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With every passing week, WWE is inching closer to one of the most exciting premium live events of the year, Money in the Bank. On this week's RAW and SmackDown, four superstars earned tickets to their respective ladder matches.
Quite a few notable stories came out of WWE this week. The company subtly teased some future rivalries, hyped-up John Cena's upcoming return on RAW, and successfully pulled off an unpredictable appearance.
While some of these booking decisions have garnered positive reviews on social media, WWE's approach to building certain storylines hasn't gone down well with the wrestling community.
Without further ado, let's look at five stories from the world of WWE that generated buzz on social media this week.
#5. Sami Zayn qualifies for Money in the Bank: SmackDown
On the latest episode of SmackDown, Sami Zayn outsmarted Shinsuke Nakamura to punch his ticket to Money in the Bank. It will be the third time in his career that The Master Strategist will participate in the high-stakes ladder match.
Earlier in the night, Zayn had revealed that he wanted to win the MITB briefcase to protect Roman Reigns from the threat of a possible cash-in. Fans seem to be behind the idea of Sami Zayn potentially becoming Mr. MITB.
Here are some interesting tweets reacting to Sami Zayn's victory:
It will be intriguing to see what Sami Zayn does if he somehow gets hold of the Money in the Bank briefcase. Will he stay loyal to The Bloodline, or will his inner babyface re-emerge following this victory?
#4. Natalya mocks Ronda Rousey: Smackdown
Spicing up her rivalry with Ronda Rousey, Natalya appeared on the blue brand this week dressed as The Rowdy One. The Queen of Harts did a hilarious impersonation of the SmackDown Women's Champion, which prompted Rousey to come out.
The champion then cut a decent promo, criticizing Natalya for not getting the desired success despite her work ethic. The segment had its flaws, but it served its purpose by adding some much-needed heat to the rivalry.
Here are some reactions to the Ronda Rousey-Natalya segment:
A section of the WWE Universe is not convinced with the direction of this story.
Natalya will have a chance to shut down her critics when she squares up against The Baddest Woman on the Planet at Money in the Bank. Meanwhile, Ronda Rousey will look to extend her reign by triumphing over her former friend.
#3. Pat McAfee challenges Happy Corbin: SmackDown
Last week, Happy Corbin threatened to beat up beloved SmackDown commentator Pat McAfee for his harsh views on the former United States Champion. McAfee fired back at Corbin this week with a fiery promo.
The former NFL star blasted Corbin for trying to prevent him from expressing his opinions. McAfee stated that he loved his job as it made him feel alive. He ended his promo by issuing a challenge to Happy Corbin for a match at SummerSlam.
Here's how wrestling Twitter reacted to Pat McAfee's promo:
Even The Rock had high praise for McAfee's segment.
After his tremendous performance at WrestleMania 38, people are hyped to see Pat McAfee wrestle at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
#2. Elias makes his shocking WWE return: RAW
While WWE had already announced the return of Elias last week, fans were unsure how they could pull off having Elias and Ezekiel together at the same time.
On the latest edition of RAW, Elias proved that Ezekiel is indeed his younger brother and a completely different person. The two brothers appeared together in a backstage segment, removing all doubts that they were the same person.
Later in the night, The Drifter performed a concert for the audience, reminding everyone that WWE stood for "Walk With Elias." The segment was interrupted by Kevin Owens, who ended up getting Elias' guitar broken over his back.
Here are some amusing tweets about Elias' return to WWE:
It will be interesting to see where this story goes now that Elias is back. For a program that only had limited potential, WWE did a commendable job in keeping it entertaining for almost three months.
#1. Vince McMahon makes an unannounced appearance: RAW
This week's RAW opened in a surprising way with Vince McMahon coming out to greet the WWE Chairman. It was quite unusual to watch Mr. McMahon making back-to-back appearances in the span of a week.
He wasn't even advertised for the show, making RAW's segment even more extraordinary. The former Chairman narrated the history of Monday Night RAW to the audience before promoting the upcoming return of John Cena.
Here's what people had to say about Vince McMahon's RAW appearance:
McMahon recently stepped back as the CEO and Chairman of WWE. The decision came after The Wall Street Journal's report that the company's Board of Directors has launched an investigation regarding McMahon.
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