Thursday, March 28, 2024
Editorial5 Potential WWE Raw Feuds to Bring Eyes Back to the Show

5 Potential WWE Raw Feuds to Bring Eyes Back to the Show

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Let’s face it, WWE Monday Night Raw has been a really tough watch lately. The product has been stuck in a loop of rematches and never-ending feuds for the longest time now. And, despite Raw producing one of their better shows over the last year this week, they still lost viewers.

Something needs to change, some feuds need to die and with that, new ones need to emerge. Not every feud can be at the top of the show, but just by putting on an exciting card, everyone is elevated. With that in mind, here is a list of five potential feuds WWE could implement on Raw to revitalize the product.

Jeff Hardy vs Ricochet

By his own admission, Ricochet previously has stated his desire to go after the Raw Tag Team Championships with Jeff Hardy. Whilst this could be a welcome addition to the division, I would argue the far more interesting option is a feud between the pair.

Jeff Hardy is now 43 years old, with a career that could well place him as the greatest high-flyer of all time. But, for as good as Hardy has been, he’s not getting any younger. Ricochet is over ten years Hardy’s junior and has stated before that he is currently the best high-flyer in the WWE. The two have faced off just once in their careers, and on Main Event of all shows. So, this is a chance at something fresh and brand new for a large portion of the audience.

The beauty of a good wrestling show is there is something for everyone, and of late WWE Raw has really lacked a feud between two high-flyers. With this gap lasting a few months now, since Ali and Ricochet ended their feud back in March.

Regular matches between these two could be exactly what is needed for the mid-card as the return of packed crowds looms.

Drew McIntyre vs Jinder Mahal

Right now, Drew McIntyre needs to get far, far away from Bobby Lashley. After four months, the feud has grown tiresome and limited both wrestler’s ability to evolve as characters. With the rivalry reaching its final conclusion last Sunday, it’s now time to look at what could be next for the participants.

For McIntyre, Mahal seems the most obvious opponent on the Raw roster. Not only is there already pre-existing history between the two after their time in 3MB, but they also have faced off against each other just once in singles competition.

Perhaps the best potential storyline for the pair would be if they touched on the fact they both were released from WWE on June 12th 2014. Both men would then return to the company to become WWE Champion. Mahal did it first so naturally, his character could well argue that he walked so McIntyre could run.

Whilst the storyline is already there, this would also give Mahal a chance to defy the expectations of his in-ring ability. A hard-hitting blood feud between the pair could bring out the best from Mahal, especially with McIntyre already showing off his aggressive chops in his excellent bout against Sheamus at Fastlane 2021.

Rhea Ripley vs Nia Jax

In an ideal world, this feud would be just a stop-gap before Shayna Baszler and Ripley locked up. With their history and previous match quality, Baszler/Ripley is the feud that the Raw women’s division needs desperately. But, with the former currently caught up in a feud with a puppet, sadly it looks like we’ll be waiting a while.

When it comes to WWE’s in-ring performers, few are as divisive as Nia Jax. Love her or hate her, she is an excellent heel. On the other hand, Rhea Ripley has struggled to find her footing as a babyface champion on the Raw brand. Week-by-week, her face/heel status is worryingly vague, and this needs to be clarified going forward.

WrestleMania felt huge, a changing of the guard in the women’s division as the next breed of superstars reached the peak of the summit. But, since then Ripley has found herself struggling to establish any real character. If WWE are set to continue with Ripley as a face, then Jax should be her next challenger. The benefits of Jax as a challenger are two-fold. Firstly, she has the character work to garner boo’s as WWE returns to audience filled shows. Secondly, she also has the pedigree to appear as a legitimate threat to Ripley’s crown.

The two have only briefly faced off on one occasion, in the 2021 Royal Rumble. As a result, this would offer a chance to bring a fresh feud to the division.

“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs Kofi Kingston

We are just shy of two years on since the debut of The Fiend, and looking back what have we learned? One, The Fiend does not need to chase a championship belt. Two, WWE often don’t seem to know what to do with Bray Wyatt’s character. And three, perhaps the most important of all, The Fiend character is at its very best when breaking down another wrestlers psyche. As a result of this, Kofi Kingston is the perfect target for Wyatt’s mind-games.

Though I’m no fortune-teller, I am going forward with the logic that Kingston will likely lose to Lashley at Money in the Bank. If this is to happen, his career is ripe for the picking from Wyatt. Examples of potential moments in Kingston’s career that Wyatt could attack include his long ten-year wait to win the WWE Championship. And whilst that victory was sweet, it took only eight seconds for that same title to slip away. The long struggle, followed by a swift fall is exactly the sort of journey Wyatt could prey on. There is also room to explore the history between Wyatt and Kingston, with the pair engaging in a brief feud back in 2016 as members of the Wyatt Family and the New Day respectively. Though the feud would be cut short, as a result of the 2016 WWE Draft, the potential could have been endless. In the five years since that match, Bray Wyatt is all alone as the last member of the Wyatt Family in the WWE meanwhile, Kingston finds himself in a similar situation. With Big E on SmackDown, and Xavier Woods possibly taking some time away after Monday’s Hell in a Cell match, both men are all alone right now. The opportunity for Wyatt to return, targeting the mind of a true fan favourite in Kingston, especially in a scenario similar to the Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania 36, seems too good an opportunity to miss out on.

Bobby Lashley vs Keith Lee

And speaking of superstars returning to Monday Night Raw, Keith Lee’s absence has been felt every Monday night since he disappeared from WWE TV. Lee presents himself in a way that is unlike anyone else on the WWE roster, with a style that screams main-event talent.

Lee vs Lashley has been seen just once in a wrestling ring, in a match on Raw that ended in DQ. This is a wasted opportunity that WWE should hasten to rectify, with the pair having the potential to produce an exceptional rivalry. In the ring, Lashley vs Lee could lead to brilliant matches, with the two each having unique styles in their own right. But, a feud between the pair could be so much more, with the slow, spoken word promo’s of Lee, going up against Lashley’s mouthpiece in MVP.

With Drew McIntyre and Lashley’s feud over, Orton, Riddle and AJ Styles in the tag division, there is a real lack of challengers for Lashley right now on the Raw roster. If Lee was to return, then these issues would be immediately solved. Keith Lee vs Bobby Lashley, one claims to be limitless, the other claims to be almighty, and a WWE Championship feud between the pair has the potential to star at the top of the Raw card.

If you had one day in charge of Raw, what is the first feud you would book? Let us know in the comments, or over on our Twitter and Facebook pages.

Check out who Drew McIntyre picked out for a potential dream opponent in WWE here.

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