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We don’t say this often, but WWE RAW had a great episode planned for this week. Between a brilliantly executed title change and multiple exciting alliances, the Red brand witnessed crucial developments ahead of Extreme Rules. We've also seen top superstars gain momentum on the show, and they will look forward to maintaining that standard in the coming weeks.
Here, we look at the biggest flops and hits from WWE RAW this week. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 Hit on WWE RAW: Big E successfully cashes in his Money in the Bank contract
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Tonight’s show is one for the history books and deservingly so. Big E took to Twitter earlier in the night and confirmed his intentions to cash in his MITB contract on this week's edition of the Red brand. The story-telling was brilliant throughout the episode so let’s look at the events in chronological order.
Bobby Lashley, Big E, and Randy Orton first met in the opening segment of WWE RAW. The Viper insisted that he would pin The All Mighty while Big E sent a big warning to both superstars. Their conversation eventually ended with Orton subjecting Lashley to a brutal RKO out of nowhere. Later in the show, we saw Big E talk about his cash-in during multiple backstage segments.
Lashley and Orton once again came face to face in the show’s co-main event, engaging in an epic match. The crowd rallied behind one-half of the RAW Tag Team Champions, encouraging The Viper to finish the job.
He came close to pinning the champion, but MVP’s timely interference saved his ally for a while. A frustrated Orton then delivered an RKO to take him out of the equation, but the momentary distraction allowed Lashley to recover from a previous assault.
He then hit the challenger with a devastating Spear to seal his victory and retain his title on WWE RAW. It was a great match that was met with “This is Awesome” chants as the fans remained invested in the epic title bout. Soon after that, he started attacking both Riddle and Randy Orton when the crowd rose to its feet to welcome Big E.
The New Day member cashed in his contract and immediately got a title match against Lashley. The latter tried to escape the bout by claiming that he was hurt, but Big E’s slap provoked him into accepting the challenge. The two superstars engaged in a brief but balanced encounter on WWE RAW as the crowd held their breath in anticipation.
In the end, Big E used a Big Ending to defeat Lashley and win his first-ever world championship in WWE. His historic victory was met with a deafening pop as fans immediately hailed him as a champion. Woods and Kingston rushed to the ring as an emotional Big E reunited with fellow New Day members and celebrated with them on WWE RAW.
It doesn’t matter if it was a reactionary booking decision on the creative team’s part. Big E has deserved a world title reign for a long time, and it was a perfect way to put him at the top of the roster.
It will be exciting to see how he will be booked moving forward, and he can certainly help draw more attention towards WWE RAW – something that the Red brand desperately needs. The fact that both babyfaces and heels celebrated Big E's title victory speaks volumes about how incredible it was to see him finally get his hands on gold.
#4 Hit on WWE RAW: Charlotte Flair beats Shayna Baszler, Alexa Bliss threatens The Queen
This week on WWE RAW, Charlotte Flair faced Shayna Baszler in a singles match. There were multiple positives throughout this in-ring bout. While Flair won the clash, we finally got to see Baszler look like her brutal self after a long time. The latter looked confident inside the ring and came across as a convincing performer.
She looked equally strong inside the ring and undoubtedly pushed Charlotte to her limits. Baszler didn’t look weak despite losing the match, and that’s precisely the kind of booking she needs. Charlotte Flair delivered yet another applaudable performance to put Baszler over, acknowledging the latter’s efforts on WWE RAW.
Unfortunately, Nia Jax cost Shayna Baszler the match. It is important to note that Baszler did the same to her tag team partner during her RAW Women’s Championship match last week.
Thus, we might see both superstars part ways as we advance as they both have enough reason to pursue singles run on the Red brand. Jax and Baszler are scheduled to face each other on WWE RAW next week, which could mark the beginning of a big rivalry.
Following the match, Alexa Bliss once again walked out to confront Charlotte Flair and attacked the RAW Women’s Champion to send a strong message. Both superstars are scheduled to face each other in the title match at Extreme Rules. Bliss is determined to get her hands on the title, and the creative team has done well in booking her strongly ahead of the upcoming pay-per-view.
#3 Hit on WWE RAW: Team Styles impresses in an entertaining match
AJ Styles and Omos are understandably on a break from the WWE RAW Tag Team Championship picture as RK-Bro focuses on Bobby Lashley and MVP. But that has not stopped The Phenomenal One from impressing us on the Red brand. Only this time, he has taken a backseat and is helping the upcoming talents on the show.
This week, we saw Styles and Omos team up with T-Bar and Mace to take on Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Mansoor, and Mustafa Ali. It was a short match but an entertaining one. The New Day and Styles mostly allowed other talents to take the lion’s share of the limelight and worked hard to put Omos, Mansoor, Ali, T-Bar, and Mace over with the crowd on WWE RAW.
Styles donned the role of captain for his side, encouraging his teammates to engage in a ruthless battle. His attitude reflected well on the towering superstars on his side as they carefully followed his’ instruction – a decision that made them look good throughout the match. We also saw Omos get several minutes to showcase his unparalleled dominance on WWE RAW, and he eventually picked up victory for his team.
While we have seen AJ Styles and Omos work well together in the past, it was particularly impressive to see his equation with T-Bar and Mace. Both have struggled to maintain their momentum since RETRIBUTION split up on the Red brand.
They might do well under the captaincy of AJ Styles, who is bound to draw attention as a leader of a new, dominant faction. It is criminal to deprive someone like T-Bar of deserved opportunities, and he will benefit from a good run alongside the former world champion.
#2 Hit on WWE RAW: Jeff Hardy answers Damian Priest's open challenge
In a ridiculous turn of events, Jeff Hardy chased the 24/7 Championship on WWE RAW last week. It was lazy writing at best and disrespectful at worst. Thankfully, the creative team had a better plan for The Charismatic Enigma on tonight’s show. He answered Damian Priest's open challenge for the United States Championship that led to an entertaining match between both superstars.
Both Hardy and Priest took turns asserting their dominance throughout the match. The champion had to give his best against a motivated veteran, which led to an engaging in-ring narration on WWE RAW. Jeff Hardy also deserves credit for making the champion look good throughout the match and adding to his momentum on the Red brand.
Priest eventually managed to pin Hardy, but his celebration was cut short by Sheamus, who was seated with the commentary team throughout this in-ring bout. The Celtic warrior wasted no time launching an attack on Priest, sending a big message ahead of their upcoming title match at Extreme Rules. It will be interesting to see if Priest comes back with a solid response before the event.
#1 Flop/Hit on WWE RAW: Eva Marie’s underwhelming performance, Doudrop dominates
Eva Marie returned to action on WWE RAW this week for a match against her former protégé Doudrop. The two superstars were scheduled to face each other in a singles match two weeks ago.
However, an unprecedented attack from Doudrop led to a momentary change of plans and their in-ring bout was rescheduled for tonight's show. The former allies met inside the ring this week and we witnessed another underwhelming performance from Marie.
It is difficult to ignore a lackluster performance, especially one that tends to repeat itself every week. In hindsight, all of the promos about Eva Marie’s return amount to absolutely nothing. There is no improvement whatsoever, and we wonder if she might do better in the role of managing a heel on WWE RAW. As an in-ring performer, she, unfortunately, has a long way to go.
That said, it was good to see Doudrop back in action. She looked promising inside the squared circle and is slowly turning herself into a confident babyface. She should be involved in interesting feuds on the Red brand that will help create more credible challengers for the women’s championships. We hope that the creative team will use her effectively as we move forward.
