The John Report: The WWE Raw Deal 05/30/22 Review

This week’s WWE Raw featured Bianca Belair vs. Asuka, the team of Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura facing The Usos, Cody Rhodes looking for revenge against Seth Rollins and a whole lot more.

It’s also the last Raw before Sunday’s WWE Hell in a Cell Premium Live Event in Chicago. Going into Raw, only four matches are official and all of them are from Raw.

This is the Raw Deal for episode #1514 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport. Let’s get to it.

Becky Lynch made her entrance to start Raw. The announcers summarized what happened last week when Lynch beat Asuka in a match on Raw to earn a Raw Women’s Championship match at Hell in a Cell on Sunday. It’s champion Becky Belair vs. Asuka vs. Lynch. “Big Time” Becky had on a shiny top for an outfit. The Raw commentary team was Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves & Byron Saxton as usual.

Let’s Hear from Becky Lynch

Lynch welcomed us to Monday Night Raw saying that in the past, she didn’t feel up to it without her title. Lynch claimed that so many of the fans hope she never gets her hands on that title ever again. Lynch said that she does what she wants because she runs on spite and coffee while saying she was fueled up. Lynch said that some people collect stamps or friends, but she collects enemies. Lynch said that she knows she is on the right track because she is days away from regaining her title at Hell in a Cell. Lynch said she knows the odds are stacked against her, but that has never stopped her before. Lynch cued up an image of winning Money in the Bank 2020 when Asuka won the MITB contract. Lynch said when she went off to create life “like the God that I am” she handed Asuka her title and Asuka was the new Raw Women’s Champion as of May 11, 2020. Lynch said she knew she could beat Asuka, so the plan was for Asuka to hold the title until Becky came back. Lynch said that she created a self-entitled monster by handing Asuka that title and that led to Asuka being accustomed to being handed things. Here comes Asuka.

Asuka told Becky she is still a “Big Time Baby” for whining a lot. Asuka spoke a bit in Japanese while reminding us that nobody is ready for Asuka. She says not Bianca or Becky because at Hell in a Cell, Asuka is ready to be the new Raw Women’s Champion. Here comes Bianca Belair.

Bianca Belair walked out with the Raw Women’s Championship around her waist. Belair said that she’s not complaining about having to defend her title in a triple threat match. Belair said she likes to do her talking in the ring. Belair said that even though she liked Asuka, Asuka kicked her, so Belair will have a lot to say in their match. Belair said that she didn’t care what the odds are because this title is 100% not going anywhere. Belair said if she has to then she’ll drop Lynch like she did at WrestleMania. Lynch punched Belair in the jaw, then Asuka went after Lynch in the corner. Belair lifted Lynch onto her shoulders, Lynch managed to land on her feet on the apron and Asuka did a hip attack to knock Lynch off the apron to the floor. They went to break with Belair vs. Asuka up next.

Analysis: It was an effective promo segment to make people more interested in their triple threat match at Hell in a Cell. All three women are very talented, so it’s unlikely that it would be a bad match at HIAC anyway. Lynch was her usual cocky self, Asuka was funny calling Lynch a baby again and then Belair showed her confidence as usual. The physical part was quick and a way to go into a break before the advertised match.

A commercial aired for Hell in a Cell on Sunday promoting the Cody Rhodes vs. Seth “Freakin” Rollins match inside Hell in a Cell.

(Commercial)

Bianca Belair vs. Asuka

This is not for Belair’s title. Becky Lynch was on commentary.

Belair got a side headlock takedown, then back up and a shoulder tackle. Asuka tried a monkey flip, Belair jumped over her and when Belair went for another athletic move, Asuka kicked her in the ribs. Belair landed on her feet after being sent into the corner, then a backflip over Asuka and Belair hit a dropkick. Belair with a hair toss across the ring two times. Asuka hit a drop toe hold that sent Belair into the turnbuckle. Belair hit a vertical suplex, Asuka slipped out of another suplex attempt and Asuka applied an Ankle Lock submission. Belair managed to power out of that while Asuka grabbed a tight headlock, but Belair showed off her power with a suplex. Belair bounced off the ropes with a standing moonsault onto Asuka for two. Lynch referred to herself as a wizard a at one point. I think we have enough of that on another wrestling show. Asuka went for an armbar, Belair powered out of that and they went tumbling over the top to the floor. Lynch looked at both women on the floor. They went to break there.

