It's already been two days, but it appears at least some Milwaukee Brewers fans still have a severe case of the Tarik Skubal blues. Though Brewers general manager Matt Arnold added to his stable of power arms by acquiring starting pitcher Dustin May and relievers Jojo Romero and Antonio Sanzatela, many so-called armchair experts that float in and out of cyberspace appear unimpressed.For weeks Brewers nation has patiently listened to baseball insiders project that the Brewers would be aggressive and use the depth of their top tier minor-league system to make a "going-for-it" move that would challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League in October. But the Dodgers landed Skubal for the price of three promising minor leaguers and the Brewers pivoted to adding three-hard-throwing veterans to their roster. But many social media posters didn't change direction with them.Perhaps the memory of an underwhelming deadline day last season still lingers. The Brewers had the league's best record when they traded for pitchers Shelby Miller and Jordan Montgomery and outfielder Brandon Lockridge.You can make the argument that the Brewers easily have the league's best bullpen with the additions of Romero and Sanzatela while May has enjoyed a nice bounce-back season with the Cardinals. But logic sometimes doesn't score very high when one is expressing opinions on a smartphone. Very few posters that expressed displeasure spoke of May's variety of fastballs.Here's a bit of the frustration expressed after the move for May and Romero was made. Much of the displeasure centered around the fact that the Brewers gave up outfield prospect Alexander Frias in the deal. The Milwaukee Brewers are so confusing. They have - MLB's Best record- MLB's Best Farm- Premier starting rotation - Premier Bullpen- Presumable Cy Young Award Winner And they don't act on it. It's a contending roster. Why just Dustin May? Kevin Wells (@Wells15Kevin) August 3, 2026Brewers front office/ownership are so incredibly unserious about ever competing for a World Series. BUCKSIN6 (@elyisum13) August 3, 2026We have so many prospects, trade them for help!Trade happens. No, not those ones!Every time. Sam Dekker (@dekker) August 3, 2026Today the #Brewers reportedly acquired RHP Dustin May ($5.2M surplus trade value) and LHP JoJo Romero ($1.5M) from the #STLCards in exchange for OFs Alexander Frias ($23.1M) and Josiah Ragsdale ($4.5M).The deal is rejected by our model as an overpay by Milwaukee. Baseball Trade Values (@BaseballValues) August 3, 2026This is one of the biggest heists I have seen in a while.Alexander Frias is going to be very good at baseball. https://t.co/yL8aNR4b75 Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) August 3, 2026Oh dear lord that is way too much https://t.co/exMiRGgZCY Spencer Michaelis (@smichaelis234) August 3, 2026Josiah Ragsdale might have been a sell high, strike while the iron is hot kind of prospect. While he has 12 homers in Double-A, he also has a near-30% K rate at the levelBut Alexander Frias feels like one the Brewers might be kicking themselves at giving away in a few years David Gasper (@dgasper24) August 3, 2026However, there were at least a group folks that recognize that it is not an accident that the Brewers have the best record at the trade deadline for a second straight season. May started twice against the Brewers this year and gave up 1 run while striking out 16 batters in 12 innings.If there's anyone that completely unlock Dustin May, it's the BrewersReally good FB (96.8 MPH, 11 Run Value)Pretty deep arsenalGood extension (6.7 ft)Really Brewers-coded transactionpic.twitter.com/oI6xXiITLb SleeperBrewers (@SleeperBrewers) August 3, 2026Dustin May has a 3.14 FIP on the season, all of his advanced analytics project serious upsideHe is a rental, but hes the exact type of pitcher that THRIVES under Chris Hook. An absolute HUGE add to the rotation First look at him in a Brewers uniform pic.twitter.com/0ND67FaWKV Matthew