WWE Raw results, July 16, 2018: Reigns and Lashley to brawl once more for SummerSlam opportunity

BUFFALO — Last night, Kurt Angle offered Brock Lesnar an ultimatum: Come to Raw, agree on a time and place for his next Universal Title challenge, or be stripped of the championship. The Beast didn’t obey Angle’s command to the letter — a flustered Paul Heyman emerged instead to insist Lesnar’s ultimate goal was to win the UFC Heavyweight Title while representing WWE as Universal Champion — but the message was nonetheless received. Thanks to Angle’s “hard bargain,” Lesnar will defend his title at SummerSlam, and while the challenger has yet to be determined, a familiar face is back in the running.

That would be Roman Reigns, the self-proclaimed “uncrowned Universal Champion” who won the first of two Triple Threats to advance him to a win-and-you’re-in match next week. In Reigns’ battle were Finn Bálor, who wanted to reclaim the title he never lost, and Drew McIntyre, who was looking to launch “Phase Two” of his master plan after helping Dolph Ziggler retain the Intercontinental Title. (The other three potential contenders — Bobby Lashley, Elias and Seth Rollins — were placed in the second Triple Threat).

For his part, Reigns said he wanted a fight at the beginning of the show. He certainly got one, as the match was, for the most part, a showcase for McIntyre’s newfound ruthlessness. Much of McIntyre's efforts were focused on Finn, but when The Scottish Terminator turned his attention to Reigns in the closing match, the Claymore intended for The Big Dog ended up rocking Finn instead. Reigns Superman Punched McIntyre out of the ring, flattened the punch-drunk Bálor with a Spear, and that was that.

Paul Heyman reveals Universal Champion Brock Lesnar's plans for his future in WWE.

Friendship counseling didn’t go so well for Bayley and Sasha Banks, but that doesn't mean there's no friendship to save. Kurt Angle tried a different tactic to get the two Superstars back on the same page, threatening to trade one of them to SmackDown LIVE if they couldn’t coexist in tag team action against Alicia Fox & Dana Brooke. To their credit, The Huggable One and The Boss didn’t break down entirely, though an aggressive effort by Banks to save Bayley from a ringside attack got the duo disqualified.

A confrontation between the two behind the curtain provided some window into Banks’ mentality. First off, she wouldn’t allow anybody else besides her to beat up Bayley. And, despite their issues, The Boss still loves Bayley for a variety of reasons, from her comfort with her own emotions to her desire to be friends with everybody, to the fact that she always cares. It took a lot out of the notoriously guarded Boss to admit all that, and judging by Bayley's look after their conversation, the message was well received.

Sasha Banks and Bayley are forced to team up, and if they cannot coexist, one of them will be traded to SmackDown LIVE.

Ronda Rousey came a fingertip away from finally getting her hands on Alexa Bliss last night, and now, The Baddest Woman on the Planet finally has a time and a place for when she’ll get to fight her for real — provided she serves a little extra time first.

Rowdy Ronda made her presence known during Bliss’ snarky victory lap in the wake of her WWE Extreme Rules victory over Nia Jax, emerging through the audience despite having two days left on her 30-day suspension. This time, Rousey caught Bliss as she attempted to flee, and it was only the arrival of Kurt Angle that prevented her from snapping The Goddess’ arm in the armbar.

Given that Rousey had violated her suspension, Angle had no choice but to extend her sentence by another week. (“Constable” Baron Corbin pushed for more, and when he threatened to protest to Stephanie McMahon, Angle stole The Lone Wolf’s phone to lead him on a wild goose chase). But Angle offered a carrot in addition to the stick: A match against Bliss at SummerSlam for the Raw Women’s Championship. All Rousey has to do is toe the line. Whether that's too much to ask of her, of course, remains to be seen.

The Baddest Woman on the Planet doesn’t want to wait until SummerSlam to get her hands on Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss.

Bobby Lashley claimed he returned to WWE to make a play for the Universal Championship. He’s now one step closer to that goal, having defeated Elias and Seth Rollins in the night’s second Triple Threat, earning himself a second date with Roman Reigns where a SummerSlam title match with The Beast hangs in the balance.

That said, Elias certainly did his best to steal Lashley’s thunder, as The Living Truth dished out knees to anything with a pulse to gain an early lead. Elias stayed steady in the eye of the storm even as the chaos of the Triple Threat began to build and Rollins kicked into overdrive in response, targeting both his opponents at once. But thanks to a last-second breakup of the Stomp by Lashley, the fight rolled on, and the former ECW Champion scored the win with a Spear to Elias after the guitarist hauled Rollins out of the ring. One more win, and Lashley has Brock Lesnar. Two more, and he has the Universal Title.

After earning a match against Roman Reigns for the right to challenge Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, Bobby Lashley comments on his path to The Biggest Event of the Summer.