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The episode of WWE RAW that followed SummerSlam this week, is a special show indeed because it airs just a week before Payback 2020. Unlike SummerSlam 2020 which had an impressive build, the think tank in WWE had almost no time to build up Payback 2020 at all, but they did an okay job with WWE RAW all things considered this week.
So what were the things that worked and what fell flat during this episode of WWE RAW, you ask? Sportskeeda brings you the best and worst of WWE RAW for your reading pleasure and invites you to join in and share your thoughts in the comments section below, as well.
So let us begin with one of the biggest developments this week, which is the teaming up of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
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#1 Best: A volatile team is formed on WWE RAW, and will take on another volatile team at Payback
So, going into the WWE Women's Tag Team clash at WWE Payback 2020, everyone assumed they knew how it would play out. Sasha Banks would turn on Bayley after losing the WWE RAW Women's Championship to Asuka at SummerSlam, kickstarting a program of their own.
It's been said often in this review that WWE RAW is at its best when it asks more questions and when you cannot see the twists and turns coming. So, we're going into a match at Payback with two volatile teams where you don't know which one will implode first.
Sure, this is yet another heel vs. heel contest and the crowd will not know whom to root for at Payback, but the potential for drama makes it a very interesting pairing indeed. Something is guaranteed to happen during the course of this match for sure.
#1 Worst: Keith Lee's WWE RAW debut was a major disappointment
Before you raise an argument about Keith Lee's debut not being a complete flop, especially if you consider that his first WWE outing is a program with Randy Orton, arguably the top heel on WWE RAW at the moment, please consider the other side of the coin too. Keith Lee's WWE RAW theme did not make too many people happy, his ring gear wasn't a big hit with fans either, and the fact that his very first match against Randy Orton ended in the manner that it did, where he actually lost because of interference doesn't bode well for the big man.
Keith Lee's promo work (this reviewer humbly admits an unfamiliarity with his work in WWE NXT) was sub-par this week on WWE RAW and moreover, Randy Orton's game seemed to be off as well, somehow. The punt kick at the top of the show missed by a mile and it was clear that somehow, Randy Orton wasn't the same guy we saw at SummerSlam, only just 24-hours prior.
#2 Best: Big change in WWE RAW Superstar Aleister Black's look and his persona
Aleister Black is an eye short on WWE RAW and after losing an eye, here is a man who has seemingly lost his mind as well, if you consider his actions. However, this is a positive because Aleister Black went from a special attraction, when he first debuted, to just another babyface in a matter of mere months. It is clear that the heel turn on WWE RAW this week means that Aleister Black is destined for big things.
Much like The Undertaker, Aleister Black's character can go from babyface to heel quite seamlessly indeed and there shouldn't be a major shift in the way he works and behaves, following the heel turn.
But the fact that one of his eyes is covered on WWE RAW, gives him a cool new look as well. Someone backstage at WWE RAW is certainly a Walking Dead fan, another show that has an obsession with one-eyed characters, and one only wonders who is next.
#2 Worst: Mickie James' uneventful return to WWE RAW
There's something about the whole Mickie James vs. Lana and Natalya storyline that just isn't clicking at all. People had the highest of expectations from Mickie James' return to WWE RAW, but it just seems like and feels like this pairing of Natalya and Lana is so comical and overblown that it does not do justice to someone of her talents. In fact, one could go a step further and say that what Natalya and Lana are doing on WWE RAW doesn't do justice to their own talents either.
Mickie James needs all the momentum in the world, if she has to go up against Sasha Banks or Bayley for the Championship in the days to come.
Someone needs to end this alliance between Lana and Natalya on WWE RAW, before it drags other acts down as well. Just imagine them working with the likes of Bianca Belair in the future, and her being relegated to a comedy act so very soon in her WWE RAW run.
#3 Best: Rey Mysterio and Dominik work very well together, and the Retribution angle to close out WWE RAW wasn't too shabby either
Dominik Mysterio took on Seth Rollins in what many have called the best match at WWE SummerSlam 2020 and when it was announced that he was going to team up with his father on WWE RAW, it became clear almost at once that this was a team to watch out for in the weeks and months to come. The main event match on WWE RAW was absolutely incredible, with Seth Rollins and Murphy working exceptionally well as a heel tag team as well, with swerves and underhanded tactics that just put their opponents over in the biggest way.
However, it was Retribution that actually stole the show this week on WWE RAW, showing up at the very end of the broadcast and taking the fight to the two nicest guys in the roster, Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio. The next chapter of the story should be very intriguing and one has to wonder what's next on WWE RAW.
#3 Best/Worst: Everything with Bobby Lashley and The Hurt Business on WWE RAW this week
The promo that MVP cut on Cedric Alexander during this week's episode of WWE RAW was absolutely goosebump inducing. But the fact that the CEO of the Hurt Business Bobby Lashley went on to lose an arm wrestling contest to Apollo Crews, even if it was by means that were not entirely ethical on WWE RAW did not sit well with most fans.
However, Bobby Lashley would overcome everything with a pretty dominant showing on WWE RAW Underground this week, and it's heartening to see that even bad booking cannot hurt The Hurt Business. One has to wonder whether it's the same case with Ivar and Demi from The Bachelor however, and if the intimidating Vikings can ever recover.
To close out this article, we had a chance to catch up with Randy Orton prior to SummerSlam and ask him his thoughts about a potential feud with The Fiend. These are his thoughts and you're welcome to check them out, right here.
