SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
With Summerslam set to take place this weekend, this week’s Raw served as the final hard sell for “the biggest party of the summer.” As Jey Uso and Bronson Reed will be on opposing teams this Saturday, they faced each other in singles action in this week’s main event. Before the match could kick into second gear, outside interference from Bron Breakker cut the match short. Despite being double teamed by Reed & Breakker, Jey’s cousin and Summerslam tag team partner Roman Reigns came to his rescue. Even with Reigns showing up to even the odds, Breakker & Reed gave them a painful preview of what to expect in their match this weekend.
As the show came to a close, it was obvious that the cousins won’t be showing up to Summerslam at 100 percent. In addition to that, we had a Six-Person Tag Team match with Summerslam implications, a failed sneak attack attempt from Becky Lynch onto Lyra Valkyria, and a fiery response from C.M. Punk to Gunther. While there’s been very little time to build anticipation for this Summerslam compared to past ones, this week’s Raw succeeded in making it feel like a can’t miss show.
A.J. Styles & Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Dominik Mysterio & Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez
Latest developments:
At Evolution, Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez defeated Asuka & Kairi Sane, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, and Sol Ruca & Zarya to retain the women’s Tag Team Championship. The following night, Raquel & Perez faced Asuka & Kairi in a non-title match where a distraction by Dominik Mysterio allowed Raquel & Perez to win the match. Suspicious of his interference despite being injured, Adam Pearce informed Dominik that he would have a physical the next week to see if he could be cleared to defend his Intercontinental Championship against A.J. Styles at Summerslam. Last week, Styles stalked Dominik throughout the night under various disguises as Dominik kept putting off his physical. As Styles stood outside the doctor’s office waiting to get the results, Dominik hit him with the title from behind and revealed that he was cleared to face Styles at Summerslam.
This week, Styles teamed with Asuka & Kairi to face Dominik, Raquel, & Perez in a Six Person Tag Team match. After taking a beating throughout the match, Kairi moved out of the way as Raquel attempted to Splash her against the turnbuckle and tagged in Styles. Styles went for a Phenomenal Forearm onto Dominik, but Perez stood in the way to keep it from happening. Perez fell out of the ring as she ran towards Styles and then Styles launched Kairi over the top rope as she delivered an Insane Elbow on Raquel. Styles then hit Dominik with the Phenomenal Forearm to pick up the win.
Analysis:
This match was a strong example of how fun Mixed Tag matches can be. With all the issues surrounding these six in recent weeks, throwing them together in this match was a great idea. One part of the match that stood out most was when Perez stood in Dominik’s way to keep him from being hit by Styles. Funny enough, Liv Morgan did the exact same thing for Dominik last year. The way Perez has been doing things to take the place of Liv has been great TV and seeing how much this whole thing escalates is going to be one of the better parts of Raw heading into Fall.
Another stand out part of this match was the Insane Elbow Kairi hit onto Raquel as Styles launched her over the top rope. Kairi’s elbow drop is arguably the best in wrestling and the way it was executed here was more impressive than any other time she’d done it before. With Styles and Dominik facing each other at Summerslam, Styles pinning him here was the fitting final sell for the match. Considering that Styles got the better of Dominik here, it’s a clear sign that we won’t see the same outcome this weekend. Although Styles can still deliver at this stage in his career, it doesn’t make sense for him to be the one to dethrone Dominik with all the momentum he has right now.
Grade: B
Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria
Latest developments:
At Money in the Bank, Becky Lynch defeated Lyra Valkyria to win the women’s Intercontinental Championship by pulling her tights. At Evolution, Becky successfully defended her title against Lyra and Bayley in a Triple Threat match by pinning Bayley with a Backslide. The following night on Raw, Lyra defeated Bayley in a Two out of Three Falls match to earn another title shot against Becky at Summerslam. Last week, Lyra agreed to never challenge for the title again as long as Becky’s champion if she loses and Becky agreed to the match having no disqualifications or count outs. As Lyra later in the night teamed with Bayley to challenge Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez for the women’s Tag Team Championship, Becky pulled Lyra off the apron before she could tag into the match, which led to her and Bayley losing the match.
Lyra came out to cut a promo this week about how she will either be standing in the ring as the new champion next week, or she’ll never be able to challenge for the title as long as Becky is champion. She said that if that happens, there’s a good chance she won’t be standing at all because Becky will have to beat her into the ground if she wants to leave Summerslam with the title. While she admitted that she knows what Becky is capable of in the type of match they’re about to have, she said Becky doesn’t know what she’s capable of, or even her for that matter. Becky’s music hit and as Lyra waited for her to come out, she noticed her on the other side of the ring with a Kendo Stick and drop kicked her through the second rope. Lyra then hit Becky with the stick repeatedly until Becky caught it and as Becky attempted to hit her with it, Lyra stopped her and tried to hit her with the Nightwing before Becky escaped.
