Reviews

The John Report: The WWE Raw Deal 08/07/23 Review

By John Canton • Published 7th August 2023
wwe raw deal august 7

This week’s WWE Raw followed SummerSlam with a big six-man tag team main event with Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins teaming up, plus a four-way match for a shot at the Intercontinental Title and more.

It’s the first Raw after SummerSlam on Saturday night. I enjoyed the show for the most part. I think it was predictable in a lot of ways, but a lot of fun too. It’s been a very good year for WWE PLE shows.

There’s also a new commentary team on Raw with Michael Cole & Wade Barrett coming over from Smackdown. Cole will remain on Smackdown as well with Corey Graves & Kevin Patrick joining him. The reported reason is that apparently Endeavor, the company that acquired WWE, wants Cole on both shows. I don’t mind Michael Cole on commentary and it’s probably better for Raw since Patrick is still not that experienced in the role. Barrett is my favorite analyst out of the current WWE group although I like Graves too. Cole & Barrett work great together.

This is the Raw Deal for episode #1576 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.

A lengthy video package aired showing SummerSlam highlights. It was about five minutes.

The new Raw commentary team of Michael Cole and Wade Barrett welcomed us to the show.

Let’s Hear from Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes made his entrance wearing a grey suit with the fans cheering him as usual and of course, the “WHOA-OH” parts of the song drew a loud reaction as usual.

Cody asked Minneapolis what do they want to talk about? Cody spoke about the University of Minnesota’s own Brock Lesnar. Cody said he had the privilege, honor and misery of standing across the ring from Brock and surviving him. Cody said what happened next, he could have never imagined. They showed a photo of Brock shaking Cody’s hand after the match.

Cody said he had a conversation with his mother about that moment. Cody said that his mom told Cody that “Brock Lesnar acknowledged you.” Cody spoke about how he feels on top of the world and he feels like he can beat anybody in the world. Here comes Seth “Freakin” Rollins with the World Heavyweight Championship.

Seth “Freakin” Rollins was wearing some giant yellow boots as part of his ridiculous outfit along with a blue jacket and yellow shades. Rollins was wearing the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist while the fans were singing Seth’s song as usual.

Seth welcomed Minneapolis to “Monday Night Rollins.” Seth said that the last time he came out here to talk about the future of the World Heavyweight Championship, Cody was the one that walked out and got in his face, so Seth was returning the favor. Seth asked Cody if he heard him right when Cody said he felt he can beat anybody in the world? Seth suggested they put that feeling to the test.

The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley walked out. Priest said they think they run Raw and Ripley said that The Judgment Day runs Raw. Priest said that they don’t get to dictate what happens with championships around here because he gets to do that as Senor Money in the Bank. Priest called Ripley the most dominant World Champion, the North American Champion Dominik Mysterio (huge boos) and Priest said that Dirty Dom isn’t done with Cody. Priest said that Dominik is the workhorse that will defend his title on NXT tomorrow night.

When Dominik tried to speak, the fans were booing loudly and Finn Balor ran into the ring to attack Rollins with punches. The Judgment Day attacked Cody and Balor. Sami Zayn ran out for the save with a clothesline on Priest out of the ring. Cody hit a Cody Cutter on Dominik. Rollins kicked Balor out of the ring with those ridiculous boots.

Cody Rhodes did a promo making the obvious challenge for a six-man tag team match with Rollins & Zayn against The Judgment Day. Rollins didn’t seem that interested in it while Zayn tried to calm them down.

Analysis: It was a nice tease of a Rollins-Rhodes match again, but it was interrupted by The Judgment Day. Using the opening segment to set up a main event tag team match is something we have seen dozens of times over the last 30 years. It’s an easy way to set up a match and it should be a great match too.

The announcers were on screen again to tell us it was a commercial-free first hour of Raw this week.

They showed highlights of GUNTHER beat Drew McIntyre to keep the Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam.

