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The Superstars of WWE finally made their return after some travel issues post-Crown Jewel, and immediately got back to the action that keeps the fans captivated.
After what happened on Friday Night SmackDown, the Superstars of RAW were ready for an invasion from the NXT roster, and things felt like WWE was building a clash between the main roster and the Black & Gold brand rather than between RAW, SmackDown, and NXT.
The night was special for many reasons, as fans waited to watch Brock Lesnar appear on the Red brand again, Seth Rollins make an announcement regarding his future, and Becky Lynch’s reaction to Shayna Baszler’s attack on Bayley.
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Fans were not disappointed with how the company developed the storylines, and the segments now have them excited for Survivor Series.
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In this article, we will look at the things that the company got right on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
#5 The Queen and The Queen of Harts
There’s one woman who’s always been at the forefront of making history and giving all she’s got for the women’s roster and the company, and that is Natalya.
She has done more than enough service for the entire division and will go down as arguably the greatest of all time when she retires.
This week on RAW, Natalya once again teamed up with Charlotte Flair, this time to take on the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, The Kabuki Warriors, in a non-title match.
The new team seems to be working well and has allowed Charlotte to quietly move into a babyface character with Natalya by her side. After a good battle, The Queen Of Harts managed to make Asuka tap out, setting up a possible future Championship match for her team against The Kabuki Warriors.
While both Charlotte and Natalya belong up top, it’s good to watch the company invest in building a team and setting them up for a Championship which they’ve never won before while RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch is busy with other assignments.
Not only will this allow the two babyfaces a chance to add more gold to their treasure chest, but also provide fresher storylines to the fans as we try to take a break from the usual Becky vs. Charlotte drama.
#4 Seth Rollins’ future
Walking into RAW right after Crown Jewel, many things were on the fans’ minds that needed to be addressed. One of those things was the future of the man who lost his Universal Championship to The Fiend Bray Wyatt at the event, Seth Rollins.
With The Fiend taking the Universal Championship with him to SmackDown, and Brock Lesnar quitting SmackDown to move to RAW himself with the WWE Championship, The Architect really didn’t know what to do going forward.
Enter Triple H, who made Seth Rollins an offer that will be difficult to refuse. The company did the right thing by making things a bit more complicated and exciting at a time when fans have already been speculating Rollins’ heel-turn, and potential departure to NXT.
During the segment on RAW, it seemed like Rollins was pledging his allegiance to the Red Brand, but never really said whether he was going to side with Triple H and his army or not.
This really spices things up for The Architect once again, as the story of RAW could circle him and the decisions he takes until Survivor Series.
Rollins asking for a match for the NXT Championship on RAW, later on, added fuel to the fire that maybe The Architect was testing out his luck and becoming the NXT Champion would have allowed him to move to the Black and Yellow Brand automatically. Let’s not forget, it was Triple H who built The Architect in the first place.
#3 The Guardians of the Red Brand
RAW is under attack and who comes out first to save their brand? Not The Viking Raiders, not The Street Profits, not any other babyfaces on the Red Brand, but the ‘Only Club That Matters,’ The O.C.
This was an interesting touch that the company added to RAW and made things even more exciting for the future. As The Undisputed Era walked in to surround Seth Rollins, The O.C.'s AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson arrived on the scene and surprisingly chased the four members of The Undisputed Era back into the crowd.
They were then jumped by Dominik Dijakovic and Damien Priest before Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish, and Roderick Strong joined in the fun. Only after the not-so-important members of the RAW roster arrived did the invaders back off into the crowd.
The company did something different and showed the heelish O.C. as the defenders of RAW in a great way that not only made them more credible but also made it look like that the brand belongs to them.
#2 The New Rusev Day
Rusev debuted as one of the most dominant forces on the main roster and remained undefeated for several months. He took on men like John Cena and defeated them with ease, a move which made him one of the most lethal men in WWE.
However, just like Braun Strowman and Asuka, Rusev’s dominance was also stripped off slowly and gradually with the constant change of gimmicks and characters which saw him become more of an average mid-carder than a ruthless villain.
Since his recent return, it seems like the company has been trying to undo the damage and once again build him as a credible force who can take on whoever he wants, whenever he wants.
He is currently in a rivalry with Bobby Lashley, but took on Drew McIntyre this week and did a great job at matching McIntyre’s size and strength.
Building Rusev against bigger men is the right thing to do rather than giving him squash matches, and a bout against someone who was seen as a future Universal Champion allowed him to build himself even more before his ultimate clash with The All Mighty.
Rusev can become a dominant force going forward, and having men like him, McIntyre, and Lashley at the top allows fans to constantly wonder who would become the next big thing on the Red Brand.
#1 The Man and The Queen of Spades face-to-face
During the previous episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Shayna Baszler emerge from nowhere to attack Sasha Banks and Bayley to send a message to the entire locker room and begin the invasion of the Blue Brand.
This week on RAW, Charly Caruso conducted a face-to-face promo between two of the most lethal women in the wrestling industry today. As RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler came face to face, sparks flew just like they did prior to last year’s Survivor Series.
While Lynch spoke highly of her accomplishments over the past 12 months, Baszler reminded her that she is not Ronda Rousey, and will be taking one of Lynch’s limbs along after her victory at Survivor Series.
This was the best way for WWE to book a segment between these two women rather than taking it to the ring or wasting it with a post-match attack.
It was simple, yet effective, and built one of the biggest clashes we will see at the PPV. The only thing missing was Bayley, as it seemed like a one-on-one affair between the two women rather than a triple-threat match.
Who knows, maybe it was just a set-up for a future mega clash at WrestleMania 36?
