Jordan Huie of the Overtimer here, to recap another episode of Monday Night Raw. You can see my preview of tonight’s episode right here. Watch this space.
Paige opens the show? Didn’t see that one coming, okay. Welcomes us to Monday Night Raw. She brings up that she’s been advising a very special tag team, and she’s proud to be a small part of their success. Introduces the Kabuki Warriors. Kairi has a parasol with her, and is wearing her title like a collar, ala Bubba Ray Dudley. They all come to the ring, Paige says she introduced this tag team six months ago. Puts over Asuka and Kairi Sane’s singles accomplishments before becoming a team. Paige notes that this could’ve backfired, but they gelled so well together and now they stand before the WWE Universe as Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Asuka takes the mic and yells in Japanese. Kairi takes the mic and cackles in Japanese. Paige tries to reach for the mic only for Kairi to drop it to the canvas… and then Asuka spits mist in her face.
Paige is helped out of the ring and given a towel. That’s about as much as they can do for a betrayal since Paige can’t take bumps… although Asuka does leave the ring to stare her down. Becky Lynch’s music hits! She runs Kairi out of the ring, and pursues, brawling with them both on the outside! Eventually the double team catches up with her though, but she fights back, throws Asuka over the barrier. Whips Kairi into the ring, Kairi bails from the ring.
The two are set to compete next.
Kairi Sane vs. Becky Lynch
Becky ducks a spinning back fist, throws hands and Kairi bails. She’s selling her ribs and begging off. Kairi gets into the ring, pummels Becky in the corner and stomps her for a bit, stops to pose and gets some heat. Becky drives her head into a few top turnbuckles, bulldog, Oklahoma Roll gets 2. Dropkick from Becky. Back body drop takes her to the apron, Becky hits Kairi away, goes up top but Sane stops her, whips her to the mat. Cover, quick kickout. Kairi pulls Becky up, chop to the chest. Drags her to the middle, thrust to the gut, Becky avoids a kick, trips her up, arm drags commence, Becky locks in a Kimura-esque hold. Flips and bridges to amp up the pressure.
Kairi fights up, Becky whips her to the corner, kicks her in the face off a float-over attempt for 2. Becky with the Dis-Arm-Her, Kairi escapes before the pressure’s on, bails. Becky wants a dive but Asuka on the top diverts her attention. Tries to clothesline her, Asuka jumps down. Becky now looking for Kairi on the outside, she’s hidden behind the steps. Jumps from the steps off at Becky but gets caught out of the air with a clothesline. Asuka distracts Becky, allowing Sane to ram her arm into the apron. Commercial break.
We come back to see Kairi keeping Becky down in a submission, she lets go to hit a PK. Becky fights back, Kairi with a blade chop, Becky matrixes out of the pin. Evades a corner charge, springboard kick, series of clotheslines and single leg dropkick, kip-up. Charging forearm, pummels her in the corner with a combo, Bexploder sends her to the middle for a nearfall. Becky charges, Kairi ducks under her legs to transition into a Rolling Boston Crab that she turns into a Cloverleaf, wow! Becky counters with a cradle, Kairi kicks out, hits a big boot but Becky bounces off the ropes for a flying forearm. They’re both out on the mat now.
Chant for “Becky”, Kairi gets an inside cradle, Becky kicks out, wants a suplex but Kairi counters out of the air with a facebuster! Nearfall! Kairi goes up top, Becky pursues her to stop her but a headbutt leaves her in the tree of woe. Kairi looking for a double foot stomp but Becky flips to her feet to escape, throws Kairi to the canvas! Becky to the second rope for her legdrop, nearfall. For some reason the crowd always buys that, I don’t feel like I’ve seen her win with it. Maybe I’m wrong.
