WWE RAW: 2 Superstars who flopped and 3 who impressed – Top babyface in epic battle, former Champion surprisingly uses Randy Orton’s RKO (May 24th, 2021)

#2 Impressed on WWE RAW: Riddle

Everything about this match was perfect

Riddle is quickly rising through the ranks on WWE RAW, and he deserves every bit of that push. Since his arrival on the Red brand, the former United States Champion has been incredible, but tonight he dialed it up a notch. Owing to the recent tension between R-K-Bro and The New Day, Riddle and Xavier Woods faced each other in a singles match this week.

XAVIER WOODS. Period. (via @WWE) pic.twitter.com/s1zzBDjDcS

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 25, 2021

It won’t be an over-exaggeration to say that this was a pay-per-view level match, from start to finish. Both superstars had the right amount of aggression, which translated beautifully into in-ring storytelling. Woods unleashed hell inside the squared circle, and Riddle kept fighting against all odds to avoid losing on WWE RAW. He slowly gained more momentum and started to push Woods into an uncomfortable zone, teasing a subtle change in his persona.

In the match's closing moments, Riddle surprised everyone by borrowing a page from Randy Orton’s book. Instead of using his finisher, The Original Bro delivered an RKO to secure the pinfall over his opponent. It was great to see that Orton’s company is rubbing off on him, and it’s not the other way around. Woods also deserves a lot of credit for putting Riddle over during this match.

RKO from @SuperKingofBros!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/sqrXcFXaab

— WWE (@WWE) May 25, 2021

The budding feud between R-K-Bro and The New Day looks quite interesting. Orton and Kingston share a long history, and now Riddle and Woods have engaged in memorable altercations. All four superstars can shake up the entire tag team division on WWE RAW if they are booked in a solid storyline. Hopefully, the creative team will make the most of this opportunity.