WWE RAW Flops and Hits: Kevin Owens beats 13-time champion in epic main event, horrible mistake with Finn Balor, tag team champions to split soon?
WWE RAW had an entertaining show planned for this week, but it had its fair share of flaws. We saw big developments in the major WWE feuds as we inch closer to WrestleMania 38.
Top champions were pinned on the red brand, but the episode ended on a grand note when two former world champions tore the roof down with their flawless performances in an intense match.
Here, we look at some of the biggest flops and hits from WWE RAW this week. So, without further ado, let's begin.
#5 Hit on WWE RAW: Kevin Owens
The opening segment of WWE RAW saw Kevin Owens address his opportunity to create yet another WrestleMania moment this year. He is set to host Stone Cold Steve Austin on the special edition of the KO show but nearly lost that opportunity to his best friend Seth Rollins on the red brand this week.
The Visionary came up with a brilliant idea to fight Owens in a singles match to determine who should get to host Steve Austin at WrestleMania. This led to their epic main event bout that saw both superstars bring out their best inside the squared circle.
Rollins and KO took turns dominating their match. Both superstars played to their respective strengths and made full use of their familiarity with each other's game plan after working together over the past couple of months. Their impeccable in-ring chemistry forced the crowd to rise to its feet and chant "This is Awesome" in unison.
Seth Rollins came close to winning the match, but in the end, Kevin Owens prevailed inside the ring to keep his WrestleMania moment intact.
KO deserves a lot of credit for his performance tonight on WWE RAW, and we only wonder what could have been if he was involved in an actual high-profile match at WrestleMania. But a segment and possible brawl with Steve Austin isn't too bad.
As for Seth Rollins, it remains to be seen if he can find a WrestleMania match for himself on WWE RAW over the next two weeks.
#4 Flop on WWE RAW: Finn Balor loses
A legendary maneuver.
@ArcherofInfamy #WWERaw https://t.co/2M4c7U1h7m
Finn Balor wasn't booked at his best before winning the United States Championship. Unfortunately, things haven't changed since he dethroned Damian Priest for gold.
The Prince faced the former champion in a singles match tonight, and just like last week, Balor's match was compromised due to outside interference. This essentially means that the newly crowned champion has not picked up a legitimate victory in any of his televised matches.
Balor was impressive as always inside the ring and put up a dominant performance against Priest. However, he was briefly distracted by Austin Theory, who was seated with the commentary team on WWE RAW.
The match's ending saw Balor hit Theory with a dropkick and by the time he got back inside the ring, Priest was prepared to attack his opponent. He insistently hit Finn Balor with Reckoning to seal his victory and made a statement. Damian Priest is expected to challenge The Prince for the United States title at WrestleMania 38.
While no one is a big fan of Balor losing on RAW, there is still room for ultimate redemption by setting up a successful title defense at WrestleMania. The underwhelming results could be used to make his title feud more intense and allow him to defend his title at The Show of Shows.
Priest can continue to be a heel and he doesn't really need his title back as he looks prepared to enter the world title picture. However, Balor's credibility will take a significant blow if he loses most of his matches in a short title reign that ends at WrestleMania.
Surely there will be someone on the writing team who understands that this would be a colossal mistake.
#3 Hit on WWE RAW: Liv Morgan gets a big win
Awkward...
@ZelinaVegaWWE @CarmellaWWE @WWEGraves #WWERaw https://t.co/lvSO6cgoWG
This week on WWE RAW, Liv Morgan faced Queen Zelina in a short yet entertaining match. The one-half of the women's tag team champions was doing well until she needed a little help from her tag team partner.
Unfortunately for her, Carmella was busy hiding with Corey Graves to escape Rhea Ripley at ringside. Back in the ring, Morgan left no stone unturned to gain dominance over her opponent and picked up a big victory to make a strong statement.
The team of Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley will challenge Queen Zelina and Carmella for the women's tag team championships at WrestleMania 38 in a triple-threat match that will also feature Team B.A.D., i.e., Sasha Banks and Naomi. It is evident that Zelina is frustrated with Carmella, who has been distracted with her fiancé since their reality show started airing.
Are the reigning champions headed towards a split, especially if they end up losing their gold at The Grandest Stage of Them All?
#2 Flop on WWE RAW: Omos squashes Commander Azeez
Omos returned to in-ring action on WWE RAW tonight to face Commander Azeez in a singles match. As has been the case with the former's representation on the red brand so far, he went on to squash his opponent. Now, here is the problem with this match and Omos' victory. He beat another superstar billed as a "giant" on the red brand.
Thus, if and when Omos needs a legitimate challenger, who exactly will pose a credible threat to his dominant run? He also humiliated former champion Apollo Crews after the match, and it begs the question – is this really necessary?
It would be fair to point out that Omos isn't one of the best in-ring performers on RAW. Thus, the creative team needs to reconsider their decision to sacrifice their best talents inside the ring, hoping to establish Omos as the biggest threat on the show.
#1 Hit on WWE RAW: RK-Bro’s championship match at WrestleMania confirmed
RK-Bro reclaimed the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships last week after beating The Alpha Academy and the team of Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins.
Tonight, they appeared on the show to celebrate their title victory. It was as wholesome as it could have been, especially considering how much Randy Orton is enjoying his time with Riddle – someone whom The Viper considers his only friend in the locker room. However, their party was crashed by The Street Profits.
Both teams were surprisingly involved in a surprisingly tense exchange that hinted at Montez Ford and Angel Dawkins’ potential heel turn. The segment led to a single match on WWE RAW between Riddle and Ford. Both stars were nothing short of brilliant and gave us a taste of what to expect from their upcoming title feud ahead of WrestleMania 38.
Unfortunately, the match didn’t get a finish as The Alpha Academy launched a surprise attack on RK-Bro to avenge their title loss. The interference caused the in-ring bout to end in no-contest as both the tag team champions, and their opponents were subjected to a brutal attack.
Soon after, it was confirmed that RK-Bro would put their WWE RAW Tag Team Championships on the line against The Street Profits.