More names have been added to next week’s Raw Reunion.
During commercials that aired tonight during Raw, the following names were listed for next week’s show:
Mark Henry
Mick Foley
Pat Patterson
Gearld Brisco
Lilian Garcia
Alundra Blayze
Kelly Kelly
Rikishi
Ron Simmons
The Godfather
Road Dogg
Sid
This is in addition to other names that were announced last night during Extreme Rules, which include Steve Austin, Sgt. Slaughter, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash/Diesel, Scott Hall/Razor Ramon, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Booker T, X-Pac, Eric Bischoff, Santino Marella, D-Von Dudley, Ted DiBiase, Kurt Angle, Jerry Lawler, Christian, The Boogeyman, Jimmy Hart and the Hurricane.
WWE is promoting the show as the biggest reunion in WWE history. It would also mark the first advertised appearance for Eric Bischoff, who is set to start with WWE full time as the executive director of SmackDown starting this week.
Raw Reunion will take place next week, July 22, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
A number of new champions were crowned after WWE introduced the 24/7 title tonight on Raw.
Mick Foley came out at the top of the third hour and introduced the title. It’s a championship that will be defended 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will be defended across all brands, including SmackDown, 205 Live, NXT and NXT UK.
A scramble match followed where the rule was whoever grabbed the title in the ring first would win. A number of Raw stars came down to the ring to try and grab the championship. It eventually boiled down to Titus O’Neil and Drake Maverick. O’Neil threw Maverick over the top rope to the floor, wiping out the others to become the first champion.
As he was celebrating on the ramp, Robert Roode snuck up from behind and rolled him up to become the second champion. He managed to avoid the other Raw superstars until he ran across R-Truth, who appeared to help him escape for good by letting him use his rental car, hiding in the trunk while Truth got rid of the rest of the roster. When Roode got out and discovered a referee in the passenger’s seat, Truth attacked him and pinned him to win the championship.
The third hour for tonight’s show had noticeable changes. The red lights were gone, giving the arena a darker look. The graphics were also in black and white.
Date: May 20, 2019 Location: Times Union Center in Albany, New York
The Big Takeaway —
The new title belt is a “24/7” title, which is an ugly belt and is being fought over in comedy segments by the low-card male wrestlers. There have been three champions already.
Brock Lesnar sort of teased cashing in his contract, but obviously didn’t. It sounds like we’ll learn when he’s cashing in next week.
Show Recap —
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out to start the show. Lesnar got a strong heel reaction. He came out holding the Money in the Bank briefcase like it was a boombox, bobbing his head as happy as can be. Michael Cole said Lesnar may have delivered the biggest shocker in the history of MITB and they aired a video recap.
Heyman called Lesnar the “purveyor of paranoia” as Lesnar continued to bob his head to the briefcase. Heyman heard the rumours that hey concocted this plan last week when they saw Sami Zayn of all people squeeze his way into the MITB match in place of Braun Strowman.
They also heard the rumours that they were helped by some connections in the back to sneak Lesnar into the building, but Heyman noted how impossible it would be to sneak someone like Lesnar into an area.
Heyman said both Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston were vulnerable to the most dangerous man in WWE history. He issued a warning to Rollins and told him he’d be better off having the whole world against him than Lesnar. That brought out Rollins.
Rollins said he should be in a great mood after having the fight of his life against AJ Styles and winning. However, he was not in a good mood looking at Lesnar and the briefcase. Rollins wanted to be an inspirational champion, one that Lesnar had no guts to be. Rollins didn’t want to wait around and told Lesnar to cash in tonight. The crowd popped huge.
Heyman said they would all have to wait for Lesnar to cash in. He said Rollins should be used to waiting around, just like he waited around for seven hours at WrestleMania to watch his girlfriend main event the show. Rollins was about to go after Heyman but Lesnar stepped in his way. They shoved each other and argued.
Heyman told Rollins he shouldn’t even think he’s worthy, that maybe it was a new day and we would see Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston. The New Day’s music hit and the crowd popped as Kingston entered.
Kingston didn’t want to steal Rollins’ thunder but he wanted to establish his legacy as champion and wanted to be known as one of the best WWE Champions of all-time. Kingston knew he couldn’t do that unless he defended against the best. Kingston challenged Lesnar to cash in against him tonight.
Heyman thought it was funny that the two champions were auditioning to face the reigning, undisputed champion of the box office. Heyman heard that Rollins and Kingston had other plans this evening, which meant Lesnar and the contract weren’t going anywhere. Heyman told us to stay tuned. They left.
Mick Foley was shown arriving to the building, greeted by Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Titus O’Neil, Dana Brooke and Drake Maverick.
Elsewhere, Sami Zayn pleaded for Bobby Lashley’s help tonight, despite their history together. Lashley said no and wished him luck.
Kingston and Rollins approached Triple H backstage. (Before they got to him, Rollins warned Kingston about Lesnar. Kingston said he knew what he was getting himself into.) Hunter wanted to tell them before they went out there that he was impressed by them last night and they would be teaming up tonight to face Lashley and Baron Corbin.
Braun Strowman defeated Sami Zayn (0:45)
Before the match could start, Zayn bailed and sprinted to the back. Strowman chased after him. Strowman saw Lashley which distracted him long enough for Zayn to hit a sucker punch. Strowman recovered quickly and tossed around Zayn. Strowman stared down Lashley as Zayn crawled away saying, “Bobby, do something!”
Strowman told Lashley he would deal with him later, then picked up Zayn and carried him back toward the ring. Zayn dodged a charge and Strowman went shoulder first into the post. Zayn convinced the referee to start the match and he went for a Helluva kick, but Strowman knocked him down with a clothesline. Strowman followed with a running shoulder tackle and powerslam for the quick win.
Charly Caruso in-ring interview with Lars Sullivan
Caruso mentioned all the damage done by Sullivan, then aired a video package as they both stood there and watched. After the video, she asked what his goals were in WWE. Before he could say anything, Lucha House Party came out. They surrounded him like the Shield and attacked. All three hit dropkicks, knocking him down and out of the ring.
Kalisto tried a dive but Sullivan caught him and dropped him on the apron. Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik hit suicide dives, but Sullivan recovered and tossed them around. Sullivan gave Dorado a Freak Accident. Sullivan was about to give him a powerbomb, but Metalik and Kalisto pulled him to safety. As the three members of LHP retreated, Cole said they put up a fight.
They aired a recap of Rollins vs. Styles.
Cesaro defeated Ricochet (6:46)
Cesaro has new music. They showed a clip of Drew McIntyre launching Ricochet over the top through a ladder. They also showed a clip from earlier today of Cesaro mocking Ricochet as he was being checked out by the trainer. Cesaro advised the trainer to give Ricochet the night off. Ricochet got in his face and said he wasn’t too hurt to compete tonight.
Cesaro targeted the back and was control before and after the break (which came 85 seconds into the match). Ricochet made a comeback and did a spot where he stood on Cesaro’s shoulders, which popped the crowd, then followed with a hurricanrana. They then aired the most ill-timed in-set commercial for an animated movie as Ricochet nailed a dive to the outside.
