Welcome to this week's edition of the RAW after Backlash 2024 Preview. Backlash: France was an incredible and historic premium live event, with the crowd in Lyon cementing themselves as one of the best live audiences in WWE history.
With the incredible yet short PLE now in the books, it should be noted that there was only one match from the red brand, as the show was predominantly that of SmackDown feuds.
Either way, RAW this week is going to be stacked beyond belief as eight matches have been announced for the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments respectively.
And that tournament will culminate in the King & Queen of the Ring Premium Live Event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There is less than 3 weeks before the show takes place.
We're not sure if all eight matches will happen tonight, but there are some huge ones to look forward to in both the men's and women's tournaments. Apart from just that, major Championship feuds will take shape, and this is what you have to look forward to tonight:
#5. Liv Morgan is in pursuit of the Women's World Championship
Liv Morgan is the clear-cut number-one contender for the WWE Women's World Championship. Not only that, but she is the sentimental favorite as many fans believe that it's her and not Becky Lynch who should be the one with the title.
Last week, she made her stance clear, and Nia Jax looked to play the spoilsport before being sent off to SmackDown. In a big match, Liv Morgan managed to defeat the imposing Nia Jax to cement herself in the driver's seat.
Although the match isn't official, Becky Lynch's reign as WWE Women's World Champion is already in major jeopardy of ending in a short time.
#4. Will Chad Gable continue to impose his will on Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn?
Chad Gable has taken his attitude change seriously and is demanding the same from his fellow Alpha Academy members. While Otis and Akira Tozawa lost a Tag Team Title match while Maxxine Dupri was defeated by Candice LeRae, Gable made sure that his impact was felt as he launched an assault on Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn during his bout against "Big" Bronson Reed.
With the direction clear, Sami Zayn's Intercontinental Title run may just end before it has time to get off the ground. Chad Gable looks more dangerous than ever and we could see a continuation of that on RAW.
#3. The King of the Ring tournament begins with some huge matches
An incredibly stacked first round of the King of the Ring tournament has been announced for RAW.
Only four superstars can advance as WWE announced four major first-round matches:
Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor
Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio
Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov
Gunther vs. Sheamus.
This is going to be interesting for a variety of reasons. For one, Drew McIntyre will be looking to regain momentum following last week when CM Punk completely trolled him and got the mental advantage in their rivalry.
For Gunther, it's his next major career step and he takes on Sheamus for the first time in 19 months. That one is guaranteed to be a banger. Meanwhile, former NXT Champion and newcomer to RAW Ilja Dragunov takes on the impressive Ricochet in a huge match.
Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio, meanwhile, will duke it out in a battle of veterans.
#2. The Queen of the Ring tournament begins as well on RAW
Just like on the Men's side, the Women's side looks stacked with the first-round matches.
Iyo Sky vs. Natalya
Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka
Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile
Shayna Baszler vs. Zelina Vega
Zelina Vega, as you know, is the first woman to ever be crowned 'Queen of the Ring,' previously known as the Queen's Crown tournament, and will be looking to be the only woman with that accomplishment. The post-draft RAW roster has made some exciting match-ups, and it's going to be interesting to see who advances.
#1. What's next for Damian Priest after his title defense against Jey Uso?
Damian Priest is still your World Heavyweight Champion. However, despite the successful title defense, he won't be walking into RAW a happy man. Despite specifically instructing his Judgment Day members not to interfere as he didn't need any help, they did so anyway and had a definitive impact on the World Title match.
'Main Event' Jey Uso, one of the biggest stars in Lyon this past weekend, fell short in another big World Title opportunity. What will be next for him?
More importantly, what will be the fallout on RAW as tensions between Damian Priest and Finn Balor continue to rise?