The July 1, 2019 episode of WWE RAW aired live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. In addition to the takeaways below, Drake Maverick once again won the 24/7 Championship.
Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s show:
RAW Started Out With A Bang
Braun Strowman battled Bobby Lashley in a Falls Count Anywhere Match to kick off this week’s episode of RAW. Lashley connected with a Spear early and Strowman rolled out of the ring. Bobby chased after him and ran into a shoulder tackle from Strowman.
Strowman hit Lashley with a Senton outside the ring for a two count. Lashley threw Braun into the ring post and hit another Spear for a near fall. Lashley sent Strowman over the barricade and into the crowd. Bobby grabbed a steel chair and struck Braun across the back several times.
Braun drove Lashley into the steel barricade and launched him onto the entrance ramp. Lashley planted Strowman with a Suplex on the ramp for a two count. Strowman then tackled Lashley through the screen and pyros went off as Corey Graves shouted “holy sh*t!” into the microphone.
Several WWE employees brought in fire extinguishers as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”. Lashley and Strowman were then loaded onto stretchers to conclude the segment.
Holy sh*t is right. I had no interest in another Lashley and Strowman match but this was epic.
Samoa Joe & Viking Raiders Dominated New Day
Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) squared off against New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) tonight on RAW. Big E drove Erik to the apron and hit him with a Splash. Ivar tagged in and leveled Big E. Erik tagged back in and Dropkicked Big E into the corner. Erik picked up Ivar and launched him onto Big E for a two count.
Samoa Joe came through the crowd and attacked Xavier Woods from behind. Joe locked in the Coquina Clutch as WWE Champion Kofi Kingston rushed the ring. The Viking Raiders joined Samoa Joe in the attack and beat Kofi down before WWE officials separated the superstars as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, New Day faced Viking Raiders & Samoa Joe in a 6-man tag team match. Kofi connected with a Dropkick off the second rope to Ivar for a two count. Woods tagged in and hit an Elbow Drop off the second turnbuckle for a two count.
Joe distracted Woods and Ivar capitalized with a boot to the face. Samoa Joe tagged in and beat the hell out of Woods for a bit before Erik tagged in. Erik locked in an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Erik Bodyslammed Ivar on top Xavier and Joe got back into the match.
Samoa Joe hit Woods with a Senton for a near fall. Xavier battled back with a Dropkick and tagged Kofi in. Ivar tagged in as well and walked into a Dropkick from the WWE Champion. Kingston went for a Crossbody off the top rope but Ivar caught him.
Kingston escaped but got a punch to the face for his troubles. Erik tagged in and Kofi decked him with a Clothesline. Kingston followed it up with the Boom Drop but got distracted by Joe. Erik clubbed him in the back of the head and tagged Joe in. Erik leveled Kofi with a knee to the face but was sent out of the ring by Big E.
Ivar took out Woods with a Suicide Dive outside the ring. Kofi hit Ivar with Trouble in Paradise on the ring apron. Joe snuck up behind Kofi and applied the Coquina Clutch in the middle of the ring. Kofi tried to fight free but ultimately passed out and Joe & The Viking Raiders won the match.
Corey Graves said during this match that he heard a rumor that the WWE Championship bout at Extreme Rules will be a Ladder Match. I guess WWE is making it seem like Kofi cannot defeat Joe in a standard match, but will have the ability to overcome him in a Ladder Match.
That is the only reason I can barely justify having your WWE Champion pass out in the middle of the ring on an episode of RAW. I still can’t stand it and am tired of seeing champions lose during pointless television matches. You can build up a feud without having your champion lose a match. It is something that WWE does regularly, and it makes the champion look weak. RAW started off great and promptly went right back to the show that most people are bored with.
The Undertaker Warned Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre
SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre came down to the ring to hype up their tag match against Roman Reigns & The Undertaker at Extreme Rules. Shane demanded that Mike Rome give him a proper introduction as the best in the world before the promo started.
