It was Monday night RAW after Money in the Bank 2022, which naturally saw fallout from the premium live special. We also saw the build-up to SummerSlam 2022 begin on the red brand, with one title match finally being made official for the show.
It's going to be an interesting month leading up to the biggest party of the summer. We're only a few weeks away and the seeds were planted for the second-biggest show of the year. So what did WWE subtly tell us on RAW this week?
#6. AJ Styles' plans for SummerSlam were revealed on RAW
AJ Styles hasn't been utilized all too well in 2021 and 2022. He has been in big matches, but when looking at the bigger picture of his WWE career, this year is still one of his weaker years.
It's always a pleasure to see WWE trusting him so much even while he is underutilized. For one, he doesn't seem to complain about it and always lands in a big match regardless.
One of the marquee matches of this year's SummerSlam will be the one featuring Logan Paul. While the expected direction was a singles bout between Logan Paul and The Miz, plans may have changed.
AJ Styles defeated The Miz on RAW but was attacked by Ciampa post-match, with the two heels forming an alliance. This was a subtle hint that WWE is putting AJ Styles in a special celebrity match as he is now expected to team up with Logan Paul against The Miz and Ciampa at SummerSlam.
Suggested: Ciampa's thoughts on facing AJ Styles an year ago?
#5. No John Cena vs. Theory at SummerSlam
Theory interrupted Bobby Lashley's opening segment on RAW this week and revealed two things - first, the fact that he will get a rematch against the United States Champion at SummerSlam, and second, his plan to cash in on the briefcase at the very same show.
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, but what it essentially confirmed is that the rumor was true that WWE has delayed the Theory-Cena feud until WrestleMania 39.
#4. Is Judgment Day the new RETRIBUTION?
The Judgment Day faced The Mysterios this week as the father-son duo were done with their feud against Veer. It seemed to have been dropped abruptly, but things aren't looking good for the new Judgment Day.
Losing Edge as a leader was bad enough, but Rhea Ripley being out due to an injury has made it worse. They're currently in throwaway tag team matches where they are losing. They lost to The Mysterios on RAW this week.
Granted, it was via disqualification, but it's bad utilization of a faction that has so much potential. Are they going down the same route as RETRIBUTION?
#3. Seth Rollins' road to SummerSlam is cemented
Seth Rollins didn't have a big role on RAW this week, but he didn't need to as it was enough. He had food splattered over him at the backstage party by Ezekiel, and he went on to defeat him with relative ease.
It was a decent match with a good finishing sequence and while Rollins was ready to hit another stomp on Ezekiel for good measure, he was met with an RKO out of nowhere by Riddle.
That essentially cemented the SummerSlam bout that Rollins is going to have. Rollins vs. Riddle is the perfect match for such a show.
#2. WWE spent the episode establishing Liv Morgan
WWE went out of their way to establish Liv Morgan on the first opportunity they had. The circumstances of her title win are a bit different from Bianca Belair's. While Belair was always pushed from the get-go, Liv Morgan took time to come into her own.
That was perhaps the reason why WWE had Morgan, the SmackDown Women's Champion, come to RAW for a match. However, we anticipate that after her tag team wins with Belair, it will be business as usual for her on the blue brand.
#1. The Becky Lynch-Asuka feud ends at 2-2
Becky Lynch and Asuka are yet to have a bad match against each other. Every single time they have faced off, they have created fireworks. In one of their best matches yet, they headlined RAW again.
This was the fourth match between them since their feud began in late April 2022 and the No Holds Barred contest was won by Lynch. It was the perfect ending even if they were technically 2-2 against each other in singles matches.
The best part of the feud is how they are constantly presented as even competitors, with any of the two winning on any given night. Becky Lynch is likely to have something different in store at SummerSlam.