After that in-set commercial, Ricochet came off the top but Cesaro caught him with an uppercut then followed with a backbreaker and Neutralizer for the pinfall win. Three referees checked on Ricochet afterwards. They showed a few replays of Ricochet’s offense in case you blinked and missed it.
Caruso interviewed Styles, asking him what was next. Styles said he was back to square one and had hard work ahead of him. Styles liked hard work and looked forward to it. He said he can beat Rollins, but Rollins beat him last night and he had no problem admitting it. Corbin showed up to mock his speech.
Styles reminded him that he failed as Mr. Money in the Bank and got fired as GM. Corbin reminded him that he pinned Rollins on Raw, which Styles couldn’t do. Corbin said it was a slap in the face that he got the title shot. Styles showed him what a slap in the face was and smacked him right in the face. The crowd liked that. Corbin said he’d pay for that and left.
They showed Kingston and Foley speaking backstage.
Roman Reigns came out. A handful of people booed but it wasn’t loud. I think he came out for a promo, but before he could say anything, Shane McMahon entered. He called himself best in the world and said he was now done with The Miz. His new focal point was Reigns. He noted what Reigns did to Vince McMahon.
Reigns said he hates spoiled rich kids. Reigns said he was done with Elias so his schedule was wide open. Shane said he wasn’t and called his win a fluke. Reigns said Elias wasn’t there and challenged Shane to a match. Shane asked the crowd if they wanted to see it. They said yes, so he feigned going to the ring, then stopped. Shane brought out McIntyre.
Shane then accepted the challenge against Reigns, but at SSD. Shane said he would still be able to call himself best in the world after their match. Reigns said Shane would only be able to say what everyone else does, that he just got his ass kicked by Roman Reigns. This was lame. This was the top-of-the-hour segment for 9pm.
(I had to rewind it to figure out why Shane brought out McIntyre, but I guess McIntyre is his hired protection now.)
Becky Lynch was shown hanging out backstage, as were Heyman and Lesnar.
Tomorrow on Smackdown, Bayley is the new Women’s Champion, Reigns faces Elias, and New Day welcome back Big E.
The Miz confronted Shane backstage. McIntyre told him they were done. Miz was content to go through McIntyre to get to Shane. Miz said he’d see McIntyre in the ring.
The Revival defeated The Usos
They made sure to replay the embarrassing Revival clips from weeks ago. Corey Graves criticized the Usos for their actions. Cole told Graves that he had to admit it was funny and called it was locker room humour. Graves said that kind of humour was funny until you turn six years old.
The Revival attacked the Usos before the match started. At least, that’s what it seemed since the bell never rang and the Usos were still taking off their shirts. However, Revival hit a double team move and went for a cover and the referee counted to two.
After a break, Jey Uso and Scott Dawson traded fists and I’m pretty sure Jey yelled, “come on, bitch!” Dash Wilder took out Jey on the outside with a tornado DDT, then Jimmy took out Wilder with a suicide dive. Dawson caught Jimmy in a small package for two, then Jimmy hit a superkick for a nearfall. Jimmy went to the top but had to avoid a charge from Wilder. Dawson then rolled up Jimmy while holding the tights for the pinfall win.
Backstage, Nikki Cross approached Alexa Bliss. Bliss was happy for Cross that she was able to take her place in MITB, except for one problem: she lost. Bliss mentioned her talk show as the Revival showed up celebrating their victory. Wilder spat as he spoke and his spit landed on Bliss. He thought they should be the next guests on a Moment of Bliss. She was grossed out.
A Moment of Bliss with guest Becky Lynch
Cross came out with Bliss. Bliss said she asked for a coffee, then a stagehand showed up with two cups. She combined the two cups and gave the empty one to Cross. Bliss introduced Becky Lynch who got a big reaction. Bliss asked Lynch about MITB, but before she could answer, The IIconics interrupted. They mocked Lynch and said we can’t call her Becky Two Belts anymore.
Lynch told them to shut their faces. She said she defended her title more times last night than they have since WrestleMania. She threatened to drag them to the ring and become Becky Three Belts. Lacey Evans interrupted. The crowd chanted “Becky Two Belts” and the IIconics acted confused. Lynch said The Lady came around and got tapped out.
Lynch threatened to slap the heads off all three of them. They laughed at her. Cross offered to be Lynch’s partner. Evans said they were still one short. Lynch motioned toward Bliss and said, “she’ll do.” Bliss said she didn’t agree to any of this. Lynch told her to just stand on the apron and look pretty while The Man took care of it. Bliss went to the ring with her giant coffee cup. Lynch was good here.
6-woman tag match: Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss defeated Lacey Evans & Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics (5:39)
Bliss stood outside the ring drinking her coffee. The heels worked over Cross until she made the hot tag to Lynch, who ran wild on Billie Kay. As she did, Evans left as Lynch yelled at her. Kay caught her in a roll-up, but Lynch kicked out and hit an Exploder. Lynch kicked Peyton Royce off the apron, then hit Kay with a diving leg drop off the second rope for the pinfall win.
Lynch and Cross celebrated the win. Bliss joined them, but as soon as she did, Lynch grabbed her belt and left on her own. I liked the presentation of Lynch here, and that she won with something other than the Disarmer.
Mick Foley unveils new championship title / new champion crowned
Foley said there’s been something missing on Raw, and it was time to start getting “raw” again. He said a title wasn’t just something to be defended, it was something to live and breathe. Foley unveiled the new belt, called the 24/7 title belt. It had a dark green strap and gold plates.
The crowd booed his announcement. They seemed excited as he built up the reveal, probably anticipating a “hardcore” title, but it wasn’t that.
Foley no-sold the reaction and kept going. He said falls would count anywhere. He laid the belt down and they were going to crown the newest champion right now. He said he asked the superstars to line up in the back. He clarified that the title was open to anyone from Raw, Smackdown, 205 Live, NXT or NXT UK (the mention of NXT got the biggest reaction).
Foley left the belt laying in the ring. He called for the bell as Cedric Alexander, Eric Young, Mojo Rawley and EC3 ran down and tackled each other on the way. Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Titus O’Neil and No Way Jose ran out next. Rawley tackled O’Neil in the ring, then Alexander took him out with a forearm.
The belt was just sitting there and I guess whoever picks it up first is the champion. Anderson and Gallows both jumped for the belt. They both held on to it, then EC3 knocked them down. The ring cleared, then Drake Maverick tried to grab it, but O’Neil tossed him from the ring and grabbed the belt instead.
O’Neil is the first champion. As he celebrated on the ramp, Robert Roode knocked him down from behind and covered him for the win. Roode is the second champion. All the guys chased Roode to the back.
After a break, Roode ran around backstage and hid in a corner. Everyone involved in the previous segment ran past him, then he popped out and went in the opposite direction.
This was the dumbest Raw segment in a long time, and I was way more embarrassed watching this than any of the Revival stuff.