S. (@MatthewMKE98) August 3, 2026I am racking up the bookmarks for Dustin May reactionsReminds me a lot of the reactions I saw when Kyle Harrison was traded to MilwaukeeIll circle back to em in October when hes got an ERA less than 3 with Milwaukee. Just wait on it pic.twitter.com/eRSCeC6POX Matthew S. (@MatthewMKE98) August 3, 2026The Brewers are gonna turn Dustin May into an ace LOL https://t.co/L5c7kpFZrh Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) August 3, 2026Dustin May gets elite fastball run value and has 3 different FB variationsLots of ingredients for Brewers to work with pic.twitter.com/JdkzF3gc3p David Gasper (@dgasper24) August 3, 2026This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Some Brewers fans frustrated after trade for Dustin May, Jojo Romero

It's already been two days, but it appears at least some Milwaukee Brewers fans still have a severe case of the Tarik Skubal blues. Though Brewers general manager Matt Arnold added to his stable of power arms by acquiring starting pitcher Dustin May and relievers Jojo Romero and Antonio Sanzatela, many so-called armchair experts that float in and out of cyberspace appear unimpressed.For weeks Brewers nation has patiently listened to baseball insiders project that the Brewers would be aggressive and use the depth of their top tier minor-league system to make a "going-for-it" move that would challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League in October. But the Dodgers landed Skubal for the price of three promising minor leaguers and the Brewers pivoted to adding three-hard-throwing veterans to their roster. But many social media posters didn't change direction with them.Perhaps the memory of an underwhelming deadline day last season still lingers. The Brewers had the league's best record when they traded for pitchers Shelby Miller and Jordan Montgomery and outfielder Brandon Lockridge.You can make the argument that the Brewers easily have the league's best bullpen with the additions of Romero and Sanzatela while May has enjoyed a nice bounce-back season with the Cardinals. But logic sometimes doesn't score very high when one is expressing opinions on a smartphone. Very few posters that expressed displeasure spoke of May's variety of fastballs.Here's a bit of the frustration expressed after the move for May and Romero was made. Much of the displeasure centered around the fact that the Brewers gave up outfield prospect Alexander Frias in the deal. The Milwaukee Brewers are so confusing. They have - MLB's Best record- MLB's Best Farm- Premier starting rotation - Premier Bullpen- Presumable Cy Young Award Winner And they don't act on it. It's a contending roster. Why just Dustin May? Kevin Wells (@Wells15Kevin) August 3, 2026Brewers front office/ownership are so incredibly unserious about ever competing for a World Series. BUCKSIN6 (@elyisum13) August 3, 2026We have so many prospects, trade them for help!Trade happens. No, not those ones!Every time. Sam Dekker (@dekker) August 3, 2026Today the #Brewers reportedly acquired RHP Dustin May ($5.2M surplus trade value) and LHP JoJo Romero ($1.5M) from the #STLCards in exchange for OFs Alexander Frias ($23.1M) and Josiah Ragsdale ($4.5M).The deal is rejected by our model as an overpay by Milwaukee. Baseball Trade Values (@BaseballValues) August 3, 2026This is one of the biggest heists I have seen in a while.Alexander Frias is going to be very good at baseball. https://t.co/yL8aNR4b75 Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) August 3, 2026Oh dear lord that is way too much https://t.co/exMiRGgZCY Spencer Michaelis (@smichaelis234) August 3, 2026Josiah Ragsdale might have been a sell high, strike while the iron is hot kind of prospect. While he has 12 homers in Double-A, he also has a near-30% K rate at the levelBut Alexander Frias feels like one the Brewers might be kicking themselves at giving away in a few years David Gasper (@dgasper24) August 3, 2026However, there were at least