The August 26 edition of WWE Raw delivered the final big moments before Saturday's Bash in Berlin.

Uncle Howdy made his in-ring debut, defeating Chad Gable in an exciting main event that paid strong tribute to Bray Wyatt.

CM Punk attacked Drew McIntyre ahead of their strap match, forcing security to get involved to separate the two until they meet in Germany.

Bronson Reed continued his path of destruction, dominating Braun Strowman and hitting him with a Tsunami on a car.

Pete Dunne and Jey Uso advanced in the Intercontinental Championship tournament, qualifying for a Fatal 4-Way in two weeks to determine the next challenger for Bron Breakker.

The stage has been set for Bash in Berlin, and Raw promised much more to come for WWE in the next few months.

Uncle Howdy Paid Perfect Tribute to Bray Wyatt in 1st WWE Match

While Bo Dallas has competed in WWE before, Uncle Howdy made his debut this week on Raw, defeating Chad Gable.

It was a quality clash that showed why Howdy can become one of WWE's top stars, taking up the mantle left to him by Bray Wyatt.

Dallas is trying to prove himself as a capable successor to his late brother's legacy. His first work carried multiple echoes of Wyatt in his actions and words.

Eventually, he will need to show what he can do beyond emulating his sibling, but this was a strong foundation. Dallas looked as good in the ring as he ever has.

Uncle Howdy is a gimmick with high risk, but everything the Wyatt Sicks have done so far is working perfectly.

IC Championship Already Proving Why WWE Needs More Tournaments

WWE has slowly developed into a more sports-focused program under Triple H, and the company thrives by making the most of each in-ring encounter.

Tournaments bring prestige to every match, and various formats freshen up WWE's weekly product.

The Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contenders Tournament is set up as a series of Triple Threat bouts that will culminate in a Fatal 4-Way.

Jey Uso vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Karrion Kross provided good action on Monday, making the most of the competitors. Pete Dunne vs. The Miz vs. Xavier Woods was great, driven by unique spots from all involved.

Next week will see two matches: Bronson Reed vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser, and Ilja Dragunov vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee. Both will be great action, carried by the weight of the opportunity.

All 12 men involved in this tournament are getting the rub from participating. Bron Breakker's potential challenger list is improving with each big performance.

More tournaments like this would benefit this talented roster, especially those who can seriously compete in the ring. It is time for WWE to commit to more regular tournament formats beyond King of the Ring to keep the roster moving.

WWE might want to speak more with recent wrestling partner, Pro Wrestling Noah, which is currently running the N1 Victory with two NXT wrestlers in the mix. Its regular tournament formats could be a source of inspiration.

There is plenty of room for WWE to create a new standard for its weekly programming, including great action and compelling storytelling that make the most of a talented roster.

CM Punk Has Much to Prove in Drew McIntyre Rematch

The first match between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam was a controversial affair. Despite a heated build, the two men—along with Seth Rollins as the referee—may have gotten too clever with the match execution.

It was good but not great, which was the bar expected of WWE's top feud built over eight months. The primary problem was a heavy reliance on melodrama, focusing on Punk's friendship bracelet.

The second clash between the two will be a Strap match. The goal should be to reach the same level of intensity that Punk showed in 2022 against MJF in a Dog Collar match in All Elite Wrestling.

Even if Punk and McIntyre cannot reach the same brutality, their rivalry has the backing and talent to sell the most personally driven match WWE has seen in years.

The Best in the World makes certain promises by carrying that nickname. He needs to back it up by delivering against The Scottish Warrior in the biggest way.

If he doesn't, it's going to start to look like Punk isn't truly good enough to back up his words anymore, which could put a quick end to his main event potential in modern WWE.

Latest Bronson Reed Push Is Finally Working

Bronson Reed returned to WWE in December 2022, but WWE could not figure out what to do with him in his first full year.

His alliance with The Miz fizzled out quickly, and he challenged for the United States Championship multiple times without success.

Mr. Nice Guy won the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2024, but even that seemed to go nowhere until he beat down Seth Rollins on the Raw after SummerSlam.

This was the first segment in which Reed came off as truly imposing, injuring a former world champion. He followed that by sidelining R-Truth and then taking out Braun Strowman this week.

The best way to create a monster is to give him victims. Reed suddenly looks like the kind of man who could lay out anyone in his path.

The next stage is to allow Reed to get into title contention and pit him against the elite names in WWE. If he comes off as a threat even to Gunther or Bron Breakker, he could become a permanent fixture in the main event scene.