Unfortunately, Edge’s return also indicates that WWE has a stunning lack of credible babyfaces at the top of the card.
Also at the pay-per-view, the annual Money in the Bank ladder matches will return in their traditional form after being held in a cinematic setting last year.
The Young Bucks vs.
The fourth spot for the men on the red brand will go to Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles or Randy Orton and be determined by a Triple Threat match.
Big E is the only name on the SmackDown side to qualify for the men’s Money in the Bank match.
Cesaro should be a given as well, even if he doesn’t capture the briefcase.
As for the women’s Money in the Bank bout, three spots remain on the SmackDown side, with Carmella, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross and Asuka already having qualified.
It was an event filled with quality wrestling, yet the Hell in a Cell matches didn’t feel nearly as special as they should have.
That proved to be the case earlier in June when WWE held four matches inside the structure over a three-day period.
Mysterio was fun but had no business being inside Hell in a Cell.
In fact, they have gotten all of one shot at the straps since 2019, losing to The Young Bucks on an episode of Dynamite in February.
AEW recently announced its debut in the market, and fans immediately starting speculating about potential title changes, which Santana even acknowledged on Twitter.
They are in the midst of a heated rivalry with FTR, which should culminate with a win for Proud and Powerful.
It’s mind-boggling that they haven’t been featured in the AEW tag title picture more since the promotion’s inception, but that’s because they have been focused on Inner Circle business.
For months, vignettes promoting the arrival of the faction teased that they were “opening soon” without giving much detail as to who could be part of it.
The group has promise, and Strong has proved in the past that he works well within the confines of a faction.
AEW has faced criticism from fans for featuring too many factions on its weekly programming, but it has at least found something for most of them to do, and there is a healthy mix of babyface and heel groups.
The Way, Legado del Fantasma, Hit Row, Tian Sha, Imperium and now Diamond Mine are all around without any babyface factions to oppose them.
It was always more a matter of when than if he would be back, but most figured he would resurface for SummerSlam season to kick off an anticipated rivalry with Seth Rollins.
To its credit, the company has done an outstanding job of building up Reigns and Bobby Lashley as dominant heel champions on their respective brands.
Drew McIntyre is the de facto top babyface in WWE, but he needs a break from the world title scene for the foreseeable future after falling to Lashley on multiple occasions.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010.