Reviews

The John Report: The WWE Raw Deal 07/03/23 Review

By John Canton • Published 3rd July 2023
wwe raw deal may 22

This week’s WWE Raw featured Cody Rhodes-Brock Lesnar rekindling their rivalry, Rhea Ripley defending her Women’s World Title and more.

We are into the second half of 2023. I think the first half of this year has been among the best in WWE history in terms of the quality of their shows all across the board. Money in the Bank was this past Saturday in front of a great crowd in London, England and I enjoyed the show a lot.

This is the Raw Deal for episode #1571 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport. Let’s get to it.

It started with a lengthy video package showing the highlights of the Money in the Bank PLE from Saturday.

The World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins made his entrance wearing some white attire, a mesh shirt that I would never wear and sunglasses. The fans were cheering and singing Seth’s song as usual. Seth beat Finn Balor at Money in the Bank to retain the World Title.

Let’s Hear from Seth “Freakin” Rollins

Seth welcomed us to “Monday Night Rollins” while running over his nicknames and his name, which the fans cheered. Rollins mentioned Jey Uso giving Roman Reigns his first pinfall loss in 3.5 years. Rollins credited IYO SKY for winning Money in the Bank while briefly mentioning his wife Becky Lynch didn’t win and Damian Priest is Senor Money in the Bank. Rollins said that by the skin of his teeth, he beat Finn Balor to remain the World Heavyweight Champion. Seth Rollins mentioned SummerSlam is just five weeks away and there’s one thing on his mind…here comes Cody Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes received a huge ovation from the crowd as they sang along with his song and did the “WHOA-OH” part loudly as usual. Cody was in his wrestling gear instead of a suit. As Cody got into the ring, the fans chanted “Cody” for him.

Cody Rhodes was about to ask Seth what he wants to talk about…but here comes Brock Lesnar! Brock Lesnar’s music hit and Lesnar appeared in the aisle. Cody went running right after Lesnar.

Cody and Lesnar were brawling in the aisle. The fight went into the ring. Lesnar went for an F5, but Cody got out of it. Cody managed to hit a Cody Cutter to drop Lesnar in the ring. I should point out that Rollins left the ring when Cody and Lesnar went tumbling into the ring. Corey Graves said “nobody saw this coming tonight” even though Lesnar was advertised to appear on this Raw if you checked on the WWE website. Lesnar backed away as Cody stood tall in the ring leading to a break.

Analysis: It was a nice tease of a Seth-Cody match to rekindle that amazing rivalry from 2022, but that’s when Lesnar showed up before Cody could address Lesnar. We all know that the third Cody-Brock match is coming at SummerSlam, so now we can set that up. I’m a bit surprised that the brawl was so brief and that nobody tried to break it up because having Lesnar back away makes him look weak. I get that Lesnar’s a heel and a heel backs away in situations like that, but I would have liked it more if they were separated instead of Brock willingly backing away like that. Anyway, I’m all for another Cody-Brock match. That should be great.

(Commercial)

There was a replay of the Cody-Brock fight that took place before the break.

Let’s Hear from Seth “Freakin” Rollins…Again

Seth Rollins was still in the ring saying that was a crazy way to kick off the show. Rollins said he is looking forward to see who will be the next person in line…and here’s the interruption from The Judgment Day.

It was Senor Money in the Bank Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley, who said that everybody is here to see The Judgment Day take over. Rollins mentioned they don’t have everyone in their group and he wondered where’s Finn? Ripley said that Finn is not here, but what he’s up to is none of Seth’s concern.

Damian Priest and J-Day got into the ring with Seth saying that Seth shouldn’t worry about Judgment Day business. Priest told Rollins he had to worry about this Money in the Bank briefcase with Priest warning about when he might cash in on Rollins while mentioning various shows. Priest mentioned his match with Shinsuke Nakamura later in the show. Rollins said for Priest to cash in, he has to do it when Rollins is down and out, but Rollins is feeling great. Rollins said maybe he will go dancing in the streets tonight. Priest suggested that somebody next to him could take care of Rollins, so that meant it was Dominik Mysterio’s time.

