It was filled with superstars trying to cement their place at The Grandest Stage of Them All, as well as big matches with big title implications. Overall, it was a strong episode, but not without its faults.

We’ll leave the critical aspect to Best and Worst, while we analyze what was subtly told to us on the red brand this week

#6. Edge’s road to WrestleMania on RAW

Edge made his return to RAW this week for the first time since the 2022 Royal Rumble. On that occasion, he teamed up with his wife Beth Phoenix to face The Miz and Maryse. It was “The It couple” vs. “The Grit couple”.

Of course, the Hall of Famer couple walked out victoriously. With that behind him, Edge is now focused on the road to WrestleMania. Given his status as a 11-time world champion and a Hall of Famer, he doesn’t need to earn his spot at The Grandest Stage of Them All.

He won’t be involved in any title matches this year, but it could be argued that barring the WWE or Universal title match, few matches on the card are bigger than one involving Edge. It looks like there will be a brand new opponent for him, and all indications seem to be heading towards a first-time-ever clash for The Rated-R Superstar.

There certainly are a lot of options on the roster, and none bigger than ‘The Phenomenal’ AJ Styles. While the two haven’t interacted, Edge hinted at it with one word - Phenomenal. He asked somebody on the roster to step up to the plate.

It will be interesting to see if Styles is, in fact, the one who steps up for the dream clash against Edge after his announcement.

#5. Damian Priest takes an interesting deviation from WrestleMania on RAW and it could lead to big things

This week on RAW, Damian Priest put Shelton Benjamin away with relative ease. The result was never in question, although Priest praised Benjamin for stepping up to the plate on RAW.

However, that wasn’t enough for the United States Champion. He stated that he had already defeated competition of Benjamin’s caliber before. Seeing as he has already defeated a few former world champions, Priest wanted a higher level of competition on the road to WrestleMania.

His challenge was answered by Finn Balor, who teamed up with Tommaso Ciampa earlier in the night. It was Balor’s second appearance on the episode, and their match has been set up for next week on RAW.

It could go one of two ways. The easy and boring option is to simply have Damian Priest retain against Priest Balor and move on to WrestleMania 38. The other option is for the much-teased heel turn to finally take place, potentially after losing the title or nearly losing it.

It would perfectly set up a WrestleMania program between the two men right on time. Hopefully, it would also serve to give some momentum back to Balor, who is in the same position on the main roster that he was a few years ago before he went back to NXT.

#4. What is Tommaso Ciampa’s status in WWE after RAW?

There has been a big crossover between RAW and NXT 2.0. Dolph Ziggler made his presence known on NXT 2.0, directly confronting the brand’s top champion Bron Breakker. For the uninitiated, Breakker dethroned Tommaso Ciampa to win the title, but the two are now aligned on NXT.

Ziggler nearly cost Breakker the title, but it was Ciampa who prevented the disaster from happening. As a result, Tommaso Ciampa has been appearing on RAW as well. This week, he had a mystery partner to find as he took on The Dirty Dawgs.

Unfortunately for the former tag team champions, the mystery partner happened to be another former NXT Champion in Finn Balor. Together, they sent The Dirty Dawgs packing. So is Ciampa a main roster superstar now?

The answer is a fortunate or unfortunate no, depending on how you look at it. For those who wanted him on the main roster, it’s unfortunate. For those who know that he is better staying in NXT, it’s fortunate.

However, this is a clear-cut crossover to give NXT 2.0 the rub by having a main roster star feud with the brand’s top champion. Tommaso Ciampa’s role is simply to be the foil to Dolph Ziggler in his pursuit of the NXT Title.

#3. What are the implications of Logan Paul’s return to RAW?

Logan Paul made his return to RAW after six months. It was the RAW after SummerSlam 2021 when we last saw him. He seems to be making a habit out of appearing on the biggest WWE shows, and the company is happy to offer him that spot as he is a big name with a lot of value.

He will be stepping into the ring to compete for the first time at WrestleMania. On the latest episode of Miz TV, The Miz introduced his partner to even the odds against The Mysterios, and it was none other than Logan Paul.

Establishing himself as a full-blown heel (which he already was), Paul and The A-Lister assaulted The Mysterios. To add salt to the wound, Logan Paul hit the skull-crushing finale on Dominik Mysterio.

So this is the spot for The Mysterios on the card this year. While the break-up storyline between father and son was supposed to happen in early 2022, things got pushed back, presumably because WWE knew they had a chance to secure this match.

In the tag team clash, Paul will be protected as there are two veterans in the ring and one fine prospect in Dominik Mysterio.

It will be interesting to see how the story plays out. If Logan Paul and The Miz do pick up the win at WrestleMania, then the break-up angle and heel turn of Dominik is almost guaranteed to happen post-match at The Grandest Stage of Them All.

#2. Bianca Belair is in a prime position to become the next RAW Women’s Champion

Bianca Belair has been on fire on RAW lately. This week, she had a confrontation with her WrestleMania opponent Becky Lynch, who she will face to become the new RAW Women’s Champion.

There hasn’t been anybody else on the roster who has been given a chance against Lynch or presented as an equal except for Charlotte Flair. However, even then, Big Time Becks defeated Flair at Survivor Series.

Bianca Belair defeated Doudrop in an epic win this week as Becky Lynch watched on from the commentary table. WWE has presented Belair as the only legitimate challenger, and she could very well dethrone her to become the champion at WrestleMania 38.

#1. Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens’ stepping stone to WrestleMania

This week, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins teamed up to face RK-Bro in the main event. The match stipulated that if Owens and Rollins won, they would be added to the tag team title match between RK-Bro and The Alpha Academy in two weeks.

In the main event, KO and Rollins picked up the win, making the upcoming RAW Tag Team title bout a triple threat. The Alpha Academy or RK-Bro have the highest chances of winning, while Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens’ chances are nonexistent.

This will simply be a stepping stone, presumably for the rumored Steve Austin vs. Kevin Owens match at WrestleMania. The outcome of the match will also determine Randy Orton and Riddle’s future as a tag team.

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