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WWE RAW TV REPORT
MAY 15, 2023
GREENSBORO, NC AT GREENSBORO COLISEUM
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Javier Machado from PWTorch to break down the show with live callers and emails.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com
•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, SEARCH “WADE KELLER” ON YOUR PODCAST APP TO SUBSCRIBE AND THEN DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW TWO HOURS OR SO AFTER THE TV SHOW ENDS.
[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn making their way to the ring, as a recap of Roman Reigns’ return and confrontation with the Usos aired. Sami talked about their upcoming title defense against the Bloodline. Sami said that he sees this as a gift because they can get their revenge. He said that both of them should have beaten Roman earlier this year, but Roman has cheated through his entire title reign. Sami called out Roman for trying to push the Usos and titles too hard. Sami called Roman a manipulator and that they wouldn’t let Roman have the tag titles.
– The Judgment Day interrupted, only for Kevin Owens to immediately challenge them to a fight. Sami stopped Owens from talking and asked them what they actually wanted to do. Damian Priest said that they wanted to fight, but Finn Bálor stopped him at the last moment. Finn pointed out that if Sami & Owens somehow win, they will be waiting at the front of the line for a title match. Sami said that he wanted to hear what Dominik had to say, as the crowd showered them in boos. Dominik tried to speak, but the crowd’s boos were too loud to hear him. Rhea Ripley got in the way before Owens could punch Dominik, allowing Priest and Finn to attack the champions. Sami grabbed a chair and chased the Judgment Day away.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid opening segment to build the title match at Night of Champions, as well as setting up the Judgment Day as future title contenders. Once Kevin & Sami are done with the Bloodline, I could see the Judgment Day taking the belts off of them at some point in the future.)
– The commentary ran down tonight’s match card.
– Shinsuke Nakamura made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against The Miz.
[Commercial Break]
– The commentary team announced that Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn would face Finn Bálor & Damian Priest later tonight.
(1) SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. THE MIZ
Nakamura kicked Miz’s hand away before a handshake and taunted him. Nakamura knocked Miz down with a low dropkick, followed by a knee to the mid-section and pressing his boot in the corner. Miz caught Nakamura with a pair of boots to the face, followed by a running kick into the ropes. Nakamura sent Miz out of the ring, setting him up for a sliding dropkick. Nakamura cracked Miz with a rising knee and a knee drop to the back of the head. Miz nailed Nakamura with a kick from the apron, setting him up for a neckbreaker onto the ropes. Miz blasted Nakamura with a running boot, as WWE RAW went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Nakamura hit Miz with a couple of kicks to the chest and an enzuigiri. Nakamura blasted with a rising knee to the mid-section on the turnbuckle for a two count. Miz tried to beat Nakamura with an O’Connor Roll, but he retaliated with an arm bar. Miz dropped Nakamura with a low DDT for a close nearfall. Nakamura evaded a running kick, following it with a spinning kick for a close two count.
Nakamura evaded the Skull Crushing Finale and a corner clothesline, dropping Miz with a sliding German suplex afterwards. Miz rolled out of the ring, as Nakamura prepared to hit him with Kinshasa. Miz poked Nakamura’s eye behind the referee’s back and laid him out with SCF, but he was able to put his foot on the ropes. Nakamura surprised Miz with an inside cradle before knocking him out with Kinshasa for the win.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura in 10:00
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty solid opening match. It’s weird seeing WWE book The Miz as a serious threat over the past few weeks after having him lose twice at WrestleMania. Wouldn’t mind seeing Nakamura in the IC or World Heavyweight title picture.)
– A video package recapping Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez’s title defense on SmackDown.
– At backstage, Adam Pearce informed Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green that their title match was off due to Liv Morgan’s injury. Raquel Rodriguez shut their complaints up and challenged Green to a match, with Pearce making it official.
– At backstage, Imperium were making their way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
– A video package aired, showcasing Seth Rollins’ run over the past decade in WWE. Corey Graves had Rollins in a sitdown interview. Rollins talked about there being a need for a change when he won the NXT title in 2012. Graves and Rollins recapped the arrival of the Shield and the eventual betrayal in 2014. Rollins said that one has to take risks to obtain success and he doesn’t know if he would be where he is if he hadn’t turned on them. It was confirmed that the second half of the interview would air later tonight.