Kairi whips her to the apron, shoulder thrust is countered with a head kick, followed by a WWE Headkick, Asuka runs over only to get a flying axe handle off the apron! Becky back into the ring, stung by a wicked Spinning Backfist from Kairi! Veerrrrrry narrow nearfall! Kairi howls in frustration, pulls Becky up, suddenly pulled into the Dis-Arm-Her for the tapout!
Winner: Becky Lynch
The first half of that match was kinda surprisingly dull to me, but once we came back from break it was really good stuff. WWE is just, nothing without big moves right now. They have no psychology, which you can kinda tell from the recap, they just go move to move like an indy match. Which is REALLY a problem when they aren’t actually doing big indy style moves!
R-Truth is out now, he’ll be facing Buddy Murphy next. Interviewer Girl #1 goes into the ring and says that he’ll be facing Buddy Murphy and Truth argues that he isn’t his buddy. She asks about the 24/7 title situation last week and Truth says he knew it! He knew he needed another pair of eyes. So he’s got glasses now. He has both pairs of eyes on the prize, and when he sees Ranjin Singh again, he’ll become a 52 time 47 7/11 European Tele-
Murphy’s music cuts him off. Murphy says Truth is so focused on the 24/7 Championship and everyone else except him, Australia’s finest. Maybe he doesn’t know who he is yet, and that’s fine, ’cause after tonight you won’t forget him.
Buddy Murphy vs. R-Truth
Buddy and Truth with a waistlock sequence, Murphy ends it with a back elbow. Pummels Truth in the corner, stomps to the ribs, punches to the head. Sharp elbow. Pulls him out, Truth counters with an uppercut. Lays in punches, Murphy reverses a whip, Truth with a spinning headscissors! Truth asks “What’s Up”, does the splits, then charges into a boot. Truth hits the Lie Detector for a 2 count. Buddy cuts off a charge with a combination, foot stomp leads to a running knee attempt but Truth avoids it, takes him down only for a parade of lower carders to come out chasing the Singh brothers. Truth leaves the ring and gets bulldozed, follows them around the ring a good few times, risking getting counted out. Truth beats the count, only to swiftly eat a Kamigoye for the win.
Winner: Buddy Murphy
Sure, why not?
An AOP vignette plaYS WHY AREN’T YOU HAVING MATCHES STILL
Akam and Razar say that other teams find it disconcerting that they speak in their own language, so everybody’s racist I guess. But jokes on them, they WANT it to be disconcerting! They say they will own this tag division. Victory for the sake of legacy, violence for the sake of violence.
These are fine, and have been fine for like twelve weeks. These weren’t worth doing for this long. Hell they can still cut promos this way and also be winning squashes! Just have them do something!
Street Profits emerge, dancing through the crowd. The two hug in the ring… twice! A very quiet “Hug it out” chant turns into a fairly quiet “We want the smoke”. Ford says not only did they make their Raw debut last week, they showed up and they showed out. They shout out to Owens stunning, and Ford brings up that he kissed a baby at ringside. Dawkins says he kissed a dame whose name he can’t recall. Ford tells him to focus. Dawkins says all the superstars who want to throw down like the OC, they messed up. Ford finishes, saying it’s because they want the smoke. “We want the smoke” chant gets a little louder. Their music hits as they start repeating the line.
Hogan and Flair are on the way to the ring now. Commercial break.
We come back to see Flair and Hogan in the ring, bickering. Hogan points to the stage and out comes Ricochet. Why does Ricochet’s tron have barbed wire in it…? I just noticed this. That’s incredibly inappropriate, he ain’t Sabu. Whatever, Drew McIntyre is out now as well. The two men have a rematch set here, and Ricochet surprises McIntyre with a tope!
They get into the ring, the bell rings!
Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre
Ricochet, with kinesio tape on his ribs, kicks McIntyre out of the ring, corkscrew plancha lays Drew out, but he’s favoring his ribs after the landing! Throws McIntyre into the ring, struggles to the apron, wants a springboard but Drew grabs him by the throat and drapes him roughly ribs-first on the top rope! Pummels him on the outside, T-Bone Suplex tosses him out onto the floor. Vicious knife edge chop right in front of Naitch, makes him smile. Drew forces him into the ring and ties him up in the ropes for a quick camel clutch-like hold.
