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WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 7/24): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

By Zach Graham, PWTorch Contributor

July 26, 2019

Former champion reportedly returning to WWE
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

The following is the latest in a new series of weekly in-depth articles exclusive to PWTorch which will help put in perspective major wrestling promotions with a weekly overview, looking at news and roster developments, results, future line-ups, social media activity, key interviews, plus a timely commentary at the end. We will be featuring similar features on other promotions each week and each will be updated weekly.

•Top Stories of the Week

  • WWE was in Shanghai, China last week for another international tryout. Triple H travelled there along with other WWE Performance Center staff and brought NXT wrestlers Xia Li and Big Boa with them.
  • Rhyno officially parted ways with WWE last week. One day after his WWE contract expired, he was being featured in upcoming advertising for Impact Wrestling. During Impact’s Slammiversary PPV over two weeks ago, a masked wrestler resembling Rhyno (potentially Rhyno himself) appeared and hit Michael Elgin with a spear. Due to Rhyno being under WWE contract at that time, it’s unlikely that they will acknowledge whether it was actually Rhyno or not since it would be a breach of contract.
  • WWE announced their next WWE Network Special event, a Smackdown house show taping in Nashville, Tennessee that they’re calling “Smackville.” They are advertising a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship featuring Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, and Samoa Joe as well as an Intercontinental Championship rematch between Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Finn Balor. They are also promoting a musical performance by Elias. This appears to be a live cut-in on a house show just like The Shield special was earlier this year given the late start time advertised. The event is being held this Saturday and is scheduled for a 9:00 PM EST start time.
  • Raw Reunion drew the highest rating WWE has seen in 2019, including the Post-WrestleMania episode of Raw. This week’s Raw drew a 2.12 rating, the Post-WrestleMania Raw was the highest of the year before this week and that drew a 2.02 rating.
  • WWE announced that the WWE Network is undergoing a major redesign that should go live this week. All network subscribers should have received an email alerting them to this change and to let them know that they will have to reenter their log in next time they visit the site. For a video preview you can watch a video WWE shared here: https://www.wwe.com/videos/wwe-network-just-got-better

•WWE Weekly Event Results

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Reading, Pa.) 7/19/19

(1) Ricochet beat Cesaro
(2) Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins beat The Revival (c) via Disqualification. Revival retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(3) The Usos and Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins defeated The Revival & The Viking Raiders
(4) Titus O’Neil beat EC3
(5) Becky Lynch (c) defeated Lacey Evans to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
(6) Cedric Alexander beat Mojo Rawley
(7) Braun Strowman beat Mojo Rawley
(8) Naomi & Natalya defeated Nikki Cross & Sarah Logan
(9) Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin in a Street Fight

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Columbus, Ga.) 7/20/19

(1) Big E beat Sami Zayn
(2) Shinsuke Nakamura (c) defeated Matt Hardy & Ali to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(3) Drew McIntyre beat Chad Gable
(4) Apollo Crews defeated Andrade
– Kevin Owens attacks Elias
(5) Bayley (c) beat Charlotte & Nikki Cross to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
(6) Heavy Machinery defeated B-Team
– R-Truth is chased around the arena by Drake Maverick
(7) Ember Moon beat Mandy Rose via Disqualification
(8) Ember Moon & Carmella defeated Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
(9) The IIconics (c) beat The Kabuki Warriors to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
(10) Kofi Kingston (c) defeated Samoa Joe to retain the WWE Championship

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Wildwood, N.J.) 7/20/19

(1) Ricochet beat Cesaro
(2) Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins beat The Revival (c) via Disqualification. Revival retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(3) The Usos and Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins defeated The Revival & The Viking Raiders
(4) Titus O’Neil beat EC3
(5) Becky Lynch (c) defeated Lacey Evans to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
(6) Cedric Alexander beat Mojo Rawley
(7) Braun Strowman beat Mojo Rawley
(8) Naomi & Natalya defeated Nikki Cross & Sarah Logan
(9) Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin in a Street Fight

