WWE Raw results, recap, notes: Brock Lesnar appears, relationship with Paul Heyman turns

In the midst of an otherwise gloomy construction of WWE's spectacular SummerSlam in August, the main story of the event finally saw business resume Monday thanks to the long-awaited return of the universal champion Brock Lesnar.

The next three hours of programming created a kind of double-edged sword for WWE fans, the constant stream of interspersed segments involving the soap opera Lesnar carrying the show, proving to be captivating and entertaining content. Everything else, however, left much to be desired, as the recent trend of copy-and-paste booking of the show was providing far too many "Groundhog Day" moments.

But when it comes to the four-month trip after WrestleMania, where the WWE's most important championship remained unchallenged on Raw and the man who held it was a constant defeat, the developments of Monday proved invaluable the love of continuity.

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Brock Lesnar sends a message back to Raw

In his first live appearance on WWE television from the Greatest Royal Rumble map of April in Saudi Arabia, Lesnar finally returned with his championship universal in hand. But the question of whether he was going to leave the couch in his locker room to appear in the ring quickly became a plot that dominated the entire episode from start to finish.

Roman Reigns escorted from the building: Kings opened Raw by announcing that, while respecting last week's opponent, he defeated to win the shot at the champion at SummerSlam, Bobby Lashley, he has zero respect "for this fool" Lesnar. Heyman went out to reiterate Lesnar's plans to defeat Reigns and become a two-sport champion by resuming the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Heyman also said that his client will only come out whenever he feels like it. Reigns replied that if Lesnar shows up at SummerSlam, he'll "go back to the UFC not like" The Beast ", but like the female Roman Reigns."

Approached by Heyman behind the scenes about Reigns' comments, Lesnar admits that he does not look at Raw and casts Heyman's phone against the wall after it's been handed to him. Shortly after, Raw's general manager, Kurt Angle, confronts Heyman and warns that if Lesnar does not enter the ring at the end of the show, Heyman's contract with WWE would be over. Heyman was not able to convince Lesnar to come out, though. "I do not give bullshit about the WWE universe," said Lesnar, who ordered his lawyer to get him a steak, moderately good.

After Constable Corbin gave Angle a telephone call from Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, he reluctantly executed his orders informing Reigns that he was to be removed from the building or to lose his title . Reigns appealed to his manhood by asking Angle "when it's going to stop" and reminding him that it's not a "yes". A smiling Corbin called a group of officers out of Reigns and ate a right hand to be so good.

Lesnar turns his back on Heyman: After telling Lesnar that Reigns had left the building, Heyman made a final plea for his client to enter the ring, revealing that his work was at stake. "For no other reason because you're my friend," Heyman implored. Lesnar grabbed him by the collar and told him that they were not friends. "You work for me, I do not work for you!" Said Lesnar, who asked Heyman how long ago he was leaching and ordered him to "run off" and do his job.

During the last segment of the show, Angle and Corbin entered the ring to publicly threaten Heyman's work. The lawyer came out discouraged and delivered an oppressed version of his intro usually on-the-top. After Heyman said that Lesnar was not coming, Angle exploded and called Lesnar the worst universal champion of all time. Despite Heyman's calls for Lesnar to be punished instead, Angle continued to fire him and Heyman begged for pity at his feet. Outside came Lesnar, who drew an evil smile from Heyman.

After meeting the figures of brute authority, Lesnar hit an F5 on Angle while Corbin ran for cover. Lesnar then grabbed Heyman's face and finally his throat, working him down while pointing at Angle and screaming, "Do you see that?" Heyman struggled to breathe until Lesnar let go before leaving to finish the show.

Throughout an otherwise memorable episode, the story of Lesnar manages to keep the show afloat. The last segment also maintained a strong suspense until the last second of the show due to the unexpressed but very present tactics that Braun Strowman could cash his Money in the Bank contract at any time. While the apparent fallout in the relationship between Lesnar and his attorney certainly sowed seeds for a Heyman tour at SummerSlam, the real story was how WWE went to the extreme of doubling his hope that Lesnar – and not Reigns – will be the one who is booed on August 19th in Brooklyn. By despising Lesnar for everything from the crowd to the sanctity of the universal title spread until he abused Heyman, who became the favorite of the ultimate smark crowd, the WWE basically uses all forms of ammo remaining to sacrifice the call rating of the Lesnar exit in the hope of saving Reign.

In the end, it worked that night while Lesnar was standing for what is probably the last time before returning to the UFC. But it worked, especially because Reigns was given a secondary role while Lesnar, and especially Heyman, had the floor to bring the show. Lesnar, who delivered more dialogues in one night than he had done before in years, delivered much of it (partly thanks to a gag of eccentric magazines that he read in the wings). But can Reigns finally get the reaction of the crowd that Vince McMahon has always hoped for by beating Lesnar at SummerSlam? Without an elusive heel ride or the use of a MITB cash win, the jury is still on the WWE fans ever accepting Reigns as is. Note : B +

What happened on Raw?

