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WWE has been doing its level best to give fans some top quality content while working with limited resources and staging shows behind closed doors without a crowd.
While things have been difficult, the company has been doing all that it can to entertain its fans and prove why it is one of the top entertainment companies in the world.
With WrestleMania only a couple of weeks away, there is a lot more the company needs to build more hype for the event. RAW, NXT, and SmackDown will continue emanating from the Performance Center and will continue to build on the storylines and matches that will hopefully make WrestleMania 36 worth the wait.
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Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre are both scheduled to show up on RAW this week, while Randy Orton will also respond to Edge’s challenge for a match at The Show of Shows.
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NXT will likely hold some matches this week, even though the race to NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay is off for now. SmackDown already has one match announced which will see Drew Dulak take on Shinsuke Nakamura, while a lot more can happen on the show as it builds towards the biggest show.
In this article, we will look at the 5 things that must happen on RAW, NXT, and SmackDown this week just a few days before WrestleMania.
#5 Brock Lesnar attacks his challenger backstage
Next week’s RAW will be epic in more than one way as not only will the challenger for the WWE Championship appear at the show, but the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar himself will be present at the Performance Center.
A few weeks ago, McIntyre made the biggest statement possible as he Claymore-Kicked ‘The Beast’ not once, not twice, but three times! He then showed how he can dominate monsters by taking down Erick Rowan in a match the following week.
McIntyre now seems like a huge threat to Lesnar, and the WWE Champion must surely be shaken by what hit him a few weeks ago.
With that in mind, WWE must have McIntyre cut a promo before squashing another Superstar on RAW. Afterward, the company must allow Lesnar to attack The Scottish Psychopath backstage and beat him down bad enough to make him seem injured.
This would help WWE get the Champion on the same page as the challenger and make McIntyre’s task seem more difficult than it already seems. It will also allow him to come across as an underdog for the first time, and that would help him if he is booked to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
#4 Randy Orton adds an interesting stipulation to the match
Last week on RAW, Edge appeared as furious as ever as he addressed the WWE Universe. He wasn’t happy about his return or the way Randy Orton attacked him and his wife and was clear when he stated that he didn’t believe Orton actually cared for him.
After a heartfelt promo, The Rated-R Superstar made an offer to Orton that will be really hard to refuse. Edge has offered The Viper to face him at WrestleMania in a Last Man Standing match. While the match is one of the most unforgiving ones in all of wrestling, the fact that this could be Edge’s first singles match since his return after nine years could make it even more dangerous for the Superstar.
This week, Randy Orton is scheduled to appear on the show and likely accept Edge’s challenge. However, The Viper should play his dirty tactics once again and add another stipulation to the match to make it even more interesting.
The Viper could either ask for the stakes of the match to be raised and possibly make it a loser leaves the company or retires match. Alternatively, he could ask for Mick Foley to act as the Special Guest Referee in the match as Edge believed that the legend played a big part in his career.
Either way, Orton must make sure he adds something to the match as he is the true villain in this clash.
#3 Damian Priest steals a spot
NXT has been building some top new Superstars, and Damian Priest has emerged as one of the finest heels on the brand. Priest has been running through his opponents and has gathered enough heat to get into any rivalry without building any storyline.
We recently saw the Superstar attack Dominik Dijakovic during his match with Cameron Grimes and he also blindsided NXT North American Champion Keith Lee after his victory over Grimes last week. Dijakovic arrived to chase off Priest after his attack on Lee, but the babyface was met with a Spirit Bomb after Lee mistook him to be the attacker.
This week, NXT must book a match between The Archer of Infamy and Dijakovic to give the two big men a stage to settle their differences. After a hard-fought match, we must watch Priest use some heel tactics to win the match and further injure Dijakovic’s knee.
This will allow him to clear the field to reach for the top as he seems to be heading towards an NXT North American Championship shot. NXT needs to hold off the future match between Lee and Dijakovic, and Priest could fill in the role of giving Lee a tough time very well.
#2 King Corbin defeats Mojo Rawley
Over the past few months, King Corbin has had some of the most high-profile rivalries. Especially after his King of the Ring Tournament victory, he has been among the top heels in the business.
However, his effectiveness has taken a big hit due to mixed bookings, and his elongated rivalry with Roman Reigns did not do him much good.
It now seems like Corbin is headed towards a rivalry with Elias and both men will meet in a match at WrestleMania 36, as announced by Rob Gronkowski on last week’s SmackDown.
But before Corbin steps into the ring at WrestleMania, WWE should do something to increase his value somewhat and give him some momentum before the big match.
With that in mind, we must watch Corbin confront Gronk’s best friend Mojo Rawley backstage and challenge him to a match later in the night. We must watch Corbin get back in his zone and act as a true heel before taking on Elias, and defeat Rawley easily after throwing him around.
This would help increase the heat between Corbin and the Gronk while giving the heel a push ahead of his clash with The Drifter.
#1 Drew Gulak picks up his biggest victory
Last week’s SmackDown saw Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak team up for the first time to take on Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura in a tag team match. While the match was really good, the ending was a bit underwhelming, even though it handed Gulak and Bryan their first victory together.
Later in the night, Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn offered Bryan the opportunity to fight him for the title only if Gulak was able to defeat former Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a one-on-one clash on this week’s show.
Gulak has been shown as a mentor to The Planet’s Champion, and Zayn has made an interesting move by putting the babyface’s fate in the hands of his new friend.
Gulak and Nakamura are arguably the best wrestlers in the industry today, and one cannot deny the fact that this will be a great match. However, even though Nakamura’s value could take a hit, WWE must allow the former Cruiserweight Champion to defeat The Artist clean.
This would open up the doors to a major clash at WrestleMania 36 that could see Bryan win the Intercontinental Championship, and get the rumors of Gulak’s heel turn rolling. A full-on rivalry between Gulak and Bryan before Bryan goes on paternity leave will be best for the newer Superstar and the business.
