How WWE Can Make Alpha Academy Matter Again

For all the criticism WWE has received lately, Monday Night Raw on July 20, 2026 did one thing right.

It gave fans a reason to believe Alpha Academy might finally be heading in a new direction.

The opening tag match featuring Je'Von Evans and Dragon Lee against The Vision was exactly what an opening contest should be. It was fast-paced, energetic, and immediately got the crowd invested. There were a couple of mistimed spots throughout the match, but nothing that took away from what was an entertaining opener.

As impressive as Je'Von Evans continues to be, I still worry about his long-term future.

Every week he seems determined to push the limits a little further than the week before. That's exciting for the fans, but history hasn't been kind to wrestlers whose offense relies almost entirely on launching themselves through the air. Evans has a tendency to overshoot his dives, putting himself in danger as much as his opponents.

I'd rather watch him perform at a slightly slower pace for the next fifteen years than see his body give out before he ever reaches his prime.

The bigger story, however, happened after the match.

Alpha Academy made the save.

More importantly, Otis looked less like the lovable comedy character we've watched for years and more like someone who could actually become a legitimate threat inside WWE's tag team division.

That needs to continue.

For far too long, Otis has been treated as comic relief despite possessing the size, strength, and athletic ability to be one of WWE's most believable powerhouses. The crowd already wants to cheer him. WWE simply needs to give them a reason to take him seriously.

If the company is heading toward Alpha Academy challenging The Vision, it has to be more than another tag team title match.

It needs to become a story.

Here's how I'd book it.

Bron Breakker already gave WWE the perfect starting point by spearing Otis on Raw.

Next week, have Otis challenge Austin Theory.

Naturally, the entire Vision faction accompanies him to the ring. Logan Paul handles the talking while Theory stands front and centerwith Maxine at his side while Breakker lurks behind them completing the group's intimidating presence.

Then comes the surprise.

Akira Tozawa attacks from behind with a baseball bat, driving it directly into Breakker's knee before escaping through the crowd.

It's brutal.

It's unexpected.

And it immediately changes the dynamic of the rivalry.

Later that night, The Vision returns.

Breakker refuses to back down despite the obvious injury, and the group officially challenges Alpha Academy to a Tag Team Championship match at SummerSlam.

Otis and Tozawa answer the challenge carrying a steel chair and the same bat used earlier in the evening.

Logan Paul attempts to talk them down.

Instead, he takes a shot to the ribs.

Chaos erupts.

During the brawl, Theory accidentally blasts Breakker with a steel chair while trying to hit Otis, subtly planting the seeds for future dissension inside The Vision.

Alpha Academy capitalizes.

They trap Breakker's injured leg inside the chair before Otis crashes down with a devastating splash.

Now the SummerSlam match isn't simply about championships.

It's about whether Breakker's damaged knee can survive.

SummerSlam opens with the Tag Team Championship match.

Only one problem.

Akira Tozawa never makes it to the ring.

Backstage footage shows him laid out and being loaded into an ambulance after an apparent attack.

Otis has no choice but to face The Vision alone.

For several minutes he survives through pure determination before the numbers game begins catching up to him. Logan Paul interferes. Maxxine gets involved. The Vision appears to have complete control.

As the cameras briefly cut backstage, viewers see Chad Gable silently watching as Tozawa is loaded into the ambulance.

He says nothing.

He simply turns toward the arena.

Back inside the ring, Otis crawls desperately toward his corner.

Nobody is there.

Then...

Without music.

Without any warning.

Chad Gable sprints to the ring.

The arena erupts.

He tags himself into the match and immediately changes the momentum. Theory is neutralized. Breakker attempts one final Spear but his injured knee betrays him. Gable counters into a drop toe hold before locking in a brand-new submission—the Stretch Muffler.

With his knee already destroyed throughout the rivalry, Breakker has nowhere to go. Theory tries to make the save but is stopped by Otis with a devastating clothesline followed by a splash to Theory's back.

Meanwhile, Breakkker is trapped. He fights.

He screams.

Finally...

He taps.

Otis and Chad Gable stand together as the new WWE Tag Team Champions while Alpha Academy is reborn—not as a comedy act, but as one of the most dangerous teams in WWE.

Then, the next night on Raw, Gable, Otis and Akira make their way to the ring. They have a new look. A new intensity. They put the roster on notice. Alpha Academy is back and is no longer a comedy act.

Akira Tozawa then takes the mic and challenges either member of the Vision. Paul, Breakker, Theory and Maxine come out...before making way for a returning Bronson Reed. For many, this would immediately signal a devastating and quick loss for Tozawa. But he tells Gable and Otis he can handle it. As soon as Bronson steps into the ring, Tozawa unleashes a quick attack hitting Reed with everything he has. Reed takes control and starts destroying him until one brief mistake...a missed Tsunami. As Reed staggers to one knee, Tozawa takes him out with a devastating kick to the head like Tajiri used to have called The Buzzsaw Kick. Then, he climbs to the top and hits his signature top rope senton for the win.


Would WWE book it exactly this way?

Probably not.

Should they?

Absolutely.

Because great wrestling stories don't require shocking swerves every week. They require patience, believable character progression, and moments that feel earned. Alpha Academy has spent years being the punchline. It's time they became the payoff.