I’m of the belief that No. 1 contendership matches are often as compelling as the title fights themselves, hence why the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches are so beloved. There’s so much possibility, so many scenarios playing out in your imagination — every No. 1 contender match is like a conference finals game seven — and Monday's “WWE Raw” had TWO of ‘em.

The women’s No. 1 contender was decided in a good old-fashioned battle royal match. Much respect to Liv Morgan for sitting ringside to watch even though she probably should’ve been in concussion protocol after eating a what-did-the-five-fingers-say-to-the-face type of slap from Bianca Belair.

Speaking of Belair, her and her tag team champion partner Jade Cargill had a moment where they were the only two in the ring and teased a faceoff. The day will come where we’ll get more than a staredown, more than a rowdy audience begging them to throw hands, more than a “what if.” Belair against Cargill will be the WWE equivalent of Amanda Nunes vs. Cris Cyborg, but they didn’t come to blows Monday.

Instead, Belair paid dearly for that slap when Liv and Raquel Rodriguez dragged her and Cargill up out of the match. Then, the talented, spectacular, mesmerizing Iyo Sky landed a gnarly German suplex on the apron, making her the No. 1 contender.

A Sky and Morgan feud? I’m subscribing.

We’ve talked about No. 1 contenders, let’s discuss something else …

A24 Horror Movie Contender

We’ve got The Miz (looking way too dapper in a suit unbefitting of a hostage) being held captive by The Wyatt Sicks, who are apparently taking video of him on a 1990s camcorder and s*** is getting real creepy (complimentary).

At what point does WWE just fully commit to going cinematic and make this storyline a movie? They made three 12 Rounds movies, can we get one Wyatt Sicks flick? (Yes, this is two weeks in a row that I’ve referenced 12 Rounds, and yes, we’ll be aiming to do it again next week.)

No. 1 reason to watch “Smackdown” this week

On the topic of making cinema, we got three of “Raw’s” best thespians in the ring together when Sami Zayn and the Usos continued their blood-is-thicker-than-water triangle.

I appreciated Sami getting fed up with Jimmy’s distrust and being willing to walk away from getting involved, because who would beg to continue being part of a dysfunctional family’s drama? That said, Jey invited Sami to “WWE SmackDown” to hash things out with Roman Reigns, so I’ll be there to find out how arguably the best drama on television plays out.

Anyway, let’s hand out some digital hardware because it’s ...

👑 The Uncrowned Monday Night MVP 👑

WE NEED TO START A CONVERSATION ABOUT DRAGON LEE.

On Monday, Lee put on a banger against Chad Gable and the whole time I was thinking, this looks so familiar. I realized after that it was all the shades of Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio laced throughout this match making me feel nostalgic, and now I’m here to say we need Dragon Lee more prominently featured in meaningful storylines because look how pumped folks were to see him in action.

While MVLee takes the Uncrowned crown tonight, he’s not the only one with rising stock.

👍 RAW WINNERS 👍

The War Raiders. Their entrance is sick, their matches are dope, and they scored a W over The New Day, continuing to build momentum with a Tag Team Championship match looming.

R-Truth. Always providing comedy, in this case while walking around backstage and doing everything from apologizing to Damian Priest for kicking him out of Judgment Day to wishing him luck in his “fatal five-way” match. It feels of the utmost importance that Truth be featured on every episode of “Raw,” whether he has a match or simply walks around backstage.

Damian Priest. He won a fatal four-way match against Seth Rollins, Sheamus, and Dominik Mysterio, making him the No. 1 contender for Gunther’s World Championship

How did the main event end?

Bronson Reed came out because where there’s Rollins, there’s Reed, behaving like whatever the opposite of a guardian angel would be. Reed wiped everyone except Dominik Mysterio out and it looked like he might pick up the win, but Priest got his revenge for last week’s loss to Dirty Dom and now he’s set to run it back with Gunther. Is it the freshest matchup? No. Is there any chance Priest beats Gunther? Also no. But will I be watching their feud? I mean, I just did when it happened back in July, but sure, let’s do this again.

👎 RAW LOSERS 👎

Adam Pearce. At this point I’m rooting for Pearce to use some PTO and take some time to himself because nobody respects the man and seemingly everyone is pressing him to make something happen.

The announce table. I know a table hates to see Bronson Reed coming.

Overall, a jam-packed “Raw” with match outcomes that’ll spill into the story for weeks (perhaps even months) deserves a clap, and a hefty …

👑 8.9/10 Crowns. 👑