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Solo Sikoa and The BloodlineCooper Neill/WWE via Getty Images

Why Solo Sikoa is WWE's Best Babyface, A Red Flag For This Struggling Star, More WWE Raw Fallout

Kevin BergeAug 18, 2026

From the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, the August 17 edition of Raw on Netflix featured championship action and major reveals as WWE keeps the heat out of the summer.

Solo Sikoa refused to fall in line with Roman Reigns, protecting LA Knight in defiance of The OTC. Rey Fenix and Dragon Lee advanced in the luchador No. 1 contender tournament.

Chad Gable defended his Intercontinental Championship in a memorable battle with Rey Mysterio. Bron Breakker and Oba Femi agreed to fight for the first time at Sunday Night's Main Event.

Check out all the fallout from a memorable Raw below.

Solo Sikoa and LA Knight are the Best Story in WWE Right Now

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The end of Raw delivered an ending so good it did not matter that it was basically a rushed beat-for-beat rehash of Sami Zayn's turn on Roman Reigns.

Solo Sikoa stood by his friend LA Knight over his family and stood up to the tyranny of The OTC.

The crowd roared for everything Sikoa and Knight did to contest The Bloodline, and by the end, it was clear that both men are the big stars of Raw right now.

While Reigns and The Usos may run Raw and Oba Femi is on a roll, no angle has as much excitement around it as the growing friendship of Sikoa and Knight.

Once rivals, these two feel like genuine friends at this stage, and the crowd wants them to succeed.

This story is so good that it could believably end the latest reign of The OTC as World heavyweight champion, and that is a near-impossible feat any time before WrestleMania 43.

Penta vs. Rey Fénix Must Be No. 1 Contender Tournament Final

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When WWE first signed The Lucha Brothers from All Elite Wrestling, most expected Penta and Rey Fénix to take over the tag team division together.

Instead, Penta became the most popular luchador in WWE since Rey Mysterio while Fénix was mostly lost in the shuffle.

If not for The Undertaker making Fénix the AAA cruiserweight champion, he might have been completely forgotten by WWE by now.

Still, the connection between Penta and Fénix is the biggest story both men can tell in WWE, and that begins with selling that dynamic in the ring.

These two have delivered spectacle performances together in the past, and this would be no different as the final of a tournament to crown the next challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship.

It is likely though that Dragon Lee will win over Fénix since he is more heavily featured on television and has worked more actively with Penta in the past year.

That would also be a good match but not make the most of this tournament format to further build fresh stars.

Fénix defeating Penta would be even better, allowing the talented luchador to stand on his own two feet, while also giving Penta motivation to feud with Reigns after his brother falls to The OTC.

Huge Red Flags on Display With Lyra Valkyria's Booking

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Monday Night RAW
Lyra Valkyria and Sol Ruca

What is WWE doing with Lyra Valkyria? Just days after destroying Bayley at Saturday Night's Main Event, The Valkyrie could not find a spot on Raw.

Since that time, TV time has become trickier for Valkyria, who is clearly not a priority in an understaffed women's division.

Still, for the sake of the brand and the best use of her talent, The Valkyrie should be defeating Sol Ruca one-on-one.

Instead, Ruca defeated Valkyria in a match that might be the last time The Valkyrie appears on TV for the month.

What was the point of her heel turn and dominant performance against Bayley if Valkyria is just going to fall to everyone else on the active Raw roster?

Outside of a quick return to action by The Role Model, it does not look like WWE has any plans for one of its most talent women.

How to Properly Handle Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker Feud

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Monday Night RAW
Bron Breakker, Paul Heyman and Oba Femi

As Oba Femi and Bron Breakker approach their first match together, it would make sense to assume this story will focus on re-heating Breakker.

However, 50-50 booking does not help Oba or Breakker. It would only serve to diminish The Ruler's dominance over Brock Lesnar.

Instead, this match should establish that Breakker has work to do to get up to Oba's level.

That can push The Big Dog into rebuild mode, forcing him to evaluate what has gone wrong for him to fall so far.

By the time Breakker and Oba collide for a rematch, The Big Dog should look like he is more ready to step up rather than pull The Ruler down.

Chad Gable Delivering Big as Intercontinental Champion

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Chad Gable and Rey Mysterio had the main event spotlight on Raw and made the most of it.

This was easily the best match of the night and one of the best TV matches of the year for WWE.

This was another strong indication that Gable was the right man to take the Intercontinental Championship and carry it forward.

Hopefully, WWE will continue to lean on Gable's ability to deliver special performances with just about anyone on the roster.

Gable title defenses will quickly become must-watch television on Raw, especially if delivered often with strong challengers.

No one is likely taking the gold any time soon, but Ethan Page, Rusev, Je'Von Evans, Big Cass, Dominik Mysterio and more would be worthy challengers for the next few months.