Babyface Damian Priest Is Right Move, Jey Uso May Be Out of Luck, More WWE Raw Takes

The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments continued to heat up on the May 13 edition of WWE Raw, complete with some surprise results.

Jey Uso took down dangerous main roster newcomer Ilja Dragunov to book his ticket for a rematch with Gunther in the semifinal. The Ring General made a statement by defeating Kofi Kingston.

Lyra Valkyria showed out in a strong battle with Zoey Stark and picked up an important win, and Iyo Sky beat Shayna Baszler in an electric battle of former NXT women's champions.

Chad Gable continues to menace Alpha Academy, pushing Akira Tozawa and Otis into respective matches with Bronson Reed and Sami Zayn that they could not win.

Damian Priest stepped up to Drew McIntyre and said he is unafraid of putting his World Heavyweight Championship on the line when The Scottish Warrior is cleared for action.

The new-look roster for the red brand continues to impress and make each week important television.

Damian Priest is Better Off as a Babyface

Damian Priest is the world champion of Raw, but he is struggling to prove that. Even the man he defeated at Backlash feels like a bigger star than him.

The problem is that, outside of Rhea Ripley, The Judgment Day members have not come off as top stars in years. However, that could change with the right booking.

This week was a positive step as Priest delivered one of his best promos to date, running down Drew McIntyre better than anyone but CM Punk has managed.

He came off as a babyface in this angle. That may not last as it's likely Priest and McIntyre will fight at Clash in the Castle on June 15 in Glasgow, Scotland where The Scottish Warrior will be the clear crowd favorite.

Still, Priest showed why he is ready to lean into the support of the crowd when The Judgment Day do fall apart.

In fact, he may not feel like a top guy until that happens. In that role, though, he can regain the credibility he lost in 2023.

Chad Gable Is Proving WWE Right with Heel Turn

Chad Gable recently turned heel despite many fans hoping to see him capture the Intercontinental Championship as a face. It was a questionable move on the surface.

Since that turn, though, Gable has shown time and again why he is more comfortable in the villainous role.

While he is a great wrestler in any role, his mic work is much tighter when he is tearing down other wrestlers, especially his allies.

Moreover, Gable is actually getting Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri more over in this role than he was as the good leader. He has built sympathy for all of them that will pay off when they break away from the Alpha Academy leader.

Sami Zayn has been a great intercontinental champion so far, but WWE may need to make the fast title change with how much good work Gable is doing right now.

WWE Nails Lyra Valkyria's Raw Introduction

Lyra Valkyria was drafted to Raw just two weeks ago, but she has already become a regular on the product.

Her run in the Queen of the Ring has not matched the exceptional work of next week's opponent Iyo Sky, but she has showed out in her own way.

The Valkyrie's match with Zoey Stark was especially effective in showing why she can be an in-ring staple on WWE television going forward.

She is not ready to take down The Genius of the Sky this early, but her growing friendship with Becky Lynch could help her get to that point in time.

While Kiana James is only starting to establish herself and Blair Davenport has not appeared on SmackDown yet, Valkyria is more important to the red brand than even established names such as Natalya and Shayna Baszler.

This has been a perfect introduction, arguably the best of any NXT star from the 2024 draft.

WWE Running Out of Time to Crown Jey Uso Singles Champion

Jey Uso was a supposed last-minute entrant in the King of the Ring tournament, but he has made it all the way to the semifinal round.

With all the teasing of a Gunther vs. Ilja Dragunov clash, it would have been easy to assume that The Mad Dragon would pull out the victory.

However, this was the best booking to save the next chapter of The Ring General vs. Dragunov for the right moment.

It does put Uso in an unfortunate position, though. Since Gunther is the best man to win King of the Ring, Jey should lose next week.

It would be the fourth time Jey has gotten close to a major singles accomplishment only to fall short in the past year.

If King of the Ring is not his moment, the next opportunity should allow him to win the big one, whether that be the World Heavyweight or Intercontinental Championship.

The Bloodline story is going to call "Main Event" back sooner than later, especially after his brother Jimmy was taken out by Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga.

Once he is working with Jimmy again, he may never get another chance to be on his own again. Time is running out.