Ric Flair turns heel in Christian's first match since 2014 on RAW
To say that this week's episode of RAW was full of surprises would be an understatement. From title challenges to title rematches, there's a lot that happened on RAW tonight that accounted for a better show in comparison to last night's Backlash 2020 PPV. The highlight of the show, however, was the return of Christian and the build-up to the main event featuring him and Randy Orton.
From provocative comments to unexpected heel turns, this one-off storyline had everything that you would expect from the Superstars who were involved in the narration. It even featured Ric Flair doing what he does best, and WWE RAW perfectly used the entire show to set up a main event that will stay with the fans for a while.
Randy Orton vs Christian in the main event of WWE RAW
The post-Heyman era of RAW rekindled an old rivalry and ended in unforgiving fashion.
Randy Orton opened the RAW after Backlash by bragging about beating Edge in the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever. He was the Legend Killer again, and it was awesome! He seemed proud about injuring Edge and putting the Rated-R Superstar out of commission. Christian interrupted Orton and claimed that Edge would return to continue his redemption story.
Randy Orton's mind games came to the fore as he accused Christian of being jealous of Edge before challenging him to an unsanctioned match. Orton said that Christian had until the end of the night to respond to the proposal.
The segment ended with a contemplative Christian figuring out his next move. That was the major story of the show and WWE RAW continued to feature it as the night progressed.
Christian was involved in a backstage segment in which Big Show, who had returned earlier to confront the Big Ninja, told Captain Charisma to shut Randy Orton up. In a segment with Charly Caruso, Christian accepted Orton's challenge for an unsanctioned match, which was scheduled to take place later on RAW.
Christian was involved in another backstage segment, this time with Ric Flair. The 16-time World Champion advised Christian to not get physical with Orton as the Legend Killer was sadistic and at the top of his game.
The host of the Peep Show, however, had already made up his mind about fighting Orton. Christian felt offended by Randy Orton's comments, and he was seen taping his hands for the unsanctioned match as the segment ended. And if I may add, the Nature Boy was incredible in the segment.
It was all building up to an explosive finish for RAW, and there was only one believable outcome in this scenario. Randy Orton was being built up as the ruthless destroyer and Christian didn't stand a chance. However, did the match even happen? Of course not!
In a backstage segment before the match, Orton asked Charly Caruso whether she considers Christian to be a legend. She said yes, and Orton shared the same opinion. He promised that the legend of Christian would be destroyed in a few minutes.
Back inside the ring, both Randy Orton and Christian stood face to face before Ric Flair's music started playing in the background. The WWE Hall of Famer walked towards the ring and looked sincere in his effort to keep Christian from fighting Randy Orton in the unsanctioned match.
Little did the returning Superstar know what the Nature Boy was planning. Before Christian could even realise, Eric Flair hit him with a low blow as the expression on his face changed from that of a concerned man to an evil one.
Randy Orton used this opportunity to deliver The Punt and used the devastating finisher to pin Christain in the middle fo the ring. Soon after that, he was spotted in a desperate attempt to convince an unconscious Christain to go home and never come back while the medics made their way to the ring.
The show ended with Randy Orton killing the rise of yet another WWE legend, and he is expected to get more and more vicious in the coming weeks. Although there's no doubt that Randy Orton as at his best when portraying a heel, it will be interesting to see what the WWE have in store for him in the coming months.