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Last week was huge in terms of WWE programming. Not only did we get our weekly dose of WWE RAW, NXT, and SmackDown, but also got two huge events in the form of TakeOver XXX and SummerSlam.
The Black and Gold brand got a new NXT Champion at TakeOver as Karrion Kross fought through a mid-match injury to win the title, while Io Shirai managed to defend her Women’s Championship against Dakota Kai.
A new North American Champion was crowned at TakeOver, while Finn Balor continued to make considerable strides in NXT.
At SummerSlam, Asuka failed to win the SmackDown Women’s title but defeated Sasha Banks to become a two-time RAW Women’s Champion. The Street Profits once again successfully defended their RAW Tag Team Championships, while Apollo Crews overcame MVP to retain his United States Championship.
Drew McIntyre managed to retain his WWE Championship, but Braun Strowman wasn’t as lucky as ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt defeated him for the Universal Championship.
In this article, we will look at the five this that must happen on this week’s RAW, NXT, and SmackDown to build towards WWE Payback.
#5 RETRIBUTION attacks Keith Lee on his WWE RAW debut
During last night’s WWE SummerSlam, it was announced that former NXT Champion Keith Lee would be making his way to RAW this week. Lee lost his NXT Championship on Saturday night to Karrion Kross and will be coming into the Red brand with a renewed energy.
While there are several feuds Keith Lee could be involved in after his RAW debut, WWE must allow the big man to have a big confrontation on his arrival.
On this week’s RAW, RETRIBUTION could beat down The Limitless One to send a message to the newest member of the roster. Rumors have it that either Dominik Dijakovic or Tommaso Ciampa could be the leader of RETRIBUTION. If they turn out to be true, it’d be great to see two former NXT Superstars ignite a rivalry on RAW to bring something new to the brand.
If Dijakovic is revealed to be the leader of RETRIBUTION in the weeks to come, the story will write itself as his last match on NXT was against Kross and Lee did not help his friend who was visibly hurt during the contest.
Will RAW pull off a big swerve and bring a major NXT rivalry straight to the Red brand?
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#4 Randy Orton demands a rematch for WWE Championship on RAW
SummerSlam was a big event, and one of the biggest matches on the card was the WWE Championship bout. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre took on Randy Orton in what was his biggest challenge to date.
While the two men seemed equal during the contest, a backslide pin from The Scottish Psychopath allowed him to pick up a victory. Surprisingly, Orton did not attack McIntyre after the match or deliver an RKO to make a statement.
While the match at SummerSlam may have had a bit of a surprise ending, given none of the Superstars used their finishers, it will be interesting to see what Orton has to say on RAW
On this week’s RAW, Orton should call out Drew McIntyre and demand a rematch for the WWE Championship with a special stipulation in mind. This match already has a strong storyline, and with Payback only a few days away, WWE will need a marquee match for the pay-per-view with the potential for a title change.
#3 Raquel Gonzalez targets Rhea Ripley on WWE NXT
After Io Shirai managed to defeat Dakota Kai at WWE NXT TakeOver XXX, Raquel Gonzalez tried to assault the NXT Women’s Champion to make a point. However, Rhea Ripley arrived on time and helped Shirai fend off the attack.
On this week’s NXT, WWE must build on this moment and give Gonzalez a chance to attack Ripley either backstage or during a match. Gonzalez deserves to rise as a solo competitor, and we could see a rivalry against The Nightmare help her grow on NXT.
The NXT women’s division has shaped up really well this year and giving Gonzalez and Ripley a top rivalry will help the two women progress to the top.
It could also allow Shirai and Ripley to team up against Kai and Gonzalez, leading to The Nightmare turning heel and targeting The Jodi Judas for her NXT Women’s title.
While we’ve seen Ripley do well on NXT as a babyface, a heel run for the Superstar could help her become an unstoppable force!
#2 Damian Priest finds his first challenger on WWE NXT
At TakeOver XXX, five WWE Superstars competed for a chance to claim the vacant NXT North American Championship. Bronson Reed, Johnny Gargano, The Velveteen Dream, and Cameron Grimes were all unsuccessful in their attempts to retrieve the gold. It was Damian Priest who managed to snatch the title out of Gargano’s hands to pick up the victory.
While Priest must be enjoying his first title in WWE, The Archer of Infamy must meet his first challenger on NXT this week to make things interesting for the Superstar immediately.
During this week’s show, we could see Priest come out to address to WWE Universe following his NXT North American Championship victory. Following his celebrations, WWE must allow Gargano to blindside him and attack him to make a statement.
Johnny Wrestling came very close to becoming the NXT North American Champion at TakeOver, and he should be allowed to be the first one to compete against The Archer. NXT has managed to create some great heel vs. heel rivalries, and this one could help Priest get on top after his first title victory in NXT.
#1 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt vows revenge on Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown
The main event of WWE SummerSlam saw ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt challenge Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship. The two big men had a good back and forth match before The Fiend delivered a Sister Abigail to Strowman on the exposed ring wood to pick up the victory.
The WWE Universe was in for a surprise as Roman Reigns made his return and attacked both Strowman and Wyatt after their match.
On this week’s SmackDown, we will likely see the new Universal Champion host a new episode of The Firefly Fun House. During the segment, WWE must allow Wyatt could send down a warning to Reigns and remind him how The Fiend never forgets.
WWE will be looking to bring Reigns back with a big rivalry, and a rivalry against the new World Champion would be perfect for someone who’s known as the face of the company.
WWE could develop this rivalry for several weeks without much physicality between the two before having a showdown at a major event.
