WWE RAW aired live from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon this week. Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky tonight. Johnny Gargano made his return to the ring against Chad Gable.
RAW Results (9/12)
- Finn Balor def. Riddle
- Damage CTRL def. Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah to become the new Women’s Tag Team Champions
- Johnny Gargano def. Chad Gable
- Bianca Belair def. Sonya Deville to retain the RAW Women’s Championship
- Omos def. enhancement talent
- Edge def. Dominik Mysterio via DQ
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Seth Rollins Doesn’t Want A Rematch With Riddle
Seth Rollins kicked off this week’s RAW and got a tremendous reaction from the crowd. Rollins asked if the crowd believes in karma and boasted about his victory over Riddle at Clash at the Castle. The audience sang his theme song before Seth brought up Riddle requesting a rematch. He stated that he’s not too interested in a rematch and crowd started chanting for it.
Rollins got pissed and told the crowd to shut up. The Visionary said that it has been far too long since he’s held championship gold but Riddle interrupted. Riddle marched down the entrance ramp, said “bro”, and attacked Rollins. The two traded punches in the ring until Riddle dumped Seth over the top rope. Seth bounced Riddle’s head off the announce table and tried to escape through the crowd.
Riddle chased after Seth and caught up to him. Rollins struck Riddle again and sprinted backstage. The lights went out and The Judment Day showed up. Finn Balor and Damian Priest offered Riddle a spot in the faction. Balor claimed that they’ve taken care of Rey Mysterio and Dominik is going to take care of Edge tonight.
The audience started chanting “no!” as Damian asked Riddle to join Judgment Day or fall against them. Riddle declined and said that right now he’s focused on Rollins. Balor joked that Portland has less laws and Riddle’s brain might be a little foggy (because of all the weed). Riddle knocked Balor down with a punch to the face as RAW went to a break.
Finn Balor def. Riddle, Seth Rollins Attacked
Riddle battled Finn Balor in a singles match. Damian Priest was ringside for the match. Finn dominated the action early and connected with a Neckbreaker for a near fall. Riddle tried to battle back but Balor hit him with another Neckbreaker on the ring apron as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Riddle connected with an overhead kick and followed it up with a forearm to the face. Riddle hit an Exploder Suplex and Balor rolled out of the ring to regroup. Riddle caught him with a kick and then a springboard Floating Bro onto Judgment Day below.
Rey Mysterio then showed up through the crowd and jumped onto Damian Priest ringside. Seth Rollins tried to attack Riddle but he was ready for it. Riddle was about to hit Seth with a DDT when Balor planted him with a slam. Finn followed it up with the Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory. After the match, Seth attacked and hit Riddle with the Stomp.
Damage CTRL Captured The Women’s Tag Titles
Aliyah & Raquel Rodriguez defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky (Damage CTRL) tonight on RAW. Bayley was ringside for the match. Damage CTRL controlled the action early and isolated Aliyah in the ring. Aliyah battled back and had the match won but Bayley put Iyo’s boot on the rope.
Raquel attacked Bayley but turned around into a Moonsault from Iyo. Back in the ring, Dakota Kai hit a Destroyer on Aliyah for the pinfall victory. Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky are the new Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Opinion: One has to wonder if Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez simply won the tournament just because everyone expected Damage CTRL to win. They served as transitional champions after the title was vacant for months. I have no idea what the point of that was.
Johnny Gargano Returned To the Ring, Theory Attacked
Johnny Gargano returned to the ring after 9 months away tonight on WWE RAW. He battled Chad Gable and Otis was ringside for the match. Chad got in some offense early but Johnny Wrestling battled back with a Hurricanrana. Johnny followed it up with a Dropkick and went for the Gargano Escape but Gable blocked it.
Gable was in control when RAW returned from a break and focused his attack on Johnny’s knee. Gargano connected with the slingshot Spear for a near fall. Chad connected with a slam and climbed to the top rope. Gargano rolled out of the way of a Moonsault but Gable caught him with a German Suplex for another two count.
Chad climbed back to the top turnbuckle and went for a Splash but Gargano got out of the way. Johnny quickly locked in the Gargano Escape but Gable broke free. Chad got Gargano in an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring but he broke free. Johnny took Gable down with a Clothesline and both superstars fell to the canvas.
Gargano sent Gable out of the ring but Otis caught him. Johnny hit them both with a Suicide Dive and rolled Gable back into the ring. Johnny booted Otis away and planted Gable with a One Final Beat DDT for the pinfall victory. After the match, Otis went for an attack but Gargano was able to avoid him. Johnny posed on the entrance ramp but Theory attacked from behind. Theory hit him with the Money in the Bank briefcase and took a selfie with Alpha Academy.
Kevin Owens Confronted Austin Theory In A Great Promo
Theory cut a promo after the attack and claimed that Johnny Gargano was at the bottom of the food chain. The crowd kept chanting “what?!” and Theory shouted at them. Kevin Owens interrupted and Theory called him an idiot. Theory said he’s sick of his moments being ruined by Owens, Tyson Fury, etc. He vowed to take over the entire industry as the youngest MITB winner in history.
KO stated that Theory was the handpicked talent of the future but that is not the case anymore. Owens noted that guys like him and Gargano don’t look anything like Theory. Austin interrupted and said that Owens was right about that. Austin claimed that he’s done more in the past 5 months than KO and Gargano combined in the past five years.
