What's up everyone? I've decided to do a live Raw reaction tonight. No photos. No graphics. No special features. Just honest reactions to the moments on Raw as they happen. Also, to be honest, doing this will give me an excuse to watch this 3 hour show.
Seth Rollins put the gauntlet down yesterday and today, proclaiming this as the best wrestling on the planet on Twitter. Any World Champion should say that about his company. But there's a catch to it: You better back it up. Last night, 2/3 of the PPV was very good. Ironically, it was the last hour and the two world championship matches which brought the show down. And while I won't blame Seth Rollins for that fact (which, it is a fact. Sorry if you disagree. Watch the fans' reaction yesterday. That's all that matters in the end. Go ahead. This will still be here to say "See? Told ya."), it is an example of the disconnect in programming that WWE has had for a while now.
So, starting at 8, check in here as I give my honest reaction to Raw.
Monday Night Raw
June 24, 2019
- Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch start off the show as advertised. Seth comes out first and begins to talk. Then "The Man" comes out. Seth calls Becky "the best backup on the planet." "It pays to be The Man's man."- Becky Lynch. Baron Corbin's music plays. Lacey attacks Becky from behind. Becky goes after Lacey, and she even gives Seth a shove when he tries to pull her off. He backs off. Baron Corbin comes out and attacks Seth. The faces get rid of the heels. Baron and Lacey call Seth a "girl" and make some outdated gender references about aprons and doing work at home (this time about Seth). They eventually get around to making a Mixed Tag Match for Extreme Rules. The catch is that if Corbin and Evans lose that it's "done." But both belts are on the line in a "Winner Take All" match.
(I really hate that last part. Again, the outdated gender roles part probably came from some 70 year old man backstage. I can't imagine who. As for Winner Takes All, that's one hell of a way to crown champions. It didn't work for anyone in the past in a tag scenario. It won't work here if they decide to pull that trick. Odds are that Extreme Rules will end both programs and set Seth and Becky up for their actual title matches at SummerSlam. Still, not a fan of the opening segment nor the match at Extreme Rules.)
- Rowan and Daniel Bryan team with The Revival to take on The Usos and The New Day (minus Kofi) in a 8 Man Elimination Match. Some good action in the opening moments with some great offense from Daniel Bryan especially. The Revival and Rowan/Bryan do not gel well together and The Revival "accidentally" cause Bryan to get rolled up. Woods gets hit with Shatter Machine to eliminate The New Day.
After a commercial break, The Usos dive onto The Revival. They "officially restart" the match for some odd reason. The Usos start double teaming on Wilder. But Wilder gets a slam in to break up the offense of The Usos. Dawson gets tagged in, and they hit the classic Steiners Doomsday Bulldog move for a 2 count. Jimmy gets put on the corner, and Jey gets a blind tag. The Revival look to be going for the Power Plex. But Jey knocks Wilder down on the corner and jumps off for the splash for the win.
(Fun tag team match here, though I think the same could have been accomplished without having The New Day or Bryan/Rowan lose. Still, I'm not going to complain about seeing Daniel Bryan on TV. The Usos vs. The Revival with 20 minutes of PPV time should be awesome.)
- Braun Strowman is shown pulling an 18 Wheeler in the parking lot. (Too bad he couldn't pull Vince McMahon to give him a win over Brock Lesnar once.)
- Miz TV- Guests: Carmella and 24/7 Champion, R-Truth. Truth looks behind his back and under the ring to make sure no one is ready to jump on him. Truth gets a reprieve from the 24/7 rules during the interview. (Truth is already a 7x Champion.) Miz goes over the crazy spots where that title has been defended. And a replay of the wedding title change is shown again. The crowd supports Truth interrupting a wedding to win the belt. Truth hasn't been able to "eat, drink, or be merry, if you know what he means." WWE Superstars are going after him in the grocery store and at his home, dressed up like his neighbors or police officers.
Drake Maverick eventually comes out. Truth ruined the biggest day of his life. His wife won't consumate the marriage with him. Truth tells him "fiber is good for that." Truth makes a constipation joke, and the crowd cheers along with him. Drake wants a rematch 1-on-1. He wants the love of his life back: not his wife, the 24/7 Championship. Miz gets a message in his ear (was he even wearing an earpiece?!) that if Truth accepts the challenge, no one can interfere during the match. Truth tells "Hornswoggle" that it is on!
(I want to hate this 24/7 Championship so much. But it is allowing the comedic wrestlers on the undercard to get some moments to shine, such as this segment. Truth is making this title a highlight on the show, despite how ridiculous it is and the amount of talented workers being relegated to "chase" duty. I laughed too many times to hate this. Good segment.)
- Truth vs. Maverick lasts 4 seconds. Truth beats Maverick while I get myself an espresso. (True story.) Truth is trapped in the ring while other wrestlers run into the ring going after Truth. Eventually, Truth carries Carmella out of the arena as per usual.
Maverick is left devastated in the ring. He's asked what's next. Maverick can't speak and walks off. The fans give him the "Na Na Na Na" song probably to the ear-to-ear smile of a 70-year-old man backstage.
(Too quick to hate. And at least now stories are starting to develop in this weird universe of the 24/7 Championship Chase.)
- We get a replay of the Seth/Becky vs. Baron/Lacey segment earlier tonight. Lacey and Baron are shown backstage. They talk about needing to beat their opponents. Lacey wants to be sure that they have their plans together. They seem to think that Becky is Seth's kryptonite, and defeating her is key to becoming the new "power couple" in WWE.
- And now it's time for the gaping black hole of WWE programming that drags down 90% of the show's he's featured on: Shane McMahon's Best in the World storyline. It's Shane and Drew vs. Roman Reigns in a 2-1 Handicap Match. (If Drew takes the pin tonight, I am going to irrevocably sour on this storyline. I get last night. But having him job tonight will be too much, too soon. He needs a win badly. And yes, even in 2019, fans do care about wins or losses. Anyone who loses too much loses stock value. It's that simple.)
The commentary team already knew that the match was 2-1 with both men in the ring at the same time. But Shane and the ring announcer make it seem like this was a new development. Huh?
Roman dumps Shane and Drew out to focus on the other opponent at a time. But eventually, Drew pulls Roman to the floor and starts throwing Roman around. Reigns gets sent into the ring steps face first. More double-teaming in the ring by the heels. Claymore Kick to Roman. Shane spears Roman. Another Claymore Kick by Drew to Roman. Shane goes up for Coast To Coast. GONG! WHAT?!
UNDERTAKER IS HERE!!!!!! CHOKESLAM TO SHANE MCMAHON! Big Boot to McIntyre! The Deadman Survived Wrestling Goldberg! OH MY GOD! McIntyre and McMahon get sent to the floor! The crowd is going nuts. Throat Slash and Tongue Sticking Out by Undertaker. Taker does the signature pose in the ring. What a moment!
(Holy crap. He may be 54 years old, but Undertaker still has the ability to make a moment. No one saw that coming. Hats off to WWE for pulling that rabbit out of their hat. This has been the best Raw I've seen in a while up to this point. Let's hope the next hour and 40 plus minutes live up to this first part.)
- The Tug of War is next between Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley. Braun's Tractor Trailer Pull (18 Wheeler, whatever) is shown again. Bobby Lashley seems lost without Lio Rush to provide some character to go along with him. Now, they are showing Bobby Lashley pulling a rope tied around a phone pull so hard that the rope broke. Strowman pulls Lashley over the line to win, but Lashley attacks Strowman with the rope across the eyes. Renee Young says "Bobby Lashley is pissed." Um... That might get some words from a 70-Year-Old backstage. (That "70-Year-Old backstage" term seems to be a running gimmick of mine tonight. Oh well.)
(Another segment between Lashley and Braun that I'm going to forget tomorrow. I'm only going to remember Renee saying "pissed off" because I can see someone backstage getting snippy about it unfortunately.)
- AJ Styles is interviewed backstage. He's asked why he's challenging Ricochet on his first night back. He wants the best that WWE has to offer. And here comes No Way Jose of all people to interrupt AJ Styles. No. It's The Good Brothers dancing with No Way Jose. AJ tells them they need to get prepared for the Viking Raiders. The Good Brothers brush off AJ. AJ tells them that they aren't the Gallows and Anderson they were in 2016. Gallows says they are going to prove AJ wrong next.
(Something tells me Gallows and Anderson signed new contracts with WWE. Otherwise, I don't see why they'd be getting this amount of TV time on their way out. Then again, they did give Dean Ambrose a freaking WWE special to send him off. So, who knows?)
- The Viking Raiders vs. The Good Brothers is next. (In New Japan, this would be an epic 15 minute collision. In WWE, these two teams will be lucky to get 5 minutes. Prove me wrong, WWE. Please.) The Good Brothers start off hot, but The Viking Raiders take control soon. Anderson hits a hell of a lariat on Erik. The Good Brothers show some fire as AJ is shown watching backstage. Boot of Doom by Gallows and Anderson gets a 2. Anderson poses and says "See that AJ?" Well, the tide turns after that with the Viking Raiders mowing them over. Ivar/Hanson dives through the ropes onto Gallows on the floor. Elevated Powerslam/Viking Experience hits, and the match is over.
(Well, that was much more competitive than I thought it was going to be. This is probably another step towards The Club reforming and an AJ Styles heel turn, perhaps as early as tonight.)
- Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are shown backstage. Nikki apologizes for what happened last night. Nikki and Alexa talk about a "plan" to get Alexa another shot at the title.
- As we return from break, Natalya and Naomi talk to Nikki backstage, warning her about Alexa Bliss. Nikki refuses to turn on Alexa, and Naomi says she's facing Alexa later tonight.
- In the ring, Heath Slater and Mojo Rawley are in the ring for a match. R-Truth runs into the ring. The 24/7 chase is on. Heath catches Truth with a neckbreaker. 1-2-3! Slater wins the title. Moments later, Slater is caught by an attack by R-Truth! 1-2-3! New Champ! Cedric Alexander hits Truth with a Lombar Check. 1-2-3! Alexander wins the title. EC3 hits Alexander with the 1%-er. 1-2-3! EC3 wins the title. Carmella steals the belt. EC3 gets rolled up by R-Truth! 1-2-3. Truth wins the belt and runs off.
(Well, thankfully, we didn't have to sit through Slater vs. Mojo. This was again quick harmless fun. I can't hate it too much.)
- Ricochet is interviewed backstage about winning his first championship in WWE. Ricochet cuts a babyface promo about everyone helping him get to this position. Ricochet has looked up to AJ Styles, but he will beat him tonight.
- Kofi Kingston is welcomed out into the arena. And he's throwing pancakes around as he comes out. (I'm sorry. I know that's part of his "New Day" gimmick. But this comes off as a huge midcard gimmick, not something a world champion should be doing. I love Kofi being champion, but I have to call it like I see it.) Kofi is about to be interviewed, but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens come out. They want to interview Kofi Kingston, not "Not-Renee." It's now "The Sami and Kevin Show." They call Kofi a "paper champion" who gets help from his friends. Kofi puts over beating Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler all by himself, just like he's going to do against Sami Zayn.
This promo goes on a few minutes too long and we finally get to the Sami vs. Kofi match which starts after the break.
(Bad segment. These guys just kept going on the promo. They could have accomplished just as much without the interview nonsense and just done a walking promo to the ring to set up the match. Instead, we got this generic back and forth on the mic that was basically "Insert Wrestler A" and "Insert Wrestler B" in a throwaway match. I'm really hoping for an RKO tonight to Kofi as he needs to move above the Kevin Owens and Dolph Zigglers to get a better title reign going.)
- Kofi vs. Sami starts after the break. (To show how ridiculous this "Wild Card" thing is, we have two Smackdown wrestlers in this segment. Kofi is almost always on Raw as is Roman. Just ridiculous.) Basic match so far with Kofi getting some trademark moves in, including the New Day Leg Drop. Trouble in Paradise is avoided. Kevin beats up on Kofi behind the referee's back. Kofi makes his comeback in the ring, as you would expect. Sami hits an Exploder Suplex into the corner on Kofi for a 2 count. Michinoku Driver by Sami gets a 2 count as well. Later, Kofi springboards off the top rope into a boot by Sami. 2 count. Kofi rolls up Sami moments later and gets the 3.
(Good match as far as in-ring work goes. BUT the crowd could have cared less. Again, this felt like a midcard match because WE'VE BEEN CONDITIONED TO ONLY SEE THESE GUYS AT A CERTAIN LEVEL FOR YEARS! You cannot blame the fans for only being so warm for talent that Vince McMahon himself has devalued on TV for years. As far as Sami and Kevin go, how many times have these guys lost on TV? Forget that. How many times have they WON on TV in the last couple years?)
Kevin Owens gets on the mic and puts down Kofi. He calls Kofi down to the ring to face him right now. Kofi agrees to it and comes down to the ring.
- After the break, we get Kofi vs. Kevin Owens. Sami helps Kevin get the advantage, but Kevin only gets Kofi's knees on a Senton Bomb. They go to the outside. Apron-Powerbomb is avoided by Kofi who backdrops Kevin on the floor. S.O.S. on the steel ramp by Kofi to Kevin. Kofi runs into the ring and wins by countout. Kevin is holding the back of his head. Sami gets thrown out, and Kofi dives out onto both Sami and Kevin.
(So, Kevin and Sami can beat Big E and Xavier Woods, but they can't touch Kofi on a one-on-one, even 2-1 scenario. Just making sure I keep the math straight for the future.)
SAMOA JOE attacks Kofi from behind on the aisle and throws him around the stage. Urinage on the Steel by Joe. (If Brock wasn't a Big City Part-Timer, this would be THE PERFECT time to cash in. Just saying.) Kofi is helped up by referees, and Samoa Joe comes back out to lock in the Clutch. Kingston is out.
(Thankfully, Samoa Joe is not being forgotten as a character. I doubt Joe, a Raw Superstar, will be the one to dethrone Kofi, but this is someone who can help get Kofi over more than either Dolph or Kevin could.)
- A recap of the Shane/Drew/Roman/Undertaker segment is shown. It's official: Roman Reigns and The Undertaker will face Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre. (I'm calling it: Shane is going to pin The Undertaker to send the internet into a frenzy. You heard it here first. The troll is hard with this storyline.)
- The next match is Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss. Naomi and Alexa go back and forth, and Nikki gets a baseball slide by Naomi by accident. That allows Alexa to get a DDT in the ring for the ring. After the match, Alexa assaults Naomi and invites Nikki to come in and get some shots in. Nikki pushes Naomi down, but she knocks Alexa down by accident in the process. Natalya comes down to help Naomi.
(The further problems between Alexa and Nikki continue to be teased here. This was not a lot of time to work, but with everything going on tonight, this may be more "necessary evil" than "deliberate disrespect" towards the women's division. Besides, Becky and Lacey are involved in the main program on Raw right now. So, you can hardly say that the women are being disrespected.)
- Forget not getting enough time. We return from break to get Natalya and Naomi vs. Nikki and Alexa. Nikki is worked over by both Naomi and Natalya before getting the tag to Alexa. Alexa starts getting double-teamed though seconds later by Naomi and Natalya. Bliss and Natalya go back and forth for a few moments. Bliss gets the tag to Nikki who goes after both Naomi and Natalya. Bliss gets the blind tag. Nikki hits the spinning neckbreaker, and Bliss gets the pin. Bliss gets chummy with Nikki after the match.
(Thankfully, the women got that second segment. It wasn't a great match by any stretch of the imagination, but my previous statements about the women not getting enough time are now in error. I'm interested in seeing how much further the Alexa/Nikki storyline goes from here.)
- It also appears that we are not getting Firefly Funhouse tonight. Thank God.
- The main event is next with Ricochet facing off against The Phenomenal AJ Styles. Apparently, the United States Championship is NOT on the line here. (Cool to see Ricochet main eventing a Raw in a one-on-one match.) Both men trade Kip-Ups, but AJ turns Ricochet's Kip-Up into a headlock. Gallows and Anderson come out and walk around ringside. Anderson tries to trip up Ricochet, much to Styles' protests. He rolls out and gets in their face. He gets a mic and tells them to leave.
We return from break to see Styles and Ricochet go back at it. (They apparently "waited" over the break. If that's true, I feel sorry for the live crowd.) Ricochet takes the advantage early on using moves such as an armbar and an abdominal stretch with a neck twist. AJ starts hitting Ricochet with some hard shots. And he lands the Pele Kick. AJ continues to press the advantage. But Ricochet responds with a Flop over the top rope to the floor onto Styles. Ricochet then takes the advantage in the ring. Styles suplexes Ricochet into the corner. 2 count. Moments later, the two trade a few shots back and forth. A weak "This is Awesome" chant starts. Most of the crowd is like "Shut up" or "I'm too tired to chant." (I'd like to see that become a chant: "I'M TOO TIRED! I'M TOO TIRED!")
Ricochet starts hitting some of his trademark dives and the running shooting star press. Ricochet avoids the Moonsault-into-a-Reverse DDT, but Styles gets the Reverse DDT seconds later anyways. AJ gets a flurry of strikes and a clothesline for a 2. Ricochet reasserts control and hits an Asai Moonsault ala Chris Jericho for a 2 count. Ricochet goes to the top rope and misses the 630 attempt. Phenomenal Forearm. 1-2-3! AJ Styles wins.
(The fans need to stop chanting "This is awesome." It devalues any match that doesn't quite reach that level. Even half the audience at the arena was like "Just stop it." That being said, this was a good main event. You can tell these guys weren't going all out in this match, but that didn't matter. They delivered on the match that was promised: the first match between Ricochet and AJ Styles. Very good main event here and hopefully the first of MANY main events for Ricochet.)
After the match, AJ puts the U.S. Championship on Ricochet and holds his arm up. AJ hugs and talks to Ricochet after the match. Corey puts over the fact that AJ is coming for the title now.
Overall this was a very good episode of Raw with all three hours of the show more or less delivering. There were a few things that didn't hit for me, but those were few and far between. And I'm thankful that we didn't get Firefly Funhouse tonight. I'm hoping that means that it is over. Either debut Bray or don't at this point. I just never want to sit through another goofy Funhouse segment that only serves "inside baseball" for fans watching and provides nothing to draw people into the product (or worse off drives them away).
What I Liked
- Undertaker saving Roman
- R-Truth/ 24/7 Segments
- Samoa Joe in WWE Championship Program
- Drake Maverick getting airtime.
- 8 Man Tag Team Elimination Match
- NO FIREFLY FUNHOUSE!
- AJ/Good Brothers Storyline Advancement
- AJ vs. Ricochet
What I Didn't Like
- Kofi Dispatching Sami and Kevin With Relative Ease (especially during the Owens part)
- Opening Segment with Seth/Becky and Baron/Lacey
- WWE Fans Chanting "This is Awesome" for any match going above 10 minutes and not featuring Baron Corbin.
That does it for this review. Thanks for reading. I'll try to do the same for SmackDown tomorrow night.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
Seth Rollins put the gauntlet down yesterday and today, proclaiming this as the best wrestling on the planet on Twitter. Any World Champion should say that about his company. But there's a catch to it: You better back it up. Last night, 2/3 of the PPV was very good. Ironically, it was the last hour and the two world championship matches which brought the show down. And while I won't blame Seth Rollins for that fact (which, it is a fact. Sorry if you disagree. Watch the fans' reaction yesterday. That's all that matters in the end. Go ahead. This will still be here to say "See? Told ya."), it is an example of the disconnect in programming that WWE has had for a while now.
So, starting at 8, check in here as I give my honest reaction to Raw.
Monday Night Raw
June 24, 2019
- Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch start off the show as advertised. Seth comes out first and begins to talk. Then "The Man" comes out. Seth calls Becky "the best backup on the planet." "It pays to be The Man's man."- Becky Lynch. Baron Corbin's music plays. Lacey attacks Becky from behind. Becky goes after Lacey, and she even gives Seth a shove when he tries to pull her off. He backs off. Baron Corbin comes out and attacks Seth. The faces get rid of the heels. Baron and Lacey call Seth a "girl" and make some outdated gender references about aprons and doing work at home (this time about Seth). They eventually get around to making a Mixed Tag Match for Extreme Rules. The catch is that if Corbin and Evans lose that it's "done." But both belts are on the line in a "Winner Take All" match.
(I really hate that last part. Again, the outdated gender roles part probably came from some 70 year old man backstage. I can't imagine who. As for Winner Takes All, that's one hell of a way to crown champions. It didn't work for anyone in the past in a tag scenario. It won't work here if they decide to pull that trick. Odds are that Extreme Rules will end both programs and set Seth and Becky up for their actual title matches at SummerSlam. Still, not a fan of the opening segment nor the match at Extreme Rules.)
- Rowan and Daniel Bryan team with The Revival to take on The Usos and The New Day (minus Kofi) in a 8 Man Elimination Match. Some good action in the opening moments with some great offense from Daniel Bryan especially. The Revival and Rowan/Bryan do not gel well together and The Revival "accidentally" cause Bryan to get rolled up. Woods gets hit with Shatter Machine to eliminate The New Day.
After a commercial break, The Usos dive onto The Revival. They "officially restart" the match for some odd reason. The Usos start double teaming on Wilder. But Wilder gets a slam in to break up the offense of The Usos. Dawson gets tagged in, and they hit the classic Steiners Doomsday Bulldog move for a 2 count. Jimmy gets put on the corner, and Jey gets a blind tag. The Revival look to be going for the Power Plex. But Jey knocks Wilder down on the corner and jumps off for the splash for the win.
(Fun tag team match here, though I think the same could have been accomplished without having The New Day or Bryan/Rowan lose. Still, I'm not going to complain about seeing Daniel Bryan on TV. The Usos vs. The Revival with 20 minutes of PPV time should be awesome.)
- Braun Strowman is shown pulling an 18 Wheeler in the parking lot. (Too bad he couldn't pull Vince McMahon to give him a win over Brock Lesnar once.)
- Miz TV- Guests: Carmella and 24/7 Champion, R-Truth. Truth looks behind his back and under the ring to make sure no one is ready to jump on him. Truth gets a reprieve from the 24/7 rules during the interview. (Truth is already a 7x Champion.) Miz goes over the crazy spots where that title has been defended. And a replay of the wedding title change is shown again. The crowd supports Truth interrupting a wedding to win the belt. Truth hasn't been able to "eat, drink, or be merry, if you know what he means." WWE Superstars are going after him in the grocery store and at his home, dressed up like his neighbors or police officers.
Drake Maverick eventually comes out. Truth ruined the biggest day of his life. His wife won't consumate the marriage with him. Truth tells him "fiber is good for that." Truth makes a constipation joke, and the crowd cheers along with him. Drake wants a rematch 1-on-1. He wants the love of his life back: not his wife, the 24/7 Championship. Miz gets a message in his ear (was he even wearing an earpiece?!) that if Truth accepts the challenge, no one can interfere during the match. Truth tells "Hornswoggle" that it is on!
(I want to hate this 24/7 Championship so much. But it is allowing the comedic wrestlers on the undercard to get some moments to shine, such as this segment. Truth is making this title a highlight on the show, despite how ridiculous it is and the amount of talented workers being relegated to "chase" duty. I laughed too many times to hate this. Good segment.)
- Truth vs. Maverick lasts 4 seconds. Truth beats Maverick while I get myself an espresso. (True story.) Truth is trapped in the ring while other wrestlers run into the ring going after Truth. Eventually, Truth carries Carmella out of the arena as per usual.
Maverick is left devastated in the ring. He's asked what's next. Maverick can't speak and walks off. The fans give him the "Na Na Na Na" song probably to the ear-to-ear smile of a 70-year-old man backstage.
(Too quick to hate. And at least now stories are starting to develop in this weird universe of the 24/7 Championship Chase.)
- We get a replay of the Seth/Becky vs. Baron/Lacey segment earlier tonight. Lacey and Baron are shown backstage. They talk about needing to beat their opponents. Lacey wants to be sure that they have their plans together. They seem to think that Becky is Seth's kryptonite, and defeating her is key to becoming the new "power couple" in WWE.
- And now it's time for the gaping black hole of WWE programming that drags down 90% of the show's he's featured on: Shane McMahon's Best in the World storyline. It's Shane and Drew vs. Roman Reigns in a 2-1 Handicap Match. (If Drew takes the pin tonight, I am going to irrevocably sour on this storyline. I get last night. But having him job tonight will be too much, too soon. He needs a win badly. And yes, even in 2019, fans do care about wins or losses. Anyone who loses too much loses stock value. It's that simple.)
The commentary team already knew that the match was 2-1 with both men in the ring at the same time. But Shane and the ring announcer make it seem like this was a new development. Huh?
Roman dumps Shane and Drew out to focus on the other opponent at a time. But eventually, Drew pulls Roman to the floor and starts throwing Roman around. Reigns gets sent into the ring steps face first. More double-teaming in the ring by the heels. Claymore Kick to Roman. Shane spears Roman. Another Claymore Kick by Drew to Roman. Shane goes up for Coast To Coast. GONG! WHAT?!
UNDERTAKER IS HERE!!!!!! CHOKESLAM TO SHANE MCMAHON! Big Boot to McIntyre! The Deadman Survived Wrestling Goldberg! OH MY GOD! McIntyre and McMahon get sent to the floor! The crowd is going nuts. Throat Slash and Tongue Sticking Out by Undertaker. Taker does the signature pose in the ring. What a moment!
(Holy crap. He may be 54 years old, but Undertaker still has the ability to make a moment. No one saw that coming. Hats off to WWE for pulling that rabbit out of their hat. This has been the best Raw I've seen in a while up to this point. Let's hope the next hour and 40 plus minutes live up to this first part.)
- The Tug of War is next between Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley. Braun's Tractor Trailer Pull (18 Wheeler, whatever) is shown again. Bobby Lashley seems lost without Lio Rush to provide some character to go along with him. Now, they are showing Bobby Lashley pulling a rope tied around a phone pull so hard that the rope broke. Strowman pulls Lashley over the line to win, but Lashley attacks Strowman with the rope across the eyes. Renee Young says "Bobby Lashley is pissed." Um... That might get some words from a 70-Year-Old backstage. (That "70-Year-Old backstage" term seems to be a running gimmick of mine tonight. Oh well.)
(Another segment between Lashley and Braun that I'm going to forget tomorrow. I'm only going to remember Renee saying "pissed off" because I can see someone backstage getting snippy about it unfortunately.)
- AJ Styles is interviewed backstage. He's asked why he's challenging Ricochet on his first night back. He wants the best that WWE has to offer. And here comes No Way Jose of all people to interrupt AJ Styles. No. It's The Good Brothers dancing with No Way Jose. AJ tells them they need to get prepared for the Viking Raiders. The Good Brothers brush off AJ. AJ tells them that they aren't the Gallows and Anderson they were in 2016. Gallows says they are going to prove AJ wrong next.
(Something tells me Gallows and Anderson signed new contracts with WWE. Otherwise, I don't see why they'd be getting this amount of TV time on their way out. Then again, they did give Dean Ambrose a freaking WWE special to send him off. So, who knows?)
- The Viking Raiders vs. The Good Brothers is next. (In New Japan, this would be an epic 15 minute collision. In WWE, these two teams will be lucky to get 5 minutes. Prove me wrong, WWE. Please.) The Good Brothers start off hot, but The Viking Raiders take control soon. Anderson hits a hell of a lariat on Erik. The Good Brothers show some fire as AJ is shown watching backstage. Boot of Doom by Gallows and Anderson gets a 2. Anderson poses and says "See that AJ?" Well, the tide turns after that with the Viking Raiders mowing them over. Ivar/Hanson dives through the ropes onto Gallows on the floor. Elevated Powerslam/Viking Experience hits, and the match is over.
(Well, that was much more competitive than I thought it was going to be. This is probably another step towards The Club reforming and an AJ Styles heel turn, perhaps as early as tonight.)
- Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are shown backstage. Nikki apologizes for what happened last night. Nikki and Alexa talk about a "plan" to get Alexa another shot at the title.
- As we return from break, Natalya and Naomi talk to Nikki backstage, warning her about Alexa Bliss. Nikki refuses to turn on Alexa, and Naomi says she's facing Alexa later tonight.
