Jordan Huie of the Overtimer here with your usual play-by-play recap of WWE Raw!
First shot on Raw is a ton of SUVs driving in. Triple H gets out of one! Goes over to the window of another… the tease is apparent. Cut to the intro!
And now Brock Lesnar is the first one out. Paul Heyman introduces himself and his client, you know how it goes. This time though he calls Lesnar the Velasquez Vanquisher. Says Lesnar quit Friday Night SmackDown and has come to Monday Night Raw to hunt down Rey Mysterio. Mentions a few weeks ago, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were traded to SmackDown for future considerations. Lesnar has a no-cut contract, and has now been signed to Monday Night Raw. But that doesn’t mean Roman Reigns could do the same, because Brock Lesnar is different. Brock Lesnar is special, Brock Lesnar is entitled to do whatever he wants to do.
Jeers from the crowd, Heyman says that yes, that means Brock Lesnar is better than you. Better than everyone at home, better each and every one of ‘those bitches in the back’ that think they’re a tough guy. Which brings us to the point; someone back there knows where Rey is. So where is he…? Heyman suggests Lesnar can jump the rail and slap everyone in Long Island, pop for him to try. Heyman mocks them thinking they can slap him back, says nobody here can slap him back, including Mysterio, who he chides for not being man enough to defend his son from the Beast’s onslaught. Someone tonight is gonna Sammy Gravano Rey, I dunno what that means but I think that’s the right name. Heyman threatens that he will turn this place upside down like an F-5 has hit New York. Mocks Rey in Spanish again and concludes in the usual way.
Cut backstage and Brock’s attacking backstage hands looking for Rey. Didn’t even cut to commercial before that happened. We come back to see him terrorizing folks continue and someone directs him to a car in the parking lot. Brock treks over, rips the door open and tears out a Singh brother I think? Kicks the door and it damn near falls off the hinges.
They played a video package for Nattie and Lacey’s match in Saudi Arabia before Natalya came out, hoping for a big reception but it’s really not happening.
Natalya & Charlotte Flair vs. The Kabuki Warriors (Non-title)
Nattie and Kairi start, Kairi escapes on a tie-up. Lock up again, Nattie with a wrist lock, Kairi reverses, Nattie rolls through, scoops her up, shows off some power with a spin into a scoop slam. Pin, kickout at 1, Kairi scrambles to her corner to tag in Asuka. Lock-up, Nattie reverses into a takedown. Asuka reverses with an ankle lock, Nattie breaks and rolls away. Nattie gets her into a side headlock, tags in Charlotte, she comes in and gets a hair trip. Charlotte wants a slam, Kairi comes in to try and clip her, Charlotte ducks her. Nattie in to aid, both Kabukis gets suplexed and bail to the ring as we go to commercial.
We come back to see Asuka holding Nattie in a side headlock. Nattie shoots her off, Asuka wants a shoulder block but Nattie nosells. They both charge, meet in the middle with shoulder blocks to no avail. Nattie shoots the ropes again, Asuka pursues, clothesline ducked, shoulder block nailed and Asuka bails. Nattie follows to the floor, to a kick to the head. Asuka throws her into the ring, cover for 1. As Asuka puts her in an arm wringer, we see a sudden replay mid-match of last week’s attack on Paige. As soon as it’s out, as if somehow coordinated, Asuka pulls her up and gets her with a hair whip before tagging to Kairi. Hooks her in a Camel Clutch setting up the running dropkick to the face from Kairi. Sane with an arrogant pin with her foot on her chest.
Kairi hooks the arms with a straitjacket hold. Nattie with a snapmare counter, Kairi with a running dropkick before she can capitalize. Kairi bickers with Charlotte, Nattie with a roll-through, Kairi kicks out but sends Nattie to the corner for a tag. Charlotte cleans house, gets the chops going on Kairi. Shoots her to the ropes, Kairi with a crossbody gets caught! Fallaway Slam, kip-up. Kairi evades a corner charge, but Charlotte hooks her for a backbreaker. Weird Natural Selection hits, done so as to position her near the ropes, Asuka pulls Charlotte out of the ring on the pin. Charlotte gets the advantage on Asuka though, throws her into the ring and puts them side-by-side. Charlotte up top, moonsault hits them both! She throws Asuka out and pins Kairi, kickout at the last second.