(Pomares’s Analysis: It’s a different approach to what we normally see in the build to a title match, likely due to the brand split. Seth Rollins was a great talker as usual and it’s cool to hear this current version of Rollins speak of his NXT & Shield days.)
– Imperium made their way to the ring, with Ludwig Kaiser officially introducing Gunther to the crowd. Gunther reminded the fans that he reigned SmackDown as Intercontinental champion for nearly a year. Gunther said that no man has been identified as a challenger nor has earned his respect. He confirmed that the Battle Royal to determine a contender at Night of Champions would be next.
– Ricochet and Bronson Reed made their way to the ring for the Battle Royal.
[Commercial Break]
– Matt Riddle made his way to the ring and launched his flip-flops into Gunther.
(2) 25-MAN OVER-THE-TOP BATTLE ROYAL – Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender’s Match
Everyone started brawling, with Corbin launching Tozawa out of the ring to eliminate him. Lumis immediately eliminated Corbin, but Maximum Male Models eliminated them from behind. Alpha Academy eliminated Mace and sent Mansoor into his arms. Mace dropped Mansoor, eliminating him in the process after seeing Lumis staring at him. JD McDonagh eliminated Humberto with a headbutt on the apron before being eliminated by Ziggler with a superkick. Von Wagner tossed Ziggler over the ropes to eliminate him, allowing JD to attack him from behind. JD smashed Ziggler into the steel steps, as WWE RAW went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, the Raiders pummeled Alexander down before eliminating him. They focused their attacks on Xyon Quinn and eliminated him as well. Benjamin tried to take the Raiders down, but they overpowered and eliminated him. The Raiders and Alpha Academy started brawling, until Gable sent Erik to the apron. Erik cracked Gable with a knee strike, only for Otis and Ivar to eliminate both of them. Reed stopped Ivar and Otis from brawling and eliminated both at the same time.
Nearly everyone targeted Reed, as Gargano and Ali exchanged strikes. Ali caught Gargano with a rolling neckbreaker, sending him to the apron afterwards. Gargano blasted Ali with a slingshot Spear before receiving a running Shooting Star Press from Ricochet. Moos took Ricochet down with a Fallaway slam before receiving a Samoan drop from Reed. Crews nailed Reed with a blockbuster, only for Elias to attack him from behind. Crews eliminated Elias with an enzuigiri before being eliminated with a clothesline from Reed.
Reed stopped Ali from attacking him with a sleeper hold and planted Gargano with an uranage on top of Ricochet. Riddle knocked Reed down with a Floating Bro before receiving a shoulder tackle from Moss. Riddle launched Moss out of the ring to eliminate him and took Gargano out with a headscissors takeover over the ropes. Gunther sent Kaiser and Vingi to sweep Riddle off the apron, allowing Reed to eliminate him. Ricochet nailed Reed with a pair of kicks before sending him to the apron alongside Ali. Reed caught Ricochet on his shoulders on the apron, only for Ali to eliminate both with a missile dropkick.
WINNER: Mustafa Ali in 12:00
(Pomares’s Analysis: Loads of fun spots near the end of that battle royal. Mustafa Ali and Gunther should have a fun match if given some actual time. Not a huge fan of the champion, already starting a feud with another person in the same match a new contender is determined.)
– A video package aired, recapping the rivalry between Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar.
– At backstage, Becky Lynch was shown making her way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
– Becky Lynch made her way to the ring, as a recap of her assault on Trish Stratus aired. Lynch talked about people having struggles and having to man up to ask for help. Lynch said that she asked for help and didn’t see Stratus turning on her like everyone else did. She thanked Stratus for turning a light that had been off for many months. Lynch thanked Stratus for giving her a face, a name and a target and that she would show her how thankful she is at Night of Champions.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Simple yet effective promo from Becky Lynch. Don’t know how long this feud with Trish Stratus will last, but if it goes beyond Night of Champions, I’m expecting Stratus to win in Saudi Arabia.)
