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This week's edition of RAW was met with a mixed response, and understandably so. The build to SummerSlam continued on the Red brand and things did, in fact, heat up.
One example was Reginald's incredible ring entrance and exit as the 24/7 Champion, while Drew McIntyre's feud with Jinder Mahal continued to intensify. Mansoor and Mustafa Ali picked up their first win as a tag team against Mace and T-Bar.
A lot happened on RAW this week, with the women once again headlining the show. Did Bobby Lashley issue a formal response to Goldberg? Who were the new title contenders that emerged? We highlight this, some of the big feuds on RAW, and what WWE subtly told us this week:
#6. The RAW Women's title picture means a delayed return
Nikki A.S.H. opened the show this week just as she closed it the previous week - by celebrating. She had seven days to process her RAW Women's Championship victory and the live crowd in Kansas City loved her.
However, it should come as no surprise that five-time RAW Women's Champion Charlotte Flair interfered, completely discredited Nikki, and went on with the same promo that she usually cuts.
Rhea Ripley interjected as well and after all the verbal chaos, it was Sonya Deville who came out to announce a Triple Threat Match for the RAW Women's Championship at SummerSlam 2021.
Flair wanted a non-title match to prove that Nikki A.S.H.'s win was just a fluke and it was made official. In the main event, she defeated Nikki in a bizarre decision - seemingly to troll fans.
The RAW Women's Champion cut a bad promo after the match saying she "almost" beat her, which doesn't make her seem like a great babyface champion. She challenged Flair to a rematch on RAW next week and the latter accepted before ending the show with a beatdown.
The Triple Threat bout is a good match and hopefully it will mark the end of either Charlotte Flair or Rhea Ripley looming around the RAW Women's title picture. What it also means is that the delay of Becky Lynch's return is now confirmed. With the SummerSlam match set, there seems to be no way that WWE will bring Lynch before The Biggest Party of the Summer.
The RAW after SummerSlam seems to be a realistic target for Becky Lynch to return. But that means her return would have been delayed for five months more than expected.
#5. Who is next for the RAW Tag Team Champions?
AJ Styles and Omos faced The Viking Raiders once again in a defense of the RAW Tag Team Championship. Early on, Styles was about to lose the titles but Omos saved the day for them.
It was a typical match with The Phenomenal One and Omos, with the latter doing the heavy lifting. The only difference is that this time around, it was AJ Styles who got the pinfall victory for his team. This seems to be the end of their brief rivalry with The Viking Raiders despite a great effort from the former Champions.
Who could be next? There's only one answer - RK-Bro. Randy Orton has been quietly kept away from RAW (and WWE TV in general) since the build to Money in the Bank 2021 and he is rumored to be returning to WWE TV next week.
During Riddle's match against John Morrison on RAW, Styles and Omos came out to cost The King Of Bros for no actual reason. Omos shattered his beloved scooty, resulting in Morrison getting the win.
AJ Styles performed the post-match beatdown, teasing Randy Orton's return for next week on RAW and a SummerSlam feud.
#4. The summer of Damian Priest on RAW?
As expected, Damian Priest entered United States title contention immediately on RAW this week. He faced Sheamus in the increasingly frequent "Championship Contenders Match" and he was unsurprisingly victorious.
It was a good match on the Red brand and a good showcase for relative newcomer Damian Priest. Six months on the main roster isn't exactly "new," but he still feels that way since this is only going to be his second rivalry on the main roster.
When Priest ended his feud with The Miz and John Morrison on RAW, he was either kept away or sparsely utilized. Now that Sheamus' feud with Humberto Carrillo is over, he is a logical United States Championship contender.
Hopefully, their match takes place at SummerSlam and not on RAW. We're not crazy about these "Championship contender" matches that give away the main match on free television, but it seems to be a phase that WWE is going through now.
If done right, this could be the summer of Damian Priest on RAW. He's been getting a great reaction and this should be a fun rivalry to watch.
#3. Lily-Lution stops Eva-Lution on RAW
In yet another "Championship Contenders Match" on RAW, Eva Marie and Doudrop attempted to enter tag team title contention. They had to face and beat the Women's Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina for that.
Early on in the match, Natalya suffered an injury that could turn out worse than we thought. Tamina was the one who had to carry her team on RAW and considering the situation, she did a great job of it. Ultimately, it was Eva Marie's overconfidence that stopped her from winning, as well as an indirect interference from Alexa Bliss.
While the multi-time RAW Women's Champion didn't come out herself, a video played in the titantron stating that the "Lily-Lution" was beginning. As of this writing, however, the only real concern is as to whether Natalya is going to be ok or not.
She limped after the match and was being helped to the back, with Tamina eventually coming to her aid as well. Hopefully, the injury isn't as bad as it looks. As of now, the Women's Tag Team Championship won't be a priority on RAW. The Alexa Bliss-Eva Marie feud has begun on the Red brand as well.
#2. Is there a backstage issue holding Keith Lee back on RAW?
In what seemed to be a lose-lose situation, Karrion Kross vs. Keith Lee was booked for RAW. Lee returned to RAW last week after months away and lost to Bobby Lashley, which is fine in itself.
It was Kross, however, who needed the win more. He lost to Jeff Hardy last week after spending his entire NXT run undefeated. Interestingly, Keith Lee was also the man who Karrion Kross defeated to capture the NXT title last year.
It wasn't an ideal match, but Lee looked much better this week than he did last week on RAW. Perhaps that was due to the ring rust, but this match certainly delivered.
Thankfully, it was Kross who got the much-needed victory on the Red brand. But there is some speculation that much of this has to do with a backstage issue that Keith Lee has with a trademark on his name.
We hope that there isn't any backstage issue, but the handling of Lee on RAW seems to indicate that there is something going on.
#1. An All Mighty beating on RAW
With Bobby Lashley's incredible victory on RAW, one thing is clear - few superstars in WWE can pull off squash matches the way he does. The All Mighty WWE Champion came out in response to Goldberg's challenge last week on RAW.
However, Lashley said that he wouldn't even dignify the Hall of Famer's challenge with a response. He was met by two of his former Hurt Business faction members, Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin. Without much hesitation, he accepted their challenge and said that he will face both men at the same time.
The handicap match turned into a squash match on RAW. Bobby Lashley looked incredible in the match and won with relative ease. There still isn't an official update on the Lashley-Goldberg match since we didn't get a conclusive answer on the Red brand.
But the fact that Goldberg didn't even appear on RAW came as no surprise. Either way, the match will inevitably be made for SummerSlam, whether it's next week or the week after that.
What isn't certain, however, is the status of Bobby Lashley's WWE Championship reign. He has been well-protected so far (minus the build to Money in the Bank), so it will be interesting to see if Goldberg is the man that eventually becomes the face of RAW, even for a short while.
