Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns Loading, WWE's Next Women's Champ, More Raw Fallout
Ahead of the WWE European tour, the August 18 edition of Raw on Netflix aired live from the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Naomi announced she was pregnant and would need to vacate the Women's World Championship.
This leaves an uncertain future for the women's title scene as Stephanie Vaquer awaits a clear decision on her opponent at Clash in Paris.
Roman Reigns returned to take out Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed before challenging the latter to a battle in France on August 31.
Dominik Mysterio helped The Judgment Day defeat Mr. Iguana and Dragon Lee then took out AAA Mega champion El Hijo del Vikingo to stand tall with all the gold.
This night was an emotional journey, setting the stage for massive matches and moments at Clash in Paris.
Naomi Delivered Best Work of Her Career in 2025
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With the end of Naomi's 2025 coming earlier than expected, it is easy to begin reflecting on what she accomplished throughout the year.
While The Glow is a veteran in WWE, dating back to her original signing and developmental run in 2009, she got her first big break in 2017.
Naomi won the SmackDown Women's Championship twice in 2017, holding the gold for just under 150 days.
At that time, she was testing the waters with her potential, rising up the ranks due to her natural athleticism. However, her character work lagged behind her in-ring form, and she did not get another world title reign until this year.
Going into 2025, the 37-year-old was a veteran with limited upside, but no one could have predicted how effortlessly she would lean into a heel role that allowed her to fully break out.
Her promos were the major highlight of her feud with Jade Cargill and set the stage for her to win the women's Money in the Bank ladder match and cash it in to dethrone Iyo Sky as women's world champion.
Even if Naomi will walk out of 2025 without much in-ring greatness to her name (beyond her role in the Evolution main event), she broke out as a character in a way no one ever expected.
It was a truly revelatory moment for The Glow, who is now established as a top name in WWE going forward.
Best of luck to Naomi with her pregnancy. At the end of the day, that is what will matter most to her about 2025.
That does not mean that this year did not also change her career, though, as she delivered main event-level work consistently.
Stephanie Vaquer is Only Option For Women's World Championship
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As Naomi steps down as women's world champion, one question lingers: Who will take the top title next?
Iyo Sky was supposed to be the next woman up for The Glow on Raw, while Stephanie Vaquer earned a shot to challenge for the championship at Clash in Paris.
The best option would be to finally deliver the much-teased battle of Sky vs. Vaquer in Paris, ending in a definitive new champion.
While The Genius of Sky is one of the best in the world right now, she has had her time as world champion. She should get more chances, but not right now.
That honor should go to La Primera, who has taken WWE by storm since her arrival in July 2024.
Her in-ring expertise and striking personality have made her a massive fan favorite. Few would question pushing her straight to the top of the company right now.
Since Vaquer is still new to WWE, every potential challenger is a fresh opponent, leading to plenty of intriguing matchups that can extend through the year and likely go all the way to WrestleMania 42.
Save Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns For WrestleMania 42
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While Cody Rhodes took on the mantle of WWE's top babyface in 2024 when he dethroned Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, The OTC remains the true top star of WWE.
The reactions he receives every time he appears are unparalleled, even by top popular figures such as Jey Uso and CM Punk.
For this reason, the end goal for Seth Rollins' run with World Heavyweight Championship should be to pit him against WWE's top face.
Rollins and Reigns have so much history to explore dating back even before their main roster debut as members of The Shield. They grew up in WWE together and have defined their era of professional wrestling.
Rollins was the only one to pick up a win over Reigns in singles action during his record-shattering world title reign.
Much is still discussed from the Night 2 main event of WrestleMania 40, but nothing has been more revered than the moment The OTC dropped his focus on Rhodes to get revenge on The Visionary.
Night 1 of WrestleMania 41 delivered another incredible moment in this story when Paul Heyman turned on Reigns to become Rollins' Oracle.
This rivalry has been built on layers of history that make them forever rivals. Complete this story by letting them finally collide one-on-one at WrestleMania.
Anything else would be a waste, and no one better fits the role as Rollins' opponent at The Show of Shows than Reigns.
Raw Should Feature At Least 1 AAA Talent Every Week Going Forward
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Triplemania XXXIII was a true statement night for WWE on Saturday when the company solidified its booking vision for AAA going forward.
AAA will play a key role in WWE's storytelling vision, which is why Mr. Iguana and El Hijo del Vikingo both appeared on Raw this week.
Vikingo vs. Dominik Mysterio is WWE's biggest story for AAA right now and should keep the AAA Mega champion on WWE programming going forward.
Iguana has gotten himself over too much not to appear regularly on TV wherever there is space.
However, AAA is loaded with fresh talent that could use the spotlight and opportunity of competing on Raw.
Psycho Clown, Octagón Jr., El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Lady Flammer, Dalys, Lady Shani and more would all be new names to the red brand.
That is only scratching the surface with AAA, and every week a fresh name from the promotion could appear to gain exposure and work with known names.
Worlds Collide events are too few and far between to present these stars to a U.S. audience, and fans are much more likely to see them on Raw or SmackDown.
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