{"id":61605,"date":"2018-06-18T13:06:12","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T18:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=61605"},"modified":"2018-06-18T13:06:12","modified_gmt":"2018-06-18T18:06:12","slug":"wwe-raw-primer-6-18-money-in-the-bank-fallout-rousey-responds-to-bliss-interference-braun-ready-to-call-out-beast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/06\/18\/wwe-raw-primer-6-18-money-in-the-bank-fallout-rousey-responds-to-bliss-interference-braun-ready-to-call-out-beast\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE RAW PRIMER 6\/18: Money in the Bank fallout, Rousey responds to Bliss interference, Braun ready to call out Beast"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1504658200\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3><b>WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW PRIMER<br \/>\n<\/b><b>JUNE 18, 2018<br \/>\n<\/b><b><\/b><b>GRAND RAPIDS, MI. AT\u00a0<\/b><b>VAN ANDEL ARENA<br \/>\n<\/b><b>AIRS ON USA NETWORK, 8:00PM EDT<br \/>\n<\/b><b>BY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/b><\/h3>\n<h3><b>Arena \/ Opening Thoughts<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>WWE and Monday Night Raw will pull into the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. this evening.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>May 22, 2017 was the last time Raw appeared here.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Ironically, that night we were on our journey towards Extreme Rules, which at the time was an event exclusive to Raw.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Tonight we begin the same journey, only this year it will be co-branded with Smackdown. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The weekend festivities are behind us as we once again experienced another stellar NXT Takeover event as well as what many, including me, considered a thumbs-up Money in the Bank PPV.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We begin to turn our attention towards Extreme Rules which is set to take place about a month from now on July 15, 2018 and may even start thinking about the SummerSlam card, as the summer months are now upon us.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>In any event, tonight\u2019s focus I\u2019m certain will be on the aftermath of Money in the Bank and how we proceed in the weeks to come.<\/p>\n<p>As of this writing, WWE.com is not showing any specific matches for tonight, so we will have to tune in to see in fact what is on tap.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Alexa Bliss Cash-In Aftermath<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Last night Alexa Bliss, who in a post-match interview exclusive on WWE.com deemed herself \u201cGoddess of the Bank,\u201d claimed the women\u2019s Money in the Bank contract in the second annual offering of the ladder match for the women.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Later in the evening she would interfere in the Raw Women\u2019s Championship match between Ronda Rousey and champion Nia Jax, attacking Ronda with the briefcase from behind, causing Nia to be disqualified.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Utilizing the briefcase, she rendered Ronda and Nia helpless, cashed in the contract, and pinned Nia with her signature \u201cTwist of Bliss\u201d to become Raw Women\u2019s Champion for the third time.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Overall, she is a five-time women\u2019s champion as she previously held Smackdown\u2019s iteration of the title twice.<\/p>\n<p>Ronda has been a little chirpy on social media this morning.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>In one particular post on Instagram, which is linked to her Twitter account, she said:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cApparently cheaters DO prosper in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wwe\/\">@wwe<\/a> &#8211; not surprising tbh, given their leadership <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/stephaniemcmahon\/\">@stephaniemcmahon<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tripleh\/\">@tripleh<\/a> &#x1f928; I don\u2019t know what I was doing expecting a certain degree of honor and fair sport. That was MY mistake. I won\u2019t make it again.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alexa_bliss_wwe_\/\">@alexa_bliss_wwe_<\/a> &#8230;. you screwed over the wrong woman. See you tonight on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/raw\/\">#Raw<\/a>\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><i>Thoughts: To set things straight, from a storyline standpoint, Alexa did interfere in the match.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s where you could say she \u201cscrewed over\u201d Ronda thus justifying her frustration.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Nia could certainly make the same claim. With being said, we never know when Stephanie McMahon will show up, but it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if she arrives tonight to begin to unscramble this now very complicated Raw Women\u2019s Championship picture.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>As you will see below, the arena\u2019s website is advertising a \u201cco-main event\u201d of Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not clear if this is for the title and\/or if it is a dark match.<\/i><\/p>\n<h3><b>\u201cThe Monster in the Bank\u201d Braun Strowman\u2019s Plan<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Braun Strowman plowed through seven men to become the 2018 winner of the men\u2019s Money in the Bank contract.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Judging by his win in last week\u2019s fatal four-way on Raw, this victory comes as no surprise.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Of course, he had to overcome being buried under a bunch of ladders at the top of the ramp, but come on!<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>What\u2019s a bunch of ladders to a man who\u2019s tipped over a truck, an ambulance, and other various large props and vessels? <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Thoughts: This really has my attention as it will be interesting to see this scenario play out, especially with Brock Lesnar being part-time and still the Universal Champion.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not clear when he\u2019ll appear again.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Braun already called out Brock on Twitter last night.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019s no response from Brock or his advocate, Paul Heyman.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019ll see how WWE puts things in motion.<\/i><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2732814679\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3><b>Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins and Elias Aftermath<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>WWE.com is framing Seth Rollins\u2019s retention of the Intercontinental Championship as \u201ccontroversial\u201d as they are acknowledging he hooked Elias\u2019s tights (more like pants) to score the pin fall.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The match was certainly competitive and picked up pace as it went on but, in the end, Rollins continued his roll and remained IC Champ.<\/p>\n<p><i>Thoughts: I\u2019m interested to see if Elias will cry foul here.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It was clear on TV that Rollins hooked the pants, so he clearly has a case. but the announcers missed that Elias pulled on his tights two seconds earlier on his roll-up attempt, so Seth should explain he was just fighting fire with fire.