WWE’s first show following a rather game-changing Summerslam, takes place from Houston, Texas’ Toyota Center. Coming a day after Triple H’s rather loud proclamation that now we’re watching HIS WWE, we return to the venue that housed what was probably the biggest exhibit of his rather infamous “Global Localization” plan. On January 25, 2020, the day before the Royal Rumble from Houston’s Minute Maid Park, we didn’t get an NXT Takeover. No. We got a cross-over event. Similar to the modern format of Survivor Series. It was NXT vs NXT UK. This came in the form of the second annual and sadly last World’s Collide event. The previous year, it was just a show taped in Wrestlemania Axxess, but it followed the same context of NXT vs NXT UK vs 205 Live vs lower card Raw & Smackdown talent. Back when 205 Live was its own brand. While it lacked the intense “consequence of competition” storytelling that made NXT Takeovers, it still had big, impressive matches. With that history lesson out of the way, let’s take a look at the WWE Raw card for August 1, 2022.
WWE Raw Card for August 1, 2022
Now Announced for Raw:
Undisputed Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) vs The Mysterios
US Championship Number one Contendership: Winner of Dolph Ziggler vs Ciampa vs Chad Gable vs. Winner of AJ Styles vs Mustafa Ali vs The Miz
Lesnar Conquered
Roman Reigns retained his Unified Universal WWE Championship after quite literally burying Brock Lesnar under rubble. This came after overcoming a literal tractor crashing into and lifting up the ring during their Last Man Standing Match.
However, that now makes Roman Reigns’ next match exclusive to the Smackdown brand. At least in theory. As we’ve seen that not-so-infallible brand split shows the same cracks it did in the later years of its previous incarnation. Will Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre show up on Raw to promote Clash In The Castle this week?
The Suddenly Revived Women’s Division
.@itsBayleyWWE, with IYO SKY and Dakota Kai by her side, comments about her long-awaited return at #SummerSlam 2022.@shirai_io pic.twitter.com/SrCBRMGRmM
— WWE (@WWE) July 31, 2022
The end of Summerslam’s first match featured the biggest statement of the Triple H regime. After Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair finally buried the hatchet, none other than Bayley re-appeared. But she wasn’t alone. Beside her appeared the “almost out the door” Io Shirai. Now known as IYO SKY. An Anglicized version of the way her first name is pronounced and a surname based on her “Genius Of The Sky” nickname. It is by far the best of all of these forced renames we’ve seen during the past year. As there is an actual logic behind the name.
But it wasn’t just Bayley and IYO SKY appearing that had fans in aye. As the third person introduced is likely to be the most impressive one yet: Dakota Kai. After two very awkward attempts at a main roster debut, return to NXT, out-of-nowhere reunion with Raquel Gonzalez, and subsequent Tag Team title win and loss in the span of 3 days, she was seemingly fired on April 29, 2022.
The obvious question now is how ALL of these new pieces will fall into place within a Women’s division which, all things considered, was very emaciated beforehand.
Edge Returns
After weeks of the rather obvious vignettes signaling his return, he made his return officially at Summerslam. Assisting the Mysterios in defeating The Judgment Day. Out once again to the rising elevator and The Brood theme and sunglasses, Edge now looks to re-invent himself again. Let’s see if he has better luck now.
But we have to wonder how things will fit. If Edge is to help The Mysterio’s its 3 vs 2 in favor of the babyfaces. Will Judgment Day recruit another male wrestler to their group? Or will Edge go solo in his quest for vengeance? What of Rhea Ripley? She seemed primed to be the centerpiece of the Women’s division heading into Money In The Bank. But a concussion and a corporate shakedown seem to paint her now as the odd one out of the entire red-brands Women’s Division.
When Will Seth vs Riddle Happen Then?
Over the week, Seth Rollins vs Riddle was taken out of Summerslam for storyline reasons. The word going is that WWE did not want to waste the match-up with pointless rematches. Another marker of the new creative regime perhaps. However, the two didn’t sit out Summerslam. As Riddle appeared and was yet again attacked by Seth Rollins. Will Riddle somehow get a chance to retaliate?
It would seem the match is now slated to happen at Clash At The Castle. But that isn’t official yet. We’ll have to wait and see for the follow-up after the attack in Summerslam.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock
