WWE Raw Recap: Monday Night Showdowns
24 hours removed from what many WWE fans claimed to be a solid, fun Hell in a Cell PPV, it was time to move along as we now get ready for WWE’s next big extravaganza, Super-Showdown.
And from the looks of how last night’s Raw went down, it was a definitely battle field atmosphere, with acting Raw GM Baron Corbin at the forefront.
I must admit, last night’s Raw was 50/50 for me, while most of the show did have my attention, there were some parts of the show that weren’t worth watching.
All in all, Raw served it’s purpose in officially starting to build towards it’s sold out Saudi Arabia show on Oct. 6th.
So with that, let’s get to what all went down last night in this week’s WWE Raw Recap.
*A Three Way War that’ll finally settle the score?*
Raw kicked off in usual fashion with an appearance by WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns coming out to the ring to address the WWE universe about the hellacious Hell in a Cell match with Braun Strowman.
Then all of sudden, Reigns began to talk about Brock Lesnar who made a stunning return to WWE at the PPV which saw him get interfere in the closing moments of the bout destroying both Reigns and Strowman with F-5’s, leaving both men laying.
He continued on Lesnar by assuming the reason for his interference at Hell in a Cell, was because he was never able to get his Summerslam rematch, then proceeded to call out The Beast to face him.
Instead of getting Lesnar, he got Braun Strowman who made his way down to the ring with angry destructive intentions.
Strowman then started to give his side of the story of his unfinished business with Brock, then telling Reigns after he was done with him he would resume his pursuit of the Universal Championship.
Moments later, acting Raw GM Baron Corbin made his way to the ring to restore order and make amends of what happened Sunday night.
He claimed after talking to Stephanie McMahon, he’d come up with a solution that would solve this whole entire fiasco.
A triple threat match between the three for the WWE Universal Championship at another upcoming WWE live event in Saudi Arabia called Crowned Jewel.
Strowman, furious that at the fact he’ll have to face both Reigns and Lesnar again at the same time, instead of facing Reigns one-on-one for another shot at the title, spoke of his displeasure of the announcement and Reigns/Corbin then stormed out of the ring when all of a sudden Paul Heyman appeared.
Heyman then began to do his usual shtick about Lesnar and his involvement at Hell in a Cell including bringing the piece of the door Lesnar kicked down, as well as introduced the WWE Universe to Brockanomics, a philosophy he described to let not only all three men in the ring as well as the fans now just how valuable Lesnar is inside of WWE, and outside.
Heyman then ended the promo by proclaiming how Roman and Braun ruined Lesnar’s value as a competitor by costing him the Universal title while promising them he’d regain the title at the Saudi Arabia event as Strowman chased Heyman away.
The closing moments of the segment then saw Corbin talk about how wounded Roman was for Sunday night then booking himself to face Reigns for the Universal Championship.
This whole segment was good, and really gave this ongoing saga between Reigns, Lesnar, and Strowman, an even bigger boost.
While I am irritated and tired of this fired altogether however, the making of another multi-man Universal title match among them may end up being the actual definitive payoff we’ve waiting on.
Mercifully, I hope it is.
* Another Rollins vs. Ziggler Thriller*
In another breathtaking installment of their spectacular feud, Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler brought the fireworks again, as they put on another blockbuster contest in a Summerslam rematch for the Intercontinental Championship.
But a just an hour earlier into the show, it seemed like for the moment the match wasn’t going to happen.
When Baron Corbin met up with Dolph Ziggler backstage as Ziggler congratulating his partner Drew McIntyre on a hard fought victory over Dean Ambrose, he decided to abuse his power once again and give The Showoff another shot at the Intercontinental Championship, only this time there was a twist.
Being that Rollins hadn’t made it into the building yet for Raw, Corbin made an ultimatum to Ziggler that if Seth didn’t show up to defend his title, not only would he strip of the belt, he would also award the title to Ziggler, in which Ziggler adamantly agreed and told Corbin to make the match.
Later on as the show went on, Rollins finally showed up to the arena and was informed about Corbin’s dastardly plan to take away his championship, then telling the interviewer that he’ll prove to Corbin that this still Monday Night Rollins.
Not long after that, the match had officially happened.
As the bout began, it was obvious from the outset how bruised and beaten both men were after suffering a horrible fall atop the cell from Sunday night.
After much back and forth action including two razor thin near falls from Ziggler becoming a 7 time Intercontinental Champion, Rollins was able to find the opening he needed to hit his signature curb stomp for a gutsy victory.
*The Ronda Rousey Championship Legacy in a Riott?*
In one of the more subpar parts of Raw, Ronda Rousey came down to the ring for what seemingly was gonna be her laying down an open challenge.
