6 Things WWE subtly told us on RAW: Top superstar to take the pinfall at Day 1, Plans for a top legend's return canceled?

Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. It was another good episode to build-up to the Day 1 pay-per-view, and there are now only two episodes of the Monday night show remaining this year.

Given that the final two episodes of SmackDown on Christmas and New Year's Eve will be pre-taped, the main build-up to the Day 1 pay-per-view will take place on RAW - which is why the more important storylines have been on the red brand.

This week's show featured a lot of subtle hints about feuds and more going forward:

---

#6. Bobby Lashley's "underdog" entry into WWE title contention on RAW and the aftermath for Day 1

The central storyline of RAW was Bobby Lashley's entry into WWE title contention. The show opened with Lashley and MVP and they assumed that they were simply going to be added to the triple threat title match at Day 1.

That wasn't the case, as Adam Pearce told The All Mighty he would enter the match on one condition - he had to defeat Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and WWE Champion Big E all on the same episode of RAW.

This was a herculean task for anyone, but we aren't talking about any random superstar - it's Bobby Lashley. Admittedly, the one flaw with this story was the fact that the destructive, dominant former WWE Champion was presented as an underdog.

Owens was behind the plot to prevent it from happening, and he was also the first to face Lashley. Interestingly enough, the one-sided match ended in favor of Lashley as KO tapped out even before The Hurt Lock could be fully applied.

While Bobby Lashley was puzzled, Kevin Owens justified himself to Seth Rollins by saying that there was no way he was going to escape, so he simply took lesser damage than required.

When it was Rollins' turn, Owens had a ringside presence as he attacked The Architect to intentionally disqualify Lashley and prevent him from entering title contention. Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville said that it wasn't going to end that way, and made the rest of Bobby Lashley's matches a no disqualification.

Within seconds, he speared Rollins for the pin. In the main event, complete chaos ensued, and an assist from MVP helped Lashley pin Big E to get a measure of revenge.

Now that The All Mighty is in the Fatal-Four-Way match, what will be the aftermath of it? On Day 1, Big E is still highly-likely to retain. Unfortunately for Kevin Owens, it has been rumored that he will be the one to take the pinfall as he is expected to leave WWE.

However, Lashley and Rollins could remain in contention come the Royal Rumble 2022. One thing is for sure - the WWE title match at the upcoming pay-per-view is likely to steal the show.

#5. The fallout of Miz TV on RAW

This week on RAW, we saw another edition of Miz TV featuring Maryse, who returned after a small gap last week. The feud between Edge and The Miz has been interesting so far, as it has been more about their characters and the battles that they've had on the mic.

It was no different this week, but the two superstars still ended up getting into an altercation after The A-Lister tried to temporarily ensure that Edge couldn't see clearly.

He used Maryse as a shield for a moment to prevent The Rated-R Superstar from attacking him, and this would prove to be a turning point. After it was all said and done, Maryse insulted The Miz for doing what he did and slapped him before walking away.

This could mean one of two things - One, Maryse won't be returning to the red brand and the speculated return of legend Beth Phoenix (Edge's wife) won't happen.

The other possibility is that the duo were simply acting to goad Edge and it will eventually lead to Phoenix's return. Either way, there isn't much time to build that up to Day 1, so the singles feud is what we might see.

#4. Finn Balor's unfortunate status on RAW

Finn Balor has had a mixed return run to the main roster, and that has continued on RAW. While on SmackDown he was presented as an immediate Universal Championship challenger, he was never going to dethrone Roman Reigns, even as The Demon.

His run on Monday nights has been mixed so far, filled with inconsistent booking and several losses accompanied by a few wins. This week, he teamed up with United States Champion Damian Priest to take on Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler.

While it normally would have been an easy win for the babyfaces, Austin Theory interjected and made a difference. It was because of him that Balor took the pinfall and lost yet another match on RAW - with Priest facing a rare defeat as well.

Theory thought it was enough to impress Vince McMahon, but it wasn't. The boss said he has no friends and tried to give Austin Theory a piece of advice by showing him the most dangerous weapon ever - a pencil. But it wasn't the sharp side he was focused on - it was the eraser. None of it made any sense whatsoever.

With that said, a Finn Balor-Austin Theory feud will likely commence on RAW starting next week, which means that The Prince will likely lose yet another rivalry. It's an unfortunate drop in status for the former Universal Champion.

#3. Alpha Academy takes advantage of the RK-Bro-Nament postponement on RAW

The RK-Bro-Nament began on RAW last week and it was supposed to feature the finals between The Street Profits and The Mysterios this week. The winners would become the No.1 contenders for the RAW Tag Team titles.

However, the tournament final was pushed back due to reported injuries to both The Street Profits and The Mysterios.

This week on RAW, Riddle took on Otis of The Alpha Academy. Randy Orton told The Original Bro to leave the blazer and his journalism career to focus on his opponent, but even then, it didn't pay off.

He suffered a pinfall loss to Otis as he failed to secure an RKO against him. While Chad Gable eventually got an RKO from Orton himself, the night belonged to The Alpha Academy.

While we're not sure what the endgame is, Otis and Gable made a statement proving that they are also deserving of tag team title contention despite losing in the first round of the tournament last week. It could be a filler feud until the RK-Bro-Nament ends.

#2. Bianca Belair and Doudrop's feud on RAW to turn into a trilogy?

This week on RAW, Bianca Belair and Doudrop had yet another match, but this time, there was an actual finish. The last time it happened, the latter got herself counted out and walked away, but this week, Belair got a hold of her.

It was an excellent babyface display from The EST of WWE, whose popularity has been maintained despite stepping away from the RAW Women's title picture. She won, but not by using the KOD.

While we saw Bianca Belair attempt the KOD last week on RAW, she didn't pull it off. Instead, she wisely got Doudrop down and hit her with a 450 splash to secure the victory.

When walking with her back to the ramp, Doudrop appeared out of nowhere and attacked her, indicating that the feud is far from done. In all likeliness, they will have a rematch where Doudrop will win via cheating, and the trilogy bout would be perfect for Day 1.

Given that there are two episodes of the red brand left this year, hopefully Doudrop gets the win back next week and the Day 1 match is made official on the final RAW of 2021.

#1. Becky Lynch enhances her heel status on RAW ahead of Day 1

Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan has surprisingly turned out to be one of the hottest feuds on RAW in recent times. While the gap in skill levels has been evident when both women got on the mic, Morgan has remained a popular babyface among fans - who seem to view her as genuine and relatable.

Lynch, on the other hand, is doing a perfect job as a heel. While her obvious talent has made her popular among a large chunk of fans (including the 'Angry Becky Girl' this week), the crowd seemed to be more in favor of Liv Morgan, who demanded a rematch.

However, The Man enhanced her status as a heel by attacking Morgan and potentially injuring her before accepting a match for Day 1.

The RAW Women's title bout for the pay-per-view is now expected, and Becky Lynch could be making herself the biggest heel possible in case Liv Morgan wins the title - something that has now been revealed as a possibility.