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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE told us on the RAW before SummerSlam 2020. It was a solid episode as a whole and did a good job of building up the hype for SummerSlam 2020.
It's certainly going to be interesting to see how the entire PPV plays out. RAW Underground was fantastic as usual, with some new names popping up (we'll get to that later). We even saw the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Erik from The Viking Raiders, and Riddick Moss have significant roles in Shane McMahon's brainchild setting.
However, we're going to start things off with the final segment of RAW and the most important match on the SummerSlam 2020 card - the WWE title match between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton.
#7. Victim number five for Randy Orton on RAW - Is Drew McIntyre victim number six?
Randy Orton has been the star of RAW for a few months now, as has the WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. If anything, Drew McIntyre should be praised for how he's helped carry the RAW brand during the COVID/Pandemic era of WWE.
While the circumstances may not be in his favor, he's certainly making the most of it. It only makes sense that the two biggest and hottest stars on the RAW roster go head-to-head in the SummerSlam 2020 main event.
Shawn Michaels returned to RAW this week to confront Randy Orton and he ripped him apart for feeling like he was "owed" the mentorship of the greatest of all time in Ric Flair. It was another great promo, further emphasizing our point of how the "old guard" continues to show the emphasis of strong promos.
The segment, of course, saw Shawn Michaels eat an RKO and a punt in quick succession - but this time, Drew McIntyre was a little quicker to come out. There was finally a brawl between the two on RAW and McIntyre managed to dispose of Orton outside the ring before The Viper came back and hit an RKO on the WWE Champion.
This could be a foreshadowing that Drew McIntyre might end up retaining the WWE title at SummerSlam. It could end up being the biggest win of McIntyre's career - let alone his reign as WWE Champion. However, the fact that there's the Payback PPV just a week later makes us feel like RETRIBUTION could get involved in a dusty finish - prompting an immediate rematch a week later.
#6. Apollo Crews vs The Hurt Business and a heel turn tease on RAW
Rising RAW star Apollo Crews had another tussle with The Hurt Business. While he had to face the 3-on-1 numbers game at first, Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, and Ricochet came in for the rescue and it would set-up a six-man tag team match.
What was interesting was the backstage segment where Apollo Crews said that they would have a six-man elimination tag team match involving himself, Mustafa Ali, and Ricochet against the three men in The Hurt Business.
Cedric Alexander was quite perplexed as to why he wasn't chosen for the match - seemingly offended. MVP confronted him about it backstage on RAW and provoked him, telling him that his offer to join The Hurt Business was still on the table. He told him to "enjoy catering" before leaving.
The six-man tag team match on RAW saw Ricochet and Mustafa Ali eliminated first, with Apollo Crews eliminating Shelton Benjamin and MVP before Bobby Lashley finished the worn-down United States Champion. Cedric Alexander stole Shelton Benjamin's 24/7 title by pinning him after his elimination, but Shelton Benjamin regained it for the second time that night after Alexander defeated Akira Tozawa.
A bizarre turn of events, but a heel turn for Cedric Alexander could be coming.
#5. WWE brutally ignores Mickie James' RAW return
WWE veteran and six-time Champion Mickie James made her return to RAW after over 18 months - and her return to the ring after 14 months. She had gotten injured in a live event against Carmella, where a freak ACL tear kept her out for a long time.
When she returned to RAW last week, she was immediately confronted by Lana and Natalya - with the match against the latter being announced. They faced off this week and it was...underwhelming, to say the least. Not only did WWE put up a short match between the two on RAW, but the match itself was entirely ignored in favor of Seth Rollins' conversation with Samoa Joe.
Seth Rollins confronted Samoa Joe, who seems to be the new "insider" on the commentary team. With rumors of Rey Mysterio returning, Seth Rollins hounded Samoa Joe to see if it was true and how he knew that the legend would be coming back.
The problem with this conversation was that it was WWE essentially telling us that Mickie James' return match holds no importance. We're aware that it may not be the most important feud, but are they doing right by the talent to have a match serve as a backdrop?
#4. The importance of Shayna Baszler on RAW
Shayna Baszler held a surprisingly important role on the WWE RAW before SummerSlam - especially for a Superstar who doesn't even have a match on the PPV.
For starters, she teamed up with Asuka to face The Golden Role Models. Despite a mid-match attack from Nia Jax, Baszler managed to help Asuka secure the victory after choking out and submitting SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley.
She was then seen backstage with Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir - three of the four horsewomen. They entered RAW Underground and started wreaking havoc until Nia Jax came and attacked both Duke and Shafir before running away.
A few things seem to have been hinted here. Firstly, Shayna Baszler isn't that far off from a title shot. Secondly, her feud with Nia Jax seems to have been cemented and she'll be the "babyface" of the feud without having to actually turn face. Thirdly, Duke and Shafir could soon become permanent members of RAW, helping her the way they did in NXT.
#3. The Montez Ford poisoning and aftermath on RAW
It was a successful night for Angel Garza on RAW, up until the end of his match. After that, it all went downhill. Angelo Dawkins found footage via Samoa Joe - revealing that it was, in fact, Zelina Vega who poisoned Montez Ford.
The episode of RAW saw the return of Montez Ford, who launched an assault and would later face and defeat Andrade, via the help of his wife Bianca Belair. It was interesting to see how the story played out and given the way things are going, we won't be surprised to see Andrade and Angel Garza capture the titles from The Street Profits - who have been Champions for close to six months now.
It's not often that we get to see such long reigns with the RAW Tag Team Titles, but The Street Profits are one of the few teams that got to experience that - having the longest RAW Tag Team title run in years.
#2. Was a Seth Rollins-Drew McIntyre feud teased again on RAW?
RETRIBUTION's appearance on RAW this week was limited but impactful. Last week, we saw them throw a cinder block through the glass and flip a car upside down. But this week, they went to the RAW production truck and interrupted Drew McIntyre's promo - with the graphics going haywire and the RAW production staff being chased away or beaten up.
There was a cut to the commercial on RAW but when things returned, there was a commotion in the locker room. Drew McIntyre came back and everyone was buzzing about how to stop RETRIBUTION.
Seth Rollins swooped in and insulted Drew McIntyre, telling him that being a World Champion doesn't make him a locker room leader. He even cited their match at Money in the Bank 2020, taking credit for shaping Drew McIntyre as the WWE Champion.
The two would have a tense confrontation. While a feud won't happen immediately, WWE intentionally teased running it back between the two. They had a great match at Money in the Bank 2020.
#1. Will Rey Mysterio help Dominik overcome Seth Rollins after his return to RAW?
Rey Mysterio made his return to RAW this week amidst heavy rumors. He was furious at Seth Rollins for what he did to his son Dominik Mysterio last week on RAW. Dominik Mysterio came out with him as well, clutching his ribs in pain after taking 30 kendo stick shots the previous week.
Seth Rollins and Murphy came out, but this time around, they were ambushed by Mysterio and Dominik, with the latter going in with a kendo stick and attacking both Seth Rollins and Murphy. The RAW duo was driven out of the ring and it's going to be fun to see how their Street Fight at SummerSlam plays out.
We still expect Seth Rollins to defeat Dominik, but it's likely the most highly-anticipated match on the entire card right now, let alone on RAW. Rey Mysterio will be in Dominik's corner for what we hope will be a great match. Will Dominik Mysterio exact revenge for his father? Or will he learn the harsh realities of being a WWE Superstar?
How did Ric Flair spend $1500 at a pizza place? More details here
