RAW In A Nutshell: Red Brand Rumble Repercussions

It’s time for another RAW in a Nutshell, and our weekly focus this week? Red brand Rumble repercussions.

Unless you were completely in a fog, the Royal Rumble happened Saturday.

Following all that transpired, it’s time to wonder what the red brand Rumble repercussions could be.

Like, now that The Beast has won the Rumble…and given how he lost his WWE Championship…what will those repercussions be?

I’d wager none of the men involved is safe or off limits for now, to be honest.

And then, what Rumble repercussions come out of Ronda Rousey returning and winning the women’s Rumble? Will she go after Becky Lynch, given their WrestleMania history?

See, there will be lots of intended and unintended consequences following the chaos of the Rumble. Some will be good, some will not be.

And, between now and WrestleMania 38? Just the return to Saudi Arabia, and the return of the Elimination Chamber.

WWE confirmed earlier on Monday that Lashley would defend his newly-won title in the Chamber next month. So we don’t even know if he makes it to Dallas with the gold.

So, without any further delay, it’s time to enjoy…

RAW In A Nutshell: Red Brand Rumble Repercussions

Let’s crack open this Nutshell and see what unfolds.

Best Match of the night:

One match, two segments.

The match: Rey and AJ. Top notch from two of the best of this or any generation.

Honorable mention: Austin Theory and Kevin Owens.

The segments are pretty obvious…we opened with Lesnar, Lashley and an Attitude Era flashback.

And then we closed with Ronda Rousey teasing her WrestleMania decision, confronting “Rebecca”, and then…Lita.

Worst match of the night:

I like Bianca Belair. But the match against Carmella…well, Carmella did not do her any favors.

Maybe it’s me, but more often than not I fail to see the in-ring talent in her.

Star of the Night

I will go with Brock Lesnar…and then…why not all of the other qualifiers for the Elimination Chamber.

And heck, why not Lita?

Lots to like honestly.

Spot of the Night:

Rousey teased the submission on Lynch. Not much, but there is that.

Jobber of the Night:

Dolph Ziggler…for one reason. Or a few.

Well, Ziggler took the loss against Angelo Dawkins.

The match was not bad…and it gave Dawkins a win in front of his home town crowd.

That’s the big reason for the jobber. It was a nice job.

And, it’s not bad…keeps that tag feud going.

Upset of the Night:

Not a huge one, given he’s McMahon’s current chosen golden boy.

But…Austin Theory over Kevin Owens, to put himself in the Elimination Chamber?

That’s a pretty big deal, I think. Even if he’s going to lose, and he’s basically one of the few who has to lose.

It’s a big shot for him all the same.

Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:

Lesnar came out and ready to fight…and flat out cursed in the opening segment.

On top of that, he declared that WrestleMania would be Lesnar versus Reigns. No shock there.

That it would be title versus title…that’s noteworthy.

And, with that…Lesnar became one of the five in the Elimination Chamber against Lashley.

Maybe it’s going to be title versus title after all…considering thus far, we’ve heard WWE has no plans for Lashley.

I mean…what better way to fix that lack of plans…right?

And then, as if we didn’t open with a big enough shot…we closed with Lita!

Botch of the night:

There is one reason why Heyman has spoken for Lesnar for so long.

As Brock put it…the end of his title match was, as I heard it, a “tabacle”.

I know he meant debacle. But it didn’t sound all that close to it.

The rest of his promo work made up for it though…

LOL Moment of the night:

Yes, we really had a scooter race this week.

And yes, that is Chad Gable, wearing what he called a speed skating suit courtesy of “an Olympian friend.” (I am fairly certain those are wetsuits).

Noteworthy Moment:

It was interesting that WWE had some Superstars work qualifiers to land their Chamber spots, while others were handed spots.

Granted, Lesnar and Rollins are both worth inclusion based on Saturday, but still.

Also interesting that Owens pointed it out…and I wonder if that doesn’t go somewhere, eventually.

As for the Chamber itself, it will be Bobby Lashley defending against these five:

Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, Austin Theory, Riddle and AJ Styles.

I have to think Riddle getting in is a mea culpa for the aborted idea of having him win Saturday’s Rumble, perhaps?

Overall lowlights:

Honestly…for a change, I really can’t complain about much.

I could complain that the whole RK-Bro/Alpha Academy program is dragging out a wee bit much…but…that’s my minor complaint.

Overall highlights:

I don’t even care that it was Lesnar…but the passion, the bluntness and yes, the colorful language…it has been missed.

No, it does not need to be present on WWE television each and every show. However, when it is worthwhile and used in the right manner, it makes all the difference.

Whether it was scripted or not, to me, isn’t that big a deal. One thing is certain though…WWE’s RAW censors got more work in the opening segment this week than I think they’ve had in the last year.

And we closed with Rousey prolonging her decision, and Lita challenging Becky Lynch for her title in Saudi Arabia.

After the final bell:

Well, we saw some serious red brand Rumble related repercussions, didn’t we?

You knew Lashley was in the Chamber…even if he initially protested that.

We did not know that Brock Lesnar would be there too, but he will be, and he’s in the Chamber.

Repercussions, indeed.

As Lesnar said, he’s not mad at Bobby…but he’s coming to get his title back.

We know the rest of the Chamber combatants too.

And…another Chamber match, because why not. Lita and Becky Lynch will battle for the RAW Women’s Championship.

See…the female Superstars can bring in a legend too!

I have to say, after a rather disappointing Rumble…this RAW rebounded nicely.