The July 27 episode of WWE RAW served as the go-home show before the two-night SummerSlam 2026 extravaganza, which will take place on August 1 and 2 inside the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
As of now, a total of 12 matches and six bouts are divided on both the cards, with Cody Rhodes and CM Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship contest headlining night one and The Shield’s final between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line main-eventing night two.
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One of the matches that has kept the fans buzzed for the Biggest Party of the Summer features a grudge match between Danhausen and the Judgment Day’s AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio.
Danhausen and The Judgment Day have been clashing horns for months. It all began in February when the rising star had a backstage encounter with the heel crew. Dominik Mysterio mocked Danhausen, claiming he would never be a champion. As a result, the Very Nice, Very Evil star cursed the self-proclaimed “King of the Luchadores,” which resulted in him losing his Intercontinental Championship to Penta.
Things got heated between the parties after Danhausen stole $100,000 in “human monies” from “Dirty” Dom, cursed the crew, broke the deal, and refused to pay it back. This led to The Judgment Day destroying the Very Nice, Very Evil star’s custom New York Knicks jersey.
The tensions led to WWE booking a No Disqualification match between Danhausen and JD McDonagh at Saturday Night’s Main Event XLV at Madison Square Garden. The 35-year-old star defeated JD to maintain his undefeated streak. However, the rivalry between The Judgment Day and Danhausen is far from over.
On the post-SNME XLV, the rising star drew him into the number games and was being thrashed by the Judgment Day. Joe Hendry rushed in to help, which put him in a unique friendship with the viral superstar.
On tonight’s episode of RAW before SummerSlam, Danhausen and Joe Hendry were booked to have a live concert, which even featured Minihausens, but the segment backfired on the babyface stars as Zuffa Boxing’s star boxer Ryan Garcia, who was in front row, came out in the middle and smashed a guitar on the former NXT Champion’s back, putting him out, taking advantage of which Dominik Mysterio alongside JD destiryed Danhausen and his minion army, sending a strong message before “Dirty” Dom vs. the undefeated star.
In this article, we will explore reasons WWE sacrificed Joe Hendry on RAW before SummerSlam 2026, who was once considered to be a top star in the company:
#3. No plans for him
Joe Hendry looked like one of the rising stars en route to becoming a future main-eventer; his winning the NXT Championship within months of joining the Stamford-based promotion is proof of it.
He even looked strong when he debuted on the main roster, joining Monday Night RAW and being immediately placed against The Vision, where he started messing with Logan Paul and even produced a viral song, “Fire Logan Paul.” But all his momentum was derailed with The YouTube Sensation’s injury, as WWE suddenly dropped all plans for Hendry.
However, instead of keeping him away from television, the company used Joe to elevate Danhausen vs. Dominik Mysterio’s SummerSlam bout.
#2. WWE dropped the ball on him
The Stamford-based promotion is invested in building new rising superstars. Joe Hendry was one of the chosen ones, but things might have changed a bit with him being booked in filler segments and used to elevate mid-card feuds, which is a clear sign that the company has dropped the ball on Hendry.
WWE already has its main star on Monday Night RAW, whom they have been building as he is looking dominant heading into a trilogy match against Brock Lesnar, which many think may be The Beast Incarnate’s final match in the company.
For now, WWE may have given up on Hendry and could test him under fire as a mid-carder before putting him back in the main-event spot.
#1. Slowing down the process
Since joining the World Wrestling Entertainment, Joe Hendry was immediately placed in the main spot, and he even delivered what the promotion expected from him.
However, his main-roster move didn’t sit well with the company, surely. As a result, they had slowed his push and were now focusing on building him from scratch. The first step is to have him elevate others, start over again in the mid-card scene, and win back the fans.
Hence, this may be another reason why Joe was sacrificed on RAW ahead of SummerSlam.
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Edited by Angana Roy
