The John Report: WWE Raw Deal 08/26/24 Review
It’s WWE Raw featuring the mysterious Uncle Howdy in action against Chad Gable, Braun Strowman facing Bronson Reed, and more.
There is sad news in the wrestling world again on Monday after we learned about wrestling legend “Sycho” Sid Eudy passing away at the age of 63 years old due to cancer. Sid’s son shared the news and a lot of tributes came pouring in. Sid is one of those guys who seemed larger than life as a successful pro wrestler in that era in the late 1980s, through the 1990s and into the 2000s standing at 6’9” and 300 pounds with the devastating Powerbomb finisher. Sid had an evil stare while also having a memorable laugh. He was mostly a heel in his career, but he was popular with the fans too. I’m not going to pretend like he was the best in-ring performer. However, he didn’t have to be. He was there to be a physically dominant superstar. When he beat somebody up it was believable and when he got his ass kicked, it made the other guy look impressive. That was his role. He certainly had the intimidation factor as well. Do I think he should have been in the WWE Hall of Fame already? Yes, absolutely. As a two-time WWE World Champion, two-time WCW World Champion, and a two-time WrestleMania main eventer (not great matches but that’s okay), he deserved it years ago.
What I’ll remember most about Sid is the MSG crowd LOVED him at Survivor Series 1996 even as a heel against a babyface Shawn Michaels. Sid cheated to win with the dreaded camera shot to the head followed by a Powerbomb and the fans loved it as Sid became WWE Champion for the first time. It might be the best Sid singles match too. My condolences go out to Sid’s family, friends and fans. Rest in Peace, “Sycho” Sid “Vicious” Eudy.
I also want to express my sadness after learning about the death of a longtime and loyal TJR reader named EJ Acosta. My good friends Ed and Tim alerted me about his death earlier on Monday. He was like a lot of us as a lifelong wrestling fan who still watched with friends. He made a lot of friends with people on my Facebook page, which is how we knew eachother and he always shared his passion for this wacky business of pro wrestling. I didn’t know him that well, but I know he was a fan just as I am, just like you are reading this and he is gone way too soon. Rest in Peace, EJ. My condolences to all of your loved ones.
The Bash In Berlin PLE takes place this Saturday, August 31 in Berlin, Germany. There are five official matches going into this episode of Raw, so it’s likely the full card although they could add to it. Some of the Raw talent won’t be on this week’s show since WWE has a week-long tour of Europe before the BIB show on Saturday.
This is the Raw Deal for episode #1631 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.
A graphic was shown for the late, great Sycho Sid at the start of the show.
They showed the arrivals of Bron Breakker, Chad Gable’s American Made group, Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed. It was Michael Cole and Corey Graves on commentary this week.
Let’s Hear from The Judgment Day
The Judgment Day group consisting of Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, Carlito, Dominik Mysterio and Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan made their entrance. Morgan welcomed us to Raw, which drew boos. They showed clips of The Judgment Day beating up Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley last week on Raw.
Carlito said that beating was cool while JD said that beating was a long time coming. Balor said that they aren’t the bad guys around here because Priest and Ripley are. Balor told them they betrayed The Judgment Day so they got exactly what they deserved. Balor said that last week was a preview of what will happen at Bash in Berlin.
Liv said that if Rhea wasn’t so selfish and so egotistical then none of this would have happened. Liv said she hopes that Rhea finally realizes that Daddy Dom and Liv will always be on top. Dominik was booed heavily as he tried to speak. Dominik said that Liv helps him do things he has never done like help him beat his Deadbeat Dad. Dom said with Liv’s full support, he’s entering the Intercontinental Title #1 Contender’s Tournament and he’s winning the whole thing.
The Latino World Order group showed up for the interruption. It was Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro and they got into the ring with The Judgment Day. Rey told Dominik he was a lost soul who needed help and was out of control. Rey said at least when he was with Rhea, one of them had a set and it wasn’t Dominik. Rey said somebody needs to put him in his place. Dominik said he already beat Rey. Rey told his son Dom that he’s always been a jackass, but now he’s a bigger jackass because he’s hanging around with Liv. Liv told Dominik to take care of Rey and Rey dared him. JD threw a punch, so Rey hit JD and a brawl started with LWO clearing the ring. Lee was launched over the top onto The Judgment Day on the floor. That led to a break.
