WWE RAW Flops and Hits: Big mistake before Survivor Series, crucial message for Roman Reigns (15th November 2021)

WWE RAW's go-home show before the Survivor Series was quite disappointing. While the show featured a few entertaining matches that blew the crowd away, the bad aspects of the episode outweighed the good ones. Between a promising opening match and a forgetful main event, the show went on a downward trajectory for most of its part.

Here, we look at the biggest flops and hits from WWE RAW this week. So, without further ado, let's begin.

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#6 Flop on WWE RAW: No SmackDown invasion

The build-up to this year's Survivor Series has been relatively uneventful. Except for top superstars taking shots at each other, we have hardly seen WWE RAW and SmackDown engage in a convincing narrative that usually precedes the battle between two brands.

This was the Red brand's final show before the upcoming pay-per-view, and, except for The Usos, no SmackDown Superstar made a statement. It's sad to see that the WWE writers didn't capitalize on their annual opportunity to bring the biggest superstars from both rosters together on one show.

For as long as we can remember, the brand invasion has been an integral part of Survivor Series. Unexpected brawls in the locker room, surprise appearances, and the absolute chaos often work wonders in creating the hype for the last of the promotion's 'big four' pay-per-views.

Thus, it was disheartening to watch WWE RAW go on without a single bit of anticipation surrounding a potential attack from the Blue brand.

It would be unwise if the creative team wanted the invasion, if any, to SmackDown alone. Firstly, it hardly shows that both brands are equally concerned about the upcoming war and make the feud seem one-sided. Second, it undermines the efforts that go into booking WWE RAW, which is painstakingly obvious considering the show's run since the beginning of the year.

But most importantly, it makes no sense that a three-hour show can't fit into a traditional invasion that does an excellent job in creating excitement for both SmackDown and Survivor Series.

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#5 Flop on WWE RAW: Bobby Lashley in the sloppy main event

The final match of WWE RAW this week saw Bobby Lashley face Rey Mysterio in a mediocre match. Last week, The All Mighty returned to the Red brand and faced Dominik Mysterio in a one-sided bout.

The bout did well to establish Lashley's dominance as he was simultaneously added to the Survivor Series team, replacing Dominik. Tonight, Rey arrived on the show intending to avenge the attack on his son.

As promising as this match looked on paper, the reality was far from perceived. Rey Mysterio did well in keeping the clash entertaining for a long while, but Bobby Lashley was unexpectedly sloppy.

There were multiple clumsy spots, and at times, he looked lost inside the ring. This shouldn't have been the show's main event, especially considering that we saw quite a few good bouts earlier in the night.

Following Mysterio's loss, Adam Pearce removed him from WWE RAW's Survivor Series team. To make things worse, he replaced him with Austin Theory which was a shocking decision.

Last week, Pearce said he had to test Dominik because he has 'never held a world title' but somehow believes that Theory's selfie-clicking abilities make him a good replacement? Don't get this author wrong, he is undeniably talented, but the logic behind his inclusion is baffling.

#4 Hit on WWE RAW: Big E's important message for Roman Reigns

Big E kickstarted WWE RAW this week by directly addressing Roman Reigns. He talked about his upcoming match against Reigns and called out the Universal Champion for his actions on last week's SmackDown.

Big E spoke about The Bloodline's vicious attack on The New Day and warned The Tribal Chief about the latter's impending doom when they meet at Survivor Series 2021. Following that, he turned his attention towards Kevin Owens, who had attacked him last week.

He demanded KO come out, and the former world champion obliged. Owens argued that he only snapped because of Big E, costing him his victory against Rollins as well as turning the locker-room against him. He then went backstage, and the WWE Champion decided to follow him backstage. However, he was stopped mid-way when The Usos attacked him from behind.

Big E tried to fight the SmackDown Tag Team Champions all by himself, but the number's advantage got the better of him. Soon, Riddle ran out to his aid, and all four superstars engaged in a brawl before a tag team match was booked between The Usos and Big E & Riddle.

They fought in a brief but entertaining in-ring bout on WWE RAW while Seth Rollins was seated with the commentary team. Big E threw his opponent right at Rollins at one spot, prompting the latter to interfere in the match and end it in disqualification. He then started attacking Riddle, which forced Randy Orton to rescue his tag team partner.

Big E then teamed up with RK-Bro to take on the The Usos and Seth Rollins. All six men brought the best out of each other on WWE RAW, but Big E had the most commanding presence throughout the battle.

He needed that kind of build-up before facing the biggest heel in the business on Sunday. He had a great showing against each of his opponents. Unfortunately for E, his team couldn't seal the victory on WWE RAW.

