Updated

Updated · Bleacher Report · Aug 2

Oba Femi Beats Brock Lesnar in Hell in a Cell as Orton Costs Rhodes WWE Title Shot

Updated

Updated · Bleacher Report · Aug 2

Oba Femi Beats Brock Lesnar in Hell in a Cell as Orton Costs Rhodes WWE Title Shot

Q: With no clear challengers left, who will step up to threaten Liv Morgan's dominant 100-day championship reign?

There is no confirmed next challenger yet, but Sol Ruca and Stephanie Vaquer appear to be the strongest immediate possibilities to threaten Liv Morgan’s 100-day reign. Ruca has the clearest built-in story. Morgan previously cost her a Women’s Intercontinental Championship opportunity, giving WWE an easy personal feud to escalate into a world-title program. That kind of fresh grudge match would also help address the thin challenger pipeline around Morgan after her win over Iyo Sky. Vaquer is the other logical option, provided she is medically cleared. She already has title-level credibility and existing relevance around Morgan’s reign because Morgan chose her for WrestleMania 42. If available, Vaquer would give WWE a believable high-end challenger quickly, which the division currently lacks. Becky Lynch and Bayley remain credible names, but the reporting around SummerSlam suggests neither is positioned as the immediate next step. Iyo Sky also stays important to the division after the loss, yet the issue coming out of Night 1 is that WWE has not signaled a direct rematch or another obvious title path for her. That leaves WWE with a short-term booking problem: Morgan is still presented as a major champion and Judgment Day centerpiece, but the roster around her has not been lined up clearly. Based on the available reporting, Ruca is the most natural next feud, while Vaquer is the most convincing higher-profile threat if cleared.

3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · Aug 2

Oba Femi closed SummerSlam 2026 Night 1 with the biggest win of his career, beating Brock Lesnar in Hell in a Cell and emerging as WWE’s apparent next breakout headliner.
That result immediately shifts attention to how WWE sustains Femi’s momentum, with meaningful wins needed if the company wants him on a Royal Rumble-to-WrestleMania 43 path.
Randy Orton’s first appearance since losing to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42 then derailed Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship challenge, helping CM Punk retain and reopening Rhodes-Orton as a likely major feud.
Liv Morgan also left Night 1 with a problem for WWE’s booking: after a strong title defense, the Women’s World Champion has no clear next challenger in a thinned-out Raw women’s division.
Taken together, Night 1 delivered two headline moments but left WWE needing credible follow-through on Femi’s rise, Rhodes-Orton, and its women’s title picture.