Analysis: It’s a simple way to set up a tag team match between the LWO and The Judgment Day after the break. The rest of the promo from The Judgment Day was just the usual stuff from a heel group that’s cocky because they dominated last week.
(Commercial)
The match was made during the break by Raw GM Adam Pearce. Of course.
LWO – Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro vs. The Judgment Day – Finn Balor, Carlito, JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio (w/Liv Morgan)
Rey hit an impressive bulldog on Balor. Carlito tagged in and Rey sent him face first into the turnbuckle. Cruz tagged in against Carlito with a springboard cross body block. Wilde tagged in with a double back elbow and an assisted moonsault for a two count. Cruz was back in with a big chop. Balor distracted the referee, so JD did a cheap shot and Carlito hit a clothesline. The heels took over as Dominik stomped on Cruz to keep him in the corner. Wilde got the tag for his team and hit a DDT on JD. The LWO guys cleared the ring leading to three of them going for dives, but J-Day moved away. That led to Wilde going to the middle ropes and Lee/Cruz helped launch Wilde onto J-Day on the floor. It’s an impressive leap that Wilde does in matches like this and it always looks so cool in slow motion. They went to break there.
(Commercial)
The J-Day guys were in control as they made quick tags ending with a springboard moonsault onto Wilde. Dominik tagged in against Rey, who was on fire with clotheslines and a headscissors for his son. Rey pulled down Dominik by the hair followed by Rey hitting a seated senton on his son. Dominik tried a sunset flip, Rey rolled through and Rey kicked Dom for a two count. They battled by the turnbuckle where Rey hit a sunset flip Powerbomb for a two count because JD & Carlito made the save. Cruz and Wilde hit dropkicks, but Wilde actually slipped on his attempt. Lee cleared the ring. Rey gave Dominik a back body drop over the top. All four LWO guys hit suicide dives onto the J-Day guys on the floor. They shot that from an overhead cam, so that was pretty cool. Rey with a hurricanrana to set up Dominik against the ropes. Rey hit the 619 kick on Dominik. Rey went up top, Balor distracted the referee and Rey jumped off the top only for Liv to move Dominik out of the way. Dominik gave Rey the La Magistral Cradle for the pinfall win over his own father. It went about 14 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: The Judgment Day – Finn Balor, Carlito, JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio
Analysis: ***1/4 A pretty good tag team match. They did a lot of the heels isolating one of the babyfaces leading to the big tags, which is traditional tag team wrestling. Dragon Lee really wasn’t in the match that much, which surprised me a bit because I know WWE is high on him, yet he was kept on the apron for a lot of it. I liked some of the spots like the Wilde leap off the ropes along with the four LWO guys hitting dives at the same time. The finish was clever because it puts over the idea that Dominik is better with Liv since he pinned his father Rey for the second time with Liv by Dom’s side. It was booked well.
After the match, The Judgment Day beat up Rey and put him on the commentary table. Dominik climbed to the top of the ring post, but here comes Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley. Priest got a hold of Dominik at ringside and punched. Ripley caught Liv and sent her into the commentary table. Rhea sent Liv into the ring post. Dominik stared at Rhea, so Liv jumped on Rhea’s back. Priest punched Dom down. The Judgment Day tried to fight, but Rhea clotheslined JD and Priest clotheslined Carlito. Balor got Liv & Dom out of the ring. Priest hit South of Heaven on Carlito and Ripley hit a Riptide on JD as well. Priest & Ripley stood tall as the Terror Twins looked strong.
Analysis: There’s the expected payback for the Terror Twins duo of Priest & Ripley after they got their asses kicked last week. That’s usually how it goes in WWE where you get beat up one week and get the revenge the next week. It’s not always like that, but it’s how it is most of the time. Ripley hit her moves on JD made her look impressive too.
