Triple H Saves Ciampa's Career, Iyo Sky Set for Major Push, More WWE Raw Takes

It's a new era in WWE with Triple H fully in control.

WWE Raw felt bolder than it has in a long time during its August 1 episode. While it was far from perfect, it was nice to see some fresh talent highlighted.

Ciampa went from lackey for The Miz to title contender in one night, defeating Dolph Ziggler and Chad Gable, and AJ Styles later, to earn a shot at the United States Championship next week.

Iyo Sky made her in-ring debut on Raw, pushing Bianca Belair for nearly 20 minutes before the match ended in a non-finish. She also worked with Bayley and Dakota Kai to take Becky Lynch out of action for several months.

The Usos picked up a big win over Rey and Dominik Mysterio in the main event. This eliminated another tag team with momentum and again left The Bloodline without strong challengers.

The future looks bright for Raw, with plenty to discuss from a big show that left a unique impact.

No one helped define WWE NXT quite like Ciampa. He was an integral part of the brand at its best and then helped in the transition to NXT 2.0. However, his move to Raw has been awkward.

After an uneven couple months, though, he found a solid spot working with The Miz, but he still could not buy a win until Monday's show. With back-to-back victories, he has earned a shot at Bobby Lashley's United States Championship.

Triple H is clearly a big fan of The Blackheart, and he repaid that trust with a pair of strong performances.

While Ciampa is unlikely to dethrone Lashley, he should have another solid performance, perhaps starting to build his standing. Either it will help build him and Miz together or lead to an exciting breakup.

Regardless, the former NXT champion can finally wrestle again. Triple H will push him as high as he is ready to reach.

Becky Lynch remains the biggest female star in wrestling. With or without gold, she is a centerpiece of WWE. She has been Raw's top heel ever since her return from maternity leave a year ago.

She confirmed on Raw that she has returned to the gimmick that made her a household name: The Man. However, she also has a shoulder injury that will keep her out for several months.

No one can replace Lynch, even with a trio of fresh stars joining the red brand this week. The show will survive in that time, but her absence will be felt.

When The Man returns with the right crowd, she could get the biggest pop of the entire year, just in time to make a massive statement on the Road to WrestleMania 39.

The stage has been set for Lynch to fight Ronda Rousey at the next Show of Shows, and with fresh energy behind her, that should be one of WWE's biggest-ever women's matches.

While Iyo Sky may have made her mark under a different name (Io Shirai) in NXT, she was always one of Triple H's most reliable performers, and she was brought onto Raw right in time for him to push her again.

The way she competed with Bianca Belair showcased her talent and value to the red brand. She can put on a memorable 20-minute match against any other woman on the roster.

With Bayley speaking for her, there is no worry of a language barrier. The Japanese Superstar can simply perform and rise up the ranks, hopefully as quickly as future rival Asuka once did.

While Becky Lynch is out of action for the next few months, it is the perfect time to take a chance on a valuable talent. She is the top act ready to grab women's gold.

The EST of WWE finds herself at odds with Bayley's new group, and Sky could be the perfect woman to dethrone her. She is most certainly ready and will prove it in the coming months.

The Usos have run through the WWE tag team division. The New Day, The Street Profits, RK-Bro, The Viking Raiders and Los Mysterios have all fallen to the undisputed tag team champions.

Few teams have any momentum left to challenge the champions of Raw and SmackDown. Erik and Ivar are still building a new heel gimmick. Alpha Academy cannot buy a win. The Judgment Day keep falling short. Los Lotharios cannot get on television.

The whole division needs a shake-up. Hopefully, under Triple H, new teams will rise and gain enough momentum to legitimately challenge Jimmy and Jey Uso.

Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander could use a boost. Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch are ready for more. AJ Styles and Dolph Ziggler have teased an interesting alliance. Talent like Ricochet, T-Bar, Shelton Benjamin and Akira Tozawa could use that fresh start.

There is way too much talent to leave the tag team division behind, but it will take time to build that up to challenge a team as dominant as The Usos.

Last week may have been Triple H's first in charge of Raw, but he had a limited impact. However, Monday's show was completely different.

It was obvious that the new WWE head of creative was ready to step up and push underused talent forward.

In his time with NXT, The Game showed he has favorites. And fans got to see some of those names pushed more on Monday than they have been in many months. Ciampa and Iyo Sky benefited while Mustafa Ali and Chad Gable got some extra spotlight.

The United States Championship was highlighted better than before through a one-night tournament that showcased how coveted the title can be. Bobby Lashley said he was willing to defend his gold every week, and many would welcome that.

The women got a noticeable increase in attention, including a memorable match between Bianca Belair and Sky, plus a passionate promo from Becky Lynch.

The show also shied away from Raw's recent trend of piping in crowd noise, which made for a more natural show on Monday.

Three hours of wrestling is still tough to watch, and the show did rely too much on non-finishes. Overall, though, it was a positive sign for the future and the strongest episode of Raw in months.