SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 24, 2023
TAMPA, FLA. AT AMALIE ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Kelly Wells of 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 Judgment Day showed up to gloat about dominating all of WWE. Finn Bálor showed a video package of Dominik Mysterio winning the NXT North American title in NXT. Rhea Ripley introduced Dominik Mysterio to a shower of boos. Dominik presented a video package, showcasing his run in WWE since joining the Judgment Day. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn interrupted to say that no one wants to hear what Dominik has to say. Sami said that Dominik is being disrespected because no one actually respects him. Sami challenged Dominik to a singles match for the North American title, with Ripley accepting the challenge.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fine opening segment with a lot of heat from the crowd. It’s good to see WWE acknowledge a major title change that happened on NXT and having Sami fight for the title is a good idea. However, I struggle to really care about a Dominik Mysterio singles match that will be okay at best and have a predictable interference finish.)
– The commentary team ran down tonight’s match card.
– Becky Lynch made her way to the ring, ahead of her match against Trish Stratus.
[Commercial Break]
(1) BECKY LYNCH vs. ZOEY STARK (w/Trish Stratus)
Lynch immediately cornered Stark, stomped her down and hit her with a shoulder tackle. At ringside, Lynch nailed Stark with a few forearm strikes before returning to the ring. Stark blocked the Mandhandle Slam and knocked Lynch off her feet with a springboard dropkick for a two count. Stark missed a corner splash, allowing Lynch to blast her with a sliding clothesline for a two count. Lynch sent Stark to the apron, only for Stark to knock her down and crush her with a slingshot corkscrew senton for a two count, as WWE RAW went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Lynch smashed Stark’s body into the barricade, setting her up for a diving leg drop and a two count. Lynch knocked Stark off the apron before nailing her with a clothesline off the apron. Stratus took a cheap shot at Lynch behind the referee’s back, allowing Stark to get a nearfall with a thrust kick. Lynch blocked the Z360 and laid Stark out with a Xploder. Stark caught Lynch with an enzuigiri, only for Lynch to take her down with a superplex.
Lynch put Stark in an armbar, but Stark managed to break the hold and put her down with a powerbomb for a close two count. Lynch avoided a Phoenix Splash and trapped Stark in the Manhandle Slam. Stratus tried to distract the referee by throwing her mask in the ring. Lynch knocked Stratus off the apron and barely managed to kick out of a roll-up. Lynch sent Stark to the apron and countered a springboard move with the Manhandle Slam for the win.
WINNER: Becky Lynch at 9:51
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty good match between Becky Lynch and Zoey Stark. They have some solid in-ring chemistry and could really make something special down the line.)
-A video package, recapping Brock Lesnar’s assault of Cody Rhodes aired.
-Backstage, Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
-Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring to talk about Lesnar’s beat-down. Cody put over how much of a threat Brock Lesnar was, pointing out his strong record at SummerSlam. He said that his mother wasn’t impressed by Lesnar and knew that Lesnar made a mistake by leaving him breathing. Cody said that he wants to embarrass Lesnar because it is what he deserves.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Another very strong promo from Cody Rhodes that didn’t really advance their storyline in any meaningful manner. I really thought this was the moment where some sort of hardcore stipulation would be added.)
-A recap of Logan Paul and Ricochet’s confrontation from two weeks ago aired.
-Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Ricochet about Logan Paul’s upcoming appearance tonight. Ricochet that whatever he has to say to Logan, he’ll say it to his face.
-Sami Zayn made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Dominik Mysterio.
[Commercial Break]
(2) SAMI ZAYN (w/Kevin Owens) vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO (w/Rhea Ripley, Damien Priest & Damian Priest) – NXT North American Championship
Sami took Dominik down with an arm drag, clotheslined him over the ropes and crushed him with a Tope con Hilo, as Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
Back from break, Sami pummeled Dominik down in the corner. Ripley distracted the referee, allowing Priest to knock Sami off the top turnbuckle. Kevin argued with the referee, until he decided to eject him, Ripley and Priest from ringside. Sami laid Dominik out with a Michinoku Driver, but he kicked out at two. Dominik pulled Sami’s head into the ropes and sent him into the ropes for the 619, only for Sami to turn him inside out with a clothesline.
Sami knocked Dominik off the top turnbuckle, but Dominik blocked his high crossbody with a dropkick for a nearfall. Dominik hit Sami with a slingshot senton and a dropkick before countering the Blue Thunderbomb with a hurracarrana into the ropes. Sami avoided the 619 and planted him with a Blue Thunderbomb for a nearfall. Dominik sent Sami into the ropes and hit him with the 619, but he kicked out at two.
Dominik hit Sami with the Three Amigos, but Sami blocked a Frog Splash with his knees. Sami dropped Dominik with a Xploder into the corner, preparing to finish him with the Helluva Kick. Ripley and Priest showed up on the stage with Kevin’s beaten down body, distracting Sami and allowing Dominik to steal the win with a roll-up.
