Raquel Rodriguez is next in line for a Women’s Intercontinental title match.
Rodriguez earned a future shot at Lyra Valkyria by defeating Bayley on Raw. The end of the match saw both Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio interfere. Bayley knocked Morgan off the apron and went for a dive on the outside but Rodriguez countered by slamming her onto the announce table. Bayley was able to make it back into the ring before the count of ten, but Raquel connected with a big boot and a tejana bomb for the win.
Valkyria won the title back on the January 13 edition of Raw, defeating Dakota Kai in the finals to crown the first-ever champion. She last defended it on the March 3, where she defeated Ivy Nile. She also recently defeated Dakota Kai in a rematch.
Since her return at last year’s Bad Blood, Rodriguez has been a part of Judgment Day, mostly associating herself with Liv Morgan and assisting her during Morgan’s run with the Women’s World title. On the February 24 edition of Raw, they defeated Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill to win the Women’s Tag Team titles.
WWE has added a new match to the lineup for Monday’s edition of Raw.
On Saturday, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce posted a video on social media announcing that Dakota Kai will return to action on the show. She’ll team with IYO Sky against Judgment Day’s Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez. Kai had been in concussion protocol after taking a stiff-looking springboard dropkick from Zoey Stark on the January 20 episode.
Pearce also announced that CM Punk and AJ Styles will be on tomorrow’s show from Nashville.
Pearce said:
“Quick update: Dakota Kai is back. She will be with us tomorrow night in action, teaming with IYO Sky. That’s right, Damage CTRL takes on Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Plus, the face that runs the place, AJ Styles, will be in the house live, as will be the man that punched his ticket to the Elimination Chamber, CM Punk. Plus, don’t forget two qualifying matches for the Chamber—Bayley takes on Lyra Valkyria, and Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio goes one-on-one with Logan Paul. All that and so much more tomorrow night live from Music City, Nashville.”
Date: December 9, 2024 Location: Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, KS
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Show Recap —
Raw started with technical issues (at least, that was the case on Sportsnet in Canada). You could hear everything starting as usual, with various wrestlers arriving, but the actual video feed was frozen on an establishing shot of the city and then a still shot of Gunther from his match against Dominik Mysterio last week.
The live stream was fixed as Gunther entered to start the show. Gunther said Finn Bálor has made a grave mistake. Bálor had his attention, and Saturday Night’s Main Event would not end up like Survivor Series.
Judgment Day (minus Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez) interrupted. Bálor didn’t appreciate that Gunther passed over him for a title match to instead face Dominik Mysterio, who didn’t deserve it. (Dom looked over at him but didn’t react too much.)
Bálor said he was the only reason Gunther was still champion. SNME wouldn’t be like Survivor Series because Gunther wasn’t retaining the title because of him—he would lose the title because of him. After eight long years, Bálor would walk out as World Heavyweight Champion.
Gunther said Bálor didn’t earn his title shot. Bálor did become the first Universal Champion eight years ago and Gunther looked up to him. That respect faded away over the years because Bálor began cutting corners. He took shortcuts and aligned himself with weirdos in a clubhouse. He chose to play second fiddle to Damian Priest.
There was no respect left and now Gunther looked down on him. Bálor was the best in the world eight years ago—for one night. Gunther was the best in the world right now and for thousands of days to come, and his title proved it. Bálor would not win on Saturday because he was not on Gunther’s level.
Judgment Day took offence, so they hit the apron but stopped what they were doing upon hearing Priest’s music. They ran after Priest instead, and he laid everyone out by himself. Bálor tried attacking from behind, but Priest chucked him into the ring. Gunther and Priest took turns attacking Bálor.
They were not on the same page, though, because Gunther clotheslined Priest. Gunther was about to powerbomb Priest onto the announce table, but Bálor attacked Gunther before going after Priest.
Bálor gave Gunther a Coup de Grace off the apron. Priest attacked the rest of Judgment Day in the ring until Bálor attacked him from behind. Bálor hit Priest with the Coup de Grace three times as Gunther looked on. Judgment Day stood tall.
(Bálor stood tall but this segment didn’t make him look like any sort of threat. He and his buddies got beat up by Priest alone and only stood tall after Gunther attacked Priest. He’ll probably get a nearfall with his finisher on Saturday, and that’ll be that.)
After a break, Adam Pearce informed Bálor that the world title match at SNME was now a triple threat with Priest. Bálor was fine with this because it would be even more satisfying when he beat them both.
Bálor was less happy when Pearce told him that he and JD McDonagh would defend the tag titles against the War Raiders next week with Judgment Day banned from ringside. They were pissed. Liv Morgan (sarcastically) asked Bálor if he had any advice for their matches tonight since he had everything under control. Bálor was stunned and couldn’t find the words.
********
Professional bull rider Koltin Hevalow was shown at ringside.
Eight-man tag team match: Karrion Kross, AOP & The Miz (w/Scarlett) defeated The Wyatt Sicks (9:02)
Kross pinned Uncle Howdy.
This was the first match for the Wyatts since September. Bo Dallas wrestled in his Uncle Howdy mask. The other members wrestled without masks.
They seriously went to commercial 25 seconds into the match (after Miz saved Kross from a Sister Abigail). After the break, Final Testament was randomly in control of Joe Gacy until he quickly made a hot tag to Erick Rowan. Rowan had Miz pinned, but AOP broke up the cover, so Dexter Lumis and Gacy got rid of them with dives.
