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The road to WrestleMania is already underway, and everyone enjoyed what Monday Night RAW had to offer this week. The show had it's good and bad moments, which have been shared by Sportskeeda's own Riju Dasgupta here.
RAW started with a brawl between 8 Superstars and ended with the same guys fighting it out between the ropes to be the winner of the main event. It focused on creating new stars while the veterans helped the new Superstars get the push in the process.
The WWE Universe was excited about the show because they knew that they would see some blockbuster moments during the three-hour program, and the company didn't disappoint them.
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Drew McIntyre had his moment, while Charlotte got hers as well, and the winners of the Men's and Women's Royal Rumble match had their say during the show. The fans were thrilled with some high-quality action between the ropes while a surprise attack on the RAW Women's Champion made the storyline compelling.
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It gives the fans more reasons to tune into the program next week, but before it hits our TV screens, let me try to write down the reasons why this week's episode was great. I welcome your thoughts wrestling community in the comments section. So without further ado, let's get down to it:
#5 NXT had a great showing on the show
This week's episode of RAW saw three NXT superstars show up, and they put on great work between the ropes. Rhea Ripley took down Sarah Logan while Angel Garza defeated Cedric Alexander and showed the WWE Universe in attendance and those at home that the third brand is here to stay.
These two performed well between the ropes, while the third NXT Superstar surprised everyone and put the RAW Women's Champion on notice. It was an act which I will discuss in the following slides.
Also read: WWE NXT: 5 reasons why Charlotte Flair was attacked on the show
#4 Push is being provided to a lot of Superstars
This week's RAW saw some Superstars get the opportunity to showcase their skills. Sarah Logan is one Superstar that has been a part of the company for years, and she was a member of the Riott Squad during her previous gimmick. Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan went out due to injury and gimmick change, which left Sarah Logan in no man's land. The talented performer was not on TV for a long time but she is now picking fights with some of the top Superstars on the roster. Even though she did lose her match to Ripley this week, this can be used to make her a star slowly.
Angel Garza performed well this week along with Ricochet, who pulled off a major upset by defeating The All Mighty, Bobby Lashley. It was a great way to create new Superstars while keeping the pace of the show in position. The company did a fantastic job of making matches that would help the Superstars in due course of time.
#3 Drew McIntyre doesn't need advice or an advocate
Drew McIntyre won the Men's Royal Rumble match and is the No.1 Contender for Brock Lesnar's WWE Championship. The Scottish Psychopath will challenge The Beast Incarnate for the coveted title at The Grandest Stage of them All.
It's a month of returns for old shows because we saw The Dirt Sheet make its comeback on SmackDown, and this week on RAW, MVP returned with his VIP Lounge where Drew McIntyre was the special guest. Mr. 305 decided to share his piece of advice to the Rumble winner who didn't want to listen to what the veteran had to say.
MVP also offered his services to the Scottish Psychopath, but the latter declined and said that he doesn't want someone else to think for him. It helped him as well as his character when he decided to hit a Claymore kick to the veteran after the latter had some harsh words to say for McIntyre.
#2 Charlotte Flair shared her reasons but didn't announce a name
Sarah Logan interrupted the NXT Women's Champion and immediately picked a fight with Rhea Ripley. The match ended early for The Nightmare as she defeated Logan and then turned her attention to the 10-time women's champion, Charlotte Flair, who was on the ramp and had a clear view of the action between the ropes.
Ripley asked if the former RAW Women's Champion would be willing to challenge her for the NXT Women's Championship at WrestleMania. The winner of the Women's Royal Rumble didn't share her thoughts instantly and instead questioned the chances of The Nightmare being the NXT Women's Champion after NXT TakeOver: Portland.
This exchange helped the company sell out this week's NXT episode as well as entice the fans about the NXT Women's Championship match between Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley at NXT TakeOver: Portland. It also helped the company as they kept the fans guessing on who the winner of the Women's Royal Rumble will face at WrestleMania.
Also read: WWE Super ShowDown: 5 things that shouldn't happen at the event
#1 Shayna Baszler bit and attacked Becky Lynch
The company refrained from using blood on its program, ever since they turned PG, however, it became the highlight when Nia Jax hit Becky Lynch during SmackDown's invasion of RAW on 13th November 2018. The attack catapulted Becky Lynch into a megastar, and it gave birth to 'The Man' gimmick, which is still over with the WWE Universe.
Becky Lynch defended her RAW Women's Championship for the second straight week against Asuka and successfully retained it, however, neither she nor the WWE Universe, was ready for a sneak attack by Shayna Baszler. The Queen of Spades made the storyline intriguing as she attacked as well as bit the RAW Women's Champion in the neck during her attack.
This attack involved blood, and it is a given that these two will be able to elevate the RAW Women's Championship storyline. With two months until WrestleMania, Shayna and Becky will leave no stone unturned to turn this as the highlight of the show.
