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The first episode of WWE RAW after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was expected to be exciting. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defeated Goldberg at the event, and it looked like their rivalry was over after just a single match. Edge won the Royal Rumble match, and he will likely pick his opponent from RAW or SmackDown in the weeks to come before WrestleMania.
The Hurt Business’ Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander were scheduled to defend their RAW Tag Team Championships this week. However, the two Superstars had problems getting on the same page once again. They weren’t the only ones from The Hurt Business who lost their cool this week, and Bobby Lashley also showed a new side to himself.
Alexa Bliss was scheduled to compete against Nikki Cross on RAW, and Xavier Woods got a match against RETRIBUTION’s Mustafa Ali.
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As the Superstars of RAW embarked on the Road to WrestleMania, let’s take a look at the five things WWE got right on the night after Royal Rumble.
#5 Sheamus turned on his best friend on WWE RAW
Drew McIntyre broke Goldberg’s streak and earned his respect during WWE Royal Rumble. The WWE Champion opened up RAW this week to celebrate his victory over the legendary Superstar.
McIntyre got some time to speak about his victory before Royal Rumble winner Edge made his way out to the middle. The Scottish Psychopath showered The Rated-R Superstar with praise and showed him a lot of respect.
After Edge told McIntyre to fear him rather than respect him, Sheamus made his way out to the RAW ring. The Celtic Warrior got in Edge’s face and McIntyre had to pull him away. McIntyre asked Edge if he was challenging him for the title. The Rated-R Superstar reminded both men that he is The Ultimate Opportunist and would assess the situation before deciding who he will challenge at WrestleMania.
One thing Edge made clear was that he would walk out of WrestleMania with a title. After The Rated-R Superstar left the ring, Sheamus took Mcintyre down with a Brogue Kick.
The Celtic Warrior walked away as McIntyre nursed his jaw. This was an interesting piece of booking. While many fans knew that Sheamus would turn on McIntyre at some point, it was interesting that he did so just when Edge appeared as a top challenger to the WWE Champion.
RAW needed some big stories this week, and this one will likely make the headline. The Celtic Warrior will get into the WWE Championship picture next, and he will likely keep McIntyre busy until WrestleMania.
#4 Carlito returned to WWE RAW after Royal Rumble
Several legendary Superstars made an appearance during the WWE Royal Rumble. However, only one man made it to WWE RAW following a surprise return. Victoria, Torrie Wilson, and Christian were some of the big names who made their way into the Royal Rumble matches. Carlito was one of the biggest surprise returns during the night, and WWE decided to give him a match on RAW.
Carlito did not compete alone as he was teamed up with another veteran, Jeff Hardy. The two men faced Elias and Jaxson Ryker on RAW in a tag team match. Carlito impressed early with a technical exchange in the match.
Hardy came in and Ryker helped Elias gain control in the match. After Elias and Ryker worked over The Charismatic Enigma for some time, The King of Cool got the hot tag. He hit the Backstabber on Elias before Hardy picked up the win for his team by hitting the Swanton Bomb.
The match was short but it allowed fans to watch Carlito in the RAW ring again. He appeared on WWE TV after almost a decade and teamed up with a top babyface to pick up the victory.
Carlito will hopefully get some more opportunities going forward just like MVP did after his Royal Rumble return.
#3 Bobby Lashley teased a more aggressive character on WWE RAW
Bobby Lashley has been one of WWE RAW’s premier athletes for some time now. The United States Champion was set to defend his title against Riddle on this week’s RAW. Lashley came out with MVP to compete in the match, while Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin were preparing for their RAW Tag Team Championships defense for later in the show.
The Original Bro went right after Lashley but The All-Mighty was prepared to take his smaller opponent down. He overpowered Riddle and slammed him hard on the mat. Lashley delivered a vertical suplex, but just dropped his challenger rather than going down with him
While Riddle tried to make a comeback in the match, Lashley locked in the Hurt Lock on the apron and refused to let go. The referee counted to five and then disqualified Lashley from the contest.
The All-Mighty still did not give up and kept the hold onto Riddle to put him to sleep. MVP wasn’t too happy with Lashley’s actions and the two men argued to end the segment.
WWE may be on to something by showing a more aggressive side to Lashley. He’s no soft competitor, and WWE can book him just like Brock Lesnar without any opposition. Showing this new side to the United States Champion could help RAW build some top rivalries for the big man.
#2 Damian Priest made an impressive debut on WWE RAW
The Miz and John Morrison came out for another segment for their talk show on WWE RAW this week. Their guest was none other than Bad Bunny, whose equipment The Miz destroyed during Royal Rumble.
A video was played to show what happened on Sunday, and The Miz offered an apology to Bunny for destroying his equipment. Bunny accepted the apology and Miz and Morrison offered to train him to become a WWE Superstar.
However, Bunny introduced Damian Priest, the man who had eliminated both Miz and Morrison from the Rumble match. Priest made his RAW debut after a good showing at Royal Rumble and got into a match against The Miz right away.
Priest controlled the match for extended periods and used his size and strength advantage well over the former WWE Champion. While The Miz sent him into the ring post, Bunny distracted Miz to allow The Archer of Infamy to recover.
After some more action, Bunny took down Morrison outside the ring and Priest hit the Reckoning on The A-Lister to pick up his first victory on RAW.
It’s unfortunate to watch where WWE is taking two good Superstars like Miz and Morrison. However, Priest’s RAW debut was good and impressive, and even though he did not get to cut a promo, it was good to watch him impress early just like Riddle and Keith Lee.
#1 Alexa Bliss stole the spotlight from the biggest Superstars on WWE RAW
Alexa Bliss got a match against her former best friend Nikki Cross on WWE RAW a night after being eliminated from the Royal Rumble early. The match allowed Bliss to play mind games on Cross.
Cross wanted answers but Bliss provided none as she continued to taunt her opponent. After some action, Bliss transferred into her old self. After the match continued, Bliss transformed back to her current character again and hit a modified Sister Abigail to put Cross away.
After their match, Edge and Randy Orton competed on RAW to continue their rivalry. Both men had a great contest, and Orton came close to victory before Bliss appeared. She sat atop the ring post with blood coming out of her mouth. The distraction allowed Edge to Spear The Viper and pick up another big victory.
While a former WWE Champion and the Royal Rumble winner headlined RAW, it was Bliss who stood out in the final hour of the show. It’s truly incredible what Bliss is capable of, especially without ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt appearing on WWE TV.
WWE has used the current situation where they can’t host live matches very well and allowed The Goddess to become one of the biggest Superstars on RAW.
