Dean Ambrose kicked off this week’s episode of RAW. Ambrose came down to the ring with a steel chair and stated that he was feeling bent out of shape because of The Miz. Ambrose called out The Miztourage and then took a seat on the chair in the middle of the ring. Seth Rollins then came down to the ring and joined Ambrose.
Rollins asked Ambrose why he was picking a fight he cannot win on his own. Rollins told Ambrose that he appreciated his toughness but he should calm down and come up with a better plan. Ambrose said that this was his battle and told Rollins to go away. Seth asked Ambrose if he will be standing in his way or by his side when he takes the fight to The Miz.
Dean hasn’t forgotten about Rollins turning his back on The Shield. Rollins got in Dean’s face and said that was three years ago and apologized. Seth stated that he has lived with that every single day of his life. Rollins said that he remembers Dean cashing in his MITB contract and defeating him for the WWE Championship. Rollins asked Ambrose if he will ever be able to move on from it.
Rollins then dared Ambrose to hit Rollins with the chair. Ambrose stared at Rollins for a bit and then threw the chair out of the ring. The Miz interrupted and was joined by Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. The Miz said Rollins and Ambrose were wasting their time because Ambrose will never forgive Rollins. The Miz went on to boast about getting the best of Ambrose for the past few months.
The Miztourage walked towards the ring and The Miz stopped on the entrance ramp as Bo and Axel surrounded the ring. The Miz, Bo and Axel all grabbed chairs and surrounded the ring. The crowd started chanting “Roman” as Rollins and Ambrose were beaten down. The Miz slammed Ambrose into the steel steps outside the ring. The Miz then joined Bo and Axel in the ring. Miz hit Rollins with a Skull Crushing Finale onto the chair in the ring. The Miz hit Ambrose with the chair one more time and The Miztourage celebrated on the entrance ramp by raising the chairs in the air.
Reaction: I don’t know why The Miz and Ambrose still need to be in a feud. The inclusion of Rollins, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel makes things a little more interesting, but I’d prefer to see The Miz feuding with someone else for the Intercontinental Championship. Dean Ambrose absolutely needs this mini-Shield reunion to work. He is as boring as it gets right now.
The Miztourage were shown exiting the arena in a hurry to avoid any type of retaliation from Ambrose and Rollins.
Bayley vs Alexa Bliss
Bayley beatdown Alexa in the corner to start off the match. Nia Jax came down to the ring and RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Alexa was in control of the match and Nia was ringside. Bayley fought back as the crowd chanted her name. Bayley bounced Alexa’s head off the turnbuckle and followed it up with a Clothesline that knocked Bliss to the mat.
Bayley connected with a Flying Elbow but clutched her injured arm after hitting the move. Bayley climbed to the second rope and hit an Elbow Drop. Alexa rolled out of the ring and Bayley chased her out there. Nia Jax got in Bayley’s way and Alexa capitalized. Sasha Banks then sprinted to the ring and hit Nia with a Dropkick. Back in the ring, Bayley planted Bliss with a Bayley to Belly for the victory.
Winner: Bayley
Kurt Angle was backstage with Corey Graves. Angle said he was having second thoughts about revealing his secrets tonight. Graves told Angle that the story will eventually get out and his reputation will go down the toilet. Graves said that the best way to handle this would be for Angle to tell the world himself. Angle agreed and stated that Graves’ friendship means the world to “both of us” and walked away.
Drew Gulak & Brian Kendrick vs Mustafa Ali & Jack Gallagher
Gulak and Kendrick beatdown Gallagher early, but Gallagher fought back with a series of headbutts. Gallagher then tagged in Ali and he then hit the inverted 450 Splash on Kendrick for the quick victory.
Winners: Mustafa Ali & Jack Gallagher
Enzo Amore came down to the ring to cut a promo. Enzo stated that their isn’t a man in the wrestling business that can elicit a reaction like himself. Enzo said that you always have to fight for what you believe in and brought up Big Cass. Amore said that Cass was the only one left standing during most of their matches and Cass being 7 feet tall never won them any championships. Big Cass finally interrupted after Enzo went on for several more minutes. Cass got into the ring and Enzo escaped and hopped over the barricade. Enzo then pulled up a chair and a child fan joined him. Enzo said he was going to sit back and enjoy this and Big Show came down to the ring.