Uncle Howdy tagged in and beat up Miz until Kross tagged himself in. Uncle Howdy went for a dive, but Scarlett tripped him. Nikki Cross appeared out of nowhere to take out Scarlett. (Cross didn’t enter with her team, so you knew she’d show up as a “surprise” at some point.)
Howdy went for Sister Abigail on Kross, but Miz saved him again. As Kross distracted the referee, Howdy went after Miz but the returning Paul Ellering chucked powder in his face. Kross gave Uncle Howday a Final Prayer (F5 variation) for the pinfall win.
This wasn’t good.
********
CM Punk sit-down interview
Jackie Redmond had a pre-taped sit-down interview with CM Punk. Punk said they would fight if she asked about the Chicago Blackhawks. He laughed when she responded, “No, I’m going to ask you about something much more relevant.” (That was good.)
Redmond asked about the favour. Punk said it wasn’t the right time to talk about it. He went back many years with Paul Heyman and it would stay between them for now.
Remond asked about Seth Rollins. Punk said he wouldn’t shy away from a fight but was confused about Rollins’ hatred. He didn’t hate Rollins at all, and they had a long history. A 16-year-old Rollins went to Punk and asked for wrestling training—for free. That entitlement has carried over into the adult Rollins.
Rollins wanted to be on everyone’s ten top list of best wrestlers of all time, but there was a time when he was on a top ten list to be fired from WWE. Punk “shielded” him from that. Punk would hate Punk, too, if he had to live in his shadow. Everything Rollins did, Punk did already and did it before him.
Rollins did a fantastic job while Punk was gone to fill the void, but the starter was back, and the second-string guy could now go back to the bench.
********
Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defeated Dakota Kai in a non-title match (approx. 6 minutes)
They went to break 45 seconds into this one. Morgan was in control after the break, and Pure Fusion Collective marched out to watch from ringside. Morgan tried three amigos, but Kai countered the last suplex and made a comeback but became distracted dealing with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark at ringside.
Morgan responded with a Codebreaker but Kai countered a missile dropkick into a powerbomb. Kai was distracted again, this time by Sonya Deville on the apron, and Kai knocked her off. The referee was fine with all of this. Kai went for a running boot but Morgan avoided it and hit Oblivion for the pinfall win.
(This was another nothing much with too much going on outside the ring.)
PFC attacked Kai post-match but Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane made the save. Sane wiped out PFC with a dive. Sky had her back turned, so Morgan laid her out with Oblivion. Morgan stood tall.
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Drew McIntyre video
There was a Drew McIntyre pre-taped video promo. McIntyre called HIAC the most violent match of his career, and he suffered massive blood loss. He had to return to Scotland after that because his family needed him. While he was away, he wondered if he was wrong and wondered if everyone else was right. Maybe people could change.
But then he watched Survivor Series. Roman Reigns teamed with Punk. Sami Zayn and the Usos were right there with them, even after everything Reigns did. At least Punk took a bribe. The rest of them sold out for nothing. That’s when he knew he had to return to take out Zayn and Jey Uso. He can’t change the past, but he can change the present, “and I will change the future.”
********
[SECOND HOUR]
Joe Tessitore gave a shout-out to Barry Sanders, a native of Wichita. He also gave a shout-out to another Wichita native, MrBeast of all people.
There was a video recap of the New Day angle last week.
Cody Rhodes was shown leaving a meeting with Pearce. He bumped into Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Rhodes said he’s known them a long time. He’s known Woods since they were kids. But they should both be ashamed of themselves. Kingston and Woods left.
(I believe Woods and Rhodes were both high school wrestlers and faced each other representing different schools.)
********
Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn segment
Rollins entered. He said Punk had a career as a politician in his future because he knew how to spin the truth. Punk spun the truth and played the victim. He’s been doing it his entire life. He was a fraud and a con man.
Rollins told his version of the story. He did go to Punk and asked for training. Punk helped him get in the door. They were friends. The part of the story Punk left out tells you why Rollins hated him.
When Punk walked out of the company, Rollins called him as a friend. Punk never responded. It wasn’t just Rollins. Punk did it to everyone. If your priorities didn’t line up with Team Punk, you were evil. For the next ten years, all Punk tried to do was tear this company down. He took any shot he could.
Punk finally came back because he failed at everything. He burned every bridge—and the money was right. The crowd chanted for Punk.
Rollins used to respect Punk. He wanted to be just like him. But he realized Punk was a fraud and wanted to be better. Whatever Punk has done in this ring, Rollins has done it twice. Rollins also did the one thing Punk never did and that was main event WrestleMania.
Sami Zayn interrupted. Zayn admitted it was wrong of him to accuse Rollins of attacking Jey. Zayn knew him better than that. Zayn apologized. Rollins spoke about how close they were and that their kids played together, so he wanted to know why he was the first person Zayn thought of when Jey went down.
Zayn said Rollins was out of his mind last week. He was pointing his finger at everyone else and acted like the only person with moral clarity. He sounded less like Rollins and more like McIntyre. Rollins was a better person than McIntyre but this thing with Punk brought out the worst person in him.
Zayn admitted he shouldn’t have gotten involved. The issue with Punk was Rollins’ business, and he could handle it however he wanted. Rollins appreciated it. Zayn asked if they were good. Rollins said yes. Rollins said Zayn now had his own issues with McIntyre to deal with. He left.
Zayn wanted to end things with McIntyre as quickly as they’d started, so he spoke to Pearce and got a match against McIntyre at SNME. “Drew, I will see you Saturday.” As Zayn left, McIntyre blindsided him. McIntyre hammered away at him until officials stepped in.
********
Women’s IC title tournament first-round triple threat match: Lyra Valkyria defeated Ivy Nile and Zelina Vega (7:46)
Continuing the trend, they went to break 47 seconds into this. As Valkyria and Nile traded counters, Vega nailed them both with a senton. Vega took a page out of Rey Mysterio’s book and gave Nile a sliding powerbomb outside the ring. Later on, Nile simultaneously gave both women a German suplex. Vega hit Nile a Code Red, but Valkyria broke up the cover. Valkyria gave Nile a Nightwing for the pinfall win. Valkyria advances.
********
New Day segment
Cathy Kelley tried interviewing Kingston and Woods backstage. They were loudly booed and greeted with “New Day sucks” chants. Kingston and Woods were dismissive of her unbiased questioning and decided they should go to the ring. Woods grabbed a camera away from the cameraperson and went to the ring with Kingston. (He put the camera down once they entered.)
The crowd continued to chant, “New Day sucks.” They loudly booed as Kingston spoke. He said after the ten years of positivity that the two of them gave the fans, “You’re this mad over one day?” Woods couldn’t speak because the crowd kept booing. Fans chanted, “We want Big E.” Woods responded, “We didn’t even do anything to E!”
Kingston said they could’ve taken a steel chair to E’s back or a sledgehammer to the back of his head. Kingston may have had more examples but stopped because of the crowd. They chanted for Big E again. Woods had more to stay but was drowned out again. They both dropped their mics and left.
This was great.
********
SNME card:
World Heavyweight Championship triple threat match: Gunther vs. Finn Bálor vs. Damian Priest
Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre
Women’s World Championship match: Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky
Women’s United States Championship Tournament final
Ripley attacked Rodriguez during her entrance, and the match began once they entered the ring. Ripley was all over Rodriguez and grabbed a table, but Rodriguez grabbed her and gave her a fallaway slam onto the announce desk.
They dropped each other with big boots after a break. Ripley went on offence and (safely) dropkicked a chair into Rodriguez’s face. Rodriguez dumped Ripley face-first onto the top turnbuckle for two. They messed up whatever spot they had planned involving a chair, so Ripley nailed her with another chair to make up for it.
It was time for more interference, so Morgan ran out. Ripley yanked her into the ring, but Rodriguez booted Ripley and slammed her on some chairs for two. Ripley avoided a Tejana Bomb and headbutted Rodriguez. Ripley set up for Rip-tide, but Morgan saved Rodriguez. Ripley fought them off initially, but Morgan gave her an Oblivion.
Sky ran out and took out Morgan with a springboard dropkick and suicide dive.
Rodriguez set up a table but Ripley drove her shoulder-first into a chair that was wedged in the corner. Ripley followed with a Rip-tide through a table for the pinfall win. The crowd was happy.
This was a perfectly cromulent street fight.
— After the match, Sky and Ripley both grabbed the title belt. They stood face-to-face as the show ended.
Rhea Ripley’s issues with The Judgment Day will continue on next week’s WWE Raw in one of three matches announced for the show.
Ripley will take on The Judgment Day’s Raquel Rodriguez next week following an angle on this week’s episode where Rodriguez threw Ripley into the announce table eye-first. Ripley has just returned from an orbital bone injury.
The Women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament also continues on next week’s Raw with a quarterfinals tripe threat matchup. It will be Lyra Valkyria vs. Ivy Nile vs. Zelina Vega next week with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
An eight-man tag team match is also set for next week as the feud between The Wyatt Sicks and The Final Testament continues. Final Testament’s Karrion Kross, Akam, Rezar, and The Miz, with Scarlett in their corner, will face Bo Dallas, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, and Erick Rowan, with Nikki Cross in the Wyatt Sicks’ corner.
Raw GM Adam Pearce also revealed that he will discuss The Judgment Day’s next Tag Team title defense with Finn Balor on next week’s episode. Balor and McDonagh hold the World Tag Team titles.
The announced lineup for next week’s Raw:
Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament quarterfinals: Lyra Valkyria vs. Ivy Nile vs. Zelina Vega
Wyatt Sicks (Bo Dallas, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan & Dexter Lumis) w/Nikki Cross vs. Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam, Rezar & The Miz) w/Scarlett
A storyline from the Raw brand continued on Tuesday’s NXT.
Ava was talking to Robert Stone and Stevie Turner regarding next week’s show at the ECW Arena when referees ran past her and into the parking lot. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were seen walking away from the scene with baseball bats as referees found Ripley a bloody mess outside of her car.
A few moments earlier, Ripley made a surprise appearance on NXT, giving the likes of Zaria, Stephanie Vaquer, Giulia, Jordynne Grace, and Kelani Jordan a pep talk ahead of their match next week at the 2300 Arena, where they will face Fatal Influence, Roxanne Perez, and Cora Jade. Ripley told them to “blow the bloody roof off.”
At Bad Blood earlier this month, Rodriguez made her return and cost Ripley a chance to regain the Women’s World title from Morgan. On Monday’s Raw, Ripley said that while she had made mistakes in the past, it was now only about winning the Women’s World title and they would have to kill her in order to stop her.
