Credit where credit's due...

After a couple of weeks of wondering where the SummerSlam momentum was, WWE finally delivered a Monday Night RAW that actually felt focused from beginning to end.

This week on Turnbuckle Talk Wrestling, we're breaking down Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi making Hell in a Cell feel personal, Chad Gable earning what should be his first singles championship opportunity, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins delivering one of the strongest contract signings of the year, and why this was the first RAW in weeks that genuinely felt like it was building toward SummerSlam.

We also catch up on SmackDown, discuss CM Punk and Cody Rhodes officially becoming SummerSlam opponents, Baron Corbin's return, Gunther completely snapping on Nick Aldis, and why WWE may finally have its biggest stories moving in the right direction.

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Also discussed:

• Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi continues to heat up

• Roman Reigns COOKS Seth Rollins on the 🎙️

• Chad Gable wins the Intercontinental Championship Gauntlet

• Maxxine Dupri breathes new life into The Vision

• Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez

• LA Knight's future after The Bloodline

• SmackDown preview and Saturday Night's Main Event Predictions

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This episode is sponsored by Zarc International.

Check out the full VEXOR lineup on Amazon or at Zarc.com.

Be Prepared. Protect Yourself. Carry VEXOR.

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Turnbuckle Talk Wrestling is your weekly source for WWE analysis, long-form discussions, wrestling philosophy, and the bigger stories shaping WWE.

Follow Alexander the Great on X: @Froe87

Join the TTW Discord and keep the wrestling conversation going between episodes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

00:00 Cold Open – "That's More Like It!"

02:06 Intro & SummerSlam Momentum

04:08 SmackDown Catch-Up

14:10 Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman & Oba Femi

23:45 Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez

31:15 The Vision, Maxxine Dupri & Alpha Academy

39:45 Royce Keys vs. Jimmy Uso

47:05 Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

55:10 Intercontinental Championship Gauntlet Match

01:08:20 Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins Contract Signing

01:33:10 Final Thoughts & RAW Co-MVPs

01:38:20 SmackDown Preview

01:40:30 Saturday Night's Main Event Preview

01:45:30 Outro

C.M Punk Is WWE Champion, But Was Sami Zayn's Reign Cut Too Short?

CM Punk is WWE Champion again...

But the biggest conversation coming out of RAW wasn't actually about CM Punk.

We sat down expecting our Main Event Discussion to turn into a heated debate over CM Punk ending Sami Zayn's nine-day WWE Championship reign.

Instead, something unexpected happened.

About halfway through the discussion, we both stopped arguing because we realized we'd been debating the wrong thing.

The more we talked about it, the more we came to the same conclusion:

This is still bad booking.

We don't believe Triple H had some brilliant six-month master plan. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if the decision to put the WWE Championship on Sami Zayn happened at the last possible minute simply because he deserved his flowers before WWE got back to the match that always felt inevitable—CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes.

It's messy.

It's inconsistent.

It doesn't make much sense...

...but somehow it also gave WWE the spark it desperately needed heading into SummerSlam.

That's where the conversation went, and it ended up being one of our favorite Main Event Discussions we've ever had.

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On this week's Turnbuckle Talk Wrestling:

🔥 CM Punk shocks Chicago and wins the WWE Championship

🔥 Why Sami Zayn's nine-day reign still mattered

🔥 Cody Rhodes' unfinished business after Gunther's attack

🔥 The Vision wins World Tag Team gold

🔥 Gunther's master plan continues to unfold

🔥 Is LA Knight right?

🔥 Oba Femi, Paul Heyman & Brock Lesnar head toward Hell in a Cell

🔥 Sol Ruca challenges Raquel Rodriguez for the Women's Intercontinental Championship

Plus RAW MVP, Final Thoughts, and a Main Event Discussion that ended up somewhere neither of us expected.

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This week's episode is brought to you by Zarc International.

With the weekend finally here, a lot of people are packing up for camping trips, heading out on hiking trails, spending the day on the lake, or taking the RV out for a few days.

Most people assume nothing's going to happen...

Until they're walking back to the campsite after dark.

Or they hear something outside the tent.

Or they realize they're a lot farther away from help than they thought.

Those are the moments where being prepared suddenly matters.

This week we're featuring the VEXOR Outdoorsman. It's built for exactly those kinds of situations, with a powerful 25–30 foot range, a heavy-duty belt clip that attaches easily to your backpack or gear, and maximum-strength protection designed for the outdoors.

Check out the full VEXOR lineup on Amazon or at Zarc.com.

Be Prepared. Protect Yourself. Carry VEXOR.

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Turnbuckle Talk Wrestling is your weekly source for WWE analysis, long-form discussions, wrestling philosophy, and the bigger stories shaping WWE.

Follow Alexander the Great on X: @Froe87 (fro like afro... add the E... 87).

Join the TTW Discord and keep the wrestling conversation going between episodes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

Happy Fourth of July weekend! 🇺🇸

WWE finally stopped playing it safe... now don't ruin it.

This week we're breaking down one of the biggest episodes of RAW on the road to SummerSlam.

King Oba Femi chooses Brock Lesnar over his guaranteed championship opportunity.

Did WWE just weaken the entire point of King of the Ring?

Alexander the Great discusses why the reported long-term plan may make sense for Oba Femi... but not for the tournament itself.

He also dive into Seth Rollins' incredible promo opposite Roman Reigns, why it instantly made SummerSlam feel bigger, and why it reminded us just how special their rivalry really is.

Plus: • Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi inside Hell in a Cell

• Sami Zayn's WWE Championship reign already feels in danger

• CM Punk SummerSlam speculation

• Chad Gable continues building momentum

• Gunther vs. Nick Aldis?

• Liv Morgan, Iyo Sky & Judgment Day

• Rhea Ripley's SummerSlam uncertainty

• LA Knight, The Bloodline

• Cody Rhodes becomes No. 1 Contender (SmackDown Spoilers) & much more

We also cover the biggest SmackDown spoilers from the July 3 taped episode, what they mean for SummerSlam, and why WWE's next few weeks could determine whether this year's SummerSlam becomes an all-time classic... or another missed opportunity.

This week's episode is brought to you by Zarc International.

Whether you're celebrating the Fourth of July at a parade, barbecue, fireworks show, on the lake, or traveling for the holiday weekend, it's always better to have protection and never need it than NEED protection it and not have it.

Check out the full line of VEXOR® pepper spray and personal safety products at Zarc.com or on Amazon.

Be Prepared. Protect Yourself. Carry VEXOR.

🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Amazon Music

📲 Follow Alexander the Great everywhere: @Froe87 (Froe = "Fro" like afro... add the E...87.)

💬 Join the TTW Discord and keep the wrestling conversation going all week long with fellow wrestling fans talking RAW, SmackDown, SummerSlam, fantasy booking, news, rumors, and everything in between.

00:00

The Pointlessness of King of the Ring

06:09

Oba Femi, Brock Lesnar & WWE's SummerSlam Plan

12:03

Can WWE Avoid Screwing Sami Zayn?

18:03

RAW Midcard Roundup: Rey, Hendry, Iyo & Gable

24:08

Joe Hendry, Austin Theory & The Vision

29:46

LA Knight, The Bloodline & Gunther's Next Rival

38:52

The Judgment Day, Danhausen & Chad Gable's Momentum

45:14

The Alpha Academy Story Continues

54:06

Seth Rollins Delivers a FANTASTIC promo

01:06:56

SmackDown Spoilers, Rhea Ripley News & SummerSlam Roadmap