London leaves a sour taste

The O2 Arena in London hosted Raw on June 22, 2026, but the broadcast felt disconnected from the energy the crowd usually provides in the UK. While New Japan returned to Korakuen Hall this week, WWE's creative direction during their stop in London lacked that same sense of urgency. The Women’s Tag Team Championship match saw Brie Bella and Paige successfully defend against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, yet the bout felt like a formality.

Technical execution was standard, but the storytelling hit a wall. Valkyria has consistently shown impressive striking, yet her positioning next to Bayley feels disjointed, lacking the cohesive tag-team synergy expected at this level. This mismatch was evident throughout the contest.

The streaming strategy vs the ring reality

Data suggests that Raw is holding steady on Netflix, yet there is a plateau in the actual in-ring innovation. When you look at the statistics, the average match length has remained static for three weeks. Stability is a luxury for accountants, but for a live product, it looks like stagnation.

We are seeing too many predictable finishes in these high-profile slots. The reliance on legacy talent like the champions retaining over fresher pairings is a booking decision that stalls momentum. If the goal is to drive retention on the platform, building credible challengers is a necessity, not an optional exercise.

Looking ahead to the upcoming tape

SmackDown returns with Trick Williams and Ricky Saints taking center stage. This move feels like an attempt to pivot toward younger roster members, but it remains a reactionary measure to the criticism of the London show. They need to find a way to make these characters feel like main-event fixtures before the next premium live event.

The current state of the main roster feels caught between a desire to appeal to casual streaming audiences and a commitment to legacy booking. You can have both, but not when the matches lack a distinct tactical identity. My prediction for the upcoming SmackDown is that the Williams and Saints pairing will provide a much-needed spike in pacing, though it won't resolve the lack of coherent long-term direction. They are running on 60 minutes of quality in a 3-hour window, and that simply isn't good enough as we hit the midpoint of 2026.