Rhea Ripley Ready to Rescue Women's Division, The CM Punk Problem, More WWE Raw Takes

Just two days after Money in the Bank, the July 8 edition of WWE Raw delivered bombshell reveals and promos that won't be forgotten soon.

Rhea Ripley returned in a much-needed main event reveal, running off Liv Morgan and scolding Dominik Mysterio.

Seth Rollins confronted CM Punk, calling him out for his misdeeds and selfish behavior. The Best in the World also went to Raw general manager Adam Pearce, hoping to lift Drew McIntyre's suspension.

Damian Priest struggled with the result of his title defense at Money in the Bank, promising to beat Gunther on his own at SummerSlam and then give Rollins a fair world title bout.

Uncle Howdy delivered another cryptic message to the WWE Universe followed by Bo Dallas confronting Pearce about the Wyatt Sicks' next step.

This show established the foundation for Raw's build to SummerSlam.

Rhea Ripley is the biggest star in the WWE women's division, and she can officially embrace the cheers as she battles the most hated heel on Raw, Liv Morgan.

This is a chance to build Mami up as the standard-bearer of women's wrestling. She needs to regain the Women's World Championship and then figure out who is on her side in The Judgment Day.

Damian Priest seems like a certainty as he continues to build himself up as an honest competitor. But Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh and Carlito are likely to follow Morgan.

That leaves Dirty Dom with a make-or-break decision. Whatever he does, Ripley will remain the focal point of The Judgment Day. She is the most interesting star of the group by a wide margin.

Done right, the Australian can eclipse even Becky Lynch's top run and build herself up to main-event WrestleMania 41 and beyond.

While Rhea Ripley is primed for major success, Damian Priest is struggling at the top.

His matches have showcased his talent, but his character is barely standing out on Raw.

The easiest remedy for this problem is his challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam on August 3.

Gunther has taken some time away after the greatest Intercontinental Championship reign of all time. His work with that title proves his value to Raw, and his absence has been noticeable.

Priest simply does not carry the same weight as a top star for the red brand.

No one is a better bell-to-bell performance than The Ring General on Raw. He might be the best in-ring worker in all of WWE. That kind of consistency matters on a three-hour show, but it's not all he can do.

His character work as the dominant man to be overcome has elevated Chad Gable, Sheamus, The Miz, Kofi Kingston and Bronson Reed. He will do that again with a series of new challengers, including Priest, in the coming weeks.

Gunther may improve the state of the World Heavyweight Championship if he wins it, but he still won't be CM Punk.

The hottest stars on Raw in 2024 have been Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre. Both have been helped in raising their stakes by the same rival.

Punk has been the talk of WWE since his return at Survivor Series in November. Despite an injury that has sidelined him since the Royal Rumble in January, the stories involving The Best in the World have taken center stage over anything else on Raw.

A main event scene including Damian Priest, Gunther and Jey Uso has been overshadowed by the constant question: What will Punk do next?

While the Chicagoan is certainly talented, this is a problem for WWE's overall television product. Even when he is fully healthy, he can only do so much week to week.

The company needs to find a way to elevate the stories on Raw that do not include Punk. Clear rivalries are needed, angles that can get fans talking after PLEs.

It would have helped if one of Raw's top names had left with the Money in the Bank briefcase, but that angle is already gone.

Jey Uso must be more than just a crowd-pleaser. Gunther must find the man who will push him to his limit, perhaps Ilja Dragunov. The Judgment Day drama needs to finally evolve to push Priest and Finn Bálor in a better direction.

SummerSlam is an important show for Bray Wyatt and his legacy.

The 2013 iteration of the event was the main roster debut of Wyatt in an Inferno match with Kane. Six years later, The Fiend debuted against Finn Bálor at The Biggest Party of the Summer.

SummerSlam 2020 was the last time Wyatt won a world championship, defeating Braun Strowman for the gold, which is why this year's PLE should be the place where The Wyatt Sicks truly arrive with their first in-ring contest.

The simplest answer would be for Uncle Howdy's first match to involve Chad Gable. If WWE wants to showcase more of The Wyatt Sicks, Gable and The Creed Brothers could face three members of the new stable.

No matter what, as good as the recent video packages have been, it's time for the next step. Gable running away every time the lights dim is going to get repetitive sooner than later.

If it does not happen at SummerSlam, WWE risks fans losing interest or turning against the angle for holding back the Olympian.