While Riddle was excellent in the match, he ultimately took the pinfall allowing Seth Rollins to pick up a big victory. Big E was protected despite the loss, and this decision played right into the narrative involving the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions.

Randy Orton had another instance to support the lessons he often imparts: don't interfere in matters that don't concern them. The bout also helped establish the animosity between The Usos and RK-Bro before their clash at Survivor Series, as The Viper glorified their loss with a picturesque RKO.

Most importantly, it also allowed Big E to make a strong statement about who had a message of his own for Roman Reigns. He attacked Jey Uso in the middle of the ring and entrusted him with the responsibility of relaying his intention to his cousin. It wouldn't be another cakewalk for Reigns to beat his counterpart from WWE RAW.

Fans have been waiting to see the powerhouses collide for a long time. It was extremely important to make the top champion of WWE RAW look just as good as his counterpart from SmackDown. It is highly unlikely that Roman Reigns will lose a match at the upcoming pay-per-view, but at least this build-up will help protect Big E's credibility.

#3 Flop on WWE RAW: AJ Styles and Omos' repetitive booking

AJ Styles and Omos had a decent run as WWE RAW Tag Team Champions once upon a time. But if we are being honest, every bit of entertainment in their segments boils down to the charismatic Phenomenal One.

While their alliance was used to push Omos as a monster on the Red brand, this storyline has now run its course. This week, they returned to the show intending to make a strong statement in the tag team division with a match against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.

Both teams squared off in an underwhelming bout tonight. Styles was the only good part of a poorly booked segment on WWE RAW that saw him and his partner undermine The Dirty Dawgs.

Omos displayed four moves inside the ring instead of two like he does every other week. Although the creative team wants to push the narrative that he destroyed his opponents, his maneuvers only looked dangerous because of Ziggler's Oscar-worthy selling.

AJ Styles deserves credit for actively backing younger talents and focusing on improving their run on WWE RAW. However, he is too good to be involved in forgetful angles for months at a stretch.

It is now time for him and Omos to split ways if the show writers can't introduce a new flavor in any storyline involving this duo. Styles should be in the world title picture as an entertaining heel, or he should be involved in a storyline with the likes of Finn Balor.

Unless Omos and The Phenomenal One can be subjected to a more creative narration, he is being wasted in the tag team division at the moment.

#2 Hit on WWE RAW: Kevin Owens gets his first big win

A backstage segment on WWE RAW saw Kevin Owens being interviewed when he was interrupted by Finn Balor. The latter took a dig at KO, which eventually led to their match later in the night.

It was an excellent opportunity for both superstars to remind the viewers why they belong at the top of the roster. They have been familiar with others' in-ring work for a better part of their life which reflected well during this bout.

Kevin Owens, staying true to his heel self, even mocked Finn Balor while beating him up in the middle of the ring. The latter had a brutal response as he looked to punish Owens for being disrespectful.

The to-and-fro action had the crowd on its feet as both Owen and Balor looked equally strong in the match. Eventually, KO landed a devastating Stunner to seal his first victory on WWE RAW since moving to the Red brand.

It has been months since he got a big win on television. Prior to the Draft, he was taking punishment at the hands of Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss. After moving to WWE RAW, he lost against Big E and Seth Rollins for two consecutive weeks.

He needed this victory to pose a serious threat in the title picture. Owens also deserves credit for ensuring that Balor looked strong as well because The Prince looked ready to be a part of the same conversation.

This was a great booking decision from the creative team and the only possible complaint from their match was the fact that it wasn't the main event of WWE RAW.

#1 Flop on WWE RAW: Liv Morgan rushed into promo battle against Becky Lynch

While WWE RAW writers made many mistakes on this week's show, this one could prove costly in the coming weeks. It all started with Becky Lynch reacting to Charlotte Flair's comments on SmackDown last week.

Big Time Becks was brilliant on the mic as she hit back at The Queen for her words amidst roaring cheers from the crowd. It played well into the backstage narrative surrounding their real-life feud as Lynch promised to humble her former best friend at Survivor Series.

Soon, she was interrupted by Liv Morgan, who defeated her fellow Survivor Series team members to become the No. 1 contender for the WWE RAW Women's Champion. She tried to speak up to Lynch, but the latter was in a fantastic flow.

As a result, she was dominant throughout their promo battle on the show. It ended up making Morgan look like a rookie against a veteran.

The writers should've put these superstars across from each other on the show after the pay-per-view. It would've been a more balanced war of words if Lynch had defeated Flair and Morgan had won the traditional five-on-five elimination match for WWE RAW at Survivor Series.

This would've also given her more confidence to take on one of the most dominant champions in the promotion. But tonight's segment ended up chipping away at her credibility, which is unfair considering how long she has had to wait for the title opportunity.