As Dominik Mysterio tried to talk, the fans booed loudly and Rollins was laughing about it. The fans chanted “you suck” at Dominik. Ripley said that Dominik wants to fight Rollins tonight. Rollins said that this is an obvious and poor attempt at a trap, but he would love nothing more than to slap that stache (mustache) off Dom’s face. Rollins asked the crowd if they want to see that tonight and the fans cheered. Rollins told them that he will see them later.

Analysis: It sets up a match for later with Seth Rollins facing Dominik Mysterio while we know Damian Priest will be lurking with the Money in the Bank briefcase. We still don’t know who Seth might face at SummerSlam, but there are nearly five weeks until that show, so there’s plenty of time to get there. As usual, it’s fun to hear how the crowds react to Dominik with loud booing so much that he can barely be heard above all the noise. Two straight promo segments to start the show is a lot and I don’t love it, but I get why it happened after the MITB show.

dominik mysterio wwe rollins priest ripley

Shinsuke Nakamura was shown walking backstage ahead of his match against Priest, who was already in the ring.

(Commercial)

This Friday on Smackdown in Madison Square Garden: Tribal Court – The Trial of Roman Reigns hosted by The Usos, who tweeted about it earlier on Monday. That should be awesome.

Damian Priest (w/Rhea Ripley & Dominik Mysterio) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

It took 30 minutes, but here we are with the first match on the show. Priest with an armbar, he drove Nakamura to the ropes and Priest punched Nakamura in the jaw. Nakamura got a takedown leading to knees and running kick. Priest blocked a kick attempt and hit a running shoulder tackle. Priest stomped on Nakamura in the corner followed by a whip into the corner and a back elbow. Priest missed a corner splash, Nakamura put Priest on the top turnbuckle and hit a running knee. They left the ring with Nakamura sending Priest into the barricade. Priest lifted Nakamura and slammed him back-first (like a Broken Arrow) onto the barricade.

(Commercial)

Nakamura blocked a move from Priest and did a trip into a slam. Nakamura set up Priest on the ropes leading to a German Suplex. Nakamura did some interesting taunts toward Ripley & Dom on the floor, then Nakamura was back in the ring and hit a running kick for two. Nakamura jumped off the middle rope with nothing as Priest hit an uppercut punch. Nakamura countered a move with a pin attempt for two. Nakamura went for an armbar, but Priest rolled out of it. Priest hit a jumping kick to the head for two. Nakamura countered a move into a two count. Nakamura hit a spin kick to the head for two. Nakamura jumped off the middle turnbuckle with a knee to the chest. Nakamura went for Kinshasa, Priest avoided it and got a rollup. Priest connected with a huge lariat. Priest hit the South of Heaven slam for the pinfall win after about 11 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Damian Priest

Analysis: ***1/4 A very good match between two talented veterans. Nakamura got plenty of offense and nearly won a few times although he was unable to hit his finisher. Priest winning is the right call to continue his momentum as the Money in the Bank briefcase holder. This is the right way to book a Money in the Bank winner – quality wins over veteran opponents. It makes logical sense to me.

The Raw commentary team of Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves talked about what’s coming up. The graphic says “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio for Dom now. The Women’s Tag Team Title situation was up next.

This Tuesday on NXT has an NXT Underground fight between Eddy Thorpe- and we find out why Bron Breakker is so angry.

(Commercial)

There was a replay of Shayna Baszler attacking Ronda Rousey during their Women’s Tag Team Title match at Money in the Bank, which led to Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Let’s Hear from Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler

Ronda Rousey walked out first and then Shayna Baszler walked out right after. Rousey wanted an explanation for Baszler attacking her at Money in the Bank after ten years of friendship. Baszler insulted Rousey for doing bad promos. Baszler said the only apology she owes is for introducing pro wrestling to Rousey. Baszler said she worked hard to get here while Rousey walked right in and got to main event WrestleMania. Baszler said that she loves this. Baszler said that she is the one that can finally shut Rousey up. The fans were cheering Baszler for it.