• Baron Corbin def. Finn Balor by pinfall: This match was given three complete segments and nearly 30 minutes just to see Corbin win cleanly while the incessant Balor inhuman continues. Twice Balor climbed on the top rope to try his Coup de Grace, but Corbin let himself go. The second attempt saw Constable quickly hitting his end of days for the pin. After the match, Corbin threw Balor over the top rope, leaving the fantasy bookers wondering if the turn of events leads to the demon making a comeback SummerSlam.
• Alicia Fox def. Natalya via pinfall: With Mickie James injured, Fox took over as Adjutant of Alexa Bliss, Champion of Raw, after a behind-the-scenes conversation. Sweet suspension, Ronda Rousey also appeared on the side of his friend Natalya. Late in the game, Fox's attempt to kick Rousey caused the former UFC judge to inadvertently distract the referee. Bliss followed with a low shot on Natalya and Fox followed by a big boot for the 1-2-3. Rousey took off his jacket and beat both heels, including a suplex back on Fox. But Rousey finally turned his back on the outside of the ring and was jumped by Fox who threw Rousey twice in the barrier wall. Later backstage, Rousey approached Angle and received his first Raw match next week against Fox.

• Bobby Lashley Elias: With the guitar in hand, Elias told the Miami crowd: "The Rock does not want me and I wrote a song about it all." Bobby Lashley is out before the song can begin. Lashley said he's a big fan and wanted a seat in the front row. Elias replied that he could see through him, knowing that Lashley's real interest was to sing with him. After Elias started playing an off-key version of "Rocking Robin", Lashley jumped in to slaughter the chorus. Elias attacked from behind but the tables turned quickly and Lashley hit a suplex belly-belly to trigger a new rivalry.
• Jinder Mahal def. Earlier backstage, Kevin Owens urged Corbin to prevent Lesnar from going into the ring so that Braun Strowman did not get his Money in the Bank contract on Monday, preserving the odds of knockout at SummerSlam. Corbin replied that it was the problem of Angle and not his. Owens quickly made an impact in Strowman's match by trying to steal the briefcase at the edge of the ring. Strowman chased and spread Sunil Singh after Owens handed him the briefcase, then KO ran backstage, causing Strowman to count.
• Mojo Rawley, Bobby Roode's Brawl Behind the Scenes: Rawley addressed members of the half-board in the locker room by calling them "chumps" and saying that he beat the Tyler Breeze and No Way Jose so recently. weeks that Jose, in particular, "was relegated to the restoration." Roode was clapping and mocking Rawley before wondering what his problem was. "What are you going to do about it, Bobby?" Rawley said. "Are you going to catch me in submission?" Roode retaliated with a withdrawal of both legs and a fight ensued until the referees and the road officials broke up.
• Apollo Crews defeated. Akam via pinfall: Tag team quarrel between Authors of Pain and Titus Worldwide continued with the babyfaces winning a one-up after Akam missed a splash in the corner with Crews who rolled it for the pin surprise. The crews, Titus O 'Neil and Dana Brooke foolishly celebrated the brief victory.
• Seth Rollins defeated. Drew McIntyre by disqualification: WWE returned to the well on this match so soon after serving as a recent Raw main event, and the predictable end of Dolph Ziggler's late interference became reality. The match was certainly warmed up late with dramatic falls, including McIntyre hitting White Noise from the second string. The schmoz finish came after a Rollins Stomp that led to a Ziggler beatdown. Rollins rallied to hit a suicide plunge on the outside. Later, in a behind-the-scenes interview, Rollins was asked to constantly face 2-to-1 odds, but he was attacked by Ziggler and McIntyre before he could answer completely.
• The Revival Def. The Deleters of Worlds by pinfall: The Raw Team Champions, The B-Team, gave a live interview on how they live their dreams. After the lights went out, Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy appeared with Hardy, calling the reign the B-Team title of "Cosmic Anomaly". The Revival is out to call them all jesters who should retire for "the really best guys to get the job done." After a fight between The Revival and Deleters of Worlds, a team match was booked during the advertisement. With the commentary from Team B, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder overturned Wyatt in a Shatter Machine for the 1-2-3.
• The Boss & Hug connection def. The Riott squad by pinfall: Bayley and Sasha Banks came out with the corresponding crown and a new name (incredibly lame). With Ruby Riott remaining inactive due to an injury, the BabyFaces got the top late as Banks hit a backstabber on Liv Morgan. Bayley, who had registered, landed a suplex Bayley-to-Belly for the finish. The chemistry between the two was strong in this one, although the future of this angle remains murky.