The July 8th, 2019 episode WWE RAW aired live from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. It was the final episode of RAW before WWE Extreme Rules this Sunday night. Here are 5 takeaways from the show:
Corbin & Evans Attacked Rollins & Lynch
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Universal Champion Seth Rollins squared off against Zelina Vega and Andrade in a Mixed Tag Team Elimination Match. Lynch and Zelina started off the match. Lynch threw Zelina to the canvas a couple of times and talked some trash to Andrade in the corner.
Becky connected with a shoulder tackle and then prevented Zelina from tagging out. Zelina took control and the crowd chanted “lets go Becky!” as Lynch made her comeback. Becky connected with a Suplex and Zelina rolled to the corner to tag in Andrade.
Seth Rollins and Andrade stared at each other and then locked up in the middle of the ring. Rollins and Andrade traded Arm Drags and had another stare down in the ring. Seth planted Andrade with a Slingblade and Clotheslined him to the outside. Rollins hit two Suicide Dives in a row as Lynch planted Vega with an Exploder Suplex. Lynch followed it up with the Dis-Arm-Her for the submission. Zelina was eliminated from the match.
Lacey Evans was shown in the front row and Becky went after her. Evans and Lynch traded punches before Seth Rollins broke it up as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Andrade attacked Rollins in the corner of the ring and blasted him with a chop to the chest.
Andrade climbed to the top rope but Rollins met him there with a right hand to the face. Andrade hung up Seth in the ropes and hit him with a Double Stomp for a near fall. Andrade hit Rollins with two Suplexes in a row and went for a third but Seth countered into the Falcon Arrow for a two count.
Rollins hit Andrade with a springboard knee to the face and went for the cover but Andrade kicked out at the last moment. Andrade shoved Rollins to the floor outside the ring and Vega hit him with a Hurricanrana. Lynch leaped off the apron and onto Zelina Vega. Andrade charged at Seth but Becky got in the way and Andrade hit her into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Andrade hit Double Knees to Seth’s face for a near fall. Zelina went for another Hurricanrana on Rollins but Seth caught her. Becky hit Vega with a Dropkick as Rollins held her up. Rollins then hit The Stomp on Andrade for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Baron Corbin attacked and Lacey Evans attacked Rollins and Lynch on the entrance ramp. Evans knocked Lynch out with the Woman’s Right as Corbin beat the hell out of Rollins. Corbin and Evans will battle Lynch and Rollins this Sunday at Extreme Rules and both the Universal and RAW Women’s Championships will be on the line.
If Andrade defeated Rollins, would we have seen Andrade versus Becky Lynch? Obviously, WWE would never do that, thus this match was predictable. I have been watching wrestling since for a long time now, so these are the thoughts that go through my brain while I’m watching. If you watch this show without thinking, or while playing a game on your phone, it is probably much more entertaining.
I like to be able to suspend my disbelief and get invested in a feud or a match. WWE has made that impossible with lackluster storylines and match stipulations that make everything far too predictable.
Another 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match Happened
The Miz and The Usos battled Elias and The Revival in a 2 out of 3 Falls 6-Man Tag Team Match. The Miz got his entrance on TV and then Elias and RAW Tag Team Champions got the jobber entrance during the commercial break. The Usos then got their entrance televised when RAW returned.
Miz brought Elias out of the ring and bashed him into the barricade several times. Elias retreated up the entrance ramp as The Revival planted Jimmy Uso with the Shatter Machine to win the first fall as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Elias hadn’t returned to the ring and The Revival had the odds stacked against them. Dawson connected with a Brainbuster for a two count as the crowd sat in silence. The Miz fired up the crowd on the apron and then tagged in. Miz planted Dawson with the Skull Crushing Finale to win the second fall.
The Usos hit Wilder with a Double Superkick and did the same to Wilder. Jimmy Uso took out Dash Wilder with a Crossbody as Jey Uso hit Dawson with a Frog Splash for the victory.
Almost everything I cannot stand about WWE’s current product occurred in this segment. It was a match that meant absolutely nothing and there was no reason to care about. The RAW Tag Team Champions were pinned in this meaningless match on television. I don’t know how anyone is enjoying these 2 out of 3 Falls Matches every week. It has become so absurd at this point that it is comical.
Bobby Lashley Squashed Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio returned and issued an Open Challenge. Mysterio said that relinquishing the United States Championship was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. Rey stated that he rehabbed hard and became hungrier.