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Pensacola, Fla.) 7/21/19

(1) Big E beat Sami Zayn
(2) Heavy Machinery defeated B-Team
(3) Ember Moon beat Mandy Rose via Disqualification
(4) Ember Moon & Carmella defeated Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
(5) Bayley (c) beat Charlotte & Alexa Bliss to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
(6) Roman Reigns beat Drew McIntyre in a Street Fight
(7) The IIconics (c) beat The Kabuki Warriors to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
(8) Shinsuke Nakamura (c) defeated Ali to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(9) Kofi Kingston (c) defeated Samoa Joe to retain the WWE Championship

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Raw Roster (Orlando, Fla) 7/21/19

(1) A.J. Styles (c) beat Ricochet & Cesaro to retain the United States Championship
(2) Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins beat The Revival (c) via Disqualification. Revival retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
(3) The Usos and Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins defeated The Revival & The Viking Raiders
(4) Titus O’Neil beat EC3
(5) Becky Lynch (c) defeated Lacey Evans to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
(6) Cedric Alexander & No Way Jose beat Robert Roode & Mojo Rawley
(7) Braun Strowman beat Mojo Rawley & Robert Roode
(8) Naomi & Natalya defeated Nikki Cross & Sarah Logan
(9) Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin in a Street Fight

SOURCE

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Fort Meyers, Fla.) 7/22/19

(1) Shinsuke Nakamura (c) beat Ali and Matt Hardy to retain the Intercontinental Championship
(2) Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable defeated B-Team
(3) Heavy Machinery beat B-Team
(4) The IIconics (c) defeated The Kabuki Warriors to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
(5) Ember Moon beat Mandy Rose
(6) The New Day (c) beat AOP to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
(7) Apollo Crews defeated Andrade
(8) Bayley (c) beat Charlotte to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
(9) Kofi Kingston (c) defeated Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Championship

SOURCE

If you attend a live event, please send results to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!

•WWE TV Match Results

Monday Night Raw TV Results 7/22/19

(1) The Usos (w/ Rikishi) beat The Revival (w/ D-Von Dudley)
(2) The Viking Raiders defeated Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder
(3) Roman Reigns beat Samoa Joe
(4) Rey Mysterio defeated Sami Zayn
(5) Seth Rollins beat A.J. Styles (w/ Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) via Disqualification
(6) Braun Strowman beat Randy Rowe

24/7 Championship Update

    • Drake Maverick pinned R-Truth
    • Pat Patterson pinned Drake Maverick
    • Gerald Briscoe pinned Pat Patterson
    • Kelly Kelly pinned Gerald Briscoe
    • Candice Michelle pinned Kelly Kelly
    • Alundra Blayze submitted Candice Michelle
    • Ted Dibiase bought the Championship from Alundra Blayze
    • Drake Maverick pinned Ted Dibiase
    • R-Truth pinned Drake Maverick to regain the 24/7 Championship

Smackdown Live TV Results 7/23/19

(1) Shinsuke Nakamura beat Apollo Crews
(2) Ember Moon defeated Charlotte
(3) Kofi Kingston beat Samoa Joe via Disqualification after Randy Orton interfered and attacked Kofi
(4) Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns ends in no decision after both attack Drew McIntyre, Elias, and Shane McMahon who were all at ringside

205 Live Results (Aired on WWE Network) 7/23/19

(1) Humberto Carillo & Raul Mendoza beat Lucha House Party
(2) Oney Lorcan defeated Tony Isner
(3) Drew Gulak beat Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

WWE Main Event (Aired on Hulu and WWE Network) 7/25/19

(1) Naomi beat Sarah Logan
(2) Lucha House Party & Titus O’Neil defeated EC3, Eric Young, Cesaro, & Robert Roode

SOURCE

•Upcoming Lineups for Stadium/PPV Events

WWE SummerSlam on August 11 from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship
  • Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
  • Becky Lynch (c) vs. Natalya for the Raw Women’s Championship
  • Bayley (c) vs. Ember Moon for the Smackdown Women’s Championship
  • Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon
    • If Owens loses, he will quit WWE.
  • Finn Balor vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt

•Upcoming Events

Fri. 7/26/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Four States Entertainment Center, Texarkana, Ark.
Sat. 7/27/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
Sat. 7/27/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Sun. 7/28/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Show Me Center, Cape Gigagdeua, Mo.
Sun. 7/28/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, JQH Arena, Springfield, Mo.
Mon. 7/29/19 WWE Raw, North Little Rock, Ark.
Mon. 7/29/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Memphis Navy Exchange, Memphis, Tenn.
Tue. 7/30/19 WWE Smackdown, FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn.
Fri. 8/2/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Sat. 8/3/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, E. A. Diddle Arena, Bowling Green, Ky.
Sat. 8/3/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Sun. 8/4/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, David S. Palmer Arena, Danville, Ill.
Sun. 8/4/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Erie Insurance Arena, Erie, Pa.
Mon. 8/5/19 WWE Raw, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mon. 8/5/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Wings Event Center, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Tue. 8/6/19 WWE Live Event – Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Mich.
Sun. 8/11/19 WWE SummerSlam, ScotiaBank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mon. 8/12/19 WWE Raw, ScotiaBank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Tue. 8/13/19 WWE Smackdown, ScotiaBank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Fri. 8/16/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Bismarck Event Center, Bismarck, N.D.
Sat. 8/17/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Sat. 8/17/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Alerus Center, Grand Forks, N.D.
Sun. 8/18/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Chi Health Center, Omaha, Neb.
Sun. 8/18/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Fargodome, Fargo, N.D.
Mon. 8/19/19 WWE Raw, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.
Tue. 8/20/19 WWE Smackdown, Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Fri. 8/23/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, CenturyLink Center, Bossier City, La.
Sat. 8/24/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Jockey Club Del Perú, Santiago, De Surco, Peru
Sat. 8/24/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Cajundome, Lafayette, La.
Sun. 8/25/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Coliseo Roberto Duran, Panama City, Panama
Sun. 8/25/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Mobile Civic Center, Mobile, Ala.
Mon. 8/26/19 WWE Raw, Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, La.
Tue. 8/27/19 WWE Smackdown, Raising Cane’s River Center, Baton Rouge, La.
Fri. 8/30/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor, Maine
Sat. 8/31/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Cross Insurance Arena, Portland, Maine
Sun. 9/1/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Westchester County Center, White Plains, N.Y.
Mon. 9/2/19 WWE Raw, Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Md.
Tue. 9/3/19 WWE Smackdown, Norfolk Scope Arena, Norfolk, Va.

