Sami Zayn’s reign as Undisputed WWE Champion is being tested immediately after his Night of Champions victory over Cody Rhodes, and WWE is running it back tonight in front of a Chicago crowd that’s historically been unforgiving to babyfaces. The SummerSlam landscape is still forming, but tonight’s Raw feels like a turning point—Seth Rollins is opening the show (which always matters), Oba Femi has business to address regarding Brock Lesnar, and there’s a women’s IC title match that could steal the show. The Tribal Acknowledgment feels distant at this point, and that’s by design.
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Cody Rhodes — WWE Undisputed Championship
Zayn caught Rhodes with a roll-up at Night of Champions and nobody’s been quiet about it since. Rhodes is the more popular guy nationally, Zayn’s got the belt and the perceived asterisk, and Chicago will make this personal. The storytelling here is tighter than people think—Zayn as the survivor versus Rhodes as the inevitable is a cleanly motivated program.
WAW Pick: Zayn retains, probably dirty, keeping the drama alive for at least one more program.
Seth Rollins Opening Segment
Whatever Rollins has to say will set the tone for Raw and likely foreshadow where his program goes post-SummerSlam. He’s been positioned as a centerpiece and WWE doesn’t waste the opening segment on anything small.
WAW Pick: Rollins cuts into the build toward a championship program or establishes himself as a championship threat.
Oba Femi Addresses Brock Lesnar
Lesnar’s been pulling strings from a distance and Femi’s the collision point—this is the physical manifestation of corporate chess. How Femi carries himself here matters for his ceiling.
WAW Pick: Lesnar appears, physicality erupts, and the story escalates toward a match.
Sol Ruca (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez — WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Ruca’s had the belt for a minute and Raquel’s exactly the kind of credible challenger who could take it. This feels like the dark horse match on the card—no hype, but the ability to steal the show if given time.
WAW Pick: Ruca holds on in a hard-fought defense that gets the crowd invested.
Watch for any sign of Sheamus on tonight’s broadcast. With his contract expiring and no renewal, his final WWE appearances carry real weight—don’t be surprised if WWE leans into an emotional farewell moment or angles him into a program before he walks. A Chicago crowd would get behind that.
