4 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Raw (July 12)

3. A Solid Piece Of Business

It's amazing what simple, straight-ahead writing can do.

Rhea Ripley has been presented as a childish annoyance who's in over her head since trading NXT for Raw, and that clashed badly with her Raw Women's Title win. Here, WWE went the easy route by having Rhea off Natalya in a tasty little TV match, then they let Charlotte get the last laugh.

This was the best use of Nattie since WrestleMania. She gave Ripley more of the match than Flair has in recent encounters, and the reigning champ looked strong by winning with her Riptide finish too. Post-match, Rhea sold Charlotte's Figure Four (using the apron) well and hammered the mat in frustration.

WWE cut all the unnecessary childish stuff from Ripley's act, gave her an enjoyable win and then had Flair run out for the logical sneaky heel attack. As the subheading says, this was a solid piece of business and a nice parting shot before Sunday's pay-per-view.