Monday Night Raw
Date: August 26, 2024
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Bash In Berlin and the show could use a nice push. Last week’s show wasn’t as strong as the previous few weeks but maybe it was just a one off. This week will also see the start of a tournament to crown a new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

In Memory Of Sid. That’s still a shocker.

Here is the Judgment Day for a chat. They brag about last week’s beatdown of Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley and then promise to do even worse to them in Berlin. Dominik is booed out of the building and tries to say that Liv Morgan helps him do things he has never done before (Cole: “TMI!”).

That’s why he is entering the Intercontinental Title #1 contenders tournament but here is the LWO to interrupt. Rey Mysterio calls Dominik a lost soul and says someone needs to put Dominik in his place. Dominik brings up Rey leaving for weeks, with Rey saying Dominik is even more of a jackass than usual. The brawl is on and the LWO clears the ring rather quickly.

Judgment Day vs. LWO

Joined in progress with Rey coming in to hammer away on Balor, setting up the sitout bulldog for two. Carlito comes in so del Toro comes in off the ropes to work on the arm. Wilde gets springboarded into a moonsault for two on Carlito, who easily takes him into the wrong corner. It’s back to Del Toro, who has to dropkick his way out of the wrong corner, allowing the tag to Wilde. Everything breaks down and Wilde does his insane springboard dive to take them out in the aisle as we take a break.

Back with Wilde in trouble in the wrong corner but managing to send Balor outside. A rolling tag brings in Rey to take over on Dominik, including a kick to the head for two. Dominik catches him on top but it’s a sunset bomb to give Rey two with Judgment Day making the save. Rey sends Dominik outside and the LWO hit a quadruple dive, setting up the 619 to Dominik. Liv Morgan pulls Dominik away from the frog splash though and la majistral gives Dominik the pin at 13:31.

Rating: B-. The LWO can do the high flying fast paced stuff rather well and it worked well here. The Judgment Day on the other hand is more a bunch of people who do whatever they need to win and make it work, which was the case again here. Dominik pinning Rey again with Liv’s help is a nice point in making him seem right, but punishment is coming.

Post match Judgment Day keeps up the beatdown but Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan make the save. Dominik and Liv bail, leaving JD McDonagh to get Riptided while Carlito gets South Of Heavened.

Miz talks about how everything has been going bad for him lately while he tries to do the right thing. Bronson Reed comes in to say Miz came after him because of R-Truth, who came after him in the first place. After Reed takes care of Braun Strowman, he’ll be back for Miz.

Xavier Woods, now in black gear rather than Kofi Kingston’s lime green (Woods calls it adding his own flavor) but they’re cool because they can talk about things. They’re both in the tournament for the Intercontinental Title shot and everything seems cool.

The Pure Fusion Collective brags about hurting various people.

Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective

Sonya Deville is here with the Collective. Sky and Stark start things off until Baszler tags herself in and low bridges Sky to the floor. Deville gets in a cheap shot and we take an early break. Back with Sane getting the tag to clean house, including some spinning backfists. Sane hits the sliding lariat to Baszler in the corner, setting up a top rope forearm for two. A choke is reversed into Baszler’s ankle lock and Stark adds a missile dropkick for two. Cue the returning Zelina Vega to take out Deville, leaving Sane to knock Stark down. Sky dives onto Baszler as Sane hits the Insane Elbow to pin Stark at 7:19.

Rating: C+. The teams both work well together and Damage CTRL gets a win to put them back on the right path. The women’s division has some depth at the moment and it is nice to see things picking up a bit. Vega being back should add a bit more, which could take them into a more in-depth feud that isn’t about a title for once.

Uncle Howdy doesn’t like Chad Gable being a false leader who sends his family into danger. The Wyatt Sicks are ready to take him out to prevent things from getting worse. This is a purge.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. He mocks CM Punk’s line about it being great to be alive here in Providence before moving on to how Punk had nothing to do with all of this success. McIntyre sits down cross legged and says this is what he does: he always tells the truth. The reason this keeps happening (standing back up now) is because the fans chant Punk’s name to enable him.

That’s why there is going to be a strap match on Saturday and each lashing is going to be on the fans. McIntyre brings up the bracelet but cue Punk to interrupt from behind and the fight is on. McIntyre grabs the strap but Punk backdrops him onto the announcers’ table. A few shots with the strap send McIntyre running so Punk beats up some security.

Braun Strowman isn’t going to be bullied by Bronson Reed.

Jey Uso does his walk through the concourse to start his entrance.

Intercontinental Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Jey Uso vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Karrion Kross

The winner goes on to a four way final. Kross gets knocked down into the corner to start for some alternating stomping, only for Uso to roll Kingston up for two. Back up and Uso gets sent outside as well, meaning it’s a big Kingston dive to take both of them down. We take a break and come back with Uso’s dancing punches putting Kross down. A running Umaga Attack hits Kingston but Kross cuts Uso off with a superkick for two. Kingston drops both of them for a double Boom Drop, only to have Trouble In Paradise broken up. With Kingston sent outside, Uso hits a spear on Kross, setting up the Superfly Splash for the pin at 8:44.

Rating: B-. I was hoping for singles matches in the tournament but I guess we covered those well enough for the King/Queen of the Ring tournaments earlier this year. Uso going over is the right way to go as he would make a great first challenger for Bron Breakker and that seems to be a possible way they’re going. Other than that, Xavier Woods might be happy with Kingston’s loss and that very well could be an issue if Woods makes the finals.

Earlier today, Gunther talks about being focused on Randy Orton at Bash In Berlin.

Here is Randy Orton for a chat. Orton talks about listening to voices in his head but lately he has been listening to the voices of the people. He loves listening to the fans singing his music, even if it took 15 years to happen. Orton wants the World Heavyweight Title back because he was the youngest champion ever and the final champion when the titles were unified ten years ago. Last year the title was brought back but he wasn’t sure if he would ever be back in the ring.

This weekend, Orton gets his chance to get the title back, even though he is in enemy territory against a living legend in Europe. Orton talks about the fans watching him grow up in front of their eyes but they have also seen him getting humbled. When Gunther came to WWE, he was a 30-something egotistical jerk who has never been put in his place. Orton has had to beat his own demons and those were a lot more dangerous than anyone Gunther has ever beaten. This weekend, Gunther gets the RKO. Good promo here as it made Orton winning the title feel that much more important.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are ready to beat Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill to retain the Women’s Tag Team Titles on Saturday.

Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed

Strowman dropkicks him at the bell and hammers away in the corner, only to get dropped with a running clothesline. Back up and Strowman hits a crossbody but Reed hits one of his own to send Strowman outside. Reed’s suicide dive hits Strowman hard and we take an early break.

We come back with Reed hitting a DDT but a Tsunami attempt is countered with a slam off the top. Reed blocks a chokeslam with a neck snap over the top and goes to leave, which is not going to work for Strowman. They fight up to the entrance with Reed sending him into the video screen. Reed heads through the curtain and we’ll say this is thrown out at about 8:00.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to say about something like this as it was more about two people beating each other up rather than trying to go for a win most of the time. There is a good chance that we’ll be seeing this again, possibly with a special stipulation, and that is not a bad idea. Reed needs to get over as a monster and beating Strowman can help him do that, but they can wait a bit for the big win.

Strowman goes after him but Reed is waiting with a big trashcan shot. Strowman gets up and beats up security before Reed beats him out to the parking lot. A chokeslam puts Reed onto the hood of a car though and a running shoulder knocks him over the hood of another. Reed knocks him onto the top of a car though and Tsunamis Strowman off a wall for an awesome visual.

Post break Strowman says he can’t feel his fingers. Adam Pearce: “HE’S TALKING ABOUT HIS FINGERS!”

Intercontinental Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Miz vs. Xavier Woods vs. Pete Dunne

Woods does some Sid fist bumps in a nice moment. They start fast with some rollups for two each until Dunne is knocked out to the floor. Back in and Dunne stomps on both of their hands at once but Miz fights up. Another double knockdown leaves Miz standing as we take a break. We come back with Woods hitting a Russian legsweep on Dunne, followed by some running elbows in the corner. Woods swings Dunne but Miz is back in to grab a DDT. A double DDT gives Miz two on each and he alternates with the YES Kicks.

Dunne is sent to the apron where he enziguris Woods, only to be knocked out to the floor. Woods hits a suplex gutbuster on Miz before powerbombing Dunne onto him (there’s another Sid tribute) for two. Dunne gets kicked outside again and Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale on Woods, only for Dunne and Miz to get in a fight over who can cover him. Instead Dunne pulls Miz into a crossface, but Miz gets his hand onto Woods’ chest for a cover (that’s a new one) and a near fall. That’s broken up so Woods hits the Limit Break on Miz but Dunne pulls the referee out. The Bitter End gives Dunne the pin on Miz at 11:13.

Rating: B. That’s an interesting way to go as Woods is not going to be happy but he wasn’t involved in the pin. Maybe he’s annoyed at Kingston for not being there to help him, but Dunne going forward works as well. The Sid tributes were sweet, the cover in the crossface was clever and the action was good enough to make this a lot better than I was expecting.

Bron Breakker isn’t overly impressed but wants Jey Uso to keep his name out of his mouth. He’ll beat up anyone who wins the tournament.

Chad Gable is ready to show that Uncle Howdy is just an ordinary guy.

We look at Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest wrecking Judgment Day earlier.

Priest and Ripley say yeah of course they’re the bad guys. Pain is promised for Judgment Day.

Bash In Berlin rundown.

Commentary talks about Sid Vicious and we get the tribute video. They had to have this ready in advance or that’s incredibly impressive.

Chad Gable vs. Uncle Howdy

They’re on their own here. Howdy fires off some knees to start and hits some running shots to the face to send Gable outside. We take an early break and come back with Gable sending him outside, only to be tossed over the announcers’ table. Gable comes back with an Angle Slam onto the announcers’ table but Howdy beats the count back in.

Howdy gets planted with a high collar superplex, followed by the rolling German suplexes. Back up and Howdy hits a quick release Rock Bottom for two of his own, setting up a hanging swinging neckbreaker. Cue Ivy Nile for a distraction so Gable can grab the ankle lock, which is broken up into a ref bump. The Mandible Claw has Gable in trouble but the Creeds run in for the save. Cue the Wyatt Sicks for the brawl so everyone else heads off. Gable misses the moonsault and Sister Abigail finishes for Howdy at 13:58.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was pretty good. That’s one of the best things that can be said about it, as there was always a worry that anything Wyatt related was going to be total insanity. It helps that Howdy is a perfectly passable wrestler so this wasn’t ever going to be a disaster unless they went totally over the top. Instead we got a pretty straightforward match and it went well. I’ll absolutely take that over ridiculous nonsense so all this a success.

Overall Rating: B. This show did well with almost everything it had included, from the tournament stuff to building interest towards Bash In Berlin to a main event which could have been a lot worse. It was a rather enjoyable three hour show and while the only thing really worth seeing is the Reed beatdown, there was nothing on here that was bad. Good show here, and Saturday could be even better.

Results
Judgment Day b. LWO – La majistral to Rey
Damage CTRL b. Pure Fusion Collective – Insane Elbow to Stark
Jey Uso b. Kofi Kingston and Karrion Kross – Superfly Splash to Kross
Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed went to a no contest
Pete Dunne b. Xavier Woods and the Miz – Bitter End to Miz
Uncle Howdy b. Chad Gable – Sister Abigail

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 19, 2024
Location: FLA Live Arena, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re on the way to Bash In Berlin and that should make for a big show this week. There is a good chance that we will be getting more from Gunther vs. Randy Orton, which is set for the pay per view World Title match. Other than that, Bron Breakker is going to need a new challenger for the Intercontinental Title. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is Randy Orton to get things going. He hasn’t opened the show in awhile but the next time he does, he will be a fifteen time World Champion. That’s after he drops Gunther with an RKO in Berlin, so here is Gunther to interrupt, telling these Florida rednecks to shut up. He isn’t sure what Orton is celebrating but gets annoyed at the USA chants.

Orton is never going to RKO him again, so Gunther will just have to leave Orton a bloody mess. Gunther will reveal him as a one trick pony, which has Orton saying it’s going to be a long flight after losing the title. Cue Ludwig Kaiser to jump Orton (who comes up holding his arm despite being chop blocked) and the beatdown is on.

We look at Pete Dunne attacking Sheamus last week.

Sheamus is ready to beat Dunne up, despite having a bad hand thanks to Dunne.

Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne

Sheamus has a bad hand/wrist coming in. The Brogue Kick misses early and Sheamus hits a clothesline, only to get hit in the face a few times. An Alabama Slam puts Dunne back down but he comes right back with a DDT. Sheamus is fine enough to knock him off the apron and into the announcers’ table but stops to say something to McAfee, allowing McAfee to stomp the bad hand on the steps.

We take a break and come back with Dunne slapping Sheamus in the face, which has Sheamus calling him a b****. Dunne hammers away, only to get clotheslined in the corner. A powerslam plants Dunne but he’s right back with his own ten forearms. You do not do that to Sheamus, who is right back with the real forearms.

The Brogue Kick is cut off by an enziguri but Sheamus knees a moonsault out of the air (possibly low) for two. A super White Noise is loaded up, only for Dunne to reverse into a sitout powerbomb to leave both of them down. Dunne gets creative and ties the hand in the turnbuckle for a running kick, only to have Sheamus rip the turnbuckle off. The Brogue Kick finishes Dunne at 11:23.

Rating: B-. As usual, you can tell how much Sheamus is doing in a match based on how sweaty his hair gets and he was hitting the higher levels this week. The ending was a bit different but I can go with cool power displays before kicking someone in the face. Maybe not someone in a #1 contenders match for the NXT Title tomorrow night, but that’s a bit beside the point.

Kofi Kingston asks Xavier Woods if everything has been ok for the last few weeks. Woods says he’s ok about the Karrion Kross stuff but does wish that Kingston talked to him more about bringing Odyssey Jones in. Woods says it feels like Kofi is trying to replace Big E. but Kingston apologizes and says he was hoping to bring Jones in just like was done to them back in the day. Woods can go with that and seems a bit better with the whole thing.

Video on Bron Breakker.

We look back at Ivy Nile turning on Maxxine Dupri last week.

Chad Gable welcomes Nile to the team and says they’re still coming for the Wyatt Sicks.

Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile

Chad Gable, American Made and the Alpha Academy are here too. Dupri jumps her from behind to start and they head outside, where Nile throws Dupri over the announcers’ table. Back in and…we’ve got Wyatts, with Nile looking scared by the smoke. Gable and American Made get in the ring for the brawl as we’ll say the match is thrown out at about 1:30. American Made is laid out and Gable gets hit with Sister Abigail.

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley still want to destroy the Judgment Day.

Here is CM Punk, with a leather strap around his neck, for a chat. After praising the Florida Panthers for winning the Stanley Cup, Punk talks about being asked about the hot streak WWE has been on for months. Punk credits the fans, a lot of whom he met at Fanatics Fest over the weekend. The first fan he met was a girl who beat cancer and said Punk was an inspiration while she was fighting. Then a fan from Taiwan said she had flown fifteen hours to meet him. He hasn’t stood in this ring in Florida in a very long time and fans like these drive him.

We pause for the CM PUNK chants before he pulls out a handful of bracelets that fans have made for him. Punk says they might be a Taylor Swift thing, but he’s Taylor Swift for men. We’ve covered the love, so now let’s move on to the hatred, like the kind he has with Drew McIntyre. Punk has a bracelet for McIntyre in the form of this strap, and if McIntyre agrees, they’re in for a strap match at Bash In Berlin.

That’s what Punk wants so he can hurt McIntyre, who comes out to respond. McIntyre asks if Punk has started drinking, because Punk should know what McIntyre is like in this kind of a match. The match is on but McIntyre wants to fight right now, if Punk drops the strap. Punk will do it in exchange for the bracelet (which I believe he said he didn’t care about last week). McIntyre says no, but Punk says McIntyre will be attached to him in Berlin. This was missing a certain spark and while the strap match is fine, they lost me around the bracelet for the strap line. Not the best work from either of them here but the match is made.

Dominik Mysterio wants Damian Priest tonight, one on one. He’ll even leave Liv Morgan in the back.

Final Testament vs. New Day/Odyssey Jones

Scarlett and Paul Ellering are here too. Kingston sends Kross into the corner for some running clotheslines to start but Scarlett offers a distraction. Akam comes in for a Death Valley Driver into the corner and we take a break. Back with Kingston still in trouble, only to fight out of the corner. The hot tag brings in Jones and Woods is almost incensed. Jones cleans house but gets taken down by Kross. Kingston hits Trouble In Paradise and Kingston adds the Limit Breaker, leaving Jones to hit the Boss Man Slam to finish Rezar at 7:55.

Rating: C+. The action got better at the end, but this is all about that look of shock from Woods. I won’t believe it until I see it, but they might actually be splitting New Day up. That’s hard to fathom, as they’ve been together or so long that you can’t imagine them arguing. Woods is being a bit unreasonable, but that’s kind of the point of any heel turn. Assuming they actually pull the trigger, which I almost can’t believe is possible.

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are ready for more violence.

Afa tribute video.

Miz is ready to fight Bronson Reed to stand up for one of his few friends in R-Truth. He isn’t sure if he wants to do this, but he has to. That’s one of the best Miz promos ever, mainly because he sounded like a normal person for once.

Miz vs. Bronson Reed

No DQ. Miz hammers away to start and manages to drop the monster, meaning it’s time for the weapons. That’s broken up with Reed snapping the kendo stick and stepping on Miz’s head as we take a break. Back with Miz hitting a tornado DDT onto a chair but Reed is right back up. Reed’s Death Valley Driver is escaped but he’s right back with a clothesline to cut Miz off. The Death Valley Driver sends Miz through the able and the Tsunami finishes at 8:11.

Rating: C. It’s weird that a match that didn’t even break ten minutes probably went about as long as it should have. Miz was fighting for a purpose and is a crafty wrestler, but at the end of the day, he’s up against a monster here and there wasn’t much he could do about it. That’s how to make Reed a force and it worked well here.

Post match Reed loads up another Tsunami but Braun Strowman returns for the staredown. See, that’s a logical way to go as Strowman is a perfect choice to be fed to Reed here.

Ludwig Kaiser mocks Sheamus, who is ready to see Kaiser take an RKO.

Bron Breakker, who went to a highly educated university, is ready for a tournament next week to crown a new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title. It’s not his fault that he’s a genetic freak but he’s going to spear the winner through the floor.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

Hold on though as here is Judgment Day to go after Priest before the bell. Priest clears the ring and it’s Rhea Ripley in behind Dominik. Priest is in as well and it’s a headbutt from Ripley into the right hand from Priest. The announcers’ table is loaded up but Liv Morgan runs in with a chair to break up Riptide. The rest of Judgment Day is up to beat on Priest and Ripley gets posted over and over. The Coup de grace and Oblivion set up Dominik’s frog splash as the villains get to stand tall. No match.

Post break, Judgment Day says that’s just a preview of what happens at Bash In Berlin. Liv Morgan promises to make Rhea Ripley her b****.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Pure Fusion Collective vs. Damage CTRL

Dawn and Fyre are defending. The brawl is on before the bell, with the referee just kind of standing around waiting for the wrestlers to calm down. Damage CTRL clears the ring to start and hit a pair of dives (with Sky being bounced onto the top into a flip, which might not have been a botch but she made it work) as we take an early break.

Back with Sane hitting a DDT, allowing her to awkwardly pause in front of Sky until Baszler can be kicked away, allowing the real tag. Sky gets to clean house, including the running knees in the corner, with Sane tagging herself back in for a double superplex to Fyre. Baszler is back in and strikes away on Sane, who drops Baszler anyway. Dawn tags herself back in though as Sane hits the Insane Elbow. That means a Backstabber into a Swanton from Dawn can retain the titles at 9:23.

Rating: C. They’re trying with Dawn and Fyre but it still feels like they’re afterthoughts despite being champions for a few months now. The titles just do not seem that important and almost nothing that has been done in their history has changed that. I like that there are a few teams going for the belts, but dang nothing is really making them feel big and that’s a long term problem.

Jey Uso says Sami Zayn is taking some time off to clear his head. If Zayn can’t be champion, Jey can be, so he’s in the tournament for the Intercontinental Title shot. Good choice.

Michael Cole announces that Pat McAfee is leaving for college football season and we look at some McAfee highlights from the year. He’ll be back in January.

Randy Orton vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Orton shoulders him down to start and hammers away, setting up a heck of a fall away slam. They head outside to load up the announcers’ table but cue Gunther for a distraction. Kaiser goes after the knee (which he attacked earlier in the night) and drops Orton onto the table as we take a break.

Back with Kaiser staying on the knee until Orton kicks him out to the floor. Now the suplex drop can send Kaiser onto the table…and then does it four more times. Back in and Kaiser blocks the hanging DDT but gets superplexed down. Now the hanging DDT can connect and, after Kaiser gets a rollup for two, the RKO finishes at 14:27.

Rating: C+. This is booking 101, as Orton shrugs off trouble and beats the lackey clean to set him up for next weekend’s title match. That’s all it needed to be and they made it work here. Orton isn’t someone who needs to be reheated for very long as the RKO is one of the most over finishers ever. Throw in Kaiser getting a bit of a boost in status in recent weeks and this helped even more.

Gunther and Orton brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was missing a little something and there is a good chance that it was due to the Democratic National Convention. It felt like they were doing a show where they knew it wouldn’t draw a lot of attention, which isn’t the worst idea. The strap match being announced was the biggest thing and that was all but guaranteed last week. Bash In Berlin is mostly set anyway and this show, while not exactly must see, was far from bad. Not a show you needed to see, but there were worse ways to spend an evening.

Results
Sheamus b. Pete Dunne – Brogue Kick
Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile went to a no contest when the Wyatt Sicks interfered
New Day/Odyssey Jones b. Final Testament – Boss Man Slam to Rezar
Bronson Reed b. Miz – Tsunami
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Pure Fusion Collective and Damage CTRL – Swanton to Baszler
Randy Orton b. Ludwig Kaiser – RKO

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 12, 2024
Location: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than three weeks away from Bash In Berlin and the main event seems to have been set as Gunther will be defending the Raw World Title against Randy Orton. Other than that, there is a good chance we are on the way to a mixed tag between Damian Priest/Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan. Odds are we see more of both of those feuds this -week so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Judgment Day splitting, with Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest seemingly being ready to destroy the new version of the team.

Here is Ripley to get things going. She has gone through every feeling imaginable since Summerslam but now she is just mad. Dominik stabbed her in the back, but in something he’s probably heard before, it just wasn’t deep enough (McAfee: “GEEZ!”). As for Liv, she’s run away with the title but you can’t run far enough. Dominik and Liv pop up in the crowd, with Liv saying Dominik has something to get off his chest.

Dominik talks about how he is a man and deserves to be treated like one. Now he has a woman who calls him daddy and lets him eat tendies and play video games whenever he wants, but she also finally helped him beat his dad. Ripley says she’s proud of Dominik because seeing him grow up is one of her greatest accomplishments. She wanted to see Dominik beat Rey Mysterio on his own but now he’s made the wrong decision. It’s just the last decision he’s ever going to make. Liv says Dominik is all his and she took Rhea’s family away, along with her title. Ripley: “Are you done?”

Ripley says Liv made the mistake of leaving her standing and it’s a good thing Liv loves to talk so much, because now we know where she is. Damian Priest pops up behind them and brawls with Dominik into the concourse. Ripley charges after them and goes after Liv, with the guys going down to ringside. Cue Carlito (with one shoe on) for the save, allowing Dominik to escape. This was laying everything out and odds are the mixed tag is coming.

Damian Priest vs. Carlito

Carlito is still in one shoe and this was scheduled for later tonight. Priest faceplants him to start but it’s too early for the Razor’s Edge. A DDT gives Carlito two and a suplex puts Priest down again as we take a break. Back with Carlito hitting a swinging neckbreaker for two but Priest snaps off a spinwheel kick. The Broken Arrow sends Carlito flying and South Of Heaven finishes him off at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Carlito got in some shots here but Priest gets the win that he should be getting on the way to whatever is waiting on him in Berlin. Priest has become one of the biggest stars on the show and having him march through Judgment Day to get to Finn Balor is a fine way to go. Carlito might not be a huge star but he’s good enough to make Priest look like ore of a star on the way there.

Post match Judgment Day runs in for the beatdown but Rhea Ripley makes the save and takes out JD McDonagh. For some reason Dominik Mysterio comes after Ripley but Liv Morgan has to save him from Riptide.

Ivy Nile tells Maxxine Dupri to be careful tonight and maybe not be at ringside. Dupri is going to be there with her friends.

Bo Dallas talks about how everything came full circle last week when the Wyatt Sicks had their in-ring debut where the Wyatt Family made their debut eleven years ago. Bray Wyatt was there and now something big is going to happen. Dallas keeps saying “my life for you”.

Kofi Kingston is fired up for Odyssey Jones’ debut but Xavier Woods isn’t quite as enthusiastic.

Odyssey Jones vs. Vincent Winey

Jones throws him around to start, shrugs off some forearms, and grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 1:35.

Post match the Final Testament comes out and Karrion Kross says that while the obvious suggestion would be Odyssey Jones is replacing Big E., but the reality is Kofi Kingston is using Jones to replace Xavier Woods. That has Woods issuing the challenge for a tag match but Kofi says we should make it a six man (Woods again doesn’t look sure) and it seems to be on.

Drew McIntyre comes in to see Adam Pearce and asks why Randy Orton is getting the World Title shot. Don’t worry though because McIntyre will take care of things and stay on his best behavior.

Chad Gable is still in Paris and says he’s not done with the Wyatt Sicks.

Alpha Academy vs. Creed Brothers

Texas Tornado rules with Maxxine Dupri here with the Academy. The Creeds start fast and take Tozawa to the floor, leaving Otis to be whipped hard into the corner. Otis shoves his way out of said corner and Tozawa hits a big dive off the top. Tozawa gets launched over the top onto the Creeds and we take a break. Back with Tozawa being powerbombed into the barricade for two as Otis is still down on the floor. Tozawa’s double DDT puts the Creeds down as Otis is back up.

The Caterpillar hits Brutus for two as Cole calls Otis a “heavy machinery” type competitor. Julius knees Otis down and Brutus hits a standing moonsault into Julius’ shooting star for two. A superbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and Tozawa’s suicide dive….gets caught in the ropes and barely makes any contact whatsoever. Julius electric chairs Otis, who superplexes Brutus, allowing Tozawa to hit a top rope backsplash for the big knockdown. Cue Ivy Nile to jump Dupri, with the distraction letting the Creeds roll Tozawa up for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B. This was a lot better than I was expecting and allowed Tozawa to showcase himself in the ring a lot more than usual. That’s a good thing to see as the team has long since been the Otis/Chad Gable show and Tozawa adds a different side to the whole thing. The ending is good as well, as there was little reason to keep Dupri and Nile on the same page given everything else that was going on.

Earlier today, Pete Dunne was in the mostly empty arena and says Sheamus was under his wing, not the other way around. Sheamus went on a great run with Dunne in his corner, while Dunne just had a stupid name. So what happened to the Brawling Brutes while Sheamus became a bigger star? Dunne never wants to hear the name “Butch” again because he is an eighteen year veteran and the Bruiserweight.

We look at Bronson Reed wrecking Seth Rollins last week, complete with breakdowns of the physics involved.

Reed tells Adam Pearce to give him an opponent tonight or he’ll find a new victim.

Damage CTRL is ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles back.

Sonya Deville and company seems to imply that their collection name is the “Pure Fusion Collective” and they want the titles as well. If that’s their name….my goodness just release them already.

Candice Michelle is here.

Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective

For a future shot at Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn (at ringside). Sky strikes away at Baszler to start and a double dropkick puts her down again. Sane adds her sliding clothesline in the corner but Baszler is back with a backbreaker for a breather. Stark comes in and the champs aren’t impressed as we take a break. Back with Sky coming in to clean house, including the running knees to Stark in the corner. A butterfly backbreaker looks to set up Over The Moonsault but Sonya Deville offers a distraction. Sky accidentally superkicks Dawn, which is enough to draw Dawn in for the DQ (by hitting Sky) at 9:22.

