This week, we learned about more entrants into the men’s and women’s Rumble matches and new contenders for championships were crowned. The company also heated up ongoing feuds on both brands.

WWE offered plenty of noteworthy segments and matches on this week’s shows. On RAW, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley had a heated confrontation. Likewise, on SmackDown, Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins traded verbal barbs.

RAW and SmackDown delivered on different fronts, which overall made it a productive week of action, just as the next few months should be. Leading up to the biggest show of the year, many fans expect the company to kick its product into high gear, and this objective has been apparent over the past few days.

With that said, let’s take a look at five WWE Superstars who impressed this week on RAW and SmackDown.

#5. WWE Hall of Famer Lita returned to SmackDown for the first time in nearly 20 years

On the January 7th episode of SmackDown, it was announced that a whole host of legends and Hall of Famers would return for the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Among others, four-time Women’s Champion Lita stood out among other surprise entrants.

Prior to this week’s episode of SmackDown, the company revealed that Lita would return earlier than the Royal Rumble, as she was announced to appear on Friday night. When she came to the ring, she did an interview with lead play-by-play commentator Michael Cole. Cole asked her a number of questions about her return, and the Hall of Famer made it clear that she was hoping for one more run.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair eventually interrupted the segment. The Queen poked fun at Lita and ultimately stated that she would put an end to the fan-favorite’s comeback. After some more verbal goading from Flair, Lita dropped the reigning champion with a Twist of Fate.

Overall, seeing Lita on SmackDown for the first time in nearly 20 years was an incredible moment. The legend showed the world that she’s back and she means business. It’ll be interesting to see how her quest to win the Royal Rumble and earn a title shot plays out over the coming weeks.

#4. Alpha Academy win the RAW Tag Team Championship

On this week’s episode of WWE RAW, RK-Bro and Alpha Academy faced each other once again with the RAW Tag Team Championship on the line. Otis and Chad Gable have been impressive over the last few weeks, and the duo turned in their best performance yet on Monday.

In a shocking twist, Alpha Academy pulled out a victory when Otis pinned Randy Orton after he dropped The Viper with a huge Powerslam. With the victory, Otis won his first title, and the new champions ended RK-Bro’s 142 -day reign.

#3. Madcap Moss picked up a victory against Sir Kofi Kingston on WWE SmackDown

There’s no denying that Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin are one annoying duo. However, it’s also clear that Madcap Moss gets the job done inside the ring. He once again proved himself this week on SmackDown.

Moss faced New Day member Sir Kofi Kingston and pulled off a surprising victory. He used his finisher, The Punch Line to finish Kingston off, capping off a stellar in-ring performance full of energy and endeavor. By pinning the former WWE Champion, it’s safe to say that Moss scored the biggest victory of his career on Friday.

#2. Aliyah breaks a WWE match record on SmackDown in her first main roster singles match

In recent weeks, WWE has been focusing on Natalya’s recent Guinness World Records that she has secured throughout her career.

Among other milestones, Natalya has competed in the most pay-per-view matches and secured the most wins in WWE history, compared to every other female wrestler. Her status as a record-breaker has seemingly become part of her gimmick, and she hoped to add another accomplishment to her list on Friday.

When the company announced that Natalya would face Aliyah this week, the former champion aimed to defeat her opponent in just a few seconds to break a record set by Trish Stratus. However, things didn’t go according to plan.

Despite a pre-match beatdown, Aliyah recovered and defeated Natalya in just 3.17 seconds to set the mark for the shortest match in WWE history. Aliyah has struggled to stand out on SmackDown, but her historic victory certainly opened some eyes on Friday.

#1. Doudrop becomes the new No.1 contender for the RAW Women’s Championship

A new challenger emerged for the RAW Women’s Championship this week. Prior to Monday’s episode of RAW, the company announced that Bianca Belair, Doudrop and Liv Morgan would compete in a Triple Threat match. The winner would go on to challenge Becky Lynch at the Royal Rumble event.

In the main event of RAW, the three women waged war in a thrilling contest. Thanks to some timely interference from Big Time Becks, Doudrop claimed the win when she pinned Morgan. After the bout, Doudrop and Lynch came face-to-face, and the champion slapped the new contender. Eventually, Doudrop sent Lynch out of the ring and ended the night standing tall.

Altogether, it turned out to be an impressive showing for the former NXT UK Superstar.

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