source: WWE
Raw this week has another MITB qualifying match, a somewhat civil Women's Championship contract signing, and an explosive main event between Finn Balor and Braun Strowman.
source: WWE
Stephanie McMahon undermines Kurt Angle
Kurt comes to the ring, saying he will preside over the Women’s Championship match contract signing. Stephanie McMahon interrupts, saying she will preside over the contract signing instead. She criticizes Angle for how he’s shown sympathy to Roman Reigns lately.
Roman comes out, saying he is sick of the corporate crap about his opinions being “heard”, and he will attack all of Stephanie’s favorite superstars if nothing goes unchanged. Kevin Owens enters, saying that his entry in the MITB match is what’s best for business. He insists that Roman is great, and fails to get a “thank you Roman” chant going. He puts his arm on Stephanie, and it’s not well received. Stephanie McMahon makes a match between KO and Reigns for right now.
source: WWE
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns
Winner: Roman Reigns (via DQ)
Highlights:
Owens tries to chop Reigns but it has no effect on him
Kevin dodges a drive by and kicks Roman in the face from outside the ring
Reigns hits KO with a superman punch
Owens dodges a spear by exiting the ring but Reigns catches up with him and spears him outside the ring
Jinder Mahal attacks Roman and ends the match
Seth Rollins comes to the aid of Reigns, attacking Jinder and KO
Opinion:
This was a pretty good match, but the blind hatred for Roman is getting too much for me at times. I like the DQ finish, though, because we could see a KO vs. Reigns match on PPV at any time, and thats where it deserves to have a finish. I’m glad Stephanie McMahon is back in the picture on TV. I think the Authority is on the verge of making a comeback in the next months, and I’m here for it with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn as the leaders of it.
source: WWE
Kevin Owens and Jinder Mahal vs. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins
Winners: Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins
Highlights:
Jinder pulls Rollins off the apron before Reigns can get a tag
Owens hits Reigns with a cannonball
Roman catches Kevin with a big boot
Rollins delivers consecutive suicide dives to KO and Mahal on different sides of the ring
Seth nails Owens with a stomp for the three count
As Roman and Seth leave up the ramp, Jinder hits them with a chair and further attacks Roman with the chair
Opinion:
Coming back from a commercial, a tag match that no one really asked for has started. I’m hoping that Jinder’s feud with Reigns will simultaneously elevate Jinder’s status and lower Reigns’.
source: WWE
Sami Zayn exposes Bobby Lashley
Zayn comes out to the ring, promising to expose Lashley by introducing his “sisters”—three men in drag. Interviewing them one by one, the three girls said that they were bullied by Bobby, he beat them up physically, tease them, and make them cry.
Bobby Lashley interrupts, talking to his “sisters”, asking why they’re still single and complimenting their clothing and mustaches. He thanks Sami for doing this, and Sami says he wants to Helluva Kick him and throw him out like garbage. Lashley goes after Zayn, but his three sisters attack him.
One by one, Bobby beats down Cathy, Frances, and Jessica, embarrassing them (and everyone) as Sami Zayn escapes up the ramp, yelling angrily.
Opinion:
This went from bad to worse to downright embarrassing. I had decent hopes for this segment last week, but as soon as the three men in drag (poor drag at that—it was clearly with the intention to laugh at them) came out, I knew this wasn’t gonna go well. But when Lashley came out and made fun of them one by one and attacked them in a way that made it clear that they were exposing the fact that the women were men in makeup. It crossed a line and will go down with other controversial segments in infamy as well as segments like “Bayley, this is your life” that were just so terrible without the controversy.
source: WWE
Alexa Bliss vs. Ember Moon
Winner: Ember Moon
Highlights:
Alexa shoves Ember into the barricade
Ember pulls Alexa into the center of the ring and Alexa grabs onto the apron to try and stop her
Mickie James attempts to attack Moon with a heel when the ref isn’t looking, but he turns around and catches her, ejecting her from ringside
Ember hits the Eclipse on Alexa for the victory
Opinion:
Ember and Alexa are two of the top three in-ring women’s talents in the division right now. Any match of theirs is instantly a great one, and this was no exception.
source: WWE
Baron Corbin vs. No Way Jose
Winner: Baron Corbin
Highlights:
Jose sends Corbin shoulder first into the post
Corbin delivers a deep six and an End of Days for the win
Opinion:
I agree with Corey Graves on commentary—go away Jose. I haven’t cared for Jose’s gimmick since it debuted on the NXT roster, and I have yet to see why he wants to wrestle in the first place. His character needs work and his ring work doesn’t stand out above that.