(Commercial)

The match continued with Belair hitting a fallaway slam. Asuka with a clothesline, a kick to the gut and a German Suplex. Asuka hit a running hip attack for two. Asuka went up top while staring at Lynch, who said that this is going to be a cakewalk and she wanted them to keep beating eachother up. Belair went to the ropes with Asuka, then Belair did a backflip, which allowed Asuka to recover with a missile dropkick for two. Belair sent Asuka face first into the top turnbuckle a few times. Belair picked up Asuka on her shoulders, Asuka fought her way out and Asuka was favoring her left knee after she landed. Lynch mocked Asuka for hurting her knee. Belair sent Asuka back into the ring, Belair trash-talked Lynch a bit and Asuka hit a rising knee to the face for a two count. Asuka tried to apply the Asuka Lock submission, but Belair got out of it while driving Asuka to the turnbuckle. Belair with a face first slam into the mat. Asuka went for la magistral cradle, but Belair countered it and sat on top for the pinfall win after 13 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Bianca Belair

Analysis: ***1/4 A very good match by two of the best women in WWE. The spot with Asuka hurting her knee was a bit strange because then she hit a move with her knee right after it, but I guess it’s a way to weaken Asuka a bit going into the title match on Sunday. Anyway, it was very even the whole way. Belair winning is the right move because I don’t like champions losing non-title. Having Belair win non-title with a counter move showed that it was an even matchup rather than a dominant win by Belair.

After the match, Lynch went into the ring and hit an Exploder Suplex on Asuka and a Manhandle Slam on Belair. Lynch left looking proud of herself while the other two women were down in the ring.

Analysis: It was a way to give Lynch the advantage going into the triple threat match at Hell in a Cell. I’m thinking Belair keeps her title

A replay was shown from last week with Kevin Owens challenging Ezekiel to a match at Hell in a Cell, which was made official for this Sunday.

Rey and Dominik Mysterio made their entrance for a six-man tag team match.

(Commercial)

Kevin Owens, Chad Gable & Otis vs. Ezekiel, Rey & Dominik Mysterio

Gable tripped up Rey, who came back with an armdrag and a headscissors. Dominik tagged in, Gable with a knee to the ribs followed by two straight belly to belly slams. Dominik gave Gable an arm drag across the ring. Rey was launched into Otis with a dropkick. Dominik with a dropkick to Otis. The team of Rey, Dominik and Ezekiel all hit dropkicks to send Otis out of the ring. Dominik was celebrating by the ropes, so legal man Gable shoved Dominik off the ropes and sent Dom crashing to the floor. Gable whipped Dominik into the barricade and the show went to break there.

(Commercial)

I missed a bit of action coming from the break, but Dominik was the face in peril. Ezekiel got the hot tag and hit a Powerbomb on Gable for two. Rey saved Dominik from Otis with a senton attack. Rey sent Owens into the ropes, Rey wanted a 619, but Owens moved and Owens superkicked Gable by accident. Ezekiel sent Owens out of the ring. The Mysterios hit a double 619 on Gable and Ezekiel hit a spinning suplex into a slam on Gable for the pinfall win in about eight minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Ezekiel, Rey & Dominik Mysterio

Analysis: **1/2 It was a solid tag team match with the faces working well together to get the win. Owens missed a kick that accidentally hit Gable, so then the faces took over from there with the double 619 by the Mysterios and Ezekiel hit the spinning suplex for the win. You don’t see a spinning suplex that often, but it looked good.

After the match, Owens was freaking out about the loss while ripping apart the top of the commentary table. Owens yelled at the announcers at ringside.

Analysis: I think Owens should beat Ezekiel at Hell in a Cell because KO needs a win, but it could go either way.

They showed a clip of last week’s Raw when Seth “Freakin” Rollins attacked Cody Rhodes during and after Cody’s match.

