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Just a day after Payback, the Superstars of WWE RAW were all geared up to deliver another stunning episode of the Red brand with their eyes set on Clash of Champions.
After winning the RAW Women's Champion at WWE SummerSlam, Asuka got a bit of a breather as she sat out of Payback. However, she seems to have found her next challenger just a day later and things are about to get very interesting in the RAW women's division.
Six Superstars from RAW had a chance to become the #1 contender for Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship, but only one managed to punch his ticket for a match at Clash of Champions.
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RETRIBUTION attacked the Superstars of WWE RAW once again and laid waste to The Street Profits, Andrade, and even Zelina Vega.
RAW Underground hosted some entertaining matches, and the now-separated IIconics found themselves in the middle of a fight.
In this article, we will look at the five things WWE got right on RAW after Payback.
#5 WWE RAW Basks in Keith Lee's Glory once again
A series of matches were announced for WWE RAW to determine the #1 contender to the WWE Championship. Keith Lee vs. Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio were set for Monday Night. Dominik had replaced his father in the match on RAW after Rey suffered an injury during WWE Payback.
Ziggler and Lee kicked proceedings off, and it seemed like Lee had found the perfect opponent for himself on RAW. Ziggler has a knack of selling moves perfectly and putting his opponents over, and that's exactly what The Limitless One needed at this point.
While Ziggler managed to take down the big man with sleeper holds and the Zig Zag, he was unable to put Lee away. The Limitless One got back on the offense and ended Ziggler's hopes by planting him with the Spirit Bomb to pick up the victory.
This was another good match that allowed Lee to shine on WWE RAW. Reports of Vince McMahon having a lot of faith in Lee seem to be true given the fact that he's already in the race for the WWE Championship.
While it's odd that Lee isn't finishing with The Big Bang Catastrophe, it could be possible that WWE are saving his spectacular move for a special match or occasion.
#4 Dominik Mysterio continues to impress on WWE RAW
Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins were scheduled for a match on this week's WWE RAW, just a day after the father-son duo defeated the Messiah and his disciple in a tag team match at Payback.
However, Rey suffered an injury during the match, and Dominik Mysterio replaced his father for the match on WWE RAW. Before the match, Rollins chastised Murphy to costing them their bout at Payback and told him to head backstage.
Dominik once again started well and showed that he has a lot of talent for a man his age. The Messiah continued to make his younger opponent look good throughout, but did not allow him to make a comeback for long enough to threaten him at any point.
At the end of the match, Dominik was outdone by Rollins, who ended his resistance with the Stomp to progress to the Triple Threat #1 contender's match.
This was a good match, but given the fact that the winner had to progress for the triple threat, Rollins could have faced someone else on WWE RAW since Rey was injured.
Dominik is showing that he has what it takes to become a big star, and with his father's training, he could turn out to be one of the biggest breakout stars for the company in the years to come. He's thankful for the assistance he's been getting from his opponents, and it seems like he has a bright future ahead.
#3 Aleister Black sets his eye(s) on his next opponent on WWE RAW
Randy Orton and Kevin Owens were set to compete during this week’s WWE RAW with a spot in the Triple Threat Match up for grabs later in the night. Before the match, Orton was seen leaving Aleister Black’s locker room.
For those unaware, Black surprised everyone by turning heel and kicking KO’s head off during the Kevin Owens Show last week on WWE RAW.
As Orton and Owens prepared for the match, The Dutch Destroyer appeared before KO could make it to the ring and hit him with a Black Mass, almost knocking him out cold in the process.
KO fought through and wanted the match to go ahead, and it took Orton no time to drop Owens with an RKO to pick up the victory and progress to the #1 contender’s match for later in the night.
While Owens has been losing far too many matches, it seems like he could get his first major rivalry on WWE RAW since WrestleMania 36.
Black’s heel turn has been surprising, and competing with the former WWE Universal Champion will give him the push he needs to elevate himself into a main event star.
#2 Mickie James sets her sights on the WWE RAW Women's Championship
Mickie James made a return to the WWE RAW ring a few weeks ago and got into a rivalry against Natalya. Even though James lost her match to Natalya via countout, she showed that she is still among the top athletes in the women's locker room.
With WWE RAW Women's Champion Asuka's rivalry against Sasha Banks and Bayley seemingly over, The Empress was looking for a new challenger heading into Clash of Champions.
She was first involved in a backstage altercation with the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax, both of whom had their eyes on the title earlier, and then came to the ring to find a challenger.
James did not hold back and came out to challenge Asuka before Lana and Natalya interrupted the two veterans. Lana and James competed in a match, and it did not take James long to get past The Ravishing Russian.
Fans who've seen James vs. Asuka in NXT at TakeOver: Toronto in 2016 would be excited as they've already had a great match earlier. James could actually do a great job against Asuka without actually threatening the champion.
#1 The Viper strikes once again on WWE RAW
Three of WWE RAW's finest collided in the final match of the night as Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, and Keith Lee competed in a triple threat match for a chance to face McIntyre at Clash of Champion for the title. The heels worked together to keep The Limitless One quiet.
While Lee picked up steam late in the match and took out Orton to focus on The Messiah, he almost fell prey to The Stomp. He countered the Stomp and turned it into a Spirit Bomb to take the win, but The Viper arrived just in time to hit him with an RKO and then pinned Rollins himself to pick up the victory.
This was a good match on WWE RAW and the end was done well in many ways. Lee came across as a true star once again, and almost reached the top to challenge for the WWE Championship. Rollins took the pin, allowing Lee to remain unpinned on the main roster.
Orton's story with Drew McIntyre is far from finished, and therefore him winning the contest on this week's WWE RAW made the most sense.
Vince Russo answers who killed WCW HERE