a group folks that recognize that it is not an accident that the Brewers have the best record at the trade deadline for a second straight season. May started twice against the Brewers this year and gave up 1 run while striking out 16 batters in 12 innings.If there's anyone that completely unlock Dustin May, it's the BrewersReally good FB (96.8 MPH, 11 Run Value)Pretty deep arsenalGood extension (6.7 ft)Really Brewers-coded transactionpic.twitter.com/oI6xXiITLb SleeperBrewers (@SleeperBrewers) August 3, 2026Dustin May has a 3.14 FIP on the season, all of his advanced analytics project serious upsideHe is a rental, but hes the exact type of pitcher that THRIVES under Chris Hook. An absolute HUGE add to the rotation First look at him in a Brewers uniform pic.twitter.com/0ND67FaWKV Matthew S. (@MatthewMKE98) August 3, 2026I am racking up the bookmarks for Dustin May reactionsReminds me a lot of the reactions I saw when Kyle Harrison was traded to MilwaukeeIll circle back to em in October when hes got an ERA less than 3 with Milwaukee. Just wait on it pic.twitter.com/eRSCeC6POX Matthew S. (@MatthewMKE98) August 3, 2026The Brewers are gonna turn Dustin May into an ace LOL https://t.co/L5c7kpFZrh Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) August 3, 2026Dustin May gets elite fastball run value and has 3 different FB variationsLots of ingredients for Brewers to work with pic.twitter.com/JdkzF3gc3p David Gasper (@dgasper24) August 3, 2026This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Some Brewers fans frustrated after trade for Dustin May, Jojo Romero

Lead Stories says: AI-GeneratedIs there a real photo of WNBA players Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark wearing T-shirts with the words "XX-XY Athletics" printed on them? No, that's not true: The image was created with AI, as a verification tool showed. There are no credible news reports of the image being real.The claim appeared in a post made on X by user @JonCovering published on July 31, 2026. It's now unavailable but an archive of it can be seen here. The post included an image of what appeared to be Cunningham (archived here) and Clark (archived here), who both play for the Indiana Fever (archived here), standing side by side and wearing shirts that read "XX-XY Athletics." The caption of the post on X read:Do you support Sophie Cunningham advocating to protect young girls in sports?This is what the image included in the post looked like:archived hereOpenAI's Verify tool, which detects whether OpenAI products were used to create content, concluded that the image was "generated with OpenAI tools" and contains a SynthID watermark (archived here). The screenshot below shows the detector's result:archived here

The New York Yankees are promoting shortstop George Lombard Jr., the top prospect in the organization and a consensus Top-100 prospect in all of MLB, from Triple-A to make his major league debut according to multiple reports Aug. 3.Jack Curry reported the promotion first on the YES Network.The report follows the Yankees loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, and the debut of Luis Garcia Jr. one of two players, along with San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos that they acquired before the MLB trade deadline earlier in the day.MORE: Three-year MLB infielder, 26, opts out of Yankees contractHell be the starting shortstop for the Yankees, Curry said. They feel Lombard Jr. will handle everything he needs to handle defensively, and we will see what hes able to give the Yankees offensively.In 56 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Lombard was slashing .268/.405/.440 with six home runs and 10 stolen bases.The Yankees took the first step toward bringing Lombard up by demoting shortstop Anthony Volpe to Triple-A late Monday. They also optioned outfielder Jasson Dominguez, clearing spots for both Lombard and Ramos.MORE: Yankees make trade for Giants All-Star outfielderMore to come on this story.

