To start off, Corey Graves was on vacation, so Jerry Lawler assumed his old position and he said he had news for when he interviewed the Boss on the King’s Court.
United States Championship: Braun Strowman beat AJ Styles (c) by disqualification
A quick match ended when Gallows superkicked Strowman when he was about to finish Styles off. They then threw Strowman into the ring posts several times before Rollins came out to return the favor from last week.
Seriously, did anyone expect anything else?
There was a brief look of uncertainty on Rollins’ face when Strowman didn’t let go of their handshake right away. With their rumored title match at Clash of Champions, and Strowman eyeing the belt last week, we’re seeing the first steps to their upcoming rivalry.
Backstage, Rollins caught up with Strowman, and said that despite having each others’ backs, he’s seen how Strowman’s been eyeing his belt and offered him the title shot. He’s also going to set up a tag title match with them against the OC later in the night.
Raw Tag Team Championship: Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman beat The OC (c) by pinfall
Strowman dominated early, and Gallows went to work on Rollins’ injured ribs (seriously, they can stop playing this angle. It’s getting a little old) by dropping him on the barricade outside the ring a couple of times going into the commercial break.
Rollins kicked out after being hit with a Dream Crusher following Styles’ interference. Strowman then ran over Styles and Gallows outside the ring, saving Rollins from a double team.
Rollins Stomped Styles when he tried to interfere when Strowman powerslammed Anderson for the pin and the tag team titles.
And the push for Rollins continues.
The Rest of Raw
Roman Reigns beat Dolph Ziggler by pinfall
Playing up Ziggler’s Twitter feud and amidst chants of “You suck!” Ziggler was jealous of the attention Reigns has been getting and while saying, “It should’ve been me!” he superkicked Reigns before the match started.
A better match than expected, Ziggler held his own with various counters and near pinfalls throughout. Ziggler countered a Superman Punch into a roll up that Reigns kicked out of, and Reigns countered a superkick with a Superman Punch that Ziggler kicked out of.
Ziggler then countered a spear into a Famouser for another near fall.
Ziggler then taunted Reigns, giving Reigns a chance to hit him with a spear for the pin.
This time, Ziggler didn’t run his mouth after the match.
Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks Exchange Broadsides
A prerecorded promo with Becky Lynch showed her explaining she keeps calling people out because she wants the absolute best to challenge for the Raw Women’s Championship. She then addressed Sasha Banks “beating her stupid with a steel chair” last week, and said she’s the “greatest woman on the roster to never be great.”
Sasha Banks claimed people were talking about her blue hair, and Michael Cole called her on it and asked her to explain why she attacked Natalya and Lynch. She responded with, “You’re welcome,” removed her microphone, and left the interview area.
Not to be outdone, Natalya spoke about how she couldn’t understand why Sasha Banks did was she did, and Banks attacked her, calling her a crybaby and, “Go to hell, Nattie, and tell Daddy I said hi.”
Everything is pointing to a triple threat match in the future, but the real rivalry is between Natalya and Banks with Lynch being wedged in so she has something to do. This should be interesting going forward.
The King’s Court featuring… the Fiend
Jerry Lawler pushed the King of the Ring tournament, and predicted on the Raw side, it’d come down to Ricochet and Cedric Alexander. When he started to say who it would be in the Smackdown side, the lights flickered, signaling the coming of the Fiend.
Lawler headed out of the ring and toward the announcer’s areas when the lights cut out and the Fiend appeared behind him and slapped on the mandible claw. When the lights came back on, Lawler was out on the ramp. After the commercial break, Vic Joseph replaced him on the announcer’s crew.
Man, we just got gypped. Why couldn’t the Fiend have taken out Michael Cole instead? Is it because we don’t care for him as much?
Ricochet and the Miz beat Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin by pinfall
A match featuring first round opponents in the KOTR (next Monday) facing each other got off to a fast start and Ricochet and Miz used their speed early, but Corbin and McIntyre eventually took control.
As with the previous match, the superstars put on a pay-per-view level performance as they exchanged moves and counters for near falls. Ricochet eventually hit Corbin with a Recoil for the pin.
Booker T in the House through Skype
After a brief comment on the Fiend needing to be put down, the talk turned to the KOTR and how it “catapulted me to new heights.” Booker’s prediction to win KOTR is “King Drew.”
King of the Ring Round One: Samoa Joe beat Cesaro by Submission
Cesaro nearly got an early pin after a running elbow as soon as the bell rang. Joe weathered the storm and showed some surprising moves like a suicide dive and flying heel kick.
A highly physical match saw both superstars take a pounding and Cesaro used the sharpshooter, then crossface seconds apart when Joe went for the ropes. After breaking the hold thanks to Joe rolling Cesaro into a pin, Joe slapped on the Coquina Clutch for the tap out and win.
On to round two for Joe, where he’ll face either McIntyre or Ricochet, who face each other next week.
24/7 Championship: The Saga of Elias
In a pre-recorded segment, Elias caught Maverick trying to surprise him during a recording session, and Elias made him regret it.
In the ring, Elias was going to perform a farewell performance as he couldn’t afford to come out there every week because of the 24/7 championship. White noise kept coming over the pa system as he tried to give his performance, and when he demanded someone give him a properly tuned guitar, R-Truth was dressed in black and had a referee.
Elias kicked out on three pinning attempts, and Truth decided a guitar would work pretty good. Elias took off, causing Truth to miss him and Elias retreated up the ramp.
Rey Mysterio Almost Retires
When asked if he had an update on his family and career. He described how lucky he is with his family and his career, then said how it hurts him that he hasn’t been able to repay Andrade for ripping off his mask and dishonoring him.
He fears his injuries have finally caught up with him, and it’s time for him to hang up his mask. He started to remove it, but hos son, Dominic, stopped him. Citing how Rey had told him when he debuted, it’d be as Mysterio’s partner.
Dominic begged him not to retire, and Mysterio said he wouldn’t retire because he loves his son.
The New Day beat The Revival by disqualification
A battle between the brand’s tag team champions ended when Orton came into the ring to RKO Big E.
Of course, Kofi Kingston came out to save the day and received an RKO for his trouble.
Woods tried to help keep Kingston from suffering another RKO, but the Revival caught him off the ropes and lifted him up for a RKO.
With Orton on Kingston’s back, making him watch, Wilder jumped off the top rope onto Woods’ held leg and injured him for storyline purposes.
Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss beat Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville by pinfall
Another good match for the night ended when Cross hit Deville with a swinging neckbreaker for the pin.
The end was in sight when Cross threw Rose into the ring post while she was on the apron, leaving Deville alone.
King of the Ring Round One: Cedric Alexander beat Sami Zayne by pinfall
An exciting match saw both Alexander and Zayn selling each other and putting on a fun show before Alexander hit Zayn with a Lumbar Check for the win.
Final Thoughts
The best Raw in a while saw all of the matches at a pay-per-view level (except for the ones cut short for disqualifications) and the storylines progressed at a good pace. The few lumps were having Jerry Lawler taken out so early, but the legends are fodder for the Fiend at the moment. A pretty cool moment not part of the show was a commercial featuring Kane, and with his rumored return in the next couple of weeks, it’s perfect timing.
