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With the WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view on the horizon, RAW looked to crown the final participant from the red brand for the MITB ladder match. After a Battle Royal early in the show, Drew McIntyre went on to win the Last Chance Triple Threat Match and earned the last spot.
Nikki Cross continued her new superhero gimmick on RAW, and she defeated Shayna Baszler to add another big victory to her résumé. But this victory came with a little controversy, as Alexa Bliss came out during the contest and helped Cross pick up the win. Will WWE pair Cross and Bliss on RAW once again?
WWE NXT also had some major matches and segments this week. Bronson Reed lost his NXT North American Championship after a hard-fought match against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. Earlier in the night, Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory unsuccessfully tried to take down Karrion Kross.
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After he lost his title so early in his reign, what's next for Reed? Are Kross and Gargano on a collision course for a title match?
Look who just shut down all of Tony Khan's critics! More HERE.
Over on the WWE SmackDown side of things, Zelina Vega made her surprising return this week. Sonya Deville gave her a spot in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, so she'll have a chance to quickly climb the ladder in the women's division. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins was unhappy after he was denied a shot at the Universal Championship.
Rollins will have to take on Cesaro to determine who will proceed to the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match. Will Rollins end up defeating Cesaro and ultimately winning the Money in the Bank contract again?
Let's take a look at the five biggest questions from this week’s episodes of WWE RAW, NXT, and SmackDown.
#5 Why did Damian Priest make his return in a Battle Royal on WWE RAW?
Damian Priest had been missing from WWE RAW for some time. He was part of a rivalry with The Miz and John Morrison for a few months, but he had been absent for several weeks before Monday's show.
WWE could have looked to bring back Priest in style and possibly place him into a noteworthy rivalry right away. Instead, he made his return duringthe Battle Royal that would determine the third member of the Last Chance Triple Threat Match later in the night.
Priest and Riddle were the last two men remaining in the ring, and after some close calls, Riddle eliminated Priest to win the match. If the plan all along had called for Riddle to emerge victorious, the creative team should have kept Priest out of this match.
Why did The Archer of Infamy return during a Battle Royal that he wound up losing? Does the WWE creative team not have any solid plans for the former NXT North American Champion?
Priest was doing well during the early months of his main roster run. He should have been kept out of the match on Monday unless there were plans to have him win the Triple Threat Match later in the show. Instead, Priest lost the battle royal, and it's unclear how he'll bounce back.
#4 Why didn’t Omos help AJ Styles win the Triple Threat Match on WWE RAW?
WWE RAW had some important matches this week. In the main event bout between AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre, Riddle, all three men tried to clinch the final spot in RAW's side of the Men's Money in the Bank ladder match. (Riddle was competing on Randy Orton’s behalf.)
The match offered fans plenty of exciting action. Riddle was injured during the contest, but he returned to the ring for the conclusion of the contest. He hit Styles with an RKO, but he failed to pick up the victory because Omos pulled his partner away.
In the end, McIntyre ultimately dropped Riddle with a Claymore to earn the win. It was good to see Omos protect his partner from taking the pin, but it's just as fair to question why the giant didn't help The Phenomenal One secure the pinfall.
Omos could have gotten involved in the contest more often without causing a disqualification. With the relaxed rules of the triple threat contest, he could have flattened Riddle and McIntyre in order to aid Styles in his quest to win the bout.
The least Omos could have done was break up the final pin to keep the match going so Styles would have had another chance to win the bout. On the other hand, WWE could have had the referee eject Omos early in the match to remove him from the equation. Instead, his presence made the finish even more questionable.
#3 Why is WWE NXT overdoing Samoa Joe’s involvement in segments?
Samoa Joe made his return to WWE NXT a few weeks ago. The Samoan Submission Machine was offered the role of General Manager by William Regal right away, but he chose to become the brand's enforcer instead.
Right after he picked up this new role, Joe was seen choking Adam Cole out to break up a brawl backstage. Since then, Joe has been extremely prominent on NXT. WWE seems to be giving him more time on television than several other top NXT Superstars.
It makes sense that the company would want to use a name of Joe's caliber in this prominent spot. But why is he involved in several segments on every show?
Joe has been seen staring down NXT Champion Karrion Kross on a few occasions, and he also interracted with several other stars. If WWE plans to bring him back to the ring soon, then these involvements make plenty of sense. But if that is not the case, then the company should hold him back a little.
Will Joe return to the ring soon to take on Adam Cole or Kross? Or is WWE just using his star power to give NXT’s ratings a boost? Only time will tell.
#2 What’s next for Bronson Reed after his surprising loss on WWE NXT?
Bronson Reed won the WWE NXT North American Championship from Johnny Gargano in a Steel Cage match in May. He then retained his title in a six-man Winner Takes All tag team match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House last month.
Shortly after this contest, Reed competed in a dark match on WWE SmackDown against Robert Roode. He defeated Roode and went on to compete against Drew Gulak on an episode of WWE Main Event.
By giving Reed these opportunities, it seemed like WWE was taking a lot of interest in him. This trend made his loss to Isaiah “Swerve” Scott on NXT even more shocking.
The end of Reed's short run as the NXT North American Champion raises a few questions. Will Reed remain on NXT following this loss? Was he being tested before a potential match with Karrion Kross for the NXT Championhip, or will The Colossal One move to the main roster in the weeks to come?
It was exciting to see Scott win his first title in the company on Tuesday, but The Colossal One will need to start rebuilding following his defeat on NXT.
#1 Why isn’t Liv Morgan part of the WWE Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match?
Liv Morgan has been a member of the WWE main roster for a while now. After she parted ways with The Riott Squad, Morgan was given short pushes on both RAW and SmackDown. Still, she has been kept out of the singles title scene on both brands.
Many fans were backing Morgan to become part of the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Some were even hoping to see her win the contract and possibly get a shot at the hold.
But WWE decided to pick SmackDown's participants without holding qualifying matches. Carmella and Zelina Vega have already been given spots by Sonya Deville.
Morgan has defeated both Carmella and Vega in recent weeks. So why is WWE keeping her away from the Money in the Bank match? Is the WWE creative team looking to build up her more before she officially enters the bout?
Eventually, Morgan might be added to the contest as one of the competitors in it. If she gets one of the remaining spots, she should be considered as one of the favorites to win the contract.