– At backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Rhea Ripley as she watched Becky Lynch on the TV. Natalya interrupted and called Ripley out for assaulting Dana Brooke. Ripley told Natalya that she didn’t come for Brooke, but to boost her career. Ripley warned Natalya to never interrupt her again or she would end her career before leaving with Dominik.
– Xavier Woods made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Dominik Mysterio.
[Commercial Break]
– At backstage, Mustafa Ali told Alpha Academy to think positively and they would stop being losers. Ali crossed paths with Gunther who congratulated him before telling him that he felt sorry for him having to travel across the world, only to be defeated.
– Dominik Mysterio made his way to the ring and made fun of Woods for being by himself. Woods admitted that he didn’t have anyone to watch his back, but he actually fought his own fights, unlike Dominik.
(3) XAVIER WOODS vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO (w/Rhea Ripley)
Woods took Dominik down with a wrist lock, an arm drag and a shoulder tackle. Woods nailed Dominik with a dropkick to the back into the ropes for a two count. Dominik stomped Woods in the corner before receiving a dropkick. Woods took Dominik down with a vertical suplex, forcing him to hide behind Ripley at ringside. Woods and Ripley faced off at ringside, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Dominik knocked Woods down with an uppercut for a two count. Woods blasted Dominik away with a missile dropkick, followed by a discus elbow strike. Woods struck Dominik with a corner clothesline and a flipping clothesline for a two count. Dominik dropped Woods with Three Amigos, only for Woods to block the Frog Splash with his knees. Woods hit Dominik with a gutbuster, but he was able to kick out at two. Ripley saved Dominik from the Coast-to-Coast, but Woods immediately nailed Dominik with a dropkick through the ropes. Ripley attacked Woods behind the referee’s back, allowing Dominik to beat Woods with a pinning combination.
WINNER: Xavier Woods in 11:00
(Pomares’s Analysis: Better match than last week, mostly due the crowd actually caring. However, the ending looked off and was essentially a repeat of last week.)
– A video package aired, with JD McDonagh talking about performing for fools. JD called himself a disruptor and that he was here to stay.
– At backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed JD McDonagh about his assault on Dolph Ziggler. JD put over Ziggler’s accomplishments before saying that he found out what everyone else will find out soon.
– At backstage, Indus Sher made their way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
(4) INDUS SHER (Veer & Sanga w/Jinder Mahal) vs. LAVAR BARBIE & DRAKE THOMPSON
Veer knocked one of his opponents off the apron and kicked the other away. Sanga nailed the guy in the ring with a running boot before allowing the other to tag himself in. Sanga crushed the man who tagged in with a corner splash, followed by a leaping big boot from Veer. Sanga knocked the man on the apron down while Veer attacked the one in the ring with another corner splash. Indus Sher put their opponent down with a side slam and a diving elbow drop combination for the victory.
WINNERS: Indus Sher in 1:00
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fine squash. Not sure how far Indus Sher can go on the main roster.)
– After the match, Jinder Mahal cut a brief promo in Hindi. Mahal told the commentary team that this is their show.
– At backstage, Gunther confronted Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn about the way they treated Vinci and Kaiser last week. Owens agreed to face them next week, alongside a partner.
– At backstage, Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
– Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring and put over the arena as the home of Starcade. Cody said that Brock Lesnar did not respect the arena and wasn’t here tonight. He started talking about the tale of the frog and scorpion where the scorpion stings the frog because of his nature. Cody talked about Brock Lesnar’s nature before pointing out the scars left on his face and accepting his challenge. Cody said that Lesnar is better than 99,9% of the superstars on the roster, but at Backlash it wasn’t the case. He told Lesnar that he is no longer the big thing in WWE and is simply on his way.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Probably as good of a promo as we were gonna get with only 2 weeks away from Night of Champions.)
– At backstage, Zoey Stark tried to speak with Nikki Cross, only for Candice LeRae to get in the way and challenge her to a match.
– Raquel Rodriguez made her way to the ring, ahead of her match against Chelsea Green.