This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.The Pirates placed right-handed starter Mitch Keller on the 60-day injured list with a right arm teres major muscle injury, ending his season.Its been a difficult year for Keller, who took the loss on Sunday against the Reds after allowing seven runs in two innings. Keller made 22 starts and went 6-8 with a 5.29 ERA, his highest mark since he pitched to a 6.17 ERA in 2021. The right-handers 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings this season are the lowest of his career excluding the shortended-2020 season.Things started off well for Keller this season. The 30-year-old was 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA in his first eight starts through May 7. But over his last 14 starts, Keller went 2-7 with a 6.95 ERA.Keller is under contract with the Pirates for two more seasons. He will make just under $18.5 million in 2027 and will make just shy of $20.5 million in 2028.Click here to read more from PGHBaseballNOW.com.Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

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The San Francisco Giants did the inevitable and got rid of multiple players in a fire sale during MLB's trade deadline in hopes of salvaging the remainder of the season with a focus on next year.Six players were shipped out of San Francisco and on to different teams. Those players included Tyler Mahle to the Atlanta Braves, Luis Arraez and Caleb Kilian to the Philadelphia Phillies, Heliot Ramos to the New York Yankees, Robbie Ray to the San Diego Padres, and Erik Miller to the Boston Red Sox.In return, the Giants got back a couple right-handed pitchers, Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair, from the Phillies. The Padres sent right-hand pitcher Miguel Mendez and infielder Joniel Hernandez to the Bay Area. The Yankees sent back left-hand pitcher Henry Lalane and shortstop Kaeden Kent, son of Giants legend and Hall of Famer Jeff Kent. San Francisco got infielder Marcelo Mayer from Boston. While Anthony Molina, who they immediately assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, Sacramento River Cats, came via trade with the Braves.Notable players that remain on the roster are Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers and Willy Adames. Their names were floated around the trade rumor mill but ultimately stay put in San Francisco. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey appeared on Bay Area sports radio station 95.7 FM "The Game" to provide insight and feedback on his approach at the trade deadline and moving forward."We made it known to teams that we were really willing to talk about any player," Posey said. "I don't think it does any good to say one way or another for us. We're still excited that we've got those big three guys, we have Devers, Chapman, Adames on the team, and still feel like there's a lot of great baseball left for those guys to play." The bottom line, Posey said, is that he's "glad they're going to be San Francisco Giants."As for the rest of the season which has about two months remaining it's officially an evaluation period."We're going to get some looks at some younger players, and I think as much as anything, it's going to be an opportunity for us as a front office and a coaching staff to evaluate some of our players, and some of them are going to get some longer runways than they've had in the past," Posey said.Prospects looking to make a name for themselves will have an opportunity in San Francisco. But there will be a standard to live up to, and Posey is setting it. "We keep saying you look for fundamental baseball guys that are going to throw throw the ball over the plate, control the strike zone at the plate, catch the ball on defense and make smart decisions on the bases," he said. "I do think it's been nice to see that we've been pushing the envelope a little bit more as far as stolen bases have gone the last month or so. So that's been nice to see, but just just trying to create a brand of baseball.""I think these last two months that we can be excited about, to build off of, and and you know look to to look to build on from what we do here these last couple months and into the future," Posey added.There's optimism to the ending of an otherwise abysmal season. Following the trades, here are the winners and losers from the Giants' moves:Winner: Six players on the move out of SFJust about each player that was traded went on to a more favorable situation where the chances of winning are high; well, at least higher than they were with the Giants. Big ups to Arraez, Ramos, Ray, Mahle, Kilian and Miller.Losers: Adames, Devers and ChapmanFor these guys individually, they get big dollars and to stay within the San Francisco Bay Area. That's, of course, going off the assumption that this is where they want to be. Regardless, after all the rumors, they don't have to pack up and move cities.Although the season hasn't gone the way they probably envisioned, the consolation prize at the end of the day is seeing that check deposited. Between the three, they command $67.81 million on the Giants' payroll.So why are these guys considered losers? You have to imagine that they wanted to go somewhere to win. That's all.Winner: Jung Hoo LeeIt seemed like Jung Hoo Lee was out the door, but there was a change of heart. He gets to stay in the Bay Area, for the moment, surrounded by his endearing fans known as "Hoo Lee Gans."If there was any indication that Lee can play worry-free, it was his performance against the Texas Rangers, the day of the MLB deadline. Once 3 p.m. PT hit and Lee knew he was officially safe, he was able to come alive.In a 5-1 win on Aug. 3, Lee went 3-for-4 and was responsible for two homers and three RBIs on two hits.Loser: Logan WebbThe Giants needed bullpen help before the season started. They signed Mahle in the offseason in hopes of providing a boost. The same with Ray. It's unfortunate that the season didn't pan out the way most hoped. It's even worse that the $35 million they spent to get Ray and Mahle was practically for no reason. Webb remains on a losing franchise, but all he wants to do is win. He loves the Giants and wants to spend his career in the Bay, but the question is whether he will eventually lose interest if the losing persists.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: San Francisco Giants trade deadline winners and losers: What's next after fire sale?

