For as red-hot as Raw has been in the episodes that followed SummerSlam, inevitably the streak had to come to an end. Consider Monday night the "heat check" moment for the red brand's recent surge as WWE put forward a safe and fairly pedestrian offering in the go-home episode ahead of Sunday's loaded No Mercy pay-per-view card.
Roman Reigns delivered a memorable final promo ahead of his dream match with John Cena, and big men Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar traded unpleasantries in a verbal joust leading in to their universal title match.
But the only developments on Monday came in the form of Bayley's surprise (and rather anticlimactic) return from injury in her hometown of San Jose, leading to her late addition into the women's championship match on Sunday.