Seth Rollins Feuds Set for Rest of 2025, A Botched Opportunity, More WWE Raw Fallout

The August 11 edition of Raw on Netflix continued to build toward Clash in Paris, including the announcement of a huge World Heavyweight Championship match for the show in France.

CM Punk and LA Knight agreed to an uneasy alliance to challenge Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. They got more help from Jey Uso as well, setting up a Fatal 4-Way on August 31.

Sami Zayn tried to settle his issues with Rusev, but his issues with Solo Sikoa and MFT intensified as the group attacked The Ultimate Underdog.

Iyo Sky suffered a surprise loss to Roxanne Perez after her Women's World Championship match with Naomi was delayed due to injury.

Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano picked up a win over AJ Styles and Dragon Lee to prepare for the AAA Mega Championship main event of TripleMania XXXIII.

Becky Lynch found some unexpected resistance in her successful Women's Intercontinental Championship defense against Maxxine Dupri.

While not the strongest show in the ring, Raw delivered some welcome story moments for Clash in Paris and the months to come.

CM Punk, LA Knight and Jey Uso are Perfect Rivals for Seth Rollins

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Seth Rollins' World Heavyweight Championship reign has a stronger foundation than any previous run since the title was brought back in 2023.

The main reason for this is the clear group of title challengers for The Visionary.

CM Punk has an obvious issue with Rollins that escalated at SummerSlam, and The Best in the World will get his singles shot at The Visionary at some point.

LA Knight has a win over the champion to his name, and an inconclusive match last week sets him up for a return challenge sooner than later.

Jey Uso has taken the fight to Rollins' group since they formed after WrestleMania 41. He is a former world champion who is itching for a chance to win his second.

All three have legitimate grievances with the champion and have feuded with Rollins since the early part of the year.

They are all contenders who could be champions and will bring their all to competing against The Visionary.

All around, this is a perfect trio to push Rollins through 2025, challenging him in a way that feels desperate. No one is a throwaway contender.

There is no reason Rollins should be able to definitively take all three men out of contention until at least Royal Rumble 2026.

This means Raw will have a clear and strong men's main event scene, and Roman Reigns is still waiting in the wings for his own revenge.

Dominik Mysterio Must Win AAA Mega Championship at TripleMania

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While AAA is not a priority for promotion on WWE's main shows, one match has gotten multiple weeks of build on Raw: the AAA Mega Championship Fatal 4-Way.

El Hijo del Vikingo will defend his title against Dominik Mysterio, El Grande Americano and Dragon Lee.

Anything is possible in that format, but WWE has a chance to make the most of the moment with a massive title change.

Dirty Dom dethroning Vikingo would set up a major rivalry for AAA that can bleed over into WWE television.

It will put Vikingo on the radar more for WWE audiences as he desperately tries to reclaim the gold for AAA while Mysterio can run around with double championships.

As good as he is, Vikingo could use that fresh audience to back him as he has struggled to get over on AAA television in spite of his incredible athleticism.

This even benefits The Judgment Day's long-term story as Finn Bálor is certain to get greedy if he has to watch Dirty Dom run around with multiple titles.

Fans would be talking regularly about the AAA Mega Championship, possibly even elevating that title into a true world title conversation.

Making Sami Zayn US Champion Would Be Huge Mistake

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For several years now, Sami Zayn has made clear that his biggest goal left in WWE is to capture a world championship.

However, time and again, the company has not put him in position to contend legitimately for the world title.

Instead, he has gone after midcard gold despite a lack of excitement about him in that title scene.

When he dethroned Gunther as intercontinental champion, it was a huge moment but did little for Zayn in the aftermath, which was especially frustrating for fans hoping to see Chad Gable capture the belt.

This latest venture into the United States Championship picture takes away from any interesting angles in SmackDown's underdeveloped midcard scene.

The Ultimate Underdog is not even a SmackDown talent, let alone a wrestler who should have aspirations for the U.S. title.

This is a stop-gap measure that should not lead to a hasty title change for the sake of keeping Zayn relevant.

The one angle WWE should focus on with Zayn is finally pushing him to the world title picture, challenging Cody Rhodes or Seth Rollins at least by 2026.

Asuka Turning Heel on Iyo Sky Can Be Best Women's Story of 2025

Due to an unfortunate medical setback for Naomi, Iyo Sky did not get her one-on-one rematch on Raw.

This may have been for the best as that is a match deserving of major hype and a bigger stage.

However, it could also just lead to The Genius of the Sky leaving the Women's World Championship scene entirely.

WWE has committed to Sky's label as one of the best women's wrestlers in the world, but her booking from here on out will define her true legacy.

One of the best ways to keep her relevant is pairing her back up with Asuka. However, this time, the best option is pitting them against each other as rivals.

The Empress of Tomorrow is teasing a potential heel turn, and Kairi Sane might follow her.

Sky is too popular to follow her friends down that dark path, but it could lead to a dream battle between the two greatest Japanese wrestlers to make it big in WWE.

The drama of a long-standing rivalry turned dark is a better angle than anything the women's division has been given in 2025.

This is a story that can run for many months without any championships involved.

Especially if Asuka and Sky are allowed a non-title grudge match on a premium live event, they could genuinely define the rest of the year for the women's division all on their own.

Maxxine Dupri Still Not Ready for the Spotlight

No wrestler on Raw or SmackDown looks as lost in the ring right now as Maxxine Dupri.

Still a fascinating athletic prospect, she has had a trial by fire in her WWE career.

Signing with WWE in late 2022 with no wrestling experience, she was quickly thrown into a managerial role on NXT television.

WWE quickly chose to transition her to the main roster as a manager, but that role began to expand slowly into an in-ring one, wrestling her first match on Raw in July 2023.

A former dancer and cheerleader, WWE should have trained extensively in the Performance Center before she was on the road.

Instead, over the past two years, she has waffled between manager and wrestler roles without much success on either front.

While Dupri is a decent character worker, she is often outclassed by the veterans around her.

In the ring, she looks out of her depth, and that was clear again when she wrestled Becky Lynch.

The Man is arguably the greatest women's wrestler of the modern era, perhaps even of all time, and she still could not get Dupri on track enough to deliver a solid five-minute match.

It was obvious again, as it has been every time she wrestles, that she is not improving nearly enough to make an impact on Raw or SmackDown.

Once again, it is time to consider putting Dupri back on NXT TV. She is 28 and has only wrestled 34 matches. A controlled environment and more reps is the only way to test if she can ever improve.

She is the worst in-ring worker on the active roster, and her role could be filled easily by someone more comfortable on NXT.

Natalya and Karmen Petrovic already have proven team chemistry. Akira Tozawa and Otis could use a complete character revamp anyway, given their rough position at the bottom of the card.

If Dupri stays on this track, she is unlikely to be re-signed when her current WWE contract is up, and she won't even have the necessary knowledge and experience to try competing on the independent scene.