3 Mistakes WWE Made on RAW (May 18, 2026)

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LA Knight confronted the Usos for doing exactly what the Vision did – ganging up on a guy because he didn’t agree with or do what they wanted. His 30-second rant made more sense than anything WWE has produced since WrestleMania 42.

WWE probably wants to paint him as the heel for pointing that out. Despite being a better show overall than SmackDown, WWE made the next three mistakes on RAW ahead of Saturday Night’s Main Event.

#3. Wins don’t mean anything to WWE in 2026

To earn coveted title shots, most stars have to either rack up a series of wins or win No. 1 Contender’s matches. King and Queen of the Ring are entire tournaments to crown a title contender at SummerSlam.

Despite wins meaning something and certain stars needing to “earn” title matches, WWE is going with Sol Ruca vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Sure, Ruca is new and exciting, but she’s literally lost her first two main-roster matches. Part of that is booking’s fault since they put against the Women’s World Champion, Liv Morgan, and one of the best in IYO SKY.

Even with “good showings,” Ruca lost both of those matches. Giving her a title shot where she could potentially win a title is a massive slap in the face to actually winning. It’s a prelude to John Cena’s tournament, where someone could win in the finals but not win the tournament.

#2. Telegraphing a loss with two title defenses in a week

WWE has heavily featured the Women’s Tag Team Titles over the last two years. It’s hurt the singles division on SmackDown, and the handling hasn’t changed after WrestleMania 42.

Brie Bella and Paige have made the most defenses of any title after the PLE. They defended against Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez on RAW ahead of another match with Nia Jax and Lash Legend at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Having one match in the pocket before the current one has even taken place heavily telegraphs the outcome.

WWE wasn’t likely to have a heel vs. heel matchup at Saturday Night’s Main Event, meaning Paige and Bella were likely to retain their titles on RAW.

That’s exactly what happened as the veterans defeated the Judgment Day after their cheating didn’t pan out. Had the other match not been announced, it would have at least made it seem like either team could win.

#1. A heel move, no matter how you slice it

Jacob Fatu has been unapologetic about wanting the World Heavyweight Title and doing anything to get it. The Usos have told him to fall in line and acknowledge Roman Reigns as they and the rest of the family did.

Just because they say he should do something doesn’t mean he must oblige. They constantly tell him to stop going after Reigns, like Jey barking at Fatu on the way to the ring last week.

Fatu hasn’t been shy about his intentions and has gone after Roman every week. The latest segment saw a three-on-one beatdown, which was extremely reminiscent of the heel Bloodline days.

They triple-teamed The Samoan Werewolf and even tied his arms up in the rope to land superkicks and moves as they did to Kevin Owens a few years ago. LA Knight even pointed this fact out, but the Usos didn’t want to hear it.

Fatu isn’t innocent with all his actions, but the situation on RAW was exactly how the heel faction ruled over WWE for five years.