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With WWE SummerSlam and NXT TakeOver XXX approaching fast, we saw WWE deliver three good shows last week. WWE RAW saw Seth Rollins dish out a lot of punishment to Dominik Mysterio, while Randy Orton did the unthinkable by laying waste to Ric Flair.
Asuka was able to defeat Bayley to earn her shot at the RAW Women’s Championship held by Sasha Banks, and Shayna Baslzer ran through some women during RAW Underground.
WWE NXT started with a big victory for Karrion Kross, who then attacked his future opponent Keith Lee in a unique manner. Shotzi Blackheart seems to have found a partner in Rhea Ripley in her fight against The Robert Stone Brand, while Adam Cole and The Undisputed Era are now entirely focused on Pat McAfee.
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WWE SmackDown had one of the best shows of the month as we saw Big E get some big moments while RETRIBUTION returned to lay waste to the SmackDown brand once again.
Asuka ended her week on a high by winning the Triple Brand Battle Royal to also become the #1 contender for the SmackDown Women’s title, and she is set for two huge matches at WWE SummerSlam.
The final moments of SmackDown saw an entirely new side of Braun Strowman who even attacked Alexa Bliss to show that he’s not the same man he once used to be.
In this article, we will look at the five things that must happen on WWE RAW, NXT, and SmackDown to make things more interesting for the two big events.
#5 Shane McMahon builds Shayna Baszler as an unstoppable force on WWE RAW Underground
Last week on WWE RAW, Shayna Baszler appeared on the RAW Underground segment and stood toe-to-toe with the gigantic Dabba-Kato. Shane McMahon had to step in to separate the two on WWE RAW, following which Baszler ran through a few women around RAW Underground to make her point.
Tom Colohue revealed on the Dropkick DiSKussions podcast this week that Shane was a big fan of Baszler, and that’s the reason why he chose her to appear in RAW Underground at a time when the creatives of the Red brand do not have space in the RAW Women’s Championship picture for her.
"Yes, there were a lot of changes to the RAW Women's title picture and the idea of Shayna Baszler being there is in and out. She has been very in and out of plans. But what I will say is that Shane McMahon is actually a very big fan of Baszler. So he saw a chance to use her, and I thought in that particular environment, he used her very well."
Keeping that in mind, we could see Shane further push Baszler on RAW Underground to make her an unstoppable force. This week, Shane must allow Baszler to run through some more talent before announcing that anyone who can dare to last in the ring against The Queen of Spades for a set limit of time will earn a reward.
Such a storyline will make Baszler the benchmark for RAW Underground and allow WWE to build the former NXT Women’s Champion for a push into the RAW Women’s Championship picture later on.
#4 Drew McIntyre manages to save Shawn Michaels on WWE RAW
If you’ve been watching WWE RAW in recent months, you’d be well aware of the fact that Randy Orton is on a path of destruction. While Seth Rollins has been focusing all of his villainous energy on Rey Mysterio and his son, Orton is busy spring cleaning the WWE locker room off legends.
After taking out Edge, Orton has already targeted and sent Christian, The Big Show, and even Ric Flair to the emergency room. This week on WWE RAW, Flair’s good friend Shawn Michaels will appear to possibly confront The Viper and call him out for his actions.
While we already know that this won’t end well for HBK, who is a legend himself, The Viper must not be allowed to take out The Heartbreak Kid on this week’s show. Instead, WWE must allow WWE Champion Drew McIntyre to make the save at the right time, and plant Orton with the Claymore Kick.
Last week, McIntyre was too late and was unable to protect The Nature Boy from the Punt Kick. However, McIntyre needs to get his hands on Orton at least once before WWE SummerSlam, and this could be the perfect opportunity for him to do so.
#3 Pat McAfee blindsides Adam Cole once again on WWE NXT
Pat McAfee can’t seem to keep his mouth in check, and after offending former WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole during his show, McAfee crossed the line once again on NXT a couple of weeks ago.
While it seemed like McAfee and Cole had made up, McAfee had a few vile things to say about Cole on commentary leading to a war of words between the two men. Not only did this result in The Undisputed Era losing their match against Imperium for the NXT Tag Team Championships, but it also led to McAfee blindsiding Cole and Punt kicking him to make a point.
Cole called out McAfee once again to meet him face to face in the NXT ring, and the former NFL player accepted the invitation. This week, we must see an intense segment between Cole and McAfee, following which McAfee must push The Panama City Playboy far enough to make him try and attack McAfee.
After evading the attack, McAfee must Punt kick Cole once again to get on top in this rivalry and make Cole seem like the underdog for once. Since this is a big rivalry for WWE NXT, they must allow the outsider to get over to get the WWE Universe and NFL fans excited for the match before the two men ultimately battle it out at NXT TakeOver XXX.
#2 Finn Balor defeats Velveteen Dream on WWE NXT
The WWE Universe thought that Velveteen Dream’s time in WWE was over, but he made a surprise return during a Triple Threat Match for the NXT North American Championship Ladder Match qualifiers last week.
Not only did Velveteen Dream make a comeback, but he also seemed to outperform his opponents Cameron Grimes and KUSHIDA. However, Grimes was able to deliver the Cave In to both his opponents and pin KUSHIDA to pick up the victory.
Velveteen Dream was unhappy with the result and vented his anger on KUSHIDA, turning heel in the process. He will now face Finn Balor in the second chance match to reach the NXT North American Championship match at TakeOver XXX.
While Dream is the longest-reigning NXT North American Champion of all time, WWE needs to give Balor a big match, and possibly the title, since his return to NXT has been lukewarm till now.
At one point, it seemed like WWE was getting Balor ready to win the NXT United Kingdom Championship, but the current pandemic halted those plans. Instead, WWE must allow The Prince of NXT to move up the ladder with a big victory so that he can possibly win his first title since returning to the brand.
#1 Alexa Bliss contemplates joining ‘The Fiend’ on WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown has done a great job by bringing in Alexa Bliss into the rivalry between WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman and ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt. We first saw Bliss appear during the Wyatt Swamp Match at WWE Extreme Rules, following which The Fiend attacked Bliss on an episode of SmackDown.
The Fiend’s second attack attempt was halted by Bliss’s touch, following which Strowman returned to television with a deeper and darker message for Wyatt.
Last week on SmackDown, Strowman appeared inside the SmackDown ring for the first time since Extreme Rules and attacked The Goddess herself, bringing out The Fiend in return.
Bliss seems to have become a big part of this rivalry, and it looks like things have taken a turn for the better since her arrival. This week, WWE must allow Bliss to appear once again on SmackDown, this time as part of Wyatt’s Firefly Fun House.
We could see Wyatt tempt Bliss in by offering her revenge from Strowman, and Bliss could agree to Wyatt’s terms, giving fans an unlikely partnership that could become a hit at WWE SummerSlam. This will ensure that Bliss has something significant to do on SmackDown for the coming weeks, and ensure that the interest of the WWE Universe remains high in this rivalry.