Cass charged at Big Show while he was on the ring apron. Big Show shrugged it off and then beatdown Cass outside the ring. Big Show slammed Cass against the barricade as the crowd chanted “how you doin?”. Big Show slapped Cass across the chest and the sound echoed throughout the arena. Cass drove Big Show into the ring post and then focuses his attack on Big Show’s ribs. Enzo ran into the ring and Cass hit him with big boot. Cass then left the ring as Big Show and Amore were laid out in the ring.
Reaction: Enzo’s promo went on a bit too long in my opinion, but I didn’t dislike this segment. I’m assuming that Big Show will face Cass at SummerSlam. The entire purpose of this feud is to help get Big Cass over with the WWE Universe. He looked dominant tonight.
Roman Reigns was interviewed backstage about his #1 contenders match later tonight with Samoa Joe. Reigns said that he was going to defeat Joe and move onto to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Reigns stated that he is the big dog around here and this is his yard.
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins were arguing backstage. RAW GM Kurt Angle showed up and said that next week Rollins and Ambrose will face any two members of The Miztourage. Ambrose wanted to face all three members and Rollins agreed. Next week it will be Rollins and Ambrose versus The Miztourage.
Elias Samson started performing a song in the ring and the crowd chanted “we want Balor”. Samson insulted Nashville and the crowd and was quickly interrupted by Finn Balor.
Finn Balor vs Elias Samson
Samson started out the match in control. Balor battled back and connected with a kick that sent both Superstars to the mat. Balor connected with a Dropkick and then a series of jabs to Samson in the corner. Samson planted Balor with a Powerbomb for a two count. Samson climbed to the second rope and Balor connected with a kick that knocked Samson out of the ring. Balor hit a Dropkick and then punted Samson’s face while he was on the ring apron. Balor then connected with another Dropkick that knocked Samson to the barricade. Samson grabbed his guitar ringside and bashed Balor over the head with it. Balor’s head was busted open a bit by the guitar shot.
After the match, Bray Wyatt appeared on the screen and started laughing. Bray stated that the look of pain on Balor’s face ignites his soul. Wyatt told Balor that he was going to summon all the power’s of the devil and reign them down on Balor. Wyatt then cackled again.
Winner via DQ: Finn Balor
Reaction: Samson and Balor had a solid match. Bray Wyatt and Balor will probably have a match at SummerSlam and Balor will come down to the ring as “The Demon King”. It should make for an interesting feud. I thought Wyatt’s feud with Rollins lacked any momentum and I never really understand what they were fighting for. I hope WWE has a better storyline for this feud.
Bayley and Sasha Banks had a conversation with Angle backstage. Both Sasha Banks and Bayley thought they should be the #1 contender for the RAW Women’s Championship. Angle announced that Bayley will face Sasha Banks next week and the winner of that match will face Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.
The Revival were interviewed backstage about their attack on The Hardy Boyz. Dash and Dawson said that they don’t care about The Hardys, but guaranteed that after their match with them tonight, The Hardys will care about The Revival.
Akira Tozawa vs Ariya Daivari
Daivari controlled the match early as Titus O’Neil was ringside. Daivari slammed Tozawa’s shoulder into the turnbuckle for a two count. Daivari continued to attack Tozawa’s injured shoulder for the next couple of minutes. Titus O’Neil then hopped up on the ring apron and told the referee to stop the match. Tozawa was pissed off at Titus for stopping the match and screamed that he never quits.
Winner: Ariya Daivari
https://twitter.com/WWE205Live/status/887128767528747008
RAW GM Kurt Angle came down to the ring to reveal his secret. Angle revealed that he dated a young lady in college and that she gave birth to a baby boy. The boy was then put up for adoption. Angle talked about his son pursuing his dream of becoming a WWE Superstar. Angle then announced that Jason Jordan was his son. Jason Jordan then came down to the ring and hugged Angle as the crowd didn’t react at all.
Reaction: I honestly don’t know what to make of this storyline. I think it is idiotic right now, but hopefully something entertaining comes of this in the future. This segment somehow felt uneventful after all of the times Graves and Angle were shown getting text messages. I’m also disappointed that American Alpha is likely going to be broken up because of this. Time will tell if this storyline becomes a success, but it started out with a thud. The crowd’s reaction tonight said it all.
The Revival vs The Hardy Boyz
The Hardys attacked The Revival before the match started as the crowd chanted “Brother Nero!”. Matt Hardy and Dawson started off the match. Matt got the upper-hand and tagged in Jeff. Jeff continued the beatdown and then Matt got back into the match. Matt wrestled Dawson down to the mat as Gallows and Anderson were shown backstage watching the match.