(I neglected to mention a Bray Wyatt segment earlier. It wasn’t a full Firefly Fun House segment, more of a tease to remind us what happened last week.)
Drew McIntyre (w/Shane McMahon) defeated The Miz (13:07)
After a break, Miz mounted a comeback after hitting a powerbomb bringing McIntyre down off the middle rope. Credit to Miz, the crowd got behind him despite this coming after that previous segment. Miz hit It Kicks but McIntyre caught the last one, the Miz used a hurricanrana (sort of) to bring him down. McIntyre followed with a reverse Alabama Slam for two.
Miz went for the Figure Four, but Shane caught him with a sucker punch as the referee was somehow distracted. McIntyre followed with a spinebuster but Miz kicked out, then applied the Figure Four. McIntyre used chops to fight out of it.
Miz chased after Shane who ran away through the crowd. Miz launched McIntyre into the barricade, then tossed him back in the ring. With the referee again not paying attention, Shane flew in and attacked Miz from behind. McIntyre then gave him a Claymore kick for the pinfall win.
Afterwards, Shane set up Miz for a coast-to-coast dropkick but Reigns ran out for the save. He gave McIntyre a superman punch, but Shane bailed. Shane grabbed McIntyre and they left. Miz thanked Reigns and they shook hands.
Backstage, Roode bumped into Corbin and Lashley, who just stared at him. Roode ran off as all the others ran after him. Corbin and Lashley had no interest in this new belt.
Caruso interviewed Kingston and Rollins. This ended with Kingston swivelling his hips, calling himself WWE Champion. He wondered why Rollins wasn’t swivelling his hips. Rollins chuckled and left.
They showed a replay of Rey Mysterio crushing Samoa Joe’s nose, then winning the match and title despite Joe’s shoulders not being down. Joe cut a promo, saying we all saw what happened. He wasn’t worried, because he knew Mysterio was a noble man. He knew that Mysterio wouldn’t allow the travesty to continue. He knew that Mysterio would do the right then and hand back the US Championship and set a good example for Dominick. If he didn’t, “just imagine the example I will set for you.”
Roode ran to the parking lot and asked R-Truth for help. Roode hid in the trunk of Truth’s car. The group ran toward Truth, but Truth told them Roode ran the other way. Truth let Roode out of the trunk, then a referee came out of his passenger seat. Truth attacked Roode and pinned him. Truth is the third 24/7 champion. Truth drove away.
They’ve changed the aesthetics somewhat for the third hour of the show. Instead of red lights on the crowd, the lights are off, and the lighting on the stage is mostly off as well. The graphics were in black and white.
No Disqualification tag match: WWE Champion Kofi Kingston & Universal Champion Seth Rollins defeated Baron Corbin & Bobby Lashley (10:28)
The ring announcer said this as a no disqualification match, which is the first we heard this information. The commentators wondered who made this call and Cole noted how unfair this was with Lesnar lurking. Corbin attacked Rollins during his entrance, then the match started once everyone got to the ring.
Cole explained that Lesnar could cash in on either title because of the wild card rule. The heels were in control before and after a break. Corbin and Lashley were about to give Kingston a double superplex but Rollins saved him using a steel chair on both guys. Rollins followed with a suicide dive on both opponents, then Kingston followed with a trust fall dive on both guys as well. Kingston followed that with a Trouble in Paradise on Corbin for the pinfall win.
As soon as it was over, Lashley speared both Kingston and Rollins. Lashley grabbed a chair but Kingston ducked and Rollins kicked the chair in Lashley’s face.
Lesnar’s music hit and he came out with Heyman. Both Kingston and Rollins grabbed their title belts and waited for Lesnar to make a move. Lesnar circled the ring, feigned getting in the ring, then backed away. Heyman told Lesnar that he’s in their heads, exactly where he wants to be. He said they would show up next week to announce who he was going after.
Final Thoughts —
I think Lesnar should win the 24/7 title, then just sit around backstage and see if anyone even bothers to challenge him.
Though few details have been revealed, a new championship title is coming to WWE.
During tonight’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view, it was announced that Mick Foley will be appearing on tomorrow’s episode of Raw and announcing WWE’s newest championship. Aside from Foley introducing it, no indication was given of what the title will be.
Tomorrow’s Raw is taking place at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York and will feature fallout from Money in the Bank. SmackDown’s Monday night house show that was scheduled for Lowell, Massachusetts has been canceled, and there will be SmackDown wrestlers appearing on Raw as part of the Wild Card rule.
Most of tomorrow’s Raw will go against an NBA playoff game, with the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers facing off in game four of the Western Conference finals. The game will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern time, and the Warriors have a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Mick Foley and Triple H appeared, Roman Reigns stood tall heading into Sunday, and Ronda Rousey wrestled on Raw for the second time in her career on last night’s go-home show for Hell in a Cell.
While Triple H’s appearance was to continue building up his Super Show-Down match against The Undertaker, Foley will play a role on Sunday’s pay-per-view. Foley interrupted Elias last night and announced that he’ll be stepping back inside Hell in a Cell as the special guest referee for Reigns and Braun Strowman’s Universal Championship match.
Reigns stood tall to close the episode by giving Strowman a Samoan drop off the announce table.
Rousey teamed with Natalya to defeat Alexa Bliss & Mickie James but was kicked in the ribs by Bliss after the match. Rousey will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Bliss at Hell in a Cell.
Though he won’t be doing so as an active wrestler, Mick Foley will be stepping back inside Hell in a Cell on Sunday.
Foley’s appearance on tonight’s go-home edition of Raw led to him being announced as the special guest referee for Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman’s Hell in a Cell match for the Universal Championship match at Sunday’s pay-per-view.
Foley’s segment began with him interrupting Elias. The story was that Elias said Foley was never the same after his King of the Ring 1998 Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker. He called Foley a broken man who’s singing the same song he’s been singing for the past 20 years and barely remembers the words. Foley responded that he wasn’t there to talk about the past and announced that Stephanie McMahon has made him the referee for Reigns vs. Strowman.
“Mick Foley: 20 Years of Hell” will also air on the WWE Network after Sunday’s PPV. Foley has been touring a one-man show to mark the 20th anniversary of his Hell in a Cell match against Undertaker, and WWE filmed one of them to air on the Network.
Date: September 10, 2018 Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA
The Big Takeaway —
Mick Foley will be the special referee for the Universal title match at Hell in a Cell this Sunday. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins will face Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler for the tag titles. Roman Reigns laid out Braun Strowman at the end of the show.
Kevin Owens explained that returned under the condition that he can do whatever he wants without consequence, and powerbombed Tyler Breeze on the ring apron to prove it. He has his eyes set on Bobby Lashley, who appears to be getting Lio Rush as his manager.
Show Recap —
They kicked things off with Michael Cole introducing Renee Young as a full-time commentator and Corey Graves congratulated her. Young said she was honoured and humbled.
Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre entered the ring to start the show. They were joined by Elias, Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal, Sunil Singh, Authors of Pain, The Ascension, Drew Gulak, Mojo Rawley, and Mike Kanellis. The group surrounded ringside.
Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre bragged about their beat-down of the Shield last week and showed a long video package. The crowd booed the replay. Strowman called Roman Reigns a coward and called Ziggler and McIntyre his “dogs of war.” Ziggler said the men around the ring made a choice last week, which was to stand up to the Shield and their bullying.
McIntyre said the balance of power has shifted. They were in control and would set an example when they dismantle the B-Team again tonight. Strowman said that wouldn’t compare to what he does to Reigns inside Hell in a Cell.
The Shield interrupted, entering through the crowd. Dean Ambrose ran down to start the attack, then Seth Rollins dove onto the group. Ambrose grabbed a duffle bag full of weapons (looked like axe handles), handed them to his pals, and they easily cleared house.
The Shield stood tall in the ring as Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre watched from the ramp. The Shield did not go after them for some reason.
They showed a video from Brie Bella’s phone where they walked into their tiny dressing room just to find it vandalized by the Riott Squad (presumably).
After a break, the Shield were in a shouting match with five members of New Orleans police. Baron Corbin showed up to reason with them and warned them of the trouble they could find themselves in if they attacked the police, which is fair. He told them to leave and threatened to strip Rollins and Reigns of their titles. Ambrose wasn’t happy, but Rollins said “no problem” and they left, not before Reigns stared down one of the officers.
The kids in the crowd chanted, “Let’s go Nikki, let’s go.” Nikki made a comeback after a break, hitting a spinebuster, clotheslines and a Disaster kick. Logan distracted Nikki which allowed Riott to hit a downward spiral for a nearfall. Morgan entered the ring after Nikki got Riott on her shoulders, but Brie yanked her out, then Nikki hit the Rack Attack 2.0 for the pinfall win.
Big Show (in his wrestling gear) was on the stage with kids who are a part of Connor’s Cure. After a video package, Big Show introduced each one to the live crowd to get a round of applause. Show asked everyone to join their fight.
They aired a video package of the Shawn Michaels/Undertaker segment.
Drake Maverick hyped up AOP backstage. He wore a black tank top with the AOP pants, but no vest this time.
Authors of Pain (w/Drake Maverick) defeated Nathan Bradley & Ronnie Ace (1:23)
Renee Young: “Do I have to watch this?”
Michael Cole: “Yeah, you do, Renee.”
AOP won with the Super Collider.
The Raw announcers plugged a Smackdown HIAC match.
Triple H showed up in a limo, walked passed the police officers from earlier and shook his head at them. And that concludes the first hour of Raw.
Triple H promo
Triple H came out. He said that, initially, he and Undertaker were fighting one more time out of respect. He noted all of the legends who picked the Undertaker to win, then showed poll results where 81% of people also chose Undertaker to win. Triple H stated that at this point in your career, stuff like that doesn’t bother you.
However, Michaels picking him to win bothered Taker so much that he just had to appear, baiting Michaels with threats. Triple H wondered if Taker had lost respect for him and Michaels, but then realized Taker really lost respect for himself, which is why he didn’t appear to confront him (instead of Michaels).
Triple H said things were never the same for Taker after he lost at WrestleMania and all he is now is a reputation. He said Taker’s series of matches against him and Michaels were his last signs of greatest, and Taker blames them for his demise. Triple H agreed that it’s personal now and would put Taker down at Super Show-Down. This promo was only about five minutes.
Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre defeated B-Team to retain the Tag Team Titles (8:48)
Ziggler superkicked Curtis Axel as McIntyre held him upside down, then McIntyre hit a reverse Alabama Slam, but Bo Dallas broke up the cover. Axel made the hot tag to Dallas soon after and he ran wild on Ziggler. McIntyre broke up a small package, then headbutted Axel out of the ring. As the referee led McIntyre back to the apron, Ziggler raked Dallas in the eyes. Ziggler tagged McIntyre back in, then they hit the Claymore/Zig-Zag combo for the win.
Immediately after, Ambrose and Rollins hit the ring and attacked McIntyre and Ziggler, who managed to escape. Ambrose and Rollins found somewhere to change, I guess, because they were wearing their personal gear, instead of the Shield attire they wore earlier.
They aired a dramatic video package of the Undertaker vs. Mick Foley HIAC match from 20 years ago, including old interview clips from Jerry Lawler, Chris Jericho, Kofi Kingston, Jim Ross, Mark Henry, John Cena, DDP, Terry Funk, and Shawn Michaels.
Corbin yelled at Rollins and Ambrose for disobeying him after he kicked the Shield out of the building. Rollins said the Shield was gone, it was just him and Ambrose (which explains why they changed their gear). Corbin said those were just semantics and said he should have them arrested again.
They argued some more, then Rollins said Corbin falsified his statement last week. Rollins introduced a police sheriff. Corbin tried to ignore it, but Rollins had the sheriff read Corbin his rights. Corbin interrupted him and asked if he could reason with Rollins. Rollins agreed to hear him out.
Ambrose and the officer, whose name tag read, “Ambrose, G” (which was never acknowledged) left the room together. Ambrose told the officer that he was never speeding, then admitted he was speeding, then said he thought the speed limit was just a suggestion. Rollins came out of Corbin’s office and said they don’t need to press charges. Ambrose told the officer he would call him the next time he was in jail, and the officer was happy to oblige. The stuff with Ambrose and the officer was amusing.
Kevin Owens vs. Tyler Breeze
The match never happened. Owens attacked Breeze during his entrance. Breeze fought back for a second, but Owens cut him off with a kick, then powerbombed him on the edge of the ring.
Owens grabbed a mic and said walking away from this place felt great. But he received a call from Corbin who begged him to return. He said Corbin recognized his value as the MVP of Raw. Owens said he returned under one condition–he can’t be held responsible for his actions. Basically, he can do whatever he wants.
He attacked the Shield last week, not to do any favours, but because he’s sick of the Shield. He blamed Bobby Lashley for this because he’s the reason Sami Zayn is not as his side where he belongs. He said this was only the beginning and reminded us this was still the Kevin Owens Show. He promised anarchy, agony, and destruction. This was good.
Bobby Roode & Chad Gable defeated The Ascension (3:16)
Gable tagged himself in as soon as the match started and suplexed Viktor all over. Konnor cut him off with a boot and Ascension took control. Gable made the hot tag and Roode who ran wild briefly until Gable tagged himself in again and used the Chaos Theory suplex on Viktor for the pinfall win. Roode was happy to win again despite Gable repeatedly tagging himself in.
Ziggler ranted to McIntyre and Strowman about the Shield, then complained to Corbin when he showed up. Corbin said Louisiana operates under the Napoleonic Code, which complicated matters. Corbin informed them that they would defend the tag titles against Ambrose and Rollins on Sunday.
Ziggler couldn’t believe the Shield were being rewarded. Corbin said he had his own reason for it, then claimed he wanted to put on the best show possible. He also told Strowman that Stephanie McMahon wanted him to win the Universal title. Strowman was pleased, then said he was going “big dog hunting.”
