The John Report: WWE Raw Deal 06/03/24 Review

It’s WWE Raw featuring Damian Priest in action against Rey Mysterio, plus Liv Morgan addresses last week when she kissed Dominik Mysterio.

Last week’s Raw ended with Liv Morgan beating Becky Lynch in a Steel Cage Match to retain the Women’s World Title. It was controversial due to interference from Dominik Mysterio, but also Braun Strowman hitting Dominik, which slammed the cage door onto Lynch. That allowed Morgan to win. After that, Morgan kissed Mysterio in a moment that was off air for most people. I’m sure they’ll replay it a lot this week and people saw it on social media. As for Becky Lynch, her WWE contract has expired and she’s gone from WWE for now. The belief is that she’ll be back to rejoin Raw perhaps when her husband Seth Rollins is ready to return, but there’s no exact timeline for when Lynch will return.

This is the Raw Deal for episode #1619 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.

They showed some arrivals from earlier today. They showed Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair, Bron Breakker and the four guys in The Judgment Day group.

A replay aired of Liv Morgan beating Becky Lynch at King and Queen of the Ring followed by Morgan winning the rematch on Raw in the Steel Cage Match last week. Of course, the key part of the story was Dominik “accidentally” helping Liv in both matches. Liv thanked Dominik with a kiss to end Raw last week.

The commentary team of Michael Cole and Pat McAfee welcomed us to the show.

Let’s Hear from Liv Morgan

Liv Morgan walked out with the Women’s World Championship. Liv welcomed us to the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour. Liv bragged about how she took out Rhea Ripley. After that, she became your new Women’s World Champion. That’s not all because she put Becky Lynch into early retirement. Liv said that the cherry on top of it all was kissing Dominik Mysterio. Liv mentioned over 40 million views on social media (Cole said it earlier too)…and here’s the interruption.

Dominik Mysterio walked out with his left arm in a sling due to his arm injury. Dominik was wearing a wedding ring since he recently got married too. The fans were booing loudly as Dominik tried to speak on his way to the ring. He got into the ring to join Liv.

Dominik said he didn’t know what kind of game Liv thinks she’s playing. Dominik told Liv that Mami isn’t playing the same game and when she comes back, she’s going to kill Liv. Liv told Dom she’ll make it all worth it. Liv told Dominik that he didn’t come out to the ring last week to help Becky, he did it to be closer to Liv. That led to Liv saying she meant everything she said when she said she wanted to take everything away from Rhea Ripley and that includes Dominik. Liv was right in Dominik’s face against the turnbuckle.

Finn Balor walked out to the ring to get Liv to back off. Balor said that he (Dominik) doesn’t want anything to do with her. Liv said what if Dominik doesn’t want her to go? She said she’ll go for now. Lif rubbed Dominik’s hair when she left while Liv blew a kiss to Dominik as the segment ended. McAfee made a good point about how Dominik had to figure out if she was being genuine or just using him.

Analysis: They got right to the point by mentioning the storyline that everybody was talking about last week. Liv is doing a terrific job of playing this tweener type of character who is easy to hate because she’s manipulative, but I think she’s also very interesting to watch. It’s a good storyline while adding to more Liv’s character because we don’t know if she’s doing this for mind games and we don’t know yet if Dominik likes it.

They showed how the Sheamus-Ludwig Kaiser match was set up after a fight last week.

Sheamus was interviewed by Jackie Redmond backstage. Sheamus said he thought that Kaiser was Gunther’s announcer who carried his coat, but maybe Gunther was holding him back. Sheamus said that Kaiser gets the chance to see if he can go toe-to-toe with the Celtic Warrior. Sheamus said he’s been in WWE for 15 years and he’s stood in the ring with the best. Sheamus said that it’s all about getting in the ring with him and earning his respect. To do that you have to put on banger after banger…and Sheamus left for his entrance.

