WWE Nails Post-SummerSlam Angles With Big Returns and Debuts, More Raw Fallout
Following up on an eventful SummerSlam, WWE headed to the Casey's Center in Des Moines, Iowa for an important August 3 episode of Raw on Netflix.
Becky Lynch and Stephanie Vaquer interrupted Liv Morgan to officially declare their returns to the ring and intention to challenge for the Women's World Championship.
Big Cass made his return to action, laying out Je'Von Evans. LA Knight challenged Roman Reigns to fight him any time, anywhere. Oba Femi faced down Bron Breakker after promising to destroy all of WWE's old gods.
These were the foundations of a memorable Raw after SummerSlam. Check out all the fallout from the night.
Becky Lynch and Stephanie Vaquer Return to Rescue Raw Women's Division
1 of 5Just as Liv Morgan put Iyo Sky behind her, two new challengers emerged as both Becky Lynch and Stephanie Vaquer returned this week on Raw.
This is a massive change for a women's division in desperate need of fresh names, especially after 100 days of Liv telling everyone that the whole roster was scared of her.
La Primera has never shown any fear with Liv while The Man has consistently shown no fear against any opponent in WWE.
Especially if Lynch is fully embracing a more babyface role, this women's division just got a major jump start.
Liv needs multiple fresh challengers to make something of a terrible reign. Suddenly, the possibilities look endless.
LA Knight is the 1st of Many Filler Challengers for Roman Reigns
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Post-SummerSlam, it looks like Roman Reigns will stick around to defend his World Heavyweight Championship.
LA Knight makes perfect sense, especially after winning against The Usos and Jacob Fatu at SummerSlam.
However, Knight has no chance to win. While there may still be a time for him to win big, that does not look like a close reality.
The Million Dollar Megastar will not be the only filler challenger for The OTC though as he will need multiple defenses before WrestleMania 43, even though it is highly unlikely he loses before 'Mania.
WWE wants Reigns at the headline act for many big shows to come, but the only place the company will truly set up a changing of the guard would be at The Show of Shows.
In the meantime, Knight should do well against Reigns as he has in the past.
Don't Wait Too Long to Bet It All on Oba Femi
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Oba Femi won King of the Ring and has defeated Brock Lesnar twice at both WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
If anyone is worthy of the next world title opportunity, it is The Ruler.
However, WWE is clearly delaying Oba's world title reign, keeping him busy with a feud with Bron Breakker that is unlikely to go well for The Big Dog.
While this could be a great testing ground for the next two big names in WWE, the timing is heavily in Oba's favor.
While Breakker just lost to Seth Rollins twice, The Ruler has been nearly unstoppable in 2026.
WWE should not wait long on getting Oba all the way to the World Heavyweight Championship or Undisputed WWE Championship to capitalize on the momentum of retiring Lesnar before that has faded.
Stars like Breakker have suffered from WWE waiting too long to capitalize on their dominance. The company can still very easily fail Oba.
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Wrong Spot, Wrong Gimmick for Big Cass
4 of 5In the build-up to Big Cass' return to WWE, the company showed multiple hype videos talking up his journey to a long-awaited return.
These seemed to indicate he would return to the company as a babyface, even if his usual tag team partner Enzo Amore was not along for the ride.
Instead, Cass arrived to attack Je'Von Evans in a spot eerily familiar to Baron Corbin's recent return against Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams.
WWE needs more heels. It does not need Cass to be a heel though as he would have gotten a much better reaction returning as a fan favorite, playing on his past history.
Hopefully WWE will make the most of this new run for Cass, who is a much better performer than he was when he was released back in 2018.
WWE Delivers a Memorable Raw After SummerSlam
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The Raw after SummerSlam delivered multiple major surprises, especially highlighted by the returns of Becky Lynch and Stephanie Vaquer as well as the re-debut of Big Cass.
The show also delivered a memorably brutal Street Fight between Jacob Fatu and Royce Keys to end the night and solidify the growing threat of the new Bloodline.
This was a show that flowed like a Raw after WrestleMania and immediately made Raw feel fresh past the end of the summer.
While WWE cannot always rely on multiple returns in the same night, it is important to have events like this that get everyone talking.
Otherwise, fans quickly lose interest in tuning into the weekly product.
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