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RAW had yet another bizarre ending this week. It was the penultimate episode of RAW before WWE Hell in a Cell 2021, and it wasn't the best way to hype the pay-per-view.
Eva Marie returns next week on the RAW before Hell in a Cell, while Mansoor defeated Drew Gulak, continuing to get advances from Mustafa Ali. The biggest topic of discussion was the Alexa Bliss-Shayna Baszler segment at the end of RAW, where Bliss and Lily haunted the former Women's Tag Team Champion.
Here are some things WWE subtly told us on RAW:
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#5. Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley will go to Hell, but there could be another twist
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Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley had their official contract signing on RAW, which is where the Scotsman declared that he wanted no interference and that the match should take place inside Hell in a Cell.
MVP was quick to accept his challenge, and the contracts were then signed. It was a tense segment, but things didn't break out as contract signings usually do on RAW (or WWE, in general).
McIntyre used his sword to slice the table, which is perhaps the coolest way to do it. It was a short segment, and it wasn't even the focal point of the show. However, there was something that happened that we found quite interesting.
Backstage, Kofi Kingston was with Xavier Woods and he was met by MVP, who told him that before he was a Bobby Lashley supporter, he was big on Kingston. MVP praised him for his 2019 WWE title victory and becoming a Champion that he could truly relate to.
This backstage segment on RAW had a lot more weight than many fans may have first realized. Kofi Kingston has been a babyface for more than five years now. It was a big tease for him to potentially turn heel and join The Hurt Business. He went on to defeat Riddle later on RAW.
Will Kofi Kingston have a role to play in the WWE title match at Hell in a Cell?
#4. The RAW Tag Team Title reign of AJ Styles and Omos is under threat
After getting through The New Day and Elias and Jaxson Ryker, AJ Styles and Omos have new RAW Tag Team title challengers in the form of The Viking Raiders.
The episode of RAW opened with a multi-tag team battle royal, including the likes of The Viking Raiders, The New Day, The Lucha House Party, R-K-Bro, and T-BAR and Mace, formerly of RETRIBUTION.
While R-K-Bro was expected to win, it didn't play out that way. It was an incredibly entertaining match to watch, and AJ Styles had a few minutes to roast everybody in the ring before heading to ringside.
The match was chaotic, with John Morrison participating on behalf of his team. He had to try his luck as an injured Miz watched from ringside. The match ended with The Viking Raiders winning after Randy Orton dumped out Kofi Kingston.
It was the right decision, and The Viking Raiders are finally back in a RAW Tag Team Title program after what seems like forever. This could be the team that ultimately ends up dethroning AJ Styles and Omos, perhaps at Hell in a Cell 2021.
#3. A Triple Threat direction for the US Title on RAW
Sheamus came to RAW with a mask after an operation thanks to a broken nose. It's certainly a unique look, but not one made out of choice. The Celtic Warrior suffered a real injury at the hands of Humberto Carrillo last week on the Red brand. This week, the United States Champion came out to watch the Ricochet-Humberto Carrillo match.
The match on RAW was a No. 1 contender's match for Sheamus' United States Championship. Interestingly enough, we saw a small heel turn tease from Ricochet, who attacked Carrillo right before the bell rang.
The match itself ended quickly, with both men getting counted out. With no clear winner on RAW, Sheamus seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. But that's unlikely to continue. Next week at the latest, we fully expect a Triple Threat Match for the US Title to be announced for Hell in a Cell.
It's the right move to make, and all three men have been in good form recently. WWE rarely gets Triple Threat matches wrong.
#2. A feud that will continue on RAW with a new look
There was a blowoff match on RAW between Elias and his former partner Jaxson Ryker. The story of their breakup seems to be that the former was afraid of the unhinged Ryker, and he ditched him during their RAW Tag Team title opportunity last week.
The match didn't go on for too long and Elias ran away before getting counted out. The unhinged Jaxson Ryker (with a new look) was salivating and it was hanging from his mouth, indicating how "unhinged" he really is.
The storyline is a weird one, but WWE will drag it on, presumably until Hell in a Cell at the most. The sad part is that the match on RAW doesn't even look like it would fit into the pre-show of Hell in a Cell.
But if WWE is going to establish Ryker as a monster, then don't be surprised to see him defeat Elias eventually. Unfortunately, the feud doesn't seem to be one that will elevate either star on RAW
#1. Will Nikki Cross sneak into the RAW Women's title picture?
Nikki Cross has quietly gone from having no screen time to a potential RAW Women's championship contender. It's hard to say she doesn't deserve it. In the past couple of weeks, she has "defeated" Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley on RAW after both women failed to beat her in two minutes.
This week, Adam Pearce suggested that Flair and Ripley team up ahead of their match at Hell in a Cell to face Cross and a partner of her choice. That partner turned out to be the last RAW Women's Champion Asuka, and the two worked well together.
It was over four years ago when Asuka and Nikki Cross had an incredible Last Woman Standing Match on NXT. Last night, the two teamed up and were successful. That was, of course, due to the circumstances. While it looked like Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair's partnership would be an "iron sharpens iron" kind of ordeal, it quickly broke down and the two women started attacking each other.
It culminated with Flair hitting the Natural Selection on Ripley, allowing Nikki Cross to pin her. This will likely be an immediate set-up for Cross to challenge for the RAW Women's title post Hell in a Cell.