Rousey knocked Baszler down from the apron. They brawled on the floor. They went into the ring, Rousey went for a submission, but Baszler got out of it and Baszler applied an Ankle Lock. Rousey got to the ropes and kicked Baszler away. Baszler hit a running knee to the head. Baszler left while Rousey was down by the ropes. Rousey told Baszler that they aren’t done while Baszler walked towards the back.

Analysis: That was a really good babyface promo from Baszler, who has been a heel during her WWE career. Baszler said a lot of things that some fans think about Rousey, who doesn’t do the best promos and Baszler blamed herself for getting Rousey into pro wrestling in the first place. As we covered in a news story, Rousey is likely going to end her WWE run soon (perhaps at SummerSlam), so they want to have a match together and Rousey gets what she wants. That’s fine because I assume Baszler will win. Perhaps Baszler can get some momentum as a singles babyface wrestler after spending so many years as a heel. Good job by Baszler.

Alpha Academy was backstage training with Maxxine Dupri putting Otis in a headlock. Chad Gable said he was a five-star coach that had Maxxine ready for her first match. They have a six-person mixed tag team match against the Viking Raiders later in the show.

Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan made their entrance as the two-time Women’s Tag Team Champions. They were in street clothes that looked like black leather of some kind. They sat down on chairs at ringside to watch the upcoming match.

There’s a Tag Team Turmoil match with Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville up first.

(Commercial)

Tag Team Turmoil Match #1: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville vs. Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae

The other three teams were on the floor. After a fall, the next team goes. The last team to survive wins the Tag Team Turmoil match and gets a Women’s Tag Team Title shot. Indi was in her first match on Raw as she hit a stomach breaker and LeRae hit a neckbreaker. Green broke up the pin and kicked Hartwell out of the ring. LeRae missed a springboard moonsault when Deville moved. Green hit an Unpettier/Killswitch on LeRae and Deville hit a running knee. Deville covered, but Green said she was legal and Green covered LeRae to win.

Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae were eliminated

Tag Team Turmoil Match #2: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville vs. Nikki Cross & Emma

Cross attacked Green with punches and then Nikki was checking on Candice to make sure she was okay. Emma tagged in with a running kick on Green along with a suplex. Emma hit a running cross body block. Emma was facing off against both opponents and wanted to tag out, but Nikki was still on the ground grabbing her hair because of her buddy Candice losing. Green hit an Unprettier and Deville hit a running knee on Emma to pin her.

Emma & Nikki Cross were eliminated

Tag Team Turmoil Match #3: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville vs. Dana Brooke & Tegan Nox

Brooke and Nox knocked Green & Deville out of the ring as the show went to break.

Analysis: It’s tough to get into this match with a bunch of random teams put together to be part of it, so the crowd wasn’t into it much.

(Commercial)

The team of Green & Deville eliminated Brooke & Nox during the break. They were showing action on picture-in-picture but it was not shown here in Canada. I usually don’t review PIP action anyway. They replayed Deville hitting the knee on Nox to pin her.

Dana Brooke & Tegan Nox were eliminated

Tag Team Turmoil Match #4: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville vs. Kayden Carter & Katana Chance

Carter & Chance got some offense a leg drop/moonsault combo, but then the heels took over by isolating Chance. Carter made a blind tag, forearm to Green and Green knocked Chance to the floor. Carter tried a superplex, but then Chance tagged in and Chance did a top rope hurricanrana while Green was standing on the top rope. That drew a big pop as Deville broke up the pin. Deville stopped a double team move by shoving Chance off the top rope. Deville punched Carter while Deville was on the floor and Green hit the Unpretty-her (instead of Unprettier) on Carter for the pinfall win. It went about 12 minutes.