•Latest TV Highlights

Monday Night Raw

  • Seth Rollins was interviewed by The Miz on Raw this week. The Miz came out first and plugged his reality show before introducing Rollins. Miz cut to footage of Seth winning the battle royal last week to earn a shot at Lesnar and clips of Lesnar cashing in the MITB on Seth at Extreme Rules. Seth mocked Paul Heyman’s intro for Brock and even called Brock Lesnar “a Seth-wanna-be (which was not explained),” Heyman then came out onto the stage. Heyman fired back at Seth complaining about Lesnar cashing in the MITB on him, considering Seth did the same thing at WrestleMania 31. Seth acknowledged that and said it took Lesnar four years to get even. Seth then told Heyman that if he’s going to talk the talk for Lesnar, he should walk the walk before threatening Heyman. Seth took one step towards the stage and Heyman scurried off in a cartoonish fashion. Later in the night, Seth had a match with A.J. Styles, but Seth was outnumbered as A.J. brought Anderson and Gallows with him. All three were sporting new shirts and they were calling themselves “The O.C.” At one point in the match, Gallows and Anderson stepped to Seth after he was knocked to the outside in an intimidation tactic. Shawn Michaels and Triple H emerged from the stage as the DX music played and the three on three stare down happened as Raw went to commercial. After the commercial, the match continued, but ultimately Gallows and Anderson would get involved for the Disqualification. DX entered the ring to stop the attack on Seth. A.J. grabbed a mic and tried to convince DX that they were just like The OC. A brawl broke out and The New Age Outlaws’ music played and Road Dogg, Sean Waltman, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall all came to the ring. The OC retreated since they were so outnumbered and Seth Rollins did the honors closing the segment out with the “We got two words for you” line and everyone in the ring did the crotch chop.
  • Becky Lynch was a guest on A Moment of Bliss with Alexa and Nikki Cross. Bliss couldn’t even get the first question out before Natalya interrupted. Natalya said if Becky has something to say about her, she wanted her to say it to her face. Bliss threw to the video of Natalya and Becky’s interaction last week. Natalya said they first met 14 years ago in Japan and Becky not showing more respect towards her blows her mind. Becky responded saying Natalya tried to cut her legs out from under her the second she showed up. She also noted that Natalya helped train Ronda Rousey to beat her at WrestleMania and reminded Natalya that she won her title from Ronda that night. Eventually a fight broke out before referees emerged to break them apart.
  • Mick Foley was in the ring ready to talk about his favorite moment from his career while on Raw. First, he was interrupted by the parade of 24/7 wrestlers and he half lunged at Drake Maverick, who was champion at the time. After they all left, he refocused and threw to a clip. Foley’s memory he chose to share was him as Mankind celebrating winning the WWE Championship, but before the clip ended the screen shut off and the lights started going out section by section. All the light cut off and when they turned back on, Bray Wyatt was in the ring dressed as The Fiend and holding up his hand with “HURT” written on the glove. Instead of hitting Foley with a Sister Abigail, he gave him a Mandible Claw and pulled him down to the mat. Wyatt then stood back up with Foley at his feet, the lights flickered again, and just like that Wyatt was gone.

Smackdown Live

  • Shane McMahon opened Smackdown tonight to address Kevin Owens who challenged him to a match at SummerSlam. Shane accepted the challenge and noted that Owens said he would quit if he lost. Shane then threw to a replay of Kevin Owens quitting last August (he was literally back the next week if you don’t remember). Owens came out and acknowledged the video of him quitting and said that it was the lowest point of his career and it’s not who he is anymore. As Shane mocked him, Owens said they don’t have to wait until SummerSlam and instead of fighting Shane booked a match, Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns in the main event. Backstage Shane ran into Elias and Drew McIntyre when he had the idea to make Elias the special timekeeper for that match, McIntyre the special guest referee, and he would be the guest ring announcer. In the main event, the bell rang and instead of going after Kevin Owens, Roman turned and punched Drew. Owens then went after Elias who ran up onto the ring apron. Roman and Owens turned their attention to Shane, but McIntyre and Elias stopped them momentarily before Roman and Owens gained the upper hand. Shane tried escaping up the ramp, but Roman ran and grabbed him. Once Shane was back in the ring and left alone with Roman and Owens, he was hit with a Superman Punch and two Stunners from Owens to end the show.
  • Kofi Kingston picked his SummerSlam opponent tonight. At the top of the second hour, Kofi came out and called out Randy Orton saying he hopes Randy accepts his challenge at SummerSlam. Orton came out and Kofi talked about their history, specifically Madison Square Garden in 2009. Kofi threw to video of him hitting Orton with a Boom Drop through a table that night. Kofi said that moment still gives him goosebumps. Kofi said that was supposed to be his launching point and move him to the next level, but that didn’t happen because Orton used his influence to hold him back. Orton said he absolutely did do that because Kofi wasn’t ready then and he’s not ready now. He said Kofi’s current reign as champion is a fluke. Orton made fun of Kofi’s fake Jamaican accent, throwing pancakes, and shaking his ass. Orton said he should get the credit for Kofi even going to WrestleMania this year because he’s the one that injured Ali. Orton then accepted the match and went to leave. Samoa Joe’s music hit for their match, and Randy watched Joe walk past him, then decided he’d stick around to watch Kofi vs. Joe. The match ended when Orton interfered in the match, hitting Kofi with an RKO. Joe walked up to Randy to say something, so he was hit with an RKO. As soon as Orton turned around from that, Kofi hit him with a Trouble in Paradise to end the segment.
  • Ember Moon and Charlotte were scheduled to have a match on Smackdown. The bell rang to begin the match and Bayley’s music conveniently hit immediately after the bell. Charlotte was distracted and Ember won with a roll up in under one minute. After the match Bayley tried to enter the ring and Charlotte attacked her, Ember Moon climbed to the top rope and hit Charlotte with an Eclipse. Moon then hit Bayley with an Eclipse as she was getting back to her feet. Later, Sarah Schreiber tried to interview Charlotte, who interrupted Schreiber as she was introducing her. She was furious at what happened and said she demanded a match at SummerSlam and it’ll be with a better opponent than Ember Moon.

