WWE Monday Night RAW lands on Memorial Day with the red brand carrying the final RAW push into WWE Clash In Italy this Sunday, May 31st. That gives tomorrow night’s show a bigger responsibility than just filling three hours. Last week’s RAW was heavy on chaos, returns and setup, with Brock Lesnar returning to destroy Oba Femi, Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu officially crashing into Tribal Combat territory, The Judgment Day continuing to circle the women’s tag division, and The Vision leaving Seth Rollins and The Street Profits laid out. Saturday Night’s Main Event then added another layer of fallout with The Vision retaining the World Tag Team Championships, Becky Lynch and Sol Ruca’s messy finish setting up a title match, Penta surviving Ethan Page, and Jade Cargill’s team getting a major win over Rhea Ripley’s side. Tomorrow night does not need to be overloaded, but it does need to be urgent, clean and purposeful. If Clash In Italy is supposed to feel like one of WWE’s biggest international shows of the year, this RAW has to make the card feel hotter than just names on paper.
Here is everything advertised for tonight’s show
- Oba Femi opens RAW
- Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu contract signing for Tribal Combat at WWE Clash In Italy
- Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez
Oba Femi opening RAW is exactly the right move because WWE cannot let Brock Lesnar’s return become the only story. Last week, Femi walked into his open challenge with the aura of a dominant new monster, and Lesnar answered by blindsiding him and dropping him with repeated F-5s. It was a huge return, and the crowd reaction made it feel important, but now WWE has to protect Femi just as much as it protects Brock. Femi beating Lesnar at WrestleMania was supposed to be a defining moment. If tomorrow night becomes a simple revenge promo where Femi sounds angry but does nothing, that is not enough. He has to look like someone who understands the size of the fight and still believes Brock is the one who should be worried.
That is where the final sell for Clash In Italy matters. Brock Lesnar returning instantly gives the PLE more star power, but the danger is obvious. WWE cannot use Oba Femi as a vehicle for a Lesnar redemption tour. Femi has been built like the future, and tomorrow night should reinforce that he is not just a young powerhouse standing across from a legend. He should be framed as the man who already beat Brock and now has to prove it was not a one-night miracle. That is a stronger story than simply saying Brock is back and angry.
The Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu contract signing should be the emotional centerpiece of RAW. Last week’s segment worked because Fatu did not come off like a challenger begging for another shot. He came off like a threat WWE could barely contain. Adam Pearce looked ready to take action against him, The Usos tried to step in, and Roman eventually accepted the challenge for Tribal Combat. That is the right stipulation because this story is not just about the World Heavyweight Championship. It is about Roman’s authority, Fatu’s rage, family loyalty, and the question of who really gets to claim the top seat in that bloodline.
The challenge for tomorrow night is making the contract signing feel different. WWE contract signings can be predictable: words, table flip, brawl, security, somebody gets laid out. This one needs more than that. Roman should have to answer why he still needs backup if he is truly the Tribal Chief. Fatu should not be written like a wild man with no direction. He should be written like someone who knows exactly what he wants and is willing to tear through family to get it. The more WWE lets this feel personal instead of just violent, the stronger Tribal Combat becomes.
Bayley and Lyra Valkyria against Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez gives RAW a needed women’s division match with actual story behind it. Last week, Paige and Brie Bella retained the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships against Roxanne and Raquel after Liv Morgan’s involvement backfired, and Judgment Day tried to leave the champions lying afterward. Bayley and Lyra making the save gave this week’s match a clear reason to exist. That matters because WWE has too many weeks where women’s tag matches feel thrown together. This one has a direct line from last week’s fallout, and it should be used to move the division forward.
The bigger question is what WWE is really doing with the women’s tag title scene. Paige and Brie Bella retaining gives the titles star power, but Judgment Day still feels like the more active week-to-week threat. Bayley and Lyra are also too good to just be backup babyfaces making saves with no follow-up. Tomorrow night should either move Bayley and Lyra closer to a championship opportunity or reestablish Roxanne and Raquel as a dangerous team after their loss. The match cannot just happen because there was a save last week. It needs consequences.
Saturday Night’s Main Event gave RAW a lot to work with, but it also exposed some of WWE’s biggest creative habits right now. The Vision retaining against The Street Profits was a strong main event with real heat, especially with the crowd reacting hard to Logan Paul and the chaos around Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker. The issue is that The Vision’s story is starting to become less about the tag titles and more about how many people can interfere before the babyfaces finally figure it out. Bron Breakker destroying people after the match keeps him feeling dangerous, but The Street Profits need more than another strong effort. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins continue to show up, continue to deliver, and continue to get close. At some point, “close” has to turn into something real.
Becky Lynch and Sol Ruca also need follow-up after one of the messier finishes on Saturday night. The idea was clear: protect Becky, give Sol the technical win, and set up the Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at Clash In Italy. The execution was the problem. The disqualification finish made the moment feel awkward when it should have felt heated. Becky’s post-match attack helped get some of the heat back, but tomorrow night has to help Sol more than Becky. Becky can talk her way through almost anything. Sol is the one who needs to look like a rising star walking into Italy with momentum, not someone who stumbled into a title shot because of a messy finish.
Penta retaining the Intercontinental Championship against Ethan Page was one of the better pieces of Saturday Night’s Main Event because both men came out with something. Penta kept his title and continues to feel like a reliable champion who gives WWE’s midcard real energy. Ethan Page lost, but he did not feel like a loser. He felt like somebody WWE is testing at a higher level. That only matters if RAW follows up. If Page disappears or gets thrown into another random direction, then the performance becomes another missed chance. If WWE actually builds from it, he can leave the loss stronger than he entered it.
The six-woman tag from Saturday night also adds to the Clash In Italy build. Jade Cargill, Michin and B-Fab beating Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss was a smart result because Jade needed the momentum more than anyone. Rhea is the champion and already feels established. Jade needs the kind of wins that make her title challenge feel dangerous instead of just physical. The problem is the babyface/heel alignment around this story still feels a little too convenient. Rhea, Charlotte and Alexa have too much history and too much tension for WWE to pretend everything is fine. If WWE leans into that distrust, the story becomes more interesting. If it ignores it, the match in Italy risks being carried only by star power.
That is the theme of this RAW: the star power is there, but the final details matter. Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar have spectacle. Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu have family drama. Becky Lynch and Sol Ruca have controversy. Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill have championship stakes. Bayley, Lyra and Judgment Day have a women’s tag division thread that can either grow into something or fall back into weekly filler. WWE does not need to overcomplicate Memorial Day RAW. It needs to make every advertised segment feel like it matters and every Clash In Italy match feel like it cannot wait until Sunday.
Updated WWE Clash In Italy Match Card
- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu (Tribal Combat for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
- Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Gunther (Undisputed WWE Championship)
- Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Jade Cargill (WWE Women’s Championship)
- Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sol Ruca (WWEWomen’s Intercontinental Championship)
- Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
Final thoughts
Tomorrow night’s RAW should be treated like the final argument for why Clash In Italy matters. The biggest matches are already strong on paper, but WWE has to make them feel personal, urgent and unavoidable on television. Oba Femi needs to respond like a monster, not a victim. Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu need a contract signing that feels more like a family war than a recycled segment. Bayley and Lyra against Judgment Day needs to push the women’s tag division somewhere instead of just existing as another setup match.
Last week’s RAW gave WWE the chaos. Saturday Night’s Main Event gave WWE the fallout. Tomorrow night has to give WWE the final sell. If the show is sharp, Clash In Italy can feel massive. If it drags, then even a stacked card can start to feel like WWE is relying on names instead of momentum.
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