Hits and Misses from this week's RAW and SmackDown Live (16-22 July 2018)

Ent — Who would challenge Lesnar at Summerslam?

We are well and truly on the road to the first major PPV in WWE's calendar year, SummerSlam, and the journey started with Extreme Rules. Last Sunday provided the WWE Universe with a mixed bag PPV as there were some matches that stood out, while a few were not up to the mark.

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Who could forget the gruelling and intense Iron Man match between Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler that left the WWE Universe wanting more as the Intercontinental title headlined a show after a long time?

The fallout from the show was important, especially since many questions remained unsolved. And what the fans got this week was absolute gold.

The WWE Universe got the guarantee from Paul Heyman that the Universal title will be defended at SummerSlam, an incredible bout between AJ Styles and Andrade 'Cien' Almas, where the former NXT champion took the Phenomenal One to the absolute limit and the return of a certain apex predator who has been vicious and deadly with his attacks.

So without further ado, let's jump into this week's hits and misses from RAW and SmackDown Live.

Hit: Randy Orton

Enter capt — The viper has some bad intentions on his mind

When Randy Orton returned at Extreme Rules everyone expected him to help Jeff Hardy and square off with Shinsuke Nakamura. The Artist used his heelish methods once again and won the gold from the Charismatic Enigma in a match that just lasted six seconds.

But Orton took the spotlight, as he came into the ring and attacked Hardy, which left even Nakamura confused. And this week, he just went a step further.

At a crucial juncture in the match, when the Charismatic Enigma looked poised to win back his title, The Viper struck and assaulted Hardy in a very brutal fashion.

Orton has certainly gone back to being a heel, a persona in which he thrived for many years. He seems to be ruthless and coiled to strike at the moment you least expect it to happen.

This sets up an interesting few weeks in terms of the United States Championship and who could face Nakamura at SummerSlam. Wouldn't be surprised if we see a triple threat for the title between these three competitors and I wouldn't be one who would be complaining about it.