Raw airs tonight (July 14) with a live show from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. This is the first episode of Raw during the three week build to SummerSlam, which takes place on the weekend of Aug. 2 and 3.
Seth Rollins is out, and CM Punk is in
SummerSlam will be here before you know it, and World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER needs an opponent for the show after sending Goldberg into retirement over the weekend. His challenger will be determined tonight on Raw in a gauntlet match between CM Punk, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Penta, and Bron Breakker.
That’s four babyfaces out of five total wrestlers, so Breakker may have a lengthy gauntlet run if it’s important to have a heel in action for much of the bout. Considering that most of these guys are upper card stars in WWE, this gauntlet match may take up close to an hour of tonight’s broadcast.
It’s worth pointing out that Uso, Knight, Penta, and Breakker all had a chance to earn this title match last month during the King of the Ring tournament, but they failed to get the job done, with three of them being bounced in the opening round. CM also rarely wrestles on Raw, so it’s a special occasion when that happens. With that in mind, Punk looks like the clear favorite to win the gauntlet, especially now that Seth Rollins is injured and not around to stop him.
It’s no coincidence that Punk shoved GUNTHER down to the mat while chasing Seth around on Raw a couple weeks ago. Does that motivate the Ring General to find a way to screw Punk over during the gauntlet?
Tune into Raw to see if anyone has what it takes to beat CM Punk during the gauntlet, or if he is indeed headed towards a world title match with GUNTHER at SummerSlam.
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– Naomi is the new Women’s world champion after cashing in on IYO SKY at Evolution 2. Naomi should be moving over to the Raw roster now, and I expect her to brag on the mic tonight about how she found the perfect time to cash in.
– Naomi also needs an opponent at SummerSlam. Will IYO and Rhea Ripley have to fight it out to see who gets that spot, or is a triple threat match coming? If Naomi, Rhea, and IYO end up crossing paths tonight, will Stephanie Vaquer crash the party to let them know she’s taking the belt at Clash in Paris after winning the Evolution Battle Royal?
– The Paul Heyman Guys might need to make some big changes if Seth Rollins has to miss an extended period of time due to the apparent injury that he suffered at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Will WWE provide an update on Seth’s status tonight?
– I can’t blame Becky Lynch if she thinks it’s time for both Bayley and Lyra Valkyria to go to the back of the line after she beat them to retain the women’s Intercontinental title at Evolution. Does Raw GM Adam Pearce agree with that logic, or will Bayley and Lyra get one more chance to win the gold at SummerSlam? If it’s time for a new challenger, could Asuka or Nikki Bella be next in line for a title shot against The Man?
– The Judgment Day retained the WWE women’s tag team championship at Evolution, which means there’s no more doubt about whether or not Roxanne Perez deserves to hold the gold in place of Liv Morgan. Roxanne’s plan to earn The Judgment Day’s trust has worked like a charm so far, and she’ll look to strengthen those bonds tonight.
– AJ Styles can’t lay a finger on Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio until the champ is medically cleared. Dirty Dom is going to milk this for as long as he can, isn’t he? Will Finn Balor be the one who “accidentally” reveals the news whenever Dom is cleared?
– What adjustment will Sami Zayn make to ensure that Karrion Kross can’t ambush him again during tonight’s show?
– Ludwig Kaiser is making sure that El Grande Americano sticks around in WWE while Chad Gable is out injured. Which luchador will he target next after beating Dragon Lee last week?
– What does the next chapter look like in the ongoing feud between Rusev and Sheamus?
– Where the f*** is Pat McAfee?
What will you be looking for on Raw?
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