10 Big Talking Points From WWE Raw (July 4)
7. No Buildup For Brock
It's not often that an announcement for an announcement is news, but when it involves Brock Lesnar, it qualifies. On Raw, fans were treated to the news that this week on Smackdown, Lesnar's opponent for SummerSlam will be announced. What does that mean - besides the fact that the company is trying to make Smackdown feel important even before the July 19 relaunch?
Promising that Lesnar is going to get a specific opponent on Thursday means that he probably won't be contending for the WWE Championship - at least not without spoiling the Battleground main event. Sure, they could announce Roman Reigns as his opponent - that would be a huge match and the two have unfinished business - but other matches would be less probable.
Take, for instance, a match with Dean Ambrose. An Ambrose-Lesnar bout would work great as the SummerSlam main event, but there's no reason to book it unless Ambrose is still champion. That way, Lesnar - who routed "The Lunatic Fringe" at 'Mania - can claim he's owed a title shot. If Ambrose loses at Battleground, there's no reason for a rematch.