The August 5th, 2019 episode of WWE RAW aired live from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. It was the final episode of RAW before WWE SummerSlam this Sunday night. In addition to the takeaways below, R-Truth once again became 24/7 Champion.
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Natalya Vowed To Make Becky Tap Out This Sunday
Charlotte and Becky Lynch faced Natalya and Trish Stratus to kick off this week’s episode of RAW. Becky dominated Natalya early but Flair tagged herself in. Charlotte connected with a big boot that knocked Natalya to the canvas.
Flair locked Natalya in a Headlock as Stratus tried to fire up the painfully silent crowd. Charlotte pretended that she wanted to tag in Becky before moving her arm away. Charlotte later attacked Becky from behind and left the ring.
Natalya applied the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring but Lynch reached the ropes. Natalya refused to release the hold and the match ended in DQ. Trish broke it up and Natalya shoved her to the corner.
Natalya then retreated out of the ring to end the segment. Later on RAW, Natalya was interviewed backstage and vowed to become the new RAW Women’s Champion at SummerSlam. Lynch will defend the title against Natalya in a Submission Match this Sunday.
Seth Rollins Couldn’t Get The Crowd Behind Him
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar came down to the ring with Paul Heyman to start the second hour of tonight’s show. Heyman stated that Lesnar ordered him to educate everyone in the crowd and those watching at home.
Heyman rolled footage of Lesnar’s brutal attack on Seth Rollins last week on RAW. Paul admitted that the beating was borderline criminal and announced that Seth Rollins was here tonight.
Seth Rollins slowly hobbled his way down the ramp with a steel chair in his hand. Brock Lesnar hit Rollins in the ribs and followed it up with a few chair shots. Brock Lesnar planted Rollins with an F5 and Graves said that there is no way Seth will be able to compete this Sunday.
Seth Rollins grabbed a microphone and asked himself if all this is worth it and that the answer is yes. Rollins guaranteed that he will beat Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and a mild “burn it down!” chant broke out.
First of all, the limp by Seth Rollins was so ridiculous that it was hilarious. WWE wanted the crowd to get fully behind Rollins during this segment but once again they did not react. There were even some cheers when Rollins got hit with the F5. Rollins then got the “what?” treatment during his promo. Seth is amazing in the ring, but his promos tend to be quite boring. I enjoyed the beatdown last week by Lesnar, even though a Brock attack is nothing new. I just thought it was done well. Tonight’s segment did nothing for me and I wound up feeling bad for Rollins by the end of it. I’m sure he was expecting the crowd to rally behind him but they genuinely did not seem to care.
Bray Wyatt Attacked Kurt Angle
Drew McIntyre faced Cedric Alexander tonight on RAW. Kurt Angle was the special referee for the match. McIntyre attacked Cedric during his entrance and launched him into the barricade. Alexander battled back with a Tornado DDT off the barricade and both men fell to the floor.
The lights in the arena went out and Bray Wyatt attacked Kurt Angle. Wyatt locked in the Mandible Claw on Angle until the lights went out once again. Bray’s laugh then echoed throughout the arena to conclude the segment.
Someone Tried To Hit Roman Reigns With A Car
Samoa Joe said that Roman Reigns should come down to the ring and apologize to him. Joe set up a chair in the middle of the ring and took a seat. Joe stated that RAW is officially shut down until Reigns apologizes to him.
Roman Reigns didn’t come down to the ring and Joe sat silently in the ring. A loud “CM Punk!” chant broke out and Joe received word that Reigns was arriving at the arena. Joe went to the parking lot and confronted Reigns as he was getting out of his car.
A car came out of nowhere and tried to hit Reigns as he was getting out of the car. Roman leaped back inside at the last moment before the cars collided. The car with the mystery driver sped away as Joe helped Roman Reigns. Triple H then showed up to check on Reigns.
Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross Are The New Women’s Tag Team Champions
The IIConics defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville, Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross, and the Kabuki Warriors tonight in a Fatal $-Way Elimination Match. WWE accidentally put Io Shirai’s Twitter handle on the screen instead of Asuka’s during the Kabuki Warriors’ entrance.
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce isolated Mandy Rose in the corner to start the match off. The IIconics continued to dominate the match and took a break to pose in the ring. Rose rolled up Billie from behind for a two count and then turned around into a Clothesline. Sonya knocked Peyton out of the ring as Rose rolled up Billie Kay for the pinfall. The IIconics were the first team eliminated in the match.
Sane and Asuka beat Sonya Deville down as Paige cheered them on from ringside. Alexa Bliss was tagged in and got in the ring with Kairi Sane. Kairi poked fun at Alexa’s height and then the two superstars locked up in the middle of the ring. Sane took control and tagged Asuka in.
Mandy tagged in and leveled Asuka with a punch to the face. Asuka battled back and applied the Asuka Lock to Rose and Mandy tapped out. It was now down to the Kabuki Warriors versus Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
Asuka trapped Nikki in a Knee Bar in the middle of the ring. Asuka transitioned into a Crossface and Nikki screamed in pain. Cross escaped and connected with a DDT for a near fall. Cross planted Asuka with a Belly to Back Suplex and went for the cover but Asuka was able to kick out at two.
Kairi and Bliss then tagged in. Sane leveled Alexa with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Crossbody. Sane marched around the ring and hit a sliding forearm in the corner. Asuka tagged in and locked in the Asuka Lock but Alexa countered into a roll-up for a two count. Asuka hit Bliss with a knee to the face and tagged in Kairi.
Cross shoved Kairi off the top rope and trapped Asuka in the apron. Alexa knocked Kairi with a right hand to the face and climbed to the top rope. Alexa hit Twisted Bliss on Sane for the pinfall victory.
Since WrestleMania, the Women’s Tag Team Championships have been a complete embarrassment and that continued tonight. I’m assuming that this is just going to be a way to get to the eventual feud between Bliss and Cross. Thus, the titles probably won’t be built up at all and remain an afterthought. I’d like to see WWE actually build up a women’s tag team division instead of having sporadic matches. Kairi Sane and Asuka are terrific in-ring performers that will likely never get the shot they deserve in WWE.
Goldberg Will Face Ziggler At SummerSlam
The Miz welcomed Shawn Michaels and Dolph Ziggler down to the ring at the end of the show. Ziggler went on a rant and wished The Miz luck at SummerSlam. Dolph claimed that when he wins at SummerSlam he will finally get the respect he deserves as being a living legend.
Ziggler signed the contract and The Miz said he looks forward to facing him next Monday at RAW. The Miz told Ziggler that he just signed a contract to face someone else at WWE SummerSlam. Shawn Michaels told Dolph that it wasn’t him. Goldberg marched down to the ring and signed the contract. Goldberg said: “you’re next!” and Shawn Michaels hit Dolph with Sweet Chin Music to close the show.
I’m sure Dolph Ziggler will do some expert selling this Sunday night at SummerSlam. I certainly don’t have any interest in this but it is a Goldberg match, so thankfully it won’t last long. Overall, tonight’s RAW was pretty boring. Andrade and Mysterio put on a solid match and that was the highlight of the show. There is hardly anything on SummerSlam’s card that I am invested in. The show might still turn out to be entertaining, but as always it would have been better if WWE managed to create compelling storylines on their 5 hours of weekly television.