There will be two triple threat matches later in the Intercontinental Title #1 Contender’s Tournament: Jey Uso vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Karrion Kross and Xavier Woods vs. The Miz vs. Pete Dunne. There will be four triple threat matches. The winners of those four triple threat matches will have a fatal four-way match and then the winner of that gets the IC Title match against Bron Breakker.
The Miz was interviewed by Jackie Redmond backstage. Jackie mentioned The Miz is an 8-time Intercontinental Champion. Miz said it has been a bad couple of weeks. Miz said every time he tries to do the right thing, it goes wrong. Miz said that if he wins the title then he is tied for the most reigns of all time – the Intercontinental Championship. Bronson Reed walked up to Miz to say that Miz came after him because he took out R-Truth and Truth came after him because of Seth Rollins. Reed said that he’s going to maim Braun Strowman and after he’s done maiming him he’s coming back for Miz. Reed left while Miz just stared at him.
Analysis: I like how they are presenting Bronson Reed as a menacing heel right now. He’s doing a great job of it. The Miz isn’t winning much as a babyface, so we’ll see if it continues or maybe it leads to him going back to his heel ways.
Damage CTRL’s Iyo Sky & Kairi Sane entered for tag team action.
(Commercial)
The New Day’s Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston were backstage. Kofi said he’s glad they could talk last week and Woods said yeah he’s glad they are mature adults who can discuss things while noting they have been together for nearly ten years. Kofi said that they had not one, but two chances to bring the IC Title to The New Day. They were both in a good mood while doing some New Day dancing.
The Pure Fusion Collective trio of Sonya Deville, Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark were interviewed by Cathy Kelley backstage. They bragged about injuring Dakota Kai, Zelina Vega, Kayden Carter & Katana Chance. Baszler said after tonight, you can add Iyo and Kairi to that list. If Damage CTRL wants to step up, then shoot your shot.
Damage CTRL – Iyo Sky & Kairi Sane vs. Pure Fusion Collective – Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark (w/Sonya Deville)
Baszler made a blind tag and held open the ropes while Sky was running, so Sky bumped through the ropes to the floor. Deville did a cheap shot while Sky was on the floor.
(Commercial)
The match continued with Sane tagging in with punches for Baszler. Sane hit a back fist on Stark as well. Sane did a spot where she used her legs and arms to flip over both opponents. Sane hit a running shoulder tackle on Stark and a sliding clothesline on Baszler. Sane jumped off the top with a punch on Baszler for two. Baszler broke free from Sane with a Powerbomb-like slam. Baszler with a knee on Sane while Stark got the tag and Stark hit a missile dropkick for two because Sky made the save. Stark superkicked Sky. Zelina Vega showed up at ringside and she hit Deville in the back with a forearm to knock Deville down. Sky dropkicked Baszler down to the floor. Sane was up top after knocking Stark down. Sane hit an Insane Elbow off the top onto Stark while Sky hit a moonsault on Baszler on the floor. It went about eight minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Damage CTRL – Iyo Sky & Kairi Sane
Analysis: **3/4 The match was okay. The finish was a bit sloppy because all of the attention was on Vega attacking Deville on the floor and then Sane finished off Stark easily. I just think they could have set it up a bit better. I like the Damage CTRL duo as a team because they are so athletic and can do it all in the ring.
A video aired about Uncle Howdy, who of course is Bo Dallas. Bo said that the false prophet continues to reveal himself to the world. Bo talked about Chad Gable saying that what he does by leading his group is blasphemy. Bo said he accepted the challenge – the invitation. Bo said this is more than a reckoning because this is a purge. There were some more creepy images.
It’s Bo Dallas as Uncle Howdy vs. Chad Gable later in the show.
Drew McIntyre was shown walking backstage while showing the CM Punk bracelet on his left wrist. While Drew was walking, The Miz was talking to somebody who I think was Karrion Kross. Drew was up next.
(Commercial)
Let’s Hear from Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre made his entrance while the fans booed him as usual. Drew faces CM Punk in a Strap Match at Bash in Berlin this Saturday.