There was a backstage video from earlier today on Raw with Ricochet complaining to WWE Official Adam Pearce about what happened at SummerSlam. That led to Chad Gable, Tommaso Ciampa & Matt Riddle walked into the screen. Pearce put them in a 4-way match where the winner earns an opportunity to face GUNTHER for the Intercontinental Title. They all were confident about winning with Chad saying he was Minnesota born and raised.

Ricochet was introduced first. There were highlights of Logan Paul cheating with brass knuckles to beat Ricochet at SummerSlam. Matt Riddle was next followed by Tommaso Ciampa. Chad Gable was last as a guy from the state of Minnesota, so the fans popped for Chad being the hometown guy. Otis and Maxxine Dupri were there too, but they went to the back.

Chad Gable vs. Ricochet vs. Matt Riddle vs. Tommaso Ciampa

The first pinfall or submission wins. No countouts and no disqualifications in this match. The winner gets to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.

They started the match by doing a bunch of nearfalls on eachother with a bunch of two counts taking place. There was a “Gable” chant leading to Chad shouting “THANK YOU” for that. Gable and Riddle cleared the ring, so then they faced off with some mat wrestling. Ciampa was back in the ring to stomp on Riddle and toss Gable out of the ring. Ricochet hit a clothesline off the top and a standing moonsault for two on Ciampa. Riddle with a Fisherman’s Buster on Ricochet. Gable had Riddle on his shoulders leading to a face first slam. Ciampa with a reverse DDT on Gable for two. Ciampa with a forearm to Ricochet’s face and Ricochet came back with a leaping kick to the face. Ricochet went up top, Riddle went after him and Ciampa was there as well. They did a triple German Suplex spot with Ricochet doing a moonsault bump off the top. That was wild! Gable was on the bottom rope, Ciampa on the middle rope and Riddle on the top rope, so Ricochet flipped over to land on his face/chest. That drew a big pop too. Gable with an Ankle Lock on Ciampa, Riddle broke that up with a Powerbomb and knee. Ricochet with a SSP on Gable. Riddle knocked down Ricochet, then Ciampa with a shot on Riddle and Riddle rocked Ciampa into the turnbuckle. Riddle hit a superplex off the top on Ciampa. Ricochet and Gable each did splashes off the top (SSP from Ricochet, splash from Gable), but Riddle and Ciampa got their knees up. The fans were chanting “this is awesome” as all four guys were down selling.

Riddle with kicks to Ciampa, so Ciampa squeezed the bare feet of Riddle to stop that. Gable knocked Ricochet out of one side of the ring. Gable was on the floor, so Riddle hit a Floating Bro splash on him. Ciampa hit Willow’s Bell DDT on Riddle. Ricochet jumped off the top, Ciampa got a knee up and Ciampa hit a Project Ciampa (double knees to the back) on Ricochet for two. Riddle hit Bro Derek on Ciampa for two because Gable jumped off the top with a headbutt on Riddle. The fans chanted “Gable” again. Ricochet hit the Recoil on Riddle. Gable went for Chaos Theory on Ricochet, but Ciampa hit a Fameasser on Ricochet instead. Gable hit Chaos Theory on Ciampa for the one…two…and three…Gable wins! Ciampa kicked out right after the three count to show that it was close. It went about 11 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Chad Gable

Analysis: ***3/4 A great match between four talented midcard babyfaces who are all capable of putting on a fun match. Barrett made the point that they all had great cardio too, which his very true because they are incredible athletes and didn’t get tired. This was a fast-paced match full of action with all four guys looking like they might win at different points in the match. I thought Gable winning made the most sense since it was in his home state of Minnesota and Chad is a talented guy that always has great matches. The finish was cool because Chad went for Chaos Theory on Riddle and Ricochet, but couldn’t do it, so then when Chad hit it on Ciampa, it was enough to win.

As Chad Gable celebrated the win, “The Ring General” GUNTHER was watching with the Intercontinental Title on his shoulder. They replayed Gable’s win. Gable grabbed his young son from ringside and put him on his shoulder. He was wearing a singlet just like Chad was.

Analysis: That was such a cool moment for Chad and his son.

A video package aired showing highlights of the Brock Lesnar-Cody Rhodes match at SummerSlam.

It was mentioned by Cole that Lesnar has never done a handshake like that after a match in his combat sports career.

Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn were shown talking backstage. Seth Rollins walked in saying that he wants the match, but he didn’t want to be on a team with Cody. Zayn said he knows there’s history and tension here. Zayn didn’t want them to solve their problems tonight, but they can team up tonight. Zayn said that their friend Kevin Owens is on the shelf because of The Judgment Day and he is sick of dealing with them. Zayn said they can deal with The Judgment Day once and for all. Cody said he’s cool with it. Rollins was hesitant, but he said “I’m cool” too. Zayn seemed satisfied with it.

Analysis: I like how there is tension between Cody and Seth as the top babyfaces on Raw. Just because guys are faces doesn’t mean they have to immediately get along while ignoring their past. Zayn trying to reason with both guys was the right role for him here.

It was time for another video package as we got to see highlights of the Roman Reigns-Jey Uso match at SummerSlam. Jimmy Uso showed up, attacked brother Jey and Roman capitalized to keep his Undisputed WWE Universal Title yet again.

This Friday on Smackdown: Roman Reigns will be on Smackdown with Jimmy Uso appearing as well to acknowledge The Tribal Chief. That’s what Barrett said.

The Miz was shown talking on his phone backstage with a woman telling Miz he had to wait for something. LA Knight was getting photos taken. The Miz complained about having to wait for a photo shoot and he left.

Analysis: LA Knight was on Raw even though he’s a Smackdown talent. That’s fine considering how popular Knight is. I’m not surprised that WWE is going to want to feature him more. A feud with Miz makes sense since Miz can be jealous and it’s an easy guy for Knight to beat.

Bronson Reed vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

The big man Reed knocked Nakamura down with a shoulder tackle and did the “come on” taunt to Shin as well. Nakamura came back with knees to the body. Reed hit a running back elbow knocking Nakamura down. Nakamura avoided a power move and hit a running knee. Nakamura delivered a running kick to the head. Nakamura delivered a leaping boot to the head along with a baseball slide dropkick while Reed was on the floor. Back in the ring, Reed did a leaping body attack to knock down a running Nakamura. Reed knocked down Nakamura off the apron to the floor. They went to commercial 55 minutes into the show, so it was the first commercial. I believe it was picture-in-picture in the US, but not for me here in Canada. I don’t review PIP action anyway.

(Commercial)

Nakamura hit a jumping knee strike off the middle ropes. Nakamura with kicks to the body, then a righty kick to the head and Nakamura ran the ropes with a jumping lefty kick to the jaw. Nakamura jumped off the turnbuckle, Reed caught him and Reed hit a powerslam. Reed hit a running Powerbomb for a two count. Reed went up top, Nakamura kicked him, Reed charged and Reed hit a slam off the shoulders for a two count. Nakamura delivered a kick where he grazed Reed’s head, but then Reed came back with a clothesline. Reed went up top, jumped off with a Tsunami splash and Nakamura avoided it. Nakamura hit a running knee to the back of the head. That was followed by the Kinshasa knee on Reed for the pinfall win after 11 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Shinsuke Nakamura

Analysis: ***1/2 That was a very good match that could have gone either way. Both guys were about even in where they are placed on Raw these days, so that made it interesting in terms of who was going to win the match. I thought Reed would go over because he seems like a guy that WWE wants to push, but instead Nakamura found a way to get the win. Reed missing the Tsunami splash cost him and Nakamura followed up with the Kinshasa knee strikes for the win. I liked it a lot.

There were videos shown of the recent history between Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez, who has been selling a left knee injury for the last month.

