Gunther vs. Chad Gable Steals the Show, More WWE Raw Takes

Chad Gable showed out in the biggest match of his main roster career against Gunther.Credit: WWE.com.

WWE is playing a slow game in building the card for Payback 2023, but the momentum picked up on the August 21 edition of Raw.

It was hardly the best showing for the red brand as The Judgment Day booking remains frustratingly cyclical. However, the return of Kevin Owens was a welcome lift.

The women's division continues to spin its wheels. Rhea Ripley squashed Candice LeRae, while Chelsea Green and Piper Niven dominated Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. Those matches barely totaled three minutes from bell-to-bell, though.

Gunther and Chad Gable stole the show in the best match of the night. It ended in a count-out, which promises an even-better sequel is yet to come.

Shinsuke Nakamura made his motivation clear in challenging Seth Rollins: Taking advantage of the world heavyweight champion's back injury and then capturing his gold. His great promo, cut entirely in Japanese, sold him as a dangerous threat to The Visionary.

Monday's Raw had its highs and lows, and it left much to be discussed.

Gunther and Chad Gable stole the show as expected and sold the Alpha Academy leader as a top contender. The stage is now set for a rematch that can reach even greater heights.

It should happen at Payback 2023, and it deserves to be the main event. No other fight on the card has a higher ceiling, and fans are more invested in this story than anything else on Raw.

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, and Cody Rhodes vs. Finn Bálor have a gereater profile but less heat at this stage of their feuds. Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez is not a big enough story, while Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus has lost too much fan interest.

Gunther, though, has carried the intercontinental belt with honor and respect, elevating it as a more important title than any other beyond Roman Reigns' Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Since The Bloodline will not appear at Payback on September 2, this is the perfect time to reward the top secondary champion and his most exciting challenger in months with a spotlight worthy of their talent.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are finally healthy and ready to fight together again, but the men's tag team division no longer needs them at the top of the card.

The New Day is back, Alpha Academy has never been a hotter team, and The Street Profits have a new attitude and are ready for another title run. Even The Viking Raiders and The O.C. would benefit from a chance to truly feud for tag gold again.

Whether it is one of those tag teams or The Judgment Day that dethrone the champions, the time has come for fresh faces at the top of the division.

More importantly, Zayn and KO have bigger stories to tell beyond the gold. The former Honorary Uce has gone feuding with The Bloodline to Judgment Day seamlessly and remains one of Raw's most popular stars.

He could well be wrestling top singles matches each week and building a reputation to challenge for the World Heavyweight or Intercontinental Championship sooner than later.

Owens is a constant main event presence who is more useful to Raw in that role as well. He and Zayn had their time in the division. While injuries have slowed their potential, they will be more important to the red brand after letting the tag titles go.

Once again, on a three-hour edition of Raw, no women's match went past the three-minute mark.

The most focused segment of the night for the division was Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus' latest showdown. Unfortunately, that feud has lost the fans' interest due to its scattershot booking since WrestleMania 39.

There is little excuse for bringing back Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae recently only for Rhea Ripley to squash them both. These were two heavily featured women in NXT who have lost all momentum.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven need real challengers for their WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, but they squashed the best established tag team on Raw in Katana Chance and Kayden Carter.

It would be easy to rectify this issue. There is plenty of time on Raw to give a couple of women's matches 10 minutes rather than two.

However, WWE is set in booking the same way each week, and it's keeping talent down while building more fan resentment toward a company that is doing so well with other divisions.

Shinsuke Nakamura cut his best promo in years on Raw in a pre-taped vignette. He spoke in his first language, Japanese, which allowed him to sell his menace as a heel better than in English.

The Artist can speak solid English, but WWE promos are awkward for most to cut in their first language. He has untapped charisma that comes out all the more when he is fully comfortable.

Nakamura is an all-time great talent. He can be a world champion, and many in the WWE Universe are begging for him to get that opportunity. He just has never been presented well enough.

If WWE wants to make Nakamura a top star and a potential world heavyweight champion, he needs to be at his best. It's unfair to him to battle on the mic with Seth Rollins while working at the top of his game.

Adding subtitles is not a real distraction, and Nakamura can sell his meaning even without them through his body language and mannerisms.