•WWE in the Media

– Charlotte and Bayley were on Chasing Glory with Lillian Garcia last week. Both were interviewed together during a Comic Con panel Lillian hosted. They both talked about coming up in NXT together at the start of NXT. They both agree that they were so glad they came up together with Sasha and Becky as well because they all learned from each other so much, that their careers may have been so different had they not gone on the journey together.

They both talk about their journeys to WrestleMania. Charlotte talks about not knowing if she would even be on the card after the Royal Rumble since she didn’t win the Royal Rumble match. She hadn’t even been approached about being Vince’s handpicked choice at that time. Bayley then talks about her and Sasha going into WrestleMania as the Women’s Tag Team Champions and how special it was that all four of the horsewomen were in prominent spots that night. Charlotte then says that main eventing that night wasn’t even about her, it was more about making all the women in the locker room proud to be a part of it, even though they weren’t in the match with them.

Bayley then tells her story of getting into wrestling. She talks about being a big fan of Macho Man and credits him for why she wears a bunch of different and bright colors to the ring. She says when she turned 18 she went to the local wrestling school and after a couple years, she was spotted by a WWE scout who wanted to bring her in. She said she was the only female at the school for the four years she was there, apart from another woman who was there for one month before sustaining an injury. She said she also outlasted the three men she started with too. Bayley then tells the story of injuring her knee, but wanting to wrestle someone in Los Angeles. She said she went to the show even with the injury and it’s a good thing she did, because that’s where she was noticed by the WWE scout. After being spotted, she then had to have her official tryout with an injured knee as well.

Charlotte then tells her story of getting into wrestling saying she didn’t have a real interest when she was young going to shows with her dad. She said she didn’t really identify with the divas in WWE and maybe that’s why she didn’t have an interest initially. She said she talked to John Laurinaitis with her brother at the Hall of Fame induction of the Four Horsemen and her and her brother decided to try it. She says she reported to NXT three months later with no idea how the business worked, but her dad was Ric Flair which helped her get in the door. She says she honestly had no idea what her father truly meant to the business until she got to NXT. She knew he was influential, but she had no idea what his impact was. Lilian asks Charlotte if wrestling was hard for Charlotte since she didn’t have a background in it and she bluntly says no and laughs. She says the wrestling itself wasn’t hard because she is so athletic, it’s the character and performing aspects that were more challenging for her. Bayley chimes in that Charlotte went and set a personal record on her deadlift the day after she had her brutal Hell in a Cell match and that they’ve taken to calling her “Terminator.” Charlotte says Dusty Rhodes really helped her find a character and he’s the one that helped all four of them find their characters. Bayley says Dusty just encouraged them to take who they are and accentuate it. For Charlotte it was focusing on her athleticism and family history and for Bayley it was her background as a huge fan.

Lilian then starts talking about Bayley being left behind in NXT while the other three were called up to the main roster. Bayley said that year alone in NXT was the biggest year in her career because she didn’t have the other three to run to. She said she really became a leader at that time and that’s also the year NXT starting travelling internationally including NXT Takeover London.

The interview then concludes with a fan Q & A session. If you would like to listen to the interview you can find it HERE.

•Listen to the latest Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-Show – Smackdown Post-Show

PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by ex-WWE Creative Team member Jason Allen to discuss WWE Smackdown. They take live calls first, then talk with an on-site correspondent from Miami, and close with the mailbag segment. They discuss the Kofi Kingston-Randy Orton hype, the latest with Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon, the peculiar (to be nice) Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose segment, Shawn Michaels on Miz TV interacting with Dolph Ziggler, Charlotte’s intriguing Summerslam statement, and much more.