They showed Raquel Rodriguez in the trainer’s room with a doctor telling Adam Pearce that Raquel is just not ready to compete yet due to her storyline left knee injury. Pearce informed Raquel that he can’t clear her yet. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell were there with Raquel to offer support as friends.

Analysis: I like how there’s a story before going into the Rhea/Raquel feud. It will make their matches mean more when they happen.

Becky Lynch made her entrance for a promo. The show went to break there.

(Commercial)

They showed some media outlets covering SummerSlam along with photos from the event.

There was a backstage scene with Maxxine Dupri talking on her phone when Ludwig Kaiser walked in saying he wanted to congratulate Chad Gable on his win. Kaiser wanted to tell Gable that GUNTHER will wipe the floor with him. Kaiser talked about how great he is while trashing Otis as a disgusting freak, so Maxxine slapped Kaiser. Otis got in Kaiser’s face suggesting a match between them. Kaiser said he’ll see Otis out there and Kaiser said he’ll see Maxxine too.

Analysis: A fresh match for later with Otis facing Kaiser.

As Becky Lynch waited in the ring, we saw highlights from last week when Zoey Stark and Trish Stratus attacked Lynch. That led to a Trish-Becky match being announced for next Monday on Raw.

Let’s Hear from Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch said that she is so close to the end. Lynch said it has been months of doing everything in her power. Lynch said she’s been winning, losing, overcoming obstacles and she is tired, but she is ready to put an end to this saga. Lynch said that next week she’ll finally get her rematch one-on-one with Trish Stratus. Lynch said it’s the greatest of the last generation against the greatest of this generation and every generation after that. Lynch said no Zoey Stark at ringside either.

Zoey Stark made her entrance dressed for a match without Trish by her side. Stark told Lynch that Trish and Zoey have already beaten Lynch. Stark said that Lynch left her balls back at home since she got Zoey banned at ringside. Lynch said that she knows how good Stark is. Lynch said no matter how good Stark is, she’s been too stupid to realize she’s been second fiddle to Trish.

Stark said she doesn’t play second fiddle to anybody and she is amazing at what she does. Stark said that Lynch is jealous because Trish kicked Lynch aside and picked Stark up. Stark said she’s the fastest rising star in WWE.

Shayna Baszler with a big brace on her left arm and a black eye around her left eye. Lynch said that Baszler looks rough. Baszler said you should see how Ronda Rousey looks, but Baszler beat Rousey at SummerSlam and drove Rousey out of WWE. The fans cheered.

Baszler got in Stark’s face because Zoey said she was the baddest. Stark said she’ll send Baszler packing just like Ronda Rousey. Lynch said it sounded like they wanted to have a match. Adam Pearce arrived with a referee to say that this match is official.

Analysis: Becky Lynch did a great job with her promo as usual. It has been a four month rivalry with Trish Stratus, so having their blowoff match next week will feel like a big deal. I thought Zoey Stark did pretty well in her promo. She is getting more comfortable as a heel and doing better with her promos. Shayna Baszler was cheered for beating Ronda Rousey and mentioning it, so maybe Shayna will stay in a babyface role moving forward. It was yet another easy to set up a match on this show.

(Commercial)

A video package aired about the Seth Rollins-Finn Balor match at SummerSlam with Rollins retaining the World Heavyweight Title. I thought it was a creative finish and the best match on the show.

Finn Balor was shown talking to JD McDonagh with Damian Priest walking up to Balor saying they needed to talk. Balor said you can talk in front of JD since Finn has known him for like 20 years. Priest said he was there at SummerSlam to make sure Finn was going to win the World Title. Priest said even with his help, Finn lost. Balor said maybe it was because of Priest, Finn lost. They got in each other’s faces, so Rhea Ripley said they were all there to help Balor. Ripley said it didn’t work, but they need to be on the same page so they can run Raw. Finn and Priest both said they understood. McDonagh said that it may not be his place, but he thinks that briefcase has come between them, so maybe Priest should get rid of it. Balor left with JD while Ripley stopped Priest and said he’s not Judgment Day.