Overhead belly to belly just sends Ricochet all the way across. McIntyre with a vicious slap to the head keeps Ricochet down. Starts pulling him up, Ricochet slaps him back but eats a big boot, mocking Atomic Leg Drop. Drew then dashes out and gets into Hogan’s face, taunting him. McIntyre gets back into the ring, gets an abdominal stretch in on Ricochet, working over those injured ribs and pounds on his mid-section. Ricochet struggles out, hip toss takes him down. Lotta replays in this one, which is a good sign.
McIntyre working over the elbow of Ricochet, Ric fights up, evades on a whip, spinning headscissor takedown, goes for a springboard crossbody, gets caught but escapes to the back, hits the ropes, huuuge back body drop sends him crashing to the mat! Drew pulls him over to the corner and teases a powerbomb, but the referee is checking on him. Let’s the match go and McIntyre hoists him up, gets a running start and hits a ridiculous Razer’s Edge into the corner, good God!
Drew whips Ricochet to the floor, chop against the barrier, Ricochet chops his way back but a forearm takes him to the ground. McIntyre just tosses Ricochet into the air and lets him fall facefirst onto the barricade. Takes him over to Hogan and makes him watch as he punches him. Throws him into the ring and slowly pursues inside. Whip from the corner, Ricochet with the feet up on an Idiot Charge. Ricochet still struggling to his feet. Knife edge chop takes Drew into the corner. Whip reversed, Ricochet wants a floatover but McIntyre with a dropkick to the head reverses it! Heat segment continues as we go to commercial.
We come back to see McIntyre continuing to stomp a mudhole in Ricochet. Hoists him up for another Razer’s Edge, Ricochet counters with a sunset flip for 2. Floatover to avoid a charge, but Ricochet’s ribs hurt him too much on landing. Drew catches him, wants another Razer’s Edge to the buckle but mid-run Ricochet hits a hurricarana driving him into the turnbuckle! Ricochet starts his comeback now, enziguri! Both men are down. Drew gets up first but eats a jawbreaker! Throws Ricochet to the corner, but eats a boot, Ricochet rolls into a dropkick sending him to the opposite corner! Running shoulder thrust, Ricochet slips to the apron, springboard clothesline! Lionsault gets a nearfall!
Ricochet wants McIntyre on his shoulders but he’s too big, McIntyre sends him to the corner, big back elbow, Inverted Alabama Slam gets a nearfall! McIntyre with the Scottish Kiss headbutt, discus clothesline for 2! McIntyre powers Ricochet onto the top rope, gets a chop in, pursues and wants a superplex. Ricochet crotches him, punch sends him to the tree of woe! Ricochet straightens out, but McIntyre spiders up and grasps Ricochet by the neck to throw him to the canvas! McIntyre sets it up, goes for the Claymore, but Ricochet catches him with a huge dropkick!
Ricochet now struggling to the corner! Goes up top, still favoring the ribs… 450, McIntyre avoids it – and Randy Orton appears outta nowhere with an RKO!
Winner: Ricochet (by DQ)
Well we’re in St. Louis so you had to give Orton some kind of big moment. And that was a helluva outta nowhere. I also actually prefer that to 50/50 or just beating Ricochet twice in a row, and it was a great match so works for me.
Backstage, OC sizes up Humberto Carrillo. AJ points to him and notes that he tore it up against Rollins last week and he was impressed. Styles calls himself one of the most well-liked veterans in WWE and says he thinks it’s pretty cool that he made his debut against Seth Rollins. But amigo! If you really want to prove yourself against a top champion then you picked the wrong one! As he says this he holds up his US title. Styles dares him to step into the ring with him tonight. The OC all give a tri-too sweet.
We see too jabronis dressed as the Chicago Cubs for cheap heat, named Rizzo & Bryant. Unsurprisingly the Viking Raiders are out to decimate them.
The Viking Raiders vs. The Chicago Cubs (Non-title, believe it or not)
Disagreement over which Cub wants to start, Erik gets one with a german suplex, plows through the other. Ivar tagged in, senton, bronco buster smash. Strips off a Cubs shirt for a cheap pop. Tag to Erik, body slam, body slams Ivar onto his opponent, other guy gets the hip toss into the knee lift. Tag to Ivar, Erik lifts one guy and Ivar puts the other on his shoulders, Erik hits a combo World’s Strongest Slam/Powerbomb! Viking Experience gets the win.
Winners: The Viking Raiders
Cool.
Lashley and Lana are sitting trepidatiously in a backstage area.
We get an interview with Sin Cara backstage who is asked what he’ll do to combat Zelina Vega’s ringside presence. He says two can play this game and we see a masked luchadora named Catalina. Aight then.
They actually have a neat entrance together, and it seems her name is actually Carolina? That doesn’t sound at all Spanish but okay.
Sin Cara vs. Andrade
Spinning headscissors from Sin Cara takes Andrade to the floor, attempt at a triangle moonsault, Andrade dumps him to the floor. Zelina Vega poses on the floor to mock him. Andrade pulls Sin Cara up, chops him, throws him into the ring. Argentine Backbreaker gets 2, seated abdominal stretch. Sin Cara fights to his feet, Andrade drops him with a knee. Whip to the corner, big running knee lift, gets 2. Sin Cara with a top rope corkscrew plancha wipes Andrade out! Big crazy move nearly gets the win but Zelina distracts the ref from making the count! Carolina comes up to stop Zelina, Zelina turns and flies for a headscissors only to get thrown into the barricade viciously by Carolina! But as Sin Cara watches this, Andrade rolls him up, gets the feet on the ropes for the win.
Winner: Andrade
Guess we have a mixed tag on our hands next week.
Charlotte & Natalya vs. IIconics
Charlotte and Peyton start out, big chops from Charlotte. Whips Peyton, catches her on a crossbody attempt, Fallaway Slam, kip-up. Little strut action. Blind tag from Nattie, double delayed vertical suplex! Royce kicks out. Royce gets out on the back of a body slam, hair drag. Tag to Billie Kay, double heel kicks get a 2. Billie with an inverted chinlock and arm wringer. Billie takes Nattie to the apron, knee lifts to the face, Royce comes up to lock in an inverted Tarantula of sorts, some cruel double teaming. Royce tags in, big spinning heel kick for 2. Grinds Nattie with a headlock. Nattie fights to her feet but gets tripped to the canvas.
Tag to Kay, Royce bulldogs Nattie’s face into Kay’s knee! Charlotte breaks up the pin, big boot sends Royce to the floor! Kay hollers at Charlotte until she goes to the apron, cheap shot takes her to the floor. Nattie trips Kay up, Sharpshooter locked in, Charlotte spears the hell out of an interfering Royce, Kay taps out.
Winners: Charlotte & Natalya
Guess we got another tag team. It’d be fun seeing them challenge Kabukis on PPV.
Interviewer Girl #1 is here with Seth Rollins who cuts her off to say he has a lot on his plate and not a lot to talk about it. Up next, so not the main event, he faces Erick Rowan in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Acknowledges that Rowan is an Ex-Wyatt Family member, and says he accepted this because to borrow a line from Mark Henry this is what he does, he fights and he fights to test himself before Crown Jewel. Rollins says Wyatt will take it to another level because Rollins took it to another level by burning down the Firefly Funhouse. And the referee won’t be able to stop him this time, the only way to end the Fiend is to beat the Fiend. Promises to burn it down. That was a lot said pretty quickly for once.