Rating: C+. The action was good, but there were two things here. First and foremost is the name, which even commentary was mocking because not only is it a really dumb name that no one would give themselves, but it’s hard to remember because NO ONE TALKS LIKE THIS. Second is the ending, which is going to be a no contest to set up a triple threat, even though that’s just not what happened but they’ll do it anyway because having Dawn and Fyre jump one member of each team at the same time was too much to ask.

Post match the champs lay out both teams. Cole makes it clear that we have no #1 contenders, which is nonsense as Dawn only hit Sky, meaning it should be a DQ with Damage CTRL winning, but for some reason that’s not what we’re getting.

Miz is upset when R-Truth comes in. R-Truth asks about various bad things that have been happening to Miz as of late, but he’s gotten Miz an Intercontinental Title match with Bron tonight. Miz: “Doesn’t he have a match with Sami Zayn?” Truth points him to the graphic….and it’s Miz against Bronson Reed. Truth: “Isn’t that the guy who killed Seth Rollins last week?” Randy Orton comes in and asks if Reed is the guy who killed Seth Rollins last week. Orton fires Miz up….but realizes he has no chance.

Randy Orton threw out the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals game.

Here is Orton for a chat. He talks about winning the World Title for the first time twenty two years ago and promises to win it for the fifteenth time at Bash In Berlin…and cue Gunther to interrupt. Orton says he’s coming to win the title but Gunther says Orton wastes his potential. There isn’t room for that kind of person in Gunther’s era, but Orton says he has owned up to his mistakes over the years.

Orton is a legend with five kids and a hot wife at home before he becomes a fifteen time World Champion, so he has done pretty good for himself. Gunther calls Orton predictable and says all three generations of his family have been screwups. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt….and the distraction lets Orton hit the RKO. Cue CM Punk to jump McIntyre, even beating him with his own belt, sending McIntyre running. A strap match between those two has potential.

Sheamus is interested in mysteries but the biggest of them all is how Pete Dunne’s failures are his fault. Ludwig Kaiser comes in to say it’s not over between them…and here is Dunne to jump Sheamus with a shillelagh, including a shot to his exposed hand.

CM Punk, who was said to not have been here due to travel issues, says he was lying to lure Drew McIntyre in. Punk can keep the bracelet but keep his wife and dog’s name out of McIntyre’s mouth. Punk mentions being attached to McIntyre and says the belt he’s holding gives him an idea.

Mark Henry and his son are here.

Miz vs. Bronson Reed

R-Truth is here with Miz. Reed charges into a boot to start but runs him over without much trouble. Miz is sent outside and dropped with a running shoulder off the apron as we take a break. Back with Miz fighting back and managing a tornado DDT for one. Reed isn’t having that and hits a Death Valley Driver, setting up the Tsunami for the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here due to the break that Reed shouldn’t be in long matches right now anyway. The point is to get Reed over as a monster and having him make short work of an established name is going to do just that. At the same time, Miz and R-Truth’s issues intensify as R-Truth got him into this mess in the first place. Not a particularly good match, but rather nice storytelling.

Post match Reed tries another Tsunami but R-Truth gets in his way, earning himself a high crossbody. Reed hits a pair of Tsunamis on R-Truth (Cole: “TRUTH IS A D*** NATIONAL TREASURE!”) and then adds two more until Adam Pearce and security cut Reed off. That just causes Reed to go to another corner to hit a fifth Tsunami, even with Pearce yelling at him. Then Reed goes back to hit a sixth Tsunami.

Jey Uso fires Sami Zayn up before his Intercontinental Title match. Then they’re getting the Tag Team Titles.

Rhea Ripley/Damian Priest vs. Liv Morgan/Dominik Mysterio is set for Bash In Berlin. Makes sense.

Video on the new Judgment Day.

Bron Breakker says he’s going to do bada** things.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn

Breakker is defending and this is 2/3 falls. Zayn starts fast and knocks him outside, setting up the big running flip dive as we take an early break. Back with Breakker hitting his Rick Steiner style powerslam for two but Zayn walks the corner for a tornado DDT. Breakker hits some running corner clotheslines but Zayn is right back with the Helluva Kick for the first fall at 6:55.

They had outside with Breakker catching a moonsaulting Zayn and powerslamming him over the barricade. We take a break and come back with Breakker running the corner for a super Frankensteiner, setting up the gorilla press powerslam. A pair of spears gives Breakker the second fall at 12:34 total.

Breakker goes with a rather lackadaisical cover and gets rolled up for two, meaning it’s time to send Zayn outside again. Zayn gets sat on the announcers’ table for a huge clothesline from the apron for a nine count. Back in and Zayn manages a sunset bomb for two but has to avoid a spear. Breakker hits a jumping knee but Zayn hits a running boot for two. Zayn goes up again, only to dive into a spear to give Breakker the win at 17:33 overall.

Rating: B+. This was a hard hitting match but it was also a heck of a story with Zayn trying to outsmart Breakker and having to take chances. The big chance at the end is what cost him the match as Breakker was too strong and powerful for the underdog style to overcome. That’s what they’ve been doing for their matches so far and the idea of Breakker getting smarter is a scary proposition. Awesome match here.

Overall Rating: B. The more I watch Raw, and almost any other WWE programming at the moment, the more of a flow they seem to be in. This show had the same vibe as a classic NXT, where not only did they have stuff they needed to do but they made it feel important. It would have been the Creeds vs. the Alpha Academy or the #1 contenders match for the Women’s Tag Team Titles or the main event, but the show made it feel like it mattered. That is such a huge boost for any show and it was on full display here. Rather good show and the three hours flew by.

Sidenote: the graphics that WWE has been putting up during its shows are outstanding features. Stuff like “here’s a recap of what you’ve missed tonight” and “these are your announcers” and “these are the people involved with their names and faces in case you’re not familiar.” It’s so simple and helps catch new fans up really fast while not being a distraction. I love that kind of stuff and it makes the show feel so much more polished and fan friendly.

Results
Damian Priest b. Carlito – South Of Heaven
Odyssey Jones b. Vincent Winey – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Creed Brothers b. Alpha Academy – Rollup to Tozawa
Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective went to a no contest when Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn interfered
Bronson Reed b. Miz – Tsunami
Bron Breakker b. Sami Zayn 2-1

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 5, 2024
Location: CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with Summerslam and quite a few things have happened. First and foremost, Gunther is the new World Heavyweight Champion, having defeated Damian Priest to win the title. The match saw Finn Balor turn on Priest, continuing a rather bad night for Judgment Day. Earlier in the night, Dominik Mysterio left Rhea Ripley for Liv Morgan, which means punishment is likely. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a Summerslam recap.

Here is Ludwig Kaiser to introduce Gunther as the new World Heavyweight Champion (and rocking a suit). Gunther lists off his resume and says this title and company have deserved more for a long time. He is above everyone in this ring and nothing can catch him off guard because he is greatness personified. From this day forward, Raw and the greatness of this legacy belong to him….and here is Randy Orton to interrupt. Gunther: “That caught me off guard.”

Orton thinks the title looks good on Gunther’s shoulder but Orton is the reason he has that title. Did Gunther really beat him at King Of The Ring? The referee’s decision is final but there needs to be a part two. Orton is here to call that match in. Gunther considers himself a living legend but Orton has made a career out of killing legends. Gunther talks about how the voices in Orton’s head are wrong, but he accepts. The mic is dropped and Gunther says nothing, including the RKO, catches him off guard. Orton says he wants Gunther to see it coming. That’s a fine way to go for a first title defense for Gunther.

Sheamus is ready to face Ludwig Kaiser, who is the latest young guy coming after him. Bring them all on, including Pete Dunne.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They go straight to the brawl on the floor before the bell before Kaiser slaps him in the face in the corner. The exchange of chops goes to Sheamus but Kaiser goes to the knee to take him down. The Regal Roll, to Kaiser’s bad ribs, sends Kaiser outside and we pause for a breather, which is a ruse to send Sheamus ribs first into the steps. A running dropkick sends Sheamus into the steps again but he manages to beat the count back in.

Sheamus’ knee is tied up in the ropes so Kaiser can crank away before stopping to pose. For some reason Kaiser thinks it’s a good idea to do the ten forearms, which just makes Sheamus knock him backwards. More chops just wake Sheamus up and they slug it out until Sheamus hits some running ax handles.

The Irish Curse sets up White Noise for two and we hit the cloverleaf, sending Kaiser over to the ropes. The ten forearms are broken up with a clothesline and they’re both down. Sheamus wins a slugout though and NOW the ten forearms can knock Kaiser silly. Cue Pete Dunne for a distraction but Sheamus knees him out of the way. The distraction lets Kaiser hit a jumping enziguri for two, only for Sheamus to come back with a Brogue Kick for the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B-. You can tell how good a Sheamus match is going to be based on how low down his hair is pushed by all of the sweat. They were having a good one here with Kaiser being able to hang in there against a bigger name in Sheamus. I liked them avoiding the cliched distraction into the ending, with Sheamus getting a win to boost him back up a bit.

We look at the original Wyatt Family debuting in this building eleven years ago. The path of distraction ensued and now, in the same building, the Wyatt Sicks are having their in-ring debut.

Another look at Summerslam.

Here is Damian Priest, who wastes no time in calling out Finn Balor for a beating. He has been on his own for most of his life and the Judgment Day was his family. Now these people are his family and losing made him feel like he disappointed them. Balor pops up on screen, saying that Priest betrayed the team. There wasn’t supposed to be a leader but then Priest won the title.

A year ago, Balor lost at Summerslam and Priest told him to man up. Balor did that at Summerslam and now he isn’t going to fight a loser from the streets. He’ll wait until Priest has almost forgotten about him and then Balor will pop up and stab him in the back again and again. The camera pulls back to reveal JD McDonagh, Carlito and Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan. Priest storms up the aisle to go stable hunting.

We look at Pat McAfee and Michael Cole failing at the HHH water spit at the Judgment Day press event.

Bronson Reed comes in to see Adam Pearce, saying he should have a match tonight because he beat Sheamus last week. He’ll figure it out himself.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Shayna Baszler

Sonya Deville and Zoey Stark are here with Baszler. Valkyria gets her arm cranked to start as Cole talks about Baszler’s love of…cooking soup? Baszler lifts her up by the arm but Valkyria fights back with a gutwrench powerbomb. Deville gets knocked off the apron and the Nightwing connects, only for Stark to come in for the DQ at 2:38.

Post match the beatdown is on but Damage CTRL runs in to clear the villains out.

The Final Testament is ready to end the New Day tonight and it’s all Xavier Woods’ fault for not taking the team up on their offers.

Ivy Nile talks to the Creed Brothers but Maxxine Dupri interrupts them, saying the Creeds attacked Otis and Akira Tozawa. Nile tries to calm things down, but Chad Gable comes in to make Nile leave.

Here is an upset looking CM Punk for a chat. Punk congratulates his friend on winning the UFC Welterweight Title and yes he lost on Saturday, but he is still happy. He hasn’t been here in ten years but ten thousand people are still cheering for him. Summerslam was not a guarantee and neither was tonight but people don’t like him because he won’t stay down. He was told he would be out of action for nine months and he’s back in five.

His road to Wrestlemania started on Summerslam and it’s still summer, so these people deserve to see him fighting. Punk calls out Drew McIntyre but gets Seth Rollins instead. Rollins says they’re both in a good mood because it is finally time for him to put Punk in the dirt. The fight is almost on but cue McIntyre in the crowd. What is with all of the negativity around here? McIntyre is going to talk about Punk’s favorite topic: CM Punk! McIntyre is the new best in the world and he still has the bracelet, which sends Punk chasing McIntyre through the crowd.

Cue Bronson Reed to jump Rollins and take him out in a twist I didn’t see coming. The Tsunami crushes Rollins and Reed does it again for a bonus. Referees come out to break it up but Reed hits a third, fourth, fifth and even sixth Tsunami as Cole is going ballistic on commentary. Rollins is spitting up blood as Reed goes up AGAIN, only for the personnel to get Rollins out. Reed went so far with that that it got awesome as I wanted to see just how far it would go. Why not see what Reed can do in a spot like this?

Post break Punk asks Adam Pearce about McIntyre but Pearce says he saw McIntyre leave the building.

Authors Of Pain vs. New Day

New Day is dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles due to a newly released line of action figures. Kingston can’t do much with Akam to start so he superkicks Rezar, only to walk into a spinebuster. We take a break and come back with Woods getting the tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and Karrion Kross interferes, but Odyssey Jones of all people comes out to wreck Kross and send him over the barricade. Woods small packages Rezar for the pin at 6:56.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t exactly the point here as they only had a few minutes around the break (which was completely needed in a match that didn’t break seven minutes) but Jones of all people being back for the save is interesting. He hasn’t wrestled on TV in well over a year due to injuries/creative having nothing for him so I was rather shocked to see him. Nice job, and having a powerhouse around is always a good thing.

Post match the Authors beat on Woods but Jones side slams BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME before dropping Kross again. Kingston is pleased, though Woods isn’t as sure (he does shake Jones’ hand though).

JD McDonagh swears revenge on Damian Priest.

Kofi Kingston thanks Odyssey Jones again and Jones is grateful to be on the team. Xavier Woods still isn’t sure what is going on but apparently Kingston and Jones became friends at the Performance Center and Kingston said New Day needed some help. Woods doesn’t seem completely pleased (to be fair, Kingston just bringing someone in is VERY un-New Day) but the Alpha Academy comes in for dancing anyway, with Woods participating.

A-Town Down Under vs. Awesome Truth

R-Truth takes both of them down to start and it’s a double dropkick (both moves are Rock N Roll Express moves in a call back to Summerslam) to send the villains outside as we take a break. Back with Waller and Theory missing their own double dropkick, allowing the tag back to Miz. House is cleaned, including the alternating YES Kicks. Miz dives onto Theory and hits the basement DDT for two. Truth tags himself in and tries the AA, only swing Waller into Miz by mistake. A Town Down finishes Truth at 7:28.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t much to see as you could tell but the ending does at least set the stage for Awesome Truth’s split. The team doesn’t have much going for it right now anyway so splitting them up and letting them do their own things again isn’t a bad idea. If nothing else, A-Town Down Under needed a win if they’ll be staying together much longer.

Damian Priest says he never wanted JD McDonagh in Judgment Day, because no one but Finn Balor did. Tonight, pain is coming.

