5 things WWE RAW got right before Crown Jewel 2021: Xavier Woods wins big; Randy Orton and Riddle laid waste

The go-home episode of WWE RAW before Crown Jewel was expected to be a big one. Fans eagerly waited to know the finalists of the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournaments.

Xavier Woods could not wait to get his hands on Jinder Mahal and progress to the King of the Ring tournament final. Meanwhile, Doudrop surprised many fans by pinning Shayna Baszler on RAW.

Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair were booked for a blockbuster match on Monday night. Big E and Drew McIntyre were also scheduled to team up this week after falling apart on last week’s show.

Austin Theory picked up another big victory over Jeff Hardy. However, The Charismatic Enigma had the last laugh to end the segment.

Keith Lee and Karrion Kross were missing from the show once again. WWE will need to bring the two men back to prominence following Crown Jewel.

Take a look at the five things WWE got right on Monday Night RAW before Crown Jewel.

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#5. Xavier Woods progressed to the King of the Ring finals on WWE RAW

Xavier Woods was all pumped as he took on Jinder Mahal in the semifinal of the King of the Ring tournament.

Mahal defeated Kofi Kingston last week and had built momentum coming into the contest. The two WWE Superstars locked up and Mahal easily overpowered Woods to kick things off. The latter fought back with a dropkick to the back and hit several chops to get back into the match.

The former WWE Champion put Woods on the backfoot again. But once Woods got back into the match, there was no stopping him. He hit a few good moves and kept Mahal on the defense.

Both superstars traded blows until Mahal placed Woods on the top turnbuckle, but it turned out to be in vain. Woods fought back and hit an elbow drop for the win. He was ecstatic and celebrated with Kofi by his side.

Woods is the favorite to win the King of the Ring tournament, and it was good to see him overcome a superstar who defeated Kofi.

#4. Big E and Drew McIntyre took down The Dirty Dawgz on WWE RAW

Big E and Drew McIntyre were in a tag team match against The Usos on WWE RAW last week. Things got ugly towards the end and McIntyre nailed the WWE Champion with a Claymore kick.

The creative team booked the two men to team up on RAW once again, this time to take on Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.

Big E took control of the contest early before bringing McIntyre into the ring. The two men dominated the first half of the match and kept the heels on the backfoot.

Ziggler saved his partner from a splash on the apron, but Big E threw The Showoff into the timekeeper's area. Roode took control by sending the WWE Champion into the steel steps.

The Dirty Dawgz isolated Big E for some time before The Scottish Warrior got the hot tag. In the end, the two men leveled the heels before Big E hit Roode with the Big Ending.

WWE did well to ensure McIntyre remained a babyface on RAW. It looked like he was turning heel last week, but the creative team undid the damage this week.

#3. Finn Balor overcame Mace on WWE RAW

Finn Balor faced Mace on WWE RAW tonight. The former RETRIBUTION member came out without T-Bar by his side, while Xavier Woods watched the match from the throne.

Balor tried to go for his signature moves early, but Mace overpowered him with ease. He knocked the wind out of Balor with a few clubbing blows.

The Prince fought back with a double stomp and stayed on top, making his larger opponent pay. Balor then went for the Slingblade followed by a shotgun dropkick. In the end, he hit the Coup de Grace on the big man for the win.

The win wasn’t too impressive, but it positioned Balor as a threat before Crown Jewel. After the match, Woods and Balor nearly came to blows. The final moments helped WWE build some heat between the two men before Crown Jewel.

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#2. AJ Styles and Omos laid out RK-Bro on WWE RAW

RK-Bro came out to face The Street Profits on WWE RAW. Randy Orton and Riddle would defend their RAW Tag Team Championships against AJ Styles and Omos on Thursday.

Riddle and Ford kicked off the action as The Bro outwrestled the highflyer. Ford tried to make a comeback and locked in a headlock to slow his opponent down.

The champions tried to wipe out Street Profits before Ford took out both members of RK-Bro with a huge dive over the top rope.

After trading some moves, Orton took control of the contest. He hit Ford with a powerslam before hitting his signature DDT. Right then, Omos came out through the curtains and stormed towards the ring.

AJ Styles blinded Orton and hit a Phenomenal Forearm. The two heels took out the RAW Tag Team Champions and the Street Profits to make a statement.

WWE did well to protect both teams from a clean finish. Styles and Omos needed to stand tall at the end of a segment after being humiliated for many weeks. A match between The Street Profits and the team of Omos and Styles at some point will be interesting.

#1. Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair put on a good show on WWE RAW

The main event of WWE RAW was the Women’s Championship match between Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair. Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch put on a great contest on Friday night. Tonight, Flair and Belair looked to outdo them.

The two women exchanged some moves early and tried to hit dropkicks at the same time. Belair hit a dropkick to take down the RAW Women’s Champion and take control. Flair pulled her out of the ring with her braid and threw her over the announce table.

The two women kept the action ticking and delivered some of their signature moves. Belair showed off her strength by lifting Flair for a great vertical suplex. Meanwhile, The Queen fought back with Andrade’s signature moonsault.

Both women kept hitting each other with whatever they had on RAW. In the end, Charlotte grabbed a steel chair out of frustration. She got herself disqualified before The EST turned the tides and hit her with it to stand tall.

The match was great and allowed WWE to put on another good show after the women's match on SmackDown.

Crown Jewel will host a huge Triple Threat Match between Lynch, Belair, and Banks, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in that one.