Rey Mysterio's Last Big Shot, The Fiend Has Another Victim, More WWE Raw Fallout

Preparing for a season premiere, the September 23 edition of WWE Raw featured teases more than anything else. Multiple stars showed they might be on the rise sooner rather than later.

A shot at the Universal Championship was on the line in a stacked Fatal 5-Way elimination match between AJ Styles, Bobby Roode, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Mysterio.

Baron Corbin and Chad Gable went at it again in another action-packed fight between newly heated rivals, while Nikki Cross looked to prove herself against Sasha Banks after The Boss and Bayley attempted to humiliate her last week.

Rusev continued to rebuild himself after returning to a lukewarm reception last week as a part of the awkward Maria and Mike Kanellis storyline.

As Bray Wyatt watched closely from the Firefly Fun House, Braun Strowman demanded a second chance to take down Seth Rollins, and it was granted.

These moments set up a show filled with potential for excitement and left fans with much to think about before the next real shake-up.

Rey Mysterio Earns Huge Match That May Be One of His Last

Credit: WWE.com

Rey Mysterio dedicated his performance in the Fatal 5-Way elimination match to his son, Dominic. The Master of the 619 was sidelined for most of the bout as Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles were eliminated.

Bobby Roode thought he had the win, but Mysterio recovered and won with a 619 and springboard frog splash. After months of speculation about the status and expectations for the future Hall of Famer, he went out and earned a world title opportunity.

While he is still performing at a high level, it does feel like the 44-year-old is on the final run of his career particularly since his retirement tease. This comes off almost like a last hurrah, his ultimate moment in the sun before fading into the background.

He may stick around and help build up Dominic once his son is ready to get inside the ring, but The Master of the 619 is not going to get multiple world title shots in the coming months.

Ricochet, Nakamura, Styles and Roode are all more likely to get future chances than Mysterio, so it was likely the right move to allow the legend his spotlight. It also sets him up perfectly to be Bray Wyatt's next victim just days before Hell in a Cell on October 6.

As an aside, Roode continues to pull off performances far above his standing from just a month ago. He may be one to watch in the long term as someone seems ready to give him a spotlight, one potentially larger than just holding tag team gold.

Rusev Needs a Real Rival Quickly as Fans Have Forgotten Who He Is

Rusev made his return to WWE last week supposedly as the father of Maria Kanellis' child. This week, she was nowhere to be seen as The Bulgarian Brute squashed EC3 and fans chanted for Rusev's wife, Lana.

It feels like a lifetime ago that Rusev Day was a constant chant from the WWE Universe. Thanks to poor booking and an extended hiatus from television, he is back to square one as a generic heel. This time, he just added a mustache.

The Bulgarian Brute will not get anywhere squashing talent that doesn't get any screen time week to week. He needs a rival who will tell a complete story with him and a chance to remind everyone he is more than the heavyweight that is represented by The Ravishing Russian.

If this pace continues for the next few months, particularly after the WWE draft on October 11 and 14, Rusev will likely get stuck in another generic tag team that doesn't get the highlight it deserves.

Rusev is far better than the booking he has repeatedly been given, and he's well-known enough to capitalize on all opportunities.

Nikki Cross Continues to Prove She Can Hang with the Best

Credit: WWE.com

After coming close to pulling off a win last week in what felt like a handicap match after an early injury to Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross got a chance to fight Sasha Banks one-on-one.

While the women's tag team champion had The Boss on the ropes this week, Banks rolled through into the Bank Statement for the tapout.

Cross had been treated like an afterthought until her alliance with Bliss, so it is still tough to tell how much she is seen as a legitimate star. But these last two weeks tell the story of a woman on the rise.

Even when the Scot was feuding for the SmackDown Women's Championship, it did not feel like she was given a full opportunity to shine.

However, Cross looked to be working on the same level as the current No. 1 contender to the Raw Women's Championship on Monday's show after outperforming the SmackDown women's champion last week.

At the height of her run in NXT, Cross was as big a star in the women's division as there was, and she came off like a performer on the rise. It has been a slow start for her on the main roster, but she might finally have the spotlight she needs to deliver on her potential.

King Corbin and Chad Gable Can Elevate Each Other with Their Rivalry

Following up on last week's King of the Ring finals, Baron Corbin came out with a black crown and fur robe to replace what Chad Gable destroyed on SmackDown.

In their rematch, Gable refused to stay down to anything and trapped King Corbin in the ankle lock. The Lone Wolf grabbed his scepter and struck his opponent to cause a disqualification and avoid a submission loss.

Much like last week, Corbin and Gable stole the show together in a fantastic match that continued to put over the resilience of the Olympian. Even though the King of the Ring wears the crown, his rival has continued to elevate himself through his performances.

Corbin has looked as good as he ever has working with Gable, and the same could be said for the babyface. They bring the best out of each other, and they come off as feature stars when they wrestle one-on-one.

If this keep going, both men could walk out as main event acts for their brands. Corbin might be given that spotlight anyway, but he'll be far better received if he proves himself with Gable first. The smaller performer also deserves all the opportunities he can get.

Bray Wyatt Saves Seth Rollins from Losing to Braun Strowman

In the Firefly Fun House, Bray Wyatt's puppet pals fought over a Seth Rollins action figure until he made a point to break it in two.

Braun Strowman challenged Seth Rollins to a rematch which the champion reluctantly accepted, but The Beastslayer was unable to put his opponent away this time around.

As Strowman prepared to hit a running powerslam in the ring, though, the lights went out and The Fiend struck, choking out The Monster Among Men with the mandible claw. The Fiend's laughter echoed through the arena as he stared at Rollins and the arena went completely dark.

This was another inspired week from Wyatt whose simple messages are delivered with too much charisma to ignore. It was interesting that he saved Rollins from a loss that might have earned Strowman a title opportunity.

It was made clear a month ago that Wyatt had unfinished business with The Monster. The two had been teammates for a time, so they have more shared history than Wyatt and Rollins. His attack could have been playing on that, or Wyatt does want to protect the champion to an extent.

Regardless, Raw's recent endings have been memorable ones thanks to Wyatt. The horror aesthetic leaves a lasting impression, and it's hard to see how he won't carry this momentum to a title win at Hell in a Cell on October 6.