[Commercial Break]
(5) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. CHELSEA GREEN (w/Sonya Deville)
Raquel immediately blasted Green with a big boot. Deville distracted Raquel, allowing Green to hit Raquel with a backstabber and a stomp in the corner. Green nailed Raquel with a series of strikes, a chop block and a flatliner for a one count. Raquel dropped Green into the corner with Snake Eyes, but Green responded with a basement dropkick for a two count. Raquel hit Green with a reverse Alabama Slam into the ropes, followed by a series of clotheslines. As Green got up, Raquel laid her out with a barrage of Fallaway slam, followed by the twisting Vader Bomb. Raquel finished Green with the Tejana Bomb for the three count.
WINNER: Raquel Rodriguez in 3:00
– After the match, Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler assaulted Raquel Rodriguez and told her that they would keep on attacking her, until she defended the titles against them.
[Commercial Break]
– At backstage, Gunther shook Paul Heyman’s hands while he had his phone at hand.
– Back in the sit down interview with Corey Graves, Seth Rollins talked about letting the hands of the wheel in his current iteration. Rollins said that he gets to be the most authentic version of himself. Rollins said that he is not the one forcing the change, but the WWE Universe is. He said that they have to change again and have a champion that pushes the industry forwards. Graves asked Rollins about his thoughts on Roman Reigns, as it was confirmed we would see the answer next week.
– The commentary team confirmed that Brock Lesnar & Cody Rhodes would be under one roof next week. It was also confirmed that Becky Lynch & Trish Stratus would have a contract signing and that Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and a partner would face Imperium.
– Judgment Day made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.
[Commercial Break]
– A video package aired, focusing on Apollo Crews’ return to Raw.
(6) KEVIN OWENS & SAMI ZAYN vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Finn Bálor & Damian Priest)
Sami took control of Finn with a hammerlock, until Finn responded with a back elbow. Finn took Sami down with a pair of arm drags, followed by a jab from Priest. Owens attacked Priest with a series of right hands and an enzuigiri before sending both Judgment Day members to ringside. Finn brought Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio, as WWE RAW went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Finn nailed Sami with a series of chops, until Sami responded with a clothesline. Sami kicked Finn away, reaching Owens for the hot tag. Owens stomped Priest down, hit him with a clothesline and a senton at ringside. Owens evaded a clothesline from Ripley before hitting Finn and Dominik with clothesline. Priest missed a strike in the corner, allowing Owens to crush him with a cannonball in the corner. Dominik grabbed Owens’ boot, but the referee noticed, ejecting Dominik and Ripley afterwards. Owens hit Priest with a pair of kicks to the head, as Xavier Woods assaulted Dominik on the ramp. Paul Heyman showed up on the ramp, as WWE RAW went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Owens knocked Finn off the apron before receiving an elbow strike from Priest. Finn smashed Sami into the barricade while Priest hit Owens with a corner elbow strike. Judgment Day dropped Owens with a backbreaker and leg drop combination for a nearfall. Owens knocked Priest off the top turnbuckle, setting him up for a Swanton Bomb. Sami got the hot tag, knocked Finn off his feet and floored him with a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Finn caught Sami with a sling blade, only for Sami to retaliate with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count.
Imperium showed up at ringside to distract Sami, allowing Finn to hit him with a reverse DDT. Owens blocked SOuth of Heaven and hit Priest with a Stunner. Sami sent Finn into the corner with a Xploder, followed by the Helluva Kick. Imperium distracted the referee, forcing Owens to pull them off the apron. Sami took Priest down with a Tope con Hilo, but Gunther grabbed his feet behind the referee’s back. Finn blasted Sami with a shotgun dropkick, setting him up for the Coup de Grace and the win.
WINNERS: Judgment Day in 19:00
– The show came to an end, with Paul Heyman, Imperium and Judgment Day standing tall.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty good main event, but I’ve never been a huge fan of loads of interference in non-stipulation matches. It makes sense with the story they are telling, but it kind of fell flat as an ending to the show.)
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Javier Machado from PWTorch to break down the show with live callers and emails.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com
•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, SEARCH “WADE KELLER” ON YOUR PODCAST APP TO SUBSCRIBE AND THEN DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW TWO HOURS OR SO AFTER THE TV SHOW ENDS.
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