Lashley Retains WWE Title, Bliss Torments Orton and More WWE Raw Fallout

Credit: WWE.com

It feels like we've said this a lot lately, but this week's Raw was a mix of high and low points. Some weeks are evenly split, but Monday's show seemed to falter more than usual.

The night started off hot with Bobby Lashley showcasing his new entrance and retaining the WWE Championship in a rematch against The Miz.

Sheamus and Drew McIntyre kept the momentum going with a brutal match that ended with both men knocking each other out with steel steps at the same time.

Braun Strowman and Shane McMahon had what can only be described as the most awkward segments of the night, and Alexa Bliss cast another spell on Randy Orton to close the show with another scene of The Viper vomiting up a black substance. 

Let's look at some of the most memorable moments from Raw and what they could mean for the future. 

Raw opened with an irate Miz talking about how much he has done for WWE during his career and why it was unfair to make him defend the WWE title last week when he said he was feeling sick.

The A-Lister was given a rematch that took place immediately following his promo, and Bobby Lashley came out with a brand-new entrance looking like an absolute beast.

MVP was in The All Mighty's corner, while John Morrison was there for his fellow turtleneck tough guy. The first few minutes of the match established the titleholder's dominance. 

As expected, this bout had the same outcome as their showdown last week: Lashley won with the Hurt Lock to solidify himself as the top guy on Raw.

Throughout the contest, the announcers kept referring to Drew McIntyre as the presumptive next challenger for The All Mighty. They specifically used the word "presumptive" several times, so a lot of fans online began speculating as to why.

Many felt the Scot would end up being taken out of the equation somehow, paving the way for somebody like Brock Lesnar. 

McIntyre and Sheamus continued their rivalry this week when The Celtic Warrior attacked the Scot backstage. This led to the former WWE champion demanding a No Disqualification match against the Irishman from Adam Pearce. 

The bout was booked and as Sheamus made his entrance, McIntyre got a small measure of revenge by attacking him from behind.

The fight that followed in the ring was full of the stiff strikes and trash-talking you would expect from these two. They are beefy powerhouses who put their weight behind their punches. If they don't have bruises in the morning, it will be a miracle, especially after kendo sticks were brought into play.

This could have been a great pay-per-view match at any event. They were as physical and intense as possible, which led to an entertaining encounter. 

They ended up colliding into each other with two sets of stairs in their hands, causing both men to take the brunt of the force to their heads. The ref checked on both before calling off the match and asking for medical assistance.

This was clearly a way to protect both men and extend the feud, which is a great decision. There is no reason to rush McIntyre vs. Lashley when a feud with Sheamus is so much more personal and interesting for The Scottish Warrior.

We should expect to see them clash at Fastlane on March 21 with a more dangerous stipulation than this. 

After losing a tag team title bout last week, Braun Strowman came out looking for an apology from Shane McMahon. Surprisingly, Shane-O-Mac came out, apologized and left. It was quick, but it also looked like he had something else to say.

Later in the night, Adam Pearce was told to get Strowman because McMahon did have something on his mind. The Monster Among Men met him in the ring but before he said what he had to say, McMahon walked up the ramp to keep a safe distance.

He said he likes to have fun and sometimes it comes at the expense of others. He then began mocking Strowman's intelligence and pretended to stutter. The Monster Among Men chased him to the back, but the WWE producer tricked him into thinking he took off in a car when he was actually hiding nearby.

This was a disaster of a segment. It took forever to get to the point and just ended up being a way for Shane-O-Mac to call Strowman dumb. It was poorly executed and awkward for everyone involved.

This is clearly building to a match between them at WrestleMania 37, but if WWE wants to make people care, it is going to have to do a lot better than what we saw here.

Strowman has been stuck in limbo for quite some time. WWE clearly doesn't want him back in the title picture yet, but it also doesn't want to use him to put other people over.

A match with McMahon could be a lot of fun, but the beginning of the buildup has been weak. WWE still has time to make this feud interesting, but it will take a lot of work after what we saw this week. 

Randy Orton and AJ Styles were having a competitive match to close the show when Alexa Bliss appeared on the big screen to taunt The Viper. She lit a match, and the ring posts erupted in flames.

Orton began to vomit up the same black substance we have seen in recent weeks, which allowed Styles to nail him with the Phenomenal Forearm for the win.

This is one of the strangest storylines WWE has run in years. It is clearly setting up The Fiend's return and giving Bliss a chance to chew the scenery, but the story being told is downright weird—and not in the creepy way WWE wants it to be. It's just baffling. 

Orton is doing his best to pull this off, and Bliss has been as enjoyable as ever. The problem is WWE can't pull this kind of thing off in 2021. If this was 1985-1990, fans would be more accepting of the idea of a pro wrestler having mystical powers.

WWE needs to pull the trigger and get Bray Wyatt back so it can finish this feud and move on. If it leads to a WrestleMania encounter, that has to be it.

Bliss should be put back into the hunt for a title, The Fiend needs a new rival, and Orton might benefit from some time away so he can return with a renewed sense of purpose.

This week's Raw had a few high points, but it had more segments that will be remembered for being goofy. Then again, this is pro wrestling: Goofy comes with the territory.