The finish to Saturday’s match between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley saw Dominik Mysterio fall out of the shark cage hanging above the entranceway, dangling by one foot caught in the cage. Ripley proceeded to take care of “unfinished business”, as she explained to the referee, by taking out a kendo stick and beating Mysterio with it. She was then attacked by Rodriguez, who took Ripley back into the ring and gave her a tejana bomb for the DQ finish.
The end of the segment saw former Women’s Tag Team Champions Rodriguez and Morgan reunite as they went over to Mysterio, who was still recovering from his beating.
Rodriguez has been out of action for most of 2024, revealing in January that she had been suffering from a skin condition called mast cell activation syndrome. She returned the following month and competed at the Elimination Chamber premium live event, where her MCAS flared up. Shortly after the match, she was listed as being out of action on WWE’s internal roster.
Raquel Rodriguez has reportedly been pulled from the active roster.
Rodriguez hasn’t wrestled since the WWE Raw on February 26 after the Elimination Chamber. PWInsider is reporting that she is currently listed internally along with other wrestlers who are out of action.
It’s not clear what led to Rodriguez being pulled from the active roster but she posted a picture from a Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy chamber over the weekend.
Rodriguez has also been open about her struggles with mast cell activation syndrome, which “is a condition that causes mast cells to release an inappropriate amount of chemicals into your body. This causes allergy symptoms and a wide range of other symptoms.”
Following the Elimination Chamber event last month, Rodriguez revealed on Instagram that her MCAS flared up on the flight to Perth. Rodriguez was also out from December to mid-February dealing with the condition.
She wrote:
If you had told me that on the long flight to Perth Australia for the first time it was gonna blow my face up and turn me the same color as my pink satin pillow case (might have been the makeup on Monday too) I would have still jumped on that flight! Maybe my trip didn’t go as planned but I’m still learning this new body of mine. A big part of being a female Wrestler for WWE is getting to sit in that makeup chair with our amazing makeup team who I love so much and getting to get dolled up. It’s part of being a girl. It’s part of feeling fully the part. At the end of the night, I’m proud I went out there Alicia Keys style. Even if this trip didn’t go as planned I am still grateful that I was blessed to be in Elimination Chamber in Perth Australia with 5 other talented women! And I got to hug a koala bear so it was a win for me thank you so much to the lovely Vanessa of @lymphaticmassageperth for seeing me last minute 3 times to help me feel my best for the chamber. Your grace, kindness and knowledge was a Godsend
Thank you to @westozwildlife for the hugs and animal love! A big thank you to the entire WWE medical team! And so much love to my family & friends for the late and early phone calls, prayers and constantly checking on me los amo! On to a long flight home
Rodriguez was one of the participants in the women’s Elimination Chamber match in Australia on Saturday. Becky Lynch won the match and will challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 40.
In an Instagram post after the event, Rodriguez revealed that her MCAS flared up on the flight to Perth. Rodriguez’s face turned swollen and pink, but she was still able to compete as scheduled. Rodriguez expressed her appreciation for WWE’s medical team. She also thanked her family and friends for checking in on her:
If you had told me that on the long flight to Perth Australia for the first time it was gonna blow my face up and turn me the same color as my pink satin pillow case (might have been the makeup on Monday too) I would have still jumped on that flight! Maybe my trip didn’t go as planned but I’m still learning this new body of mine. A big part of being a female Wrestler for WWE is getting to sit in that makeup chair with our amazing makeup team who I love so much and getting to get dolled up. It’s part of being a girl. It’s part of feeling fully the part. At the end of the night, I’m proud I went out there Alicia Keys style. Even if this trip didn’t go as planned I am still grateful that I was blessed to be in Elimination Chamber in Perth Australia with 5 other talented women! And I got to hug a koala bear so it was a win for me thank you so much to the lovely Vanessa of @lymphaticmassageperth for seeing me last minute 3 times to help me feel my best for the chamber. Your grace, kindness and knowledge was a Godsend
Thank you to @westozwildlife for the hugs and animal love! A big thank you to the entire WWE medical team! And so much love to my family & friends for the late and early phone calls, prayers and constantly checking on me los amo! On to a long flight home
Before returning on Raw this past Monday, Rodriguez had been out of action since December due to MCAS. Rodriguez won a battle royal on Raw to become the final participant to qualify for the women’s Elimination Chamber match.
Rodriguez noted after her return that she had finally gotten some answers about what caused the MCAS, but it’s going to be a while until she can get the condition fully under control.
MCAS “is a condition that causes mast cells to release an inappropriate amount of chemicals into your body. This causes allergy symptoms and a wide range of other symptoms.”
Lynch, Rodriguez, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, and Tiffany Stratton were the six wrestlers who took part in the women’s Elimination Chamber match.
On WWE Raw this week, Raquel Rodriguez returned to the ring for the first time since December.
Rodriguez, who suffers from eczema, revealed in January that she was battling mast cell activation syndrome, a condition that caused Rodriguez to be red and swollen and kept her from traveling, wrestling, and going to the gym. Rodriguez said the condition made it so she didn’t want to look in the mirror or be on camera, but she was grateful to her family for being the best support system in the world.
In a social media post after making her return, Rodriguez gave an update on her battle with the condition.
“The journey is far from over. I finally got some answers as to what caused this but it’s going to be a while til I can get it fully under control,” Rodriguez wrote today.
The journey is far from over. I finally got some answers as to what caused this but it’s going to be a while til I can get it fully under control.