Charlotte eats a hot shot from Asuka, and we go to commercial again. We come back to see Charlotte struggling to the corner for a tag, Kairi runs in to cut her off. Pummels her in the corner. Sliding D, Charlotte gets the boot up, Kairi gets nailed flushed by the boot, damn! Simultags, Nattie gets the advantage on Asuka, Russian Legsweep, Discus Clothesline. Asuka reverses a whip, Nattie evades her in the corner, wants her springing back suplex, Asuka counters with a hip toss, Nattie ducks a shot, German Suplex! Asuka reverses a Sharpshooter attempt into a cross-armbreaker! Transitions into a triangle choke! Nattie powers out, Sharpshooter! Nicely done. Kairi struggles into the ring, comes in with a codebreaker to break it up! Charlotte in, spears right through her!
As Charlotte pursues, Asuka sneaks up behind Nattie for the Asuka Lock, but Nattie slips out, trips her up, Sharpshooter re-applied and she has to tap.
Winners: Natalya & Charlotte Flair
Turned into a good match by the end but I noticed some of the same psychology issues with the opening match last week.
As they celebrate, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar come onto the stage to bully the commentators into giving up Rey Mysterio. Heyman says the King knows everything, where is Rey Mysterio? Demands he tell him where Rey is or he’ll unleash the Beast on him and if he does, no one will resuscitate you when you die on the air again! Heat for that line, Dio Maddin steps between them to stick up for Lawler only to get himself F-5’d through the table! It just utterly obliterates under him. And then out comes Rey with a pipe, nailing Lesnar with shots to the leg! Rey grabs the WWE title, gets a big running start and lays him out with it! Nice reaction to this, exciting stuff. Chant of “619”.
Hilariously commentary didn’t really stop during that segment and they didn’t even acknowledge what happened to Dio. We see a shot, during the commercial, of Brock struggling to his feet and he can barely stand, let alone walk.
Cut to Rey backstage, still with the pipe, says Brock tried to take everything from him. So as the passage says, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Fight fire with fire. Says Brock came after what’s most important to him, so he’s coming after what’s most important to him: the WWE Championship! Asks if he’ll be man enough to come after him like he came after Brock at Survivor Series.
Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy
Neither of these two had an entrance, we’re just here. Cedric ducks some attacks, headscissors, dropkick. Buddy pulls him from the ring, chops him, throws him to the barricade. Buddy misses a chop, hits a post, Cedric takes over and throws him into the ring. Buddy holds onto a ring skirt as Cedric pulls him, ref has to deal with it, Murphy kicks him in the face and throws him furiously into a post. He wouldn’t have been DQ’d or even admonished for either of these things so I dunno why he needed to distract the ref but aight. Couple of pin attempts, Cedric kicks out at 2. Buddy holds him down with an arm wringer, Alexander tries to punch out but an arm wringer takedown stops him. Keeps hold of his wrist, Buddy steps into an armbar.
Cedric with an armbreaker to escape. Big forearm, but Cedric favoring the left hand. Chops and strikes with his right, big spinning elbow. Handspring enziguri, Buddy taken to the outside, huge suicide drive drives him into the barrier! Cedric moving fast as hell, big flip tope wipes him out! Springboard Flatliner in the ring, nearfall! Cedric off the top, Murphy tries to turn it into Murphy’s Law but gets countered in an inside cradle for 2, Alexander with the swift Michinoku Driver for a nearfall! Buddy ducks a roundhouse kick, Cedric wants the handspring again but Murphy catches him with a knee lift to the small of the back. Murphy’s Law follows, and that is that.
Winner: Buddy Murphy
Solid match as you’d always get from these two, Buddy building momentum.
We’re reminded of the cold open and shown clips of NXT’s takeover of SmackDown.
Backstage, Seth Rollins is WALKING!
