Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins Reaction, WWE's Bizarre Pivots and More WWE Raw Fallout
From Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the June 29 edition of WWE Raw on Netflix followed up a wild Night of Champions by looking forward to SummerSlam.
Brock Lesnar interrupted Oba Femi's title challenge to set up a Hell in a Cell challenge for SummerSlam, while Roman Reigns received a different challenge from long-term rival and former teammate Seth Rollins.
Iyo Sky and Liv Morgan continued to fight despite The Judgment Day's bad luck courtesy of Danhausen.
This and more highlighted a night of major fallout for the summer of WWE.
WWE is Rushing Reigns vs. Rollins Dream Feud
1 of 5Coming out of Night of Champions, all signs pointed to Oba Femi challenging Roman Reigns in the biggest match of the new King of the Ring's career.
Instead, Femi is back to fighting Brock Lesnar, and The Tribal Chief has a familiar opponent for SummerSlam: Seth Rollins.
This is a money match for WWE that might have been the main event of WrestleMania 42 if The Visionary had not suffered an injury in 2025.
This is a delayed payoff of that 'Mania match opportunity, but it does not feel like a contest that WWE prepared fans for any time in 2026.
Beyond one-off mentions of reclaiming his World Heavyweight Championship, Rollins has not interacted with Reigns since last year when he was still the heel leader of The Vision.
That whole angle fell apart, and Rollins has since been on a side quest to bring down Paul Heyman's group.
After Rollins defeated Bron Breakker at Night of Champions, though, WWE has fast-tracked these two men to the main event of SummerSlam on August 1-2.
This is a match that should have been delivered after a lengthy build as it could be the definitive one-on-one of this rivalry with proper focus.
Instead, it will be quickly pushed forward over the next month to sell tickets over a fresh match between Reigns and Femi.
WWE Has Already Devalued King and Queen of the Ring Wins
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What was the point of this year's King and Queen of the Ring? While both Oba Femi and Iyo Sky were worthy champions, neither needed to win to set up SummerSlam.
On one hand, Femi has delayed his title shot until later in the year so that he can face Brock Lesnar first.
Seth Rollins could have faced Bron Breakker in the final to set up his challenge of Roman Reigns, or the winner could have won to set up a match against undisputed WWE champion Sami Zayn.
On the other hand, Sky defeated Liv Morgan in the Queen of the Ring final to earn a shot to challenge the same opponent for the Women's World Championship.
If The Genius of the Sky was always going to beat Morgan in a non-title bout, it did not need to be in Queen of the Ring. That spot could have been given to whoever will challenge WWE women's champion Rhea Ripley.
In both cases, the payoff of the tournaments has been muted, showing a lack of care for the immediate future of SummerSlam.
Ethan Page is Losing Momentum
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"All Ego" Ethan Page was one of the more underrated additions to Raw after WrestleMania 42 and quickly showed his value in the Intercontinental Championship scene.
However, after a quality battle with Penta for that title, WWE seems to have lost interest in protecting Page, who is stuck losing to a 51-year-old Rey Mysterio in matches thrown together for the night.
Page has lost promo time that initially got him over, keeping him from telling his full story in this growing midcard on Raw.
While Roman Reigns and Oba Femi must have promo time when available, the best way to get over is through mic opportunities, which is why a variety of stars need that time.
Page can do well in the ring but will only keep growing on Raw with consistent spotlight and more protective booking.
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Massive Creative Pivots on Display All Over Raw
4 of 5WWE has teased multiple stories on Raw that now look to be quickly falling apart. In particular, WWE may finally be taking The Vision curse seriously.
Paul Heyman has teased that his time leading the stable could be coming to an end, particularly disrespecting Austin Theory throughout Monday's episode.
Another story connected to Theory may have been quickly dropped after he put an end to his relationship with Maxxine Dupri.
These stories had a chance to come to a natural conclusion that could have benefited a variety of names, but instead they look to have been unceremoniously dropped.
While The Vision had mostly run its course, Theory is still on TV, as are Logan Paul and Bron Breakker. Heyman abruptly dropping them would be a weird choice.
Dupri's angle had real potential to jump-start her career. Instead, it seems WWE is locked into her working with Chad Gable and Alpha Academy for the future.
These creative pivots could work out, but it is always an odd choice to abandon an angle before its conclusion since WWE has such consistent television time.
Dropping an angle comes off as WWE admitting to wasting fans' time.
Solo Sikoa and LA Knight Together is Best Path for Both
5 of 5While a handful of wrestlers reach the apex of their potential in WWE, many come and go with more expectations than results.
Solo Sikoa and LA Knight are two strong examples of wrestlers who teased main event upside but have consistently fallen short.
This is despite both showing major promise in the midst of setbacks and still garnering reactions due to their charisma.
At this stage, neither looks likely to make it to the world championship, but they could find a new future in WWE working together.
This is an odd pairing of talent on paper, but two charismatic stars working together has led to success many times in WWE.
It is also better to involve both men in a fresh story rather than looping them into the same angles for years to come.
An initial alliance of Knight and Sikoa against The Usos could be a familiar Bloodline set up, but it can also create a fresh environment for both as a tag team in the long term.
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