She started off by acknowledging Alexa Bliss for taking her to her limits and showing her what it takes to be champion, she then told the WWE Universe as Raw Women’s champion, she wanted to leave the same legacy as WWE superstars before her have by being a fighting champion and defending the title as much as possible.
Shortly after making the open challenge official, Natalya’s music suddenly played, much to the shock of Rousey and the WWE Universe as it looked like the unthinkable was about to happen of the champion’s best friend and training would be the one to accept her challenge.
Turns out, it was all one big ploy by the Riott Squad who had jumped Natty backstage as her music hit while dragging lifeless body out in the arena in front of Rousey.
Infuriated by the cowardly attack, Rousey readied herself to take on the evil trio but Ruby Riot instead declared herself as the one who’d be taking her on.
As it looked like the match was about to transpire, other Riott Squad member Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan swarmed the ring and proceeded to ambush the Raw women’s champion.
While Ronda was able to fight off the group herself momentarily, the numbers game caught up to her again, but not for long as the Bella twins sprinted to the ring to make the save and scattered the Riott Squad off.
*A Rest for the weary*
In a rare occurrence on Monday Night Raw, the Undertaker made an appearance to respond to HHH’s comments made about him on last week’s show concerning their Super Showdown match up.
The Undertaker described HHH as a broken soul, and how he use to be the cerebral assassin but has now converted into a corporate manipulator with the board room as is battlefield.
He continued by talking about how HHH not seeing the fear in his best friend Shawn Michaels eyes as reminder of what awaits him on October 6th when they clash.
In closing, Taker said he doesn’t feed to much in what another man thinks, but what he knows, he then confidently guaranteed in his signature chilling dark tone that he would put HHH 6 feet under, and that he would bring the his big red machine brother Kane with him to Melbourne Australia to combat HBK, claiming once the bout is over both he and Michaels would both rest in peace.
I don’t care what nobody says, whenever the Undertaker makes an appearance on any WWE show, it’s always an honor to witness it, Taker is bonafied icon, legend, and 1 ballot Hall of Famer when he officially decides to call it a career.
An though he may not be the most recognized talker in pro wrestling, he is however the most effective, a direct straight-to-the-point delivery letting you know he means business.
That my friends, is why he’s the most well respected performers ever in the business.
His match with HHH should be quite interesting, especially when you factor in the additions Micheals and Kane.
If properly booked, this could possibly be one of the better matches of the night featuring two of WWE’s most celebrated superstars.
*Other matches on Raw*
Drew McIntyre def. Dean Ambrose
In my opinion, the second best match of the night, same intensity and storytelling much like Ziggler and Rollins did earlier in the night.
I do think WWE Creative could have given Ambrose the win here just to even out the momentum for The Shield instead of making it seem like they aren’t equal or don’t have a chance at beating Strowman and company.
But at the same time I do understand the finish, as it does build up McIntyre as a major star on Raw which I’m totally fine with.
Chad Gable def. Viktor of the Ascension
Same ole same ole here basically, another win for Gable.
Just waiting on the real part of the story between he and Roode to happen if you know what I mean.
Bayley def. Dana Brooke
Another attempt from WWE creative to get Dana over as a singles star, newsflash: NOT WORKING
all this was is a glorified squash for Bayley an nothing else.
Maybe if WWE had built on the tease of a Titus O’Neal heel turn on Apollo and Dana like they were going to, maybe we wouldn’t have this problem, try again.
AOP vs. Local Opponents
Another squash, still no story.
Just throw the whole team and Maverick away, and let them back to where the brand where they can actually get over.
Elias def. Bobby Lashley via DQ
This actually was decent for how Elias and Lashley have been recently presented, and thank God for Lio Rush, his insertion as now Lashley’s new manager may have injected much needed new life into his character.
Plus the bit where he’s able to barely escape both Elias and Kevin Owens was quite entertaining I must say, if WWE Creative can smartly capitalize on this moving forward, they may have found the missing link to finally get Lashley over.
Roman Reigns def. Baron Corbin for the WWE Universal Championship
Though wild and chaotic throughout, this was a good match with great storytelling that really showcased the snobby, power-drunk nature of this repackaged heel character of Corbin, that also teased multiple times of the Constable stealing the Universal title.
The interference of both The Shield and Strowman Ziggler and McIntyre though predictable, was the proper way to end the match, as it played up the magnitude of the six man tag for Super-Showdown and presented it as a marquee bout for the event.
Overall, this edition of Raw served it’s purpose, while not the greatest episode, it did build up the match ups and stories heading into the October 6th event effectively.
I give this Raw a B-.
