5 things we learned from WWE TV this week: Brock Lesnar's status, SummerSlam and more

This week's episodes of WWE Raw and SmackDown Live are in the books, and once again we've learned a lot more about the current state of WWE as the company heads into SummerSlam.

Both Raw and SmackDown Live were solid shows this week, highlighted by an entertaining Gauntlet match on Raw which saw Ricochet punch his ticket to SummerSlam, and an excellent main event on SmackDown Live featuring Champion vs Champion bout between Kofi Kingston and AJ Styles.

Let's take a look at five things we learned from WWE TV this week.

#5 Vince McMahon is counter-programming

WWE might never admit this, but the company is definitely already counter-programming as it anticipates the arrival of All Elite Wrestling to TNT this fall.

It was announced last week that AEW will officially premiere on TNT on October 2nd, just two days before WWE SmackDown Live makes the move to FOX Sports.

Just a week ago, Vince McMahon criticized AEW for using "blood and guts" during the promotion's debut Double Or Nothing PPV event, but this week's episode of WWE Raw featured Seth Rollins bleeding following an attack by Brock Lesnar.

Furthermore, WWE is pushing the envelope with edgier content such as Trish Stratus cursing on SmackDown Live this week, and Maria Kanellis becoming the first pregnant Champion in WWE history.

Additionally, WWE is all-in on The OC, making sure there are constant reminders from members of The OC and the announce team that the faction is the only club that truly matters in pro wrestling. If that is not enough, The Good Brothers, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, are your new Raw Tag Team Champions, meaning WWE is sending clear signals that the company is aware of the competition which is heating up in the wrestling world, and Vince McMahon is bracing his product.

#4 Paul Heyman continues to roll on Monday Nights

Paul Heyman is well into his run as the new Executive Director of Monday Night Raw, and the show continues to flourish under the guidance of Brock Lesnar's "advocate."

The WWE 24/7 Championship continues to be a big priority in WWE, and this week the storyline took a major turn when Mike Kanellis won the title, then immediately lost it to his pregnant wife Maria Kanellis.

Maria is indeed pregnant in real life, so fans should not expect the current 24/7 Champion to get physical on Raw or SmackDown Live, which means WWE will have to come up with a creative way to eventually take the title off Maria.

Whether or not you enjoy the current storylines on Raw, or feel the current 24/7 storyline is over-the-top, Paul Heyman is definitely experimenting with new ideas to freshen up his product as WWE looks ahead to its mega-deal with NBCUniversal.

#3 Trish Stratus will return to action at WWE SummerSlam

The WWE SummerSlam card continues to take shape, as it was announced on SmackDown Live this week that Trish Stratus will be returning to action at the big PPV to face Charlotte Flair. It was also set on WWE Raw this week that Ricochet will challenge AJ Styles for the WWE United States Champion in a highly-anticipated rematch from WWE Extreme Rules.

Below is the updated card for WWE SummerSlam, taking place on August 11th in Toronto, Ontario, Canada:

-Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins

-Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Natalya

-WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton

-SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Ember Moon

-Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon

-Finn Bálor vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt

-United States Champion AJ Styles vs. Ricochet

-The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler

-Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair

While not confirmed, it's likely that Shinsuke Nakamura vs Ali for the WWE IC Title will be added to SummerSlam, as well as Raw, SmackDown and Women's Tag Team Title matches.

#2 Shane McMahon is not missed on WWE TV

This week's episode of WWE SmackDown Live kicked off with Shane McMahon announcing via pre-taped video that he would not be on the show this week.

McMahon went on to note that he blames Kevin Owens for McMahon's absence on SmackDown this week, but that he will defeat Owens at SummerSlam to put KO out of WWE.

It was reported several weeks ago that the plan following SummerSlam is to feature Shane McMahon much less on WWE TV, so new talents can get a chance to shine, and judging by this week's episode of SmackDown, Shane is not a necessary component to WWE TV.

While Shane is a great performer on the mic, it feels like he has overstayed his welcome on WWE TV, and his absence will allow other talents such as Liv Morgan, Apollo Crews, Buddy Murphy, and more, to have their chance at taking on bigger WWE TV roles.

#1 It's clear why WWE fans dislike Brock Lesnar

One of the main reasons why WWE fans dislike Brock Lesnar is because he is a rarity on TV, meaning the Universal Champion is not featured on a weekly basis on WWE's flagship show, Monday Night Raw.

During an interview with The Hindu last week, Seth Rollins trashed Brock Lesnar as Universal Champion, saying, “No kid in the world grows up wanting to be a ‘Brock Lesnar. He might be a great wrestler/ performer, but he doesn’t inspire anyone, doesn’t do anything for the brand or business, and most of all, he’s a terrible champion.”

In addition to fans disliking Brock Lesnar's limited WWE schedule, it became apparent on Raw this week that another reason why fans dislike Lesnar is because when he does show up on WWE TV, he rarely "participates". Brock Lesnar segments on Raw usually entail Lesnar standing in the middle of the ring doing nothing while Paul Heyman cuts promos, and it was evident on Raw this week that Lesnar has a tremendous ability to entertain when he is actually participating in the show.

What else did we learn from WWE TV this week? Let us know in the comment section!

Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE