Reviews

WWE Network Reviews: WWE Raw Talk for 06-28-21

By John Canton • Published 29th June 2021

Hey yo. It’s time for another edition WWE Raw Talk. I didn’t have time to get a review done last week, but it’s back this week. Raw Talk airs on Peacock/WWE Network on Monday night about five minutes after Raw finished and is available on demand. You can check out my WWE Raw Deal review from last night right here.

Raw Talk is hosted by the usual team of Kevin Patrickand R-Truth. Truth said that he almost had it (referring to the 24/7 Title) and he wondered where Kevin was. They showed clips of the three 24/7 Title changes on Raw with Drew Gulak winning the title, then R-Truth won it and then Akira Tozawa won it back. Kevin said there was nothing he could do and he apologized. Truth said Kevin needed more intensity while saying that he needed to believe in himself more. Truth liked Riddle showing the love to Randy Orton on Raw. They talked about Kofi Kingston knocking out MVP with a kick. They talked about the Alexa Bliss story with Kevin and Truth arguing about things they have said about Alexa in the past. They liked seeing Nikki Cross picking up another win.

There was a commercial for Smackdown this Friday. There was also a commercial featuring WWE superstars talking about getting a vaccine. I got my two shots. Ready to travel.

They showed the backstage interaction from Raw when R-Truth talked to Jaxson Ryker prior to Ryker’s Strap Match.

The first guest on Raw was Jaxson Ryker, who had the leather strap with him. Ryker said that Truth can use it, but he has to bring it back. Kevin wondered what happend with Elias and Ryker said that Elias left him in a tag team match. Ryker said that caused himself to dig into his past and he said Elias is great at what does and he gave his all. Ryker said there was no running during the Strap Match because it was a fight. Ryker said he’s feeling good. They showed highlights of the match with Elias hitting the Bossman Slam to win. Ryker said that in the Marine Corps you learn to stick close to those that you trust. Ryker said now he stands alone and that’s where he needs to be because Elias was holding him back from what he was destined to do. Ryker said that Elias was an enemy and a man that he doesn’t trust. Ryker said he respected Elias for fighting. Ryker said that Elias is the beginning of Jaxson Ryker’s ascent to the top. Ryker said he had goals and he realized he can do this by himself. Ryker said what’s next is a championship. That was it for Ryker on the show.

TJR Thoughts: It was a decent interview by Ryker. Ryker isn’t that exciting, though, so I have my doubts about him succeeding as a babyface. He needs to be more than a guy that used to be in the military. It’s like WWE thinks that’s enough for the audience to cheer him. It’s a thing from his past that makes him likable, but I just think Ryker is a more natural heel.

There were commercials for WWE going back to live events in mid-July and this wee’s NXT broadcast on Tuesday night (that’s tonight).

The next guests were the Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya & Tamina. Truth and Natalya had a special handshake greeting. Natalya said that Mandy & Dana finally decided to step up their game. Natalya said that last week they were cheap-shotted by Mandy & Dana. Truth said that he thinks Tamina is always mad. Tamina said that she’s mad because of disrespectful people like Mandy & Dana. Natalya said that they loved it because Mandy & Dana stepped up. Natalya said that those titles are passports to every single corner of WWE. Natalya said that they wanted everybody to step up. Natalya said that gold cures everything – she’s seen Asuka, Nikki Cross, Mandy, Dana, Nia, Shayna – they want what Natalya has. Patrick asked if there’s a tandem that they are desperate to take on. Natalya is happy if people want to step up. Tamina mentioned Candice & Indi as the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions and Natalya said if Bayley wants to find a partner, they’ll fight them too. Truth was impressed that they would fight anybody. Natalya said that they realized how strong they are. Natalya said that they learned about fighting back, building respect and they will never allow themselves to be doormats. Tamina said that they didn’t want anybody to disrespect them. Natalya and Truth did their greeting again to end it.

TJR Thoughts: This was okay. Natalya did most of the talking as expecting with Tamina adding a few comments. Natalya and Tamina have were heels earlier in the year, then booked as faces since WrestleMania and then they teamed with heel Charlotte on Raw this week. The problem with the women’s tag team division is the lack of actual teams.

There were commercials for Money in the Bank on July 18 and SummerSlam on August 21.

The final guest was Drew McIntyre, who is on this show every other week or at least that’s what it feels like. Drew said no matter what it took, he was going to win the triple threat and now he’ll go on to win the Money in the Bank Ladder match. Drew said he’s still beaten up from Hell in a Cell, the match with Riddle last week and he’s beaten up mentally and physically. Drew mentioned in the last year at 14 pay-per-views in a row he’s been WWE Champion or fighting for the Championship and in the title scene for 18 months. Drew has been wrestling nearly every week on Raw. Drew said that this past week he heard from people saying he can take a break. Drew said that’s not how he does things. Drew said that you can like him or don’t like him, he’s there to set an example, he’s in Money in the Bank and he’s going to win. Drew said that this might be his last chance to reach the top of the mountain of any brand, so he has to win. Drew said that all the work to reach the top and nature of the times they have been in (dealing with a pandemic, etc.). Drew said that he has a love/hate with Money in the Bank because he hates that Money in the Bank gifted the WWE Title to The Miz, who gifted it to Bobby Lashley, but at the same time it might be the last chance to reach the top of the mountain with the fans back. Drew said he’ll get the job done because he has to. Drew said he can’t wait to see the fans in person at Money in the Bank on July 18. Drew said that the fans are the number one superstar. Drew said that the crowd makes such a difference in sports, but in WWE they are literally part of the show – they should be on the roster page. Drew said that they’ve done the best they can, but he can’t wait to go back. Drew: “Cheer, boo, I don’t care, but bring that passion. That’s what I’m excited about.” Truth said Drew was fired up. Drew joked that he’s here every other week it seems so he’s basically a host now. Kevin said he had no more questions. They talked about the Euro 2020 football/soccer tournament with Kevin saying Cesaro’s Switzerland team is going to win. Drew said he was picking France, but they’re out (Switzerland got an upset win over France on Monday), so Drew is going for Switzerland too. I’ll pick Italy. When Drew asked for a Money in the Bank winner, Kevin picked Drew McIntyre to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. They were all laughing to end it. Truth was playing with the strap. That was the end of the show.

TJR Thoughts: That was a great interview by McIntyre. Drew was really fired up especially when talking about how excited he is about the fans being back for Money in the Bank. You can tell how much Drew (and I’m sure the whole roster) genuinely missed the fans being at shows and to have them back will be a big boost to the wrestlers performing in the ring. You can tell how passionate Drew is. That stat about wrestling in all of those PPVs in the title picture is true and just shows how good he has been in the last year and a half especially. I realize some fans might be tired of Drew in the main event scene, but I’m never going to be tired of a guy that puts on outstanding matches like he does on a consistent basis.

This episode had a runtime of 26:16 on WWE Network.

That’s all from me. Thanks for reading.

John Canton

Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter: @johnreport