Falls Count Anywhere: Seth Rollins vs. Erick Rowan (Non-title)
Rollins with an immediate dropkick, running forearms, Rowan not going down. Rowan hoists him up off a charge but Rollins slips out, gets the boots up on an idiot charge, Blockbuster off the second rope gets a 1 count, Rowan tosses him away to kick out. Rollins with some punches, Rowan power whips, low bridge sends Rowan outside but he drags Rollins out with him. Headbutt, toss into the barrier. And another two. Rowan hoists him up, sends him face first into the barrier, big boot gets a nearfall. Chop against the barrier, Rowan just dumps him into the crowd.
They start fighting through the crowd area, Rowan with clubbering blows. Mean headbutt sends him into the stands. Fighting amongst fans now. Rollins gets backed up the steps, throwing hands. Rowan slams Rollins against the steel railing. They’re fighting up to an exit. Out into the entrance area, Seth sent to the floor crawling amongst the hallway. Big chop from Rowan as they’re in the concourse. Rollins grabs a dividers and tries to stab him with it but Rowan grabs it and smashes it across the back. Rollins sent into the merch wall and it comes tumbling down. Rowan chokeslams Rollins through the table for a nearfall! Commercial break.
We surprisingly return back at ringside where Rollins kicks Rowan away. He enters the ring for his suicide dive series, Rowan walks after the first but gets the second dive on a different part of ringside. Keeps walking, third on yet another different part of ringside, this time Rowan catches him, but Rollins counters and throws him into a set of steps, and then another. Hits the ropes, still wanting that third dive but Rowan catches him on the way out with the steps! Rowan into the ring, running dropkick sends Rollins to the floor. Runs around the ring, big crossbody for 2! Neat to be able to get nearfalls off of moves like that. “Burn it down” chant starts. Rowan hoists Rollins onto his shoulders, powerbombs him into the post for a narrow nearfall!
Rowan takes Rollins up onto his shoulders and carries him up the ramp. Rollins eventually starts struggling, fights his way free on the stage but gets laid out with a clothesline. Rowan yells at Rollins for trying to embarass him on his first time on Raw, he’s upset and strips the broadcast table down. Drags him over, puts on the Iron Claw, tries to slam him through the table but Rollins lands on his feet to counter it, nice! Kick keels Rowan over, with his head over the table Rollins hits a curbstomp, bouncing his face off it! Goes over and covers, amazingly Rowan kicks out.
Rowan escapes to a lower level of the stage, Rollins with a huge dive off the table wipes Rowan out! Rollins clobbers Rowan, takes a chair to his back as they trek backstage. Another big chair shot to the back, Rowan catches an attempted shot and tosses Rollins through the conveniently placed noisy steel poles! Rams Rollins gutfirst into a forklift. Rowan hoists up a heavy looking road case, tosses it at Rollins who barely avoids it. Rollins with a ladder, gives him a shot to the gut! It’s on the cement floor, Rowan is laid out on it, Curbstomp into the steel! But instead of pinning him, Rollins rolls him under the forklift’s uh, fork? Rollins demands that the operator get in and turn it on. Rowan is being held under the fork, Rock/Mankind style and Rollins stands atop it. Ref counts 3!
Winner: Seth Rollins
Yeah I’m well-aware it’s a ripoff spot but it was over 20 years ago and it’s a pretty neat one so hey. Cool match.
Bobby Lashley offers to go out there with Lana but she says she needs to do it alone.
Aleister Black backstage talking about the definition of madness being doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If he’s not a madman than what is he? First he ensures that whomever he will be facing has an intimate relationship with fear before he kicks their head off. And they will come running, knocking down his door, ready to pick a fight with him.