Bron Breakker says his name is on the Intercontinental Title and no one can take it from him.

Damian Priest vs. JD McDonagh

Carlito is here with McDonagh, who strikes away to start but gets kicked in the face for his efforts. A faceplant drops McDonagh again but a distraction lets him stomp Priest down in the corner. Priest kicks McDonagh outside and but gets distracted again, allowing McDonagh to get in a posting. McDonagh’s suicide dive connects and we take a break. We come back with McDonagh headbutting him down, setting up a moonsault for two. Priest fights up and strikes away including dropping Carlito…but Finn Balor runs in for the DQ at 9:19.

Rating: C+. This one could have gone either way, as I could have gone for Priest smashing McDonagh here, but having Balor come in for another cheap shot is a good way to go. It feels like we’re in a long form story here before Priest finally gets his hands on Balor and that could be interesting if done right. Priest needs to be a smashing machine in there, but it’s ok to wait a bit before it happens.

Post match the beatdown is on but Priest fights up and is left alone with Balor. Cue Rhea Ripley to chase Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan, with the latter getting caught and posted hard. Dominik saves Morgan from a Razor’s Edge through the table, leaving Ripley to headbutt McDonagh into South Of Heaven. Hot segment here, with Ripley and Priest looking like the coolest pair in a good while.

We look back at Roman Reigns returning at Summerslam.

Sonya Deville and company jump Damage CTRL and take out Dakota Kai’s knee. Please tell me she’s not hurt again.

Post break Deville and company are here to mock Dakota Kai for not being able to wrestle but we have a replacement.

Iyo Sky vs. Sonya Deville

Both of their associates are on the floor. Deville starts fast and misses a basement clothesline as McAfee confuses Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky. The fight heads to the floor, where Sky is sent into the steps as we take a break. Back with Sky fighting out of trouble and getting two off a rollup. A dragon screw legwhip takes Deville down and a missile dropkick gets two. Deville runs her over for two more but Sane is back up as well. Damage CTRL hit big dives off the same corner, setting up Over The Moonsault to finish Deville at 7:12.

Rating: B-. Sky got to showcase herself here, which isn’t surprising as she is still one of the most talented stars in WWE. It was good for her to get a win to slow down Deville and company’s momentum, but the lack of Kai worries me. She hasn’t been back long after her knee injury and that felt like a way to write her off.

Ilja Dragunov congratulates Sami Zayn on being a great champion. Zayn says Dragunov will be a great champion one day but here is Jey Uso to give Zayn a pep talk. The rematch for the title is next week and then they can win the Tag Team Titles.

We get another Wyatt Sicks video, this time on Joe Gacy, who thinks he is Huskus The Pig Boy. He’s a bit out there.

Chad Gable/Creed Brothers vs. Wyatt Sicks

The lights go out and the rocking chair, with the lantern, is in the ring. The Wyatts come out for the brawl and the fans approve, even as Lumis takes over on Julius to start. It’s oft to Gacy to clean house, including a belly to back neckbreaker on Julius. A pull of the Gacy’s hair brings Rowan in to clean house and we take a break.

Back with Gable hitting a top rope moonsault for two. Julius fights up and hands it off to Rowan to clean house. Rowan’s swinging slam puts Gable down for two as the Creeds make the save. Lumis dives off the post onto them and, the Creeds get sent over the announcers’ table. A claw slam plants Gable and it’s a frog splash to give Lumis the pin at 12:19.

Rating: B-. It was a fun match and the fans were into the Wyatts, but I’m not sure I can see what they’re going to be doing. They’re the kind of team who needs time to set up a match or a feud and that is going to require some explaining most of the time. I like the idea of the team, but I’m not sure how well it is going to work long term.

All of the Wyatts pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that was more about the drama and setting things up for later rather than what was happening here. As a result, we got another good show that has me wanting to see where they’re going for the pay per view a the end of the month. The Judgment Day stuff is hot right now and the women’s team feud has be intrigued. It was a hot show coming out of Summerslam and that’s a really good sign.

Results
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Lyra Valkyria b. Shayna Baszler via DQ when Zoey Stark interfered
A-Town Down Under b. Awesome Truth – A Town Down to R-Truth
Damian Priest b. JD McDonagh via DQ when Finn Balor interfered
Iyo Sky b. Sonya Deville – Over The Moonsault
Wyatt Sicks b. Chad Gable/Creed Brothers – Frog splash to Gable

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Summerslam 2024
Date: August 3, 2024
Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Pat McAfee

It’s another stadium show for one of the biggest events of the WWE year. That should make for a big deal and now we get to see what WWE can do with this stacked of a card. There are seven matches scheduled with six titles on the line, plus a heck of a grudge match. That should be more than enough to carry things so let’s get to it.

I was in the stadium for this show, sitting opposite the hard cameras between the entrance and the ring.

HHH welcomes us to the show and introduces Jelly Roll to sing Liar, one of the show’s official theme songs, set to a preview of the card. This was a cool video but having the song played live didn’t change much.

Miz welcomes us to the show, serving his purpose as host.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Ripley, with Dominik Mysterio, is challenging. Morgan hurt Ripley and tried to take Mysterio from her, only to have Mysterio turn her down. The bell rings and Morgan bails outside, then does it again for a bonus. An attempt at a third roll outside is cut off by a head fake and Ripley grabs her for some clotheslines. They go outside for a ram into the steps, allowing Ripley to like Mysterio’s face.

Ripley sends her into the steps a few more times and then Riptides her onto the top turnbuckle. Morgan slips out of Riptide again and sends Ripley’s recently repaired arm into the buckle. Ripley goes down fast and screams “IT’S OUT” but insists that the match keep going. It’s time to go back to the floor where Ripley’s bad shoulder goes into the steps this time, followed by some stomping back inside.

Back in and Morgan cranks on the arm (as you do) before hitting a springboard Codebreaker on said arm. Ripley gets smart by kicking her in the head and going outside, where Dominik shoves her out of the way of Morgan’s dive. Back up and Ripley rams her arm into the announcers’ table to pop it back in, meaning the beating can ensue. Another Riptide attempt is countered into a DDT and they’re both down.

Ripley gets back up and tries the Prism Trap but Morgan slips out and grabs a crucifix bomb for two. A cross armbreaker has the arm in more trouble but Ripley powers out with a spinebuster for two of her own. One heck of a headbutt rocks Ripley, allowing Morgan to snap the arm over the middle rope.

Morgan goes for a chair but walks into a Riptide for her efforts. Ripley picks it up instead, with Dominik cutting her off to save the match. Morgan sends them together and a quick Oblivion connects for two. Then Dominik slides the chair in ala how he “accidentally” helped Morgan win the title, setting up another Oblivion onto the chair for Morgan to retain. This time though, Dominik is smiling.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t exactly a great match but it told the right story. Morgan wasn’t going to be able to hang in there in a fair fight and tried to exploit the injury, which only worked so well. Dominik was always going to be the big factor here and while they had heavily teased the ending, they still made it work well.

Post match Ripley wakes up and Dominik kisses a surprised Morgan, much to Ripley’s dismay.

After some advertisements, Damian Priest storms into Judgment Day’s locker room and wants to hurt Dominik Mysterio. He asks if Finn Balor knew what was coming and seems to accuse Balor of being behind it but Balor denies knowing anything. The rest of the team and Carlito go off to find Dominik, with Priest threatening violence.

We recap Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn for the latter’s Intercontinental Title. Zayn survived against Breakker last month but now Breakker is more focused and ready.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn is defending and avoids a charge at the bell, sending Breakker shoulder first into the post. Breakker rolls outside but gets sent back inside, where he has to avoid an early Helluva Kick attempt. Breakker catches him with a running clothesline, which works a bit better. Some right hands in the corner set up a super Frankensteiner for two as Zayn is in early trouble.

Zayn springboards over him and hits a clothesline but can’t hit the Blue Thunder Bomb. Instead Breakker goes up for the Steiner Bulldog, which is reversed into the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. The exploder into the corner connects but Breakker cuts him off with the spear. Another spear gives Breakker the pin and the title at 5:44.

Rating: B-. This didn’t have the time to go anywhere but that is the way it should have gone. Breakker went with straight power here and there was no way for Zayn to survive that kind of impact. Zayn needed to drop the title here as Breakker couldn’t lose two shots in a row and it was time for him to win something around here anyway.

Stephanie McMahon, with her weird clapping, is here.

We recap Logan Paul defending the US Title against LA Knight. Paul has frustrated Knight, who keeps coming back and wanting a US Title shot. Knight pinned him in a Money In The Bank qualifying match and that was enough to get the shot here.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Logan Paul

Paul, the hometown boy, is defending, but we cut to the back where Knight smashes the window of the Prime truck that he stole from Paul on Smackdown. It’s a brawl on the floor before the bell with Paul being sent into the barricade. Knight sends him into the hydration station but Paul fights back and clears the announcers’ table. That’s fine with Knight, who hits a torture rack neckbreaker onto the table and NOW we go in for the opening bell.

Knight fires the shoulders into the ribs to start as Graves makes a Major League joke in a nice touch. The jumping elbow hits raised knees and Paul sends him shoulder first into the post (three times in three matches so far). Paul posts him again and hammers away at the head, followed by a big boot and legdrop for two (yes with the Hogan pose). Knight fights up from his knees but walks into a gutwrench suplex for two more. A powerbomb faceplant gives Paul two but he spends too much time on mockery and walks into a powerslam for two.

Knight slugs away again and stomps away in the corner, setting up a running knee to rock Paul again. A Side Effect of all things sets up a middle rope elbow, only to have Knight jump to the top in an impressive display, for two more. Back up and Paul sends him to the apron for a springboard clothesline to send Knight outside, setting up a springboard spinning moonsault (awesome).

Back in and Paul’s big right hand gets two so it’s time for Paul’s cronies to give him the brass knuckles. That’s broken up and Knight hammers away, but Paul gets the knuckles anyway. They head back inside, where Knight grabs BFT for the pin and the title (his first in WWE) at 12:04.

Rating: B. This was all about the moment at the end as Knight FINALLY wins something. It’s long overdue and the fans went nuts when he finally got there. Paul has put together more than enough goodwill to lose here and be fine going forward so this worked out well. Knight gets his win and showcased some rather impressive athleticism at the same time, making this work out well.

Various wrestlers shill Manscaped products.

We recap Nia Jax challenging Bayley for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Jax is on a roll and won Queen Of The Ring but Bayley isn’t laying down for anyone.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Jax is challenging and Bayley slugs away to start fast before tying the arm up in the ropes. Bayley has to escape a powerbomb but Jax runs her over without much trouble. An elbow drop keeps Bayley in trouble but she fights up and hits a belly to back suplex. Back up and Bayley manages to knock her outside, only to get crotched back inside. Bayley manages a guillotine choke (how she beat Jax in NXT) but gets shoved off with straight power.

Jax’s middle rope legdrop misses and a quick Bayley To Belly gets two. Bayley charges into a release Rock Bottom out of the corner and the Annihilator connects for two, leaving Jax stunned. Back up and Bayley sends her shoulder first into the post (four for four) so Jax needs a breather on the floor.

Bayley’s suicide dive is countered into a Samoan drop on the floor, followed by the running hip attack in the corner. Another Annihilator is broken up though and Bayley manages a heck of a middle rope powerbomb. Bayley’s top rope elbow gets two….and it’s Tiffy Time. Bayley cuts her off but Jax powerbombs Bayley down, setting up a pair of Annihilators to win the title at 12:32.

Rating: B-. There was zero hiding what was going on here, as there might as well have been a big countdown clock to the title change from the second Jax announced she was going to be in the Queen Of The Ring. She’s too big of a force to keep losing all of the time and even though she isn’t the most popular, this is probably the best way to go. Stratton has the briefcase and can turn on her later, which would suit her rather well.

Post match Tiffany and Jax celebrate with no cash-in attempt.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk. McIntyre injured Punk during the Royal Rumble and then bragged about it. Therefore, Punk has promised, and managed, to ruin McIntyre’s life. McIntyre is obsessed with Punk and stole a personal bracelet of his, meaning it’s time for revenge, with Seth Rollins, who doesn’t like either of them, as the guest referee.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

Seth Rollins is guest referee and calls for the opening bell after quite the delay. Punk hammers away to start but Rollins pulls him away in the corner. That lets McIntyre get in some stomps of his own, but Rollins breaks that up too. McIntyre strikes away until a clothesline puts him on the floor. Rollins chills on the top rope as Punk posts McIntyre before stopping to tie his shoes as Punk sends McIntyre into the steps. McIntyre fights up and swings Punk into the steps while Rollins conducts the singing crowd.

A catapult sends Punk chest first into the ring structure and it’s time to throw what’s left of Punk back inside. McIntyre powerbombs him for two, with Rollins’ count not sitting well with him. The chair is brought in, with McIntyre saying this makes their problem go away. Rollins takes the chair away and loads up a swing but has to stop himself from hitting Punk by mistake. The chair is thrown out but Rollins misses the rollup on McIntyre. Back up and McIntyre drops him again before pulling out the bracelet.

Punk fires off the running knees in the corner and the top rope elbow gets two. The Anaconda Vice is brought out of mothballs, only for McIntyre to fight out and hit the Claymore for two. The Futureshock is escaped and McIntyre misses a charge into the post (oh come on already). Punk yells at Rollins for picking up the bracelet but McIntyre rams them into each other, sending Rollins outside. The GTS gets a VERY delayed two, with Punk yelling at Rollins and his “stupid Sabu pants” (amazing line). That means a GTS to Rollins, leaving McIntyre to hit Punk low. Another Claymore finishes for McIntyre at 16:59.

Rating: B. Good stuff here, with enough smoke and mirrors hiding the fact that Punk was looking more than a bit tired at times. The main thing is they got Punk in the ring for a major match, which is the best role for him at the moment. He can’t do nearly as much as he used to be able to do, but there is an energy for his matches that few others have. The ending sets up either Punk vs. McIntyre II or Punk vs. Rollins, with commentary pointing out that Punk’s lack of focus cost him the win.

Finn Balor comes in to see Damian Priest, saying Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan are gone. Priest apologizes for accusing him earlier, with Balor accepting and apologizing for his response. Go take care of Gunther.

