Edge's Vengeful Return, AJ Styles Calls out Undertaker, More WWE Raw Fallout

The Road to WrestleMania was officially underway Monday on WWE Raw, and a vengeful Edge was out for blood as he returned one week after wife Beth Phoenix became the latest victim of Randy Orton's wrath.

The Rated-R Superstar exploded back on the scene, making it known that the Hall of Famer just happy to be back in the squared circle was gone and in his place was a man looking to avenge both his wife and his own punishment at the hands of an antagonist he once considered a brother.

Edge's return headlined a show that also saw strong verbal performance from AJ Styles and Becky Lynch as part of their own WrestleMania 36 programs and the latest chapter in the rivalry between NXT women's champion Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair.

Edge Returns, Seeks Revenge on Randy Orton for Months of Torment

Monday's show was built almost entirely around the return of Edge and his response to two months of torment from Randy Orton. On a night when he needed to show up, wreak havoc and raise hell one week after watching his wife RKO'd by his prospective WrestleMania opponent, he did just that.

The Rated-R Superstar was every bit as intense and vengeful as he needed to be, laying waste to a loudmouthed MVP and dropping Orton with his own finishing maneuver. From there, he sent a message to The Apex Predator, delivering a devastating con-chair-to MVP and making it clear that the hunted had now become the hunter.

The segment continued to build the momentum the feud has had since Orton's shocking betrayal just 24 hours after his former tag team partner's triumphant return at Royal Rumble. Most importantly, it portrayed an Edge on the brink of madness, driven to a point he had not experienced since he was forced to retire from the squared circle in 2011.

Orton has pushed him there, forced him to find within himself an inner rage he thought was long lost.

Now, he is forced to deal with the repercussions. The only question is whether the cerebral Viper can use the aggressor's emotions against him and emerge victorious when they finally do square off in Tampa, Florida, on April 5.

AJ Styles Strikes Personal Tone in WrestleMania Challenge to The Undertaker

For the first time, a prospective WrestleMania opponent has demonstrated a complete lack of respect for the legendary aura of The Undertaker.

Monday on Raw, AJ Styles not only referred to The Deadman as a broken-down old man named Mark Callaway, but he also brought his wife, Michelle McCool, into it. Insinuating she plays her husband like a fiddle, The Phenomenal One promised to help her drive Undertaker into the ground at WrestleMania.

It was an unfamiliar, but welcome, tone.

For so long, WWE storylines have preserved the aura of The Deadman. A Superstar, no matter how invincible, would stand in awe of the entrance and marvel at the mystical powers of the legendary star. Styles, though, dropped the act. He disrespected Undertaker on more than one front and introduced a personal edge to their rivalry. 

It was as if Styles had elected to play mind games with the master of them, sending a message loudly and clearly that he is not (nor will he be) afraid of WWE's greatest icon.

Given the cookie-cutter nature of so many of Undertaker's rivalries over the last decade, this was a welcome change of pace. Whether the writing team can follow it up in suitable fashion remains to be seen but one thing is for certain: Styles delivered a money promo that had fans buzzing on social media.

Is Rhea Ripley as the Underdog to Dismissive Charlotte Flair the Right Call?

There is an interesting dynamic to the match between NXT women's champion Rhea Ripley and 2020 Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair in that the titleholder is being positioned as the underdog in their WrestleMania 36 match.

Yes, Flair is a generational talent and 10-time champion with a resume already worthy of the Hall of Fame. She's good, we get it. 

As the winner of the Rumble, though, she is put in a chase position by default. Instead of Ripley proclaiming that she will not be considered the best until she beats the best, is it not a more effective story for The Queen to have to prove she can hang with the top young talent in the industry by challenging for a title that once defined her?

In an industry with enough underdog babyfaces, this feels like the wrong angle to take with this story when the potential to tell a fresh narrative with Flair is sitting right there.

Given the fact that Ripley defeated the seemingly indestructible Shayna Baszler, the same woman who just tore right through the field at Elimination Chamber, it's just not a story that tonally fits.

Becky Lynch Tells Story of Feud with Shayna Baszler in One Excellent Promo

In a single promo, Becky Lynch told the story of her rivalry with Shayna Baszler and created genuine interest in their match.

On the heels of a dominant performance by Baszler at Elimination Chamber, The Man put over the fact that The Queen of Spades was able to put down the same woman Lynch struggled her entire career to defeat, Asuka, in mere minutes.

From there, she added a nice insult ("you black hole of charisma") and told the story of The Queen of Spades refusing her handshake, adding a personal edge to the rivalry, and reminded the WWE Universe that Baszler is close friends with Ronda Rousey.

It was the last couple of lines, though, that really put an exclamation point on the promo.

Lynch claimed Baszler was underestimating her, that people like The Irish Lass Kicker do not beat "trained killers" like the former NXT women's champion. But she has, in another reference to Rousey, and she will at WrestleMania when she smashes Baszler's face in.

The no-nonsense approach to the promo worked. There was no bravado, none of the Conor McGregor-style showmanship from Lynch that we have seen of late. This was one badass woman issuing a promise to another, hitting a nerve with fans and laying the foundation for what their rivalry will be about.

The fact that Rousey was referenced as much as she is suggests the former UFC star may rear her head at some point. Maybe, even, at the same event in which she suffered her first loss in WWE a year ago.