A few minutes in, Bliss slapped Rousey, who was on the apron. Rousey chased after her, then Natalya caught Bliss and they gave her a Hart Attack. It was a cool spot, but it just led to a commercial and James was in control when they returned.
Natalya eventually made the hot tag, but a distraction allowed Bliss to toss Rousey into the barricade and side of the ring. The crowd chanted for Rousey as the heels worked her over. There was a moment where Rousey was just sort of staring at James, like she was waiting for the next thing to happen. That was followed by James knocking Natalya off the apron.
Rousey made her own comeback briefly after that, tossing around James before applying the armbar for the submission win. As Rousey and Natalya posed, Bliss kicked Rousey in the side and bailed.
A stagehand handed Elias a tea backstage, but Elias spat in his face because it wasn’t what he asked for. He told the guy to go fix it. Suddenly, Strowman could be heard screaming, asking random people where Reigns was. He yelled, “Where is he?!” and sounded exactly like Christian Bale’s Batman. One guy rubbed him the wrong way, so he tossed him into some stuff.
Charly Caruso asked Rousey about her ribs and if she would be okay for HIAC. Rousey said she was fine, and even if she wasn’t, she would never pull out of a fight because she never has. She said even on her worst day, she was still the best, then stormed off.
Elias was in the ring and took a shot at the New Orleans Saints for losing yesterday, then said Drew Brees was sick of representing their city. He was about to perform when Mick Foley interrupted. Foley said he was a fan of Elias, but then said Elias didn’t have a sincere bone in his body.
Elias said he was a child once, which he knew people would find hard to believe, and recalled sitting inside The Igloo in Pittsburgh when Undertaker tossed Foley off the cage. He hoped Foley would stay down, but he didn’t, and got chokeslammed through the cage. And now, Foley was standing there a broken man. The crowd chanted, “Mr. Socko.”
Foley said he wasn’t there to talk the past, he wanted to talk the future. Elias called himself the future. Foley agreed he could be a future Universal champion. Foley continued, saying he wanted to be part of this Sunday’s HIAC match and even asked Stephanie if could be involved, even though they don’t get along.
Elias said she probably laughed in his face, and Foley said she did. Foley recalled them bringing out the stretcher during that Undertaker match, with everyone figuring the match was over but he found the strength to climb the cage, and 20 years later he wants to part of the action again so he could feel as alive as he did at that moment.
Foley announced he would be the special referee for Strowman vs. Reigns inside the Cell and the crowd chanted “Yes.” Elias told him to shut up and leave. Foley got in his face and said Stephanie offered him the ability to make one match tonight, for old time’s sake. Foley put Elias in a match against Finn Balor.
Finn Balor defeated Elias
Balor won with a small package.
They showed a video of Bobby Lashley working out earlier. Lio Rush was there, talking as fast as possible, and said every great man needs a great man of the hour. Lashley seemed annoyed at first and aggressively smacked him in the shoulder, which knocked his shades off. He then cheered up and said, “My man, Lio Rush! Motivate me, Lio!” Rush continued talking as Lashley continued lifting weights.
Caruso tried to interview Strowman, but he grabbed the mic and asked her where Reigns was. She saw him leave, but Strowman didn’t believe it. She said maybe if he goes to the ring, Reigns will find him. So she knows how this show works. Strowman liked the idea.
[Sidenote: Sportsnet in Canada did a news update on the Montreal Canadiens trading away their captain Max Pacioretty by saying there hasn’t been this much controversy in Montreal since Survivor Series 1997.]
Undertaker will be on Raw in Dallas next week.
Strowman came to the ring and said he was tired of waiting. Well, it is after 11:00 pm ET. He called out Reigns, who didn’t show. Strowman said Reigns wouldn’t be able to escape him inside the Cell and his boys won’t be able to help. He warned Foley not to get involved either, or what happened to him 20 years ago will feel like a papercut.
Reigns’ music hit and he appeared standing on the announce table, holding up his title. Strowman went after him and they brawled. Strowman got the better of it and smashed Reigns’ head into the video boards on the stage.
Strowman cleared the announce table but before he could do anything, Reigns hoisted him up and did a Samoan drop off the table through some fake/padded staging. Reigns got to his feet and posed with his belt as people booed.
This angle was pretty flat, especially after such a long wait.
If wrestling seems to move fast, the entire history of the XFL was like that of a lightning bolt.
Vince McMahon went from being the toast of the television world when huge ratings came in for opening night. And within one week, it became the butt of jokes, set record low ratings, lost millions and failed faster than you can say USFL.
McMahon and Dick Ebersol announced on 5/10 at a hastily put together press conference less than three weeks after the championship game that they were disbanding the league after McMahon a few hours earlier had gotten word from UPN that they were not going to pick the league up for a second season. NBC has pretty well made that decision during the season, but had yet to publicly acknowledge it. McMahon said that they, without UPN or NBC, looked into cutting the league into six times and going ahead with a second season, but felt it wouldn’t be economically viable, and shut it down.
In our largest one year inclusion in history, seven new members were named to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in a balloting of performers, front office people, reports, historians and some well known wrestling experts.
Four of the newcomers were voted on by the largest voting panel to date and three others were chosen largely by lobbying from historians providing research as to why they clearly belonged.
Voted in were two wrestlers who have come very close in recent elections, Mick Foley, who came three votes shy last year, and Shinya Hashimoto, who came one vote shy last year, along with two others voted in on their first eligible ballot, Steve Austin and in something of a mild surprise, Akira Hokuto.
Foley, who already had strong credentials last year, only added to his resume over the past 12 months.
Mick Foley announced earlier today on Twitter that he was undergoing surgery to get his right knee replaced.
He wrote, “I’m getting my right knee replaced in about five minutes! I’ll check back when I kick out of anesthesia.”
Foley, a Hall of Famer, also underwent hip replacement surgery in April, which was the catalyst for his being replaced as Raw General Manager to set up the current run by Kurt Angle.
Foley had been in tremendous pain last year and just traveling and getting through the airports to do his General Manager role on television had been extremely uncomfortable for him. He hasn’t been on Raw since being “fired” from the position by Stephanie McMahon as their storyline came to a close in March.
Before announcing that he was undergoing knee replacement surgery, Foley also wrote on Twitter that he’ll be appearing at WrestleCon in New Orleans over WrestleMania weekend next year.
Unlike most other wrestlers of similar fame, to do a career retrospective on Mick Foley is best saved for an examination probably years down the road.
He was the classic overachiever, who defied all the odds, and was possibly the single greatest influence inside the ring on styles changing in the business of the past ten years. In a career destined, because he wasn’t that great athletically and didn’t have what was believed to be the right look and physique, for being mid-card for life, he ended up when his career came to a close, as one of the five biggest stars in North America, and even as a best-selling author. In the end, he went out, with the glory but without the storyline ego, putting over the world champion twice on PPV in his own specialty matches, and even in a tag match on television and in every angle over the final weeks of his career. Hunter Hearst Helmsley long since earned his spot as the top heel in the industry today, but if he is remembered some day as one the top heels in history, he owes a lot of it to the credibility Foley gave him these last two months. In many ways, from hard work, to unselfishness about making others look good, to being a student of the game and probably truly loving pro wrestling more than nearly anyone else, enough to give his body, and perhaps parts of his brain, to it willingly and happily, whether big money was involved or not, and not for the selfish glory of bragging about scars in the bar to get over to nobody, but more to satisfy his own vision of what he wanted his role in something greater to him, this business, to be, he should be admired like few if any wrestlers of our generation.
