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From controversial booking decisions to Alexa Bliss and The Fiend's interesting arc throughout the night, this week's edition of WWE RAW featured many contrasting moments.
If there was one word to describe this particular episode, it would be reactionary. Last night's show comprised of equally good and bad booking decisions, but it didn't feel boring because, on WWE's part, the purpose of making these impromptu decisions was to draw a reaction out of their audience and generate a lot of conversation on social media.
Let us know what you thought about this particular episode in the comments section below.
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Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE RAW (October 19, 2020).
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#5: AJ Styles introduced his 7ft 3in bodyguard, Big Jordan, on WWE RAW
Rumors circulating before this week's WWE RAW indicated that AJ Styles was going to be paired with Jordan Omogbehin, who recently gained some fame as the bouncer on Shane McMahon's RAW Underground.
The rumors came true when The Phenomenal One was flanked by the tallest giant in WWE today. But nobody was prepared for how effective Jordan would be as AJ's bodyguard. Jordan's looming presence became apparent when he intimidated Matt Riddle during the latter's match against AJ Styles.
Styles vs. Riddle featured solid in-ring action, but thanks to Big Jordan's distraction from outside, The Phenomenal One was able to pick up a victory against The Original Bro.
In WWE's pandemic era, Styles was also paired with Joseph Parks (TNA's Abyss) over on SmackDown. Parks managed to effectively portray a gentle giant's role, while Jordan Omogbehin is the exact opposite in that regard.
The Phenomenal One has accomplished a lot over the years, but Big Jordan's presence could be the catalyst that propels AJ Styles back into the WWE title scene.
#4: Otis appeared as El Gran Gordo as The Miz cut an incredible promo on WWE RAW
Some WWE fans think that Otis is not championship material, while others don't mind him because of his entertaining shenanigans. Both sides of the equation got addressed on this week's WWE RAW.
Tucker needed a new tag team partner to face The Miz and John Morrison, and his new partner was none other than legendary luchador, El Gran Gordo, who was Otis in a not-so-subtle disguise.
The Miz absolutely destroyed Otis on the microphone. He pointed out why the current Mr MITB is an embarrassment to the MITB holders that came before him. It was hard not to agree with The A-Lister on a couple of points. But then again, Otis's gyrating demeanor puts smiles on a lot of faces. And the same became evident with El Gran Gordo's silly shenanigans on WWE RAW.
Tucker and Gordo won against the Dirt Sheet duo, and later backstage, Otis reunited with Mandy Rose for a brief moment.
It remains to be seen if the fans will get to see more of Otis's Lucha alter-ego on WWE RAW, and for what it's worth, El Gran Gordo could be a star witness during Otis and Miz's upcoming court battle.
#3: Elias actually finished a full song on WWE RAW but got interrupted by Jeff Hardy during the encore
Back when Elias performed in front of a live audience, his main arc was being subjected to interruption by other WWE Superstars.
The season premiere of WWE RAW was a bit different, as The Drifter performed a full song with a legitimate band inside the ThunderDome. Although the concert was over, fans wanted an encore.
Before Elias could grace WWE's virtual fans with one more song, a hooded figure started playing a guitar solo. The hooded man was Jeff Hardy, who attempted a guitar shot towards Elias but missed.
Later in the night, Elias challenged Jeff Hardy to a match at WWE Hell in a Cell. This bout was made official for the upcoming Pay-Per-View.
Ahead of the release of his new album, it made sense why WWE let Elias perform an entire song on the season premiere of RAW whilst tying it with the Jeff Hardy storyline at the same time.
Elias and Jeff Hardy's feud will likely continue past Hell in a Cell, and it may also involve some sort of stipulation to fit their storyline.
#2: Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton's feud ended in a cliffhanger on WWE RAW
Randy Orton conveyed a message to Drew McIntyre for their Hell in a Cell clash while being surrounded by Satan's Structure towards the end of last night's WWE RAW.
The Viper listed a few legends whom he had faced inside Hell in a Cell, naming John Cena, The Undertaker, among several others.
WWE made it apparent that Randy Orton was definitely the more experienced star inside Hell in a Cell and not Drew McIntyre. The WWE Champion came out, and in order to break into the cell, McIntyre revealed a pair of bolt cutters.
Just when McIntyre managed to get inside WWE's hellacious cell structure, the episode ended abruptly, leaving what happened next to the imagination of the viewers sitting at home.
It was an experimental and purposefully unfulfilling way to end the episode. While some fans liked this approach, others thought it would have been better if McIntyre and Orton's arc for the night concluded earlier in the show.
But keep in mind that time constraints as a result of this jam-packed episode wouldn't have allowed it anyway. Even a match like Keith Lee vs. Braun Strowman ended abruptly on the same episode.
#1: The Fiend single-handedly obliterated RETRIBUTION on WWE RAW; Alexa Bliss appeared in Bray Wyatt's Firefly Fun House
WWE fans were rushed into multiple plot-points at the beginning of this week's RAW. Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss were involved in an interesting Twitter exchange before this episode went live. So last night, The Demonic Duo lured RETRIBUTION into the squared circle, only to disappear for some reason.
The Hurt Business showed up to take care of business, and a tag team match between the members of both factions was booked right away.
Surprisingly, RETRIBUTION lost even though Mustafa Ali's presence had turned this faction around for the better just recently. What's even more surprising was when The Fiend appeared again and dismantled RETRIBUTION members on his own.
This was a strange booking decision, and WWE fans voiced their displeasure on social media as well.
The Fiend portrayed his part well as a master manipulator who baited RETRIBUTION in the first place, while The Hurt Business members didn't act out of character either. But time constraints affected the flow of this whole segment, and as a result, most fans only recall how RETRIBUTION took a huge blow to their momentum this week.
But there is a glimmer of hope for the anti-WWE faction in the form of Mustafa Ali, who was confirmed to be the SmackDown hacker during this episode. Ali may resort to exposing The Hurt Business, Alexa Bliss, or The Fiend, just like he did the same for Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose several months ago.
Meanwhile, Alexa Bliss showed up as a more optimistic version of herself in Bray Wyatt's Firefly Fun House later in the night. It will be interesting to see how WWE fleshes out her separate split personality arc in the future.
