WWE Raw: 7 things you missed overnight ahead of Summerslam
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Summerslam is almost upon us, and this week's Monday Night Raw was the final show for the red brand ahead of Sunday's huge pay-per-view.
With a huge Universal Championship set to main event Summerslam, Raw's main event was a meeting between the four competitors involved in that blockbsuter match, with Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe all sharing the ring for the first time.
The likes of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Sasha Banks, Finn Balor and Jason Jordan were also in action ahead of WWE's big summer show, and here are seven things you missed overnight...
1. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins finally reunite
In recent weeks, we have seen former Shield members Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins tease a reunion, with Ambrose remaining wary of Rollins after his betrayal in 2014, as he joined forces with Triple H and the Authority and dismantled The Shield.
Rollins' attempts to reconcile with Ambrose – saving him from beatdowns at the hands of Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus – had failed, but Ambrose had relented and offered to join forces with Rollins again last week, only for Rollins to leave him hanging.
This week, Ambrose and Rollins finally got things out in the open; Rollins felt that their differences made them into an unstoppable team, but they went back and forth on a reunion, even coming to blows with each other as they struggled to find a common ground.
(Image: © WWE)
However, when Cesaro and Sheamus emerged, Ambrose and Rollins teamed up to fend them off, before finally bumping fists just like their Shield days – and GM Kurt Angle then granted them a Tag Team Championship match at Summerslam, giving them a chance to cap off a rollercoaster of a reunion.
2. Sasha Banks lands Alexa Bliss rematch after defeating Nia Jax
With Bayley out of Summerslam thanks to a shoulder injury, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax won qualifying matches to go head-to-head for a Raw Women's Championship match at Summerslam, with their meeting on Monday deciding who would face Alexa Bliss on Sunday.
As Bliss sat ringside in a comically high chair, it was Banks who claimed the win, forcing Jax to tap out to her Bank Statement submission hold, meaning Jax's wait for a title reign continues.
For Banks, it's a rematch against Bliss after she walked out of their match at Great Balls of Fire last month, and she will be hoping to claim the title in Brooklyn – the setting for her famous NXT match against Bayley in 2015.
3. Neville's Cruiserweight Championship reigns ends at the hands of Akira Tozawa
Since winning the Cruiserweight Championship at the Royal Rumble in January, Neville has been on a path of destruction on Raw and 205 Live, demolishing the competition whilst holding the title for almost 200 days.
Neville was set to defend his title against Akira Tozawa at Summerslam, but that match was brought forward to Monday Night Raw – and Neville's time as 'King of the Cruiserweights' is now over.
After missing with a Red Arrow, Neville was beaten as Tozawa hit a Diving Senton to claim the victory and the Cruiserweight Championship, sparking wild celebrations from Titus Worldwide as Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews all congratulated Tozawa on his stunning win – but he will have to defend that title at Summerslam, as Neville has already invoked his rematch clause.
4. Bray Wyatt has awoken Finn Balor's demon
Bray Wyatt has been tormenting Finn Balor in recent weeks, and their backstage brawl not only led to WWE officials attempting to separate them on Monday Night Raw, but GM Angle then brought forward their Summerslam match as he wanted them to face off on Monday.
Balor looked to be getting in position for a win with his Coup de Grace finisher, but Wyatt plucked him from the top rope and hit him with a Sister Abigail for the victory, before landing the same move on Balor after the match had finished.
(Image: © WWE)
Wyatt proceeded to pour a bucket of red liquid – symbolically labelled as blood – over Balor, leading the former NXT Champion to confirm later in the night that his demon persona will rise again at Summerslam, meaning Wyatt may just regret his actions on Monday night.
5. Big Show suffers suspected broken hand – but will still face Big Cass at Summerslam
With Big Cass concerned that former best friend and tag team partner Enzo Amore will interfere in his Summerslam match against Big Show, GM Angle agreed on a fascinating stipulation, with Amore to be locked in a shark cage suspended above the ring.
This week, Cass attempted to discuss his intentions but was drowned out by a vociferous Boston crowd, before Amore and Big Show emerged to try and trap Cass in the ring – only for Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to make a surprise appearance and blindside Big Show.
Show's fightback didn't last long, as Anderson and Gallows assisted to help Cass smash the shark cage door into Big Show's hand, which was later suspected to be broken – but he told Amore that he won't be backing down, and plans to go through with his Summerslam bout against Cass anyway.
6. Jason Jordan teams up with The Hardy Boyz in victory over the Miztourage
Early in the show, The Miz demanded that Kurt Angle made up for setting Brock Lesnar on The Miztourage last week, and after accusing Angle of abusing his power by putting his recently-revealed long-lost son Jason Jordan in a match against Curtis Axel, The Miz vowed to face Jordan himself.
That match didn't last long though, as The Miztourage – Axel and Bo Dallas – jumped into the ring to prevent Jordan from claiming a win over The Miz, and after The Hardy Boyz ran down to safe Jordan, Angle booked an impromptu six-man tag team match.
(Image: WWE)
A fine flurry saw Jordan hit a belly-to-belly suplex and Matt Hardy hit a Twist of Fate, leaving Jeff Hardy to claim the win with a Swanton Bomb – and whilst they celebrated their win, it's unclear just what their plans will be for Summerslam this Sunday.
7. Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman have to be kept apart in explosive end to Raw
Ahead of the hotly-anticipated Fatal Four-Way at Summerslam, Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe were set to meet in the ring for the first time as they prepare for Sunday's huge Universal Championship match.
Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman again suggested that, if Lesnar loses the title, he will be leaving WWE, meaning this could have been his final ever appearance on Monday Night Raw, as Heyman continued to hint at a possible move to the UFC.
Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman soon arrived, but chaos ensued when Reigns hit the ring in confident fashion and immediately hit Joe with a vicious spear, only to meet a running powerslam from Strowman.
That left Lesnar and Strowman alone in the ring, though security guards and even members of the WWE roster attempted to keep them apart, though Lesnar powered through and jumped onto a pile of bodies obstructing Strowman as Raw went off the air, meaning Sunday's encounter could be one of the most hard-hitting bouts in recent WWE memory.