Kayden Carter & Katana Chance were eliminated

Winners: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville

Analysis: **1/2 It was an average Tag Team Turmoil match that is sometimes called a Gauntlet Match. Give credit to the booking by making Green & Deville look like a dominant team since they beat four other teams rather easily. The crowd didn’t care that much about any of it although when Chance did that top rope hurricanrana it drew a big reaction because of how cool it looked. I think Chance & Carter will get a push at some point, but not yet. It makes more sense for the heel team of Deville & Green to win since the champions are faces.

The champions Rodriguez & Morgan had a staredown with Green & Deville. Black is a popular color. There will be a Women’s Tag Team Title match soon, but no date was announced yet.

There were replays shown of the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match when Zoey Stark & Trish Stratus went after Becky Lynch a lot. The handcuffs that Stark put on Lynch ended up costing Lynch the match.

Becky Lynch was shown walking backstage for a promo up next.

A commercial aired for SummerSlam on Saturday, August 5th in Detroit. I’ll be there. I don’t have tickets yet, but I am figuring that out soon.

(Commercial)

There was a video package on Bronson Reed speaking about how he hurts people. Reed claimed he was a nice guy, but everybody has to face the consequences and Bronson Reed is inescapable.

Analysis: I like him and I think he stands out with his look as a powerhouse, but there needs to be a meaningful storyline for him so we can see what Reed can do on the main roster.

Let’s Hear from Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch received a positive reaction from the crowd with plenty of cheers as she made her way down to the ring. Lynch admitted that she didn’t win Money in the Bank, but that’s okay because she can move on from that. Lynch said she can’t seem to move on from Trish Stratus. Lynch claimed there was not a better time or place to end this than right now, so she called out Trish to fight.

Trish Stratus made her entrance with Zoey Stark by her side. Stratus was wearing a facemask with Lynch thinking it was funny. Trish said that she was prettier than all of us even in this mask. Trish told the fans they need a mask like that to hide the ugliness. Trish said she is not medically cleared because Lynch broke her face. Lynch said she doesn’t regret that and claimed she could find Stark right here and right now. Trish said that Stark dominated at Money in the Bank while Lynch said that Stark is better than Trish’s broke ass. Trish said that maybe one day Zoey could be better due to Trish’s tutelage, but Trish is the greatest of all time.

Lynch pointed out that Trish couldn’t beat Lynch on her own because Stark interfered the last time. Lynch said that she’s the greatest of all time, so Stark will have to go through Lynch. As Lynch continued, she ranted about Trish still being here. Trish said that she was there because she’s the greatest of all time and she built the women’s division. Trish teased Stark fighting Lynch right now, but then Trish said she had a medical appointment right now. Trish said that maybe Stark can face Lynch next week on Raw.

Analysis: If you know your Trish Stratus history then you probably remember she had a run with a facemask in the past, so it was a nice throwback to that. It was solid promo work from Becky and Trish as usual. The feud has been going on for nearly three months now. It’s going to lead to a Trish-Becky SummerSlam match, but I’m certainly fine with Becky facing Zoey next week. I’m not sure how much Trish will be around after SummerSlam, but I certainly enjoy seeing her on the show.

There was another replay of Cody Rhodes fighting with Brock Lesnar earlier in the show.

Cody Rhodes was interviewed by Jackie Redmond, the new interviewer on Raw, by the entrance area in front of the fans. Cody was in a suit this time. Cody called for the crowd to say “Hi Jackie” so the fans did it. Cody said that after Night of Champions, he would be waiting on Brock Lesnar. Cody welcomed back Brock and said we are not done yet. Cody mentioned that Lesnar broke Cody’s arm and Cody busted his face. Cody said he wants another shot at Lesnar. Cody said he’ll fight Lesnar every night and said he’ll fight Lesnar any night. Cody greeted some fans by the barricade. That was it.