With arguably the deepest and most talented roster in recent memory, 2016 saw WWE move forward with their first ‘official’ brand split since 2002. The move was met with equal parts skepticism and excitement, and the mixed results thus far prove that both reactions were warranted. It’s been an interesting second half of the year for WWE, so let’s look at four of the main takeaways from the brand split as we move into 2017.
Different Shows, Different Nights
One of the main problems with the past brand split was how SmackDown felt like Raw Lite. You were still consuming the same product, but just a watered down version. Now, each show feels like its own independent entity with a wholly unique look and feel. Raw will always be the flagship show, the one with most of the big names and the somewhat predictable storylines.
Instead of trying to replicate that on Tuesdays, SmackDown live became its own show, one that gives time to multiple storylines and characters and makes them all feel like they mean something. It’s one that is more willing to take chances like putting their women’s title on a relatively green Alexa Bliss or having Randy Orton join the Wyatt Family. They are more willing to think a bit outside the WWE box, and let their performers experience the inevitable growing pains that come with more exposure.
This sets the company up for even more success moving forward as they have nurtured more TV-ready talent than ever before. This doesn’t even mention Talking Smack, which might be the best program that WWE produces on any platform. It muddles the kayfabe waters more than ever and has led to some of the best promo work of the year, allowing Bliss and Baron Corbin to find their footing and shine.
Raw’s Song Remains The Same
SmackDown has somewhat subverted the idea of what a successful WWE weekly program can be. Raw has proven that no matter how much things change, some stay the same. Raw has the same characters in the same places, doing the same things but just with different names.
It has been the same stubborn, self-serving program it’s always been. Look at The New Day’s needless and unending pursuit of Demolition’s tag team title reign record and how it essentially neutered the division for months or the continued opportunities given to Roman Reigns (who, himself is not a problem), or the complete mishandling of Seth Rollins’ return from his injury.
All of these things hurt Raw tremendously, so much so that only the best work of Chris Jericho’s career and Kevin Owens being a capable heel champion have saved it from being borderline unwatchable. Is this an effect of the brand split? Or, is it just the typical lull that happens from the fall until the Royal Rumble / The Road to WrestleMania™?
Recent episodes have improved, the reintroduction of Neville as a cruiserweight has been a breath of fresh air, and while your mileage may vary on Braun Strowman (I’m beyond all in, for what it’s worth), it has at least been something different. As the WrestleMania card clears up and the stakes are raised, the storylines always tighten and become more meaningful, which, hopefully, should lead to a better next few months.
AJ Styles
The best wrestler in the world warrants his own section: the champion of the best mainstream wrestling show on television, incredible in the ring, incredible character work, and incredible on commentary. WWE put SmackDown Live on his shoulders, and he has taken it to a level that was previously unthinkable. He is the anchor that keeps the show in place, the foundation upon which it is built. He is someone operating on a level rarely seen and allows everyone else to get more screen time and opportunities to hone their craft.
No one has to worry about AJ getting over, or AJ getting his as his transcendent in-ring skill and prodigious talent allows him to do that on his own. His presence and ability to make everyone around him that much better is a testament to his wholly unique abilities as a performer. It took awhile for him to get where he is, but anyone who watches wrestling is lucky that he got there.
The General Managers
Daniel Bryan has become very, very good as an on-screen, talking head ‘authority figure’ type. His dry sense of humor, combined with the ability to poke fun at himself and the product in general, has proven, yet again, there’s nothing he can’t do well when it comes to wrestling. His stellar work on the aforementioned Talking Smack has eased some of the pain of the ending of his in-ring career, and thankfully kept him on our televisions.
His transition has been seamless, and for the first time in perhaps ever, there is a general manager who uses logic and at least tries to explain his statements. He has been a home run from the start. But man, as good as Bryan has been, Mick Foley has been equally as terrible and an abject failure. The yelling, gasping, meandering promos, the nonsensical booking, and just the general lack of consistency has been surprising, and quite honestly, sad to see.
Foley knows the McMahons will eventually tire of him on an on-screen role, making me wonder how it hasn’t happened already. Going into the brand split, there were questions about whether or not DB could take to the role, but in reality, those questions were better pointed at the general manager of the flagship show.
The autobiography of Mankind wasn’t supposed to be anything special. The idea was that Regan Books would take advantage of the WWF’s popularity to mass market quickie autobiographies on the company three most popular wrestlers. Mankind barely made the cut, but they probably figured because his more than dozens…and dozens of fans were so loyal they’d probably buy a book, behind the expected big sellers, Steve Austin and Rock. The books would be autobiographies actually penned by long-time wrestling magazine writer Lou Sahadi, this one entitled “Have a Nice Day! A tale of blood and sweatsocks,” and would take the tact that pro wrestling was real and reveal things like that Cactus Jack was still upset about how Robert Fuller turned on him in Memphis more than a decade ago and what his favorite food was.
Jesse Ventura’s return to pro wrestling drew the mainstream attention which probably led to a lot of curiosity buys, and WWF made the most of it putting on one of the better PPV shows of 1999.
The show on 8/22 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, was paced by five title changes out of six titles at stake, included the main belt in the main event, plus a shockingly good Shane McMahon vs. Test match which was almost unanimously the best match on the show. The show, which sold out within 90 minutes of tickets being put on sale months ago, drew 17,370 fans (announced as 19,404 on television), of which 15,973 paid $557,129 and another $168,456 in merchandise sales. It’s too early to get PPV estimates, but it was generally expected going in to be either the first or second most buys for a wrestling PPV show in history. The all-time record was approximately 800,000 buys for Wrestlemania (the real number as opposed to the announced 875,000) this year.
Finn Balor’s alterego, “The Demon King,” will be unveiled next week. Roman Reigns interrupted Rusev and Lana’s celebration of love and fought Rusev. The segment ended with Lana’s face in a wedding cake. Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho will face Enzo and Cass at SummerSlam.
Those were the only major points from a show where much of the pre-show hyped turned out to be much ado about nothing. Mick Foley and Daniel Bryan’s meeting was basically Foley getting mad that Bryan derided the name of the WWE Universal Championship. And Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs appeared on only one segment.
Show Recap —
Enzo Amore and Big Cass started the show. Enzo brought up hitting on Sasha Banks last week. Cass said she was smitten with him. Enzo quoted lyrics from Sublime. Cass compared Amore to Mike Trout, which actually got some boos. Enzo said he was on the verge of hitting a home run with Banks when Chris “Bon Jovi” Jericho robbed him.