- In the ring, Heath Slater and Mojo Rawley are in the ring for a match. R-Truth runs into the ring. The 24/7 chase is on. Heath catches Truth with a neckbreaker. 1-2-3! Slater wins the title. Moments later, Slater is caught by an attack by R-Truth! 1-2-3! New Champ! Cedric Alexander hits Truth with a Lombar Check. 1-2-3! Alexander wins the title. EC3 hits Alexander with the 1%-er. 1-2-3! EC3 wins the title. Carmella steals the belt. EC3 gets rolled up by R-Truth! 1-2-3. Truth wins the belt and runs off.
(Well, thankfully, we didn't have to sit through Slater vs. Mojo. This was again quick harmless fun. I can't hate it too much.)
- Ricochet is interviewed backstage about winning his first championship in WWE. Ricochet cuts a babyface promo about everyone helping him get to this position. Ricochet has looked up to AJ Styles, but he will beat him tonight.
- Kofi Kingston is welcomed out into the arena. And he's throwing pancakes around as he comes out. (I'm sorry. I know that's part of his "New Day" gimmick. But this comes off as a huge midcard gimmick, not something a world champion should be doing. I love Kofi being champion, but I have to call it like I see it.) Kofi is about to be interviewed, but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens come out. They want to interview Kofi Kingston, not "Not-Renee." It's now "The Sami and Kevin Show." They call Kofi a "paper champion" who gets help from his friends. Kofi puts over beating Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler all by himself, just like he's going to do against Sami Zayn.
This promo goes on a few minutes too long and we finally get to the Sami vs. Kofi match which starts after the break.
(Bad segment. These guys just kept going on the promo. They could have accomplished just as much without the interview nonsense and just done a walking promo to the ring to set up the match. Instead, we got this generic back and forth on the mic that was basically "Insert Wrestler A" and "Insert Wrestler B" in a throwaway match. I'm really hoping for an RKO tonight to Kofi as he needs to move above the Kevin Owens and Dolph Zigglers to get a better title reign going.)
- Kofi vs. Sami starts after the break. (To show how ridiculous this "Wild Card" thing is, we have two Smackdown wrestlers in this segment. Kofi is almost always on Raw as is Roman. Just ridiculous.) Basic match so far with Kofi getting some trademark moves in, including the New Day Leg Drop. Trouble in Paradise is avoided. Kevin beats up on Kofi behind the referee's back. Kofi makes his comeback in the ring, as you would expect. Sami hits an Exploder Suplex into the corner on Kofi for a 2 count. Michinoku Driver by Sami gets a 2 count as well. Later, Kofi springboards off the top rope into a boot by Sami. 2 count. Kofi rolls up Sami moments later and gets the 3.
(Good match as far as in-ring work goes. BUT the crowd could have cared less. Again, this felt like a midcard match because WE'VE BEEN CONDITIONED TO ONLY SEE THESE GUYS AT A CERTAIN LEVEL FOR YEARS! You cannot blame the fans for only being so warm for talent that Vince McMahon himself has devalued on TV for years. As far as Sami and Kevin go, how many times have these guys lost on TV? Forget that. How many times have they WON on TV in the last couple years?)
Kevin Owens gets on the mic and puts down Kofi. He calls Kofi down to the ring to face him right now. Kofi agrees to it and comes down to the ring.
- After the break, we get Kofi vs. Kevin Owens. Sami helps Kevin get the advantage, but Kevin only gets Kofi's knees on a Senton Bomb. They go to the outside. Apron-Powerbomb is avoided by Kofi who backdrops Kevin on the floor. S.O.S. on the steel ramp by Kofi to Kevin. Kofi runs into the ring and wins by countout. Kevin is holding the back of his head. Sami gets thrown out, and Kofi dives out onto both Sami and Kevin.
(So, Kevin and Sami can beat Big E and Xavier Woods, but they can't touch Kofi on a one-on-one, even 2-1 scenario. Just making sure I keep the math straight for the future.)
SAMOA JOE attacks Kofi from behind on the aisle and throws him around the stage. Urinage on the Steel by Joe. (If Brock wasn't a Big City Part-Timer, this would be THE PERFECT time to cash in. Just saying.) Kofi is helped up by referees, and Samoa Joe comes back out to lock in the Clutch. Kingston is out.
(Thankfully, Samoa Joe is not being forgotten as a character. I doubt Joe, a Raw Superstar, will be the one to dethrone Kofi, but this is someone who can help get Kofi over more than either Dolph or Kevin could.)
- A recap of the Shane/Drew/Roman/Undertaker segment is shown. It's official: Roman Reigns and The Undertaker will face Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre. (I'm calling it: Shane is going to pin The Undertaker to send the internet into a frenzy. You heard it here first. The troll is hard with this storyline.)