We recap Damian Priest defending the Raw World Title against Gunther. Priest cashed in Money In The Bank to win the title at Wrestlemania and has been trying to prove himself as champion since. Gunther on the other hand is the King Of The Ring while coming off the record shattering Intercontinental Title reign. He also doesn’t think much of Priest, referring to him as street trash. It’s a cultural battle along with a title fight.

Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Damian Priest

Priest is defending and there are no seconds. They slug it out to start with Priest knocking him into the corner and grabbing a lifting Downward Spiral to send Gunther outside. Gunther blocks a powerbomb attempt and rams him into the apron, only for Priest to hit an ear clap back inside. Priest’s superplex is broken up with some shots to the ribs but he settles for a super hurricanrana (McAfee: “Something you don’t often see: Gunther’s body flying through the sky.”

Other than when he does that top rope splash almost every match.) into the Broken Arrow for two. Priest chops him so hard that Gunther’s chest is bleeding but he’s back with a powerbomb. Gunther sees the blood and chops even harder, only for Priest to kick him in the head and hit the South Of Heaven for two. Back up and Gunther kicks him in the face so Priest tells him to bring it on (oh that’s dumb) so it’s a chop to put him own. Cue Finn Balor to cheer Priest on (uh oh) and Gunther kicks Priest down again.

A running kick to the ribs has Priest in trouble and Gunther kicks Balor in the face too. Priest fights up and hits some clotheslines, setting up the Razor’s Edge. South Of Heaven connects…but Balor puts Gunther’s foot on the ropes. Priest didn’t seem to see what happened but sees the replay on the screen and turns to glare at Balor. The distraction lets Gunther get the sleeper, with Priest flipping backwards for two and the escape. Priest lunges for Balor and Gunther grabs a powerbomb. Another sleeper gives Gunther the title at 16:39.

Rating: B. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was a physical match before everything went down. The stories here are managing a new champion to go with the further splitting of Judgment Day, which could open up a few paths for both. Heck of a match here, with Priest having a new hot story to come off a pretty impressive title run.

Here are the Miz and R-Truth to announce the attendance of 57,791. Jelly Roll’s theme song, with the line “YOU AIN’T NOTHING BUT A LIAR” playing just after that number is announced amuses me for some reason. Cue A-Town Down Under to mock Jelly Roll, saying only Cleveland could have this many people who look like Roll (who weighs a good bit over three hundred pounds). Truth thinks he’s talking to the Rock N Roll Express (because of the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame) but here is Roll in disguise to chair them down. A Five Knuckle Shuffle ensues and Miz and Truth have to help Roll up.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa for the Smackdown World Title. Rhodes thought he defeated the Bloodline at Wrestlemania when he took out Roman Reigns but Sikoa has reformed the team with a much more dangerous lineup. Now it’s a Bloodline Rules match but all of Cody’s friends have been taken out by the Bloodline, meaning he’s all alone.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Cody is defending under Bloodline Rules (anything goes). We go to the back where Rhodes gets off his bus, takes his dog Pharaoh, and walks into the arena, where he runs into Arn Anderson of all people. Anderson talks about how proud Dusty Rhodes would be but Cody has four ticked off island boys coming for him. Cody’s friends are on the way though, even if they might leave as Cody takes FOREVER to get to the ring in an entrance Undertaker would think is excessive.

Feeling out process to start with Sikoa using the power to take over early on. Sikoa blocks the drop down right hand and Cody isn’t sure what to think. They chop it out until Cody low bridges him to the apron, with a Disaster Kick sending Sikoa out to the floor. Back in and Cody’s snap powerslam doesn’t work so Sikoa hits a spinwheel kick. The Samoan drop gets two but Cody is back up with a Cody Cutter for a breather.

Back up and Sikoa grabs a sitout powerbomb for two, followed by a running Umaga Attack for the same. Spinning Solo sets up the nerve hold and another Samoan drop cuts off the comeback bid. Cody is tied in the Tree of Woe for the running headbutt but another one only hits mat. A top rope moonsault to a standing Sikoa (even Graves has to admit it didn’t look great) gives Cody a breather but Sikoa plants him back down for two more.

Sikoa goes up, only to get superplexed right back down. Cody slugs away but has to counter Sikoa’s Cross Rhodes attempt into one of his own. Cue Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa so the beatdown can be on, including the double spinning neckbreaker to give Sikoa two. Cue the returning Kevin Owens for the save but the Bloodline fights back, meaning it’s Randy Orton running in (and high fiving fans on the way) for the save of his own.

Cody uses the help to hit Cross Rhodes on Solo, leaving the other four to fight off into the crowd. It’s time to bring in the steps, with Cody getting in some hard shots to the head. Sikoa cuts him off with a spear though and puts Cody up against the steps in the corner. The running Umaga Attack misses though and Cody hits a pair of Cross Rhodes. Cue Jacob Fatu to wreck Cody though, with Sikoa getting two.

Fatu takes him outside for a top rope splash through the announcers’ table….and Fatu can’t stand on his leg. I believe the term is oh de….and it doesn’t matter as ROMAN REIGNS is back to a thunderous reaction. The Superman Punch and spear cut Sikoa down and, with a look at Reigns, Cody hits Cross Rhodes to retain at 29:14.

Rating: B-. For a match where anything goes, they didn’t exactly do anything until the end. This was a regular match for about twenty minutes and then they went nuts with the interference, making it much more like the Wrestlemania match between Cody and Reigns. It’s certainly not bad, but I was expecting some wild brawl and for the most part, I only got a good match. As for the bigger story of Reigns coming back, they teased it and then did it, so there is only so much to complain about with how it went down. Everything picks up from here as the Bloodline Civil War is on, which should be good.

Overall Rating: B. Solid action, nothing bad in the ring, stories moving forward and the big moment at the end in front of a pretty hot crowd. That’s about all you can ask for out of any major show and this one more than delivered. Above all else it sets up all kinds of things going forward (the Judgment Day’s future should be fascinating) as we enter the build towards the end of the year and Survivor Series. Rather good show here, with that Reigns reception being a sight to behold.

Results
Liv Morgan b. Rhea Ripley – Oblivion onto a chair
Bron Breakker b. Sami Zayn – Spear
LA Knight b. Logan Paul – BFT
Nia Jax b. Bayley – Annihilator
Drew McIntyre b. CM Punk – Claymore
Gunther b. Damian Priest – Sleeper
Cody Rhodes b. Solo Sikoa – Cross Rhodes

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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We’re back to one of the biggest shows of the year and it’s another stadium version, which should make things that much more interesting. The show has been well built up and we could be in for quite the night if things go as they have planned. We have six title matches and a major grudge match, the latter of which might be the most interesting thing on the show. Let’s get to it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Nia Jax

We’ll start with what feels like the most obvious result, as Jax has been built up as the unstoppable force, while Bayley is the plucky champion who believes she can stop the monster. That’s a nice way to believe but it doesn’t feel like it is based in reality. Jax is being pushed as unbeatable right now and there is a good chance that it means we’ll be seeing a title change here.

Naturally I’ll go with Jax winning, as a mixture of WWE’s weird obsession with her and the fact that her cousin helps run the place does not bode well for Bayley’s chances. I could see Tiffany Stratton cashing in on Jax here, but it wouldn’t shock me to see it shut down. Either way, Bayley gets Annihilated and Jax gets to be the queen of everything, because that’s just what we have to see happen.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn(c) vs. Bron Breakker

This is a rematch from last month at Money In The Bank where Zayn won in something of an upset. Now Breakker wants another shot on the bigger stage and has been wrecking people left and right on his way back to the title. In theory that should mean it is time for him to get the big win, but beating Zayn is one of those things that is often talked about but rarely happens.

I can’t imagine they’ll have Breakker lose at back to back pay per views though so I’ll say the title changes. Breakker is someone who feels like he could be one of the next big things around here and he is going to need a major win on the main roster do that. Beating Zayn in a major spot is a great way to go and there is no reason to believe that he loses again. Breakker wins here, as he should.

US Title: Logan Paul(c) vs. LA Knight

Here we have another weird situation as Paul is doing rather well in his role as champion but he doesn’t really have anything else to do. He already got his shot at Cody Rhodes and came up short, so there is no reason to go back there again. At the same time, Knight almost desperately needs to win a title, because he is long past the point where he has lost too much. That makes for an interesting situation, and there is pretty much only one way out.

Knight pretty much has to win here so we’ll go with that, even in Paul’s hometown. Paul is someone who has already firmly established himself as a big deal while Knight has always been the one who comes up short. Give him the win here and let him move up a bit, which is long overdue. The reign doesn’t even need to be long, but it needs to start at some point, which is what happens here as Knight wins.

Raw World Title: Damian Priest(c) vs. Gunther

Maybe I’m overthinking this, but the more I think about it, the more I think Priest might retain. The idea being Priest’s reign is that he is in over his head and should lose the title but then he just keeps hanging onto it. That hasn’t been a bad thing so far, though this isn’t quite the same kind of match. Gunther is a different animal, but there is one more thing that gives me caution.

In a pick I’m sure is going to be wrong, I’ll say Priest retains here, likely through Judgment Day shenanigans. For once that isn’t something the champion wants, leading to a rematch later this month in Berlin where Gunther gets the big win. You can screw Gunther over and turn him into more of a monster while Priest gets to further what should be a face turn and everything works. Or Gunther just smashes him and wins. I’ll say Priest wins, but not with the most confidence.

Raw Women’s Title: Liv Morgan(c) vs. Rhea Ripley

Here we have one of the more interesting matches on the card as it is all about the soap opera side. The question remains centered around Dominik Mysterio’s status, which seemed to shift in recent weeks. Now it seems that Mysterio and Ripley are fine and Morgan has been left out in the cold. That comes off as too simple to be true and we might see that this weekend.

I’m thinking that Mysterio officially turns on Ripley here to side with Morgan, allowing her to retain. At the same time it would not shock me to see Morgan drop Mysterio immediately because she just wanted to break him rather than wanting him for herself, but that would just be a bonus. While there is always the chance that Ripley crushes Morgan to get her title back, I’m thinking Morgan gets what she wants here while Ripley gets her heart broken instead.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

This is the grudge match on the show and quite possibly the best thing on the entire card. These two cannot stand each other and have gone after the other for months but they have not been able to have an actual match. Hopefully everything goes well here on the health and safety side, because Punk’s next injury very well may be the last one of his career. Assuming he can stay healthy, he can keep going from here, which brings up the result.

I’m going with McIntyre here, even with Seth Rollins as guest referee. Punk has gotten the better of McIntyre too many times now and McIntyre can only get so angry at Punk anymore. McIntyre needs to win here, either with or without Rollins’ help, as there is almost guaranteed to be a rematch of some sort. This should be a great start though, and it will be very nice to have Punk back in the ring.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Solo Sikoa

This match got a big boost on Smackdown as it is now under Bloodline Rules. That should help with making things a bit more suited to Sikoa, as I’m not sure how well he could have carried his half of a traditional main event. As has been the case elsewhere on the show, this doesn’t so much feel like the big event but rather a piece of a much larger story, which is due to one person.

I’ll take Rhodes to win here one way or another, as not only is it far too early for him to lose the belt, but it also could set up the return of Roman Reigns. Sikoa has hinted at Reigns’ return, and if Sikoa loses, Reigns can throw the “losses have consequences” line right back in his face. That’s the big step forward though, which is impressive when you consider that it’s likely to be the main event of Summerslam. But yeah, Rhodes wins and Reigns is back sooner than later to go after Sikoa.

Overall Thoughts

For a show that only has seven matches at the moment, they have doe a great job of making the show feel packed. There is a little bit of everything here and if the big stuff goes well, we could be in for an outstanding show. That is the hard part, but at least they have done a good job of setting the stage for success.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 29, 2024
Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before Summerslam and that means it is probably time to firm everything up before the show. While there is a chance that we could see another match or two added, this week is probably going to be focused on things already set up. In particular, Seth Rollins will give the official referee instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is Seth Rollins in his referee gear (even his boots have stripes) for the official instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre (“these two morons”). Punk and McIntyre come out and, according to Adam Pearce, any physical contact means the match is off. That makes Punk head to the floor, because he doesn’t trust himself. Rollins tells him to get back in the ring so Punk says enjoy being able to lord his authority over him while he can. McIntyre likes this but Rollins says he hates both of them.

The only rule is that he runs everything. Countouts will go as long as he wants and DQ’s are at his discretion. Punk hopes Rollins referees better than he dressed, but he doesn’t want Rollins’ help at all. McIntyre says he hates everything about Punk and Rollins is going to have to stop it because McIntyre will never want to stop hurting Punk. And it’s in a stadium so he’ll get paid a fortune to do something he would do for free!

Punk talks about how the fans chanted his name while he was gone for ten years. The best thing McIntyre did was hurt Punk but the worst thing he ever did was hurt Punk because he keeps dumbing himself out of position. Punk isn’t as big or strong as McIntyre but he has heart, which will be on display at Summerslam. They to face to face and McIntyre even has the bracelet to keep it personal. This was the big final push to the match, but I do like the explanation for why it is going to be more physical without officially making it a street fight or something.

Liv Morgan has wrecked the Judgment Day clubhouse. Rhea Ripley wants them to focus…but why is Carlito still here? Post break, the team regroups and Carlito is going to take care of Sami Zayn.

Creed Brothers vs. Akira Tozawa/Otis

Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri are here too and we actually hear about the Creeds appearing in Bloodsport over the weekend. Otis fights out of the corner to start and it’s off to Tozawa for a kick to Brutus’ head. A suicide dive drops Brutus but he gets in his own clothesline as we take a break. Back with Otis sending Julius into the corner and hitting a World’s Strongest Slam. The Caterpillar connects but Gable’s distraction lets the Creeds hit a double belly to back suplex for the win at 7:45.

Rating: C. So Otis is getting more and more popular after splitting from Gable and he is getting a strong reaction here but takes the fall anyway. I’m not sure why you would do that when you have Tozawa right there, but he was basically gone for the second half of the match anyway. Granted it doesn’t really matter when the Wyatts are going to be the bigger story, but Otis didn’t need to take the loss.

Post match the beatdown is on but Maxxine Dupri slaps Gable. Dupri hides in the corner but we’ve got Wyatts. The team shows up and, after taking off the masks, clear out the Creeds. Gable runs as well but has to avoid Uncle Howdy in the entrance.

