Figuring Out Next Move for Fiend, Bliss, Vintage Sheamus, More WWE Raw Fallout

WWE Raw had much to deliver upon following a brutal and fiery TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view. The December 21 edition could not just be like any other show. It needed to keep that spark growing, especially with all that the red brand has struggled with recently.

No one expects much from Raw week to week due to rushed booking, but there is always hope based on the talent involved. With the end of 2020 fast approaching, WWE needed to build toward the future.

Arguably that came about but not in full force. This week's show relied on its best talent while neglecting the underrated stars. No matter how many weeks go by, Raw impresses in the worst ways with how small it makes its roster feel.

Drew McIntyre and Bray Wyatt are clearly the stars of the show. Their angles define the business. The stars around them such as Sheamus and Randy Orton have elevated their game to match. However, that isn't enough for such a major product.

The women's division is stuck relying on too few stars, even after the return of Charlotte Flair, and the tag team division can barely be called a division given its lack of challengers.

WWE needs to step up, and this show only emphasized that.

WWE Should Not Rush the Return of The Fiend

Randy Orton gloated over burning The Fiend alive at TLC until Alexa Bliss arrived in her special playground. She told The Viper that Bray Wyatt had gone home but he returned, he would be unlike anything he had ever seen before.

This sets the stage for the return of The Fiend. If WWE is concerned about ratings, Wyatt may not be gone for long. However, if a true story is the focus, rushing the return will cheapen the angle. Coming back from being burnt alive should at least take a month, even for the embodiment of evil.

The Fiend has a unique presence that should only be heightened by this moment elevating him beyond mortality. Orton needs to be fully confident right up until the moment he comes back, much like the memorable return of The Undertaker to ruin The Viper's celebration at Survivor Series 2005.

The men's Royal Rumble match is the ideal moment. The Fiend has yet to compete in the event, and Orton will certainly be after another world title shot. The moment when Wyatt returns to ruin The Viper's moment and potentially win the Rumble will make for a spectacular start to WrestleMania 37 season.

This is the one angle Raw has that feels original. It must be saved and developed rather than rushed out. Otherwise, the magic spark WWE has built will quickly fade.

WWE Women's Tag Team Division Does Not Need Charlotte Flair and Asuka

Charlotte Flair and Asuka came out to celebrate their victory before Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler interrupted. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke got involved and postponed a rematch for later. Later in the night, The Queen and The Empress of Tomorrow defeated Peyton Royce and Lacey Evans.

It was then announced that Charlotte and Asuka would go to SmackDown to defend the championships against The Riott Squad, but the new WWE women's tag team champions really don't add enough to the division to warrant holding the titles.

To date, the only team to elevate the titles are Bayley and Sasha Banks, but they were also singles champions at the same time. It's about time a women's tag team was built for the titles and carried them with focus.

Baszler and Jax had potential to get to that stage, but they got involved with Asuka at the wrong time. The IIconics were the closest the division had to a fully developed tag team, but they held the championships without looking like it for months.

Charlotte and Asuka are only champions to give The Queen a tag title reign. Ultimately, they'll feud for the Raw Women's Championship. It is a shame the only women's teams that can get any spotlight are those that are simultaneously fighting for the only other gold in the women's division.

Sheamus May Have Finally Found His Way as WWE's Resident Tweener

Sheamus continued to stand by Drew McIntyre alongside Keith Lee in the fight for dominance on Monday.

The trio challenged AJ Styles, The Miz and John Morrison to a six-man tag team match. The faces won, but The Celtic Warrior took a chance to Brogue Kick The Limitless One after the match.

For a couple months now, Sheamus has established himself as McIntyre's friend. The two fight and drink together, holding a mutual respect that goes back many years. What makes this dynamic special is that the Irishman is arguably still a heel while the Scot is Raw's top babyface.

A safer label for The Celtic Warrior, though, is tweener. He works with faces but also fights them. His morals are less black and white. Ultimately, he will do anything for McIntyre, but he's not afraid to fight anyone.

This dynamic is far too understated for a show like Raw in need of bombastic angles, but it shows that WWE does have some interesting angles to sell. He and McIntyre could be one of the best matches at WrestleMania 37 if the company continues to slow-play it.

It is rare that WWE lets anyone be a tweener, but those who do are often among the best in the business. Sheamus may not be the next "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, but he can certainly prove his worth by continually shining in a complicated role.

WWE Fails to Make Changes After TLC Set the Stage

There was much talk over the past week of Raw's historically bad TV ratings, leading to frustration within the USA Network, per Alex McCarthy of TalkSport.

While this frustration was later tempered by reports from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Joshua Gagnon of Wrestling Inc), change was still expected.

Instead, the red brand pulled out the same content as always. The show started with a generic promo that led to the same wrestlers competing later in the night. The WWE TLC follow-up was slow and forgettable. Most of the matches lasted a few minutes despite three hours of run time.

This was a showcase of WWE's inability to change. The structure of the show remains the same at every time, and the pacing is never more important than the many commercial breaks. Nothing came out of Monday's edition that will have any implications for the future of the company.

In some ways, this show was worse than last week, and it did not do any favors to the show in an attempt to raise ratings. The only thing Raw had going for it was the aftershock of TLC, but even this was woefully utilized.

The show took hours to get to the aftermath of Randy Orton burning The Fiend, while Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles, The Miz and John Morrison remained much the same. Even Charlotte Flair's return felt like a return to the standard.