For the second week in a row, WWE remained committed to its priority of telling a good story in the build to the Brock Lesnar-Roman Reigns match at SummerSlam. And for the second straight week, there wasn't much else to talk about following another three-plus hours of Raw.  

Save for Ronda Rousey's first match on television and yet another unique feat of strength from Brock Lesnar, Monday's episode saw WWE play it much too safe and predictable outside of Lesnar-Reigns. Luckily for the universal championship feud, Paul Heyman was given the ball and allowed to do what he does best as Lesnar's advocate delivered yet another memorable performance just two weeks out from WWE's biggest show of the summer.

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Paul Heyman reminds why he's the best

An early sitdown interview with Corey Graves saw Roman Reigns defend his prior losses to Brock Lesnar and call out "The Beast" for his disrespect. "[After SummerSlam] I'm going to do what Brock Lesnar doesn't do," Reigns said. "I'm going to show up, I'm going to earn the right to battle every single night and defend that universal championship and set a true standard." With Lesnar once again idle and Raw general manager Kurt Angle deciding against punishing him for last week (more on that below), Heyman took part in his own interview with Renee Young backstage.

Unshaven and crying, Heyman said he doesn't know where he stands with Lesnar and that his client has disconnected his number. The more Young probed with questions, an uneasy Heyman said, "Brock is not going to like this. I'm out here talking in public about this and this will piss him off more." Heyman shut Young's line of questioning down at one point and angrily asked, "You think I had this coming, that I deserve this?" Clearly uncomfortable by the hostility, Young then asked whether Heyman still considers Lesnar a friend. "Yes I do, and his children consider my children to be his friend," Heyman said, in tears. "This is not how I envisioned it ending. From the beginning, we talked about riding off into the sunset together with the universal and UFC heavyweight championship on each shoulder."

Heyman interrupted Young's question about whether Lesnar still needs him by pleading, "Come on, do it. Just do it. Do your job." He closed by saying that in his 16 years by Lesnar's side, he has never seen him more focused and violent and that, against this Lesnar, "Roman Reigns doesn't stand a chance." 

Talk about another one to add on to Heyman's greatest hits. Looking realistically disheveled and distraught, Heyman delivered acting gold once again by describing the current tension between him and Lesnar and brilliantly spinning it forward by selling what that will mean for Reigns at SummerSlam. Heyman is so far and away the best promo and actor on the WWE main roster that it's a shame he doesn't get more airtime and be allowed to represent more than one superstar at a time. During a time when WWE is rightfully criticized for its dialogue sounding overly scripted and artificial, Heyman reminds you how great the art form can be. Grade: A 

Ronda Rousey sends a message in Raw debut 

The match was constantly teased throughout the show as the former UFC champion's first on television (and just her third televised since joining WWE). A pre-match interview inside the ring saw Alicia Fox and Raw women's champion Alexa Bliss spend their time insulting Charly Caruso and disparaging Rousey's claim to be the "baddest woman on the planet." 

Ronda Rousey def. Alicia Fox via submission: Twice, Bliss jumped up onto the ring apron to interfere and needed to be pulled down by Natalya, who was then thrown face first into the ring post. A cheap shot from Bliss to Rousey switched the momentum, but Rousey turned it back after applying a mean scowl and dropping Fox with jabs and body punches. Three straight arm drags and a toss into the barrier wall later, Rousey slowly applied an armbar on Fox as she talked trash to Bliss watching outside. Following the quick tap, Bliss attacked Rousey from behind during her post-match interview and Rousey flipped her to the ground. "Alexa, it doesn't matter how tight you hold onto that title because at SummerSlam, it's mine," Rousey yelled. 

Considering the match didn't actually begin until 11:05 p.m. ET, it was pretty easy to expect what might happen next in the main event. Yet after the opening was filled with trash talk and powder breaks, the five-minute match featured a decent amount of action in a short period of time. Rousey came across as nothing short of a star, once again, and ultimately did enough to sell excitement for SummerSlam without ruining the novelty of seeing her wrestle, even if the story that was told was as basic as possible. Grade: B 

Dolph Ziggler-Seth Rollins build stuck in neutral 

Rollins approached Angle backstage to ask what he can do to counteract the constant double teaming by Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. Angle told him to find a partner for a tag team match against the heels later on. After Rollins turned down Tyler Breeze's request to form a "Crossift Breezus" duo, Roman Reigns offered to get his back. Later, Constable Baron Corbin put a stop to it after a phone call from Stephanie McMahon, who said Reigns would forfeit his SummerSlam match if he defied orders. Reigns then asked Corbin if his ribs were OK before knocking him down with a body punch.  

Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre def. Seth Rollins via pinfall in handicap match: Without enough time to find an opponent, Rollins spent the entire match having any potential rallies snuffed out by the numbers game. The finish came after McIntyre tagged himself in and clotheslined Rollins. Ziggler followed with a superkick to get the pin.  

While Rollins is too good to disappoint inside the ring against anyone, there has to be a better way to build to a major PPV title match than seeing the same three guys wrestle for upwards of 25 minutes every episode. WWE has taken over a month to tell a story that should've been handled in two weeks at most about Rollins finding it difficult to overcome two opponents at once. Considering their can't-miss ironman match failed to deliver up to expectations at Extreme Rules, let's hope Rollins and Ziggler are saving something unforgettable for SummerSlam because the safe build has been anything but.  Grade: C-

What else happened on Raw?

  • Roman Reigns def. Baron Corbin via pinfall: Angle opened the show by saying Heyman's job was still intact. But before he could update Lesnar's status after last week's attack, out came Roman Reigns to remind him that "if you kick the Big Dog out, who is going to protect the yard?" Angle promised Reigns he won't suspend Lesnar or cause him to miss his SummerSlam match. But after Angle told Reigns, "I hope you kick his ass," Corbin called him unprofessional and dismissed him as merely a matchmaker on Raw with no power. Angle responded by booking Corbin into a match against Reigns. The three-segment match saw multiple near falls until Corbin grew frustrated and tried to leave. Out came Finn Balor to distract him. Reigns hit a Superman punch off the stairs and a spear inside the ring for the 1-2-3. Balor then gained revenge with a missile dropkick and Coup de Grace on Corbin.  
  • Bobby Roode def. Mojo Rawley via pinfall: Roode gained revenge despite battling a bad back throughout the match. He also received plenty of babyface cheers when he fired up late. Roode was caught by Rawley when he jumped off the top rope but quickly reversed it into a Glorious DDT for the pin. 
  • Bobby Lashley takes out Elias: After saying his recent WWE Network documentary projected him as "egotistical and out of touch," Elias set out to record a new one by ordering producers how to shoot him. He also incited the crowd by asking the crew to crop out the faces of the Jacksonville faithful. Out came Lashley, who called everything Elias does "a fricking joke." Elias attacked by taking a cheap shot but Lashley quickly reversed him into a spinebuster. After telling the documentary crew to "film this," Lashley held Elias up for a vertical suplex for a long time before dropping him.  
  • Rezar def. Titus O'Neil via pinfall: The feud between Authors of Pain and Titus Worldwide continued to trade uneventful victories. O'Neil took his eyes off Rezar just long enough to eat a boot to the face. Rezar followed with a spinebuster to finish him off.  
  • Braun Strowman crashes The Kevin Owens Show: Give WWE credit for the throwback 1980s feel of having Owens' show on top of a makeshift stage amid the crowd in the rear of the arena. KO welcomed Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh as guests and thanked Mahal for "all of your chanting, breathing and all of that crap" for helping him relax after getting thrown off a cage by Strowman. Owens then tricked Mahal into accepting a rematch against Strowman. After KO called out Strowman, the stage began to shake and Strowman emerged from underneath as he flipped the stage over in a creative spot before entering the ring and calling for his rematch with Mahal.
  • Jinder Mahal def. Braun Strowman via disqualification: One week after defeating Strowman by countout, Mahal received another schmoz victory. Twice, Owens stole Strowman's Money in the Bank briefcase and caused him to give chase. Strowman finally caught up to take him out but when he then used the briefcase on Mahal, he was DQed. After Owens retreated, Singh helped Mahal do the same by grabbing the briefcase and allowing Strowman to shove him down.  
  • The B-Team vs. The Revival ended in a no contest: Following the debut of their new, awful cheerleader-inspired theme song, the Raw tag team champions never had a chance to take out their new rivals. Shortly after the match started, Bray Wyatt's music hit and the lights flashed off. When they came back on, Wyatt and Matt Hardy had replaced Curtis Axel and Scott Dawson in the opposite corners waiting for a tag. The Deleters of Worlds ran in to attack both teams and bring an end to the match. Hardy hit Dash Wilder with a Twist of Fate and Wyatt nailed real-life brother Bo Dallas with a Sister Abigail.
  • Riott Squad def. Boss 'N Hug Connection via pinfall: In a rematch from last week, Bayley sold almost exclusively while attempting to break free for a hot tag that repeatedly was teased. Finally she got there and hit a hurricanrana on Sarah Logan before Sasha Banks instantly added a double knee from the top rope. But Liv Morgan dove in for a dramatic save on the pin attempt before being thrown out of the ring. The hot finish ended with Bayley missing a running splash off the ring apron outside when someone dressed in all black pushed Morgan out of the way. It turned out to be the injured Ruby Riott whose return distracted Banks long enough in the ring for Logan to roll her up to end the match.