Full Time Newsletter | This is The Athletics weekly womens soccer newsletter.Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox.Happy Monday! Its time to believe again. Read to the end to understand what we mean. Today: Whoowns soccer? NWSLs2027 schedule Readers NWSL All-Star ideasUp first, the week that almost ended soccer as we know it Soccers Soul at Stake: A week of revelations, rejection and reckoningIf you happened to be away toward the end of last week, dont worry, you didnt miss much. Just the near-implosion of soccers governing body and all that is wholesome in the sport.Apparently earning a cool $15 billion from the 2026 World Cup cycle wasnt enough for FIFA. Dont mind that we are only weeks removed from the biggest tournament in the history of the sport the grind (or a different g word) doesnt stop.Heres the what you missed on Glee version of it all:On Tuesday, FIFAannounced a proposal for a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprises, that would manage commercial operations for key events like the World Cup.President Gianni Infantino also shared plans to sell 21 percent of the company to private investors.The goal, FIFA said, was to bring in $4.2 billion to be released to member associations.JP Morgan was the chief adviser on the project, and Thrive Eternal, an investment fund set up by Joshua Kushner (brother of President Donald Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner), was expected to lead the proposed investor group.In its most rudimentary form, it suggested the World Cup be put up for sale.The plan was only a proposal and required majority approval from the worlds 211 national associations and FIFAs 37-member council, which is where things quickly got messy:By Thursday, the 55 European federations fought back, unanimouslyvowing to boycott all FIFA competitionsunless the FFE project was killed.Womens competitions, starting with the U-20 Womens World Cup in Poland in September and potentially extending to the 2027 World Cup, were first in the line of fire.Other confederations rejected FIFAs plan, including Concacaf, where the U.S. resides, but no one else went as far as an all-out boycott.Infantino even lost the support of his senior adviser, former U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro,who quit last week.The days-long saga that feltmuchlonger came to an end Friday when Infantino said his organization wasscrapping the proposalafter he listened carefully to all the views and realized the project created divisions of a nature that are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place. So much for that.The question now:Can Infantinos presidency survive this?UEFA is stillthreatening legal action against FIFA, the English Football Associationwithdrew its support for Infantinos re-election (which is up for vote next March), and his current vice president, Victor Montagliani, could challenge his campaign.A new FIFA president would be a welcome reset for womens soccer,which has had tolisten to Infantinoput the onus on women to enact change while only incrementally making improvements within his organization. Meanwhile, Megan Feringa detailedhow two women led UEFAs charge to stand down FIFA.Meg has more on a weird week in the sport:Megs Corner: Lets build something differentI dont think I could have experienced a greater juxtaposition of the two sides of soccer this weekend than watchingInfantinos Icarus momentand the fallout as I traveled to Flint, Mich., to watch the USL2 mens championship as a fan of Vermont Green.On my phone,I read about a fight over the soul of the World Cupas fans, players and policymakers stood up to Infantinos scheme to further commercialize the tournament. It played out in snippy statements, with Infantino forced to back down. Id read the best parts out to my friends for their real-time reactions. We traveled with a community of more than 150 supporters, friends and family heading 600 miles away on a weeks notice to watch the boys in greenwin back-to-back titles.The highest levels of international soccer and local lower-division soccer might look like they have nothing in common beyond the laws of the game and someone lifting a trophy at the end, butthe Green have given me such an incredible experience of being able to reconnect with why I love the sport (thats me in the photo!),and how to be a part of something special as its being built no matter how small people may think it is.For me, this weekend,both sides were reflections of the true soul of soccer.For federation presidents, it was about finally