Analysis: An interesting segment to further the potential Balor-Priest issues yet again. For those that don’t know, Finn did help train JD to be a wrestler and they are close friends.

Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark

Becky Lynch was sitting at ringside drinking lemonade. Baszler trapped Stark’s left leg and went for an Ankle Lock, but Stark got out of it. Stark went after Baszler’s face by punching and stomping on the orbital injury for Baszler. Stark grounded Baszler with a chinlock. There were “Shayna” chants as Baszler broke free with kicks to the body and a kick to the body. Baszler hit a Saito Suplex and a clothesline over the top to the floor. Back in the ring, Stark kicked Baszler’s left arm and pulled the arm into the top rope. Stark jumped off the top with a missile dropkick as the show went to break.

(Commercial)

Baszler was in control with a German Suplex, clothesline and a running knee for two. Stark avoided a charging Baszler and hit a spin kick to the face for two. Stark pulled off Baszler’s bad and wanted to step on the arm, but Baszler moved it out of the way. Baszler came back with a gutwrench suplex for two. Baszler went for the Kirifuda Clutch, Stark got out of it and sent Baszler out of the ring. Stark jumped onto Baszler on the floor. Stark pulled on Baszler’s left arm by the top rope. Baszler came back with a lifting knee. Baszler hit a spinning slam off her shoulders (like Rousey’s Piper’s Pit move) for the pinfall win after 11 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Shayna Baszler

Analysis: *** It was a hard hitting match with some good counters by both women throughout the match. Baszler continues her positive momentum with the win. There were a few moments where it looked like Stark might win, but Baszler winning was the right move to keep her strong. The finisher by Baszler was a bit flat, but other than that I liked the match overall.

Becky Lynch celebrated the loss for Stark. Lynch was spitting out her lemonade to celebrate kind of like Triple H spitting a water since she made a lemon joke at a press conference to react to her lemonade posting on social media.

Shinsuke Nakamura was interviewed by Byron Saxton, who looked really short beside Nakamura even though they are similar in height. Nakamura said he won his match and from now on, he’ll carve his own path. There was some noise going on backstage, so the camera showed JD McDonagh beating up Sami Zayn, who was holding his left arm. Some WWE Officials showed up

This Friday on Smackdown: Follow up to SummerSlam with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline, plus Austin Theory defends the US Title against Santos Escobar.

(Commercial)

Otis (w/Maxxine Dupri) vs. Ludwig Kaiser (w/Giovanni Vinci)

Kaiser with punches, Otis didn’t sell them much and Otis hit a shoulder tackle along with a body slam. Otis charged, Kaiser moved and Otis hit the turnbuckle. Kaiser came back with a running kick to the jaw. Kaiser stared at Dupri at ringside since he hit on her earlier backstage. Otis sent Kaiser into the turnbuckle and a fallaway slam across the ring. Otis hit a running plash in the corner. Otis punched Vinci on the apron and Otis suplexed Vinci into the ring. Gunther went into the ring because she was watching Vinci, so Gunther kicked Otis. Kaiser capitalized with a kick to get the pinfall on Otis. It went about four minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Ludwig Kaiser

Analysis: ** It was decent for a shorter match. It was there to further the GUNTHER/Gable store more than anything else. The result didn’t matter mucch, but good for Kaiser getting a win. The fans love Otis at least.

After the match, Imperium stomped on Otis a few times until Chad Gable ran out for the save. Imperium retreated. Gable and GUNTHER had a staredown with the fans chanting “Gable” for Chad.

Analysis: Chad Gable made Imperium run away even though Imperium had the numbers advantage? That makes Imperium look weak a bit.

There was a backstage scene from the WWE Trainer’s Room with Jackie Redmond talking to Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. Cody excused himself and told Seth to take the interview. Rollins said that Sami wants to go, but the doctors won’t let him compete. Shinsuke Nakamura walked into the screen saying if you need help, he will be their partner. Rollins said alright, he respects Nakamura and they shook hands.

The Miz entered in a suit for some promo time.

(Commercial)

There was a replay from the SummerSlam Battle Royal with LA Knight eliminating The Miz and eliminating Sheamus to win the battle royal.

Let’s Hear from The Miz…and LA Knight

The Miz complained about people not showing respect to him. The Miz said he came to Raw to find a guy that the fans absolutely love – LA Knight. Miz claimed he was a locker room leader and said when he came to WWE, he was taught about respect. The Miz specifically mentioned the lack of respect shown to him by LA Knight, who didn’t shake The Miz’s hand. Miz also mentioned LA Knight throwing him out of the battle royal as well. The Miz said he was so tired of the lack of respect from the newer talent.

LA Knight made his entrance to a big pop with the fans shouting “YEAH” for him. Knight said he felt they had a great introduction in the battle royal. Knight got the crowd to chant his name and did a “YEAH” with Knight wanting a handshake. Miz said no to that.

The Miz said Knight didn’t deserve to shake his hand. Miz claimed he’s seen superstars come into WWE trying to ride his coattails. Miz said if you take away his success, his money, his charisma, his hot wife and what you get is LA Knight. Miz said Knight is a flash in the pan and flavor of the month. Miz said that the fans will support him for the next five months, but Miz thinks Knight is an “Attitude Era fanboy playing cosplay in my ring.” Fans chanted “tiny balls” at Miz.

Knight said that he didn’t have a problem with Miz, but he warned Miz to not make it personal. Miz said he takes it personally because he was told he wouldn’t make it, he was kicked out of the locker room and he has made himself indestructible as a two-time grand slam champion. The Miz spoke about how he’s been here for 20 years making himself a WrestleMania main eventer that has done it all in this company. Miz asked Knight what has he done for the last 20 years?

LA Knight said that he was making himself a dangerous man. Knight said this place bet on the wrong horses with Miz being one of them while Knight was just waiting for the right opening. Knight said that Miz got a 20 year head start because Miz was safe. Knight said that “they” knew they could smack Miz around and kick him out of the locker room because they knew Miz would take it. Knight said he is a dangerous man that is not to be messed with, so that’s the difference between them.

Knight said Miz is a champion many times over and good for him. Knight said now he’s on the climb while Miz’s career is in the damn toilet. Knight said if you want to make this personal, he doesn’t mind making Miz a stepping stone. Miz didn’t like that, Knight said he’s not talking about his stones meaning his balls. Knight said he’ll step over Miz to be the main event. The Miz said he is the main event and Knight is not on his level. Knight said if Miz thinks Knight is not on his level, then Miz should prove him wrong. Miz took off his suit jacket and teased a fight as the fans chanted “LA Knight.” Miz threw his jacket at Knight (sort of) and Miz punched Knight a few times. Miz tried a Skull Crushing Finale, but Knight got out of it and hit a Blount Force Trauma (BFT) to drop Miz into the mat. As an added measure Knight shook Miz’s hand on the mat. Yeah!

Analysis: I enjoyed that a lot. That was a lot of fun with a lot of promo chemistry between two of the best talkers in WWE. The Miz has been in WWE for nearly 20 years, he is a guy that has won every championship multiple times and in Miz’s eyes he’s a main eventer even though WWE doesn’t book him like that. Knight did a great job with his promo, the fans loved him as usual and Knight looked dominant to end it. Knight’s confidence is a big reason why fans like him these days. The handshake on the mat was funny too.

A video aired featuring The Viking Raiders and Valhalla challenging anybody to a match.

The Viking Raiders with Valhalla entered for a match.

(Commercial)

There were more images shown from SummerSlam along with media outlets covering the show.

