5 Things WWE must do on next week's RAW

WWE has a lot of explaining to do on next week's RAW.
WWE has a lot of explaining to do on next week's RAW.

What can fans expect next week on the upcoming edition of Monday Night RAW?

While WWE has fallen into somewhat of a monotonous state over the holiday break, all that changed on last week's episode of Monday Night RAW and now there are several pressing questions that demand to be answered. Of course how WWE chooses to answer these questions is up for debate, but they have quite a few loose ends to start tying up.

For example, how does Lana respond to Liv Morgan's revelation on RAW last week? How will WWE book Becky Lynch versus Asuka now that the Royal Rumble is coming up. What about the two title matches that are set to take place on next week's edition of RAW? What will WWE ultimately decide to do there?

With that stated and the very first RAW of the year almost upon us, here are five things WWE could do next Monday. As always, let us know your thoughts below and tell us what you hope WWE accomplishes on RAW next week.

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#5. Don't go through with U.S. Title match

Andrade deserves a bigger stage to showcase his talents.
Andrade deserves a bigger stage to showcase his talents.

WWE needs a big venue to showcase a match like Rey Mysterio vs Andrade for the United States Title and an ordinary episode of RAW just isn't that place. In fact, with Andrade winning the title at a house show and WWE needing to prove that he's the next big thing, why not save the match for the Royal Rumble?

At least that way Andrade can continue to build up heat as a heel champion, WWE can involve others in the storyline, and 'El Idolo' can get the crowning moment he deserves at the Royal Rumble. If nothing else, WWE needs to make Andrade's new United States Championship reign a momentous one and they can definitely accomplish that at a pay-per-view with a legacy as rich as the Royal Rumble.

#4. Give Asuka a dominant win

Asuka needs a dominant win before the Royal Rumble.
Asuka needs a dominant win before the Royal Rumble.

It's no secret that taking a Superstar off television can hurt their momentum and that is exactly the result of Asuka's absence from last week's RAW. Unfortunately for WWE, this came only a few weeks out from Asuka's title match against Becky Lynch, which is why the company needs to start building her back up again.

With 'The Empress of Tomorrow' in need of a statement victory between now and her upcoming Royal Rumble title opportunity against Becky Lynch, why not sacrifice a top Superstar on RAW to make that happen? Maybe WWE could even use Charlotte Flair as that stepping stone for Asuka and really give her the momentum she needs heading into the Royal Rumble.

Of course some might claim this would come at the expense of Charlotte Flair, who has just started her face turn at the end of the year, but 'The Queen' is arguably the one high profile Superstar who could afford a loss right now. In fact, it could go a long way in helping fans build up sympathy for her heading into her very first Royal Rumble match.

In the end, Asuka needs a win and Charlotte needs the fans to get behind her more. Both can easily be accomplished by giving Asuka a win over Charlotte on RAW, something the company would be wise to get behind.

#3. Wipe the slate clean in the RAW Tag Team Division

The Street Profits should be RAW Tag Team Champions by now!
The Street Profits should be RAW Tag Team Champions by now!

WWE announced a Triple Threat RAW Tag Team Championship Match between The Viking Raiders, The O.C., and The Street Profits for next week's RAW, which could prove to be a great opportunity to give the division a refresh. It could also be a huge establishing moment for The Street Profits, depending on how WWE Creative wants to play it.

With that stated and The Street Profits proving to be one of the most interesting commodities on the entire RAW roster, it seems like WWE has no other choice but to put the titles on the duo. Of course they could keep the titles on The Viking Raiders or put them on The O.C again, but what would really be the point of doing that?

Both The Viking Raiders and The O.C. have had their time with the RAW Tag Team Championships, but haven't really been able to do anything noteworthy with them. In fact, the entire RAW Tag Team Division seems to be in desperate need of some genuine personality, which is why WWE should make the smart move to put the championships on The Street Profits.

In the end, The Viking Raiders, The O.C. and other tag teams on RAW have lacked the personality needed in order to relate to fans. That's why WWE needs to put the titles on The Street Profits next week on RAW and give the division a fighting chance of being relevant on The Road to WrestleMania.

#2. Give Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe the upper hand

Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe might be WWE's new dream team!
Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe might be WWE's new dream team!

Seth Rollins and The Authors of Pain have steamrolled through a majority of the babyface locker room and while no one expects that to change, it kind of has to. Not only is that evident by their outright dominance over the past month, but also by the resentment it has built up.

Now resentment on it's own isn't a bad thing, especially if the company is able to transform that into support for opposing babyfaces, but WWE still needs to create a situation where that would be possible. Unfortunately, they haven't given anyone the upper hand against Rollins and The AOP yet, which has been frustrating to watch.

Now that fans know how unstoppable the new faction is, they need to allow babyfaces like Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe a chance to shift the tide. That's why WWE needs to give the babyface team a statement win on next week's RAW or at least have them force The AOP to retreat for the first time.

Either one would be a great way to start shifting the momentum in the babyface's favor and make the match more appealing to fans in the meantime. Ultimately, WWE fans need a reason to care and get behind the good guys, which is why they need to make a statement against AOP.

#1. Have Lana respond to Liv Morgan's actions

Will Lana explain all about her love affair with Liv Morgan?
Will Lana explain all about her love affair with Liv Morgan?

Whether WWE likes it or not, they are going to have to give some kind of answer as to why Liv Morgan would reveal herself as Lana's lover and why Lana was in this situation in the first place. Now that's going to require a lot of backtracking and world building in order to do so, but that would be so much better than the alternative.

In all honesty, WWE has gotten away with not telling the whole story and doling it out as bread crumbs for so long that to tell everything up front would just be so refreshing. WWE could even frame it as "Lana or Liv Morgan tells all at the top of the show," which is bound to get fans tuning in from the get go.

Again, WWE might not like this method of storytelling, especially since it forces them to reveal things they could just reveal later, but it gives fans a huge payoff for being invested for so long. Beyond that, it's not like anything they reveal would vastly effect the greater landscape of WWE and it could all just be consolidated into this one storyline.

There is absolutely no risk here to giving fans the answers they are searching for and while they might feel inclined to hold off for awhile, the fans deserve better.

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Edited by Michael McClead
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