Cody Rhodes made his entrance in a suit for a promo. Good ovation for Cody as usual as one of the top faces on the Raw brand.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from Cody Rhodes

Cody said that he has always been a fan of Seth Rollins. Cody said you could see the potential in Rollins early on and another man that saw that potential is the man that raised him (a small Dusty chant for Dusty Rhodes). Cody said that we all know that Seth Rollins lives up to the hype. Cody said that he was nervous going into the WrestleMania match with Rollins because he knew he couldn’t return here with a loss. Cody said that he was victorious at WrestleMania and WrestleMania Backlash because he was the better man both nights, which has driven Seth Rollins mad. Cody said that Seth is an egomaniac that wants everything for himself. Cody said that Sunday at Hell in a Cell, he’s walking into the biggest challenge of his career. Cody said that every ounce of self-control will be locked inside Hell in a Cell because Seth will be locked into the cell with a man that wants to hurt him.

Seth “Freakin” Rollins (who was in his home state of Iowa) made the interruption by standing in the aisles near the fans. Seth said that Cody can wax poetic about Seth’s motivation, but Seth will make it simple with Seth saying: “I don’t like you.” Seth said he didn’t like Cody and he didn’t want Cody to be there. Seth said he tried to accept to this new version of Cody, but then the pandering grew and the Cody chants got louder. Rollins said he can’t stand it any longer. Rollins was standing in the aisle saying that Cody left WWE six years ago because he wasn’t good enough. Rollins said that every single day that Cody was down, you tried to tear down what Seth was building here and when that didn’t work so well for Cody, he came running back like the prodigal son returning home to fulfill his family’s legacy. Seth: “Not on my watch, pal!” Seth said that Cody doesn’t get to be the conquering hero and can’t take a sledgehammer to the throne and take that throne from Rollins. Seth added that in six days at Hell in a Cell, he’ll pray on Cody’s insecurities, and he’s going to end Cody. Rollins said then we can finally wake up from this American Nightmare. Rollins laughed about it.

Cody wondered what is stopping him – three little ropes, this barricade and what is stopping them? Cody said that it seems like the time for talk is over. Cody called Seth to come down to this ring to talk to Cody with his actions. Rollins walked down towards the ring, but then he stopped at the barricade. Rollins told Cody he’ll see him Sunday, Seth tried to leave and Cody went after Rollins, who was in the crowd.

They started brawling in the crowd with Cody and Rollins exchanging punches. Rollins lifted Cody to try to do a move, but Cody broke free and Cody tackled Rollins through the barricade at ringside. Cody worked over Rollins with punches and kicks. There were officials and producers that showed up at ringside to try to break it up. The fans chanted “let them fight.” Rollins broke free, he went into the ring and onto the floor to brawl with Cody again while officials tried to separate them. It looked like Cody was going to the back, but then he went back to ringside and they brawled again. They were separated again as fans chanted “this is awesome” for them. Rollins screamed “you’re going to hell” repeatedly. They had a staredown. That was it.

Analysis: That’s a money segment right there. I loved that. Cody’s promo was good, Seth’s promo was even better with references to Cody’s time away from WWE and then Cody had enough of it, so he wanted to fight. The brawl was awesome. I’m not a fan of pull-apart brawls too often, but when you do it right like these guys did, they can be awesome. The intensity by both guys was amazing. I liked Rollins yelling at Cody from a distance too. They’re going to have another outstanding match like their last two matches. I’m excited to see it on Sunday.

(Commercial)

There were replays shown of the Rhodes-Rollins brawl from before the break.

Alexa Bliss made her entrance. They showed a replay of her Money in the Bank win in 2018 that led to Bliss becoming Raw Women’s Champion later that same night.

Alexa Bliss vs. Doudrop (w/Nikki A.S.H.)

