5 Biggest Takeaways from WWE RAW (Jan 31, 2022)
Photo Credit: WWE
I like to keep things as positive as possible.
I like WWE.
I like AEW.
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With the Royal Rumble officially behind us and Wrestlemania season now upon us, Monday Night Raw delivered us one of those shows that let us know exactly what the plans were moving forward. They didn’t waste any time with the build to Elimination Chamber and set the wheels in motion for some Wrestlemania clashes in the same process.Raw delivered two more fantastic matches between Kevin Owens versus Austin Theory and Rey Mysterio Jr. versus AJ Styles.
The women’s matches are getting a bit more time each week, which is always a good thing and the show briefly touched on the Royal Rumble winners and their choices. A solid show, which is becoming the norm for Monday night’s and there is no reason to believe this trend won’t continue all the way through Wrestlemania.So with that, let us move on to the 5 Biggest Takeaways from Monday Night Raw!
5. Time to Move On
When Rhea got thrust into the Wrestlemania spot last year after Lacey Evans and Charlotte both were removed, it seemed like a great opportunity for Rhea. Unfortunately, she was never able to really capitalize on it and almost seemed lost on the main roster. She couldn’t find that spark that made her such a hot commodity the year prior and you can see it was having an effect on her chemistry with partners in the ring. A rather disappointing run as Women’s champion came to an end and she found herself tagging with Nikki A.S.H. shortly after.
Not many people were fans of this pairing but in hindsight, it was the best thing to happen to Rhea. It took some of the pressure off of her and allowed her to find that “mojo” once again. After a split with Nikki and now a decisive win on Raw, Rhea Ripley looks to be back to her normal self and primed for a spot at the top, where she belongs. It may not be until after Wrestlemania, but you can expect to see her in the WWE Women’s Championship scene again where she belongs.
4. VEER IS COMING!
I’m not sure how long this running joke has lasted but it seems to get funnier with each passing week. How long can they possibly keep this up? A month? Year? FOREVER!? I honestly don’t know, but I have a feeling that this joke has run its course and the time has finally arrived.Next week on Monday Night Raw, Veer will finally make his long awaited return just in time for the Elimination Chamber build.
I also expect him to be pushed very hard upon coming to Raw leading up to the event. What happens after that? It’s a mystery to everyone, probably even Vince. But in the end, at least we can look back at how much fun we had during this prolonged build up for the man known simply as… Veer.
3. Riddle Me This.
The rumor going around this week was that at one point, whether it be the day of or weeks prior, that Riddle was the man they were going to go with as the winner of the Royal Rumble. This makes a lot more sense than most people will want to admit but it’s true. He is a fresh face and part of the most over babyface act in all of WWE. He has a hot storyline waiting for him with Randy Orton when the RKBRO split happens and a WWE title match or title itself is the perfect “prop” to drive that wedge.But it didn’t happen and they went with Brock Lesnar.
Does that mean the Wrestlemania title match is a pipe dream at this point? Absolutely not. Riddle was alone on Monday Night and after failing to win the scooter race against Chad Gable, he showed some fire prior to being put in a match with Otis… a man that has been manhandling him for weeks. Riddle was able to overcome the monster of a man in Otis and escape with a victory that gives him a spot in the Elimination Chamber. The timing of this and that “rumor” are very good indicators that Riddle might still be in position for that spot at Wrestlemania. I’m buying into it. Whether that’s premature or not, we will see but the RKBRO storyline just got a little bit more intriguing moving forward.
2. It’s Not Over.
The long awaited class of titans finally happened at Royal Rumble. Brock Lesnar versus Bobby Lashley had all the hype to make for a colossal matchup. To say it was a let down wouldn’t by any means be an exaggeration by no means. The intensity didn’t match the hype and the finish left us without a definitive winner. Bobby Lashley may have won the battle but the war is far from over.Brock would challenge Lashley to start off the show, doing everything he could to bait Lashley in.
Lesnar calling Lashley a “chicken shit” seemed like it was gonna work but MVP was able to be the voice of reason here and Bobby Lashley walked away. This led Adam Pearce to announce Brock Lesnar would be the first participant announced for the Elimination Chamber in which Bobby Lashley would be defending his WWE Title. You can expect these two behemoths to clash once again inside the steel structure alongside Riddle, AJ Styles, Austin Theory and Seth “Freak’n” Rollins! The story going in will still revolve around Bobby and Brock though.
1. The Women’s Division
Becky Lynch conquered yet another challenger at the Royal Rumble in Doudrop. What would be next for her? All signs pointed to a Ronda Rousey date with destiny at Wrestlemania. With Ronda winning the Rumble, it seemed all too likely that she would choose Becky Lynch as the two of them have unfinished business. As Ronda was out to make her announcement, she would be interupted by The Man, Vincent Van Goat, Becky Lynch in which Big Time Becks encouraged Ronda to make the most talked about match of the last 10 years happen. Ronda would answer with a judo throw, followed by saying she’ll give her an answer on Smackdown.If Ronda is going to Smackdown to make her answer, it seems pretty clear that Charlotte Flair is the target. So who would be next for Becky? Enter Lita. Lita would make her way out to confront Becky Lynch and bait her into a match at Elimination Chamber.
A dream matchup that the fans never knew they would see, let alone knew they wanted will now happen on the road to Wrestlemania. This will free up Becky at ‘Mania for the Bianca Belair showdown that was teased after Raw went off the air.The women’s division seems to be heating up at the perfect moment. The matches are starting to get more time. The storylines are starting to form and the buzz from Ronda’s return is helping bring them the attention they deserve. With Rhea Ripley coming back into the fold and Liv Morgan & Doudrop being looked at as possible contenders moving forward, we might be looking at the next boom for the division. And last but not least, let’s not forget the inevitable return of Bayley that will push the division to even greater heights.
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