While Sheamus was making his entrance, Ludwig Kaiser attacked Sheamus from behind with a chop block. Officials showed up to break it up as the show went to break.

Analysis: A cheap attack to get some heat. Simple enough.

(Commercial)

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Kaiser went after the right knee of Sheamus after doing the chop block attack earlier. Sheamus no sold a bunch of chops to the chest followed by a boot to the face. Kaiser went after the injured right knee of Sheamus and he spit on Sheamus too. Sheamus hit Kaiser with a clothesline along with Sheamus spitting on Kaiser. There were some kicks to the legs by Kaiser, but Sheamus blocked that and kicked Kaiser in the leg a few times. Sheamus clotheslined Kaiser out of the ring. Sheamus sent Kaiser into the barricade. Kaiser did a necksnap against the barricade, a jumping kick and Kaiser sent Sheamus into the ring post. Kaiser ran around the ring leading to a running dropkick to Sheamus’ right knee, which was against the steel steps. They went to break there.

(Commercial)

Kaiser went for a forearm to the chest, but Sheamus blocked it and did a necksnap. Sheamus connected with a clothesline as both guys were down. Sheamus hit a couple of clotheslines. Kaiser came back with forearms to the chest, but then Sheamus connected with a powerslam. Sheamus went for a lift, Kaiser got out of it and Sheamus missed a knee strike so Sheamus hit his injured right knee against the turnbuckle. Kaiser did a knee drop to the right knee. Kaiser ripped off Sheamus’ knee pad. Sheamus was grabbing the right knee on the mat while the referee checked on him. Sheamus stopped the referee from ending the match. Kaiser delivered some strikes, the referee stopped him and Sheamus hit some chops. Sheamus worked over Kaiser with punches. Kaiser ducked a clothesline followed by a kick to the knee. Sheamus hit a pump knee to the face. That was loud because of the hard leg slap that Sheamus did. Sheamus set up for a Brogue Kick, but his knee gave out and Kaiser got a rollup for two. Sheamus sent Kaiser to the ropes leading to the Ten Beats of the Bodrhan forearms to the chest although he went past ten, which the fans loved. Sheamus went for White Noise on the turnbuckle, but Kaiser slipped out of that and Kaiser kicked the back of the right knee followed by the pinfall where he hooked the legs for the win. It went 13 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Ludwig Kaiser

There was some QR Code on the screen after the match for the Uncle Howdy group that is coming soon most likely.

Analysis: ***1/2 A very good match as usual for Sheamus while Kaiser certainly did his part as well. We haven’t seen Kaiser in many singles matches that go that long, so it’s nice to see that from him. I liked the story that started before the match with Kaiser working on Sheamus’ right leg throughout the match. It’s a logical body part to work for a guy who does a Brogue Kick finisher that utilizes the right leg like Sheamus does. You don’t see many finishes like that where a guy kicks the back of the leg leading to the pinfall win, but I think it made sense in this match. Big win for Kaiser over a credible opponent.

The Judgment Day was talking backstage where Finn Balor telling Damian Priest that everything was taken care of. Priest wondered how Rhea Ripley felt. Dominik Mysterio said that he’s giving her some space. Priest said how about tonight they remind everybody why The Judgment Day runs Raw.

Dragon Lee entered for singles action.

This Friday on Smackdown: How will Cody Rhodes respond to the attack from AJ Styles? Plus, Solo Sikoa anoints Tonga Loa into The Bloodline.

(Commercial)

Ricochet was shown backstage getting his ribs taped up. Ricochet said that he wants to fight. Ilja Dragunov walked in saying that he understands how Ricochet is because they are similar. Dragunov warned him about Bron Breakker while Ricochet said that he needed to do this. Ilja wished him good luck.

There was a quick video package about Dragon Lee talking about how he’s going to do what he has always done. Dragon said he will be a legend and set the world on fire.