WINNER: Dominik Mysterio at 12:00 to retain the NXT North American Championship
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was slightly better than expected, but the ending was just as underwhelming as on Smackdown.)
[Commercial Break]
-Backstage, a trainer checked on Kevin Owens’s physical condition.
-A lengthy recap of Roman Reigns and Jey Uso setting up the Rules of Engagement on SmackDown aired.
-Backstage, Tommaso Ciampa told Shinsuke Nakamura that he would let slide the kick that he gave him. Ciampa told Nakamura to not get involved in his upcoming match with Bronson Reed.
– Bronson Reed made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Tommaso Ciampa.
[Commercial Break]
-Backstage, the Judgment Day tried to intimidate Apollo Crews. Crews faced Priest and challenged him to a match tonight.
(3) TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. BRONSON REED
Ciampa blocked a vertical suplex, only for Reed to toss him out of the ring. They traded chops and forearms on the apron, until Ciampa nailed Reed with a knee strike to the midsection. Ciampa blasted Reed with a running knee strike to the head, but was shut down by a powerslam. Ciampa put Reed in a headlock, only for Reed to break the hold by dropping his body backwards. Reed knocked Ciampa down with a body block and an elbow drop, forcing him to roll out of the ring. Ciampa caught Reed with a jumping knee, as WWE RAW went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Reed put Ciampa down with a Cyclone Slam for a two count. Ciampa managed to counter a powerslam with a reverse DDT. They traded a few chops, right hands and clothesline, until Ciampa took Reed down with a Famouser. Reed blocked the Fairy Tale Ending and crushed CIampa with a seated senton for a nearfall. Reed nailed Ciampa with a senton, starting a brief chop exchange.
They had a face-off and started trading strikes to the head, until Ciampa cracked Reed with a pump knee. Ciampa managed to drop Reed with the Air Raid Crash, but he kicked out at two. Shinsuke Nakamura showed up on the apron to distract Ciampa, allowing Reed to blast him with a shoulder tackle off the apron. Back in the ring, Reed crushed Ciampa with the Tsunami for the victory.
WINNER: Bronson Reed at 12:47
(Pomares’s Analysis: A pretty good encounter with a crowd that didn’t care for the vast majority of its duration. I’m assuming they will spin off into a Nakamura vs. Ciampa program after this. They could also keep it as a three-way feud like it originally started before Ricochet moved to the Logan Paul program.)
– A recap of Rhea Ripley injuring Raquel Rodriguez and Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville winning the women’s tag team titles aired.
– Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Liv Morgan about Raquel Rodriguez’s status. Liv said that Raquel was hurt, but she was strong and would be back soon. Liv said that tonight she gets Rhea Ripley, pointing out that she was the last person to beat Ripley before waking away. Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green showed up to complain about not getting the spotlight like Ripley does. They immediately backtracked after seeing Ripley standing next to Saxton and ran away from the scene. Ripley said that she wanted Liv and Raquel out of their path, but they didn’t listen.
[Commercial Break]
– Rhea Ripley attacked Liv Morgan as she made her way to the ring and smashed her into the ring post. Ripley introduced a steel chair and cracked Liv with a headbutt. Ripley put a chair in Liv’s arm and crushed it with a stomp. A trainer and a referee showed up to check on Liv, only for Ripley to stomp her arm again.
(Pomares’s Analysis: As much as I was actually excited to see Liv vs. Rhea, that was a mostly well-executed injury angle. It did last a bit too long for my liking and the fact only two people showed up to check on Liv felt very odd.)
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Adam Pearce and a trainer checked on Liv Morgan.
– A recap of the Viking Raiders defeating Alpha Academy aired.
– Backstage, Chad Gable called out the fact that no one knew what Viking Rules actually meant, seemingly challenging them to an Academy Rules match. Maxxine Dupri said that she has embarrassed Valhalla over most of the past few weeks and would beat her in her first singles match.
– Ricochet made his way to the ring and called out Logan Paul. Ricochet said that Logan is good and might even be special to some, but he is special every damn week. He said that Logan doesn’t belong in the ring because he is an arrogant little prick. Ricochet said that Logan would never understand the sacrifice they make in the ring. Ricochet officially challenged Logan to a match at SummerSlam, only for Logan to attack him from behind. Logan started filming himself with his phone, accepted the challenge and started insulting the crowd. Ricochet kipped up, blasted Logan with a thrust kick and hit him with a standing Shooting Star Press.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Ricochet and Logan Paul’s segment was just kind of there. It wasn’t bad and it accomplished its goal of making the match official, but it wasn’t particularly interesting or memorable.)
-Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Shayna Baszler about her upcoming match against Ronda Rousey. Baszler said that she would settle this the only way Ronda knows how to and would “fight” her at SummerSlam.