I know one thing. I’m blessed to have an amazing support system. Family, friends, I love you all❤️
Rodriguez won a last-chance battle royal on Raw, earning her the final spot in the women’s Elimination Chamber match. It will be Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Rodriguez at Elimination Chamber this Saturday. The winner earns a Women’s World Championship shot at WrestleMania 40.
Rhea Ripley currently holds the Women’s World Championship. She’s defending the title against Nia Jax at Elimination Chamber.
Raquel Rodriguez is back, and will be competing on Saturday.
Rodriguez entered the last chance battle royal held on Raw, eliminating Chelsea Green to qualify for the final spot in the Elimination Chamber match that takes place this Saturday in Perth, Australia. The finish of the match had Rodriguez throw Zoey Stark out of the ring, celebrating but not yet realizing Green had not been eliminated. Green then attempted to throw Rodriguez out, but Rodriguez countered and threw Green over the top rope to win.
Other participants in the Elimination Chamber match include Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, and Tiffany Stratton.
Back in January, Rodriguez revealed she had been out of action due to mast cell activation syndrome.
“Basically, I was red, swollen, there was a lot happening in this area physically,” she said at the time, motioning around her face. “It kept me from doing the things that I love like traveling, going to the gym and wrestling. I also didn’t want to be on camera, I didn’t want to look in the mirror.”
Rodriguez last wrestled on December 3, losing to Nia Jax at a house show.
Rodriguez posted a video on Instagram Monday night announcing that she is currently dealing with mast cell activation syndrome, a condition that has kept her out of action for the last month.
“So long story short, last year I posted a video about being a WWE superstar with eczema. In the month of December, it got progressively worse and I have been diagnosed with something called mast cell activation syndrome. Basically, I was red, swollen, there was a lot happening in this area physically,” she said, motioning around her face. “It kept me from doing the things that I love like traveling, going to the gym and wrestling. I also didn’t want to be on camera, I didn’t want to look in the mirror.”
Rodriguez said that she has the best support system and thanked fans for their kind words.
“Thank God I moved back to Texas when I did because I have the best support system in the world during this time, which is my family. I’m so grateful to them and for everything they have done for me, and to you guys as well, who have sent me kind messages and reminded me that I didn’t have to go through this alone.”
On Instagram, the post’s caption said “I will share more on my healing journey later on when I have a better understanding of what’s happening but for now I love y’all and Happy New Year.”
Rodriguez last wrestled on December 3, losing to Nia Jax at a house show in Portland, Maine.
Though Dominik Mysterio was banned from ringside, that didn’t stop there from being interference in the main event of last night’s Raw.
Nia Jax made her surprise return to WWE by getting involved in Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s World Championship. Rodriguez gave Ripley a Tejana Bomb on the apron and then rolled Ripley back into the ring. As the referee was checking on Ripley, Jax ambushed Rodriguez and laid her out with a Samoan Drop on the floor.
Ripley then hit Riptide on Rodriguez in the ring to retain the Women’s World Championship.
But Jax wasn’t there to help Ripley. She headbutted Ripley after the match, hit a leg drop, and then crashed onto Ripley with a Banzai Drop.
Jax was released by WWE in November 2021. This January, she returned as an entrant in the 2023 women’s Royal Rumble match. WWE Shop released a new T-shirt for Jax following that appearance, but she wasn’t on WWE television again until last night.
Ripley hit Riptide on Jax prior to Jax’s elimination in the women’s Royal Rumble. Jax now looks to have her sights set on taking the Women’s World Championship from Ripley.
Date: September 11, 2023 Location: Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, VA
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Show Recap —
Raw kicked off with fireworks before the announcers ran down tonight’s show.
Jey Uso entered to start the show and received a very big reaction. Jey said it felt good to be out of the Bloodline and on his own on Monday Night Raw.
Kevin Owens interrupted. Owens said Jey must’ve meant to say that he was on the Kevin Owens Show. Owens said he has been in Jey’s same situation and knew what he was going through. Owens did a lot of bad things to a lot of people. When he tried to make a change, it took a long time to earn the trust of others. In fact, many in the locker room still didn’t trust or respect him.
Owens said Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle were only two of the people who didn’t want Jey there. People who never spoke to Owens approached him recently to tell him they didn’t want Jey there.
Owens noted that Cody Rhodes seemed fine with it and Sami Zayn welcomed him with open arms. But that was it. Jey still had a long way to go to earn Owens’ respect and trust and to prove he wasn’t the same scumbag that hung with the Bloodline.
Judgment Day (minus Rhea Ripley) interrupted. Finn Bálor said Jey didn’t have to prove himself to Owens. “Grand Slam Finn” and the Judgment Day respected Jey.
Damian Priest told Owens that he doesn’t speak for the locker room because they ran the show. Priest told Jey that their door was always open. Priest said Dominik Mysterio turned them down a thousand times but now he’s the best version of himself — and a champion.
The mere mention of Dom got boos and they booed even louder when he tried to speak. I’m not sure if they increased the crowd volume or what but it was legitimately difficult to hear what he was saying.
Priest said they were supposed to have a match against Owens and Zayn but he wondered where Zayn was. Owens said Zayn wasn’t there tonight but he was willing to fight all three on his own.
Jey said he would have Owens’ back and offered to be his partner tonight. The crowd cheered. Dom yelled at Jey (off the mic) because he felt excluded.
Owens said, “Let’s do it” and Jey superkicked Dom. Owens and Jey cleared Judgment Day from the ring together.