Finn Balor (w/JD McDonagh) vs. Dragon Lee

Lee hit an impressive arm drag followed by a takedown into an armbar. Balor sent Lee into the turnbuckle along with a chop to the chest. Lee gave Balor a hurricanrana outside the ring followed by a suicide dive to knock Balor down on the floor.

(Commercial)

I missed a bit coming back from break as Lee hit a German Suplex. Lee hit a leaping kick while Balor was against the turnbuckle. JD did a distraction, so Balor got a rollup. Lee hit an impressive counter move leading to a sitout Powerbomb for two. JD was on the apron as Lee hit a rolling senton followed by Lee punching JD. They did a spot where JD distracted the referee, so Carlito went to ringside and tripped up Lee on the top rope. Balor was back up, Lee knocked him down and Balor dove onto Carlito. Lee punched Carlito a few times. Lee superkicked JD on the floor. Back in the ring. Balor hit the running dropkick followed by Balor going up top and hitting the Coup de Grace on Lee for the pinfall win after nine minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Finn Balor

Analysis: **3/4 A cheap win for the heel Balor thanks to the dreaded “numbers game” factor. Even though Dragon Lee is in the LWO, nobody from the group was at ringside so Lee had to deal with three guys by himself. It also continued the story of Carlito wanting to prove himself so he can join The Judgment Day and Carlito proved to be effective again.

After the match, Carlito stomped on Lee a few times. Braun Strowman and Rey Mysterio arrived for the save. Braun had a “One Big SOB” shirt. Braun cleared the ring quickly. The trio of Balor, JD and Carlito left from ringside. Braun and Rey checked on Lee at ringside.

Sami Zayn was shown walking backstage with the Intercontinental Title on his shoulder. Sonya Deville was talking to Natalya as Zayn kept on walking. Zayn will get some promo time at the start of hour two.

(Commercial)

A commercial aired promoting Clash at the Castle on June 15. Drew McIntyre is in the commercial and on the poster for the event in his home country of Scotland.

They showed Damian Priest, Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, and Carlito talking backstage. Priest said Carlito wants to be a prospect. Priest wanted the Strowman problem to be solved by now. Priest suggested that Carlito go ask Pearce to have a match with Strowman. Priest told Carlito to do that tonight. Carlito: “That’s not cool.” R-Truth walked up to Carlito saying that being in The Judgment Day were the best days of his life. The Miz walked up to Truth saying that they are the Tag Team Champions and these are the best days. Miz reminded Truth of his issues with The Judgment Day and then Truth said that Miz was obsessed with them. Truth and Miz left.

Analysis: The usual wackiness from R-Truth. He’s the best.

Let’s Hear from Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn made his entrance as the Intercontinental Champion while the fans popped big for him. There was a replay of last week on Raw when Sami Zayn got dropped by Chad Gable with a German Suplex after Zayn tried to stop the issues that Gable was having with Alpha Academy.

Zayn said that the last time he was in Pennsylvania was for WrestleMania and we know how that went because he became Intercontinental Champion. Zayn said since then he’s had a thorn in his side and that is Chad Gable. Zayn said that this isn’t about the Alpha Academy – it’s about the two of them. Zayn is proposing that Chad Gable come out there right now, leave the Alpha Academy behind and they can put an end to this right here and right now.

The Alpha Academy’s Otis, Akira Tozawa & Maxxine Dupri walked out to the ring. Dupri said that Zayn didn’t deserve Chad’s time. Dupri said that they need to redeem themselves. Dupri had a card in her hand. Dupri read the card that was a message from “Master Gable.” Dupri said that Zayn is proof that Gable’s teachings work. Dupri mocked Tozawa who was pretending to be a ninja, while Otis is a child who couldn’t even hang onto the Money in the Bank briefcase and Dupri read something trashing herself. Gable said that the only way this can end is an Intercontinental Championship match. Zayn said that if that’s what he wants then he’ll do it and he can defend the IC Title against Chad Gable at Clash at the Castle.