He then emerges. Not really cheers or boos audible on the entrance. Gets a mic in the ring, and the reception now seems a bit mixed. He asks what’s next for Seth Rollins? Admits that it’s been a rough week, honestly it’s been a rough couple of months. And he’s not stupid, he hears people, he knows plenty of them are thrilled that he lost to the Fiend at Crown Jewel. Decent pop. Says to be honest, he doesn’t give a damn, what concerns him is that the Fiend took the Universal Championship back to SmackDown. What concerns him is that Brock Lesnar is back on Monday Night Raw at the top of the mountain, and everything Seth did to change the culture, give guys like AJ Styles, Braun Strowman and even Baron Corbin a shot. Now it feels like we’re starting from scratch all over again.
Seth says he knows his thing is to redesign, rebuild and reclaim but he doesn’t know if he has the energy for it this time. So what’s next for Seth Rollins? Quiet “NXT” chant, huh. Seth says for the first time in a long time, he doesn’t know…
King of Kings music hits! Out comes Triple H with a big green NXT logo in his tron. Triple H enters the ring, he and Rollins shake hands. Triple H says you don’t know what’s next? Loud “NXT” chant here. Triple H says it’s funny how history repeats itself, because whenever Seth doesn’t know what’s next, their paths cross. And a wise man once said if you want to know what your future is, you gotta retread the steps of your path. Maybe your past is your future… Triple H quoting Finn there but nobody really takes to it. Brings up Seth becoming the first-ever NXT Champion to a pop, the birth of the Shield and then becoming WWE Champion, saying that each time it occurred when Seth came to him. Seth asks Triple H if they were for his benefit or for Triple H’s. Trips says that doesn’t matter, since every time he walked away a champion, and Seth says that’s a fair point.
Triple H says he does, in fact, know what’s next. Brings up NXT running roughshod on SmackDown. Seth points out that he fired the first shot while the whole roster was stuck overseas. Triple H says you could look at it that way or you could note that Adam Cole beat Daniel Bryan in the middle of the ring. NXT at this moment is on fire, the whole world wants to know what they’ll do next. After Friday night they want to know, here tonight, what is NXT gonna do next? But he’s here for a different reason, he wants to know what Seth Rollins is gonna do next. Because that will affect what they are doing next. Survivor Series is Raw vs. SmackDown vs. NXT and they’ve got something to prove. So maybe you don’t know what’s next, maybe you don’t know if you have what it takes, maybe you don’t know if you have the energy or the drive or the passion or the heart, but Triple H does. Triple H knows how to get him there, he always has, he knows how to make him great!
Triple H says Seth knows how this works better than anybody, because he’s either with him in this moment… crowd rises as the Undisputed Era, in full, make their way through the crowd and up onto the apron. “NXT” chants re-emerge. Triple H concludes, saying he’s either with him or against him.
The OC theme hits! AJ, Gallows and Anderson slowly trekking down the ramp. Undisputed Era opt to hop down from the apron and jump the barrier, escaping the pursuing OC… but Dominik Dijakovic and Damian Priest appear to attack the OC from behind! The Undisputed Era comes back for a gang beating until Raw’s lower midcard emerges to run them off.
Meanwhile Seth still looking conflicted in the ring, untouched. Mysteriously his theme is the one that hits and he leaves the ring without a word.
We then see Seth confronting Triple H backstage. Says if he came to light a fire under him, he did it. Says Daniel Bryan couldn’t get the job done on Friday. If you want him coming to NXT it will be as a top guy, and demands he give him Cole for the NXT Championship here tonight. Triple H accepts!
Zelina and Andrade make their way out, Vega calling them the greatest mixed tag team combination in all of sports entertainment. They all have the rare opportunity to watch her embarrass the butt-ugly woman who has to hide her face behind a luchador mask. And Sin Cara will be exposed as not only the man without a face but a man without a prayer of beating the most talented superstar in the world: Andrade!
Okay, seriously, this girl was introduced as Carolina and had that name on the graphic again and is still called Catalina on commentary, is this on purpose? Is this a rib?