********
Tag Team Champions Finn Bálor & Damian Priest (w/Dominik Mysterio) defeated Kevin Owens & Jey Uso in a non-title match (12:25)
Jey wiped out Priest and Bálor with a dive but Dom took the opportunity to chop-block Owens’ leg while he was on the apron. (Judgment Day had been working over Owens’ knee.)
After a break, Judgment Day had control over Owens. They didn’t explain how Owens was suddenly the legal man after he was attacked on the apron while Jey was the legal man.
Jey made a hot tag pretty quickly anyway. He ran wild on Bálor and hit a superkick but Bálor got his knees up on a splash. Owens tagged in and hammered away at Priest and hit a tornado DDT for two.
Owens went to the top but Priest cut him off. Bálor tagged in but Owens gave him an avalanche fisherman’s buster and Priest broke up the cover.
Jey went for a superkick but Priest dodged it and Jey superkicked Owens by mistake. Priest knocked Jey out of the ring while Bálor hit Owens with a Coup de Grace for the pinfall win.
— Jey tried reasoning with Owens who just walked (limped) to the back.
********
Raquel Rodriguez was shown warming up in the back and was approached by Natalya. Michael Cole said Natalya has been giving Rodriguez advice on facing Rhea Ripley.
After a break, Jey approached Owens in the back and apologized. Jey called it a miscue. Owens wasn’t buying it. He angrily told Jey to go join Judgment Day and dye his hair purple while he was at it.
There was a video package of Gunther’s win over Chad Gable last week, cementing his record reign. Imperium, all dressed in black suits, were shown arriving at the arena in a Mercedes-Benz. (Giovanni Vinci drove.)
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There was a 9/11 memorial video.
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The Miz defeated Akira Tozawa (3:11)
Tozawa started with kick strikes but Miz turned him inside out with a boot. Miz did his usual offence and won after three consecutive Skull Crushing Finales.
Miz faces LA Knight on Friday’s Smackdown.
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Byron Saxton interviewed Rodriguez. She said Ripley has taken over the women’s division because everyone loses to fear before they even step in the ring. Rodriguez said she wasn’t like everyone else and Ripley knew it. Dom wouldn’t be at ringside, either, and Ripley would learn a lesson that would feel like a nightmare. Ripley wouldn’t be the tallest, strongest or angriest woman to step into the ring tonight and she would get a taste of her own medicine.
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[SECOND HOUR]
Jackie Redmond interviewed Shayna Baszler. Baszler said Zoey Stark surprised her last week with her effort. Before she could continue, Chelsea Green interrupted to let Baszler know she was looking for a new partner because hers wasn’t cleared. Baszler said they weren’t peers and challenged her to match to show her how large the gap was between them.
After Baszler left, Piper Niven appeared to let Green know she was medically cleared. Niven took her title back from Green.
Ludwig Kaiser introduced Gunther. Gunther smiled as he stood on top of a platform with his Intercontinental title. Gunther said he rewrote history to the surprise of no one. He announced himself as the longest-reigning and greatest Intercontinental champion in history.
Gunther said it meant a lot to him. All of the legends who held the title before him meant absolutely nothing. He has elevated the title to heights never seen before and he was running out of competition.
Chad Gable interrupted. Gable said they had a main event for the ages last week and he was still feeling it this morning when he woke up. Gable congratulated Gunther.
Gunther invited Gable into the ring. Gable said he saw the look in Gunther’s eyes after their match. Gable knew that Gunther knew that Gable gave him a better fight than anyone else during his title reign.
But he also saw the look of his entire family sitting in the front row. He saw the tears on the face of his oldest daughter and that was because of Gunther. Gunther wouldn’t know what that felt like because you had to be a parent to understand. Gable said it lit a fire under him that won’t burn out until he made this right.
Gable said he beat Gunther once and would do it again. Gable didn’t know when or how he would get the opportunity but when he did, “I swear to God, I’m winning that championship. And I swear to God, my daughter is walking out with a smile on her face.”
Gunther wondered if Gable really wanted to drag his family around just to watch him lose again. He also accused Gable of using them just to gain sympathy. Gunther called him a terrible father.
Gable attacked Gunther so Imperium swarmed him. They put the boots to him until Otis rumbled out. Otis chucked Vinci and Kaiser from the ring but he was cut down by Gunther. Gable tried saving Otis but Gunther knocked him down too.
Imperium continued the beating until Tommaso Ciampa ran down with a chair. Imperium bailed.
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Earlier today, Xavier Woods approached Drew McIntyre. Woods wondered why he spoke trash about Kofi Kingston last week. McIntyre said that maybe Kingston should be a man and speak to him himself.
Woods wondered if McIntyre was jealous that Kingston won his world title at WrestleMania in front of 82,000 fans (yes, he said 82,000 — that was not the attendance of that show) while McIntyre won his in an empty arena.
McIntyre stepped to Woods who was not intimidated. McIntyre agreed to a match and said whatever happened to Woods would not be an accident.
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Redmond interviewed Ciampa and Alpha Academy. Ciampa said Adam Pearce advised him to make the most of his opportunities so he did. Gable and Otis said this was far from over. Otis suggested a six-man tag team carnage match. Gable asked Ciampa if he was in but he just walked off. Gable assumed that was a yes.
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Drew McIntyre defeated Xavier Woods (9:41)
After a break, Woods powerbombed McIntyre (who was perched on the top turnbuckle) and hit a diving leg drop for two. McIntyre blocked a clothesline and hit consecutive overhead suplexes and a neckbreaker.