Doudrop hit a lefty clothesline, a whip into the corner and a running splash. Doudrop with a chinlock and then another clothesline connected. Doudrop with a headbutt. Doudrop missed a corner attack when Bliss moved, Bliss with a headscissors and two dropkicks. Bliss with kicks, but then she ran the ropes and Doudrop hit a body slam. Doudrop missed a splash when Bliss moved. Doudrop with a shoulder tackle that knocked Bliss down. Doudrop went for a Vader Bomb off the middle ropes, Bliss moved and Bliss went up top. Bliss kicked Nikki off the apron. Bliss hit a Twisted Bliss splash off the top rope for the pinfall win after three minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Alexa Bliss

Analysis: *1/2 Easy win for Bliss. Doudrop got some offense using her size advantage, but then Bliss managed to get out of the way and hit her top rope splash finisher. Bliss has won four matches in a row since returning from a long break.

A clip was shown from last week’s Raw when MVP beat Bobby Lashley by countout. The win meant that MVP could pick the stipulation for the next match against Lashley with Omos & MVP facing Lashley at Hell in a Cell.

Omos was shown listening to MVP backstage.

The Miz made his entrance to host Miz TV.

(Commercial)

They showed Lacey Evans at the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race on Sunday.

Miz TV

The Miz was in the ring hosting his talk show. Miz plugged the premiere of Miz TV season three on USA Network next Monday after Raw. Miz said he’ll have Maryse on Raw next week. Good. I miss her. The Street Profits made their entrance as the guests on the talk show.

Montez Ford introduced himself and Angelo Dawkins as the guests on Miz TV since Miz didn’t do it. Dawkins said that Miz should be talking about Hell in a Cell this Sunday. They spoke about Cody-Seth in a Hell in a Cell match on Sunday. Dawkins asked Miz if Cody beat him last week, then they took the microphone from Miz. Ford said he’s ready for the Raw Women’s Championship match with his wife Bianca Belair bringing home the gold once again. Ford talked about how the crowd was so beautiful. Ford asked Miz what does he think about Hell in a Cell on Sunday, then the Profits took the microphone and turned into The Rock saying “it doesn’t matter what you think.” Miz put his hand up for silence, so Dawkins slapped the hand. The guys in the ring were arguing while the 24/7 Title wrestlers were out there with Tozawa taking the 24/7 Title from Dana Brooke the champion and T-Bar hit Tozawa with a Chokeslam. Ford superkicked T-Bar out of the ring. R-Truth and Apollo Crews were in the ring fighting with Crew kicking Truth in the head. Dawkins punched Crews out of the ring. Brooke was battling Tamina in the ring with Tamina hitting a Samoan Drop to win the 24/7 Title from Brooke. Tamina kissed Tozawa on the lips and then Tozawa did a backslide pin on Tamina to win the 24/7 Title. Tozawa left with the title.

Winner by pinfall AND NEW 24/7 Title: Akira Tozawa

Analysis: That was a chaotic segment with the Street Profits doing an entertaining job of cutting off The Miz during his own talk show. That led to random 24/7 fighting. It was nice to see T-Bar hitting a random Chokeslam since he needs to be doing more in WWE. As for the title changes, they don’t really matter that much, but we know WWE loves doing 24/7 Title changes.

They showed highlights of Mustafa Ali getting beat up by Veer while Ali has been trying to get a US Title shot against Theory.

Theory made his entrance as the US Champion.

A video aired featuring Bobby Lashley talking about WWE working with Hire Heroes USA to try to help people get jobs after they are in the military.

(Commercial)

Mustafa Ali vs. Ciampa

If Ali wins then he gets a future US Championship match. Theory was on commentary for the match.

Ciampa knocked down Ali followed by a hard elbow to the head. Ali kicked Ciampa, but Ciampa came back with a running knee. Ciampa grounded Ali with a chinlock, then Ciampa followed up with a double axhandle off the middle ropes. Ciampa grabbed a chinlock while the crowd was very quiet for this match. Ali fought back with punches, Ciampa with a headbutt and Ali ran the ropes with a running clothesline. Ciampa to the apron, so Ali hit a running kick. Ali hit a suicide dive that knocked down Ciampa hard on the floor. Ali sent Ciampa into the ring, Ali went up top and Theory pulled Ali off the top for the DQ after two minutes.

Winner by disqualification: Mustafa Ali

Analysis: * Ciampa was in control for most of it until Ali got some offense going and Theory ruined it at the end. The crowd was dead for it.