Andrade & Zelina Vega vs. Sin Cara & Carolina
We start with Andrade and Sin Cara, monkey flip attempt sees Andrade back body dropped to the floor. Sin Cara hits the ropes, Zelina grabs the ankle. Ref is distracted with that, Carolina with the senton off the apron on Andrade, commercial break. We see during the commercial, Zelina with a second rope moonsault into a Tornado DDT onto Sin Cara on the floor. Meanwhile Andrade chopping Sin Cara in the ring. Andrade takes him up top, rips at the mask, Sin Cara blocks and gets to the apron, springs up, Sunset Flip Powerbomb!
Tag, Carolina with a house of fire. Weak crossbody off the middle rope. Hoists her up, Zelina rips at her face. Zelina avoids an idiot charge, enziguri, hits the ropes, countered into a Wheelbarrow Facebuster. Andrade pulls her off, Sin Cara clotheslines him to the floor. Wants a dive but Zelina steps in front of him. Sin Cara blocks a kick, hands the boot to Carolina who turns it into a Gory Bomb! Sin Cara with a tope to Andrade. Carolina eats a boot off a charge, Zelina wants a flying rana but Carolina catches her, wants a powerbomb, but a rana sends her to the corner. Spike Rana in the center of the ring, gets the win.
Winners: Andrade & Zelina Vega
Nice to see Zelina actually presented as a wrestler on the main roster for the first time that I can recall, these two as a mixed tag team is cool. And I’m pretty sure that was the only reason Carolina/Catalina was here. I also know she’s very young and green, 19 years old I think? So I won’t bag on her, but she didn’t look ready for TV at all there.
Come back from commercial to see Rusev in the ring, dressed to wrestle but with a mic. “Rusev Day” chant. Rusev says he’s sure everyone will agree with him when he says tonight is the night to end all this stupid drama. Pop. But he’s not out here to bicker with his soon to be ex-wife Lana, he’s not here to call her names though he’s sure he can… but he’s here for you, Bob Lashley! He tells her if he wants Lana, she’s all his! But his ass is mine! Calls Lashley out and out he comes… on crutches? Lana is with him. Kind of a hilarious visual when you have the imposing theme playing him out.
Lashley says as much as he’d love to just come down and beat him up across the entire arena, he’s not medically cleared to fight tonight. Says over this past weekend he suffered a very debilitating injury; he tore his groin. And no, he didn’t tear it at Crown Jewel or even in training… he tore his groin doing things and performing in ways you could only fantasize about. Lana says today’s your lucky day because there is someone very special to have volunteered to fight you and he’s gonna kick your ass! Drew McIntyre’s music hits.
Drew McIntyre vs. Rusev
McIntyre avoids a shot, big headbutt! Chops him in the corner, slams him into a turnbuckle post, pummels him in the corner. Whips him to an opposite corner, Rusev bounces out with a big clothesline. Shoulder thrusts, nails some shots, stomps him in the corner. Drew with a kick to stop a back body drop, pummels him in the corner. Lashley and Lana still looking on from the stage the whole time by the by. Rusev fights back, McIntyre with a double axe handle cuts him off. Laying in stomps. Pulls him up for a chop. Tries to shoot him off the ropes, Rusev counters, pulls him for a Fallaway Slam and Drew has to bail as we go to commercial.
We come back and see McIntyre wearing over the arm. During the break he hit an Overhead Belly To Belly. Rusev hip attacks his way out of the hold, gets some chops and shots in. Hits the ropes, Drew with a big spinebuster, jackknife cover for 2. Drew calls Rusev a bitch and Rusev with a big clothesline. Drew with an idiot charge, eats an elbow. Clotheslines, charging shot in the corner, running wheel kick! Running superkick evaded, McIntyre pummels Rusev in the corner, takes him up top. Rusev with right hands, double axe handle dodged, simultaneous crossbody lays out both men!
Exchange of blows now, Rusev shoots him to the ropes, leaping superkick sends Drew to the floor. Rusev rolls out, slams Drew against the steps… and Lashley runs in and wallops him with a crutch for the DQ!
Winner: Rusev (by DQ)
Drew just walks off as Lashley throws Rusev into the ring. Pursues but Rusev gets some shots in! Throws him into the corner post! Rusev has a crazed look as he grabs the crutch… but Randy Orton with an RKO outta nowhere?! Orton and Lashley celebrate together, Lashley chokes Rusev with his boot, Orton pummels him with stomps until Ricochet emerges! Low bridge sends Lashley to the floor, Orton avoids a springboard, Ricochet pushes off an RKO attempt, enziguri! Baseball slide takes out Lashley and Lana!
Interview with Becky Lynch hyped up next.
Charly Caruso aka Interviewer Girl #1 is in a sit-down with her. Says at Survivor Series she may have her toughest test to date. It will be her vs. Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler! Becky says this is one of her favorite times of the year. Normally she’s the one out for retribution but this time she’s the target, since she beat Bayley’s bestie Sasha Banks back to the injured list at HIAC and take out Shayna’s bestie Ronda Rousey. Shayna interrupts the interview and takes Charly’s chair! Says hello to Becky and says she’s waited a long time to meet her face to face. She says everyone talks about Becky Lynch, what a shining example she is of the talent that comes to NXT. Brings up her beating her friend Rousey at WrestleMania, but wants to make one thing very clear; she’s not Ronda Rousey.
And she wanted to come here eye-to-eye, champion-to-champion to say that at Survivor Series she will pin her or tap her out. Only thing she needs to think about is which one of her limbs will belong to her. Becky smiles and says she doesn’t know her and hasn’t fully decided whether she respects her or wants to knock her head off. But she warns that war with her will change her like the rest. At Survivor Series, she’s coming directly for her. They do both note that they’re not taking their eyes off Bayley either but it’s pretty personal. They stand, eye to eye.
OC make their way out and their World Cup is at ringside, which AJ points out. AJ says he’s YOUR United States Champion, and they don’t give a damn about NXT. Says next time they see those punks they’ll make sure they don’t set foot out of Orlando, Florida.
Street Profits and Humberto emerge with microphones. Ford says the OC are feeling themselves here tonight in Strong Island. Ford finds the World Cup trophy cute. Calls them officially the best tag team in the woooooooooooooooooooooorld, nice impersonation. Dawkins points out that the Street Profits weren’t even in that match, when the two of them were handed a hot L two weeks ago. Ford says he can’t say that, Dawkins repeatedly asks “You mean to tell me I can’t say that we beat the OC two weeks ago in their very first match?!” Ford says no, but Humberto can, and he does! AJ demands they shut their mouth and they goad him into saying it again. AJ says to shut your mouth or he’ll shut it for you. Profits then get him to say it in espanol. Hilariously AJ doesn’t know what he said. Also they want the smoke. Six-man tag up next.
Humberto Carrillo & The Street Profits vs. The OC
Back from break, match has begun, we see AJ shoulder thrusting Humberto in the corner. Humberto avoids a charge, twisting crossbody for a 1 count. Tag to Dawkins who comes in with a double axe handle on AJ’s arm. AJ grabs the rope to break the hold, double across to the throat of Dawkins. Tag to Anderson, Dawkins leap frogs him, shoots him to the ropes, dropkick! Scoop slam, tag to Ford, big sliding dropkick, cover for 2, arm wringer! Anderson shoots him to the ropes, Ford leap frogs, boot to the face, AJ grabs Ford’s ankle, Anderson clotheslines him to the floor and Gallows runs through him with a lariat on the outside! Anderson pursues, throws him into the ring, cover for 2. Tag to AJ, clobbers Ford, grinds him against the middle rope.
Ford reverses a headlock throws AJ out of the ring, he scrambles back in just to eat a dropkick! Tag to Anderson, Ford dropkicks him as well and Anderson tags Gallows! Ford lands on his feet off a back suplex attempt, lunges for the tag but Gallows catches him, tams him into the corner. Isolation proceeds with quick tags and big shots keeping Ford stuck. Gallows with a wicked uppercut, pin for 2. Mean headlock ensues as we go to commercial.