McIntyre went for Claymore Kick but Woods intercepted with a superkick for two. McIntyre tried a reverse Alabama Slam but Woods countered into a victory roll for two. Woods followed with a thrust kick, senton and shining wizard for two. The crowd chanted “This is awesome.”
They traded counters but as Woods set up for a rolling forearm, McIntyre suddenly hit a Claymore Kick for the pinfall win.
(As McIntyre backed away up the ramp, he told Woods, “It didn’t have to be this way.”)
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Cody Rhodes segment
Rhodes entered to a big reaction. Rhodes wanted to talk about Main Event Jey Uso but was quickly interrupted by Dominik and JD McDonagh. The crowd loudly booed Dom again.
Dom was happy Rhodes brought Jey to Raw because he would join Judgment Day and when he did, Rhodes would look like a fool. Dom said there was nothing Rhodes could do about it (Dom flicked at Rhodes’ necktie as he said this).
Rhodes decked Dom to the delight of the crowd. McDonagh attacked Rhodes but Rhodes dealt with him easily and gave him a Cross Rhodes. Cody also gave Dom a Cross Rhodes. Dom and McDonagh backed away.
The crowd was hot for this.
(This was a rare Rhodes in-ring segment that wasn’t at the top of the hour.)
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McIntyre approached Jey in the back and told him he didn’t trust him one bit. Jey dismissively said, “Cool.” McIntyre didn’t think Jey could stand on his own two feet and said Judgment Day was probably looking good to him. Jey challenged him to a match next week and McIntyre accepted.
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NXT tomorrow: Tiffany Stratton defends her Women’s title against Becky Lynch.
Shayna Baszler defeated Tag Team Champion Chelsea Green (w/Piper Niven) (1:48)
Baszler had a confrontation with Niven outside the ring but it didn’t really lead to anything in the match. Baszler blocked Green’s Unprettier and hit a spinning Samoan Drop (Ronda Rousey’s Piper’s Pit) for the pinfall win.
— Baszler and Niven got into a brawl post-match. Niven was getting the better of it but Zoey Stark ran out and superkicked Niven. After Baszler took out Green, Niven stood up and faced off with Baszler and Stark before ultimately leaving the ring.
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Shinsuke Nakamura video promo
Nakamura wondered if Seth Rollins felt like a champion after he stood over Rollins’ broken body. He said Rollins was not honourable and wondered if the fans would still sing his song if they remembered the things he’s done.
Nakamura said the road to Rollins’ success was lined with the bodies of those who trusted him (as a clip played of Rollins turning on the Shield). Rollins believed that the weak exist to be consumed by the strong. Rollins was a manipulator, a deceiver, and a liar. He brought shame to his family and had no remorse.
Nakamura would strip him of the title and expose the lies he claimed to stand for. Rollins’ words meant nothing. “I will challenge you when I feel like it.”
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[THIRD HOUR]
Seth Rollins/Shinsuke Nakamura segment
Rollins entered. He called himself a visionary and revolutionary but also admitted to being a manipulator, a deceiver and a lair — just as Nakamura said. But he was also a father, a fighter, and your World Heavyweight Champion.
For a long time, Rollins didn’t know who he was. He surrounded himself in the Authority with people who lied to his face. Then he tried to be who everyone wanted to be, but that didn’t work out.
Rollins finally figured out what everyone wanted him to be — himself. (He said this while wearing a big, fuzzy, aqua blue coat and oversized, oddly shaped shades.) That’s why the fans loved him. Not because he was a good guy or a bad guy, but because he was Seth freakin’ Rollins — and that’s why they sang his song.
Rollins said it was because of the fans that he could look his daughter in the eyes and be at peace with his past and proud of his future.
Rollins said he didn’t come to Virginia to talk, he came to fight. Management wanted him to slow down and told him he’d burn himself out but he was a workhorse. He called out Nakamura for a title match last week but he said no.
Rollins said Nakamura wanted to do it on his own time and figured their Payback match took out more from Nakamura than he was letting on. Rollins said there was no better time than right now in Norfolk so he called out Nakamura.
Nakamura’s music hit but he didn’t show. Instead, Nakamura was shown beating up Ricochet in the back. Nakamura said he wanted to fight Rollins but he thought Rollins wasn’t medically cleared, “So I fought already, right, Ricochet?” Ricochet shoved him so Nakamura kneed him repeatedly. Nakamura apologized to Rollins and said, “I will take your title, but not today.”
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Bálor approached Jey in the back. Bálor was impressed with what Jey did to Owens and winked at him. Bálor said McIntyre might not be a fan of Jey but he was, as was the rest of Judgment Day. Jey said, “For real?” and Bálor assured him their door was open. (Jey was watching over his shoulder during this exchange.)
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They congratulated Coco Gauff on winning the US Open and showed a picture of her celebrating with a WWE title belt.
Six-man tag team match: Tomasso Ciampa, Chad Gable & Otis (w/Maxxine Dupri) defeated IC Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci (13:06)
Imperium worked over Gable through a break and Gunther chopped away at him following the break. Gable broke free and tagged in Ciampa who hit Vinci with clotheslines and an inverted DDT for two. A distraction allowed Vinci to clothesline Ciampa. Otis made the hot tag, slammed Kaiser and hit a Caterpillar. However, Otis ran shoulder-first into the post.
Gunther tagged in. Gable tagged in. The crowd was into their exchange. Gunther hit a German suplex but Gable applied an ankle lock moments later. Vinci tagged himself in and hit a flying crossbody to break up the ankle lock. Gable hit a Chaos Theory but Gunther broke up the cover.
