RAW & SmackDown Live Offer Little Clarity As SummerSlam Approaches

Smackdown! was the more entertaining overall show this week as we saw The Viper again and it was at his best.

Randy Orton in the mind-losing heel role has always been solid and a moneymaker. His attack on Jeff Hardy will help give Hardy time off and his yelling, “Where’s Shinsuke?!” adds intrigue to what could shape up as another triple threat possibility at SummerSlam. Orton vs. Nakamura vs. Hardy would be an excellent match for the show and would draw eyes to all three super talented performers.

Meanwhile, we are left waiting for AJ Styles next opponent, rumored to be Samoa Joe, but we got to see him put on an absolute thrilling match with rising star Andrade “Cien” Almas. Almas and Zelina Vega are showstoppers and have a very bright future. This is one of those matches you look back at in three or four years and say, “That is where he took off!”

The rest of Smackdown! also offered solid intrigue.

Becky Lynch is finally getting a well-deserved push and has to be getting set up to pair with Carmella in a women’s championship match for SummerSlam. That makes it tough to see exactly where Asuka is going to fit in, but if Charlotte is ready to return it would not be shocking to see these two work together again.

And, the most interesting angle is that the long awaited Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz feud may really be ready to become a reality. Hopefully, they end up in a title feud at some point, but this has been a long slow burn and could absolutely tear the house down at SummerSlam.

RAW and Smackdown! should both start clearing up their intentions for the second biggest show of the year this week. Stephanie’s appearance on RAW and Paige’s announcement of Styles’ next challenger should kick the buildup into another gear. While we might be stuck with a Lesnar vs. Reigns main event that very few seem to want, the rest of the card is surprisingly shaping up with some possible fresh match-ups.

The second half of 2018 could be pretty entertaining following a somewhat predictable and stale first half.

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