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We’re just under two weeks from SummerSlam, and WWE needed to ensure that this week’s episode of Raw built as much momentum as possible heading into The Biggest Party of the Summer.
With a card stacked with the industry's biggest stars, Raw delivered a show filled with many high points and surprises.
During the night we watched Seth Rollins battle Dolph Ziggler, while Becky Lynch first took on Alexa Bliss, followed by Nikki Cross.
To bring the heavyweights out, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe came face-to-face in a 'Samoan Summit' which ended in the way we expected it to end.
In this article, we will look at the 4 things WWE got just right on this week’s episode of Raw:
#4 Set up a Gauntlet Match
Since WWE has done away with automatic rematch clauses for championships, things have gotten a bit sillier on both Raw and SmackDown.
We’ve seen challengers get chances to win the title multiple times even after failing, while champions haven’t had the luxury of immediately getting a rematch for their lost title.
However, WWE has still given many Superstars a chance to get a rematch for their titles through different methods. A couple of weeks ago, Seth Rollins won a Battle Royal to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship once again.
On the other hand, Ricochet won a Gauntlet Match this week on Raw to get a rematch for the title he lost to AJ Styles. While it was odd that WWE handed Ricochet another opportunity just like it gave to Seth Rollins, they did so in a better fashion. Other Superstars like Rey Mysterio and Andrade got a chance to shine during the match which was much better to watch as compared to the chaotic Battle Royal.
See WWE RAW Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE RAW Results page
#3 Crowned new Tag Team Champions
Don’t get us wrong here, we’re all for The Revival being the Raw Tag Team Champions as they deserve the spot and the titles after some really good performances over the past couple of years.
However, WWE decided to surprise its fans by pushing Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to the top and crowned them the new Raw Tag Team Champions. While this was a very shocking move, it was a welcomed one as WWE had forgotten about the two extremely talented men over the past year or so.
Their return and team up with AJ Styles once again to reform The O.C. sparked their push which has landed them on the top pretty quickly.
What WWE has in The O.C. is a top heel stable which has been missing from Raw for quite some time. A heel stable always helps establish top babyfaces, such as Ricochet, and with all three men in the stable holding championships, we could see the opposite of The New Day taking over Raw.
#2 Continued the heat between Drew McIntyre and Cedric Alexander
I’m beginning to love this new rivalry in the middle of the card on Raw. WWE sparked a feud between Drew McIntyre and Cedric Alexander out of nowhere, and slowly it's developing into something very interesting.
McIntyre, who emerged as a top heel in the company last year has often been a constant in the main-event scene. Alexander, on the other hand, is a former Cruiserweight Champion and deserves the push he has been getting of late.
Now it seems like the two can feud in the middle of the card and stay relevant till opportunities open up with both the men.
WWE brought out Alexander once again this week as McIntyre was attacking Roman Reigns, and continued to keep the fire burning between the two men in order to book a big match between them which could be a show-stealer.
#1 Natalya’s attack on Becky Lynch
WWE added the fire that was sort of missing between these two women on Raw this week and has given us the top women’s match for SummerSlam.
Natalya and Lynch are no strangers to each other, but a build-up on social media rather than in the ring does not do too well at times. Therefore, WWE needed to bring out the ever-smiling Natalya out on Raw this week and deliver a warning to Becky Lynch.
Natalya first cleared out the heel team of Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross who were attacking Lynch after Cross was pinned by Lynch.
Natalya then applied her signature Sharpshooter to her SummerSlam opponent as revenge for the events from earlier in the day. She followed this up by issuing a challenge to Lynch for a submission match at SummerSlam which can now make things much more exciting for their clash at the event.
