Sasha Banks Returns On WWE RAW And Turns Heel

Sasha Banks made her long-awaited return to WWE TV on tonight’s post-SummerSlam edition of RAW.

Banks returned during a segment where Natalya was talking about it being one year since her father passed away, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Neidhart. Banks hugged Natalya but then turned and dropped her with a right hand. Banks took off her purple wig and revealed new blue hair, then proceeded to destroy Natalya until RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch ran down to make the save.

Lynch and Banks then brawled until Banks got the upperhand. The beatdown to Lynch involved several steel chair shots, tossing her into the barrier and the steel steps, among others. Fans chanted “thank you Sasha!” and “this is awesome!” at times. Banks left Lynch laying and then walked to the back.

Banks had been away since dropping the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 35. There were reports on Banks being unhappy, and at one point it was rumored that she was looking to sit out for the remainder of her WWE contract. It was reported in late May that Banks had met with Vince McMahon and the situation was improving, and that she would be back in the ring this summer.

It looks like the attack to Natalya may have been done to write her off TV for a few weeks. Natalya earlier mentioned that she suffered a dislocated elbow in the SummerSlam Submission Match loss to Lynch, and said she was to undergo an MRI tomorrow.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE King Of The Ring Tournament Returning Next Week On Raw 8/19/19

The King of the Ring tournament will be returning on next week’s WWE RAW.

WWE has announced that next Monday’s RAW from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota will feature the return of the KOTR tournament.

King of the Ring was an annual event from 1985-2002. After that the tournament happened either on Raw or WWE Network, with the most recent winners being Sheamus and Bad News Barrett.

The following was posted on wwe.com:

Don’t miss the return of the celebrated WWE King of the Ring tournament next Monday night on Raw, live at 8/7 C on USA Network.

Sixteen Superstars from Raw and SmackDown LIVE begin their quest to become in-ring royalty as the illustrious King of the Ring tournament returns next Monday night, live on Raw.

The winner of this intensely competitive tourney will join the likes of Harley Race, Bret “Hit Man” Hart, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Booker T, Kurt Angle, Triple H and Brock Lesnar as bearers of the King of the Ring crown.

The following Superstars have been confirmed to represent their respective brands in the tournament.

Raw

SmackDown LIVE

Don’t miss any of the action as the King of the Ring tournament kicks off next Monday night, live at 8/7 C on USA Network.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1161070386542288896

WWE RAW Preview 8/12/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with the fallout from last night’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.

* Rollins once again slays The Beast

* The Miz and Dolph Ziggler to face off tonight

* What’s on tap next for The Man?

* Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross to defend the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships against The Kabuki Warriors on Raw

* Can The O.C. remain “Too Sweet” after SummerSlam?

WWE Pays Tribute To El Paso and Dayton Shooting Victims On RAW (Video)

Last night’s WWE RAW from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh opened with the entire roster on the stage for a tribute to the victims of the weekend shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. Mike Rome remembered the victims and asked everyone in the arena to stand for a ten-bell salute. Below is video from the segment:

Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler Set For SummerSlam

Goldberg made an appearance last night on RAW during a MizTV interview segment after it was explained that the contract Dolph Ziggler signed wasn’t for a match against The Miz as previously announced or against Shawn Michaels who was on hand for the segment.

Goldberg signed the contract and said to Ziggler – “Your’e Next.”

Just as the show was coming to a close …  Shawn Michaels hit Ziggler with some Sweet Chin Music.

WWE RAW Preview 8/5/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA with the final red brand hype for WWE SummerSlam.

* How injured is Seth Rollins heading into his SummerSlam battle with Brock Lesnar?

* Was someone responsible for the Roman Reigns forklift incident?

* Will Becky Lynch and Natalya’s rivalry continue to escalate?

* Will The O.C. keep their celebration going into SummerSlam?

* What’s next for WWE’s first pregnant champion? Maria Kanellis 24/7 Champion

 

WWE RAW Preview 7/29/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas as the road to SummerSlam continues.

* Rollins seeks retribution against Ziggler

* “Samoan Summit” set for Reigns and Joe

* Becky Lynch set to battle Alexa Bliss

* 24/7 Rules

WWE Fires Lead Writers For RAW & SmackDown LIVE

According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, WWE has recently let go of two writers on their creative teams – Steve Guerreri, who was one of the lead writers on SmackDown and Steve Oppenheim, who was the in-office or “home team” leader writer on Raw.

Both were released from the company last week but it was neither of WWE’s new Executive Directors, Paul Heyman or Eric Bischoff, who made those decisions.

WWE RAW Reunion Preview 7/22/19

Tonight’s big WWE RAW Reunion special will take place from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with appearances by several former Superstars, Legends and Hall of Famers.

* WWE Hall of Famers and Legends to descend on Raw Reunion

* How will Seth Rollins gear up for The Beast?

* “A Moment of Bliss” will welcome Becky Lynch on Raw Reunion tonight

* Will Ricochet get retribution after vicious assault at the hands of Styles, Anderson & Gallows?

Stick with us throughout the day for updates on tonight’s show and be sure to join us for live coverage at 8pm ET.

Below is the line-up of stars advertised for tonight:

* Alicia Fox
* Alundra Blayze
* Booker T
* Candice Michelle
* Christian
* D-Von Dudley
* DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, “Road Dogg” BG James)
* Eric Bischoff
* Eve Torres
* Gerald Brisco
* Hulk Hogan
* Hurricane Helms
* Jillian Hall
* Jonathan Coachman
* Jerry Lawler
* Jimmy Hart
* Kaitlyn
* Kelly Kelly
* Kevin Nash
* Kurt Angle
* Lilian Garcia
* Mark Henry
* Melina
* Mick Foley
* Pat Patterson
* Ric Flair
* Rikishi
* Ron Simmons
* Santino Marella
* Scott Hall
* Sgt. Slaughter
* Shawn Michaels
* Sid Vicious
* Steve Austin
* Ted DiBiase Sr.
* The Boogeyman
* The Godfather

Plus there are reports that John Cena could be appearing tonight at RAW Reunion.

Paul Heyman Reportedly Looking To Change How Promos Are Done On WWE RAW

Since being named the new executive director of RAW, Paul Heyman’s influence has started to get noticed. Whether it be physical segments involving talent or the Mike and Maria Kanellis segments, the man who innovated ECW is looking to do the same with WWE’s flagship show.

That apparently also includes promo work.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Heyman has been trying to make backstage interviews come across as more realistic. Similar to what we saw with Drew McIntyreand Cedric Alexander on Raw this past Monday, Heyman wants there to be consequences to everyone’s actions and for the atmosphere to feel authentic.

In the past, Heyman has worked with a number of wrestlers when it comes to in-ring and promo work including Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey and Aleister Black. Rousey had publicly talked in the past about Heyman working with her, including with some of her promos on Becky Lynch.

Source: Wrestling Inc.