Championship match this week

Authors of Pain have made a remarkable return to RAW, and it feels like they can go a long way without winning the RAW Tag Team Championships for some time.

Aligning with a heelish Seth Rollins was the best possible thing Akam & Rezar could have done, and now they’d be looking to do everything possible to please their leader.

Two weeks ago, Authors of Pain brutally attacked Rey Mysterio on RAW during a match between The Master of The 619 and The Architect. Days later, Mysterio lost his United States Championship to Andrade at a Live Event at the Madison Square Garden, as he wasn’t 100 percent after the attacks.

This week, Mysterio will be getting his rematch for the title against El Idolo on RAW, and it's a chance to prove why he’s a legendary performer. During the encounter, WWE must allow AOP to interfere and beatdown Mysterio once again, leading to the match ending in a disqualification.

This will allow the company to protect both Mysterio and Andrade, giving El Idolo a longer reign with the title.

At the same time, the story between Rollins & AOP and Mysterio will grow stronger, and he could be helped out by Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens. This could allow WWE birth an excellent but unlikely team that can prove to be the undoing of Rollins and his henchmen.

#3 Austin Theory scores his first victory

Austin Theory needs to get into a winning streak

The Christmas Special of NXT saw Roderick Strong defend his North American Championship in an Open Challenge.

His challenge was answered by an unexpected competitor, as Austin Theory walked out to accept Strong’s challenge and give him a run for his money.

Theory proved to be an excellent challenger for Strong and treated fans to an A-grade match, and the Champion managed to make Theory tap out to defend his title. This week, NXT must bring out Theory once again to cash in on his excellent performance last week.

He should be booked in a match where he can showcase his skills once again and be allowed to shine, picking up a stunning victory in the process. This will allow the Superstar to get a great push early on in his career, and help him become one of the bigger Superstars on the Black & Gold brand.

NXT did an excellent job by giving Theory a match against Strong, by allowing him to give a great performance before taking the loss. This enabled them to hand him a loss early on without taking anything away from him.

However, now is the time they should allow Theory to go on an undefeated streak to help him emerge as a Championship contender later on in the year.

#2 Rhea Ripley issues an Open Challenge

Rhea Ripley will be looking for some good competition

On the December 18 episode of NXT, Rhea Ripley took on the woman with one of the best win records in WWE, Shayna Baszler. The two competed in an NXT Women’s Championship match which saw a few interferences from Baszler’s allies.

Ripley managed to brave the storm and delivered a lethal Avalanche Riptide to pin the reigning NXT Women’s Champion. This allowed The Nightmare to win her second major Championship in the NXT division and become the first woman to win both the NXT UK and NXT Women’s Championship.

With Royal Rumble drawing closer, it feels like Baszler will be making the jump to the main roster soon. With that in mind, Ripley will be looking for new challenges to prove that she is the best female Superstar in NXT today.

This week, Ripley should come out to address the NXT Universe for the first time after winning the title, issuing an Open Challenge to anyone in the back for her title as well.

Since many deserving women can go toe to toe with Ripley in NXT, it will be interesting to see who'll come out to take on the new leader of the women’s division. Superstars like Bianca Belair or Io Shirai could prove to be excellent first challengers for The Nightmare’s new championship.

#1 The Planet’s Champion gets the better of The Fiend

Daniel Bryan needs to get the better of The Fiend for once

Last week’s SmackDown saw Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns team up once again to take on heels King Corbin and Dolph Ziggler.

While Bryan was ahead in the match for his team, ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt appeared once again to attack The Planet's Champion and take him out. This allowed Corbin and Ziggler to beat down Reigns until The Usos made a return to the Blue brand to save their cousin.

This week, we should watch Bryan turn the tables similar to what Seth Rollins did during his rivalry with The Fiend and burn the Firefly Fun House down.

Bryan should call out Wyatt to the ring this week, only to trick and attack him to get one over him in this rivalry. This would allow Bryan to gain some momentum before his clash with The Fiend at the Royal Rumble, and also give the booking a more equal outlook.

Bryan could also challenge Wyatt to the match rather than The Fiend, allowing fans to get an even more unique booking for the clash just like they got between Wyatt and The Miz.

With SmackDown mixing up a lot of things recently and allowing so many Superstars to return together, it would make things even more interesting for the fans and keep it unpredictable at the top of the card.