- The next match is Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss. Naomi and Alexa go back and forth, and Nikki gets a baseball slide by Naomi by accident. That allows Alexa to get a DDT in the ring for the ring. After the match, Alexa assaults Naomi and invites Nikki to come in and get some shots in. Nikki pushes Naomi down, but she knocks Alexa down by accident in the process. Natalya comes down to help Naomi.
(The further problems between Alexa and Nikki continue to be teased here. This was not a lot of time to work, but with everything going on tonight, this may be more "necessary evil" than "deliberate disrespect" towards the women's division. Besides, Becky and Lacey are involved in the main program on Raw right now. So, you can hardly say that the women are being disrespected.)
- Forget not getting enough time. We return from break to get Natalya and Naomi vs. Nikki and Alexa. Nikki is worked over by both Naomi and Natalya before getting the tag to Alexa. Alexa starts getting double-teamed though seconds later by Naomi and Natalya. Bliss and Natalya go back and forth for a few moments. Bliss gets the tag to Nikki who goes after both Naomi and Natalya. Bliss gets the blind tag. Nikki hits the spinning neckbreaker, and Bliss gets the pin. Bliss gets chummy with Nikki after the match.
(Thankfully, the women got that second segment. It wasn't a great match by any stretch of the imagination, but my previous statements about the women not getting enough time are now in error. I'm interested in seeing how much further the Alexa/Nikki storyline goes from here.)
- It also appears that we are not getting Firefly Funhouse tonight. Thank God.
- The main event is next with Ricochet facing off against The Phenomenal AJ Styles. Apparently, the United States Championship is NOT on the line here. (Cool to see Ricochet main eventing a Raw in a one-on-one match.) Both men trade Kip-Ups, but AJ turns Ricochet's Kip-Up into a headlock. Gallows and Anderson come out and walk around ringside. Anderson tries to trip up Ricochet, much to Styles' protests. He rolls out and gets in their face. He gets a mic and tells them to leave.
We return from break to see Styles and Ricochet go back at it. (They apparently "waited" over the break. If that's true, I feel sorry for the live crowd.) Ricochet takes the advantage early on using moves such as an armbar and an abdominal stretch with a neck twist. AJ starts hitting Ricochet with some hard shots. And he lands the Pele Kick. AJ continues to press the advantage. But Ricochet responds with a Flop over the top rope to the floor onto Styles. Ricochet then takes the advantage in the ring. Styles suplexes Ricochet into the corner. 2 count. Moments later, the two trade a few shots back and forth. A weak "This is Awesome" chant starts. Most of the crowd is like "Shut up" or "I'm too tired to chant." (I'd like to see that become a chant: "I'M TOO TIRED! I'M TOO TIRED!")
Ricochet starts hitting some of his trademark dives and the running shooting star press. Ricochet avoids the Moonsault-into-a-Reverse DDT, but Styles gets the Reverse DDT seconds later anyways. AJ gets a flurry of strikes and a clothesline for a 2. Ricochet reasserts control and hits an Asai Moonsault ala Chris Jericho for a 2 count. Ricochet goes to the top rope and misses the 630 attempt. Phenomenal Forearm. 1-2-3! AJ Styles wins.
(The fans need to stop chanting "This is awesome." It devalues any match that doesn't quite reach that level. Even half the audience at the arena was like "Just stop it." That being said, this was a good main event. You can tell these guys weren't going all out in this match, but that didn't matter. They delivered on the match that was promised: the first match between Ricochet and AJ Styles. Very good main event here and hopefully the first of MANY main events for Ricochet.)
After the match, AJ puts the U.S. Championship on Ricochet and holds his arm up. AJ hugs and talks to Ricochet after the match. Corey puts over the fact that AJ is coming for the title now.
Overall this was a very good episode of Raw with all three hours of the show more or less delivering. There were a few things that didn't hit for me, but those were few and far between. And I'm thankful that we didn't get Firefly Funhouse tonight. I'm hoping that means that it is over. Either debut Bray or don't at this point. I just never want to sit through another goofy Funhouse segment that only serves "inside baseball" for fans watching and provides nothing to draw people into the product (or worse off drives them away).
What I Liked
- Undertaker saving Roman
- R-Truth/ 24/7 Segments
- Samoa Joe in WWE Championship Program
- Drake Maverick getting airtime.
- 8 Man Tag Team Elimination Match
- NO FIREFLY FUNHOUSE!
- AJ/Good Brothers Storyline Advancement
- AJ vs. Ricochet
What I Didn't Like
- Kofi Dispatching Sami and Kevin With Relative Ease (especially during the Owens part)
- Opening Segment with Seth/Becky and Baron/Lacey
- WWE Fans Chanting "This is Awesome" for any match going above 10 minutes and not featuring Baron Corbin.
That does it for this review. Thanks for reading. I'll try to do the same for SmackDown tomorrow night.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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