-On Tune In Radio HERE
-On Apple Podcasts HERE
-Or search “Wade Keller” on your podcast app of choice

•WWE Social Media Highlights

Will Ospreay got into another Twitter exchange with a WWE wrestler; this time it was with Randy Orton.

https://twitter.com/RandyOrton/status/1153200449501179904

https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1153212453896908800

Sami Zayn took to Twitter to continue his rant against Raw Reunion. People in the comments were FURIOUS.

Braun posted a picture on Instagram revealing that he’s the godfather of Bray and Jojo’s son.

Becky Lynch and Natalya kept exchanging comments after Raw went off the air, through Twitter of course.

Lacey Evans got in a Twitter fight of her own, with Alundra Blayze.

https://twitter.com/LaceyEvansWWE/status/1153484573772324866

https://twitter.com/Madusa_rocks/status/1153778959198429190

https://twitter.com/Madusa_rocks/status/1153799440391536640

https://twitter.com/LaceyEvansWWE/status/1153833877527564288

https://twitter.com/LaceyEvansWWE/status/1153841030732505089

•Closing Commentary

Just some random thoughts this week…

– I wish Samoa Joe would just win a couple of matches. He’s the absolute definition of someone who talks the talk, but can’t walk the walk. I’m absolutely amazed fans haven’t just become completely indifferent to him. Credit to him for that in all honesty! If they don’t see him as a world champion, which is crazy to me, then fine, but can he please at least win a feud of some kind? It’s just crazy to me. It feels like this guy loses more than the 2008 Detroit Lions (the 0-16 team, get it?)

– I don’t know what they’re going to do with Charlotte, but please, for the love of all things holy, do not put her in either of the women’s title matches. I know she’s a heel and they get handed things, but having her be put into the SummerSlam title match in the same year she was inserted into the WrestleMania main event will have people screaming that she’s the female Roman Reigns so you’re your head will spin. After the match this week, I was nervous, but when she gave that quick backstage interview saying she will have a match at SummerSlam and “my opponent will be better than Ember Moon” I felt better and way more intrigued. Who is better than Moon on the main roster at this point that they could be alluding to? Could this be an NXT call up, Shayna Baszler, maybe? I’m not sure and we have a couple of weeks, but in that 20 seconds she caught my attention!

– Roman Reigns had a good week of television in my opinion. On Monday, he stepped up to Samoa Joe for insulting his family. He looked really confident in going toe to toe with Samoa Joe on the microphone, which isn’t easy to do. Joe is one of the best in my opinion and I thought Roman did a great job. Then on Smackdown, I thought he looked really good at the end of the show with Kevin Owens. Throughout the show, I was struggling with why Roman would accept a fight with another baby face when Shane is the one who booked the match. I was more than relieved when Roman immediately went after the heels with Owens. It was logical and in character and it’s hard to complain about that.

– Speaking of Roman, I was disappointed with one aspect of the Roman-Joe match on Monday. Simply put, I was disappointed it happened! Not just because Joe lost, but they could’ve teased that match and sold it as the main event of next week’s Raw or Smackdown. That was my biggest complaint about the entire Raw Reunion show, they didn’t take advantage of their biggest audience in 2019 to try and convince them to watch Smackdown, or Raw next week, nothing at all. Why couldn’t they have done the Roman-Joe angle and have Joe be the heel and say Roman can have his match next week? SummerSlam would’ve been a good place for it too, but if you don’t want that on SummerSlam, why not build it up for a week? I just think they did nothing to take advantage of a bigger audience and they absolutely had to know that it would be one of their biggest audiences of the year. It’s baffling to me they didn’t do a single thing to try and convince the extra people to tune in next week.

NOW CHECK OUT OTHER WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE.

OR JUMP TO LAST WEEK’S WWE OVERVIEW: WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 7/17): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

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