Enzo said he and Cass were some Anaheim Angels taking a Stairway to Heaven and Jericho was on a Highway to Hell. Amore welcomed Jericho to the Jungle, “You’re going down.”
Jericho walked out and said Enzo was more irritating than “Achy Breaky Heart.” He said the only reason Amore was still on Raw was because every time Enzo made a mess, he had a 7-foot maid to clean it up for him. Jericho said Cass may be Enzo’s backup, but he had his own backup. Kevin Owens walked out with Jericho.
Jericho admitted he had Owens had problems when they first met, but Jericho talked to JimMartin Luetter in Winnipeg and Owens has his back. Jericho, sounding uncertain, asked Owens if has his back. Owens didn’t answer at first, but said he thought it was a rhetorical question and said he had Jericho’s back.
Cass wondered if they had each other’s back the same way Bert and Ernie had each other’s back washing each other’s back in a bathtub.
Owens said he used to like Cass in NXT because he could relate to him. Owens had a waste of space by his side that was doing nothing but holding him down (referring to Sami Zayn). Unlike him, Cass didn’t get rid of the dead weight and carried it with him to Raw.
Even worse, Owens had to listen to Enzo every week, so he doesn’t like Cass anymore and he didn’t care that Cass was seven foot tall, he was going to hurt him. Owens stared at Cass, seemed to reconsider, and said that if he can’t beat Cass up, then Jericho would. Jericho looked at Cass and said if Owens doesn’t want to hurt Cass, he would.
Cass challenged him to a fight. Jericho said he wasn’t talking to Cass. Cass said Jericho was looking right at him. Jericho said he was referring to the “Hip Hop Hobbit.” Jericho said Enzo should watch it. Enzo said he didn’t know what “It” was that Jericho kept talking about, but he was going to find out and shove it down Jericho’s throat.
Chris Jericho defeated Enzo Amore by DQ (11:10)
Owens interfered, grabbing Amore from behind. Jericho hit the codebreaker on Amore. Cass hit the ring and gave Jericho a big boot for the DQ. Jericho and Owens celebrated like they had just won a gold medal in the Olympics, complete with Owens mocking Amore’s “How you doin’?’ by asking “How are you?”
Post-match, Cass challenged Jericho and Owens to a tag team match at SummerSlam in Brooklyn. Owens accepted.
Mick Foley talked to an absent Stephanie McMahon on a cell phone when Sasha Banks walked up. Banks said her match with Charlotte at SummerSlam should be a handicap match because of how often Dana Brooke interferes, referring to last week’s match where Charlotte beat Banks in a tag match. She didn’t sound like she was being sarcastic.
Foley said he would book Banks vs. Brooke tonight. If Banks wins, then Brooke would be banned from ringside for the match at SummerSlam. If Brooke wins, then the match at SummerSlam would be a handicap match and the deck would be stacked against Banks.
Braun Strowman defeated Jorel Nelson (:50)
Braun Strowman used the reverse chokeslam for this week’s squash victory. Byron Saxton did a pre-match interview with Nelson asking him why he took the match against Strowman. Nelson got a blank look of fear on his face and said nothing. Saxton’s mannerisms look like Vince McMahon from the 1970s during these stand-up interviews.
Foley ran into Puff Daddy backstage. Combs mentioned the Bad Boy family was going on tour again. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods walked in. Woods congratulated Combs on being the Executive Producer of the WWE 2K17 video game.
Combs asked about Big E’s nuts. Kingston said Anderson and Gallows were like the Vanilla Ice of the tag team division. Woods alluded that Big E wasn’t there tonight.
Darren Young defeated Titus O’Neal (1:57)
After Titus O’Neal used a schoolboy cradle while holding the trunks to pin Darren Young last week, Young used a schoolboy cradle while holding the trunks to pin O’Neal this week. Young looked like he got caught by a knee to the face in the match’s opening spot. Bob Backlund was with Young and went wild again after the win.
Rollins came out for the 9:00 PM promo. He said the new era of the WWE is upon us and he must admit he’s learned a thing or two. Case in point, Finn Balor. He followed Balor’s career for a long time and figured Balor was a second-rate version of himself.
He said Balor was Jared Leto to his Heath Ledger. But after Balor kicked him in the head last week, he was forced to reevaluate his thoughts about Balor.
Rollins said everyone knew Balor was athletic, agile, and a lethal striker, but he was no normal man. Rollins said Balor wasn’t even his real name. He said Finn Balor was an Irish mythology name. Finn meant “Irish warrior” and Balor meant “Demon King.”
Rollins laughed and said that would be like calling himself Rambo Apocalypse. Rollins said Balor is one of the most disrespectful human beings he’s ever encountered because Raw was his show and this was his ring. Yet Balor had the arrogance to get in his face last week and say he was going to beat him for the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
Rollins said of all the people Balor has beaten, he hasn’t beaten Rollins. Rollins was furious that Balor said his chance at the Universal Championship was handed to him. He brought up overcoming his knee injury. Rollins said he knew his place in the WWE: the very top.
Rollins said he didn’t need to surround himself with smoke and mirrors, myths and legends. He knows who he is and what he’s capable of. He is the myth, he is the legend, and he is the man.
In 200 years, when parents sit around the fireplace with their kids, they’re going to tell stories about how Rollins rode in on his white horse and crushed the face of the man who runs the place. Parents would tell stories of Rollins conquering the Roman Empire (which got cheers, one of the first things in this interview that got a reaction).
Cesaro defeated Sheamus (10:57)
Cesaro won after a ref bump. The referee nearly got sandwiched in the corner after an Irish Whip. With the referee standing between them, Sheamus landed a punch on Cesaro, but the referee went down. Sheamus had the pin with a schoolboy cradle, but no ref.
As Sheamus got up to revive the ref, Cesaro used his own schoolboy cradle to win. Had the same finish in the previous match. This was a rematch from last week. If you’ll recall, Foley told the winner of last week’s match they would get a title shot. That was never mentioned this week. Instead, they claimed Foley ordered a rematch because there wasn’t a decisive winner last week, even though Cesaro won with his finisher.
A series of near falls about 8:00 in got the fans involved. Cesaro threw a dropkick on Sheamus where he was standing on the top rope. Near falls for Sheamus after the Irish Curse and White Noise. Solid match.
They aired a video package building up Lesnar/Orton. They aired footage of Lesnar winning the NCAA Heavyweight Championship at Minnesota on ESPN. That led to footage from Ohio Valley Wrestling with the voice of Jim Cornette included.
Orton talked about how Lesnar left the WWE in 2004 because he didn’t like people, which pissed Orton off. Lesnar did a promo saying that he didn’t care what Orton thought of him, how Orton was just another guy just like the rest of the guys in the locker room. Paul Heyman said Orton was the best surfer on the beach. He can surf better than anyone but he forgets about the shark waiting to eat him up.
Orton said he was going to kill the legend of Lesnar and this was the biggest match in SummerSlam history.
Lesnar will be on Raw next week.