Shane vowed that they are going to put the Big Dog and the Phenom in the ground at Extreme Rules. McIntyre added that The Undertaker has struck fear into the hearts of every man he has ever faced, but he is no ordinary man. McIntyre referred to himself as a “hybrid of every generation” and is not afraid of The Undertaker.
Drew claimed that he didn’t give a damn about The Undertaker and challenged him to come down to the ring. The gong went off and the lights went out in the arena. The Undertaker’s theme hit and he finally emerged from backstage. Shane and Drew hopped out of the ring and retreated into the crowd.
The Undertaker grabbed the microphone and said that Roman Reigns never asked him for help. Taker stated that he is the reaper of wayward souls and he is here to collect theirs. Undertaker told Shane that he had respect for him for a while and that he gave him everything he could handle in their Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania. The Undertaker accused Shane of falling victim to his own greed and ego. He vowed to send their souls to hell and added that they will never rest in peace. Undertaker then did the throat slit motion to end the promo.
I will always love The Undertaker, but this promo didn’t do much for me. I just want to move on and see new talent become stars. If The Undertaker was returning here and there to help a young superstar gain some traction with the fans I would be all for it. The Undertaker is only on WWE television right now to bump up the ratings and get more people to attend or watch Extreme Rules.
I would prefer to see the twenty minutes spent on this promo allocated to superstars that have been rotting away in catering. I still don’t understand what Drew McIntyre is getting out of being Shane McMahon’s lackey. He has accomplished nothing with him and Shane has been the focal point the entire time. Shane McMahon was the one who defeated Roman Reigns, while McIntyre lost to him at WrestleMania and at Stomping Grounds. None of this makes any sense to me and it simply is not interesting.
The Miz Defeated Elias In A 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match
The Miz faced Elias in another 2 out of 3 Falls Match tonight on RAW. The Miz won the first fall quickly after hitting the Skull Crushing Finale. Michael Cole announced that they will have a commercial break after the 2nd fall, which made it obvious that Elias was going tie it up. Elias promptly hit Drift Away moments later to win the 2nd fall and RAW went to a commercial break.
Elias slammed Miz to the canvas for a two count. Elias went for a running knee on the apron but Miz got out of the way and Elias crashed into the ring post. Back in the ring, Miz locked in a Figure Four and Elias tapped out. Miz kept the hold locked in for an extra few seconds before finally letting go.
Michael Cole announcing that they will go to break after the 2nd fall is unbelievably dumb. It made it obvious that Elias was going to get it and took me out of the match. I don’t understand a lot of things about this show, but this new obsession with when to take commercial breaks is at the top of my list. How can anyone possibly enjoy this many 2 out of 3 Falls matches when they have already become predictable? A superstar is going to pick up the first fall in the minute of the match, then his or her opponent will tie it a couple of minutes later before a break. I’d rather watch commercials at this point than sit through another 2 out of 3 Falls match on RAW or SmackDown.
Maria Belittled Mike Kanellis
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Universal Champion Seth Rollins were interviewed backstage about their relationship and their match against Corbin & Evans.
Rollins noted that the stakes are raised because if one of them gets pinned they both lose their titles. Becky advised Rollins to not her title and Seth told Lynch to not lose his title.
Maria Kanellis interrupted and stated that she pushed an 8 pound baby out of her uterus, so she is not all that impressed that Becky defeated Rousey at WrestleMania. This led to a mixed tag match between the two couples.
Mike sent Seth to the corner and bounced his head off the turnbuckle several times. Rollins battled back with a Buckle Bomb and then a boot to the face. Becky Lynch and Maria Kanellis then tagged in. Maria looked frightened and hopped off the ring apron. Maria grabbed the microphone and scolded Mike for not being able mop the floor with Seth and said that he cannot even mop the floor at home.