Bobby Lashley marched down to the ring to accept Mysterio’s challenge. Rey dropped him with a DDT and booted him to the ropes. Mysterio connected with 619 and climbed to the top rope. Lashley caught him and slammed him to the canvas. Lashley hit Mysterio with the Spear for the easy pinfall victory.
After the match, Lashley attacked Mysterio and went to slam him through the screen on the entrance ramp but officials prevented it. Bobby launched Mysterio onto the officials and grabbed a microphone. Lashley said he was the first man standing and then corrected himself by saying his was the only man standing. Lashley vowed to be the last man standing in his Last Man Standing Match against Braun Strowman this Sunday.
Bobby Lashley is horrific when it comes to promos. I have no idea why Lashley needed to squash Rey Mysterio leading to his match against Braun Strowman. Mysterio is 5’6″ and just returned from an injury, so under no circumstance could this win be viewed as impressive.
Bayley Will Defend Her Title Against Bliss & Cross In A Handicap Match At Extreme Rules
Bayley and Nikki Cross competed in a Beat the Clock Challenge tonight on RAW. The winner of the challenge will pick the stipulation for the SmackDown Women’s Championship Match this Sunday at Extreme Rules. Bayley will defend the title against Alexa Bliss at the PPV.
Bayley faced Sarah Logan and immediately went for a cover but Logan kicked out. Bayley connected with a Crossbody off the second rope for a two count and sent Sarah to the corner. Logan battled back with a headbutt and Dropkicked Bayley out of the ring.
Back in the ring, Sarah hit another Dropkick but Bayley shrugged it off and leveled Logan with a Clothesline. Logan went for another Dropkick but Bayley countered with a knee to the face. Sarah hit a Clothesline of her own for a near fall. Bayley connected with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb into the bottom turnbuckle to win the match in 4:32.
Nikki Cross then faced Dana Brooke. Daba rolled out of the ring and flexed as Cross flipped out in the ring. Bayley gave Dana Brooke a high five and a hug outside the ring and Nikki hopped out of the ring. Nikki chased Cross back inside but Dana threw her back to the outside.
Cross hit a Dropkick back in the ring for a two count. Dana went for a Swanton Bomb but Cross got out of the way and Brooke crashed to the canvas. Nikki planted Dana with the Swinging Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory to win the Beat the Clock Challenge.
After the match, Nikki demanded that Bayley get in the ring because she had something to say to her. Cross said that the SmackDown Women’s Championship will be a 2 on 1 Handicap Match. Nikki told Bayley to find a friend to slap some sense into her and Bayley responded with a smack to the face. Bayley followed that up with a Bayley to Belly and then an Elbow Drop.
Shane & Drew Picked Up A Win
Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre spent the entire night walking around backstage contemplating who Shane should select to be Roman Reigns’ partner tonight. They considered several options but decided to pick Gary “The Goat” Garbutt.
RAW went to a commercial break as Garbutt hobbled his way down to the ring. The show returned with four minutes left with Reigns and McIntyre in the ring. Roman planted McIntyre with a Samoan Drop and geared up in the corner of the ring. Reigns went for the Superman Punch but Drew countered with a boot to the midsection.
McIntyre launched Reigns out of the ring as Garbutt apparently tagged himself in. Gary hit a Clothesline and knocked McIntyre to the outside. Garbutt connected with a Crossbody but turned around into a Claymore Kick from McIntyre. Shane then covered Garbutt for the victory. After the match, it was revealed that Gary Garbutt was actually Cedric Alexander in a mask.
Cedric Alexander had a smile on his face after the match and joked around with Reigns, which was idiotic because Alexander lost the match in like two minutes. Alexander has been “called up” from 205 Live to run around the ring chasing a title that few people care about and cosplay as a janitor with a limp. You’d like to think he’d be pissed off and want to actually accomplish something on RAW.
This was the main event for the go-home show for Extreme Rules. Outside of the opening segment last week, I didn’t enjoy the show at all. However, it seemed like the majority of fans thought last week’s RAW was great so I thought I possibly had become too jaded with the product and was too critical.
I tried going into tonight’s show with an open mind, as I really do want WWE to be great. This week’s episode of RAW was embarrassing and last week’s show was a masterpiece in comparison. There was not a single moment during the three-hour show that got me excited for Extreme Rules. Wrestling is supposed to be fun to watch, but WWE’s product is so boring that I am left feeling exhausted once the shows finally go off the air every week.
There aren’t any interesting characters, the matches rarely mean anything and there is not a single storyline to be invested in heading into a PPV. WWE has an incredible roster of talented wrestlers but their failure to create storylines that are even mildly engaging has become a marvel.