Neville & Sin Cara defeated the Dudley Boyz (5:19)
Neville pinned D-Von Dudley with the Red Arrow. Bubba Ray Dudley accidentally clotheslined D-Von, which led to the finish. This match was set up during the pregame show when the Dudleyz bullied Neville around during an interview and ordered him to go find a partner. Bubba did some facial expressions like he was pissed at D-Von after the loss.
Rusev and Lana had their celebration of love in honor of getting married last week. Lana came out in her wedding dress. There were several wedding cakes (you know where this is headed), a bottle of champagne, and a bouquet of flowers in the ring.
Lana said she was Rusev’s princess, and when you marry a princess, you’re supposed to give her a wedding of her dreams. Lana said none of the fans could attend because it was VIP only. Fans started chanting “What” and Rusev laughed at them.
Lana said they would reenact their special day for everyone. Rusev said Lana was beautiful and she was all his. She kissed his bicep. Lana introduced a video of the wedding, which was really a slideshow of Lana and Rusev on a beach and various photos.
Crowd chanted “boring.” Rusev acted like they chanted “More” but said they had no more portraits. Lana said the fans couldn’t afford a one-bedroom apartment, much less a beach. She talked about her custom-made dress made by a Russian designer. Rusev brought up the cakes which cost more than any of the fans make in a month.
Lana said they wrote their own vows and they would relive their special moment. Many heads turned to the back waiting for Roman Reigns to come out. Lana ordered fans to pull out their cell phones to take pictures of this moment. Almost no one did. Reigns finally came out. He still got a mixed reaction even after being demoted.
Reigns said he wasn’t there to fight Rusev, he was in the back watching the video and noticed that Rusev didn’t have a best man. So Reigns figured he needed to step up and be the best man. So he said he should pour drinks and toast them. Rusev refused. So Reigns challenged Rusev to a match for the U.S. Championship at SummerSlam.
Rusev declined that, as well. Reigns said then Rusev would have to hear his toast. Reigns poured some champagne, guzzled it, and thanked them because he had never seen a wedding between a Bulgarian Sasquatch and a mail order bride.
Reigns said he was disappointed in Rusev, he was expecting more, just like Lana was expecting more on her wedding night.
Rusev jumped Reigns and they brawled. Rusev put the fists to Reigns. But Reigns rose up and hit Rusev with an uppercut, Rusev bumped into Lana, who took the predictable face-first bump into the wedding cake. Reigns walked out. Lana did a great job getting the cake everywhere on her.
Backstage, Rusev screamed at Foley as Lana stood covered in icing. Rusev demanded that Foley do something. So Foley ordered Rusev to face Reigns for the U.S. Championship at SummerSlam.
WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defeated Dana Brooke in a non-title match, so Banks vs. Charlotte will be an one-on-one match at SummerSlam (2:41)
A collection of mistimed spots, the worst of all at the finish. Charlotte was supposed to accidentally slap Brooke while aiming for Banks. The problem was Charlotte was slow on the trigger. By the time Banks moved, Charlotte hadn’t even started her motion yet. It looked like Charlotte slapped Brooke on purpose when that wasn’t the case.
Banks won with the double knees to the gut off the second rope.
Balor did a pre-taped interview with eerie music playing in the background and smoke hovering around him. Balor said what Rollins called disrespect, he calls honest. What Rollins calls arrogance, he calls confidence. What Rollins calls ignorance, he calls irony.
Balor brought up various myths and Finn MacCool, a giant who threw a piece of land into the sea and created the Isle of Man. He brought up the Banshee, whose wails signaled the end. And the King of the Demons, Balor. When Balor’s evil eye opens, the world ends. First the grass burns, then the seas boil, then the air catches fire and all of humanity falls.
Balor said these aren’t just stories, these are sources of power. When a warrior enters a great battle, when he knows his limbs and flesh aren’t enough, he can tap into the stories and become a man greater them himself. Rollins has never seen a demon like him, and at SummerSlam, Rollins will see the Demon King.
Then the camera zoomed in on Balor’s eyes, which transformed into black makeup like Gene Simmons’ makeup. Much better interview presentation for Balor here.
Later on, it was announced that Rollins would call out the Demon King next week.
Anderson and Gallows did a comedy promo where they stood in white robes proclaiming themselves doctors. They said some tag teams in the WWE are suffering from “Ringpostitis.” They showed repeated highlights of Big E’s crotch getting rammed into the post last week.
They had various double entendres about testicles as Anderson said Kingston could suffer from ringpostitis later tonight.
Luke Gallows defeated Kofi Kingston (1:31)
Gallows won with the Festus Flip, which is a Fireman’s Carry into a flap jack. Same move that Tama Tonga uses. Anderson tried to interfere, but Woods stopped him. However, Anderson threw Woods into the post. Post-match, Gallows and Anderson tried to give Kingston ringpostitis, but Woods sent the heels scrambling with a chair.
Foley did an interview and said he lived by a philosophy “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and an ear for an ear.” But that was a rule of thumb that was archaic and against goodwill. He brought out Daniel Bryan for the big reaction.
Bryan said it pains him to say it, but Foley has been doing an excellent job as the Raw GM. Foley put over Bryan’s work on SmackDown and his work with Mauro Ranallo during the Cruiserweight Classic. Fans chanted “Yes” as the two proceeded with the script.
Foley apologized for Lesnar’s actions on SmackDown laying out Orton. Bryan said Foley didn’t have to apologize because SmackDown fired the first shot since Orton gave Lesnar an RKO on Raw last week. The two dropped the good nature when Foley showed a video where Bryan joked about the name of the Universal Championship.
Rusev came out and said Raw doesn’t need another champion, it has a champion and it was him. Rusev said the next time a SmackDown wrestler showed up on Raw, he was going to crush him in honor of the great Raw GM, Foley. Bryan wondered if Rusev was trying to kiss up to Foley in order to get out of his match with Reigns.
Cesaro came out and said Rusev was having a bad night and he had an idea to make it worse. Foley said he could earn a championship opportunity and he’s proven the last two weeks he deserves one.
Foley said Sheamus did almost have Cesaro beat. Cesaro thought Foley was a man of his word. Bryan butted in and said he thought Cesaro was being underutilized on Raw. Foley stopped Bryan and ordered an immediate U.S. Championship match between Cesaro and Rusev.
United States Champion Rusev defeated Cesaro to retain his title (9:36)
Rusev won after Sheamus interfered. Rusev hit a thrust kick after Sheamus gave Cesaro a Brogue Kick. Cesaro had a 5-rep Giant Swing that turned into a Sharpshooter. At that point, Sheamus ran down. Cesaro went after Sheamus, allowing Rusev to hit a thrust kick. Cesaro kicked out. Crowd was dying for a title switch at this point.
Rusev went for the Accolade, but Cesaro escaped and pushed Rusev into the referee, who also collided with Sheamus. Cesaro hit the Gotch Neutralizer, and had him pinned, but there was no ref. Earlier, the crowd popped when Rusev escaped the Accolade by hitting the Electric Chair.
Post-match, Reigns ran out and gave Rusev a spear on the floor.
