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Best & Worst of RAW: Top star still getting a future push, Big mistake made with losing Champion

Big E pinned Bobby Lashley to become the new WWE Champion on RAW
Big E pinned Bobby Lashley to become the new WWE Champion on RAW

RAW had a hugely improved episode this week compared to the last. WWE pulled out all the stops, with Big E making the headlines for obvious reasons. But it wasn't just him who made the episode good.

Some of our honorable bests go out to Damian Priest and Sheamus, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, as well as Karrion Kross. All in all, RAW delivered, and here are some of the bests and worsts of the episode:


#3. Best: Keeping Drew McIntyre relevant on RAW

Ever since getting booted out of the WWE title picture on RAW, Drew McIntyre has only feuded against Jinder Mahal. That culminated at SummerSlam and McIntyre defeated his old faction member in a matter of minutes.

Since then, he hasn't exactly been in any feud to note of. However, WWE has ensured to keep him relevant on the Red brand by giving him TV time. This week was another example of that.

Drew McIntyre teamed up with The Viking Raiders to face Jinder Mahal, Veer, and Shanky. The match was over before it even started, with McIntyre getting the Claymore Kick on Shanky and an easy pinfall.

Although one could argue that Mahal and his group should be treated better, the promotion has made one thing clear - McIntyre is still a long-term project. While Bobby Lashley had greater success in 2021 than Drew McIntyre, there's a difference between the two.

Lashley's WWE title win seemed to come out of the circumstances surrounding the pandemic and WrestleMania 37, whereas McIntyre has been a long-term plan for a while. He carried RAW in 2020 and was undoubtedly the superstar of what turned out to be the company's most unique year.

The issue that WWE faced with The Scottish Warrior was this - when fans came back, he had already overstayed his welcome in the world title picture. He was a two-time Champion, but he got more rematches than fans felt was warranted.

There was a point where he was even getting booed, and he may not have gotten a favorable reaction had he won the Money in the Bank briefcase. Thankfully, he didn't.

This is a better route to take with Drew McIntyre, as the company is slowly building him back up to return to the WWE title picture. We wouldn't be surprised to see him re-enter right away, although we feel he shouldn't.

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