Breezango vs. The B-Team
Winners: The B-Team
Highlights:
Breezango says in a pre-match promo that there’s only one B Team on Raw, and it’s Breezango
Axel and Dallas hit a double team back duplex neckbreaker for a victory out of nowhere
The B-Team celebrates by taking a chair from the announce table and rolling down the ramp on it together and falling off
Opinion:
I love the B-Team—I hope their new homemade-looking shirts hit WWE shop soon, because those could sell very well. I think their 2-0 undefeated streak is a great idea, because they aren’t fantastic in the ring and hit their double team finish out of nowhere, which is something we haven’t really seen before.
source: WWE
Women’s Championship Match Contract Signing
Stephanie McMahon introduces both Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax, inviting them to sit down before criticizing Ronda for “jumping the line” and accusing Nia of being lazy and using Ronda’s fame to make a name for herself.
Fed up, Nia admits that she does want to make a name for herself by beating Rousey. Ronda moves the table out of the way, stating that she knew the truth would come out. They shake hands and Rousey sizes up Nia’s arm before saying she’s gonna take the title and her arm. Stephanie smiles in the background as Nia and Ronda stare one another down.
Opinion:
I like how this went from a friendly challenge to a serious one, and how Nia and Ronda let Stephanie rile them up for the match. What I didn’t understand, though, is why Nia claimed to need to make a name for herself. She’s the champion—shouldn’t she already have a name for herself?
source: WWE
Dolph Ziggler vs. Chad Gable
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Highlights:
Gable gives Ziggler a German suplex
Ziggler headbutts Chad and super kicks him for the three count
After the match, Drew McIntyre attacks Gable, hitting him with the Claymore
Opinion:
I’m glad Ziggler competed in this singles match—it felt like McIntyre is being saved for a more special event. Dolph and Drew continue to look for dominant than ever, and for the first time in a while, I saw a picture promo for a Dolph Ziggler match and looked forward to it.
source: WWE
Natalya vs. Dana Brooke vs. Liv Morgan vs. Sarah Logan
MITB Qualifying Match
Winner: Natalya
Highlights:
Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan double team Natalya
Sarah sends Dana Brooke shoulder first into the post and to the outside of the ring
Natalya puts Logan in a sharpshooter for the submission victory
Nattie praises Ronda Rousey, her training partner, saying that Ronda would win the Women’s Championship and she would become Miss Money in the Bank
Opinion:
Out of all four women in this match, Natalya is who I would like to be in the match most, and who makes most sense—but I still think it could’ve gone to Sasha, Bayley, or other equal/more talents on Raw.
source: WWE
Elias vs. Bobby Roode
Winner: Elias
Highlights:
Elias hypes the crowd up, singing, “I love Elias” while fans sang “yes I do”
Elias shuts down the crowd, saying the feeling isn’t mutual
Bobby Roode interrupts, but Elias attacks him before he can take his robe off
Roode throws his robe in Elias’ face, distracting him and giving Bobby the upper hand
Elias dodges a Glorious DDT and attempts a roll up pin
Elias hits the Drift Away for the win
While walking to the back, Elias runs right into a shoulder tackle from Braun Strowman
Opinion:
While a little repetitive, I’ve enjoyed the matches between Bobby Roode and Elias. The matches have allowed both of them to get screen time (and for an Elias concert every week) and it gives them something to do while in between feuds.
source: WWE
Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor
Winner: Braun Strowman
Highlights:
Braun slams Balor into the corner
Strowman grabs Finn and yells “look at his smile! Isn’t it pretty?”
Finn slaps Braun and Braun slaps him back, knocking him over
Balor dodges a running shoulder tackle with a sling blade
Finn drops Strowman face first into the turnbuckle
Braun catches Finn in two running power slams for the three count
Opinion:
This was such a good main event. Even in defeat, Balor looked strong and able to endure Strowman’s pain. Finn and Braun both made one another look great, and I’m so excited to see both men in the MITB match.
Superstar Focus: Ember Moon
Since her debut on the Raw roster, Ember Moon has done nothing but steal the show. Her Eclipse finisher is one of the best (if not the best) finisher in WWE right now. She has incredible potential and deserves to be the next Miss Money in the Bank. Check out a clip from her match with Alexa Bliss, including that amazing Eclipse.
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