Analysis:
Of all the segments between Becky and Lyra since this feud started, this was by far the weakest. Although there’s not much else to be done to sell their match this weekend, the go-home Raw before Summerslam was the worst possible time to have a segment this cold between them. As much as Lyra’s mic skills have improved, she came off awkward with the line about the Becky stompers and the two step she did with it. What also hurt her here was not having Becky to go back and forth with as that’s where she usually shines the most. While the things she said on the mic this week didn’t land well, there’s the argument you can make that she’ll never improve on the mic unless she tries things out.
What was also awkward was how Lyra noticed Becky on the other side of the ring before she could attack her from behind. The whole physical exchange they had after would’ve worked better if Becky actually attacked her from behind and got the better of her by hitting her mercilessly with the Kendo Stick. Having this segment end that way would’ve been a stronger final sell for their match this weekend as opposed to what they ended up doing. Despite all of this, their match this weekend should be a fitting final blow off to what’s been one of the better feuds of the year. Considering what this feud has done for Lyra to lead to this point, it feels like Summerslam is going to be her crowning moment.
Grade: C
Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky & Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella vs. Naomi & Chelsea Green & Piper Niven & Alba Fyre
Latest developments:
At Evolution, Stephanie Vaquer won a women’s Battle Royal to earn a shot at the Women’s World Championship at Clash in Paris. Later that night, Naomi cashed in her Money in the Bank contract in the middle of the Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley Women’s World Championship match to win the title. The next night on Raw, Vaquer came out to assist Nikki Bella as she was being attacked by Piper Niven & Alba Fyre after Nikki’s win over Chelsea Green. Last week during a match between Vaquer and Iyo, Chelsea attacked Vaquer from behind to end the match on a disqualification. After Naomi came out to attack Iyo, Rhea Ripley came to their rescue and hit Chelsea with the Riptide as her, Iyo, and Vaquer stared each other down afterwards.
This week, Rhea teamed with Iyo, Vaquer, & Nikki to take on Naomi, Chelsea, Piper, & Alba in an Eight Woman Tag Team match. After getting tagged in, Vaquer handled all her foes single handedly, which included hitting the Devil’s Kiss onto Chelsea. As Nikki caught Naomi before she could sneak up on her, she attempted to leave with her title before Iyo threw her back into the ring and hit her with a Missile Dropkick. Piper snuck up from behind Nikki and Iyo to knock them down with a double clothesline before she was taken out with a Riptide from Rhea. Chelsea then slapped Rhea, but Vaquer caught her before she could run away and hit her with the SVB for the win.
Analysis:
Much like the Six Person Tag from earlier in the show, this was a fun type of match that we don’t get very often. While it seemed like they were going to do some kind of tag match with Vaquer & Nikki against Chelsea and her Secret Hervice at Summerslam, it was better that they did the match the way they did here. Rhea, Iyo, Vaquer, & Nikki all on the same team was a cool sight to see that served as the WWE version of a women’s All-Star team. While everyone here played their part well, this match felt more like a showcase for Vaquer. She’s been knocking it out of the park ever since she debuted on the main roster and from how it looks now, a title reign for her is inevitable.
While the Triple Threat between Naomi, Rhea, and Iyo is one of the bigger matches people are excited for this weekend, it would’ve helped if they had an extra week or two to build it up more. Since Evolution, it doesn’t feel like they’ve done much to heat things up between all three of them. While many are comparing what this match could potentially be to the women’s Triple Threat from WrestleMania, the build for this one definitely hasn’t measured up to what the build for the WrestleMania match was like. With how great the ending was to Evolution and the great story they can tell between all three women, there’s no chance that this match doesn’t deliver in the end. For as hot as Naomi is right now with this new character and the fact that she just got the title, it would feel wrong for her to lose it so soon.
Grade: B-
Gunther vs. C.M. Punk
Latest developments:
Three weeks ago, C.M. Punk shoved down the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther and told him to stay out of his way. The following week, Punk won a Gauntlet match to earn the right to challenge Gunther for his title at Summerslam. Last week, Punk came out to cut a promo about how he’s going to leave it all in the ring when he faces Gunther. Gunther came out to interrupt and said that unlike Punk, his arrogance at least produces results. He vowed to bully Punk and drop him like a wet towel at Summerslam and then left the ring.
This week, Gunther came out to cut his own promo about how what he said last week left Punk speechless until Punk came out to interrupt. Punk said he doesn’t want to be champion but needs to be champion like he needs air in his lungs. He went on to say that he needs the title so that he could raise it over his head as a thank you to everyone who’s chanted his name for 10 years. He told Gunther that he doesn’t deserve to call himself the best in the world, but he earned the right to call himself the best in the world and be arrogant about it. As Gunther was about to respond, Punk put his hand on his mic and told him he wasn’t finished. Punk vowed to leave Summerslam with the title and told Gunther that he will at least feel what it is like to share the ring with the best in the world before he dropped the mic.
Analysis:
Unlike last week, this segment did a much better job of selling the match for Summerslam. This segment was their last chance to get people excited about this match and luckily, they made the most of it. The Punk we got here is the Punk that’s the master of drawing people in and getting them invested. While this has been the match that’s been hurt the most for the lack of time there’s been to build for it, at least we got this one good segment here from it. Whether it feels like it or not, this is really the biggest match for the World Heavyweight Championship in the two years since it was brought back.
