Biggest Lessons Learned from Jan. 27 Edition of Raw

The first Raw following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view is finally in the bag, and it was a pretty decent show.

We had some strong developments from the Rumble show, with some new storylines getting further airing on Raw this week.

There appears to be a new contender or two for Randy Orton and his WWE World Heavyweight Championship—whilst the old one is well and truly embedded into a new rivalry.

And what of The Shield, after Roman Reigns eliminated both of his stablemates in the Rumble? Could they regroup?

Let's take a look at the biggest lessons learned from Monday's edition of Raw.

The Real Americans Could Be Set for a Split

Photo courtesy WWE.com

It's a bit bizarre that The Real Americans have never really got a prolonged shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship. They are a solid team and are flanked by a manager who has an interesting character.

Some people thought their opportunity would have been now, as the division has just crowned new champions. However, it could turn out that their days are numbered as a tag team.

We saw a peculiar spot during their match on Raw—when Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter had a coming together—before Colter slapped Swagger in the face.

Although they won the match, it did seem to suggest that there is discontent in the ranks of The Real Americans. That would be a shame if it turned out to be the case—they're an impressive team.

Stick to Your PhD, Xavier Woods

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Xavier Woods was guest commentator in perhaps one of the worst matches in the history of Raw this week, as R-Truth took on Fandango.

We learned during the match that Woods is studying for a degree in educational psychology—and after his first few weeks in the WWE, maybe he should focus on that.

In all seriousness, it just hasn't happened for him since he arrived on the main roster. Pairing up with Truth every week probably doesn't help—the guy is going nowhere fast, which impacts on Woods.

Maybe a fresh approach for Woods would help to reignite his WWE career. It is in dire need of a revival.

The Start of Something Good for Dolph, Hopefully

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In comparison to the past few months, Dolph Ziggler has seen some good days recently.

He returned from his concussion injury at the Royal Rumble—and got a huge whoop from the crowd when he emerged to fight in the marquee match.

The reaction when he was eliminated was equally as favorable—let's just hope the WWE creative team was listening.

He went one better on Raw, too—as he actually managed to win a match! Despite being billed from Hollywood, Florida for the majority of his WWE career, his true hometown of Cleveland, Ohio was recognized on Monday night.

His victory over The Miz may not be the most groundbreaking victory in his career, but it will hopefully be the start of something good for Ziggler.

The Usos Are Now Ready for a Tag Title Shot

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Jimmy and Jey Uso continue to roll in the WWE, and they strengthened their position in the tag division with another victory on Raw this week.

After playing the side role in Daniel Bryan's rivalry with Bray Wyatt, The Usos are now over with the crowd. So could they be the next legitimate challengers for the tag title?

With a heel tag team in possession of the belts, The Usos are now in a stronger position than they were before—that is certain.

They have some momentum behind them, but what will dictate their future shot at the title will be the future of The Rhodes Brothers.

Lesnar (and Heyman) Show Batista How It's Done

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One of the stars of Raw this week was arguably Brock Lesnar.

First of all, he saved Batista's mind-numbing promo by arriving at the ring, flanked by Paul Heyman. "The Animal" has been flat in his return to the WWE—his promo on Randy Orton was predictable and incredibly dull.

Heyman issued a nice ultimatum for The Authority—which they didn't answer. That enabled Lesnar to do what he does best—wreak havoc in the ring, with The Rhodes Brothers acting as his primary targets.

Lesnar and Heyman are emerging from the pack of contenders for Randy Orton and his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Although he may well end up fighting The Undertaker at WrestleMania, Lesnar is on much more of a momentum roll than Batista at this moment in time.

Bryan and Rollins Steal the Main Event

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I could write about Roman Reigns once again—let's face it, the guy was impressive in the main event once again. There is little doubt he is a star. Little things such as breaking John Cena's submission hold suggest he is going places when The Shield split.

However, the six-man tag match on Raw this week saw two other men steal the show. The majority of the match was spectacular—but when Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins had the ring to themselves, the action jumped up a notch.

Rollins is quietly emerging from the shadows of Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns and is making his presence felt—and he and Bryan put on a great show to close Raw.

It was a shame that the main event ended the way it did—but it does lead to a storyline further down the road.

The Wyatts vs. The Shield, Finally?

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It was teased awhile back on Raw when The Wyatt Family and The Shield came face-to-face in the ring at the end of a show.

That seemed to merely be a one-off thing, nothing immediately came of it. However, could we finally see that match happen next week on Raw?

The Shield will likely be in the hunt for Bray, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper after they cost them a spot at the Elimination Chamber. Their reaction at the end of the show suggested that much at least.

With Roman Reigns over with the fans in a way that no heel has been in a long time, could we see The Shield increase their popularity with the fans by knocking off Bray?