Zayn told Otis, Tozawa, and Dupri that they were better than how Chad treated them. Zayn told them that Gable doesn’t get to decide what they are worth. Zayn told them to set themselves free from Gable once and for all. That’s when Gable attacked Zayn with a forearm to the back along with some punches.

Gable worked over Zayn with forearm smashes to the face. Gable hit Zayn with a German Suplex. Gable held Zayn for Otis to hit him, but Otis didn’t want to do it. Gable slapped Otis in the face. Gable slapped Otis in the face, so Tozawa held Gable back. That led to Gable shoving Tozawa a few times and Dupri pulled Gable back. Gable told her to beg him to stop doing this. Dupri went on her knees to beg Gable to stop. Zayn was still on the ground selling. Gable made Dupri and Tozawa leave the ring. That led to Otis getting in Gable’s face, which led to huge cheers from the fans. Zayn finally got back up to punch Gable. That led to Gable tossing Zayn into Otis, which led to Tozawa and Dupri bumping off the apron to the floor. Dupri was grabbing her ankle to sell an injury. Gable wanted Otis to attack Zayn, so Otis gave Zayn a World’s Strongest Slam to put Zayn down. Gable held up the Intercontinental Title over a fallen Zayn. Otis left the ring and carried Tozawa/Dupri at the same time. Gable celebrated with the IC Title in the ring.

Analysis: A really good angle to continue the story of Chad Gable as a manipulating leader who is getting a lot of heat for his actions. Gable is fantastic in this role, Zayn is perfect as the babyface trying to reason with the three people in Gable’s group and the crowd is reacting to everything perfectly. It’s going to be a big deal when Otis turns on Gable. I assume Gable is sticking around WWE with a new contract since he’s set for a match at Clash at the Castle in a couple of weeks.

Raw GM Adam Pearce was shown watching on TV. Bron Breakker walked in saying he would crush him. Bron thanked Pearce for having a match against real competition. Pearce said that Bron only has a match because Ricochet asked for it. Bron told Pearce that nobody could hold him back.

Ricochet made his entrance for singles action.

(Commercial)

Chad Gable was backstage talking to Alpha Academy. Gable thought that Dupri did a great job of faking the injury and Dupri said she was hurt. Tozawa said he was hurting too. Gable said he was so proud of Otis and kissed him on the cheek. Gable said at Clash at the Castle “we” will win “my” Intercontinental Title.

A replay was shown of Bron Breakker’s attack on Ricochet last week to set up this match.

Bron Breakker vs. Ricochet

Ricochet used his speed to hit some moves early on. Ricochet did a headscissors takedown followed by a dropkick. Ricochet hit a jumping kick to the head. Bron ran the ropes to show off his speed followed by his running clothesline. They left the ring where Bron dropped Ricochet ribs-first into the top of the barricade. That led to a break.

(Commercial)

The match returned with Ricochet hitting a DDT to counter a move. Ricochet jumped off the top cross body block followed by a springboard moonsault. Ricochet went up top, jumped off, Bron moved and Ricochet hit a superkick. Ricochet hit the Recoil knee for a two count. Ricochet kicked Bron back while Ricochet was on the top rope, but Bron came back with a Frankensteiner like uncle Scott Steiner. Bron basically took two steps to get to the top rope so quickly. Bron hit an impressive Spear for the pinfall win after seven minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Bron Breakker

Analysis: **1/2 A decisive win for Bron Breakker. Ricochet was on offense for most of the match and got more offense than I thought he would get. Bron needed just two moves to put him away with that impressive Frankensteiner followed by a Spear. The Frankensteiner was so great.

After the match, Bron kicked Ricochet out of the ring. Bron threw Ricochet into the steel steps. There were security, officials and referees that ran out to ringside. Bron picked up the steel steps. Ilja Dragunov went to ringside, punched Bron in the mouth and Bron left through the crowd.

Analysis: That should set up a Bron Breakker-Ilja Dragunov match, which will be awesome when it happens next week.

Dragon Lee was backstage where Rey Mysterio talked to him while Zelina Vega was also there. Rey told Dragon he’ll get his payback on Carlito. Rey said he’ll get revenge against Damian Priest tonight. Rey said he’ll deliver a message to Damian Priest. They were united as they put their fists together.

(Commercial)

They showed Liv Morgan at the premiere of the Bad Boys movie.

There was a replay of Liv Morgan hitting on Dominik Mysterio earlier as Pat McAfee did his unique replay style to recap it. The replay showed that Dominik was smiling, which led to Liv smiling a lot.

Kiana James was interviewed by Jackie Redmond ahead of Kiana’s debut match on Raw. James said that she’s been learning from Adam Pearce about how Raw is run and now she’s ready for her debut match. As James made her entrance, Cole mentioned she had a degree in business and was an entrepreneur before pursuing her career in WWE.

Natalya vs. Kiana James

This is Kiana’s first Raw match as mentioned in the interview. They battled over some holds leading to Natalya getting a takedown. Natalya went for a rollup. When James went for a rollup, Natalya countered it into an armbar. James sent Natalya face first into the turnbuckle. James hit a running shoulder tackle to the ribs. Natalya came back with the discus clothesline. Natalya did the step on the back leading to the running dropkick. James tried a move, but Natalya hit a German Suplex. James kicked the knee along with a kick to the head. Jame hit the 401k move that is like a flatliner and that was enough for the pinfall win. It went about three minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Kiana James

Analysis: *1/2 A short match to give Kiana James her first win in WWE. Natalya got more offense in the match and then James found a way to win by hitting her finisher. There have been reports about Natalya’s contract expiring soon. I certainly hope she stays.

The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods were interviewed by Cathy Kelley. Woods said that Karrion Kross isn’t going to break them up. Kofi Kingston said that they have done this for so long because they are the best to ever do it. Kofi did the “New Day Rocks” chant leading to Karrion Kross interrupting. Kross said that the “power of positivity” is dead. Kofi said that Karrion’s boys are going to find out tonight the hard way. After Kofi walked away, Kross told Woods he won’t have to follow him around anymore…trust me.

Analysis: The “trust me” bit at the end reminds me of Jake Roberts promos during his heel run. I’m not saying that Kross is as good as Jake or anything like that. I’m just saying it’s something Jake used to say and it was very effective for him. Anyway, I’m interested to see where this story is going.

Braun Strowman entered for his match. Pat shouted about how Braun was “one big son of a bitch” coming to the ring.

(Commercial)

There was a backstage scene where Natalya was approached by Sonya Deville, who mentioned Natalya wanted to talk. Natalya said: “Enough is enough and it’s time for a change.” That’s a line from her uncle Owen Hart. Deville walked away to talk to Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark. They told Deville to leave them alone.

Analysis: I loved the Owen Hart line by Natalya. Perhaps it will lead to a heel turn for her.

Carlito vs. Braun Strowman

Carlito hit a dropkick that barely had an impact. Strowman ran over Carlito with a running shoulder tackle. Strowman gave Carlito a forearm smash to the chest. Strowman tossed Carlito across the ring. JD McDonagh and Finn Balor were on the apron, Braun knocked them down and Carlito tried a backstabber, but that didn’t work. Braun picked up Carlito for a face-first slam into the mat for the pinfall win. It went about two minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Braun Strowman

Analysis: * Easy win for Braun Strowman as you would expect in this spot.

After the match, Braun was attacked by Balor and JD. Braun got back up leading to a double clothesline. Dominik Mysterio went into the ring and did a chop block to Braun’s left leg. Braun got back up to clear the ring. Dominik tried to attack Braun with a steel chair, but Braun punched the chair to block that. Braun chased Dominik on the floor, but that’s when Liv Morgan stood over Dominik to stop that. Braun got attacked with dives and also by JD with two steel shots to the body. JD hit Braun with repeated chair shots to Braun’s right knee. JD hit Braun about ten times with the chair. Dominik went up to Liv on the floor for a staredown, but Balor left the ring and got in the middle of it, so Liv backed away.

Analysis: It was finally a chance for the heels to get the advantage over Strowman since JD beat him down with the chair. As for the Dominik/Liv stuff, it continues to tease something happening between them and that’s when Balor appeared to break it up. I like how it is being booked.

Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair were shown walking backstage. In the background, we could see Chad Gable chatting with The Creed Brothers. Jade and Bianca are in a match up next.

Analysis: There have been rumors of Gable and The Creed Brothers forming a group, so I hope that happens.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill did an in-ring promo as the Women’s Tag Team Champions. Bianca said that they can appear on any brand as the champions. Cargill said that they had a special invitation to come to Raw, so they came to collect. Cargill dared Shayna and Zoey to run their mouths to their faces.

Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler appeared in the arena. Stark said she didn’t remember the last time those titles were on Raw. Belair said that they weren’t scared of them. Baszler said that Bianca & Jade should be scared. Jade wondered why wait and suggested they have the match right now.

Raw GM Adam Pearce walked out by the entrance area. Pearce said it sounded like they wanted this match and he asked the fans if they wanted this match, so the fans cheered. Pearce said that the match is official and it’s for the Women’s Tag Team Titles since Baszler & Stark earned a title match.

Women’s Tag Team Championships: Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill vs. Zoey Stark & Shayna Baszler

Belair hit Baszler with a body slam followed by a shoulder tackle. Belair tackled Baszler into the turnbuckle. Jade hit a running splash on Baszler in the corner. Belair tagged back in as Jade slammed Belair onto Baszler for two. Stark made the blind tag leading to a springboard dropkick on Belair. Jade was back in with a front suplex. Jade nailed Stark with a superkick. Jade missed a corner attack when Stark moved and Stark hit a jumping kick. Jade got a hold of Stark leading to a suplex tease, but Baszler saved her partner. Belair and Jade hit double vertical suplexes followed by a pose in unison in the ring. The show went to break there.

(Commercial)

The match continued with Jade hitting a fallaway slam on Baszler. Belair got the tag leading to suplexes on both opponents. Belair worked over Stark with punches, a backbreaker for Baszler and a spinebuster for Stark. Belair hit a standing moonsault on Stark for two because Baszler made the save. Stark came back with a kick to the body of Belair. Baszler was back in with a running knee lift on Belair for two. Jade pulled Baszler out of the ring and tossed Baszler into the steel steps. Baszler avoided an attack by Jade on the floor. Back in the ring, Belair hit Stark with a KOD slam. Belair tried to cover, but Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre showed up for a cheap attack. It went about ten minutes.

Winners by disqualification: Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill

Analysis: **3/4 They were on their way to a pretty good match when it ended abruptly due to Dawn & Fyre ending it with the cheap attack. All four women in the match looked impressive. Jade is definitely getting better and getting used to being in a tag team. You can tell she looked more comfortable out there. Belair was terrific as usual.

The foursome of Fyre, Dawn, Baszler & Stark beat up the champions. The champions were left laying on the mat.

Analysis: It was yet another cheap heel attack on this show. There were a few of those this week.

Damian Priest, the World Heavyweight Champion, was interviewed by Cathy Kelley backstage. Priest mentioned they have had success tonight and it feels right. Priest said he respects Rey Mysterio’s willingness to fight, but tonight he has to close the door on this issue. Cathy mentioned Liv Morgan, but that’s when Drew McIntyre interrupted. Priest asked Drew how his life is going and Drew said his life will be good in less than two weeks (at Clash at the Castle when Drew beats Damian). Drew told Priest to enjoy this because this is as high as he’s ever going to reach. Drew said that Priest wanted to make this personal, now it’s personal and Drew will see him real soon.