Drew mocked the way CM Punk starts his promos. Drew said he knows Punk’s promo routine like when he talks about himself. Drew trashed Punk for sitting on his arse for eight years while the rest of them built the company. Drew also talked about how Punk likes to speak about fans traveling a long way to see him. Drew sat in the ring like Punk saying that Punk is scared of Drew. Drew pointed out how Punk has attacked Drew from behind while the fans keep chanting Punk’s name every single week. Drew blamed the crowd for enabling Punk, which leads to dumb decisions like challenging Drew to a Strap Match. Drew said that you’re going to have to live with it when Drew puts scars on Punk’s body. Drew told the fans that they have chosen nostalgia over the warrior who has been with you. Drew spoke about how the bracelet on his wrist causes so much emotional hurt to Punk. Drew said that the strap would cause Punk physical hurt because he was going to lash him.
CM Punk’s music hit and Punk attacked Drew from behind with the leather strap. They left the ring where Drew took control by sending Punk into the steel steps. Drew punched Punk repeatedly. Drew charged at Punk, who gave Drew a back body drop onto the commentary table. It wasn’t enough to break the table. Punk punched Drew repeatedly while putting the strap on his hand. Security went down to the ring. Drew went over the barricade and ran away. Punk hit a few security guys with the strap. Punk celebrated on the turnbuckle while staring at Drew from a distance because Drew was in the crowd. Punk’s music played to end it.
Analysis: It was a good way to build the Strap Match by having Punk attack Drew with the strap itself. A promo from Punk would have helped ab it, but I think by doing it this way you are telling the audience that Punk is focused on the Strap Match. I think Punk should win the Strap Match because Drew beat him at SummerSlam, so Punk needs a big win. That way, the rivalry is 1-1 and they can do it again inside Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood in October. That sounds good to me.
Braun Strowman was featured in a video saying Bronson Reed will find out why they call Strowman the Monster of All Monsters.
Jey Uso was shown in the back part of the arena. Jey did his “Yeet” entrance with the arm swinging and the fans were joining in. Cole wanted Graves to do the arm swinging, so Graves did it a bit. Jey’s match was up next.
(Commercial)
There was a video about Sheamus picking Georgia Tech to beat Florida State in college football on Saturday. Sheamus was alone in that prediction among the College Gameday panel that includes Pat McAfee and Sheamus was the only one to get it right.
Intercontinental #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinal: Jey Uso vs. Karrion Kross (w/Scarlett) vs. Kofi Kingston
Jey and Kofi worked together to stomp on Kross repeatedly. Kofi hit a running dropkick on Kross against the turnbuckle. Jey rolled up Kofi for two. Jey ran the ropes leading to Kofi doing a leapfrog followed by an elbow drop. Kofi sent Jey into the ropes, so Kross pulled Jey down and knocked him down with a punch. Kofi went up top and jumped backward onto both opponents on the floor.
(Commercial)
The match returned with Jey in control as he hit a running hip attack on Kofi, but Kross came back with a kick to the face. Kofi got a boot up to stop a charging Kross. Kofi hit a dropkick along with two clotheslines. Kofi hit a Boom Drop leg drop on both guys. Kofi hit the Trouble in Paradise kick on Jey because Kross moved. Kross nailed Kofi with a forearm to the jaw. Kross hit a Powerbomb for two. Kross applied a Cloverleaf submission on the legs, but Kofi turned it into a cradle. Kofi hit a spinning kick to the head. Kofi jumped off the top, Kross hit him with an elbow. Jey jumped off the top, Kross avoided it and Jey hit a Spear. Jey went up top and hit an Uso Splash on Kross for the pinfall win after about 12 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Jey Uso
Analysis: *** It was pretty good for a triple threat match. These matches allow people to use weapons since there are no disqualifications, yet nobody used weapons in the match. Jey winning was expected since he’s pushed more than the other two guys. Kross doesn’t get a lot of big wins while Kofi isn’t being used that much in singles.
That win by Jey Uso puts him in the Fatal 4-Way match in two weeks in the IC Title #1 Contender Tournament Finals.
A video aired from Gunther wearing the World Heavyweight Title. Gunther said that he was in Europe at WWE live events while saying that he was fully focused on Saturday. Gunther said that Bash in Berlin will be remembered as the day when Randy Orton finally met his match. Gunther said he’ll leave as the World Heavyweight Champion.
Randy Orton was shown walking backstage for a promo up next.
(Commercial)
There was a video about Smackdown moving to USA Network on September 13th. The television audience will be smaller going from Fox to USA Network, but hopefully it’s not much smaller. Cole said he’ll reunite with Graves on Smackdown.
Let’s Hear from Randy Orton
Randy Orton made his entrance for a promo. Orton challenges Gunther for the World Heavyweight Title at Bash in Berlin. Cole mentioned that Gunther was born in Austria, but he wrestled a lot in Germany and he is beloved there, so Gunther will have a lot of crowd support in that match.
Orton spoke about how he listened to the voices in his head in his career, but now he’s listening to the fans’ voices and he thanked them for singing along to his entrance music. Orton said that means the world to him even if it took you 15 years. Orton said he’s won a lot of titles throughout his career while talking about how he loves the World Heavyweight Championship the most. Orton said that was the first title that he won and it was 20 years ago. Orton said a decade ago, he unified the World Title and WWE Title. Orton spoke about how one year ago there was a new World Title created and Orton said that he knew one day he would get his name engraved on that championship. Oton said that new championship, new title and new legacy. The fans chanted “you deserve it” for Orton.
Orton said he knows he’ll be stepping into enemy territory in Berlin. Orton knows that Gunther is a living legend to the people in Europe. Orton trashed Gunther for having his head up his own ass while reminding him that Orton is the most successful wrestler that this industry has seen over the last twenty years.
Orton talked about how we have watched him grow up and learn from his mistakes over and over again. Orton said that he earned every ounce of respect that comes with his name. Orton said Gunther was in his 30s when he walked into WWE as an egotistical prick. Orton said that is one thing they may have in common. Orton claimed that Gunther has never been put in his place, but that’s what Orton intends to do. Orton said that Gunther wanted to make it personal by talking about Randy’s family and the demons that Randy has faced. Orton said that he beat those demons just like he’ll beat Gunther this Saturday to be a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion. Orton said he’ll do it by using the three most dangerous letters in sports entertainment – RKO.
Analysis: It was a confident promo from Randy Orton going into his match at Bash in Berlin. We have seen him grow up before our eyes over the last 20+ years, which is why the fans love him so much. With that said, I doubt Gunther loses the World Heavyweight Title in his first title defense on a PLE, so I’ll go with Gunther to win what should be an outstanding match.
Braun Strowman made his entrance for this “Battle of the Behemoths” up next.
(Commercial)
The Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn mocked Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill thinking they could dominate the tag team division, yet Alba & Isla are the champions. Dawn said that just because you want Jade & Bianca to be the best, doesn’t mean they are. Fyre said they’ll prove the doubters wrong at Bash in Berlin and walk out still the champions.
Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman
Strowman started with a running dropkick. I didn’t expect that to start the match. Reed was sent into the turnbuckle, but then Reed bounced back with a running clothesline. Reed hit a running body attack on a seated Strowman. Cole said that Reed has put himself on the map due to his recent attacks, which is true. Reed chopped Braun, then Braun chopped back and Braun hit a running cross body block to knock Reed down. Braun charged, but Reed got a boot up. Reed jumped off the middle turnbuckle with a cross body block onto Braun, who rolled out of the ring. Reed ran the ropes and hit a suicide dive forearm that knocked Braun down on the floor. That was an impressive move as the show went to break.
(Commercial)
The match continued with Reed going to the top while Braun was down, but Braun got back up. Braun slammed Reed off the top. Braun hit a boot to the face. Reed was on the apron where he got a thumb to the eye followed by Reed doing a necksnap across the top rope. Reed walked up the aisle, so Braun went after him. The referee left the ring with them as Braun knocked Reed down with a punch in the aisle. Reed sent Braun into the LED boards and Reed splashed Braun against the LED boards. The match was pretty much done by this point. It went about eight minutes.
Match Result: No Contest
Analysis: **1/2 The match was fun while it lasted. It’s cool to see moves like Strowman slamming Reed off the top rope because you don’t see guys this big doing that kind of stuff very often. Anyway, this match was mostly just there to set up the angle they did after the match stopped.
Bronson Reed was walking around backstage where he thew a trash can at Braun. Reed sent Braun onto some table that was backstage. Braun beat up three tiny security guards including a Chokeslam through the table. They were out in the parking lot where Reed thew Braun into a piece of metal that was back here. Braun grabbed Reed by the throat and gave Reed a Chokeslam onto the hood of a car. That’s going to leave some dents. Braun threw some metal at Reed, who moved. Braun hit a shoulder tackle that sent Reed onto another car that was back there. Reed hit Braun with some steel pipe that he used to hit Braun twice. Reed climbed up to some cement platform while Braun was on the roof of a car and Reed jumped off the concrete with a Tsunami splash! Adam Pearce and other officials showed up to get some help. They went to a break from there.
Analysis: It was yet another segment to put over Bronson Reed as a badass who keeps building momentum by taking out guys every week. That visual of Reed jumping off that concrete wall to give Strowman a Tsunami splash is certainly not something you are going to get weekly, so I do admire the creativity by coming up with a spot like that. This could lead to a Reed-Strowman Street Fight type of match, but maybe they’ll use that spot to give Strowman a few weeks off.
(Commercial)
There was a replay of the Reed/Strowman brawl.
Braun Strowman was seated on the cement getting checked on by the medical team. Braun said that he couldn’t feel his fingers.
It was mentioned by Cole that Reed walked away without getting any medical attention.
Analysis: That’s another way of putting over Reed as a badass by saying he walked away from that.
Intercontinental #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinal: The Miz vs. Pete Dunne vs. Xavier Woods
There were multiple nearfalls to start the match. Woods and Miz clotheslined Dunne out of the ring. Miz got a rollup on Woods. Woods hit Miz with a forearm and then Dunne hit Woods with a forearm. Dunne stomped on the hands of both opponents. Dunne hit a jumping kick on Woods. Miz avoided a Dunne moonsault attempt. Woods hit a running dropkick on Dunne. Miz hit a Tornado DDT on Dunne on the floor while also kicking Woods to put him down. Miz celebrated as the show went to break.
(Commercial)
Woods was in control of Dunne with a legsweep. Woods hit four running back elbows on Dunne in a row. Woods did the Giant Swing to Dunne, which was not an expected move by Woods, but it looked good. Miz got back in with a DDT on Woods. Miz hit double knees on Dunne. Miz hit DDTs on both opponents at the same time for two. Miz worked over both guys with kicks to the chest followed by a running dropkick. Miz hit a running clothesline on Woods, Dunne kicked Woods and Miz hit a cross body block on Woods, but Woods rolled through. Woods hit a move like a Jackhammer Slam almost. Woods lifted up Miz leading to a slam onto the knee. Woods gave Dunne a Powerbomb onto Miz, which led to two counts for Woods. Dunne and Woods exchanged chops while Woods also got into it. Dunne hit a running enziguri on Woods. Dunne stomped on both men’s hands and a roundhouse kick to Woods. Miz kicked Dunne out of the ring. Woods rolled up Miz for a two count. Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale but Dunne tossed Miz out of the ring. Miz was back in to make the save for a two count. Dunne applied a Crossface submission, Miz covered Woods and Woods kicked out. Woods hit a superkick on Dunne. Wood with a superkick on Miz. Woods went up top and jumped off with the rope walk into the top rope elbow drop. Woods covered for two because Dunne pulled the referee out. Dunne kicked Woods out of the ring followed by Dunne hitting the Bitter End on Miz for the pinfall win. This went about 11 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Pete Dunne
Analysis: ***1/4 I liked the match. What hurt the match is the crowd wasn’t that invested in it, so there were points in the match where the fans barely reacted to it. I thought all three guys could have won the match, so that made it interesting to me. Dunne has been getting a bit of a mild push, so seeing him win isn’t that surprising. I would have liked to see Woods get a meaningful win for once.
That win by Pete Dunne puts him in the Fatal 4-Way match in two weeks in the IC Title #1 Contender Tournament Finals along with Jey Uso.
Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Champion, was interviewed by Jackie Redmond backstage. Bron said great work by Jey Uso and Pete Dunne. Bron told Jey to watch his mouth. Bron said that Jey’s family hasn’t beat up a member of Bron’s family and Jey won’t be the first to do it. Bron told Dunne said he didn’t think Dunne could beat him. Bron said that whoever wins this tournament, he is that dude and that dog. Bron said that the worst is yet to come.
Analysis: A confident champion. I don’t see Bron losing to whoever gets to challenge him. Bron is holding that title through the end of the year and likely many months more after that.
Chad Gable was shown lifting weights while hanging out with American Made. Gable said that Uncle Howdy is hiding behind the mask, but Howdy will tap out. Gable said that he’s an Olympian and the man to lead The Creed Brothers & Lola Vice to greatness. Gable said that Uncle Howdy would learn that Gable is American Made.
(Commercial)
It is the 37th television sellout in 2024 and the 54th overall sellout this year.
A recap was shown of Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley getting some revenge against The Judgment Day.
The Terror Twins duo of Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley did a backstage promo. Ripley said that at Bash in Berlin, they will show no mercy. Priest said that they were the devils and they were coming for The Judgment Day.
The announcers did a rundown of the Bash in Berlin card for this Saturday, August 31 in Berlin:
* Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan
* Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens
* Strap Match: Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk
* Women’s Tag Team Championships: Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn (c) vs. Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill
* World Heavyweight Championship: GUNTHER (c) vs. Randy Orton
Sycho Sid Tribute
There was a video tribute to the late, great former two-time WWE World Champion Sid Eudy, who was known as Sid Vicious, Sid Justice, and Sycho Sid. The video talked about how Sid made an impact in WCW as part of The Four Horsemen. There were clips of a young looking Kofi Kingston and Booker T talking about Sid’s intensity. They mentioned Sid headlined WrestleMania 8 with Hulk Hogan and WrestleMania 13 with The Undertaker. It covered how Sid was a family man who will be remembered for kindness and love with a legacy that will live forever. They showed the Sid graphic again to end it.
Analysis: That was well done. I truly hope that Sid is honored with the WWE Hall of Fame induction in the coming years. It should have happened while he was alive.
WWE remembers the life and legacy of Sid Eudy. pic.twitter.com/KAmGnqIcXu
— WWE (@WWE) August 27, 2024
(Commercial)
Next week on Raw in Denver:
* Intercontinental #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinal: Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed vs. Ludwig Kaiser
* Intercontinental #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinal: Ilja Dragunov vs. Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio
* Zelina Vega vs. Shayna Baszler
Chad Gable made his entrance joined by his American Made group consisting of The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile, but Gable made his way to the ring alone. The fans chant “You Suck” during Gable’s song as a bit of a tribute to Kurt Angle since Gable acts like Angle a lot.
The lights went out in the building as the fireflies lit up the sky. The mysterious Uncle Howdy made his entrance carrying a lamp on his way to the ring.
Uncle Howdy vs. Chad Gable
This is Bo Dallas aka Howdy’s first match since November 2019. It’s been a long time.
Howdy worked over Gable with knee lifts to the ribs. Howdy “danced” with Gable like Bray Wyatt used to do. Howdy came back with a powerslam followed by a lefty clothesline. Howdy chased Gable out of the ring and then Howdy said “yeah yeah yeah” as a Luke Harper tribute. They went to break there.