Kevin called Austin a delusional jackass and claimed that Austin accomplished everything because he was handed a ton of opportunities. Owens noted that he doesn’t blame Theory, because the Universal Championship was handed to him back in the day. KO added that he is the complete opposite of Theory and he’s proud of that.
Owens wondered how many guys have passed through WWE just like Austin and fizzled out after going nowhere. KO then wondered how many guys like him and Gargano and made it to the top. Owens told Theory that people like him are a dime a dozen, while people like him and Gargano are the heart of this business.
He told Austin that he doesn’t believe he has what it takes to be the future. KO dared Theory to prove him wrong and start making moments for himself. Kevin smacked Theory in the face and shouted “that is how you become the face of WWE!”. Austin flexed and told KO that he’ll never be like him.
Owens then slapped Austin in the face even harder and the two traded punches before WWE officials broke it up. Theory was busted open in the brawl. KO versus Austin Theory was later announced for next week’s episode of WWE RAW.
Bianca Retained, Damage CTRL Interrupted
Bianca Belair issued an Open Challenge for the RAW Women’s Championship tonight. The EST stood in the ring for a bit when Sonya Deville’s music hit. Sonya said she didn’t forget about their past and blamed Bianca for costing her the job as WWE official. Belair then defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Sonya Deville.
Sonya got in some offense early and beat the champ down against the turnbuckle. Belair responded with a Clothesline and then a Dropkick. Bianca connected with a Suplex and a standing Moonsault for a two count. The action spilled out of the ring and Deville slammed Belair on the floor as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Deville was still in control and the action returned to the ring. The champion battled back and planted Sonya with a Suplex. Bianca bashed Deville into the turnbuckle and hit her with some knee strikes. Bianca followed it up with the KOD for the pinfall victory. Bianca Belair is still the RAW Women’s Champion.
After the match, Bayley interrupted Bianca’s celebration and wondered if she was inspired by Damage CTRL’s victory earlier. Bayley stated that they are going to take control of this whole division and tonight is just the beginning. She told Bianca that she should be embarrassed about getting pinned by her at Clash at the Castle because she hadn’t wrestled in over a year.
Bianca dared Bayley to get into the ring but Damage CTRL attacked from behind. Asuka and Alexa Bliss made the save and the heels retreated leaving Bayley alone in the ring. Bianca planted Bayley with a Spinebuster and booted her out of the ring.
Omos Dominated
Omos dominated two jobbers tonight on RAW as MVP was ringside. Omos won with ease and posed for the crowd after the match. There were technical difficulties with the broadcast before the match began.
Opinion: We’ve already seen Omos lose matches, arm wrestling contests, etc. It feels a little late to go back to squash matches at this point.
Bobby Lashley Will Defend US Title Against Seth Rollins Next Week On RAW
Lashley interrupted an interview with Seth Rollins backstage. Rollins claimed that he was the face of Monday Night RAW and Lashley disagreed. Bobby said he’s the United States Champion and “he who has the gold is the face of RAW”. Seth suggested a match against Lashley next week for the United States Championship and to find out who the face of RAW really is. Bobby accepted and stared at Rollins for a bit before leaving.
Dexter Lumis Got Inside The Miz’s House
While promoting Miz & Mrs., The Miz claimed that Dexter Lumis somehow got inside of his house. The interviewer asked what Dexter did to him and Miz got angry. He said he didn’t want to talk about it and left his house. Miz and Maryse drove away and Dexter Lumis was shown inside The Miz’s house. Dexter held up a weird Miz & Mrs. drawing to end the segment.
Judgment Day Attacked Edge
Edge battled Dominik Mysterio in tonight’s main event. Earlier on RAW, Dominik cut a backstage promo about stepping out of the shadow of his father. Rhea Ripley whispered something in Dominink’s ear and then accompanied him to the ring for the match.
Edge controlled the action early and bashed Dominik’s face off the barricade outside the ring. The Rated-R Superstar cleared off the announce table before launching Mysterio into the steel steps. Edge booted Dominik in the face and rolled him back into the ring. Rhea Ripley hit Edge with a cheap shot and laughed ringside. Dominik capitalized by shoving Edge into the steel steps as RAW went to the final commercial break of the night.
When RAW returned, Dominik was in control and connected with a Frog Splash off the top rope for a near fall. Edge booted Dominik and sent him flying into the ring post. Edge connected with the Edgecution for a near fall. The Rated-R Superstar followed it up with an Impaler DDT and both superstars were down on the canvas.
Edge got up first to a big pop from the crowd. Dominik dodged a Spear and locked in a Half Crab in the middle of the ring. Edge countered into an inside cradle for a two count. Edge tied Dominik’s arms in the top rope and started unloading punches to his face as the crowd chanted along.
The referee pushed Dominik away at a five count and Edge returned to punch him in the face some more. Once again, the referee backed Edge away. Edge was about to hit Dominik with a Spear but Rey got in the way. Edge shoved Rey Mysterio out of the ring and Damian Priest attacked. Judgment Day beat Edge down and gave Dominik a steel chair. Dominik then started bashing Edge over and over in the knee with the steel chair as the crowd booed. Balor then hit the Coup de Grace on Edge’s knee. Judgment Day posed in the ring to a chorus of boos as RAW went off the air.
Final Thoughts: It is odd that security was so quick to rush the ring while Owens and Theory were trading punches but allowed Edge to get brutally attacked for several minutes. Overall, RAW wasn’t anything special this week but the card for next week’s show looks strong.
What did you think of this week’s WWE RAW? Let us know in the comments section below.