For as good as he is at promos, this was the first time Gunther was outclassed on the mic. From putting his hand on Gunther’s mic while he tried to respond to telling him that there’s levels to this, Punk owned him verbally in a way no one else ever has. Despite all that, it doesn’t feel like Saturday is going to be the night Punk wins the title. As popular as he is and as big of a show as Summerslam is, it would feel like a waste to have Punk win the title against someone the caliber of Gunther in a match that didn’t have much of a story going into it. With the potential these two have to make magic together, it feels like what we’re seeing between them now is only the start of what will be a great feud that extends beyond this weekend.
Grade: A
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Raw: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
Roman Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
Latest developments:
Two weeks ago, Roman Reigns returned to save his cousin Jey Uso from an attack by Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed. Last week, Reigns confronted Breakker, Reed, & Paul Heyman in the ring and rejected an offer from Heyman to join them. This eventually led to Breakker & Reed double teaming Reigns until Jey came out to make the save. Reigns & Jey Speared Reed & Breakker simultaneously and both stood side by side as the show ended. Several days later, it was announced that Reigns & Jey will team up to face Breakker & Reed at Summerslam.
Jey and Reed went one on one in this week’s main event in a match where after Jey took out Reed with a Suicide Dive, he was Speared by Breakker to end the match in a disqualification. Reigns once again came out to his cousin’s rescue but as Reigns & Jey ran around each side of the ring to Spear Breakker & Reed, Breakker Speared Reigns and Reed knocked down Jey simultaneously. After Breakker hit Jey with another Spear, Reed hit him with a Tsunami. Breakker then clotheslined Reigns over the announce table and after Breakker threw Reigns back in the ring, Reed hit him with a Tsunami. Breakker then Speared Reigns & Jey through the timekeeper’s area as Reed took off Reigns’ sneakers and held them up to end the show.
Analysis:
Despite the lack of time, the build for this match has been very strong over the last two weeks. Every segment involving these men has provided a lot of fun chaos, with this one being the most chaotic. After Reigns & Jey got the better of them the last few weeks, Breakker & Reed had to come out of this week with the upper hand. The beating they dished out to Reigns & Jey here was brutal, violent, and really sold how dangerous they both are. As violent as this beating was, the part of this that arguably stood out the most was Reed taking off Reigns’ sneakers(lol).
Other than the Gunther vs. Punk match, this match feels like it will be the highlight of night one of Summerslam. With the talent involved and the chaos we’ve seen between them over the last few weeks, it has all the ingredients to blow people away. While many would’ve argued that Reigns vs. Breakker was the stronger match to do for this event, having them face in a tag match first is a better idea as it’ll build more anticipation for when they eventually do face each other. As great as the match will likely be, Breakker & Reed winning feels like the right outcome. With their stable still new and the momentum Breakker has right now, the two of them picking up the win on a big show like this against two of the biggest stars in the company is the strongest way you can establish them.
Grade: A
Sheamus vs. Grayson Waller
After a confrontation backstage earlier in the day, Sheamus went one on one with Grayson Waller this week. At one point, Waller hit Sheamus with a Tornado DDT onto the apron. Sheamus recovered with a knee to the face and the Ten Beats of Bodhran. Rusev distracted Sheamus as he went for the Brogue Kick and that allowed Waller to roll up Sheamus for a near fall. Immediately after, Sheamus hit Waller with the Brogue Kick to pick up the win. After the match, Rusev attacked Sheamus with the Shillelagh and trapped him in the Accolade before officials pulled him off.
Analysis:
While the match was fine for what it was, the outcome was never in doubt. What was also never in doubt is the fact that the feud between Sheamus and Rusev is far from over. With them now being tied at one win a piece, someone would be crazy not to expect them to face each other one more time. Rusev attacking him the way he did after the match really made him look like a killer and was the rebound he needed after losing their last match. As the Summerslam card is just about set, Clash in Paris seems like the right setting for them to have their final blow off.
Finn Balor & J.D. McDonagh vs. Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro
Fresh off winning a Triple Threat Number One Contender’s match last week, Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro got their shot at the World Tag Team Titles this week against Finn Balor & J. D. McDonagh. Wilde & Del Toro hit the champions with Suicide Dives and Del Toro followed this with a Phoenix Splash on Finn before J.D. interrupted the count. El Grande Americano jumped on the apron to cause a distraction until Dragon Lee pulled him down and they fought to the back. As Del Toro went to the top rope, he was pushed down by another masked man. This allowed Finn to finish off Del Toro with the Coup De Grace to retain the titles.
Analysis:
This match served as a fun first title defense for Finn & J. D. Even though this match had great action and was entertaining to watch, it doesn’t change the fact that the Tag Team Division on Raw is still ice cold. When you compare the division on Raw to the division on Smackdown, it’s obvious that WWE made the right move having the Tag Titles from Smackdown be defended at Summerslam instead of the titles from Raw. With another masked man getting involved at the end, it feels like El Grande Americano is now becoming the new Doink where there’s seemingly multiple versions of him. Although much of this feels like stuff to kill time until the real Americano comes back, having multiple Americano’s running around could be entertaining if played out right.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.