6 things WWE subtly told us on RAW after Day 1: Brock Lesnar's WrestleMania match possibly confirmed, two former world champions to align and dethrone RK-Bro?
The RAW after WWE Day 1 kickstarted the road to the Royal Rumble. While the likes of The Mysterios and Austin Theory have already been announced as entrants to the Men's Royal Rumble match, this episode was centered around title feuds and setting the stage for the road to WrestleMania.
Here's what WWE subtly told us in a stacked episode of RAW:
#6. Brock Lesnar's eventful first RAW of 2022
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@BrockLesnar @HeymanHustle
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The fallout from Brock Lesnar's WWE title win was always going to be a big one, and on the first RAW of 2022, we saw exactly what lies ahead. For starters, Paul Heyman introduced him again, and the air of familiarity was back after almost two years.
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman have officially re-aligned, but that's not all. His Royal Rumble opponent was to be determined on RAW. The originally planned Fatal Four-way between Big E, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins became a #1 contender's match, with the winner challenging Lesnar for the WWE Title at the upcoming premium live event.
The story for all four men was different. For Big E, it was about righting the wrongs of Day 1 and rebuilding his way back to the WWE title. For Bobby Lashley, it was securing the dream match against Brock Lesnar and also reclaiming the WWE title.
For Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins, things were a bit different. They continued to align, and the idea was that at least one of them should become the number one contender. Following this, the other would help the number one contender beat Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, and a Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins match would be for the WWE title at WrestleMania 38.
Of course, the latter didn't go as planned. But it seems Owens and Rollins were a genuine unit, and the idea of them as a tag team might materialize in 2022.
However, Bobby Lashley won and secured a WWE title shot against Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble. When asked for a comment, the latter ignored Lashley's win on RAW and said that he would see Roman Reigns on Friday's SmackDown.
This means that Bryan Alvarez's report that WWE is planning a Champion vs. Champion match between Lesnar and Reigns for WrestleMania 38 is potentially accurate. Whether it's title unification or simply a Survivor Series-like match, it would be a bit disappointing if both world titles were in one match and could not even be defended.
IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!
@BrockLesnar vs. @fightbobby FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER at the #RoyalRumble!
#WWEChampionship
#WWERaw https://t.co/uANPFStSpK
The other possibility, which we hope happens, is that of Roman Reigns costing Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, giving Bobby Lashley his second WWE title win. The Tribal Chief defends the Universal title against The Beast Incarnate in a different direction at WrestleMania.
For Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins, their alliance seems to be leading to WrestleMania, where they could be favorites to dethrone RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro.