Reviews

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

By John Canton • Published 24th June 2024
WWE Raw Deal June 24 Review

It’s WWE Raw featuring Braun Strowman, Chad Gable & Bronson Reed in a Money in the Bank qualifier, plus Drew McIntyre is back after he “quit” last week, and more.

I think the WWE product is hot again since I gave last week’s Raw an 8 out of 10 featuring the Wyatt Sicks making their highly anticipated debut. Meanwhile, Smackdown was even better because I gave it a 9/10 rating thanks to some great matches and The Bloodline adding Jacob Fatu. The road to Money in the Bank is going well.

This is the Raw Deal for episode #1622 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.

It was Michael Cole on commentary with The Miz, who is one half of the World Tag Team Champions. Pat McAfee isn’t there even though he lives in Indianapolis where Raw takes place. Cole was trying to talk about the Wyatt Sicks, but Drew McIntyre walked into the ring without his music playing.

Analysis: Pat McAfee did his YouTube/ESPN show earlier in the day with Triple H as a guest on it. I assume this is some angle related to the Wyatt Sicks since they sent some “messages” on Pat’s YouTube show last week.

Let’s Hear from Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre said that last week people were talking about how he quit on Raw, but they’re not talking about it now. Drew said they’re talking about what he did to CM Punk. They showed a clip of Drew (with bloody fists) dropping a bloody Punk by the entrance on Smackdown. Punk was taken away in an ambulance. Drew said that he prayed for this and the big man made it happen…himself. Drew mentioned the fans chanting CM Punk’s name, so the fans chanted Punk again. Drew talked about Punk screwing him over at WrestleMania and Clash at the Castle. Drew said that he promised his sick wife the World Title and Punk cost him that.

Drew spoke into the camera saying he was talking to Punk. Drew said that he hopes Punk is uncomfortable, in pain and fed through a straw because Drew put him there. Drew said he also took a bracelet that said Larry (Punk’s dog) and AJ (Punk’s wife) on it. Drew called Larry a stupid-looking dog. Drew said that Punk wears this so he can take them with him so he doesn’t feel alone and the fans did a “Larry” chant. Drew said Punk is alone now in pain and miserable. Drew said that he’s going to enter the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and Drew will win while Punk lays there alone and miserable because of McIntyre. Drew said that he felt alone when everybody accepted Punk even though Drew told them what kind of person Punk is. Drew said he’s not alone anymore because (he put the bracelet on) he has Punk’s dog and wife – his family – in Drew’s corner now. Drew said that he was going to win Money in the Bank and win the World Heavyweight Title that night in spite of Punk’s ass. Drew left while showing off the bracelet.

Analysis: It was a strong promo from Drew McIntyre as usual. I certainly don’t mind it if Drew is in Money in the Bank because he’s a big name that would add star power to it. That’s the kind of match where it makes sense to have CM Punk come back and shove a ladder over while Drew is on it to prevent Drew from winning. I think Jey Uso is going to be a popular pick to win Money in the Bank and he might be my pick, but the full field hasn’t been announced yet.

There was a video package about the Wyatt Sicks making their debut last week at the end of Raw.

Chad Gable was shown exiting a car and he had a big bandage covering the right side of his forehead. Four security guards walked with Gable into the arena while Gable refused to talk about what happened.

Bron Breakker made his entrance for a match with Ludwig Kaiser up next.

(Commercial)

Cathy Kelley was backstage trying to talk to Chad Gable, who was in his locker room. There were security guys outside the door. Gable wasn’t interested in talking.

Ludwig Kaiser was interviewed by Jackie Redmond. Kaiser said last week he experienced how strong and fast Bron Breakker is. Kaiser said he’ll show us why Breakker is no Ludwig Kaiser and Kaiser left for his entrance.

Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Kaiser ruined the Breakker match with Sheamus last week, so Bron is against Kaiser this week. They are both heels too. Bron ran the ropes leading to a running clothesline. The fans popped for that because of how impressive it looked. Kaiser trapped Bron against the ropes and pulled on his arm against the ropes. Kaiser kicked Bron in the body to knock him down. Bron gave Kaiser repeated shoulder tackles to the ribs. Kaiser did a thumb to Bron’s eye while the referee wasn’t looking. Kaiser kicked Bron in the back of the leg. Kaiser sent Bron into the turnbuckle leading to Kaiser hitting a dropkick on Bron, who was upside down in the ropes. The fans chanted “you suck” on Kaiser and cheered Bron tackling Kaiser into the ring apron, so Bron is clearly the face to this crowd. Bron jumped off the apron with a clothesline on Kaiser that sent them over the commentary table. Bron did that to Sheamus last week. It got a pop here just like last week.

(Commercial)

The match continued with Kaiser on offense with punches. Kaiser slapped Bron in the face, so Bron fired up and came back with punches, which led to cheers. Bron ran the ropes leading to a leaping back elbow. Bron did an overhead suplex across the ring followed by a German Suplex. The fans chanted “Let’s Go Breakker” for Bron, who set up Kaiser on the top rope. Bron was knocked down, but then he jumped back up and hit a Frankensteiner! That was great. The fans were cheering that. Kaiser tried a move, but Bron came back with a toss over the top to the floor. Bron charged at Kaiser on the floor, Kaiser moved and Bron went crashing into the steel steps. Kaiser ran around the ring and Sheamus nailed him with a jumping knee smash with the referee looking right at it. That’s a DQ finish. It went about 11 minutes.

Winner by disqualification: Ludwig Kaiser

Analysis: *** A good match for the time given and considering it had a DQ finish. I noted in the writeup that they were both heels going into it, but the fans were strongly behind Breakker and you could tell how it was booked that Bron was the face here. I think Bron is going to win over the fans every time he has a match because he’s so physically gifted. That pop for the Frankensteiner was great.

Sheamus cleared up the commentary table. Sheamus tried a Powerbomb, but Bron was back up and Bron hit Sheamus with a Spear so Kaiser collapsed onto Sheamus on the floor.

Analysis: Bron Breakker looked like a huge star in the match and the post match attack as well.

They showed The Judgment Day’s clubhouse/dressing room. They were playing the WWE 2K24 video game and Dominik Mysterio told Damian Priest that these were all gifts from Liv Morgan. It was Carlito playing with JD McDonagh. Dominik showed some text he received that he said was from Liv Morgan. All the guys looked at he photo with Carlito saying: “That’s cool!” Damian advised Dominik to end this thing with Liv Morgan tonight. Priest said that they should have handled Braun Strowman by now, but they are playing video games instead. Priest left. Balor said to Carlito and JD that Priest is right and they need to handle Strowman tonight.

Lyra Valkyria made her entrance for a triple threat Money in the Bank qualifying match up next.

(Commercial)

Bron Breakker was shown talking to Raw General Manager Adam Pearce backstage. Bron complained to Pearce about people interfering in his matches because Bron wants a shot at the Intercontinental Title. Sami Zayn, the Intercontinental Champion, walked up to Bron to say if he wanted a title shot he’s got it. Bron said let’s do it at Money in the Bank and Sami was fine with that. Adam Pearce made it official.

Analysis: That’s a huge Intercontinental Title match for Money in the Bank in Toronto. It is Bron Breakker’s first main roster WWE PLE match and I think he’s going to win the Intercontinental Title at that show.

Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Lyra Valkyria

Lyra got a pin attempt on Baszler, but Sane broke it up. Sane hit an impressive headscissors/armdrag on both women. Sane went up top and jumped onto both women with a cross body block onto Baszler/Valkyria on the floor. They went to break about two minutes into this match.

(Commercial)

Sane did an impressive hurricanrana on Baszler on the apron. Lyra dropkicked Sane on the floor. Back in the ring, Lyra hit a missile dropkick off the top and a Fisherman’s Buster on Sane for two. Baszler hit a belly-to-back suplex on Lyra for two. Sane was back in with a neckbreaker on Baszler. Sane went for a top rope, but Baszler got her feet up to block it. Lyra rolled up Baszler for two. Lyra nailed Baszler with an enziguri kick with a loud leg slap. Lyra hit a gutwrench Powerbomb on Sane for two because Baszler hit a knee strike on Lyra and Baszler covered Lyra for two. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for the ladies. Sane hit Baszler with a back fist to the face. Baszler kicked Sane, who was on the top rope. Lyra lifted Baszler, who countered it and applied a Kirifuda Clutch. Lyra rolled out of it and Sane hit the Insane Elbow off the top on Baszler. Lyra hit the Nightwing slam on Sane for the pinfall win after about ten minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Lyra Valkyria

Analysis: ***1/4 A good match with the fans getting into it as evidenced by the “this is awesome” chant. They did a nice job of having a match that was full of nearfalls and exciting moments. I liked the counter wrestling by all three women. Baszler had Lyra trapped in the Kirifuda Clutch, Lyra broke free, Sane hit the Insane Elbow on Baszler and Lyra was able to capitalize right away with the Nightwing to win. They executed it well.

The win by Lyra Valkyria means she is in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match with Chelsea Green and IYO SKY. There are expected to be six women in the match.

Drew McIntyre was backstage talking to Raw GM Adam Pearce. Drew said he should be in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Pearce said that he can’t just put Drew in the Ladder Match because everybody has to qualify. Drew complained about CM Punk costing him the World Heavyweight Title and Seth Rollins getting a World Title shot even though he’s been gone for over two months. Drew threatened Pearce by saying he knew Pearce would do the right thing.

Liv Morgan was shown walking down the hallway wearing a “Daddy’s Girl” shirt while carrying the Women’s World Title. Live walked out to the arena while the camera followed her right through the curtain and she walked out to the ring with a big smile on her face. Liv gets some promo time up next.

(Commercial)

The video aired about an announcement from earlier in the day letting us know Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is going to hold the 2025 Royal Rumble as well as a future two-night WrestleMania and two-night SummerSlam. The 2025 Royal Rumble is at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on February 1st.

They showed Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers at ringside. He’s a legit wrestling fan and a great player. Tyrese had US Champion Logan Paul on his Facetime as Miz greeted Tyrese at ringside.

Let’s Hear from Liv Morgan

Liv Morgan: “Oh Dominik.” Liv said since she couldn’t get a hold of Dominik backstage, she wanted to come out here to get his attention. Liv said that she knows that Dominik is playing hard to get but he’ll realize this is what he really wants. Liv said that she hopes Dominik likes her gifts. Liv said that Rhea had never gotten Dom gifts. Liv wanted “Daddy Dom” to come out here right now so she could give him another gift right here in front of all these people.

Zelina Vega showed up to shut up Morgan. Vega trashed Morgan for going after Rhea Ripley’s sloppy seconds. Vega said she was coming after the Women’s World Championship. Vega got into the ring while Liv (who looked huge wearing heels) said that this title means a lot to her since she took out Rhea Ripley and sent Becky Lynch into early retirement. Vega spoke about how she thinks that Liv should put that Women’s World Title on the line right now. Liv said she’s busy right now so maybe next week. Vega said she didn’t want to wait until next week.

Dominik Mysterio…with mustache…walked out for a promo while the fans booed him loudly. Liv asked “Daddy Dom” if he liked the gifts she got him. Dominik said he got the gifts, but he didn’t like them. Liv said she knew Dom loves the text she sent him. Dominik got into the ring with Liv while fans chanted “sloppy seconds” for this.

Vega said that if Liv was too afraid to fight, she didn’t have to bring her man out here to get in the way. Dominik said that he is not Liv’s man. The fans kept booing Dominik loudly. Dominik told Vega if she wants to fight for the Women’s World Championship then he wants to help. Dominik claimed that he wanted to see anybody but Liv with that title. Vega told Dominik she didn’t need his help. Liv attacked Vega from behind by pulling her by the hair. Rey Mysterio walked out to the ring and Rey pulled Liv off Vega since Rey was helping his LWO ally Vega. That led to Dominik turning Rey around and shoving Rey on his ass. Liv was all smiles thinking that Dominik was there to defend her. Dominik left the ring while Liv followed him to the back.

Analysis: The story continues with Dominik helping Liv Morgan just because Dominik doesn’t like his father Rey, so Dominik shoved Rey on his ass and Liv smiled about it. We heard Dominik say that he didn’t want Live to be champion, yet here he was coming to her aid. Liv did a great job of selling it with her facial expressions. Liv has been excellent throughout this story and the fans react to her flirtatious behavior really well. Also, it likely sets up a Vega-Morgan match which is fine because Vega is a solid wrestler who Morgan can beat until it’s time for Rhea Ripley to come back perhaps around SummerSlam time.

Cathy Kelley was backstage outside of Chad Gable’s locker room. Cathy said that Raw GM Adam Pearce and the medical team was there to check on Gable. Pearce walked out of the ring saying that Gable was medically cleared to compete tonight. Pearce said that Gable wasn’t ready to talk about last week, but Pearce thinks that Gable is focused on his match tonight.

A video package aired about Seth “Freakin” Rollins losing at WrestleMania 40. They showed Rollins looking emotional. It also showed highlights of Seth’s WWE career along with clips with his wife Becky Lynch and their daughter Roux. They showed Rollins training to get back to full health since he dealt with injuries before he left. It also showed Rollins coming back to Raw unannounced last week. At Money in the Bank, Rollins will face Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Title.

Braun Strowman made his entrance for singles action. Cole tried to call him “one big son of a bitch” like Pat McAfee does it, but Cole’s effort was weaker, which Miz criticized. Braun’s triple threat match was up next.

This week on Smackdown: Find out what happens next for The Bloodline now that they have Jacob Fatu. It’s a Bloodline Acknowledge Ceremony from Madison Square Garden in NYC.

(Commercial)

Dominik Mysterio was shown walking backstage while Liv Morgan was behind him. Liv thanked Dominik for saving her from his deadbeat dad. Dominik said that he didn’t save her – he just didn’t like his deadbeat dad. Liv hugged Dominik while Dominik didn’t hug her back. Dominik left. R-Truth walked up with the World Tag Team Titles and talked to Liv. That led to R-Truth saying “Tom and Nick Mysterio” again while Liv wondered if Truth could do her a favor by giving Dom’s friends Finn & JD a tag team match. Truth said sure, so Liv told him to make sure to tell Raw GM Adam Pearce about it.

The Miz was shown watching that while on commentary and said he had to go talk to Pearce before Truth did. Miz ran to the back, so Cole was on commentary alone.

Chad Gable made his entrance alone while Bronson Reed and Braun Strowman were in the ring. Gable said that the rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. Gable said he was left bloody, bludgeoned and left for dead by monsters. Gable said that he cannot be killed and Chad Gable lives. Gable spoke about how he’ll face two more monsters this week. Gable claimed he would call himself Master in the Bank. While he got in the ring, there were technical difficulties on the screens around the ring.

Men’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Chad Gable vs. Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed

Gable tried to get some offense, but he was punched and knocked out of the ring. Reed sent Braun into the ropes, Braun broke free and hit a shoulder tackle. Braun charged, so Reed lowered the ropes leading to Braun bumping to the floor. Reed picked up Gable and tossed him out of the ring. Braun held onto Gable, so Reed hit a suicide dive onto both guys on the floor. Big move by a big man.

(Commercial)

The big man Braun was dominating with a shoulder tackle and he tossed Gable into Reed as well. Braun left the ring to run over Gable and Reed with shoulder tackles on the floor. Back in the ring, Reed sent Braun into the ring post. Gable hit a German Suplex on Reed for two. Gable up top, Braun stopped that. Braun sent Reed into the ring post followed by Braun giving Reed a powerslam on the floor. The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh and their buddy Carlito attacked Braun. No disqualification in a triple threat. Balor did a chop block to Braun’s leg as the others stomped on Braun on the floor. Gable went up top slowly and Gable hit the moonsault on Reed for the pinfall win after about eight minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Chad Gable

Analysis: **3/4 A cheap win for Gable since Strowman dominated the match until the attack from The Judgment Day. You don’t see Gable winning with the top rope moonsault that often, but Reed did take a lot of punishment from Strowman, so I think it’s okay as a finishing move in that spot.

That win means Chad Gable joins Jey Uso, Carmelo Hayes and Andrade in the Men’s Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match. It will have six guys in it, but we know Drew McIntyre wants in too.

As Chad Gable celebrated the win, the lights went out in the arena and smoke filled the ring. Nikki Cross showed up and crawled toward Gable, who left the ring. Cross grabbed something at ringside and placed it on the commentary table in front of Michael Cole. There were security guys that looked like they were beaten up around there. Cross walked out of the arena while the spotlight was on her and she faded away into the darkened night. The scene ended there.

Analysis: There’s the first Wyatt Sicks sighting of the night. The fans reacted to it strongly and there really wasn’t much to it, but it’s a captivating story already.

(Commercial)

There was a replay of what happened before the break.

Michael Cole opened the box that was addressed to Pat McAfee. Cole opened it to reveal a VHS tape that said “PLAY ME” on it. Cole handed it to somebody at ringside to take out to the production truck.

Chad Gable was shown walking backstage where he knocked on the door. It was Alpha Academy’s Otis, Akira Tozawa & Maxxine Dupri. Gable said he was truly sorry for how he acted in the last two months. Gable said that family sticks together. Otis said he meant what he said when he said they were done. Otis and Tozawa went back into the ring. Dupri told Chad that he really hurt Otis. Dupri said they are really glad that Chad is okay. Dupri said she’ll try to talk to Otis and she went into the room. The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile walked up to Chad asking if he was okay. Chad said he was not alright and said he needed help.

Analysis: It’s good to see Otis and friends not wanting to get back together with Chad Gable as allies. There was yet another tease of The Creed Brothers working with Chad Gable, which is something that I like a lot as a heel group.

Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre vs. Kayden Carter & Katana Chance

Carter went Fyre into the middle ropes and tossed Dawn out of the ring. Carter did a sliding kick on both opponents on the floor. Chance was launched leading to a double cross body block on the champions. They went to break one minute into the match.

(Commercial)

The match continued with Carter hitting a double DDT on both opponents. Chance tagged in leading to Carter lifting her partner and Chance did a handstand into a splash for two because Fyre broke up the pin. Fyre stopped a double team move with a trip. Dawn kicked Chance. Fyre tagged in for a Gory Bomb/legsweep combo on Chance for the pinfall. It went about six minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre

Analysis: ** It was just an average tag team match. We only got to see about three minutes due to the break. This was just a basic match to show the champions Fyre & Dawn work well together and they outsmarted their opponents.

After the match, Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY, Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane attacked Fyre, Dawn, Chance and Carter. Sky went up top and hit Over the Moonsault on Fyre & Dawn. Damage CTRL stood tall to end it.

Analysis: It was a heel team attacking the heel Tag Team Champions. We need some babyface teams like the former champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill, but I think those former champions are moving on from this.

Damian Priest was shown walking into The Judgment Day dressing room while Liv Morgan was leaving the room. It was just Finn Balor in the room. Priest grabbed his World Heavyweight Title to address Seth Rollins. Balor told Priest to relax. Finn said that Liv got Dominik a match with Rey Mysterio next week. Also, Liv got Finn & JD McDonagh a World Tag Team Title match against The Miz & R-Truth later tonight. Balor said that it’s not ideal, but he’ll take what he can get. Balor said that Liv was too good to be true for him and Priest scoffed at that. Priest wished Balor good luck in his title match.

(Commercial)

A commercial aired for the WrestleMania 40 documentary showing a lot of behind-the-scenes footage. It’s finally coming next Wednesday, July 3rd on WWE’s YouTube channel. It’s called “WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain.”

Analysis: Finally. That’s going to be great.

The Miz walked up to R-Truth (they are the World Tag Team Champions) wondering if he talked to Adam Pearce. Truth said he did and their match is official. Truth said that this is about love. The Miz said he didn’t care about that. Truth told Liv he loved him, but only as a friend, and Truth left.

Let’s Hear from Damian Priest…and Seth Rollins

The World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest walked out to the ring for a promo. Priest said that he agreed with a lot of what Seth Rollins said to him last week. Priest spoke about how he didn’t want to become like Rollins. Priest told Rollins that as long as Priest remains champion, Seth will never see the mountaintop again.

Seth “Freakin” Rollins made his entrance to a big pop while the fans sang his song. When Rollins eventually got in the ring, he reminded Priest it was still Monday Night Rollins. Seth said that Priest claimed as long he’s champion, Rollins will never get that World Heavyweight Title back. Rollins said he didn’t believe in that confidence while claiming it was false bravado. Rollins told Priest they don’t believe in him as the champion. Rollins said Priest claimed he didn’t want any help, but in both of his title defenses, it was obvious that Priest needed that help. Rollins said without The Judgment Day and CM Punk, Priest wouldn’t be World Champion right now.

Priest said he never asked for help, but people got involved. Priest said he can’t change what happened. Priest said he can look at Rollins while holding the World Title while Rollins represents the past while holding nothing. Rollins said that he had a lot of respect for Priest, but he didn’t appreciate being one-upped by Priest. Rollins respected Priest to a World Title match at Money in the Bank. Rollins said he was there to one up Priest tonight.

Rollins suggested that they should sweeten the pot a bit. Rollins called it a gentleman’s agreement. Rollins said that if Priest somehow beats Rollins at Money in the Bank then Rollins will never challenge for the World Title again as long as Priest is the champion. Rollins said when he beats Priest at Money in the Bank, Priest had to leave The Judgment Day. The fans chanted “YES” for that. Priest was silent as he thought about it. Rollins said then we’ll find out if Priest can walk a mile in Seth’s shoes. Priest claimed The Judgment Day needs him a whole lot more than Priest needs them. Priest accepted the agreement. Priest shook hands with Rollins.

Analysis: An interesting deal by two men. It was respectful. I think Priest will win.

GUNTHER interrupted the promo exchange as the King of the Ring walked down to the ring. As King of the Ring winner, Gunther will challenge the World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam on August 3rd. Gunther got in the ring with both men.

Gunther summarized it by talking about Seth Rollins as the former champion while Priest is the World Heavyweight Champion. Gunther said that he can’t wait to see this match. Gunther said may the better man win. Gunther added that at SummerSlam, the better man out of you two will be the lesser man when he steps into the ring with Gunther. That led to Gunther leaving.

Analysis: I think Gunther will be the World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam. I certainly want to see it happen.

Up next is Kofi Kingston in action against Karrion Kross.

What Was On The Mysterious VHS Tape?

They showed what was on the VHS tape that was introduced earlier. It was grainy footage featuring Uncle Howdy asked: “Are you happy? How have you been since the loss?” He asked somebody if he remembers who he is. Bo Dallas was shown saying he was a nobody. Howdy asked Bo how it felt when his brother (Bray Wyatt) died. Dallas talked about how difficult it was when his brother was taken away from him. Dallas said that nothing was going to matter again. Howdy asked if Bo thought he was exploiting his brother’s legacy. Bo said all he ever wanted was to be like his brother because he looked up to him and worked his whole life to work next to him. Bo said that they finally made it and they had it. Bo said that it was taken away from him. Bo said that nobody on Earth feels more hurt from his loss than him. Bo talked about how nobody feels what he feels. Bo said that they wanted to forget about him and “all of us.” Bo said that they made them all remember. Howdy: “Yes we did.” It ended there.

Here’s the transcript of what Bo said:

“All I ever wanted my whole life was to be like my brother. I looked up to him and I wanted to be him. And I worked my entire career, my life, so I could have the opportunity, so I could work there next to him. And we were gonna rule together, and we finally made it, we were there and we had it. And then it was taken away from me.

There is no-one on this earth that feels more hurt than me from his loss. Not one person on earth feels what I feel. What am I supposed to do, let him become a mausoleum? Let everybody forget about what he stood for, what he fought for, what he believed in? They wanted to forget about me. They wanted to forget about all of us. We made them remember. We made them all remember.”

Analysis: Excellent segment. This is going to get a lot of people talking about the show in a positive way and that’s a good thing. I think it is pretty obvious to most people watching that Uncle Howdy and Bo Dallas are the same person. Obviously, those of us who read about wrestling on the internet knew that, but it was important for the story on television to tell us that as well. Having Howdy say “yes we did” at the end of it was their way of showing how Bo Dallas turned into this Uncle Howdy character. I liked it because it made you pay attention, listen to every word carefully, and try to figure out what was happening. Good idea for a segment to continue this Wyatt Sicks story.

(Commercial)

Kofi Kingston vs. Karrion Kross

They agreed to not have any allies at ringside. Kofi dropkicked Kross out of the ring. Kofi ran the ropes and hit a somersault dive over the top onto Kross on the floor. Back in the ring, Kofi jumped off the top, Kross moved and Kross hit a backbreaker. Kross hit a Death Valley Driver for a two count. Kofi rolled out of the ring leading to a break.

(Commercial)

The match continued with Kofi hitting an elbow smash and dropkick. Kofi hit a kick followed by a cross body block off the top. Kofi hit a leaping clothesline followed by the Boom Drop leg drop. Paul Ellering, AOP, and Scarlett were on screen as we saw AOP beating up Xavier Woods backstage. Kross lifted up Kofi leading to the Final Prayer slam that ended like a spike DDT style move. It went only six minutes. Kross held up seven fingers because he’s beaten seven World Champions in WWE.

Winner by pinfall: Karrion Kross

Analysis: *3/4 A cheap win for Kross since he benefitted from the distraction with the rest of the Final Testament beating up Xavier Woods backstage. That distracted Kofi, Kross capitalized and that was it. I don’t know where the story is going. I hope it ends with Big E returning to help Kofi and Xavier, but I don’t expect that to be the story.

Up next is a look at what happened at the end of Smackdown.

(Commercial)

A video aired showing the end of Smackdown last Friday. It was an incredible debut for Jacob Fatu taking out Randy Orton, Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes.

It was announced that at Money in the Bank, there will be a six-man tag team match: WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline. They had four guys and Paul Heyman pictured for The Bloodline.

Analysis: That match was expected based on the booking of late. I think Cody’s team will lose with Solo Sikoa getting the pin. That will set up Cody vs. Solo at SummerSlam.

Next week on Raw:

* Men’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Ilja Dragunov

* Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Zoey Stark vs. Dakota Kai vs. Ivy Nile

* Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

* Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega

It was main event time with The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor & JD McDonagh up first. That match was up next.

(Commercial)

The Miz and R-Truth made their entrance as the WWE World Tag Team Champions.

WWE World Tag Team Championships: Awesome Truth – R-Truth & The Miz vs. The Judgment Day – Finn Balor & JD McDonagh

Truth kicked Balor in the gut followed by a scissors kick to the back. Truth hit a running splash on Balor against the turnbuckle. Miz and Truth did a double team elbow on Balor. Miz and Truth hit a double hiptoss on JD along with a double team facebuster. Miz and Truth clotheslined JD out of the ring. Liv Morgan walked down to ringside.

(Commercial)

The Irish heels were in control as Balor stomped on Truth while JD hit a moonsault on Truth for a two count. Balor was back in, Truth kicked Balor and Truth-Balor did the double clothesline spot. Miz tagged in with kicks on JD repeatedly. Miz hit his running corner clothesline. Miz tripped up Balor on the apron. Dominik Mysterio and the J-Day associate Carlito was there too. Miz went up top and hit a cross block for two. Miz hit double knees to the face of JD and there was no cover. Miz hit a double DDT on Balor and JD. Miz covered JD for two. JD got a rollup on Miz for two. Miz kicked Dominik into the commentary table. Miz gave JD the Skull Crushing finale for two because Carlito put JD’s foot on the bottom rope. Miz grabbed Carlito at ringside. JD came back with a headbutt on Miz. Braun Strowman ran down to ringside and chased others to the back except Liv Morgan. Truth tagged in with two shoulder tackles followed by a spinning slam. Balor broke free, so Truth applied an STF submission and JD broke it up. Miz jumped off the top, but JD hit him with a dropkick. Truth slammed JD and Balor rolled up Truth for two. Truth slammed Balor beside JD. That led to Truth his John Cena-like Five Knuckle Shuffle on both guys. Liv went on the apron, she spoke to Truth and Liv hugged Truth. The referee was looking at JD, so Liv did a necksnap to Truth against the top rope. Balor dropkick Truth into the turnbuckle. Balor went up top and hit the Coup de Grace double foot stomp for the one…two…and three. It went about 12 minutes.

Winners by pinfall AND NEW World Tag Team Champions: The Judgment Day – Finn Balor & JD McDonagh

Analysis: *** I liked the match. There was a lot of interference and chaos at ringside, but it was still an entertaining match. I thought a title change was possible just because of how the Liv Morgan story was going. Congratulations to JD on being a first-time Tag Team Champion in WWE. I didn’t expect Miz and Truth to have a long title reign, so seeing them lose the titles after two and a half months is fine with me.

The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor & JD McDonagh celebrated with the World Tag Team Titles. A laughing Liv Morgan walked in behind them with her title as well. That’s how Raw ended.

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Three Stars of the Show

  1. Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy
  2. Chad Gable
  3. Finn Balor & JD McDonagh

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The Scoreboard

7.25 out of 10

Last week: 8

2024 Average: 7.62

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Final Thoughts on WWE Raw

I thought it was a pretty good Raw. I rated last week higher, but I still liked this episode. There was a lot of Liv Morgan throughout the show as she attempted to impress Dominik Mysterio. That led to Finn Balor & JD McDonagh becoming World Tag Team Champions also thanks to Liv Morgan. There was so much time dedicated to that Liv story throughout the show. Other matches were solid like Bron Breakker-Ludwig Kaiser even with another disqualification finish. At least Bron gets an IC Title match against Sami Zayn at Money in the Bank, which I expect Bron to win.

That segment where a videotape played Uncle Howdy “interviewing” Bo Dallas was excellent. Yes, a lot of fans know that Bo “is” Uncle Howdy, but you need to try to explain things like that so at least we got a bit of insight into Bo’s mindset. I’m hoping we learn more about the others in the Wyatt Sicks group and why they are a part of it. Hopefully that comes in the weeks that follow.

It was a weird night for commentary on the show. There was no Pat McAfee all night while The Miz was there beside Michael Cole for just over one hour. For nearly two hours, it was just Cole by himself. The two MITB qualifying matches were solid. I’m happy with Chad Gable being in MITB thanks to The Judgment Day taking out Braun Strowman while Lyra Valkyria had another strong showing in the women’s match. Lastly, I really liked that Drew McIntyre promo trashing CM Punk, which is something he’s great doing.

The next WWE PLE is Money in the Bank on Saturday, July 6th in Toronto with this lineup so far.

* World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Seth “Freakin” Rollins

* Men’s Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. two more wrestlers

* Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline – Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa (They did not specify what three members will be in the match)

* Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Bron Breakker

* Women’s Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match: IYO SKY vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. three more wrestlers

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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