After the match, Theory beat up Ali with punches while they were on the floor. Theory whipped Ali into the ring post with Ali doing a great bump. The fans chanted “you suck” at Theory. Theory said that a win’s a win. Theory said that the United States Championship between Theory and Ali is going to happen right now.

Analysis: More heat for Theory since Ali was beaten up when Theory let him know that they had to have a match right now.

(Commercial)

The show returned with Theory stomping on Ali in the corner. The referee made Theory move back so they can start the match. They had ring announcer Mike Rome do the championship introductions.

United States Championship: Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Theory with a back body drop for a two count. Theory whipped Ali headfirst into the middle turnbuckle. Ali hit a superkick followed by a Tornado DDT off the ropes. Ali went up top, but Theory crotched him on the top rope. Theory hit the A-Town Down slam onto the knee for the pinfall win after two minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Theory

Analysis: *1/4 A cheap win for Theory since Ali was beaten up before the match. At least Ali’s two moves did look good while getting some cheers. However, Theory had a shortcut and got the win.

Theory took some selfies to celebrate the win. The WWE Official Adam Pearce appeared by the entrance area to let Theory know that he has to defend the US Championship against Ali at Hell in a Cell this Sunday. Theory didn’t seem upset by it.

Analysis: That should be another win by Theory. It’s early in his title reign and I don’t see him losing the US Title any time soon.

Riddle and Shinsuke Nakamura were in a hallway doing a pre-match promo with Riddle saying he was doing this for his buddy Randy Orton. Nakamura said “Bro” like Riddle to end it.

The Usos made their entrance as the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions. They are in a match up next.

This Saturday on WWE Network/Peacock is an NXT Premium Live Event called In Your House. I’ll have a review of that on Saturday night.

(Commercial)

Shinsuke Nakamura and Riddle made their entrance to cheers from the crowd. The commentary team talked about how Randy Orton has an injured back, so he’s seeing specialists to see the best course of action for treatment for Randy’s back injury.

The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Riddle

This is a Championship Contender’s match meaning if Riddle & Nakamura win then they get a championship match.

Jimmy with punches on Riddle, then Riddle with a kick to the chest and Riddle hit a gutwrench suplex on Jimmy. Riddle with a flipping splash onto Jimmy. Jey hit a forearm smash on Nakamura in the corner. Nakamura came back with knees and a sliding kick. Riddle and Nakamura each delivered kicks to Jey’s chest along with a Fisherman’s Suplex. Jimmy tagged in with a necksnap against the ropes and Jey hit a neckbreaker on Riddle. Jimmy set up Riddle against the ropes, so Jey got in a cheap shot punch on Riddle. The Usos with a hard whip into the corner and Jimmy got a cheap shot stomp on Riddle’s head. Jey with another hard whip into the corner that sent Riddle crashing into the turnbuckle. Jimmy went for a corner attack, Riddle moved and Jimmy hit the turnbuckle. Nakamura got the tag with a running kick on Jimmy, then a kick to Jey’s back and Nakamura with the kick against Jimmy against the turnbuckle. Nakamura with a sliding German Suplex on Jimmy. Nakamura jumped off the middle rope with a shin to the face of Jimmy for a two count. Jey got the attention of Nakamura, so Nakamura punched Jey and Jimmy hit a superkick on Nakamura. Jey tagged in, jumped off the top with an Uso Splash and that was good for a two count because Riddle broke up the pin. That led to a break.

(Commercial)

Nakamura was legal in the ring with Jimmy and Nakamura hit a spinning kick to the head. Riddle tagged in against Jey with Riddle hitting a jumping kick to the head followed by an exploder suplex and a broton splash. Jey powered out of a DDT attempt, Nakamura made a blind tag and Nakamura hit a running Kinshasa knee on Jey for a two count because Jimmy broke up the pin. Nakamura kicked Jimmy out of the ring. Jey with a superkick on Nakamura, Riddle tagged in and hit two powerslams like Orton. Riddle hit the draping DDT off the middle ropes like Orton. Jey hit a superkick to counter an RKO attempt. Jimmy Uso had Riddle’s scooter from ringside and got in a cheap shot, but then the referee saw the second cheap shot. Nakamura and Riddle won by DQ after 13 minutes.

Winners by disqualification: Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura

Analysis: *** I guess it’s fair to say that WWE’s creative team really likes to book DQ finishes to have wrestlers earn title shots since it happened twice on this week’s show. Both teams are fun to watch with The Usos working well together while Riddle and Nakamura are polished wrestlers who came close to getting a pinfall win here.

Post match, Jimmy sent Nakamura over the barricade at ringside. Jimmy went up top, but Nakamura was back in to knock him down. Riddle went up top with Jey and hit a super RKO off the top rope! The Usos left while Riddle and Nakamura celebrated their victory.

Analysis: That super RKO by Riddle was amazing. Great job on that.

They showed issues between newly turned heel Rhea Ripley as part of Judgment Day with Edge and Damian Priest.

Liv Morgan made her entrance for a match.

(Commercial)

They showed Titus O’Neil at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

Mustafa Ali’s loss against Theory was shown.

Mustafa Ali was interviewed by Kevin Patrick backstage with Ali being asked about his US Title match at Hell in a Cell. Ali said he’s been through hell and back to earn this opportunity. Ali said he doesn’t stay down, he gets back up. Ali said that he knows the odds are against him, but he won’t stay down and he’ll walk out of his hometown of Chicago as the new US Champion. Theory attacked Ali from behind and Theory took a selfie with a fallen Ali as well.

Analysis: Ali is easy to like, but they don’t book him in a strong way. The guy needs wins so that the fans can believe in him more.

The announcers did a rundown of Hell in a Cell on Sunday:

* Hell in a Cell Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth “Freakin” Rollins

* Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch

* Handicap Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Omos & MVP

* United States Championship: Theory (c) vs. Mustafa Ali

* Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel

* 6-Person Mixed Tag Team Match: AJ Styles, Finn Balor & Liv Morgan vs. Edge, Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley

Analysis: That last match is a new match that was just added. The card is full of Raw matches with no Smackdown representation at this point. That’s so weird.

Rhea Ripley made her entrance. I think Morgan was in the ring for like ten minutes before this match started.

(Commercial)

A commercial aired for Money in the Bank will now be held at the “intimate confines” of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas taking place on Saturday, July 2nd. Tickets will go on sale this Friday for the event.

There was a video that aired in tribute for Memorial Day in the US, which was on Monday. It’s a day to honor the brave men and women who fought for our freedom.

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

I think Liv Morgan was legitimately in the ring 15 minutes ago. The match finally began. Ripley was in control using her size advantage with a headbutt that knocked Morgan down early in the match. Ripley tossed Morgan across the ring. Ripley caught Morgan on her shoulders, then Morgan got a chinlock and Ripley tried to power out of it with Ripley falling to her back to break free. Morgan tripped Ripley into the ropes followed by a dropkick to the back. Ripley kicked Morgan down followed by a hard kick to the ribs. Morgan was on the apron while Ripley was on the floor, Morgan kicked Ripley and Morgan went for a headscissors, but Ripley blocked it. Ripley swung Morgan into the barricade as the show went to break.

(Commercial)

Ripley remained in control while Damian Priest was there to support Ripley and AJ Styles was at ringside to support Morgan. Ripley grounded Morgan with an armbar on the mat, Morgan tried to fight back and Ripley did a hair pull takedown. Ripley with a body scissors around the ribs. Ripley let go, called Morgan weak and Morgan came back with several kicks to the head. Morgan hit a step up knee in the corner and Ripley went into the ring post to the floor. Morgan went up top and jumped onto Ripley on the floor with a cross body block. Big spot there. Priest held onto Ripley’s gear to block Morgan’s attempt at doing the Oblivion and Ripley covered for a two count. Styles knocked down Priest with a punch to the face. Ripley wanted the Riptide, Morgan slipped out of that and Morgan hit a Backstabber followed by a ROLLUP OF DEATH~! for the pinfall win sitting on top of Ripley for the win. It went about 12 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Liv Morgan

Analysis: *** It was slow early on, but then the action picked up and they had a solid match by the end of it. Morgan needed a win although I’m sure some people might complain that Ripley losing as a new heel is a mistake, which is true also. It’s just a case of you can’t have both women win, so somebody has to lose. I think it was the right booking decision.

