5 things WWE RAW got right this week: Finn Balor wins championship; Edge turns heel
Edge was looking for his next opponent for WrestleMania on WWE RAW. He had hinted at several top superstars in his promo on the show a week earlier.
Finn Balor was also scheduled to take on Damian Priest for the United States Championship on the show. The Prince challenged for the title after the champion asked for some top competition.
Becky Lynch teamed up with Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. to take on Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, and Bianca Belair in a six-woman tag team match. Belair punished Lynch with her hair before picking up the win with the K.O.D.
The Hurt Business picked up a surprise win over The Mysterios thanks to a distraction from The Miz. The rivalry between The Mysterios and The Miz is set to get more intense in the weeks to come.
#5 on our things WWE RAW got right this week - Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins defeated The Alpha Academy
Kevin Owens hosted the latest edition of “The Kevin Owens” Show on WWE RAW. He brought out Seth Rollins and proclaimed that they would win the RAW Tag Team Championships this week.
Otis and Chad Gable came out as their guests for the night. Some usual to and fro ended with KO hitting Gable with a Stunner to lead into a tag team match.
Otis dominated KO early before Rollins tagged in. The champions kept control of the contest and worked on their opponents’ limbs for some time.
The Visionary got a hot tag and went on a rampage. He nearly put Gable away with the Falcon Arrow before hitting a buckle bomb. The heels put him away with a Stunner and Stomp combination to pick up a big win.
The two teams did well to deliver an excellent match to kick off the show. The RAW Tag Team Champions have worked well with multiple teams to show great chemistry.
Meanwhile, it looks like KO and Rollins are ready to win the titles soon. They were fantastic in the match and could do a great job with the championships in hand.
#4. Tommaso Ciampa defeated Robert Roode on WWE RAW
This week, Tommaso Ciampa made another trip to WWE RAW to face Robert Roode. He came out with a new entrance theme, which wasn’t required.
After he defeated The Blackheart on NXT last week, Dolph Ziggler accompanied Roode for the match. Ciampa was aggressive from the opening bell as he looked to vent his frustration on Roode.
The two superstars fought outside the ring, where Ziggler held back and tried not to get involved. The Blackheart attempted to hit the Fairytale Ending, but Roode powered out to pin him for a nearfall. Ziggler got on the apron, but Ciampa knocked him off and rolled Roode up for the win.
It was good to see Ciampa perform in some good matches on RAW. The Blackheart could finally move over to the main roster. His rivalry with Ziggler has been good, and it will be interesting to see how they perform in their tag team match on NXT this week.
#3. RK-Bro and The Street Profits put on a good match on WWE RAW
The Street Profits faced Riddle and Randy Orton in a tag team match on WWE RAW. Riddle and Angelo Dawkins kicked off the contest, and the latter dominated the action early. Montez Ford joined him in the ring for some double-team maneuvers as the former champions isolated The Bro.
Riddle countered and caught Ford in a submission hold. He tagged Randy Orton in who stomped on Ford’s limps and delivered a few signature moves.
The two teams continued to counter each other’s best moves and kept the action ticking. Orton came in again to take down Ford with a clothesline and followed it with a rope-hung DDT.
Ford fought back and hit a frog splash from the heavens that did a lot more damage to The Viper than expected. Orton failed to make it to the ropes, and Ford got the win for his team.
The match between the two teams was electric from start to end. Only the finish made things look a little awkward. After the win, The Street Profits could get back in contention for the tag team titles.
#2. AJ Styles got destroyed after answering Edge’s challenge on WWE RAW
Edge issued an open challenge for WrestleMania 38 last week on WWE RAW. This week, he returned to see if anyone wanted to answer his challenge and face him at The Show of Shows.
AJ Styles walked out to the ring with a thunderous ovation. The Phenomenal One interacted with the crowd before coming face-to-face with The Rated-R Superstar.
Styles wasted little time in accepting Edge’s challenge for WrestleMania. The Ultimate Opportunist said he wanted Styles to bring his best to the big match and not come out as Omos’ ex-partner.
Edge faked a handshake and threw a punch at Styles. The Phenomenal One tried to counter him, but the Hall of Famer had the last laugh. Edge delivered a low blow, and his violent tendencies came out.
He grabbed two chairs from ringside and hit the con-chair before leaving the ring. It was a good segment that helped turn Edge heel while making Styles the babyface.
The two men will have an epic contest at WrestleMania. It’s something fans and both the superstars have been waiting for a long time.
#1. Finn Balor won his first United States Championship on WWE RAW
Damian Priest wanted some world championship level competition to defend his United States Championship on WWE RAW. Finn Balor answered his challenge, and the two men got down to business this week.
The match kicked off with some basic moves before Priest used his strength to ground the high-flyer. The Prince broke free and stomped down on the US Champion before the referee forced him to back off.
He hit a dive to wipe out The Archer of Infamy at ringside before the champion made a comeback. Balor refused to stay down for long and prepared to hit the Coup de Grace. Priest avoided it and hit a chokeslam for a nearfall.
The Prince recovered and hit the Coup de Grace before pinning Priest to become the new United States Champion. The latter attacked Balor after the match to finally turn heel.
It was a good contest, and the right superstar won. WWE will likely look to book a rematch between the two superstars at WrestleMania, with Priest playing the heel on the big stage.