drawing an overdue line in the sand on the commercialization and value extraction of the game.For us in Flint, it was the final night we had with these players as they all scattered to their respective colleges, a celebration of another undefeated season that is always far too fleeting.For all the hand-wringing over the impact of the World Cup in the U.S, these games matter just as much. My main takeaway from this weekend:We can build something different.Need to Know: NWSLs 2027 schedule changesThe NWSL schedule is here! Well, almost. We broke news last week,with this storyabout the leagues 2027 schedule footprint. While official word is expected later this week, we can give you an exclusive preview of the preview.For starters, the season is set to start on Feb. 11, three days before the NFLs Super Bowl.The hope, according to sources, is that the league will be part of the sporting hype in the lead-up to the biggest football game of the year in Los Angeles.The start date is also a month earlier than previous NWSL seasons, mainly to accommodate the Womens World Cup break that summer. Playoffs, as they do this year, will start in November and run up to the Championship on Nov. 21 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. A few other notes:The Challenge Cup,which has recently been a one-off game between the previous years NWSL champion and regular-season Shield winner, isexpected to return to a preseason format. (Though this is still being finalized.)The schedule currently includesfour midweek matches two home and two away per club.The league will pause for thebreak mandated by the collective bargaining agreement in early Juneand remain that way until July 30, after the World Cup final.You canread more about the schedule decisions here.Feedback Loop: Your thoughts on an NWSL All-Star GameWe asked, and you answered.Should the NWSL have an All-Star Game? Probably. Should it be a mixed-gender match where fun is prioritized? Maybe. Maybe not. We wont know until we try it. What say you, NWSL?Before we get into the results, I wanted to highlight a few suggestions we received in our inbox. Please, no NWSL All-Star:An NWSL all-star game is an abominable idea, please bury the idea with the NFL game and what should happen to all of the others. A combined game is an even worse idea. Now, you want to have NWSL all-stars play WSL all-stars. Thats a game Id be interested in. Scott B. Go international:My brain went to the England v. France 3rd place WC game. It feels like that would be the kind of free-wheeling, defense-be-damned game the All-Stars would play. If thats true, count me in! Rod T. Bring on mixed teams:The Portland Thorns (NWSL) and the Portland Timbers (MLS) have played two games with mixed teams, and they have been tremendous fun for the players and the fans. Both were fundraisers (one for Ukraine, I forget what the other was for) and were totally unserious which was part of the fun! Jessica R.Want to get in touch? You can email us atfulltime@theathletic.com. No need to wait for a poll to send us your thoughts. Now, on to the official results: Get more:Full Time hosts Jillian Sakovitz, Tamerra Griffin and Meg will be answering your burning questions on Wednesdays mailbag episode.Subscribe to get it first.First LooksMust-see TV:We told you last week the Womens Africa Cup of Nations was cant-miss viewing and the group stage has been nothing but proof that you should listen to us. Tournament debutants Malawi, led by Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga, are on the cusp of the knockouts after astunning opening winagainst 10-time champions Nigeria. The responsibility that comes with winning isnot lost on the players, either.Parting ways:Manchester United and coach Marc Skinner havesplit one month before the Womens Super League season. Get caught up on the news now, because well have even more details tomorrow.Crucial loss:Bad news for U.S. womens national team fans, as the back line took a serious hit with Gotham center back Emily Sonnettmissing the rest of the NWSL seasonfollowing knee surgery.A brothers love:Grief is complicated. Katie Whyatt spoke to Mark Beard, the brother of the late WSL coach Matt Beard, about their familys story, life after loss and how Mark is turning his pain into purpose.Its an emotional and important read.What were watching:Ted Lasso returns to Apple TV on Wednesdaywith its fourth season. This time, the Kansas City-based coach is headed back to England to oversee Richmonds new womens team. We are cautiously optimistic about the return of Americas favorite soccer dad. Love Full Time?These stories can also be found on Yahooswomens sports hub, in partnership withThe Athletic.Also,check out our other newsletters.This article originally appeared in The Athletic.NWSL, Full Time Newsletter2026 The Athletic Media Company