(Commercial)
Gable was in control since Howdy was down in the ring while Gable went up top. Gable jumped off the top with headbutt, but Howdy moved. Graves said that it’s the body of Bo Dallas, but Howdy is a different being compared to who Bo was. Howdy with some punches and then Gable gave Howdy a back body drop over the top to the floor. Gable jumped off the top with a clothesline onto Howdy on the floor. Gable charged at Howdy on the floor so Howdy hit a back body drop on the floor. Howdy hit a running knee on Gable against the barricade. Howdy cleared off the commentary table and then back in the ring to break the referee’s count. Howdy went for a move onto the commentary, but Gable countered with an Angle Slam. That didn’t break the table although there was a loud thud as Howdy hit the table. Howdy got back in before the ten count. Gable had Howdy set up on the top rope and Gable hit an overhead suplex off the top for a two count. There were “Uncle Howdy” chants although they were not that loud. Gable hit three German Suplexes in a row. Gable charged at Howdy, but Howdy held onto the turnbuckle. Howdy turned back similar to what Bray Wyatt used to do and then Howdy hit a uranage slam for two. Howdy hit a running back elbow along with a hard whip into the turnbuckle. Howdy set up Gable so his legs were on the top rope, which led to a neckbreaker by Howdy. Ivy Nile was at ringside to distract the referee, so Gable tripped up Howdy and applied an Ankle Lock submission. Howdy rolled through so that Gable went crashing into referee Rod Zapata. The referee was taken out. Howdy applied the Mandible Claw to Gable’s throat.
Julius and Brutus Creed showed up to save Gable. They threw Howdy into the barricade. Howdy was laughing at them. The rest of the Wyatt Sicks arrived after the lights went out briefly. It was Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy and Erick Rowan attacking The Creed Brothers at ringside. Nile jumped on Rowan’s back, so Rowan kicked Julius and kept on fighting to the back. Back in the ring, Gable went for a moonsault, but Howdy avoided it. Howdy got a hold of Gable leading to the Sister Abigail neckbreaker for the pinfall win after about 14 minutes. Gable sold that so well.
Winner by pinfall: Uncle Howdy
Analysis: ***1/4 A victory for Uncle Howdy in his “debut” match. It was a pretty good match with Gable getting plenty of offense, then there was the referee bump that was done to set up the others in the groups getting involved and after that, Howdy was able to put away Gable for the win. That’s the right result because it makes sense to make Howdy look strong like that.
Uncle Howdy celebrated over a fallen Gable. The lights remained out in the building while Howdy celebrated the victory. End show.
===
Three Stars of the Show
- Bronson Reed
- Uncle Howdy
- Jey Uso, Pete Dunne and The Judgment Day
===
The Scoreboard
7.25 out of 10
Last week: 7.25
2024 Average: 7.61
===
Final Thoughts on WWE Raw
The show was good for the most part, but it just didn’t feel like it got to that next level where I could call it great. I think the Bronson Reed storyline continues to be one of the best parts of Raw. That match with Braun Strowman didn’t have a winner and that’s fine because Reed took out Strowman thanks to a Tsunami splash onto the top of a car. It’s such an outrageous thing to even think about, yet they pulled it off.
I thought the build for the Bash in Berlin matches was just okay. That’s what the show was lacking. Randy Orton did a promo on his own because Gunther is already wrestling in Europe, so they couldn’t do much there. The CM Punk-Drew McIntyre story was furthered in a quick segment, but it didn’t feel that impactful. Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley got some revenge over The Judgment Day as expected.
There were plenty of entertaining matches. Everything got at least two segments, so that made for fun matches like The Judgment Day beating the LWO with Dominik pinning Rey Mysterio thanks to an assist from Liv Morgan. That’s the right way to book it. Big wins by Jey Uso and Pete Dunne in this unique tourney for a shot at the IC Title. Matches with rewards are a good thing. In the main event spot, Uncle Howdy got the win over Chad Gable. The fans seemed to be into it, so that’s nice to see. A solid Raw overall.
===
The WWE Bash in Berlin PLE is this Saturday, August 31st in Berlin, Germany. Here’s the lineup so far.
* World Heavyweight Championship: GUNTHER (c) vs. Randy Orton
* Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens
* Strap Match: Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk
* Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan
* Women’s Tag Team Championships: Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn (c) vs. Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill
You can watch WWE Bash in Berlin, streaming live on Saturday, August 31, at 1 PM ET/9 AM PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.
===
Thanks for reading. Please check out my reviews of every WWE PPV ever listed in order. Go Los Angeles Rams. My contact info is below.
John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter/X @johnreport