Becky Lynch charged at Maria but she shouted that she is pregnant. Mike asked how could she be pregnant and Maria said that Mike isn’t man enough to make her pregnant. Becky then brought Mike into the ring and locked in the Dis-Arm-Her for the submission victory. After the match, Maria went off on Mike again and called him a disappointment. Maria added that the only man here tonight was The Man Becky Lynch. Maria then said that maybe next time she will ask Becky to impregnate her.
…as RAW rolls on! pic.twitter.com/fdez2N94a2
— TDE Wrestling (@tde_wrestling) July 2, 2019
This was remarkably terrible. It was almost a work of art how terrible this entire segment was. The backstage promo between the two couples was the definition of cringe. Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins are probably a great couple in real life, on television, it looks like they are being held hostage together. Mike and Maria just signed new 5-year contracts, and they were rewarded with an incredibly embarrassing segment. Congratulations.
Carmella Embarrassed Alexa Bliss, Only To Lose To Nikki Cross Minutes Later
Alexa Bliss welcomed Nikki Cross to A Moment of Bliss on tonight’s episode of RAW. Last week on SmackDown, Cross defeated Bayley to earn Bliss yet another title shot at Extreme Rules.
Cross told Alexa that she will always be grateful to her because she was the first person to welcome her with open arms on the main roster. Carmella immediately interrupted and wondered why Alexa is getting the title match when Nikki was the one who beat the champion.
Carmella accused Bliss of taking advantage of Cross and asked what Alexa has ever given Nikki. Alexa called Carmella “R-Truth’s sidekick” and Carmella challenged her to a match.
Carmella rolled up Bliss and defeated Alexa Bliss in a matter of moments. Nikki Cross then faced Carmella in a match after a commercial break. Carmella controlled the match early but Cross took control and hit the Swinging Neckbreaker for the victory. After the match, Alexa Bliss shouted: “we won!” and taunted Carmella.
The Club Reunited & Attacked Ricochet
Gallows and Anderson played mind games with AJ Styles and Ricochet backstage tonight. They told AJ that he lost his edge and challenged him to approach Ricochet and slap him in the face and take his title. Styles obliged and smacked Ricochet in the face and vowed to take his title. Ricochet responded with a slap of his own to end the segment.
Ricochet defended his United States Championship against AJ Styles in the main event of this week’s RAW.
AJ dominated the match early and hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall victory. AJ Styles celebrated with the United States Championship as Graves pointed out that Ricochet’s foot was under the bottom rope and the pinfall shouldn’t have counted. Referee John Cone came down to the ring and pointed that out as RAW went to a commercial break.
The match was restarted when RAW returned and Gallows & Anderson were ringside. Ricochet connected with an Enziguri and followed it up with a Neckbreaker for a two count. Ricochet sent AJ out of the ring and went for a flip but AJ got out of the way. Ricochet landed on his feet but AJ quickly hit him with the Phenomenal Forearm.
Back in the ring, AJ planted Ricochet with a Brainbuster for a two count. Ricochet battled back and rolled up Styles for the pinfall victory to retain the United States Championship. After the match, AJ shook Ricochet’s hand and then took a look at Gallows and Anderson.
Gallows and Anderson hopped up on the apron and AJ hit Ricochet with a cheap shot. Styles beat Ricochet down as Gallows and Anderson got into the ring. Gallows and Anderson planted Ricochet with the Magic Killer and lifted Ricochet up off the canvas. AJ hit the Styles Clash off the second rope and the trio stood over Ricochet. AJ unloaded a few more punches to Ricochet’s face for good measure to close the show.
? @KingRicochet pic.twitter.com/oj74jh73bg
— TDE Wrestling (@tde_wrestling) July 2, 2019
The forced match restarts to get in another commercial break has already become annoying. This week’s RAW completely fell off a cliff after the first thirty minutes. The main event contained hardly any wrestling and didn’t feel special because we just saw it last week. While it is cool that The Club is back together, it is hard to get excited about it because the writing is so terrible on these shows.
