
Matt Hardy's Road to Deletion, Seth Rollins' New Persona, More WWE Raw Fallout
Monday's Raw was a bit of a step down from last week but we did get quite a bit of forward momentum with certain storylines.
Instead of the No Holds Barred match we were promised between Randy Orton and Matt Hardy, WWE gave us a similar segment to what we saw last week, but this was much more violent.
We also saw MVP return to confront Drew McIntyre after The Scottish Psychopath took him out during The VIP Lounge, but WWE's newest backstage producer came up short.
Seth Rollins continues to turn into a street corner preacher and Shayna Baszler explained why she bit Becky Lynch in the back of the neck last week.
Let's look at the fallout from these segments and how they will impact storylines moving forward.
Did Randy Orton Delete Matt Hardy?
1 of 4Orton opened Raw and informed the crowd that Hardy would not be cleared to compete against him as scheduled, but that did not stop The Woken One from showing up.
Limping and in a neck brace, Hardy defiantly stood up to The Viper and ended up on the receiving end of two brutal chair shots against the steel ring steps.
A lot of people thought last week's segment was designed to write Hardy off of television but the overwhelming response to their chemistry encouraged WWE to give them one more segment together.
If this is how Hardy exits WWE, he went out like a true veteran by allowing somebody else to go over at his expense. The question becomes, where does Hardy go from here?
All Elite Wrestling's The Dark Order has been hyping the appearance of a leader referred to as the exalted one. If Hardy is AEW bound, he would be a perfect choice to lead the stable.
The Dark Order had a rough start but the last few weeks have seen a marked improvement in how the group is portrayed. With Hardy at the helm, it will immediately become more important.
Can the Monday Night Messiah Convert the WWE Universe to His Cause?
2 of 4With each passing week, Rollins' messiah complex grows. Not only does he literally call himself The Monday Night Messiah, but he is also starting to give sermons.
While he was a good babyface, Rollins is better suited to be a heel and the last few weeks have illustrated why he works best as the bad guy.
He seems more confident in this role and with AOP and Murphy as his disciples, few can stand in his way if he decides he wants to accomplish something.
Monday's show saw him give a speech attempting to explain why he is doing all of this but like clockwork, he was interrupted by Kevin Owens.
This all feels like WWE's way of turning The Architect into the top heel on Raw, and if that is the case, he will likely end up challenging whoever leaves WrestleMania 36 with the WWE Championship.
Shayna Baszler Will Be Like a Caged Animal
3 of 4We have seen countless people move from NXT to Raw by attacking someone but it's hard to remember the last time anyone made the kind of impression Baszler did last week.
The Queen of Spades didn't just beat up Lynch. She bit the back of The Man's neck and made her bleed, forcing her to get medical treatment before returning to the arena.
Baszler interrupted Lynch this week and said she didn't plan on biting her new rival. She just did it. Somehow, that is scarier than if she had a long excuse like most people.
The former NXT women's champion is a prizefighter. Her gimmick is that she doesn't care about the pomp and circumstance that comes with pro wrestling. She just wants to fight.
When she steps into the Elimination Chamber with Natalya, Liv Morgan, Asuka, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan, Baszler is going to be the most dangerous woman in the cage.
If Lynch vs. Baszler is the WrestleMania match we have to look forward to, we are in for quite the show.
Drew McIntyre Is Going to Beat Brock Lesnar
4 of 4Every time Brock Lesnar faces a new challenger in WWE, the company makes that person look good before The Beast eventually destroys them in 10 minutes or less. It does not feel like that is what is happening with McIntyre.
Winning The Royal Rumble is one thing but being the man to eliminate Lesnar in such a forceful way indicates WWE is not just building him up into a challenger. It is making him into the man who will dethrone the champion.
The crowd has fully embraced The Scottish Psychopath and he has slowly transitioned into a tweener character as a result. He plays to the crowd but that does not mean he is a nice guy. He kicked MVP's head off just for suggesting he could use help from a managerial standpoint.
He may not be beating opponents on Lesnar's level every week but he doesn't have to yet. Right now, WWE is just trying to make sure he is as popular as possible by giving him easy wins and fun promos.
As we get close to WrestleMania, he will be booked against more challenging opponents so he can prove he is capable of putting down anyone who steps up to him.
Let me know what you thought of this week's Raw on Twitter @BR_Doctor.


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