Back from break, Anderson has Ford in a side headlock. Ford fights to his feet but a clubbering blow takes him down. Anderson with a cheap shot to Dawkins, uppercut for a cover, kickout at 2. Gallows tags in, Ford with a flipping blockbuster. Simul tags, Carrillo runs through AJ, big dropkick. Running clothesline, snapmare, basement dropkick! Backwards roll into a moonsault for a nearfall. AJ shoots him to the ropes, Carrillo leaps up, springboard roundhouse kick! Carrillo up top, beautiful moonsault, Anderson in to break it up. Dawkins in, pounces him out of the ring! Gallows in with a shoulderblock, Ford with a dropkick. Ford hits the ropes, tope wipes out Anderson and Gallows! AJ with a boot up on a Carrillo charge, Phenomenal Forearm attempt, Carrilo evades it, kick to the face, wants a rana but AJ turns it into a powerbomb, Styles with his feet on the ropes for the pin and that’s that, steals the win.
Winners: The OC
Slow build to Carrillo finally getting the win over AJ looks like. Some good action once again here.
The Viking Raiders vs. East Hampton Polo Boys (Non-title)
Yes that’s what their opponents are called, just country club looking dudes in polos and slacks and scarves. As you can guess, they get utterly demolished. Deadlift Gutwrench Powerbomb from Erik, frog splash from Ivar and that is that.
Winners: The Viking Raiders
Afterwards Erik gets on the mic, standing tonight as men bold enough to admit that at Crown Jewel they suffered defeat. Congratulates the OC for being crowned the best tag team in the world. Enjoy your trophy. Ivar says that victory oftentimes is nothing more than survival. Gallows and Anderson, thank the Gods because they may have one won battle… Erik finishes, “But NOTHING can stop the raid.”
NXT Championship: Adam Cole (c) vs. Seth Rollins
Rollins with a waistlock, into a wristlock. They roll and reverse, Cole in the ropes for a clean break. Cole reverses Rollins into the corner, slightly less than clean break here. Rollins rushes out with a clothesline. Big shots, clotheslines Cole to the floor! Tope crossbody takes him out, throws him into the ring. Rollins wants a Buckle Bomb, Cole escapes, but eats a thrust kick to the gut, Rollins wants The Stomp but Cole avoids it, bails. Rollins pursues, throws him into the barrier! Gets a big running start and sends him into another as we go to commercial break.
Rollins with a chop as we return, hits the ropes, Cole with a big boot for 2! Rollins and Cole trading big kicks, Rollins catches a superkick, throws him to his knees and hits the Avada Kedavra for a nearfall! Rollins with a charging forearm in the corner, back body drop takes him onto the apron, goes up top for the Springboard Knee but Cole superkicks him out of the air! Nearfall! Cole up top, setting up for the Panama Sunrise, Rollins counters, Buckle Bomb! Cover for a nearfall. Rollins with a couple of Suicide Dives! Throws him into the ring, Springboard Knee! Wants a suplex but Cole reverses into the Ushigoroshi Brainbuster for 2!
Cole begging for Seth to rise… hits the ropes, Buisaku Knee! Cover for a narrow kickout. Hits the ropes, Rollins ducks the Last Shot, roll-up for 2, simultaneous clotheslines! Cole up top, Rollins leaps up to pursue, Superplex into the Deadlift Falcon Arrow! Close nearfall! Crowd rises, chant of “Burn It Down” as Rollins stomps along. But then in comes the other members of the Undisputed Era to swarm on Rollins for the DQ!
Winner: Seth Rollins (by DQ)
As the beatdown continues, Raw and NXT folks pour out and it’s a big brawl in the ring! War spills out in and out of the ring, mid-sized “NXT” chant. NXT has the numbers here, Raw losing out. Ricochet with a springboard shooting star press wiping out everybody! But the fight just resumes. Keith Lee in the ring, hits the ropes, huge flipping tope onto the whole crowd! That’s our last shot as we fade to black.
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