Analysis: I think Drew McIntyre should win at Clash at the Castle, but I’m not sure if it’s going to happen.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from Jey Uso

Jey Uso made his entrance from the back part of the arena and the arena was lit up with cell phone light along with arm swinging. Jey did a promo from the stairs. Jey said that he still has some big plans for himself. Jey spoke about how last summer he lost his brothers, he lost his cousin, but he stayed in the fight because he knew one day he could possibly fight on his own. Jey said that he wasn’t a right hand man anymore and he could finally be “Main Event” Jey Uso. That led to Jey thanking the fans for “yeeting” with him on his journey. Jey found a kid with a “Yeet” shirt. Jey spoke about his plan for the summer. Jey said he’s going to climb the ladder, snatch that briefcase and become Mr. Money in the Bank. Jey’s music played to end it.

Analysis: A different spot for a promo. I don’t mind it because Jey Uso is so popular with the fans. Jey saying that he’s going to win Money in the Bank is a bold statement. He would be a good choice.

Lyra Valkyria was interviewed by Cathy Kelley. Lyra was asked about how Becky Lynch was doing and Lyra gave a generic answer about how she’ll bounce back. Lyra said that she has shown she can compete here and her next goal is Money in the Bank. IYO SKY showed up to interrupt the interview with a random attack. Sky tossed Lyra into a few objects.

Analysis: Lyra Valkyria beat Iyo Sky to make the finals of Queen of the Ring so Sky is still angry about that.

The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods entered for tag team action.

(Commercial)

Authors of Pain – Akam & Rezar (w/Karrion Kross, Scarlett & Paul Ellering) vs. The New Day – Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods

Woods started against Rezar with a kick to the leg. Rezar came back with a boot to the face. Akam tagged in with a running knee attack on Woods. The AOP made some quick tags to isolate Woods. They did a spot where Woods did a superkick. Kross distracted Kofi, so Woods couldn’t tag out. Akam punched Kofi off the apron. AOP double teamed Woods leading to a double team Powerbomb called What A Rush. It went about three minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Authors of Pain – Akam & Rezar

Analysis: ** It continued the story of Karrion Kross playing mind games with The New Day since he distracted Kofi to prevent a tag and Woods being unable to tag out led to AOP getting the win.

After the match, Woods was looking up at Kofi as if to ask what happened? Kross was shouting from a distance and telling Woods to stop listening to Kofi.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn were interviewed backstage. They spoke about how Clash at the Castle is in their home country of Scotland, so they won’t wait for opportunities because they are going to take them.

Analysis: Alba and Isla being part of Clash at the Castle in their home country of Scotland makes sense. A triple threat Women’s Tag Team Title match seems likely.

Next week on Raw:

* Lyra Valkyria vs. IYO SKY

* Sami Zayn vs. Otis

* Ilja Dragunov vs. Bron Breakker

Analysis: That Dragunov vs. Breakker match will be a lot of fun. They didn’t interact that much in NXT. I’m a big fan of both guys.

Rey Mysterio made his entrance for the main event.

(Commercial)

Damian Priest vs. Rey Mysterio

This was not for Priest’s World Heavyweight Title. Priest knocked down Rey with a boot to the chest. Priest hit a Broken Arrow slam for two. Rey delivered a kick to the body followed by a hurricanrana sending Priest out of the ring. Rey hit a springboard moonsault onto Priest on the floor. Rey tried a leaping attack in the ring, but Priest caught Rey and hit a flatliner into the mat. Priest worked over Rey with punches.

