UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE — Going into Raw, the question was how Universal Champion Seth Rollins would respond to the attack from “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. And indeed, following a show-opening address where The Beastslayer gave due credit to Braun Strowman for their match the previous night, the champion seemingly acknowledged that a confrontation with Wyatt's horrifying alter-ego was inevitable. But that was about as far as Rollins got before Wyatt changed the narrative, appearing on the TitanTron to address his newfound foe from the confines of the Firefly Fun House.

Sporting his signature cardigan and an ear-to-ear grin, Wyatt implied that The Fiend might have “more to say” on the matter before the night was over. (Ramblin' Rabbit frantically urged Rollins to bail on the rivalry, only to be silenced by Bray slamming his fist on the table.) And while Wyatt vanished from sight following a genial “See you in Hell!” Rollins’ uneasy stares around the ring implied a nervousness that he had been very reluctant to show moments prior. For all the speculation about how Rollins would respond, it's starting to look like he might simply be along for the ride on this one.

Clash of Champions was not Braun Strowman’s best night, and The Monster Among Men didn’t mince words about how he was going to cope: By delivering These Hands to whomever was bold enough to so much as set foot in the ring. That turned out to be the new Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode and The Revival — all of whom had very good nights at Clash of Champions, all of whom had gathered for a “Tag Team Champions Summit,” and all of whom were absolutely helpless to stop the utter shellacking that Strowman put on them.

True to his word, The Monster Among Men bulldozed his way through everyone in his path. Only Roode evaded the big man’s wrath by dodging his charge at the last second; the less-lucky Ziggler took the full brunt of the attack. Apart from The Glorious One's timely escape, though, this was a car wreck — and judging by the look on Strowman’s face, it was just what the doctor ordered.

As he declared last night at Clash of Champions, Cedric Alexander isn’t letting a loss to AJ Styles stop him from making another run at the United States Title. He’d better buckle in for the long haul, however, as Styles and The O.C. are clearly planning on making that prospective climb as hard as humanly possible for the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion.

Styles, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson were all over Alexander during a Six-Man Tag Team Match that paired the 205 Live veteran with The Viking Raiders, but unlike last week’s 10-man melee in Madison Square Garden, Alexander couldn’t close. The high-flying Superstar landed on the receiving end of a Phenomenal Forearm and a post-match attack from the entire O.C. Also unlike last night, Alexander refused to take it lying down, throwing hands with Styles after Gallows & Anderson splintered off to brawl with The Viking Raiders. Styles nevertheless ended the night with the upper hand, silencing Alexander with a wicked Styles Clash off the turnbuckle.

You have to respect a man who refuses to stay down, and there’s something to the idea that respect is why Styles and his teammates have chosen to engage in these tactics. They must see Alexander as a worthy foe if they’re trying this hard to make the fight more than it’s worth for him.

Maria and Mike Kanellis are having a boy, but Raw wasn’t as much about the gender of the baby as it was the identity of the father. Right after The Street Profits helped Maria with the big reveal, the former 24/7 Champion strongly implied that Ricochet was, in fact, the father of her child, which led to a slap in the face and a call-out from poor, beleaguered Mike Kanellis. Ricochet, stunned to be in this situation, accepted the match but spent most of it trying to talk his opponent down. Kanellis’ continued intensity, however, left the former United States Champion no choice but to fight back, leading to Ricochet claiming a quick victory with the Recoil. Unfortunately, Kanellis’ woes were just beginning.

No, Ricochet is not the father of Maria Kanellis' unborn child. Maria was just trying to humiliate Mike to the point that he’d be motivated to defend her (operative word, her) unborn child’s honor. But an unexpected Superstar made his return to add insult to injury when Maria brought a returning, shredded Rusev to the stage, heavily implying that he, in fact, was the father of the child. At this point, Kanellis was too beaten down to even care, let alone fight back, which isn’t to say The Bulgarian Brute was about to let up. Rusev downed Mike with a Machka Kick the second the bell rang, then locked in the Accolade to secure an immediate tapout. Whether Rusev is actually the father remains to be determined. Maria has been known to lie, after all. But Mike is definitely somebody's metaphorical son — if not Rusev's, then at the very least, Maria's.

If there was any doubt Rey Mysterio was back in the swing of things — so to speak — his victory over Cesaro should have set the record straight. Fueled by The Swiss Cyborg’s fighting words before the bout, The Ultimate Underdog put on a clinic and grinded out a victory against his recent rival.

It was a much-needed win. The only Superstar with more to prove than Mysterio is Cesaro, who is still on the hunt for a signature victory since returning to singles action. Cesaro was out to make a statement, too, working his way through the Three Amigos down the stretch in an attempt to wear Rey down mentally. But Cesaro miscalculated, revving his foe up into a 619 that hit its mark. And even though The King of Swing snatched Mysterio out of the air during the follow-up, the luchador countered with a sunset flip that put the powerhouse down for three.

Textbook. And, when you consider this victory comes on the heels of an equally impressive win over Gran Metalik last week, it’s safe to say Mysterio’s feel-good comeback tour is shaping up to be anything but ceremonial.

Is Lacey Evans over losing to Natalya last week? It would appear not! The Sassy Southern Belle got back to her winning ways on Raw with a victory against Dana Brooke, but the manner in which Evans triumphed suggested that her current split series with The Queen of Harts is weighing heavily on her impeccable shoulders. Even though Lacey connected with her signature Woman’s Right, she ended the match with a variation of Natalya’s Sharpshooter.

The excruciating hold forced Brooke — who looked excellent even in defeat — to submit. But Lacey’s mind was clearly on the opponent who wasn’t there, as she screamed “This is for you, Nattie!” into the camera while applying the maneuver. So, tiebreaker?