AJ Styles vs. Humberto Carrillo (Non-title)
Humberto with a side headlock, shot to the corner, float over and flip, springboard lucha arm drag sends AJ across the ring. Styles chops Humberto into the corner, whips him to the opposite corner, double springing twisting flying headbutt gets a 1 count. Flying Chuck for a nearfall! Carrillo with a back roll into a standing moonsault for 2! Whips him to the ropes, dropkick, AJ bails. Baseball slide gets ducked, AJ pops him up but he lands on the apron, back kick to AJ, Styles pulls him down and rams him hard into the barricade, AJ kicks off the barrier for a Tornado DDT onto the floor! Commercial break.
We come back to see Styles grounding Humberto in a side headlock. Humberto gets to his feet, fights out, dragon whip! Idiot charge, Humberto kicks AJ away, running dropkick takes him down! AJ evades a charge, Humberto slips to the apron to avoid a charge of his own, springboard dropkick! Carrillo with the Aztec Press for a nearfall! AJ avoids a moonsault, Humberto lands on his feet, but AJ gets his bodyslam setup into an absolutely lightning quick Reverse DDT, dayam! Nearfall. Phenomenal forearm attempt, Carrillo trips him up onto the top rope, moonsault nearly overshot but hits, nearfall! Humberto flips off the second rope, but AJ seems to shoulder block his leg out of mid-air and flip him onto the canvas? Calf Crusher follows and Humberto has to tap!
Winner: AJ Styles
Helluva win, similar to Humberto’s match with Rollins last week. Keep doing this and I do believe the kid can get over.
Afterwards, AJ offers his hand… Humberto hesitates, goes for it but AJ takes his hand away, mockingly. Humberto punches him in retaliation, AJ lays him out with a haymaker. Styles Clash follows. Gallows and Anderson look for Magic Killer, until the Street Profits come out to make the save! They chase the OC out of the ring.
Jerry Lawler is in the ring now for the Divorce Court, which will in fact be main eventing the show. Lawler says they’re here to see if divorce is the best option for two of their brightest superstars. Lawler introduces Rusev. He comes out in a pretty great purple plaid suit. Lawler then introduces Lana as legally still being his wife.
Lawler points out that Rusev is still wearing his wedding band because he’s hoping the two can still reconcile their differences and get back together. Lana says she didn’t want to come out here and air dirty laundry, but she has to deal with fans bullying her, hating on her on instagram, in comments, getting boos and a chant of “Rusev Day”. Lana says she’ll reveal the truth so shut up and listen. The truth is Rusev and Lana’s marriage was only about what Rusev wanted and that’s sex. She calls him out for wanting sex in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, at the arenas… Lana calls him a sex addict as the crowd has the biggest pop of the night. Lana says Rusev wanted to put a baby inside her.
Lana says he knew about her cycle more than they did, all he ever wanted was a little machka baby. Rusev argues that he didn’t want to force a baby on her, but of course he wanted to grow his family. Lana says she had a modelling career that would’ve been ruined by having a baby and getting stretch marks. She also says Rusev cheated on her, according to Lashley. Rusev is stunned that she believed that, says he’s talking —- and got censored. Lashley’s music hits and he’s out in ring gear.
Rusev strips off his jacket as Lashley makes his way down the ramp, kicks Lashley off the apron as he nears. Big pop as Rusev gets his hands on Lashley, pounds him against the floor, throws him into the steps! Clobbers him against the corner, Lashley reverses to boos, gets a facebuster in. Lashley wants a spear but Rusev counters with a kick, samoan drop! Rusev then takes off the wedding band, holds it up to a pop… he shows it to Lana and Lashley and asks if it’s what they want? “You want her?!” he yells before shoving the ring into Lashley’s mouth! Lana in the ring with a kendo stick, hits Rusev over the back several times and he no sells it, continuing the beatdown.
Eventually Rusev grabs the stick and asks why she’s doing this, says that he loves her as Lashley hits a low blow from behind. Lana gives him a wicked slap, and Lashley with a running kick, another low blow. Lashley and Lana make out over the fallen Rusev as the crowd jeers. Fade to black.
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