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RK-Bro seem to be going through a phase on WWE RAW. Even though Riddle is all up for teaming with Randy Orton again, The Viper seems to be against the idea. The two individuals have had matches against the current RAW Tag Team Champions in recent weeks. Will they ultimately enter the RAW Tag Team Championship picture just in time for SummerSlam?
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Charlotte Flair played spoilsport in the match between Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. on RAW last week. WWE could have the three women face off on this week’s show before they compete in a Triple Threat Match at SummerSlam.
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WWE NXT simply used a video package to build towards the NXT Championship match between Karrion Kross and Samoa Joe. Unsurprisingly, the creative team did better at building the match between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly at TakeOver 36. Kross and Joe could appear on this week’s show to build to their match.
Ilja Dragunov appeared on the episode and soon found himself in a match against former NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne. Dragunov lost the match due to WALTER’s distraction. Imperium could look to attack and weaken Dragunov this week before his match against The Ring General.
John Cena and Roman Reigns had a great promo battle on WWE SmackDown to build towards their match for SummerSlam. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins created hype around his match against Edge alone this week. Will Edge appear next Friday to target Rollins one last time before SummerSlam?
King Nakamura defeated Apollo Crews to win the Intercontinental Championship on the show. Nakamura could end up finding his first challenger for the title in time for the big pay-per-view.
Take a look at the five things that must happen on WWE RAW, NXT, and SmackDown this week.
#5 Riddle must save Randy Orton from an attack by AJ Styles and Omos on WWE RAW
Randy Orton returned to WWE RAW last week after spending some time away from the ring. He did not want to waste any more time and opened up the show to address the WWE Universe. Riddle interrupted him, but The Viper made it clear that he did not want to team up with The Original Bro again.
Later in the night, Orton competed against AJ Styles in a big match. Omos tried to interfere in the contest a few times before Riddle appeared to take him out and give Orton the chance to finish off Styles.
At the end of it all, it looked like The RK-Bro would be back in business. However, The Viper showed his true colors and RKO-ed Riddle to end the show.
This week on RAW, The Viper is set to take on Omos in what promises to be an exhilerating contest. Orton must win on his own before the RAW Tag Team Champions deliver a two-on-one beatdown.
The Original Bro must then come to Orton’s aid and clear the ring before both men team up again to challenge Styles and Omos for the championships for SummerSlam. The angle will give WWE a good way to build towards a RAW Tag Team Championship match for The Biggest Party of the Summer.
#4 Bobby Lashley and Goldberg must get into a big brawl on WWE RAW
Bobby Lashley has proven to be a great WWE Champion on RAW. He has held the championship for over 160 days now. At a time when it looked like no one could stand up to The All Mighty, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg arrived to challenge him for SummerSlam.
After a little drama, Lashley accepted Goldberg’s challenge but looks unmoved by the former Universal Champion.
The build-up for the match hasn’t been too great, and WWE has struggled to establish a clear babyface for the contest. This will be the last chance for the creative team to take this rivalry to the boiling point before the big event.
On this week’s RAW, WWE must allow Lashley and MVP to run their mouths in the ring and target Goldberg and his son again. The Hall of Famer must then appear to attack both men, leading to a brawl where security is required to separate them.
It could help WWE create more hype for the contest between the two powerhouses. SmackDown has a great top championship match for SummerSlam, and RAW will need to do something to make their contest exciting too.
#3 Roderick Strong must defeat KUSHIDA for the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship
Roderick Strong reinvented himself and came back to WWE NXT as part of Diamond Mine. The superstar originally quit NXT in April 2021 but returned in June as part of the new faction.
Along with Malcolm Bivens, Tyler Rust (now released), and Hachiman, Strong is targeting NXT Cruiserweight Champion KUSHIDA. After slowly building a rivalry with the Japanese Superstar, Strong is set to challenge him for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship next week.
Strong is a former NXT North American Champion, and, interestingly, WWE has moved him into the cruiserweight division. He is the only active wrestler in Diamond Mine since Tyler Rust was recently released from his contract.
Diamon Mine will need a push to get ahead on NXT, especially after the departure of Rust. Therefore, WWE must allow The Messiah of the Backbreaker to defeat KUSHIDA and take home the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
The outcome will allow Malcolm Bivens and Roderick Strong a good push after Diamond Mine suffered an early setback. It will also free up KUSHIDA to get in the North American Championship picture.
Santos Escobar and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott are indulged in a rivalry for the NXT North American title. Therefore, there aren’t too many other heel cruiserweight superstars who can take the title away from KUSHIDA.
#2 MSK must retain their WWE NXT Tag Team Championships against Imperium
MSK has been one of the top tag teams in all of WWE. The reigning NXT Tag Team Champions won the title at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, but they haven’t defended the titles too often.
MSK had their last title match against Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher over a month ago. Since then, the brand has turned its focus more towards the return of Samoa Joe and other singles championship matches.
This week, MSK will finally compete on NXT again, this time against Imperium. Nash Carter and Wes Lee will defend their NXT Tag Team titles against Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel of Imperium.
Imperium has been doing well on NXT, but WWE must allow MSK to fight as the underdogs and go on to retain their titles. Carter and Lee have a long way to go in WWE and the company needs to keep the titles on them for some time.
MSK is one of the very few babyface tag teams on NXT, and the only team that should defeat them for the titles should be Hit Row. A victory over MSK will give Hit Row a massive push on NXT.
#1 Apollo Crews must demand a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship for WWE SummerSlam
Apollo Crews won the Intercontinental Championship at WWE WrestleMania 37 after defeating Big E in the first-ever Nigerian Drum Fight. He held the title for over four months before defending it against King Nakamura on last week’s SmackDown.
Both men did well during the contest before Nakamura gained the upper hand. He delivered a Kinshasa to Crews to win the title for the second time in his WWE career.
The King of Strong Style deserved a title reign and the creative team did well to take the championship off Crews on SmackDown. However, it was odd that WWE did not book the title match for SummerSlam and let the Intercontinental Championship change hands on SmackDown.
This week on SmackDown, WWE must allow Crews to appear with Commander Azeez and demand a rematch for the championship at SummerSlam. Crews and Nakamura are two of the best superstars on SmackDown and they deserve a big match at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
A longer match between the two superstars at SummerSlam will help the company make the card for the pay-per-view even better.