Post match, Priest attacked Styles and sent Styles into the barricade. Priest teased that he was going to attack Morgan, but Finn Balor made the save by knocking down Priest. Morgan hit a missile dropkick off the top onto Ripley. Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm on Priest, Balor went up top and Balor hit a double foot stomp on Priest. The trio of Styles, Balor and Morgan celebrated their dominance in that segment.

Analysis: That tag team match could go either way. Styles could really use a win over Edge at some point, but if you want Judgment Day (Edge’s group) to be considered a threat then they should probably win.

They showed highlights of the Cody Rhodes-Seth Rollins brawl earlier in the show. They are having a Hell in a Cell match on Sunday night at the Hell in a Cell Premium Live Event. That should be the main event.

Bobby Lashley made his entrance for the main event contract signing.

(Commercial)

Contract Signing for Bobby Lashley vs. Omos & MVP

It was main event time with Omos & MVP making their entrance. Lashley was already in the with the leather chairs, a table and WWE Official Adam Pearce was there to moderate the signing. They had some security guys at ringside. Pearce said he needed three signatures on the contract to make it official.

MVP told Lashley that it should have never come to this. MVP said that he did everything for Lashley, but here we are. MVP said that the only thing that waits for Lashley is the brutal beating that MVP and Omos will put on him. MVP said that the All Mighty Era is nothing without him, so Sunday at Hell in a Cell, it comes to an end once and for all. MVP and Omos signed the contract.

Lashley told MVP that he never needed MVP with Lashley saying that MVP needed Lashley to stay relevant. Lashley said that MVP was a friend to him, MVP said that he was a brother to him and Lashley said that he’s going to send their asses straight to hell. Lashley signed the contract so all three guys signed. MVP said nobody wanted to wait until Hell in a Cell.

Lashley threw the table out of the ring, the small security guys were beaten up by Lashley and Omos. Cedric Alexander showed up with a chop block and a kick. Lashley fought back and hit a huge spinebuster on Alexander. Omos with a boot to the face. MVP worked over Lashley with punches and talked trash to him. Omos brought a table into the ring. Omos set up the table in the corner. Omos lifted up Lashley, who broke free and Lashley hit a Spear on Omos through the table. MVP left the ring while Lashley stared at him. That was the end of Raw.

Analysis: It was decent enough. I wouldn’t call it an exciting main event segment by any means, but it was a way to show that Lashley had a lot of fight in him even when he’s against two opponents. Nice bump at the end with Lashley putting Omos through the table. I think Omos & MVP should probably win that match.

Three Stars of the Show

1. Seth “Freakin” Rollins

2. Cody Rhodes

3. Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura

The Scoreboard

6.75 out of 10

Last week: 6.25

Final Thoughts

It was a solid show for the most part with a lot of segments designed to make us care more about Hell in a Cell on Sunday. I thought the highlight of the entire show was the Seth Rollins-Cody Rhodes promo exchange and then the chaotic brawl they had around the building. Those two have really done an excellent job of making us care about their third match. I enjoyed the brawl a lot.

There was some good wrestling on the show with Bianca Belair-Asuka having a solid match. The Usos vs. Riddle/Nakamura was good until the flat finish that will probably lead to a rematch. Some of the other matches like Morgan beating Ripley were fun to watch also. They started slow, but I picked up and it was interesting when the guys were involved.

Bring on Hell in a Cell on Sunday.

The next WWE Premium Live Event is Hell in a Cell on Sunday, June 5th. Here’s what we know so far.

Hell in a Cell Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth “Freakin” Rollins

Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch

Handicap Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Omos & MVP

6-Person Mixed Tag Team Match: AJ Styles, Finn Balor & Liv Morgan vs. Edge, Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley

Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel

United States Championship: Theory (c) vs. Mustafa Ali

You can watch WWE Hell in a Cell, streaming live Sunday, June 5, at 8 ET/5 PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.

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John Canton

Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter: @johnreport