5 WWE Superstars who need to compete on RAW Underground
Shane McMahon made his return to WWE on last night's episode of Monday Night RAW (3rd August), and it certainly brought about a noteworthy development. The Chairman's son introduced RAW Underground, a concept where talents will fight each other in a ring with no ropes in a darkened room at WWE's Performance Center.
If nothing else, it is something different. Something that has created a buzz online, for better or for worse. RAW Underground offers a unique and gritty MMA-style setting, one radically different from the arena production we are used to seeing.
What happened on the first night of action on RAW Underground?
Shane McMahon's apparent brainchild has already done well in building fresh talents in WWE. Dabba-Kato, formerly known as Babatunde, made his RAW debut. Additionally, we saw Erik of the Viking Raiders and Dolph Ziggler pick up wins in "shoot" fights, with Shane O'Mac providing some commentary of sorts.
MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin showed up on RAW Underground at the end of the broadcast, destroying a bunch of talents and claiming the place as their own. This was a great ending to RAW, establishing the Hurt Business as the dominant force of RAW Underground.
And with the menacing trio in charge of the "underground" production, we could see several WWE Superstars make trips to RAW Underground simply to have a fight. And this concept should not be limited to the Red brand only, considering the number of talents who would greatly benefit from an appearance on RAW Underground.
WWE should utilize the quietly forgotten brand-to-brand invitational solely for us to see a couple of SmackDown stars show up on RAW Underground. That being said, there are a few names on RAW as well, who could make a sizable impact by competing in Shane McMahon's new "playground".
#5 Shayna Baszler
As a former UFC fighter, Shayna Baszler would be a logical fit for RAW Underground. She may be back on TV in a prominent position, facing RAW Women's Champion Sasha Banks on last night's episode. However, the top program is still very much between Banks and Asuka.
While the two of them settle their rivalry at SummerSlam, and possibly beyond, Baszler could get herself over by mauling some WWE trainees on RAW Underground. It would be fun to see a woman visit the room and clean house, with the 'Queen of Spades' a great option to do so.
Baszler could be the dominant female of RAW Underground, with women trying to step up to her, only to fail miserably. Imagine an all-out fight between her and Asuka, with no ropes and darker lights.
WWE has the opportunity to create gold with the two former NXT megastars on RAW Underground. The violence Asuka and Shayna Baszler could inflict on each other under this style only make it a more exciting part of the program.