Ciampa kneed Gunther out of the ring, Kaiser took out Ciampa, Otis dropped Kaiser, and Gunther dropped Otis.
Gable put Vinci in the ankle lock again. Gunther was about to break it up but Ciampa cut him off and put him in the Gargano Escape. Vinci tapped out and the crowd popped big for Gable’s win.
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Judgment Day had a meeting backstage. They were pretty confident Jey Uso would join them. Dom was upset he couldn’t be ringside for Ripley’s match tonight. Ripley wasn’t worried because Mami’s always on top.
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Nakamura faces Ricochet next week on Raw.
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Tiffany Stratton/Becky Lynch segment
Tiffany Stratton met with Pearce in his office. She was annoyed that Becky Lynch wasn’t there and annoyed that Pearce didn’t roll out the red carpet for her.
Lynch entered the room. Pearce said he spoke with Shawn Michaels and they agreed to have them sign a contract tonight ahead of their match tomorrow.
Stratton said she’s been nothing but respectful to Lynch and even apologized for calling her a former NXT Women’s Champion. She wondered why Lynch was coming after her and her title.
Lynch admitted that she wasn’t paying much attention to Stratton before she showed up on Raw and used her name in vain, then she had no choice but to pay attention to her. Lynch put over Stratton’s athletic ability before calling her as dumb as a box of rocks.
Lynch said Stratton could be the future but she wouldn’t be if she was only focused on being famous. Lynch threatened to make her famous tomorrow when she takes the title. Lynch signed the contract.
Stratton had no problem making her name at Lynch’s expense and called herself the greatest NXT Women’s Champion in history. Stratton signed.
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Rhea Ripley defeated Raquel Rodriguez to retain the Women’s World Championship (15:16)
Rodriguez immediately dropped Ripley with a clothesline and powerslam for two. Ripley responded with a missile dropkick, a cannonball off the steel steps, and a running knee strike for two (Ripley flexed as she made the cover). Rodriguez chucked Ripley out of the ring and booted her into the barricade.
During a break, Rodriguez drove Ripley into the barricade. With no explanation, Ripley was in control following the break.
Ripley had Rodriguez in a leg lock but Rodriguez got out by slamming Ripley’s head onto the mat. Ripley dropped Rodriguez face-first onto the top turnbuckle moments later. Ripley wrapped her legs around Rodriguez’s head so Rodriguez stood up and dropped Ripley face-first onto the top turnbuckle.
They exchange strikes before dropping each other at the same time with running boots. They exchanged right hands until Ripley kicked her and hit a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Rodriguez blocked a Rip-tide and hit snake eyes, a backbody drop, and a big boot for two. Rodriguez went for a corkscrew elbow drop but Ripley got her feet up.
Ripley went to the top, did Eddie Guerrero’s shimmy, and hit a frog splash for two.
Ripley tried a cannonball off the apron but Rodriguez caught her and drove her into the announce table. Rodriguez also powerbombed her onto the edge of the ring.
As the referee checked on Ripley, Nia Jax appeared and gave Rodriguez a Samoan Drop outside the ring. (The referee somehow didn’t notice or care that Rodriguez was suddenly hurt or that Jax was at ringside.)
Rodriguez made it back in the ring but Ripley gave her a Rip-tide for the pinfall win.
— After the match, Ripley celebrated with her belt but seemed surprised to see Jax.
Jax headbutted Ripley. Jax also gave her a leg drop and a Banzai drop. The crowd booed as Jax blew them kisses.
A Women’s World Championship match, plus the return of Cody Rhodes have been announced for the Monday, September 11 WWE Raw episode.
As revealed during this week’s Raw, Rhea Ripley will defend the Women’s World title against Raquel Rodriguez on next week’s show. Ripley’s Judgment Day cohort Dominik Mysterio will be banned from ringside during the match.
Ripley defended the title against Rodriguez at Saturday’s Payback pay-per-view, retaining after interference from Mysterio.
Also set for next week, Cody Rhodes will return to Raw after two weeks away from the show.
Rhodes did appear on the August 25 SmackDown tribute show to Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk, and also appeared at Payback in a talk show segment with Grayson Waller & Jey Uso where it was portrayed that Rhodes had brokered a deal to move Uso from SmackDown to the Raw brand.
The announced lineup for next week’s Raw in Norfolk, Virginia:
WWE Raw, Monday, September 11 —
Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley defends against Raquel Rodriguez — Dominik Mysterio banned from ringside
Raquel Rodriguez made a surprise appearance on NXT Tuesday night.
At NXT Heatwave, Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley wrestled Dragon Lee and Lyra Valkyria in a mixed tag team match. Towards the end of the match, Rodriguez appeared and attacked Ripley as she was outside of the ring. The two brawled to the back as a distracted Mysterio then got pinned following a tornado DDT from Lee.
On Raw Monday, Rodriguez revealed that she had been cleared following a knee injury that was caused by an attack from Ripley, tossing her crutch to the side and attacking Ripley. She then revealed in a promo that that she talked to WWE official Adam Pearce and got a Women’s World Championship match for Payback on September 2.
In recent weeks, Ripley had been targeting both Rodriguez and her tag team partner, Liv Morgan. After Ripley injured Morgan, writing her off TV due to a real-life shoulder injury, Ripley has defeated both Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae, the latter of whom she defeated on Monday’s show.