Is the "Raw after SummerSlam" a thing? We all know WWE makes a big deal out of the first "Raw after Mania," usually setting up a few surprises to mark the occasion. For this years post-SummerSlam show, they'd already promised at least one big return (quite literally). But wouldnt you know it, there wound up being a few other twists along the road as the show rolled through Des Moines, Iowa.Here's what went down on this weeks installment of pro-wrestlings longest-running show.Roman Reigns runs it back with LA KnightTonight's show kicked off with the WWE World Heavyweight Champion making his way to the ring to bask in the glory of Sunday night's superb victory over Seth Rollins. Is it me or did Roman Reigns sound a little husky at first? (Which is perhaps unsurprising after that slobberknocker of a match from last night.)Of course, the smart folks in Iowa knew the drill: when a victorious champion turns up to gloat, you just know he or she is going to get interrupted by his next challenger before long. But how many of them expected LA Knight to be the man to shoot his shot? Judging by the massive pop that accompanied the start of his theme music, not many.LA KNIGHT YEAH!!! @RealLAKnightpic.twitter.com/LGLDLT7qOD WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026"The Megastar" was also riding high on his successes from the weekend, having pinned Jey Uso to win the Babyfaces vs. Bloodline match. He worked his usual magic on the mic and even got a chuckle out of Reigns with his impression of The Shields entrance music. The fact that Knight was wearing his trademark shades brought back instant memories of the last time these two collided, back at Crown Jewel in 2022.LA Knight made clear he's as keen as anyone to see a rematch. But will "The Tribal Chief" accept his challenge? We should find out before long."The only right answer is YEAH" @RealLAKnight has challenged the OTC! pic.twitter.com/ZckxyfkQvF WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026"YOU'RE NOT ON MY LEVEL, PAL" @RealLAKnightpic.twitter.com/3brhl6ueMN WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026Big Cass throws his weight aroundJust why did WWE choose to tee up the return of Big Cass with video packages ahead of time? Surely it wouldve been better to send the seven-footer (at least in kayfabe) out to lay waste a helpless Je'Von Evans without telling us that the former AEW man had re-signed well beforehand?"We knew that Cass was returning," yelled Michael Cole, proudly leaning into this apparently masterful storyline telling technique. "We'd heard about it for weeks!" Even so, the news had evidently gone over the heads of the Iowa crowd, who looked utterly baffled by the run-in though I think I spotted a few of them reading up on Big Cass on his way out. That's the only reason they'd be looking at their phones, right?BIG CASS An absolutely BRUTAL attack on The Young OG! pic.twitter.com/l7QAVuZSJ0 WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026If anything, this felt even flatter than Baron Corbin's re-emergence on "SmackDown" a few weeks ago.Oba Femi embarks on a victory lapJeez, what did they put in the water at SummerSlam? After Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins buried the hatchet with a fist-bump for the ages, we now have Oba Femi passing on his thanks to Brock Lesnar ("for all those nice things he said about me") after a backstage handshake with Paul Heyman. @HeymanHustle | @Obaofwwepic.twitter.com/oH3bdBUpmL WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026Of course, its no surprise to hear Femi will be moving on from feuding with Brock Lesnar. But what will "The Next Big Thing" have to say about his plans for the future? We were left in the dark on that front, as Femi cut a triumphant promo clad in his church-robes. There was plenty of gesturing and grandstanding about the future of WWE, but no indication as to who might be the next man to step into the ring with The Ruler.Then, just as Femi was making his exit, his music was interrupted by The Vision making their way to the ring, leading to a prolonged moment of tension between Femi and Bron Breakker."The Beast can finally rest" @Obaofwwe reflects on his victory at #SummerSlam! pic.twitter.com/qZkaovTEIs WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026INTENSITY @Obaofwwe | @bronbreakkerwwepic.twitter.com/v7mEuN9Lzm WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026I don't doubt that Femi and Breakker will be the biggest names in the company by the end of the decade (if not sooner). But do we really want them feuding at this point?Breakker needs a chance to build up his aura again and an inevitable defeat at the hands of Oba Femi isn't going to do that.Stephanie Vaquer and Becky Lynch are backSay goodbye to those rumors of visa issues. Chilean star Stephanie Vaquer was back in the house for tonights "Raw after SummerSlam, making her first appearance since WrestleMania.STEPHANIE VAQUER IS BACK WHAT A MOMENT!! pic.twitter.com/EbRa51rwmV WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026We know WWE thinks highly of Vaquer (rightly so). In fact, they've practically kept the "Raw" women's division on ice for her during her absence. Liv Morgan went 105 days without a single title defense after defeating "La Primera" back at Mania in Las Vegas, with WWE seemingly taking a "rematch or bust" attitude to the whole Morgan-Vaquer title feud.Before Vaquer could make her return, though, there was one more surprise to come, as Morgan was interrupted by another former champion with a few scores to settle Becky Lynch! In a suitably sizzling promo, "The Man" made it clear that her eyes are firmly on Liv Morgan's title rather than the Intercontinental belt held by Raquel Rodriguez before making one hell of a spicy remark about Dom Mysterio.This is getting GOOD @Steph_Vaquer | @BeckyLynchWWEpic.twitter.com/1BLakCyPgR WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026.@BeckyLynchWWE let Liv Morgan HAVE IT pic.twitter.com/oZx0nhp3pq WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026At that moment, the flames shot from the entranceway and a returning Vaquer ran down the ramp to deliver a speedy beatdown to Morgan before embarking on a staredown with Lynch. That's a tantalizing triple-threat match if ever I saw one.Indie callback of the nightWith Jacob Fatu and Royce Keys booked for a street fight in the main event, I expected the customary bumps and bruises with chairs, stairs and all the rest of it. What I didn't expect, though, was wed get a stirring explanation from Corey Graves on the commentary desk about how Keys and Fatu had come up together through various West Coast independent promotions. It was another reminder of how Graves loves this game.OH MY GOD @RealRoyceKeyspic.twitter.com/Fro01op0xu WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026These two are beating the HELL out of each other! pic.twitter.com/Z7GgmqD2D5 WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026It was great for Keys too. WWE has invested heavily in building up the former AEW mans backstory and the image of him spending his formative years hurling Jacob Fatu around various church halls and community centers was a fun contrast to the more showbizzy side of pro-wrestling.Jacob Fatu WINS the Street Fight This man is MAD! pic.twitter.com/p0l82XqPzD WWE (@WWE) August 4, 2026Burning question of the nightWith SummerSlam done and dusted, what's next on the WWE calendar? Officially, the next special event in the diary is Saturday Night's Main Event in early October. But not only is that not a real PLE assuming WWE follows the usual SNME template it's also nearly two months away. Is there no Wrestlepalooza or Crown Jewel in the meantime?WWE PLEs are usually announced by corporate press release, rather than on the weekly shows. But we did get one intriguing tease right at the end of tonights Raw, as Reigns bumped into Rey Mysterio, who suggested he wanted to run something by the champion in his capacity as AAA general manager.Given the hulking great gap in the PLE schedule, could there be plans afoot to turn part of the upcoming two-night AAA Triplemana show (which just got moved to a larger venue in Las Vegas) in September into a de-facto WWE PLE? Thatd sound like the sort of solution that might benefit everyone in this situation. Given that it takes place the same weekend as Zuffa Boxing's big fight in Sin City, you imagine they'd love to have "The Tribal Chief" in town.I give tonights WWE Raw after SummerSlam a Crown Score of: 7/10 WWE Raw full card results and grades:Jacob Fatu def. Royce Keys by referee stoppage Crown score: 3/5 Chad Gable & Penta def. The Judgment Day Crown score: 4/5 Bron Breakker def. Joe Hendry Crown score: 2/5 Sol Ruca def. Roxanne Perez by disqualification Crown score: 2/5 JeVon Evans def. All Ego Ethan Page Crown score: 4/5