Analysis: It was a quick interview with Cody to make it clear he wanted to face Lesnar again. We know it’s probably happening at SummerSlam, but it’s not official yet.

The six-person mixed tag team match with Alpha Academy against Viking Raiders was up next.

(Commercial)

Alpha Academy – Chad Gable, Otis & Maxxine Dupri vs. Viking Raiders – Erik, Ivar & Valhalla

Erik ran over Gable with a forearm smash to the head. Gable landed on his feet during a suplex attempt and Otis tagged in to cheers. Otis hit a running elbow and Otis gave Ivar a body slam. Otis splashed Erik in the corner followed by Otis hitting the elbow drop on Erik leading to a break.

(Commercial)

Erik was throwing strikes with Otis, then Ivar tagged in and Otis ran through a double clothesline attempt. Gable tagged in against Ivar with a running neckbreaker and Gable hit an Exploder Suplex on Erik. Ivar battled Gable on the second rope leading to Gable hitting a bulldog. Gable tacked Erik out of the ring followed by Gable hitting a somersault dive onto Erik on the floor. Gable hit a top rope headbutt on Ivar for two. Erik and Otis were both knocked out of the ring while Ivar hit a spin kick on Gable. Maxxine tagged in against Valhalla for Maxxine’s debut. Maxxine hit two armdrags along with a suplex. Maxxine hit a running splash. Otis told her to do the Worm, so Maxxine did a Worm/Caterpillar attempt, but Valhalla hit a knee to the shoulder. The guys were fighting on the floor, so Gable hit a moonsault off the top onto the three guys on the floor. Valhalla sent Maxxine into the turnbuckle, but Maxxine jumped onto her back and Valhalla did a sunset flip pin on Valhalla for the pinfall win after eight minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Alpha Academy – Chad Gable, Otis & Maxxine Dupri

Analysis: **1/4 A fun match with Maxxine winning her debut in-ring performance. I thought Gable was outstanding as usual. I’d love to see Gable getting a sustained singles push and regular singles match, but it just doesn’t happen much. They kept Maxxine’s parts simple and she did a decent job of working with Valhalla (Sarah Logan), who doesn’t get to wrestle often. The fans were into it and popped for Maxxine getting the win, so the story is working.

Alpha Academy celebrated the win with Maxxine on their shoulders. The fans were cheering and “Thank You” is getting over as a babyface phrase now.

There were replays shown of Rhea Ripley beating up Natalya two weeks ago when they were supposed to have a match.

Natalya was shown backstage with Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan talking to her. Natalya is in action soon.

A look back at Logan Paul and Ricochet at Money in the Bank is up next.

[sided-debate-embed debate-id=”27813″]

(Commercial)

They showed media outlets covering Money in the Bank along with images of the show.

There was a replay of the Ricochet/Logan Paul spot from Money in the Bank when Ricochet and Logan Paul went from the ropes and through two tables at ringside. They showed Logan and Ricochet fighting in the backstage area.

Ricochet was interviewed by Jackie Redmond. Ricochet spoke about how Logan Paul didn’t even deserve to be in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Ricochet mentioned their history at Royal Rumble as well. Ricochet invited Logan Paul to Raw next week and meet Ricochet face to face.

Analysis: That will probably lead to a SummerSlam match between Logan Paul and Ricochet, which should be an impressive match. They are both outstanding athletes.

Rhea Ripley made her entrance for the Women’s World Title match. Natalya attacked Ripley in the aisle before Ripley made it to ringside, so Natalya beat up Ripley before the match like Ripley did in the past. Natalya sent Ripley into the barricade and the steel steps. They went into the ring, the referee Shawn Bennett checked on Ripley and called for the bell.

Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya

Natalya tried to attack some more and went for a Sharpshooter, but Ripley bailed to the floor. When Natalya left the ring, Ripley sent her into the hood of the commentary table again. They were back in the ring with Natalya hitting a German Suplex. Ripley came back with two forearms to the lower back. Ripley hit Natalya with another forearm to the back. Natalya tried to attack with punches, then she picked up Ripley and Ripley headbutted Natalya for a two count. Ripley jumped onto Natalya’s back a few times. Ripley with a kick to the ribs and another kick. Natalya tried to come back with punches, but Ripley kicked her down again. Ripley set up Natalya on the top rope, Natalya broke free with a headbutt and Natalya hit a cross body block off the top. Ripley came back with a nearfall for two leading to a break.

(Commercial)

Natalya went for a Sharpshooter, but Ripley kicked her way out of it. Ripley hit a roundhouse kick to the head to regain control. Ripley went for a Powerbomb, but Natalya hit a hurricanrana (impressive!) and a discus clothesline got a two count. Ripley countered a move into a pin attempt for two. Ripley got her boots up to stop a charging Natalya. Ripley hit a missile dropkick off the top rope for two. Ripley delivered a kick to the head followed by the Prism Lock submission, but Natalya sent Ripley into the turnbuckle. Ripley countered a Sharpshooter by sending Natalya into the turnbuckle. Ripley went up top, took way too long taunting the crowd and tried a Frog Splash that was never going to hit as Natalya got a boot up. Ripley charged, Natalya moved and Ripley hit the turnbuckle. Natalya hit a running powerslam like the British Bulldog (her uncle) and Natalya applied the Sharpshooter submission. Ripley was bleeding from the mouth as she crawled to the ropes and grabbed the bottom rope to force the break. Natalya went for a dropkick on the floor, but Ripley avoided it. Back in the ring, Ripley hit a kick and headbutt. Ripley hit the Riptide slam for the pinfall win after about 14 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Rhea Ripley

Analysis: ***3/4 That was a great match. They finally gave us the competitive Women’s World Title match that we were hoping for when they advertised this match twice and had Ripley attack Natalya to prevent the matches from happening. It was so awesome seeing Natalya in a lengthy match like that because it’s a reminder of how talented she is. Ripley is having the best run of her career and while Natalya put up a tremendous fight, Ripley winning was the obvious result as well as the right finish. It’s great to see a Women’s World Title match getting that much time on Raw. They worked together really well and had one of the best women’s WWE TV matches this year.

After the match, Rhea Ripley attacked Natalya with punches. Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan, the Women’s Tag Team Champions, ran out for the save, so Ripley left. There was a heavy focus on Raquel staring at Ripley, so that’s a potential title match.

Analysis: I am not surprised that they teased a Ripley-Raquel match. Right now Raquel is a Women’s Tag Team Champion, but I can see that being a title feud. Maybe Ripley will cost Raquel & Liv the Women’s Tag Team Titles to try to set up that singles feud. Just saying that’s a possibility.

There was a replay of The Miz attacking Tommaso Ciampa last week. Tommaso Ciampa was shown doing a seated promo earlier in the day saying that The Miz has accomplished everything you can do in WWE, but since then he’s lost a lot. Ciampa said now The Miz has ruthless aggression back. Ciampa talked about holding the cards.

The Miz was featured backstage for a promo talking to the camera. Miz claimed that he’s still here while others that have been with him are gone. Miz said that next week when they have a No Disqualification Match, he wants the best version of Ciampa because you’ll be getting the best of The Miz. He’s The Miz and he’s awesome.

Analysis: That’s good for a match next week. Ciampa should win, but I wouldn’t mind a Miz win either.

There’s a Bloodline Civil War recap coming up next.

(Commercial)

This graphic was shown.

There was a video package about the Bloodline Civil War match at Money in the Bank. The Usos beat Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa in a great match that had a lot of memorable moments. It was a long video that lasted a few minutes.

Matt Riddle entered for a match.

