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From an appearance by Shawn Michaels to Mickie James making an in-ring return, this week's edition of WWE RAW featured many contrasting moments.
It's been debated whether or not WWE has been following the same episodic format since the 90s, but recent episodes have felt like a breath of fresh air. Despite some faults, last night's show was engaging from start-to-finish, and that can be attributed to the writers, who have been experimenting with the format a bit.
What I can definitely say is that WWE SummerSlam is shaping up to be one of the most unique events of 2020.
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Let us know what you thought about this particular episode in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE RAW (August 17, 2020).
#5: RETRIBUTION's actions led to a confrontation between Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins
Last night's WWE RAW started off on an unusual note. You could tell that RETRIBUTION had to do something with the glitchy opening and other production issues during Drew McIntyre's promo.
We later witnessed some footage of RETRIBUTION taking over the production truck, which would be the first and last time they would be seen during this week's edition of RAW.
Compared to the previous episode of SmackDown, RETRIBUTION's actions on RAW didn't feel as big in magnitude. From a production standpoint, it was pretty engaging, but there was more depth to their attacks on the Blue brand.
Still, we got Monday Night RAW's own version of a roster meeting, where Drew McIntyre wanted all Superstars to team up against RETRIBUTION. Just like King Corbin wanted to take charge on the Blue brand, Seth Rollins crashed RAW's roster meeting to do the same.
While we didn't get a brawl or a match, it was interesting and unexpected to see Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre crossing paths days before their important bouts take place at SummerSlam.
#4: Marina Shafir made her RAW Underground debut in an interesting series of events
The Four Horsewomen of MMA have been a hot topic of conversation ever since WWE's Women's Revolution kicked into full gear.
Although Ronda Rousey isn't around anymore, Shayna Baszler has been a dominant force on WWE RAW, and it looks like Jessamyn Duke & Marina Shafir have also arrived to establish a trio.
Last night, RAW Underground showcased some hard-hitting bouts featuring Dolph Ziggler and The Viking Raiders, but it ended on an important note when Marina Shafir made her debut on RAW Underground.
After an impressive fight, a recently suspended Nia Jax crashed the scene and prompted Shayna Baszler to go one-on-one with her. We know that both of these women have bad blood against each other, and RAW Underground is the perfect type of place for that to go down in the near future.
While Baszler has solidified herself as the next challenger for the RAW Women's Title after WWE SummerSlam, things may change if Nia Jax comes out on top in this feud.
Regardless, it was great to see that WWE incorporated actual MMA stars in a combat sports presentation.
#3: Rey and Dominik Mysterio got some revenge against Seth Rollins & Murphy before WWE SummerSlam
WWE had teased that Rey Mysterio would be coming to RAW this week, which was seemingly confirmed when the commentary team couldn't stop mentioning those "rumors" last night.
Rey and Dominik Mysterio did a bit of father-son bonding in the ring, as Dominik is set to take on Seth Rollins in a Street Fight at WWE SummerSlam. As expected, Seth Rollins & Murphy were called out during this segment, even though the odds of winning a brawl were stacked against Rey and Dominik.
In a twist, the babyfaces procured a pair of kendo sticks to get some revenge against the heels, and just when Rollins was about to suffer the same bruises as Dominik, Murphy's distraction allowed The Monday Night Messiah to make an escape.
Rey vs. Rollins wasn't the most thrilling WWE feud we have seen in recent months, even though it had its own share of good moments. But since it was confirmed that Rey vs. Rollins was only a prequel to Dominik's WWE debut, matters have become heated in the most entertaining way possible.
#2: Zelina Vega was revealed as the person who poisoned Montez Ford a few weeks ago
Zelina Vega and her associates appeared numerous times during this week's episode of WWE RAW.
Samoa Joe obtained some footage thanks to WWE's intense security sweeps due to RETRIBUTION's attacks, and it revealed Zelina Vega as the person who poisoned Montez Ford a few weeks ago.
Like Bianca Belair said in the tweet above, it's not really surprising that Zelina was the perpetrator here, since we knew that all along. But as an arc, this was still entertaining in a silly way.
I also liked how Samoa Joe has gotten involved with WWE storylines recently. Even Seth Rollins approached him during a match between a returning Mickie James and Natalya, and it seemed as if everyone wants to know how Joe is "obtaining" backstage information.
I will say that it took a lot away from the in-ring return of Mickie James, and it just goes on to show how several segments bleeding into each other has it's own set of disadvantages too.
Regardless, Montez Ford returned later in the night and scored a victory against Andrade, and Street Profits celebrated together on the final edition of WWE RAW before SummerSlam.
#1: Randy Orton brutalized Shawn Michaels and attacked Drew McIntyre at the end of the night
We all knew that Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton were set to cross paths on the final edition of WWE RAW before SummerSlam.
That is exactly what happened, and even though there wasn't any plot twist with regards to Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton's feud this week, it still remains one of the most exciting feuds heading into SummerSlam.
Both men have done some great character work so far, and they even brawled for a while last night. Orton still managed to strike the WWE Champion with an RKO, despite what happened to Shawn Michaels just a few moments ago.
But the final stare between both competitors tells me that it's going to take more than one RKO to end the WWE Champion's reign anytime soon.
Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre have had an amazing year so far, and their match at WWE SummerSlam was bound to happen sooner than later. But this is also a matchup with huge consequences, and based on what we have seen so far, its unlikely that both performers will disappoint audiences this Sunday.