Carlito has dealt with Sami Zayn…by getting him a match with Dominik Mysterio. Rhea Ripley says that means Carlito can deal with Jey Uso, on his own.

Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed

They slug it out to start with Sheamus knocking him to the floor and hitting a top rope clothesline. Reed knocks him over the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting a bunch of standing clotheslines until a running knee gets two. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets the same so he goes up, only to get pulled down with a super White Noise. Sheamus hits the 16 forearms to the chest but cue Pete Dunne with a shillelagh to knock Sheamus silly. The Tsunami gives Reed the pin at 9:57.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to go with Reed finally getting a nice win. That has been missing from his resume for the last few weeks and even though it came with an assist, it’s better than taking another loss. As for the match itself, they had the kind of hoss fight that you would expect them to have and that always works. Good match here.

Damian Priest talks about having to earn everything he has while Gunther was given everything he wanted. Priest fought for everything he got and now he’s willing to fight for everything he has. This was a much more traditional “talk to the camera” promo and it worked well for Priest as they’ve turned this into a match I want to see.

Bron Breakker respects Sami Zayn but now he’s seeing Zayn as a stand up comic. Zayn is already preparing for a life after WWE and after losing to Breakker. That’s why the joke is on Zayn and the Intercontinental Title is on Breakker.

Jey Uso vs. Carlito

Uso wastes no time in knocking him down for an early two and Carlito is sent outside for an early dive. A missed charge goes into the post though and Carlito grabs a neckbreaker as we take a break. Back with Carlito missing a charge into the corner, allowing Uso to hit the jumping enziguri. Uso knocks him down again and hits the spear for the pin at 7:47.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as Carlito is only going to be so much of a threat to any bigger names. It gave Uso a win to keep up his battle against Judgment Day, though I’m not sure how that is supposed to go anywhere. It’s also almost nice to see the match end without any shenanigans, as sometimes you just need a clean win.

Zelina Vega is glad Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville attacked her as it served as a wakeup call. Then the three of them jump her again.

Miz announces that he will be the host of Summerslam, which is in his hometown of Cleveland. R-Truth comes in to think that Miz is hosting the show at his own house. An hors d’oeuvre discussion ensues.

We look at the recent Japan tour.

Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

Woods is on his own while Kross has the rest of the Final Testament. Hold on though as Kross says that it’s interesting that Kofi Kingston “re-injured his shoulder” during the Japan tour when the spotlight is on Woods for the first time. He wants Woods to join the team right now and admit that the Power Of Positivity was a lie. Woods hits him in the face to start fast instead and we take an early break.

Back with Woods fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked back down for two. Woods fights up but gets punched in the face by Rezar. The Final Prayer is broken up and Woods hits a superkick, only to go after the AOP. The Limit Breaker misses as a result and Kross hits the Final Prayer for the win at 6:23. Not enough shown to rate but they got a good deal in.

Jesse Ventura was backstage earlier today and met with HHH. That’s just great to see.

Sami Zayn did a comedy show the night before Money In The Bank and he beat Bron Breakker anyway. He’ll just do it again at Summerslam, but this time it’s about taking Breakker out rather than teaching a lesson.

Liv Morgan burns a bunch of Dominik Mysterio stuff and promises to complete the revenge tour at Summerslam.

Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title. Dominik hammers away to start but Zayn punches his way out of the corner. They head outside where Zayn hits the Arabian moonsault as we take an early break. Back with Zayn fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a clothesline. Dominik’s Three Amigos connect but the frog splash misses. Zayn exploders him into the corner but cue JD McDonagh and Carlito for a distraction and then the DQ at 8:15.

Rating: C+. The DQ was the right way to go here as you can’t have the champion take a fall before he’s coming up on an unrelated title match. At the same time, you don’t want to have Dominik look weak before he’s going to be a centerpiece of a title match of his own on Saturday. The match was just a bit better than ok, but they didn’t have the time to really go anywhere.

Post match the beatdown is on when Jey Uso makes the save. Cue Bron Breakker to go after Zayn, who suplexes him into the corner. Breakker bails before the Helluva Kick can connect.

We get another Wyatt Sicks interview, this time focusing on Dexter Lumis, who says people should run when the buzzards stop circling.

Chad Gable and the Creeds get a match against the Wyatt Sicks next week.

Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville

Valkyria and Deville start things off with Valkyria slipping between the legs and hammering away. Stark comes in and gets taken down into a wristlock. The villains are sent outside and we take a break. Back with Valkyria getting stomped down in the corner but managing to get over for the tag off to Carter. Everything breaks down and Valkyria hits a gutwrench powerbomb, only to have the After Party broken up. Stark gives Carter the Z360 for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C. This went as it should have, with Valkyria not taking the fall as the villains get a nice boost. The team is starting to get a little somewhere and hopefully they get the chance to change the division up a bit. I’m not sure where that’s going since none of them are going to go after Liv Morgan or Rhea Ripley, but at least Valkyria didn’t take the fall.

Post match Damage CTRL comes in to beat up the villains. Oh yeah. That’s who they could fight.

Gunther talks about how Damian Priest is a weird man who is using his childhood trauma as an excuse. Tonight, Gunther is facing Finn Balor and wants to see if there is any of the great wrestler left in there.

Damage CTRL says they’re back, with Dakota Kai wanting Shayna Baszler next week.

Judgment Day gives Finn Balor a pep talk.

Gunther vs. Finn Balor

Somehow this is their first singles match. Balor tries to chop away but Gunther shows him how it’s done. The powerbomb is blocked so Balor stomps away, only to get booted in the face. We take a break and come back with Gunther’s belly to back suplex getting two. The Boston crab goes on, with Balor reaching over to make the rope.

Gunther chops him again and tries a belly to back superplex, only to be reversed into a crossbody. Balor’s Sling Blade is countered into a choke but he reverses the powerbomb into a DDT. They chop it out and now the Sling Blade can connect for Balor. The Coup de Grace misses though and Gunther is back with the sleeper. Now the powerbomb can connect for two and the sleeper goes on again…and Balor is out at 12:06.

Rating: B-. This felt like a big time match but the ending was a bit of a surprise. You don’t often see someone win a match with a sleeper, but it does continue Gunther’s trend of finishing with whatever is appropriate at the time. Balor put up a fight before falling here, which makes Gunther look strong on the way to Cleveland.

Post match Gunther goes after Balor again but Damian Priest runs in for the brawl. Gunther gets knocked to the floor and over the barricade to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a tricky show as they didn’t add much of anything new to Summerslam and the wrestling here was only so good. The Priest/Gunther stuff was good and the midcard feuds got some attention, but this was another show that you could have skipped without missing much. Summerslam is what matters, but there was only so much of interest here.

Results
Creed Brothers b. Akira Tozawa/Otis – Double belly to back suplex
Bronson Reed b. Sheamus – Tsunami
Jey Uso b. Carlito – Spear
Karrion Kross b. Xavier Woods – Final Testament
Sami Zayn b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Carlito and JD McDonagh interfered
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville b. Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Z360 to Chance
Gunther b. Finn Balor – Sleeper

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 22, 2024
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than two weeks away from Summerslam and if the card isn’t set, you can see a lot of the matches coming together. We might get something big this week as CM Punk is back and might get to make an announcement involving his future. Other than that, Rhea Ripley is wanting to get her hands on Liv Morgan so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Commentary runs down what we’ll be seeing.

Here is Gunther to get things going and the fans are NOT happy to see him. He took some time to think about what he said to Damian Priest last week and….he meant that every single person here is a bum! Why is he out here first rather than Priest? It’s because Priest isn’t up to this level. There is a saying in German: show me your friends and I’ll show you who you are.

Gunther judges Judgment Day as street trash so Priest has one more chance to come out here and give Gunther the title. Cue Priest who hits Gunther in the face to start the brawl. Security comes in and as usual, are completely ineffective at their jobs. They’re turning this into a grudge match and that is a smart way to go as I want to see these two fight.

Post break and Priest jumps Gunther again backstage with Priest getting the better of things before it is broken up.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Bron Breakker

For the Intercontinental Title shot at Summerslam. Breakker starts fast and knocks him outside but Dragunov scores with a running knee back inside. They head to the apron to slug it out and fight over a suplex until Dragunov is dropped ribs first onto the top of the post for a nasty crash.

We take a break and come back with Breakker holding a bearhug to stay on the ribs. A gutbuster gives Breakker two but Dragunov reverses a powerbomb into a DDT for a breather. Dragunov hits a running knee to the ribs in the corner and manages a powerbomb. With Dragunov up top, Breakker jumps up and snaps off the super Frankensteiner….a name which Cole thinks McAfee invented on the spot.

Breakker goes up but gets superplexed down, setting up the H Bomb to leave him down. They go to the apron where Breakker hits a Death Valley Driver to really rock Breakker. Not that it matters as Breakker spears him out of the air, sending Dragunov head first into the apron. That’s enough for the referee to call it for Breakker at 13:07.

Rating: B. I liked the ending a lot here as it made Breakker look like a killer without having Dragunov take another pin. It’s hard to imagine that Breakker doesn’t get the title at Summerslam, as there is little to no reason to not change it over at this point. Dragunov very well may be waiting in the rings for Breakker, but for now we have the Summerslam title match set, as we should.

Rhea Ripley gives Judgment Day a pep talk but Dominik Mysterio isn’t sure why she said yeet to Jey Uso. She’s just playing around, but Finn Balor wants Dominik to take care of Uso.

Adam Pearce and Drew McIntyre shake hands.

Damian Priest and Gunther have been ejected.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Sonya Deville

Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark are here too. Deville takes her down to start but Valkyria is back up with some shoulders in the corner. Valkyria is sent outside but seems to have hurt her ribs as we take a break. Back with Valkyria striking away and getting two off a bridging suplex. A gutwrench powerbomb gets two and it’s time for everyone to brawl on the floor. The distraction lets Deville hit the Deville’s Advocate for the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. I’m starting to get worried about Valkyria as she came in feeling special but is turning into just another member of the pack. She’s far from a lost cause, but putting her with a team who doesn’t have the best success rate isn’t helping. Hopefully she can turn it around because she feels like a rather strong prospect.

This week’s Wyatt Sicks video is about Nikki Cross, with Uncle Howdy telling her to look at herself, earning a loud scream.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. Punk says we’re in Green Bay and his shoes are pink so let’s turn both of them red with the blood of a Scotsman. The reality is he is medically cleared so let’s do this right now. Punk tapes up his fists and here is McIntyre who says he doesn’t want to. Punk: “Well I do.”

Security cuts it off so McIntyre holds up Punk’s bracelet. Cue Adam Pearce to say the match is on for Summerslam but they can’t fight until then, and if they do, the match is off. Pearce says he has a referee problem….so here is Seth Rollins, who shakes Pearce’s hand. Rollins says he’s here to solve the problem because he is going to be the guest referee between these two at Summerslam. That is a great way to go, as Punk vs. McIntyre has been the hottest feud for a good while. I don’t know if they need Rollins there at first, but I’ll absolutely take this over another triple threat.

Judgment Day is off to find Jey Uso when Liv Morgan flags Dominik Mysterio down. She says don’t worry about Rhea Ripley and here is Finn Balor to say he can’t leave Dominik alone for ten seconds.

Sami Zayn is taking Bron Breakker seriously but tells him to not make the same mistake at Money In The Bank. As he’s talking, he sees Judgment Day jumping Jey Uso and runs over for the save.

Otis/Xavier Woods/Akira Tozawa vs. Final Testament

Maxxine Dupri and the rest of the team are here too. Woods chops away at Rezar in the corner to start but gets dropped with the straight power. Akam comes in and gets kicked to the floor by Tozawa, who hits a suicide dive as we take a break. Back with Akam elbowing Tozawa in the face for two and it’s off to Kross, who launches him with a release F5. Tozawa manages to roll away though and it’s off to Otis to clean house, including the Caterpillar to Akam. Everything breaks down and Woods comes in with a missile dropkick, only to get caught in Kross’ Final Prayer for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C+. The fans went coconuts for Otis but this whole Final Testament vs. Woods thing wasn’t interesting when Kofi Kingston was around and this isn’t making it much better. The Testament just isn’t interesting and giving them wins like this isn’t doing much good. I’m not sure what else there is for them to do, and that’s not a good sign for anyone.

Post match here are Chad Gable and the Creed Brothers for a chat. Post break the three of them are in the ring with the former Alpha Academy, who have already lost their first match back together without Gable. He gives them a chance to join the team for one night only, which could also keep them safe from the Wyatt Sicks. Otis turns them down again so the Creeds lay out Otis and Tozawa. The Creeds post Otis and send him into the apron….and we’ve got Wyatts. They pop up on the stage, save for Uncle Howdy, who hits Sister Abigail on Gable in the ring.

Pete Dunne vs. Bronson Reed

And never mind as Sheamus runs in and beats them both up. No match.

Rhea Ripley yells at Judgment Day for not taking care of Jey Uso. A tag match is on for tonight and next week it’s Gunther vs. Finn Balor. Ripley doesn’t like hearing that Liv Morgan was around Dominik Mysterio though so they’re going to the ring.

Sheamus is happy to have a pint with Pete Dunne and talk out whatever is going on, or they can deal with it in the ring if he’d prefer a banger.

Rhea Ripley drags Dominik Mysterio to the ring and says if Liv Morgan wants him, come get him. Morgan pops up in the crowd to say she can wait for Summerslam. Morgan says she and Dominik have feelings for each other but the reality is men like Dominik don’t wind up with women who look like Ripley. Dominik holds Ripley back and yells at Morgan that he can’t stand her because she ruined his life. Ripley licks his face in approval.

We look at the Damian Priest vs. Gunther brawl again.

Here is Zelina Vega, with her arm taped up, for a chat before her match. She is tired of being underestimated so it’s time to shut people up.

Happy Birthday Shawn Michaels.

Zelina Vega vs. Zoey Stark

Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler are here too. Vega slugs away to start but Stark goes after the bad arm to cut that off in a hurry. A spinning elbow gets Vega out of trouble for a second but Stark snaps the bad arm over the rope. We take a break and come back with Stark hitting a springboard missile dropkick for two. The armbar is broken up in a hurry though and Vega enziguris her into a DDT. A moonsault gives Vega two but Baszler trips her up. Cue Lyra Valkyria/Katana Chance/Kayden Carter to brawl with the villains, allowing Vega to get in a cast shot. Code Red finishes Stark at 8:48.

