5 Takeaways From Monday Night Raw - 6/18/18

This is my series, simply known as "5 Takeaways", where I will share my personal main talking points coming out of Raw and SmackdownLive.

These are all my opinion, so I may miss a nugget or two. If you have something to add to my list, or a list of your own, feel free to share in the comment section below!

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Both men coming off of lackluster (at best) feuds, both men getting a boring victory over someone who isn't in the title picture, both men think they deserve a shot at Brock Lesnar. The similarities between Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley are many, and they are strong. Unfortunately, this also applies for their characters.

Both men teamed up to defeat the Revival, but the main story was the fact that both men obviously felt like they were the better man. We'll see where this goes, but at least both men are moving on from their respective rivalries, and I will support that every day of the week.

Color me impressed - WWE pulled off a legitimately surprising twist in this match (at least to me, anyway). I believe Elias should have won the title at Money in the Bank, but I am more than content with this result.

Thanks to a Drew McIntyre distraction, Ziggler was able to steal the victory in the same fashion Rollins stole the win over Elias on Sunday. The Architect was visibly upset, which led to a two on one beatdown. One can only think this will lead to Seth recruiting somebody to help even the odds... maybe a certain Lunatic...?

Ever since Constable Corbin arrived on Raw, I've been impressed with his character. Baron Corbin was on the fast track to nowhere, and desperately needed a spark. His new character provides that in spades.

He teamed with Kevin Owens to defeat Finn Bálor and Braun Strowman in the main event. Having Corbin wrestle sparingly keeps him from being categorized as "boring", and having him interact with potential Universal title contenders makes it look like he truly has a stake in who goes on to face Lesnar.

A match that should have happened at Wrestlemania, it seems like WWE is finally pulling the trigger on a Sasha Banks/Bayley feud for Summerslam. During their tag team match against Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan of the Riott Squad, there were plenty of hints at them splitting up, including both women tagging each other in, and Bayley entering the ring a little slowly when Banks was pinned.

Of course, this all led to a brawl backstage later on, so I'd say this rivalry is all but confirmed (despite the fact that they brawled months before Wrestlemania, and nothing came of that).

Hopefully these two will get much more attention in the upcoming weeks (and months) as we approach Summerslam, so we can finally have the Bayley/Sasha feud we've been wanting on the main roster.

This was a great way to start off Raw! As Alexa Bliss was celebrating her Women's title win, Ronda Rousey stormed out with a no-nonsense look on her face. Kurt Angle held her back long enough for Bliss to insult her and call her an "overhyped rookie" before the former UFC fighter had enough. She hit Angle with a judo flip, punched Alexa in the ribs, and went to town on them both with the Money in the Bank briefcase. After that, she threw Bliss through the table with an almost "Razor's Edge" looking Powerbomb, before taking out a few referees.
Rousey got suspended for 30 days for her efforts, and she told Renee Young "save your wishes for Alexa because I'm gonna kick her pink-haired ass".
This is the Ronda Rousey we need to see. No fear, no laughs, and no mercy. Rousey has been improving each and every time we see her on tv. It's looking like a Rousey/Bliss showdown for the title at Summerslam, which has loads of potential that I'm excited for.