The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods made their return for this tag team match. Kofi has been out since March due to a broken ankle. Woods has been off just to have a break, so now they are back in action.

The New Day – Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. The Viking Raiders – Erik & Ivar (w/Valhalla)

Kofi and Woods did some quick tags leading to double team moves including clotheslines, kicks, a splash and a forearm drop by Woods. Ivar tagged in for his team, he hit a spin kick and Erik hit a Powerbomb on Woods. Ivar hit a Superfly Splash off the top on Woods for two. The Raiders worked with knee smashes followed by Erik grabbing a chinlock. Woods broke free with a Tornado DDT on Erik. Kofi got the tag against Ivar with a dropkick, leaping clothesline and corner splash. Kofi hit a cross body block on Ivar. Kofi hit a Boom Drop leg drop. The fans were behind New Day as Kofi hit a SOS trip for a two count. Ivar used his butt to sit on Kofi. Erik tagged in with a knee on Kofi for two. Kofi countered Erik with a headscissors, Kofi kicked Ivar and Woods got the tag. Kofi hit a Trouble in Paradise kick on Ivar, Woods hit a somersault dive onto Erik on the floor and Woods hit a top rope elbow smash on Ivar for the pinfall win. It went about six minutes.

Winners by pinfall: The New Day – Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods

Analysis: **1/2 A decisive win by The New Day to give some momentum now that they are back in action. The crowd was behind them. The New Day’s presence obviously adds nice depth to the tag team division, so that’s a good thing for the Raw roster. The Viking Raiders always work hard and have competitive matches.

Becky Lynch was about to be interviewed by Byron Saxton with Shayna Baszler interrupting before Lynch could say anything. Baszler said now that she has taken care of Ronda Rousey, she’s coming for others including Becky. Lynch said she’s not hard to find. They had a staredown and Baszler left.

The six-man tag team match is still to come.

(Commercial)

The New Day were interviewed backstage by Jackie Redmond. Kingston talked about beating the Viking Raiders. Woods said that it felt great to be back. They would go on to say that they would become the new WWE World Tag Team Champions because “New Day rocks.”

The announcers mentioned that Sonya Deville is out of action with a Torn ACL. Sonya was one half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions.

Analysis: That was a story broken by TMZ earlier in the day. Those Women’s Tag Team Titles are cursed. There have been so many injuries for champions holding those titles.

The Judgment Day foursome made their entrance for the main event tag team match. While they walked, Priest was in the front and Balor was staring at him. Priest stared at Balor and they did a fist bump to show they’re on the same page. While Rhea Ripley was standing at ringside, Raquel Rodriguez attacked Ripley with a forearm to the back. Rodriguez beat up Ripley with punches. There were WWE Officials that showed up to break it up. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell showed up, so Ripley threw them both down. Ripley went after Raquel again, but then LeRae fought with Ripley. Hartwell went after Ripley as well. Ripley was finally pulled off and Ripley was angry.

Analysis: Nice job of furthering the Ripley-Rodriguez story yet again. I liked that.

(Commercial)

There were highlights shown of SummerSlam with IYO SKY leaving as the WWE Women’s Champion after cashing in Money in the Bank on Bianca Belair.

Cody Rhodes made his entrance for the main event tag team match. Shinsuke Nakamura was next up for his second match of the night. Seth “Freakin” Rollins was up last as the World Heavyweight Champion.

Shinsuke Nakamura, Cody Rhodes & Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. The Judgment Day – Finn Balor, Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio (w/Rhea Ripley)

Balor was going to start the match, then Priest tagged himself in and Dominik tagged himself in after that. Nakamura knocked down Dominik followed by a knee drop. Dominik left the ring to regroup.