(Commercial)

The match continued with Priest sending Rey hard into the turnbuckle followed by a sidewalk slam. Priest nailed Rey with a forearm smash to the face that knocked Rey out of the ring. Back in the ring, Rey hit a spinning heel kick and a step up enziguri kick. Priest sent Rey into the turnbuckle, Rey avoided a charge and Priest hit the turnbuckle. Rey did a hurricanrana that sent Priest into the turnbuckle. Priest kicked Rey to prevent a springboard attack. Rey fought back with a kick to the head. Rey went up top leading to the seated senton and a springboard cross body block for two. Rey worked over Priest with punches until Priest tossed Rey into the turnbuckle. Rey came back with an impressive spinning DDT for two. Rey sent Priest into the ropes. Priest got back up going for a kick, Rey avoided it and Priest caught Rey leading to Priest sending Rey head first into the top rope for snake eyes. Priest hit a running clothesline for two. They battled by the turnbuckle where Priest held Rey above his shoulders, but Rey slipped out of that. Rey jumped off the top of the ring post leading to a top rope hurricanrana. Rey dropkicked Priest into the ropes leading to the 619 kick. Rey did a slingshot Dropping The Dime move for two. It’s a move that Rey has won with many times before. Carlito showed up at ringside so Dragon Lee showed up to beat up Carlito. Finn Balor & JD McDonagh beat up Lee at ringside. Rey hit a corkscrew plancha on Finn & JD on the floor. Back in the ring, Rey went up top, Priest got a hold of him and Priest dropped him with a South of Heaven slam off the top for the pinfall win. It went 14 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Damian Priest

Analysis: *** A pretty good match. The finish felt repetitive since we already saw something like that match ending earlier in the show. I’m not saying Rey should have won, nor did I think he should win. All I mean is that having Rey dealing with the guys on the floor makes him look a bit foolish and then it’s easy picking for Priest after that. It’s not a clean win for Priest, but it’s a decisive victory.

After the match, Drew McIntyre attacked Priest from behind. Drew dropped Priest with a Future Shock DDT. Drew picked up the World Championship and stared at it. Drew knocked down Balor with a clothesline, headbutt to Carlito and an overhead suplex on JD across the ring. Drew cleared off the commentary table. Drew asked Cole if he wanted to call him a hypocrite. When Drew turned around, Priest picked him up and Priest gave Drew a Chokeslam through the table.

Damian Priest posed with the World Heavyweight Title over a fallen McIntyre. A referee checked on Drew, who was selling a rib injury. That was the end of the show.

Analysis: At the start of the show it was mentioned by Priest that he wanted The Judgment Day to remind people how dominant they are and that’s what they did throughout the show. Priest looked strong during that exchange with Drew. The build has been okay for a heel-heel matchup.

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Three Stars of the Show

1. Sheamus/Ludwig Kaiser
2. Liv Morgan
3. Damian Priest, Rey Mysterio and Bron Breakker

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The Scoreboard

7.25 out of 10

Last week: 7.25

2024 Average: 7.62

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Final Thoughts on WWE Raw

I thought it was a good episode of Raw that advanced a lot of stories. The in-ring action was solid most of the night, but I wouldn’t say there was any match that stood out that much. I liked the way they followed up on the Liv Morgan-Dominik Mysterio as Liv continues to do the best character work of her career. They are keeping people guessing and that’s the right way to book it.

It felt like a week where the heels got the advantage a lot with cheap attacks. The attacks after matches felt consistent throughout the night. The Judgment Day beating up Braun Strowman, Bron Breakker taking out Ricochet, Chad Gable getting the advantage over Sami Zayn, Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill getting beat up by four women and so on. If you look at match results, the heels won most of them while the babyface winners got beat up after matches a lot.

To add onto the heels having a good night, it was also a big night for The Judgment Day. Damian Priest encouraged the group earlier in the show and by the end of it, they were standing tall.

The next WWE PLE is Clash at the Castle on June 15th in Glasgow, Scotland. Here is the lineup so far.

* WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

* WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Piper Niven

* Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Chad Gable

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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/X @johnreport