(Commercial)

The Judgment Day was shown backstage with Rhea Ripley threatening Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan for getting in her business. IYO SKY was shown backstage with her Money in the Bank briefcase. I missed that because I stepped out during the break. Dominik had some words about beating Seth Rollins and they made sure to call him “Dirty” Dominik to put over the nickname.

Giovanni Vinci was joined by Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER and Ludwig Kaiser for his singles match.

Matt Riddle vs. Giovanni Vinci (w/GUNTHER & Ludwig Kaiser)

Riddle had his left foot/ankle taped to sell an injury. Vinci worked on the ankle by giving Riddle a body slam into the ropes. Riddle came back with kicks. Riddle hit a body slam and a moonsault off the middle turnbuckle. Riddle countered a move by Vinci and pinned him for a three count in less than three minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Matt Riddle

Analysis: ** It was a fast-paced match with a lot of moves and counters. Riddle getting the win makes sense since he’s the singles wrestler while Vinci is a tag team guy.

Post match, Ludwig Kaiser attacked Riddle and it was a double team attack. Drew McIntyre’s music hit and he cleaned house with Riddle. Drew hit a Glasgow Kiss on Vinci. Drew stared at GUNTHER at ringside while GUNTHER was on the floor. Drew hit a Claymore Kick on Vinci. GUNTHER stood on the apron for a staredown with Drew. GUNTHER backed away and left.

Analysis: It will likely lead to GUNTHER defending the Intercontinental Title vs. Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam next month.

There was a replay video recapping the Seth Rollins victory over Finn Balor at Money in the Bank. Balor was distracted by Damian Priest being at ringside and Rollins capitalized on Balor’s hesitation to pick up the win.

Dominik Mysterio made his entrance with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley. They didn’t introduce him as “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio on his way to the ring, but the match graphic has “Dirty” as his nickname.

(Commercial)

They showed Drew McIntyre talking to Matt Riddle backstage with Matt thanking Drew for his help. Byron Saxton showed up for an interview. Drew said that he is back. Riddle suggested a tag team match against Imperium next week. Drew agreed, they talked about drinking and going to eat and they left.

Analysis: That should be a tag team match win for Drew and Riddle. I think WWE will want to book Drew strong going into the Intercontinental Title match. Another thing to consider is they could use this to bring Randy Orton back to WWE TV since that could lead to a six-man tag team match.

Next week on Raw:

* Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark

* Ricochet has challenged Logan Paul to come face to face on Raw.

* No Disqualification Match: Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Miz.

Seth “Freakin” Rollins made his entrance with the fans singing his song. They kept singing the song after the music stopped.

Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio (w/Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley)

This was not a title match. Rollins still had tape on the left side of his ribs. They started off with some mat wrestling. Rollins ran over Dominik with a shoulder tackle. Rollins tossed Dominik out of the ring. Rollins wanted a dive, Ripley was there on the apron and Rollins hit a back body drop over the top to send Dominik out of the ring. Rollins dove onto Dom on the floor. Rollins was back in the ring as the crowd sang the song leading to a break.

(Commercial)

Rollins did an Eddie Guerrero tribute with the Three Amigos vertical suplexes with the fans cheering it. Rollins went up top, Ripley distracted the referee and Priest shoved Rollins off the top. Rollins was grabbing his ribs. Dominik went up top and hit a Frog Splash followed by stomps on the ribs. Dominik went up top again and hit second Frog Splash with no pin attempt. Dominik went up for a third Frog Splash, but Rollins got the knees up to block. Rollins delivered clotheslines, a kick and another clothesline. Rollins hit Dominik with three running elbows along with a backbreaker. Rollins hit a running knee right by where Priest was standing. Rollins wanted a Pedigree, Priest on the apron, Rollins knocked down Priest and Rollins clotheslined Dominik out of the ring. Rollins hit a suicide dive on Dominik and Priest. Back in the ring, Rollins with a rolling elbow along with an elbow to the back. Priest went into the ring and hit the South of Heaven slam on Rollins for the DQ. It went 10 minutes.

