WWE: 5 Biggest Winners from McMahon’s Fresh Start

Photo Credit: WWE.com

2. Natalya

One of the few shining lights of even the rougher episodes of Raw in recent months has been the women’s division. Whether it’s the ripple effects of Becky Lynch’s firmly snatching the spotlight or consistently great matches on a weekly basis from several superstars, the women have helped keep things rolling. This week on Raw, Ronda Rousey came out and showed herself to be a fighting champion by laying down an open challenge.

It’s exactly the kind of thing fans want from Rousey, who excels in the ring despite her struggles on the microphone. WWE had a great moment and exhibited the chaos of an open challenge, showing everyone in Raw’s women’s division backstage screaming at sound technicians to hit their music so they could head out and challenge Rousey. Stephanie McMahon intervened and announced a groundbreaking way to find a challenger, while simultaneously giving the women a huge spotlight on Raw.

In what would turn out to be the night’s main event, eight women competed in a gauntlet match with the winner to take on Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women’s Championship next week on Raw. Bayley had a great early showing, and we saw great performances from Ember Moon, Sasha Banks, and more. Everyone got the chance to shine, but only one woman could emerge victorious. After fighting through Ember Moon and Ruby Riott, Natalya found herself taking on Sasha Banks in the final stretch.

Sasha and Natalya had a spectacular match to close out the gauntlet, but it was Banks who ended up tapping out to the Sharpshooter. It was a huge win for Natalya, but the future could hold something even bigger. Now Natalya will get the opportunity to challenge her friend and training partner Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women’s Championship on Christmas Eve. Could there be any greater gift than a chance to end 2018 as Raw Women’s Champion?