(Commercial)

Balor and Priest were working together with Priest hitting a scissors kick on Nakamura. Priest was in control of Dominik with a jumping elbow smash in the corner. Dominik hit a senton splash on Nakamura. Balor held Nakamura leading to legal man Priest hitting a leg drop on Nakamura for two. Nakamura with a headbutt followed by step up enziguri. Rollins tagged in leading to a Slingblade on Priest. Rollins countered a Priest move leading to a Falcon Arrow slam. Rollins hit a suicide dive onto Priest on the floor. Rollins hit a suicide dive onto Balot too. Back in the ring, Priest punched Rollins in the jaw and hit a flatliner. Priest sent Rollins out of the ring. Balor tagged in and hit a dropkick into the barricade.

(Commercial)

It was Seth’s turn to be the face in peril as Dominik went for vertical suplexes. Rollins broke free and hit a clothesline on Dominik. Cody got the tag against Balor with punches, a Disaster Kick for Priest and Cody hit a powerslam on Balor. Cody slipped out of a move, he went for a Cody Cutter, Balor caught him and hit a reverse DDT for two count. Balor charged into a kick leading to Cody jumping off the ropes with a Cody Cutter for two as Dominik broke it up. The non-legal guys were in the ring, but then they got knocked out of the ring. Cody went for Cross Rhodes, so Priest hit Cody in the back with the Money in the Bank briefcase. The referee was distracted. Zayn showed up and fought with Priest at ringside. Zayn had his left arm wrapped up. Balor tried to hit Rollins with the briefcase, but Rollins kicked the briefcase into Balor (the referee wasn’t looking). Cody hit Cross Rhodes on Balor for the pinfall win after 14 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Shinsuke Nakamura, Cody Rhodes & Seth “Freakin” Rollins

Analysis: ***1/4 A pretty good main event tag that was similar to some of the other tags we have seen these teams be a part of in the recent past. Rollins & Zayn beat The Judgment Day in last week’s Raw main event so it’s not really that new of a concept. There have been other tags too. Priest & Balor looked a bit foolish due to not being able to use a weapon right, but it also led to Rollins & Cody working well together to get the win.

The foursome of Rollins, Rhodes, Zayn and Nakamura stood tall to end the show. Rollins and Rhodes spoke with Rollins looking hesitant about the situation. Zayn raised Seth’s hand and Cody’s hand at the same time. Rollin shook Cody’s hand out of respect.

Rollins and Rhodes were celebrating on the turnbuckles. When Rollins got off the turnbuckle, he turned around and Nakamura nailed Rollins with a Kinshasa knee to the face! The crowd booed. Nakamura left the ring with the camera on him as Raw ended there.

Analysis: It looks like a heel turn for Nakamura as perhaps the next challenger for Seth’s World Heavyweight Title. They could have multiple challengers as well.

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Three Stars of the Show

1. Chad Gable

2. Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes & Shinsuke Nakamura

3. (tie) The New Day – Not a great match, but welcome back!

3. (tie) LA Knight

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The Scoreboard

8 out of 10

Last week: 7.5

2023 Average: 7.29

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Final Thoughts

I thought it was a great Raw this week. The match quality was strong all night long with that 4-way match really standing out. Great performance by all four guys and Chad Gable winning was the right call. The main event six-man tag team match was also good, but felt repetitive with the faces beating The Judgment Day again. I did like the Cody Rhodes-Seth Rollins reactions. At least there was a shocking ending when Shinsuke Nakamura ending when he hit the Kinshasa on Rollins to end the show.

In terms of storylines, I thought they progressed a lot of the angles really well. There wasn’t much advertised going in, but we got segments either backstage or in the ring to set up matches. Most of the matches got plenty of time and nothing was really bad in the ring. That LA Knight promo with The Miz was great. While Miz did his usual promo, Knight was given a chance to explain his point of view and the fans loved him for it. I know Knight is an SD guy, but he’s on fire so putting him on Raw is a smart move to get Knight more exposure.

Welcome back to The New Day. Kofi Kingston was gone for the last five months after an ankle injury, so it’s good to see them back in action.

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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 aka X (I guess) @johnreport