-Damian Priest made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Apollo Crews.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Logan Paul about Ricochet’s assault. Logan called himself a victim and said that he would come for Ricochet next week.
(4) DAMIAN PRIEST vs. APOLLO CREWS
Priest immediately knocked Crews down with a dropkick, only for Crews to respond with one of his own. Crews crashed into Priest with a moonsault off the apron, followed by a high crossbody for a two count. Priest put Crews down with a corner elbow strike and the Broken Arrow. Priest knocked Crews down with a forearm strike, followed by a hammerlock lariat and the South of Heaven for the victory.
WINNER: Damian Priest at 3:13
(Pomares’s Analysis: I really thought this match was gonna last a lot longer. It’s good to showcase Damian Priest as a dominant challenger, but I’m shocked by how little they have given Apollo Crews since his return to the main roster.)
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Becky Lynch about her win over Zoey Stark. Lynch said that she was focused on not getting that tattooed and this wasn’t over until she wins.
– Imperium made their way to the ring, ahead of Gunther’s face-off with Drew McIntyre.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Valhalla accepted Maxxine Dupri’s challenge and that she needed to consult the Gods.
– Drew McIntyre made his way to the ring and dared Gunther to fight him for the title tonight. Gunther declined the offer and started listing Drew’s losses over the past year. Gunther said that he would humiliate Drew again, but it would take place at SummerSlam. Drew talked about him and Sheamus beating the crap out of each other for 10 minutes at SummerSlam, only for Gunther to sneak in and steal the win.
– Drew said that he would teach Gunther why they call him the Chosen One and the Scottish Warrior. Ludwig Kaiser interrupted to call out Drew for the way he spoke to Gunther, only for Drew to challenge him to a match. They faced off in the middle of the ring, as WWE RAW went to commercials.
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was a perfectly serviceable segment to make the Intercontinental match official. Not much else to say about it.)
[Commercial Break]
(5) DREW MCINTYRE vs. LUDWIG KAISER (w/Gunther & Giovanni Vinci)
Kaiser put Drew in a headlock, only for Drew to knock him down with a shoulder tackle and a body slam. Drew sent Kaiser out of the ring with a clothesline, following it with a chop and a shot into the ring post. Drew maintained control over Kaiser with a series of chops before smashing him into the barricade. Vinci distracted Drew, allowing Kaiser to hit Drew with an enzuigiri and a shot into the ring post. Kaiser nailed Drew’s shoulder into the ring post and blasted him with a dropkick to the chest, as WWE RAW went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Drew planted Kaiser with an avalanche Air Raid Crash, followed by two belly-to-belly suplexes. Drew dropped Kaiser with a neckbreaker, but couldn’t follow it up with the Future Shock DDT. Drew knocked Kaiser down with the Glasgow Kiss, only for Kaiser to block the Claymore with an enzuigiri for a two count. Kaiser caught Drew with an enzuigiri, but Drew immediately shut him down with a Claymore for the three count.
WINNER: Drew McIntyre at 9:33
– After the match, Gunther laid Drew McIntyre out with a German suplex and beat him down alongside Giovanni Vinci. Matt Riddle ran down to make the save, only for Gunther to knock him out with a powerbomb. Gunther blasted Drew with a big boot and cleared the announce table. Drew blocked a powerbomb and put Gunther through the table with a powerbomb of his own.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A solid match, followed by a simple yet effective post-match assault. The angle did way more for the build to their SummerSlam match than the face-off from earlier did.)
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Ronda Rousey about Shayna Baszler’s request for a fight. Ronda seemingly accepted the challenge.
– Finn Bálor made his way to the ring, ahead of his contract signing.
[Commercial Break]
– It was announced that next week Brock Lesnar and Logan Paul would return.
– Finn Bálor talked about Adam Pearce not being available due to all the chaos the Judgment Day has been causing while the crowd sang Seth Rollins’ theme. Rollins showed up and said that Finn has figured out that he has zero chance of winning at SummerSlam. Rollins said that even if a miracle happened and Finn won, his World Heavyweight title reign would be even shorter than his Universal title reign.
– He said that SummerSlam would be the end of the Judgment Day. Finn signed the contract and said that he has been slowly going insane while the rest of the Judgment Day surrounded the ring. Finn said that he would make Rollins his bitch before Rollins flipped over the table into Priest. Rollins knocked Finn down, only for Priest to knock him out with his briefcase.
– Sami Zayn ran down to make the save with a chair, but Rhea Ripley quickly took it away. Priest took care of Sami with the South of Heaven before tossing him out of the ring. Priest hit Rollins with the Razor’s Edge, followed by a Frog Splash from Dominik and a Coup de Grace from Finn. The Judgment Day stood tall in the middle of the ring, as the show came to an end.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A mixed bag of a closing segment. Finn Bálor’s promo was drowned by the crowd’s singing and the well-executed post-match assault was watered down by the ‘We want tables!’ chants.)
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Kelly Wells of 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.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.