The Problem With Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar Rematch, Saving LA Knight, More WWE Raw Fallout

The May 18 edition of WWE Raw featured a shocking return and the final build to the next Saturday Night's Main Event, all from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

Brock Lesnar returned to lay out Oba Femi and challenge him to a rematch at Clash in Italy. LA Knight returned to his fight with The Vision while Seth Rollins defeated Austin Theory in the main event, only to get laid out again.

Sol Ruca stepped up to Becky Lynch, who agreed to fight her one-on-one non-title at SNME. Brie Bella and Paige successfully defended the Women's Tag Team Championships against The Judgment Day.

This was a relatively tame night of action, but it did give a clear view into WWE's ideas for the immediate future.

All Risk, No Reward in Running Back Lesnar vs. Femi

At WrestleMania 42, Brock Lesnar left his boots and gloves in the ring, seemingly ending his career after losing definitively to Oba Femi.

It was a poetic end for The Beast Incarnate, as he appeared to pass the torch to The Ruler.

All of that was invalidated by Monday's swerve attack by Lesnar on Oba on Raw followed by Paul Heyman announcing a rematch between the two big men at Clash in Italy.

Lesnar is not back to lose again. That is not the way he has been booked at any point in his career.

Even if he was going to lose again, it would lack the same impact as the first time they collided. The Ruler already got the most rub possible from retiring Lesnar.

Every rise up the card can be quickly ruined by one bad angle, and this is likely the moment when WWE takes away from Femi rather than continuing his meteoric ascent.

Sol Ruca Must Ace the Becky Lynch Test

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Sol Ruca

While Sol Ruca arrived on the main roster with major hype, fans have quickly discovered that she is not a complete star yet.

Much as she had success and failures in NXT, she has started off inconsistently on WWE television.

Her matches with Liv Morgan and Iyo Sky looked good, but she also has stumbled repeatedly on the mic and in pre-planned spots.

While Becky Lynch has worked a giving heel gimmick for the past year that has allowed a star like Lyra Valkyria to step up, she has also given a false impression of how far someone like Maxxine Dupri was ready to rise.

Ruca should look good against The Man, but she needs to do more than that. This needs to be a show-stealing performance. This needs to be a perfect grade, showing no stumbles or hesitation.

If nerves or a lack of confidence take over in the biggest match of Sol's career, she may quickly find herself falling down the card like many other NXT call-ups in the past.

Time to Pivot Away from Paige and Brie Bella

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Paige and Brie Bella

The return of Paige was a great moment for WrestleMania 42, but the aftermath has destroyed the magic.

While The Anti-Diva has looked solid in her own return, she has not had the necessary comfort or confidence to carry her team.

Brie Bella has simply looked lost in the ring since her return, no matter who she and Paige are facing.

Perhaps Brie would feel more comfortable teaming with Nikki Bella, but this pairing with Paige is certainly not working.

Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez should have dethroned the champions on Raw, but that result is already decided.

The next team up is Lash Legend and Nia Jax, who are still struggling to find their own chemistry.

It would be best to follow up with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss or Bayley and Lyra Valkyria dethroning Paige and Brie so that the tag team division has stronger workhorses as champions.

Once Nikki is healthy again, WWE can give The Bella Twins the title win they have long craved, but Brie's current run has already proved any future reign should be brief.

LA Knight Should Be The Vision's Central Problem, Not Seth Rollins

Following Seth Rollins' injury, The Vision began to slowly fall apart. Slow booking of Bron Breakker followed by injuries to both Breakker and Bronson Reed halted any real rise up the card.

Even the addition of Logan Paul and Austin Theory, who would win the World Tag Team Championships, has done little to halt the feeling that the main heel stable on Raw is no longer cutting it.

All signs point to Roman Reigns and The Usos taking that spot back and leaving The Vision as a distant memory.

This is why Seth Rollins' feud with The Vision comes off as pointless. He is one of WWE's top stars, feuding with a rising name like Breakker, but both are stuck in an angle that lacks heat.

However, the return of LA Knight this week provided a brief hint of life. His fiery promos on The Visionary and The Usos sold why he still needs his revenge against The Vision.

The Megastar still feels like a fresh act in need of a rub and could get so much more from putting an end to The Vision one star at a time.

Knight also lacks a clear direction while Rollins is a perennial top guy who always has air time on Raw. He will not suffer at all from walking away from all of this.

Saturday Night's Main Event Being Booked Like a Throwaway Show

Saturday Night's Main Event returned in 2024 as an ongoing partnership with NBC Universal to deliver multiple exciting premium live events each year.

Since that time, SNME has worked in a strange place as halfway between a PLE and an inconsistent TV show.

Into 2026 though, the writing is on the wall more than ever that WWE has no clear plans for selling SNME.

The card for Saturday includes three rushed midcard championships matches that lack the hype needed to sell a title change alongside two non-title contests that would have fit easily on weekly television.

While it is nice to see more women represented than usual on a WWE PLE, the booking of this card comes off as the midcard filler ahead of a stacked Clash in Italy one week later.

Anyone on this show is not going to make that Italy card that included two world championship matches already.

This partnership is set to last only until the end of 2026 according to NBC Sports. At this point, WWE may not see the SNME brand as important enough to prioritize.

Instead, fans are stuck with these throwaway shows that feature all matches that WWE would have normally simply aired on Raw or SmackDown with a few less minutes.