Raw results, July 25, 2016: Finn Bálor advances to historic WWE Universal Championship Match

Raw's Commissioner and General Manager reveal that the first WWE Universal Champion will be crowned at SummerSlam.

PITTSBURGH — The bad news first: Raw’s first show of the New Era began without a heavyweight title to call its own, as Dean Ambrose won the Shield Triple Threat at WWE Battleground and took the WWE Championship with him to SmackDown Live. The good news second: Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley came prepared by announcing the creation of a new WWE Universal Championship, hot-shotting Seth Rollins into one of the contention spots, and announcing two Raw Fatal 4-Ways to determine his opponent. The winners of those matches get each other in the main event of Raw; the winner of that match gets Rollins at SummerSlam; the winner of that match becomes WWE Universal Champion.

And as for the title Raw already has — the WWE Women’s Championship — Foley also decreed that, as a result of submitting current champion Charlotte the previous night, Sasha Banks would get her long-awaited title opportunity that night. Legit on all counts.

Who in this chaotic collision will go on to compete in Raw's main event to determine Seth Rollins' WWE Universal Championship opponent at SummerSlam?

Well that’s one way to make a debut. Acrobatic, athletic and occasionally demonic WWE NXT standout Finn Bálor immediately established himself as a marquee player in Raw’s New Era by powering past Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Rusev to earn a spot in Raw’s main event. The win also gives him an opportunity to head to SummerSlam and face Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship.

Despite Owens making it a point to brutalize Bálor from jump, the Irish-born dynamo hung tough among his heavy-hitting opponents. It looked like KO had the win in pocket after a Pop-up Powerbomb to Bálor, but Cesaro broke up the pinfall and attempted to lock Owens in the Cesaro Swing. Rusev put a stop to that, instigating a brawl between the King of Swing and Super Athlete that Owens broke up. As The Prizefighter began to gain steam, Bálor struck, dropkicking Owens into Rusev, delivering a second dropkick to the stunned Bulgarian Brute, and finally a Coup de Grâce to Rusev to pin him.

The imposing Nia Jax makes her Raw debut.

Well, that is also one way to make a debut: One of the NXT steals of the draft, Nia Jax came to Raw with a vengeance in her Monday night maiden voyage, obliterating a local competitor named Britt Baker, who may as well have been a Brawlin’ Buddy for all the threat she posed to the domineering Superstar. Give credit to Baker for her heart, but she was simply outmatched here. Jax instantly hoisted her foe into the Tree of Woe for a sequence of punishment. She then dropped a leg on Baker’s prone body … only to release the pin attempt at two for one last burst of offense before ending the match with a second leg drop.

Four Superstars battle for the opportunity to battle in Raw's main event, where Seth Rollins' opponent in the first WWE Universal Championship Match will be decided.

He may be down, but he’s not out yet. Despite suffering the deciding pinfall at WWE Battleground, Roman Reigns is still in the World Title hunt, having won the second of Raw’s Fatal 4-Ways and punching his ticket to the main event against Finn Bálor as a result.

Those left in the dust of The Big Dog’s charge? Sami Zayn, Chris Jericho and Sheamus, all of whom tore each other apart with reckless abandon. The match was, honestly, anyone’s game. At one point, Sheamus Brogue Kicked Reigns, only to find himself Helluva Kicked instantly by Zayn — but it came down to Reigns and Jericho, who landed a Codebreaker and took his sweet time to mock Reigns’ signature war cry in the corner. Jericho’s sass backfired massively, as Reigns jumped clean over him, planted, and struck with a Spear to send himself to the main event.

The hulking Braun Strowman makes short work of a local competitor in a startling show of force.

No Family, no problem. Braun Strowman, the resident monster of The Wyatt Family just 24 hours ago, began his solo career with a grisly dismantling of a local competitor named James Ellsworth, who wanted nothing more than to make a name for himself. Despite Ellsworth’s belief that any man with two hands can pull off the upset, Strowman picked him apart before destroying him with a reverse chokeslam. We know this is Wyatt’s thing, but we’re pretty sure “Run!” still applies.

"The Realest Guys in the Room" attempt to knock some shine off of Primo & Epico.

Hey, The Shining Stars are back! But unfortunately, the hibiscus-huffing ambassadors of Puerto Rico didn’t fare as well as they did in their last Raw appearance, coming up against a fully powered Enzo Amore & Big Cass, fresh off their defeat of The Club at Battleground. Even though The Shining Stars got the better of Enzo in the beginning, The Realest Guys in the Room ultimately continued their hot streak on the back of a rampaging offense by Big Cass. And an appearance by The Golden Truth helped, too, as they had been playing Pokémon Go all night and wandered to the ring for their latest catch. The interruption stopped the Stars cold, and Cass called it a day with a big boot to Primo.

Enzo Amore & Big Cass follow a verbal beatdown with a physical one against The Shining Stars on Raw.