The Revival took control of the match and isolated Matt in the corner. Dawson booted Matt in the midsection and then connected with a couple of chops in the corner. Matt then bashed Dawson’s head off of every turnbuckle. Matt followed it up with a Bulldog for a two count. Jeff was tagged and Dash and Dawson were knocked out of the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, The Revival were back in control. Dawson focused his attack on Matt’s leg and hung him up on the turnbuckle. Dash was tagged in and Jeff Hardy ran into the ring and shoved him to the mat. Dash and Dawson beatdown Matt in the corner while the referee forced Jeff back out of the ring. Dash continued to focus on Matt’s knee for the next couple of minutes and then tagged Dawson back in.
Matt Hardy finally tagged in Jeff and Dash was tagged in at the same time. Jeff connected with a Dropkick for a one count. Jeff booted Dash in the face and then hit a Splash off the second rope for a two count. Dawson distracted Jeff and Dash hit Jeff in the back of the head. Dawson was tagged back in and Jeff Hardy planted him with a Twist of Fate but Dash broke up the pinfall. Jeff went to the top rope but Dash shoved him off and Jeff landed crotch-first on the top rope. Dawson then pinned Jeff while using grabbing Jeff’s pants for leverage.
Winners: The Revival
Reaction: I thought that this was a solid match. The Revival are a terrific tag team. One can only hope that they get over with the WWE Universe soon. If they don’t, Dash Wilder may be announced to be Triple H’s son in a couple of months.
Samoa Joe was interviewed backstage and guaranteed a victory over Roman Reigns tonight.
Titus O’Neil told Tozawa backstage that he stopped the match to protect Tozawa’s future. Tozawa then demanded a match with Daivari on 205 Live tomorrow night. A No DQ match between Elias Samson and Finn Balor was also announced for next week’s episode of RAW.
Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns (Winner Faces Brock Lesnar For Universal Championship At SummerSlam)
Joe slapped Reigns in the face and Reigns knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Joe then rolled out of the ring to regroup. Reigns kept punching Joe in the face as he climbed up on the ring apron. RAW went to a commercial break with Reigns in control of the match. When RAW returned, Joe was in control and connected with a kick to Reigns’ head.
Reigns knocked Joe to the mat with a Clothesline. Reigns connected with a boot to Joe’s face that sent him to the mat. Reigns geared up for the Superman Punch but Joe rolled out of the ring. Roman followed him to the outside but Joe connected with a massive Clothesline. Joe then charged at Roman again but Reigns was ready and connected with a Clothesline of his own and both Superstars fell to the floor outside the ring. RAW then went to another commercial break.
When RAW returned, Reigns planted Joe with a Samoan Drop for a two count. Reigns went for a Superman Punch but Joe caught him and kicked him in the face. Joe then connected with a Senton for a two count. Reigns connected with the Superman Punch but Joe kicked out at two. Braun Strowman’s music hit and Strowman charged towards the ring.
Reigns hit Strowman with a right hand and knocked Strowman off the ring apron. Braun bashed Reigns into the barricade and then threw him through the second and top rope back in the ring. Joe and Strowman started brawling outside the ring. Braun leveled Joe with a Clothesline. Braun got back into the ring and beatdown Reigns in the corner. Joe got back into the ring and Braun beat him down in the corner as well.
Joe locked in the Coquina Clutch but Roman hit him with a Superman Punch. Reigns then went for a Superman Punch onto Strowman but Braun caught him and planted him with a Spinebuster. Strowman slammed Joe to the mat. Braun lifted Reigns up and hit him with a Running Powerslam. Strowman picked Reigns up once again and planted him with another Running Powerslam.
Reaction: Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns put on a very good match to close out the show. The Universal Championship at SummerSlam is going to be very interesting no matter what it turns out to be. It amazes me how easily Strowman can lift up Superstars like Joe and Reigns. RAW was bizarre tonight, but at the very least there are things to talk about. Kurt Angle’s secret turned out to be that Jason Jordan was his son. It just sounds ridiculous, but the storyline’s success will come down to what WWE does in the next few weeks. The SummerSlam main-event is still up in the air on who gets to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. I think the best case scenario would be a Fatal 4-Way match and it clearly seems like WWE is heading in that direction.
What did you think of this week’s RAW? Let us know in the comments below.
