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The first episode of WWE RAW was supposed to be a big one as dozens of legends appeared to boost the show. The episode was kicked off by a promo from Hulk Hogan, and fans got to watch The Big Show, Mark Henry, Torrie Wilson, Ric Flair, and many other legends appear during the night.
The WWE Universe got to watch a few major upset victories during WWE RAW this week. Dana Brooke defeated Shayna Baszler on the show, while Riddle scored a cheeky victory over Bobby Lashley in a non-title match.
That wasn’t all, as Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce teamed up to compete against Asuka and Charlotte Flair in a non-title match. Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik also got a non-title match against the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions during the show.
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However, the biggest match of the night saw Drew McIntyre defend his WWE Championship against Keith Lee. Keeping in mind all the action that took place during Legends Night, let’s take a look at the 5 things WWE RAW got right this week.
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#5 The Miz and John Morrison pick up another loss on WWE RAW
The opening segment of WWE RAW was taken over by The Miz TV. The Miz and John Morrison were in the ring and ran down the card for the night. They then invited their first guests for 2021, The New Day.
After the two teams exchanged some words, Teddy Long came down to announce that Miz and Morrison would face The Undertaker on WWE RAW. The legend soon realized that The Phenom had retired after Adam Pearce intervened, and made a match between The New Day and the team of Miz and Morrison official.
The match was dominated by some back and forth action early on, before the heels took control of the match. After both teams traded some blows, Xavier Woods hit Morrison with a Shining Wizard to pick up the victory.
This was a fun match to kick off WWE RAW this week. However, it’s odd that Miz and Morrison have carried their bad booking streak into 2021.
Hopefully, this loss and the ones before it will help Miz and Morrison rethink their position on the brand and come back stronger. However, such bookings are only weakening The Miz’s position as Mr. Money in the Bank even more.
As for The New Day, they needed this victory after losing their WWE RAW Tag Team Championships last month. It won’t be long before they get back in contention for the tag team titles again.
#4 Peyton Royce pins Charlotte Flair on WWE RAW
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions got another big match for the first WWE RAW of the year. Asuka and Charlotte Flair came out to compete in a non-title match again Peyton Royce and Lacey Evans. Ric Flair accompanied the Champions.
Royce and Evans managed to display much better chemistry in this match and they looked to work on Flair early on. They were also able to keep Asuka at bay and kept stomping down on the WWE RAW Women’s Champion in the corner.
What made things more interesting was Evans’ attempts to impress Ric Flair and her efforts to bring him closer to her. This did not sit well with Flair's daughter who grew more and more furious as the match progressed.
Towards the end of the match, Ric tripped up his daughter by mistake, allowing Royce to score the pinfall victory. While the match wasn’t too great and had some major botches, it was great to watch Royce pin the most decorated woman in WWE.
What made things more entertaining was Charlotte sending her father to the back after her loss, clearly showing that she wasn’t too happy with what had happened.
#3 Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton put on another show on WWE RAW
Fans will clearly remember the rivalry between Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton. For those who missed it, WWE RAW hosted a match between the two veterans on Legends Night. Orton was seen approaching many legends backstage before the match started.
The Viper went after Hardy early on and continued to punish the Superstar. Hardy has picked up several losses in recent weeks, and it seemed like this match was heading in a similar direction.
The Charismatic Enigma fought through in the middle portion of the match, but The Viper made him pay by twisting his earlobes once again, in a call back to their 2018 Hell in a Cell match.
While Hardy came close to victory and set up the Twist of Fate, Orton countered and hit him with an RKO to pick up the win.
Since this episode of WWE RAW was titled Legends Night, it was perfect to have these two men compete against each other as they are two currently active legends. Hardy has been picking up too many losses on WWE RAW, but they’ve mostly come against top guys.
On the other hand, it’ll be interesting to see where The Viper heads after not confronting The Fiend or Alexa Bliss this week.
#2 Lucha House Party continue their golden run on WWE RAW
Early on WWE RAW, Riddle picked up a questionable victory over The Hurt Business’ Bobby Lashley. While it seemed like Riddle had tapped out to The Hurt Lock, the referee did not see it, and this allowed Riddle to roll-up the United States Champion to pick up a victory.
MVP and The Hurt Business tried to shake off the shocking defeat by taking on Lucha House Party’s Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado in a non-title match. Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander took to the ring to represent The Hurt Business.
The WWE RAW Tag Team Champions took control of the match early, as MVP watched from the commentary table. Tensions ran high between Alexander and Benjamin as both men kept tagging themselves in and continued to argue throughout the contest.
Their differences allowed Dorado to hit a superkick on Alexander and pin Benjamin with a crucifix roll-up for a huge victory. Lucha House Party has been on a hot run since late last year, and Metalik will compete for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship this week.
The victory allows him to head into the match with a lot more momentum and a chance to bag a major title. The Hurt Business, on the other hand, had a disappointing night after a long time. Will Alexander walk away from the faction soon?
#1 Drew McIntyre and Keith Lee steal the show on WWE RAW
The most explosive match of WWE RAW took place during the main event. All the legends backstage headed to the stage to witness the action as Drew McIntyre defended his WWE Championship against long-time friend Keith Lee.
The two big men delivered some big blows to each other throughout the match to ensure that the legends got something worthy to watch. While McIntyre was dominant, it was Lee who was extremely impressive during the contest. The Limitless One got a chance to show off his athleticism, and fans were in awe after he delivered a Spanish Fly to the Scottish Psychopath from the top rope.
While Lee threw everything he could at the WWE Champion, he finally fell for the Claymore Kick that ended his night. After the match, Goldberg made his way out and challenged McIntyre to a WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble.
This was by far the best match and segment of the night that lifted the entire mood of WWE RAW. Lee was phenomenal, while McIntyre once again got a chance to show why he deserves to be the WWE Champion. It was a match that could have lit up any pay-per-view.
Goldberg’s arrival will help WWE RAW boost its ratings, and fans will have to wait to see how The Scottish Psychopath overcomes the former Universal Champion.