Rating: C. Nothing much to this one as the new evil gets knocked back a bit. I can go for more of Vega, as she has an energy to her matches that make you want to see her out there more. That isn’t something you get very often and it worked well enough here, evil with her being banged up.

Xavier Woods demands and receives a match against Karrion Kross next week. Drew McIntyre comes in to complain about CM Punk but Adam Pearce doesn’t have time for it.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are going to be on Smackdown to address their next challengers. Sonya Deville and company come in to say they’ll be the next challengers, but the champs aren’t convinced.

Video on Gunther.

Judgment Day vs. Jey Uso/Sami Zayn

Non-title, Dominik Mysterio and Carlito are here too and Uso/Zayn come in though the crowd. Uso knocks Balor into the corner to start and snaps off a jumping enziguri. Zayn comes in and gets taken into the corner, where McDonagh sends him face first into the buckle. Back up and Zayn sends both of them outside for the Arabian Moonsault but Carlito gets in a posting as we take a break.

We come back with Balor stomping on Zayn in the corner so McDonagh can get two. Balor’s elbow to the head gets two but Zayn manages a Blue Thunder Bomb. Uso comes in and gets to clean house, only to get dropped with a Sling Blade. McDonagh drops a springboard moonsault for two but Balor gets superkicked out of the apron for a needed breather.

The double tag brings in Zayn to suplex McDonagh into the corner. Mysterio’s distraction lets McDonagh grab a Spanish Fly for two as the fans find this awesome. Everything breaks down and Balor is sent outside for a dive. The Helluva Kick into the Superfly Splash finishes McDonagh at 16:20.

Rating: B. They weren’t wrong about the awesome part as this turned into a pretty awesome match. In theory this should set up a rematch for the titles, though if Balor is facing Gunther next week, it might take some time to get there. I’m not sure I get why the champions had to lose at this point, but maybe they can get a title match in somehow before Summerslam so that won’t be a distraction.

Bron Breakker runs in to spear Zayn in half to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This show had good action and did some solid work on the way to Summerslam. You had two matches officially set up and some important development for things already in place. The Gunther/Priest brawl was a hot opener and Ripley/Morgan/Dominik is still a blast. I had a really good time with this show, which took them a lot closer to a great Summerslam.

Results
Bron Breakker b. Ilja Dragunov via referee stoppage
Sonya Deville b. Lyra Valkyria – Deville’s Advocate
Final Testament b. Xavier Woods/Otis/Akira Tozawa – Final Prayer to Woods
Zelina Vega b. Zoey Stark – Code Red
Jey Uso/Sami Zayn b. Judgment Day – Superfly Splash to McDonagh

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 8, 2024
Location: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with King Of The Ring and all roads lead to Summerslam, where the still World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest will defend against Gunther. Other than that, Drew McIntyre is suspended for going a bit coconuts on Adam Pearce following more CM Punk screwiness. Let’s get to it.

Here is Money In The Bank if you need a recap.

We open with a long Money In The Bank recap.

Here is CM Punk to get things going. Punk talks about how happy he is to be here before congratulating John Cena on his retirement. While Cena isn’t here tonight, Punk would love to lace them up with him one more time. As for someone else who isn’t here, we have Drew McIntyre, and we see a clip of him snapping on Adam Pearce after Money In The Bank. Punk says unfortunately ratings slipped because McIntyre was just on TV (McAfee: “Geez.”) before going into how McIntyre’s actions have consequences.

Punk is the consequences to those actions, which is why he has been doing these things to McIntyre for months. He wants to get his hands on McIntyre and he has already been fined $25,000 for what he did at Money In The Bank. That is money well spent but now he is begging Pearce to lift McIntyre’s suspension. Instead here is Seth Rollins to interrupt, with Punk sitting in on commentary because he knows the entrance is going to take awhile. Rollins finds it interesting that NOW Punk wants to sit on the sidelines rather than get inside.

Punk gets in, but tells Rollins to watch what he says. What Rollins doesn’t understand is why the “consequences for your actions” applies to everyone but Punk. What happened on Sunday was business to Punk, because McIntyre is walking around with that bracelet. Punk thinks Rollins would get that as a husband and a father, but Punk does actually apologize.

Punk: “But because it’s you, I can’t be that sorry.” Rollins says nothing is ever Punk’s fault, but he’s the dumbest smart dude that Rollins has ever met. Rollins threatens to snap Punk’s arm the second he’s cleared and Punk will never even be able to say McIntyre’s name. This felt like it was setting up Punk’s next feud after McIntyre and that works well.

Adam Pearce asks Dominik Mysterio if the Judgment Day is cool with Dominik teaming with Liv Morgan tonight. Of course they are, so here is Morgan to say it’s time to talk strategy.

Jey Uso vs. Chad Gable

They’re both taped up after Money In The Bank. They fight over a hiptoss to start until Jey sends him outside, where a suicide dive is cut off with a belly to belly. We take a break and come back with Gable putting Jey down and (barely) hitting a top rope headbutt for two. Jey is right back up to send him outside for a suicide dive but Gable gets the ankle lock….and we have Wyatts. Well the entrance at least, with the distraction letting Jey hit the spear for the pin at 7:16.

Rating: C+. This might as well have had a big countdown until the Wyatts got involved, as you have the guy with the new Fireflies against their main target. It’s good to give Jey another win and Gable is protected by the surprise. I’m not sure what the Wyatts’ deal is with Gable, but it could make for an interesting reveal whenever we get there.

Post match Jey immediately bails as Gable is left in the ring, which starts to fill up with smoke. Nikki Cross pops up so Gable runs, leaving her to deliver another box to commentary.

Sheamus (“That was weird.”) is in the back and is rather proud of being here for fifteen years. Bronson Reed comes in to say he is the future while Sheamus is stuck in the past. The challenge is issued but Reed is busy this week, so Sheamus can watch him beat up Pete Dunne.

The Wyatt package is another PLAY ME tape.

Bronson Reed vs. Pete Dunne

Dunne grabs an armbar to start before hitting a quick enziguri. Reed is sent outside and dropped with a moonsault as we take a break. Back with Dunne hitting another enziguri but getting caught with a heck of a clothesline. A powerbomb gives Reed two but Dunne is up with his third enziguri to cut off the Tsunami. Not that it matters as Reed shoves him down and hits the Tsunami for the pin at 7:14.

Rating: C. That was a lot of enziguris and they came in a not so great match. Reed didn’t quite squash him but there wasn’t much drama to this one. I still don’t get how Dunne is this meaningless most of the time but that has been his problem for years now. I’m not seeing that changing anytime soon, though I can go with seeing Reed getting a win for a change.

Post match Sheamus comes in for the brawl with Reed, but Dunne walks away from Sheamus (who did the same to Dunne and the Brawling Brutes).

Seth Rollins interrupts the Judgment Day, with Damian Priest saying he has this. Rollins says it’s better to be lucky than good and on Sunday, Priest was better. If he wants to keep it though, he needs to be better than that. Priest is willing to throw out the “no more title shots” for Rollins, just after Priest is done with Gunther.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. Zayn is happy to be here and happier to be here as still the Intercontinental Champion. Bron Breakker brought it on Saturday but he underestimated Zayn, who is still champion. After all these years, Zayn has earned some respect…and here is Breakker to interrupt.

Breakker stares at him and Zayn isn’t sure what he wants. Breakker says he’s here to look into the eyes of the only man in the locker room who can say he beat him. There is no reason Breakker should get a rematch…and then he spears Zayn down. Security can’t break it up so Breakker hammers away and hits the big running around the ring spear. Ilja Dragunov comes out to check on Zayn as Breakker finally leaves. If Breakker is going to get the title, I’m not sure how necessary it was to have him lose on Saturday.

Post break Zayn is busted up and Dragunov wants Breakker tonight. Deal.

We recap John Cena’s retirement announcement.

Judgment Day/Carlito vs. Braun Strowman/Awesome Truth

The villains jump Awesome Truth before Strowman can get to the ring so here he is to clean house. Awesome Truth grab stereo AA’s and we get going fast. Another AA hits Carlito to give R-Truth two, with Balor’s saving elbow missing as we take an early break. Back with McDonagh grabbing a chinlock on Miz, who pops back up. That means Balor comes in for a chinlock of his own before a double clothesline leaves both of them down.

For some reason McDonagh comes in and hits Strowman, which proves stupid as Miz dives over for a tag a few seconds later. House is quickly cleaned, with a chokeslam giving Strowman two. Strowman runs Balor and Carlito over with a double shoulder before chasing McDonagh out of the arena. R-Truth celebrates, allowing Balor to dropkick him down. After knocking Miz off the apron, Balor drops the Coup de Grace for the win at 8:14.

Rating: B-. Not a bad match here and it’s a good idea to give Judgment Day a win. The team has been having their issues in recent weeks and at some point it helps to boost them back up. At the same time, it’s not like beating R-Truth is going to hurt him. Miz might not be so thrilled with it though and that could be a problem going forward.

Adam Pearce is talking to CM Punk but says he isn’t sure about lifting the suspension on Drew McIntyre. Punk is part of the problem, but next week, Pearce is willing to see if he can talk to McIntyre, but Punk needs to stay home. Punk says he’ll work on getting cleared and agrees to let Pearce handle it.

Dominik Mysterio still isn’t interested in learning double team moves with Liv Morgan, because all he wants to do is beat up his dad. She thinks he’s tense but he backs up from her offers to loosen him up. Dominik trips onto a couch so she grabs his leg and starts stretching it. Judgment Day and Carlito (“That’s……cool?”) come in mock whatever is going on and, with Morgan gone, tell him to deal with this. Damian Priest is even figuring out why Rey Mysterio treats Dominik the way he does. Wacky shenanigans all around here.

We get the new Wyatt Sicks tape, which is Bo Dallas talking about how his Family is the discarded and forgotten. Dallas gave them a purpose and, as we see some of the other members, he talks about how they were begging for mercy as the buzzards circled. Grief is the price you pay for love, but now they must set the captives free. We see some rapid fire shots of the team and a smiling Dallas, who says sick is what they will be. They’re doing a nice job of making the team make sense here, which is more than you would have gotten with most of the original Wyatt Family.

Chad Gable finds Adam Pearce, who says it’s clear that the Wyatts are talking about him. Pearce says he has doubled security, but maybe Gable should figure out why the Wyatts are after him. Gable says he’ll deal with this and needs a vacation. With Gable gone, Pearce goes into his office and finds Bo Dallas. Oh dear.

Damage CTRL is sick of the lack of respect and say something changes, starting tonight.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker suplexes him fast to start but Dragunov gets in one of his own. The Constantine Special misses though and Breakker runs him over. Breakker’s gorilla press powerslam gets two and we take an early break. Back with Breakker hitting a spinebuster and grabbing a bow and arrow stretch. Dragunov fights up and gets in a shot of his own, setting up a powerbomb out of the corner.

A top rope backsplash gives Dragunov two but Breakker is right back with a gorilla press gutbuster (geez) for two of his own. Breakker clotheslines him out to the floor but the spear is cut off. Dragunov (whose leg is cut open) loads up a charge but Breakker THROWS AN ANNOUNCERS’ CHAIR at him for the DQ at 10:27.

Rating: B. That ending worked so well, if nothing else because a chair shouldn’t be allowed to fly so hard. It looked like something devastating and that is exactly what someone like Breakker should be doing. Dragunov is someone who feels like he will fight until the end no matter what, though a chair hitting you in the face is a good way to cut him down.

Sami Zayn and agents/referees run in for the save but Breakker posts him. Dragunov tries a save of his own and is laid out as well.

Damian Priest says he’s a controversial champion, just like everyone else. He’s looking forward to a match with Gunther at Summerslam, because it is a challenge to his greatness. If Gunther wants to hear this face to face, come see him next week.

We look back at the Liv Morgan/Dominik Mysterio stretching session.

We look back at the Final Testament attacking New Day last week.

Karrion Kross says Kofi Kingston will not be playing the accordion this week. The legends of the old guard are holding back the new blood in this division, so the new will clear out the old, including John Cena. Yes Xavier Woods beat Karrion Kross while Kofi Kingston couldn’t, so maybe Woods can be the next big thing, because the New Day is dead.

Damage CTRL vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter/Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria even dances with her partners before the bell. It’s a brawl to start with Sane missing a top rope dive at Carter. Kai and Chance come in, with the latter wristdragging her into the corner. Valkyria comes in for a legsweep into a basement legsweep for two before the villains are sent outside for a triple knockdown.

We take a break and come back with Chance fighting out of a chinlock and diving over to Valkyria. House is quickly cleaned and a sitout powerbomb gives Valkyria two on Sane. Carter breaks up a double suplex and Damage CTRL gets triple suplexed down. The Keg Stand hits Kai but Sane springboards in with a dropkick to knock Chance into the cover for the save. Carter gets posted and Sane hits a big dive to the floor, albeit with a nasty crash landing. Back in and Over The Moonsault finishes Carter at 8:36.

Rating: B-. This started to get going at the end but it felt like they got a bit lost at times. Much like Judgment Day earlier, Damage CTRL needed a win here and it should get them ready for whatever they have next. Then again it’s pretty clear that Sky is having to do all of this herself and she’s not going to be happy about it.

Post match Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville run in to beat down Damage CTRL. Stark says Iyo Sky cost her everything and kicks her in the face. Deville lays her out as well and the other villains stand tall.

Zelina Vega thinks Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio are a hot mess. Rey Mysterio is ready to teach his familia a lesson.

Zoey Stark/Shayna Baszler/Sonya Deville aren’t happy with Damage CTRL and call that a warning shot. Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre come in to mock them. Chad Gable and the Diamond Mine are seen talking in the back.

Video on Gunther and his path of dominance throughout WWE on the road to Summerslam.

Liv Morgan/Dominik Mysterio vs. Zelina Vega/Rey Mysterio

Vega and Morgan start things off with Vega hitting her in the face for two. Dominik comes in to hammer on Rey, who is back up with right hands in the corner. It’s already back to Vega for a headscissors on Dominik but Morgan throws her into the corner. Back up and Vega knocks Morgan into the corner, with Rey throwing Dominik into her in a suggestive way. Morgan takes a bullet from the apron for Dominik though and we take a break.