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The question for me, which I think is fair, is does he put this into song or does he go to G.M. Kurt Angle in angry fashion and demand a rematch?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Whichever way they go, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see this rivalry continue on Raw and possibly to Extreme Rules.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>They could also spin Rollins off to another challenger, a possibility WWE alludes to in its Raw preview.<\/i><\/p>\n<h3><b>Roman Reigns\u2019s Next Challenger in his \u201cYard\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>I\u2019m going to avoid getting into Roman Reigns\u2019s preposterous interview with ESPN the other day, in which he claimed he\u2019s \u201calready a heel.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/06\/15\/kellers-take-roman-reigns-saying-he-is-already-a-heel-is-preposterous-but-framing-it-as-such-might-be-only-way-to-save-face\/\">read Wade Keller\u2019s editorial on this matter<\/a> and, if you\u2019re a PWTorch VIP member, I HIGHLY recommend listening to his <a href=\"https:\/\/vip.pwtorch.com\/2018\/06\/15\/vip-audio-6-14-wkh-the-news-reigns-says-hes-already-a-heel-in-the-most-preposterous-claim-by-a-pro-wrestler-in-all-of-history-dr-amann-in-potential-trouble-over-romance-with-a\/\">VIP Keller Hotline<\/a> in which he discussed the interview.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>His opinion pretty much lines up with mine.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>I will say the fact that he would even say something like this tells me he\u2019s as tone deaf as the people for whom he\u2019s working.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ll leave it at that.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>WWE.com is going out of their way in their preview to discuss his \u201csatisfying win\u201d over Jinder Mahal last night and wondering who his next challenger will be.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t say that random chants from the live crowd during the match in Chicago hardly qualifies as \u201csatisfying\u201d for the people. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Thoughts: I\u2019m 50\/50 on this rivalry continuing.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>If WWE wants to hear what the people in Grand Rapids have to say they could do a rematch tonight.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It is the summertime, so beach balls can\u2019t be too far away.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>I tease but, what else is there to say about a character who is grossly miscast in a rivalry with a clearly hated heel? <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><b>Other Items<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Bobbly Lashley was cleanly victorious over Sami Zayn last night.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Zayn did send an offensive tweet to Lashley during the day yesterday, but the clean victory indicates to me this rivalry has wrapped up at least for now.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Perhaps Zayn wants to move on and pick on Reigns?<\/li>\n<li>What is next for Natalya, Ember Moon, and Sasha Banks after not capturing the MITB briefcase?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>All have been classy on Twitter, but there\u2019s no indication as to what\u2019s on tap for tonight.<\/li>\n<li>The B-Team, Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas, has a Raw Tag Team Championship opportunity against champions Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not know when that will take place but that could be in play tonight.<\/li>\n<li>We still haven\u2019t heard from the Authors of Pain.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Rezar retweeted Triple H talking about WWE going to Melbourne, Australia for the Super Show-Down later this year in October.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019s nothing else to indicate their return being imminent.<\/li>\n<li>Bayley was nowhere to be seen at MITB last night.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We still haven\u2019t had a resolve to her issues with Sasha Banks.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Last week she lost to Ruby Riott with Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan at ringside.<\/li>\n<li>Dolph Ziggler yelled a lot last week in a post-match promo where he and Drew McIntyre defeated Breezango.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>I feel like he\u2019s done this a time or two in the past?<\/li>\n<li>Curt Hawkins continued his losing ways last week as he dropped a match to No Way Jose.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Hawkins disguised himself in the conga line, but still couldn\u2019t find a way to win.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t see a reversal of fortune in the near future. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Wrestlers Advertised \/ Dark Match<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>The Van Andel Arena\u2019s website is advertising two matches:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cMain event\u201d match of Roman Reigns &amp; Braun Strowman &amp; IC Champ Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens &amp; Jinder Mahal &amp; Sami Zayn<\/li>\n<li>\u201cCo main-event\u201d of Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not clear if the title, now held by Alexa, is on the line.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s not clear if these are dark matches or matches we will see on TV.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>They also advertise General Manager Kurt Angle, Ronda Rousey, and \u201cmore.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>There is the preverbal \u201cline up is subject to change.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The start time shown is 7:30 p.m. local.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i>Follow me on Twitter @FrankPeteani or send me an e-mail at <\/i><a href=\"mailto:fpeteani@gmail.com\"><i>fpeteani@gmail.com<\/i><\/a><i>. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-60771195\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>NOW READ LAST WEEK&#8217;S RAW REPORT:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/06\/11\/heydorns-wwe-raw-report-6-11-alt-perspective-coverage-of-the-live-show-including-final-hype-for-money-in-the-bank-reigns-vs-mahal-and-more\/\">HEYDORN\u2019S WWE RAW REPORT 6\/11: Alt Perspective coverage of the live show including final hype for Money In The Bank, Reigns vs. Mahal, and more<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1867563691\"><div id=\"pwtor-3817364731\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW PRIMER JUNE 18, 2018 GRAND RAPIDS, MI. AT\u00a0VAN ANDEL ARENA AIRS ON USA NETWORK, 8:00PM EDT BY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Arena \/ Opening Thoughts WWE and Monday Night Raw will <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/06\/18\/wwe-raw-primer-6-18-money-in-the-bank-fallout-rousey-responds-to-bliss-interference-braun-ready-to-call-out-beast\/\" title=\"WWE RAW PRIMER 6\/18: Money in the Bank fallout, Rousey responds to Bliss interference, Braun ready to call out Beast\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,4354,27,5893],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-raw-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2017\/05\/BlissAlexa2TB3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61605"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61607,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61605\/revisions\/61607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}