Winner by disqualification: Seth “Freakin” Rollins

Analysis: **3/4 It looked like Seth Rollins was well on his way to the pinfall win, but that’s when Finn Balor showed up to put a stop to that. I guess it’s not a surprise that a match with somebody in The Judgment Day ends in a DQ. Dominik got plenty of offense with the multiple Frog Splashes, but the story was that Dominik was trying to weaken Rollins so that’s what he did for a few minutes without going for pin attempts. Rollins had Dominik ready for The Stomp when Priest interfered.

After the match, Priest continued to attack Rollins. They left the ring with Priest sending Rollins into the steel steps, commentary table and into the barricade. Priest gave Rollins a flatliner onto the hood of the commentary table. Rollins avoided a Razor’s Edge attempt and Rollins hit a superkick. Dominik saved Priest by hitting Rollins in the back with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Dominik sent Rollins into the steel steps. Dominik handed Priest the Money in the Bank briefcase and told him to cash in, but here’s Finn Balor with a forearm to Rollins, who knocked Priest off the apron. Balor went up top for more, but Priest yelled at Balor wondering what he was doing. Priest and Balor argued about it with Priest wondering what Balor was doing. Rollins left on the other side of the ring, Dominik went after him and Rollins hit a Pedigree on Dominik on the floor. Rollins was back by the entrance area while Balor & Priest were arguing. Graves made the correct point that Priest could have been World Champion.

There were replays of what happened. Priest and Balor kept arguing while the World Champion Rollins stood tall by the entrance area. End show.

Analysis: It worked as a final segment of the show with Balor showing up to “accidentally” stop Priest from cashing in on Rollins because Balor wanted to do a cheap shot to the champion. Priest and Balor are at odds now, so maybe one of them will go babyface soon (Priest seems more likely) although I think long term it’s better if The Judgment Day remains strong. Seth was a smart babyface here by getting out of there while also dropping Dominik with a Pedigree on the floor. I’m interested to see where things go next with Rollins and his next title challenger, which could be Priest or maybe a triple threat with Balor & Priest against Rollins in the same match. I don’t know what the plan is for now.

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Three Stars of the Show

  1. Rhea Ripley/Natalya
  2. Seth “Freakin” Rollins
  3. Damian Priest

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The Scoreboard

  1. 5 out of 10

Last week: 7.25

2023 Average: 7.24

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Final Thoughts

I liked the show for the most part. They didn’t officially announce any matches for SummerSlam, but there are obviously some things brewing and we know some of the big matches.

There was a lot of talking on the show, but I didn’t mind. Shayna Baszler did a nice job of ripping Ronda Rousey, who the fans don’t like, so Baszler was cheered for it. Cody Rhodes made it clear he wants to face Brock Lesnar, so we’ll get that at SummerSlam probably. Ricochet called out Logan Paul for a segment next week and maybe that will lead to SummerSlam too. Those promos from The Miz-Ciampa set up their No DQ Match for next week too. I thought the Lynch-Stratus promo exchange was effective too. Drew McIntyre being on Raw helps a lot in terms of star power and I’m so excited about his showdown with GUNTHER when it happens at SummerSlam most likely.

The Judgment Day continues to be featured heavily. I thought Rhea Ripley and Natalya had the best match on the show. Finn Balor attacking Seth Rollins when Damian Priest looked like he might cash in Money in the Bank can lead to some issues between the J-Day guys going forward. Also, they are pushing “Dirty” as Dominik Mysterio’s nickname too. Overall, I think Raw is doing a nice job of involving more people on the show and trying to get a lot of different people involved in storylines.

The next WWE Premium Live Event is SummerSlam in Detroit on August 5th. There is nothing official yet.

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Thanks for reading. Please check out my reviews of every WWE PPV ever listed in order. Go Toronto Blue Jays. My contact info is below.

John Canton

Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter @johnreport