Back with Dominik working on Rey, including a Michinoku Driver to cut off a comeback bid. Rey manages to send Dominik outside though and it’s Vega coming back in to beat up Morgan. A middle rope Meteora looks to set up Code Red but Morgan slips out and grabs Three Amigos (complete with Eddie dance). Rey comes back in to send Dominik flying and the big kick to the head sets up a Lionsault for two. Back up and Dominik tries his own Three Amigos but has to block a 619. Vega hits it instead but Morgan offers a distraction, allowing Dominik to drop Rey. The frog splash gives Dominik the pin on Rey at 12:38.

Rating: B-. This was all about the ending, as Morgan has helped Dominik get what he has been trying to achieve for years. That should make things very interesting going forward, as Dominik is going to have a major choice to make. At the same time, part of that choice is going to be worrying about Rhea Ripley trying to kill him, which almost has to happen sooner than later.

Post match Morgan jumps into Dominik’s arms and he seems interested…..but RHEA RIPLEY is back. Morgan bails into the crowd and looks terrified (because a shoulder injury was supposed to kill Ripley I guess). That leaves Ripley to glare at Dominik, who tries a hug but….the show cuts off before we see what happened. That’s either great timing or horrible timing and I’m not sure which.

Overall Rating: B. This was the show that was all about getting things ready for later, when the bigger stuff can happen. Between matches being set for later, Ripley being back and Drew McIntyre being set to return next week and the tease of his showdown with Punk, we could be in for a very fun ride towards Cleveland. I’m interested in seeing where a lot of this goes, and that is what the show should be trying to do on the way to one of the biggest events of the year.

Results
Jey Uso b. Chad Gable – Spear
Bronson Reed b. Pete Dunne – Tsunami
Judgment Day/Carlito b. Braun Strowman/Awesome Truth – Coup de Grace to R-Truth
Ilja Dragunov b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Breakker threw a chair
Damage CTRL b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter/Lyra Valkyria – Over The Moonsault to Carter
Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan b. Zelina Vega/Rey Mysterio –

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Money In The Bank 2024
Date: July 6, 2024
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back up north and it’s one of the biggest shows of the year. As has been the case lately, we have a five match card, but those are five pretty big matches. In addition to the two namesake ladder matches, we also have the Raw World Title, the Intercontinental Title and a stacked six man tag. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is the spy vs. spy theme, with the idea of a heist to get the briefcases.

Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade vs. LA Knight vs. Chad Gable vs. Carmelo Hayes

It’s a brawl to start as you might expect, with Uso and Knight clearing the ring. The first ladders are thrown in, with McIntyre using one of them to clean house. Gable goes up top to catch McIntyre and grabs a cross armbreaker, with Andrade springboarding in to drop Gable with a legdrop. Hayes is in to take everyone out and it’s McIntyre vs. Uso, meaning the CM PUNK chants are out in full.

A spear cuts McIntyre down but Gable is back in, only to get kicked in the face by Uso. Gable is back up with some German suplexes, including rolling Chaos Theory to Hayes. Knight grabs a neckbreaker to drive Gable into a ladder and then takes Hayes outside for the rams into the announcers’ table. Hayes fights up again and goes for a big ladder, only for Gable to cut him off with a smaller ladder.

Andrade makes a save but McIntyre is there to break everything up as well. Knight is there with a BFT to McIntyre, setting up Uso’s Superfly Splash. Uso and Knight slug it out on top of the ladder but Hayes is back in to shove the ladder over, sending them into the ropes. Hayes flip dives onto Gable and goes up for Nothing But Net to Uso. Hayes goes up but gets caught in a NASTY sunset bomb onto a bridged ladder (Hayes bounced off that thing).

Gable suplexes Knight over the top and onto a ladder bridged onto the announcers’ table. That lets Gable go up but Uso moves the ladder, leaving Gable hanging. Uso spears him down and goes up but the briefcases is swinging. McIntyre THROWS a ladder at Uso and hits the Claymore, allowing him to pull the briefcase down and win at 16:33.

Rating: B-. It was a ladder match without much drama about the winner, which didn’t make for the most thrilling showcase. McIntyre felt like the only viable option to win the thing and then they went exactly in that direction the whole time. What we got was good, but there are only so many things you can do to make one of these things work after it has been done so often over the years.

We recap Sami Zayn defending the Intercontinental Title against Bron Breakker. Zayn is the underdog champion and Breakker is the physical freak with unlimited potential.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

Zayn is defending and gets thrown around to start. Breakker is so confident that he offers Zayn a slap, which Zayn accepts. That earns Zayn a drive into the corner but Zayn fights out with some right hands. Breakker is sent outside for the Arabian moonsault but Breakker is right back with a belly to belly.

Zayn gets back up with a rope walk tornado DDT for two and they need a breather. Breakker gets sent outside but Zayn’s moonsault is cut off. A posting slows Breakker down but the diving DDT is countered with a hard clothesline. Back in and the Blue Thunder Bomb gives Zayn two, only to have Breakker catch him on top.

The Frankensteiner connects for two and they go outside again, with Breakker missing a spear but avoiding the contact into the steps (that’s the kind of learning he did against Dolph Ziggler during his NXT run). Instead Zayn is sat onto the announcers’ table for the clothesline and a big crash. Back in and Zayn is fine enough to hit the exploder into the corner, only for Breakker to cut off the Helluva Kick. The gorilla press powerslam looks to set up the spear but Zayn kicks him away. The Helluva Kick retains the title at 13:13.

Rating: C+. That was rather underwhelming, with the match never coming close to a higher gear. Breakker never seemed to go all out to beat him here and it showed rather badly. They were going for the idea of Zayn being the smarter champion over the inexperienced Breakker, which only kind of worked and was far from great in any way.

Here is host Trish Stratus to talk about her history in this arena. She won titles, had her retirement, and was the mystery partner of this man…..so here is John Cena. The fans go nuts, even as Cena’s towel says THE LAST TIME IS NOW ad his shirt says “After This, You Can’t See Me.” Cena says the fans are here to cheer, but tonight, he is here to officially announce his retirement from WWE.

Cena talks about his time in Toronto and how much he loves the Canadian fans. Whether WWE is hot or cold, Canadians always show up. So why retire now? It’s because this is Money In The Bank, the ultimate symbol of opportunity. Next year, Raw debuts on Netflix and he’ll be there for the first time.

We’ll also see some lasts, including his last Royal Rumble, the last Elimination Chamber, and in Las Vegas, the last Wrestlemania he’s going to compete in. He’s going to open the press conference after the show and answer all questions about his retirement. For now though, Cena wants to say thank you to everyone involved. He’ll be back in Toronto, but if you want some, come get some, because the LAST TIME is now.

Well that’s kind of a huge one and while you knew it was coming, it’s almost hard to fathom that it’s happening. Wrestlemania is going to be the Cena show all over again (I’m sure CM Punk will be thrilled) and at the end of the day, it really should be. Like him or not, Cena is one of the biggest stars ever and that is worthy of this kind of a spot.

Damian Priest wants to face Seth Rollins on his own and Finn Balor isn’t pleased.

We recap Seth Rollins challenging Damian Priest for the Raw World Title. Priest won the title at Wrestlemania but wants to prove he can beat Rollins, who was happy to get a title shot.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest

Priest is defending. Rollins chops away to start but gets taken out with the Broken Arrow. A lifting Downward Spiral gives Priest two but Rollins knocks him outside for a breather. The suicide dive sends Priest into the announcers’ table and they head back inside. A basement superkick rocks Priest and Rollins hits a springboard Swanton into a Lionsault for two.

Priest fights up and tries the Razor’s Edge but Rollins slips out and hits a running knee. A buckle bomb hits Priest, who is right back with a sitout powerbomb for two. We pause for Priest to make sure Drew McIntyre isn’t coming out before they slug it out. Priest’s kick to the head looks to set up South Of Heaven but Rollins slips out and hits the Stomp (or something close to it) for two.

Back up and Priest hits the Razor’s Edge for two and frustration is setting in. With Priest going up, Rollins runs the corner into the superplex and the Falcon Arrow gets a weird two (as the referee just kind of stopped counting. Cue Drew McIntyre with the briefcase and he’s cashing in so this is now a triple threat! And the bell…..rings so it’s on!

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre

Priest is defending and cuts off an early Claymore attempt. Instead a jumping kick to the chest (not quite the Claymore) hits Priest and CM Punk is here to go after McIntyre. Punk blasts McIntyre with the chair…but stops to look at the title. Punk picks up the title and clocks McIntyre before sitting down on the announcers’ table (Cole: “What are you doing Phil?”). The South Of Heaven chokeslam finishes McIntyre to retain Priest’s title at 15:50 (between both matches).

Rating: B. Ignoring how nice it is to have one of the briefcases already out of the way, there is something to be said to having Punk cost McIntyre AGAIN as it is one of the better stories WWE has presented in a good while. I want to see those two fight, and that will likely be happening sooner rather than later. At the same time, Rollins is no longer allowed to challenge Priest for the title, meaning Gunther vs. Priest is rather likely for Summerslam. That’s certainly a way to go, but Priest is being built up fairly well on the way in.

Post match Rollins yells at Punk, who doesn’t seem to care.

Naomi vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Iyo Sky

It’s a brawl to start (shocking I know) so Green is left alone with a ladder…but she’s scared of heights. Instead she tries to poke at the briefcase with the ladder, allowing Sky to springboard in with a dropkick. Sky knocks Stratton into a ladder in the corner and hits the running Meteora for a bonus.

Valkyria and Stark come back in to clear the ring, with Stark suplexing Valkyria down. A Samoan drop onto a ladder has Valkyria in more trouble and a twisting moonsault…completely misses Valkyria in a terrible looking crash. Naomi is back in to jump Stark and hits the splits legdrop onto the ladder. The split legged moonsault onto Stark onto the ladder connects but Stratton is back in to clean house. Stratton goes up and hits a big flip dive onto a bunch of people, leaving Green to set up the big ladder.

Valkyria goes up but Sky ties her up in a Tree of Woe in the ladder. That just leaves Valkyria to sit up and hit a German suplex to send Sky crashing down HARD. Stark and Stratton go up top and fight on top of the ladder until Naomi makes a save. Naomi winds up doing the splits between two ladders before taking Stark down at the same time. It’s time for some tables with Green and Stratton taking their sweet time setting them up.

A bunch of people go up but Green and Stratton make the save with some ladders. Stratton gets sent face first into the ladder and Valkyria gets powerbombed onto one of the bridged ladders for a nasty crash. Green cuts Naomi off and hits something like an Unprettier onto the ladder. Sky and Stark are up top and Sky kind of TOMBSTONES HER ONTO A BRIDGED LADDER. Green uses the chance to go up and….doesn’t quite win as Stratton comes up as well. Green gets launched off the top and through the tables at ringside, allowing Stratton to win at 16:51.

Rating: B+. Now this was more like it, as you had everyone going nuts and leaving it all in the ring with one big spot after another. That piledriver onto the ladder and Green’s free fall both made me gasp and that is a great sign. This was one of the better ladder matches I’ve seen in a long time and they picked the right winner on top of that. Awesome stuff here.

We recap the main event, with Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton teaming up against the new Bloodline. Solo Sikoa has turned the team into a group built on violence, even taking out Paul Heyman. Now it’s time to try to slow them down.

Trish Stratus is in the back when Tiffany Stratton interrupts her. Stratton wants her to offer some praise, but Stratus says it’s what matters when you cash in that briefcase. Stratton thinks it’s sad that Trishy Time is over.

Bloodline vs. Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens

Sikoa starts with Rhodes but hands it off to Tama to really get going. Rhodes takes Tama into the corner so Owens can come in and hammer away, including a SUCK IT. It’s off to Orton for the right hands but Fatu gets the tag and you can tell the fans are into this. Orton hits the hanging DDT but Fatu pops up, scaring Orton as he loads up the RKO. A basement superkick takes Orton own and Sikoa is able to come in and glare menacingly.

The slow beating is on until Orton suplexes Tama down. Owens comes back in to hammer away a bit and there’s the Cannonball. A Swanton gets two, with Fatu making the save. Fatu hammers on Owens and it’s back to Sikoa for the running hip attack in the corner. Fatu’s hip attack connects as well and it’s back to Tama to hammer away.

The slow beating continues with all of the Bloodline getting in their shots, only to have Fatu miss a charge into the post. Cody comes in to clean house, including the Cody Cutter to Tama. Fatu gets backdropped into the timekeeper’s area, leaving Sikoa to hit a not great spear for two on Rhodes. The referee gets bumped, so the Cross Rhodes into a frog splash into the RKO to Sikoa doesn’t get a cover.

Fatu is back up to break up the TripleBomb but the referee gets crushed against the steps again. Owens superkicks Fatu and hits him with the big Prime bottle, setting up a frog splash to put Fatu through the announcers’ table. Owens loads up the package piledriver but Loa hits him low (twice, with the first one seeming to miss) Back in and Orton busts out a bunch of RKO’s but gets Samoan Spiked by Sikoa. Rhodes hits two Cross Rhodes on Sikoa but Fatu is back in with a twisting flip dive off the top. An implant DDT hits Rhodes and the Samoan Spike finishes for Sikoa at 24:40.

Rating: B. That ending probably sets up the main event of Summerslam and that’s all this needed to do. It was a good enough brawl at the same time, and while it might not have been an all time main event, it did its job. Fatu did rather well in his in-ring debut as well, as he felt like an unstoppable monster at times. Good stuff here, with the ending being what mattered.

Overall Rating: B. This wasn’t some blow away, all time great show, but for the main show of the month, it did well enough. Part of the problem with Money In The Bank is that it’s more about setting up things for later rather than doing anything on its own. That worked out more or less the same here, as the briefcases are for later (well, the one that made it through the night at least) and the main event set up a Summerslam match. Not a great show, but it did what you should have expected.

Results
Drew McIntyre won the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Sami Zayn b. Bron Breakker – Helluva Kick
Damian Priest b. Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre – South Of Heaven to McIntyre
Tiffany Stratton won the Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Bloodline b. Randy Orton/Kevin Owens/Cody Rhodes – Samoan Spike to Rhodes

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