Tonight’s WWE Raw on Netflix from Sacramento, California, will see three title matches in addition to the fallout from last week’s shocking angle involving Seth Rollins.
The two perpetrators — Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker — will appear alongside Paul Heyman to address their attack on their now-former Vision factionmate and what’s next for the group.
The future of Rollins’ World Heavyweight title could also be discussed tonight as well as Rollins’ injury.
Becky Lynch will defend the WWE Women’s Intercontinental title against Maxxine Dupri after their recent non-title match Dupri won by countout.
In a rematch from earlier this month, WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio will defend against Rusev.
WWE World Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh) defend against AJ Styles & Dragon Lee thanks to the aforementioned Mysterio questioning Raw GM Adam Pearce’s motives.
Our live coverage kicks off at 8 PM Eastern.
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Live from Sacramento, California.
Adam Pearce’s Big Announcement
A recap of last week’s events set up Adam Pearce in the ring to provide a “physical update…” but that’s quickly interrupted by Bron Breakker, Paul Heyman and Bronson Reen entering the arena. Breakker had the WWE World Title belt over his shoulder. Pearce said that Rollins was banged up coming out of the match with Cody Rhodes, but Rollins was put out of action because of what Breakker and Reed did. Pearce stripped Rollins of the world title and announced a battle royal for tonight.
The winner of the battle royal goes on to Saturday Night’s Main Event in Salt Lake City to face CM Punk for the vacant WWE World Championship. “Bron, I’m gonna need you to hand over that championship.” Breakker balked at the suggestion, but Heyman pulled him aside and seemingly talked some sense into him. Breakker eventually hands the belt over… to Heyman, who handed it over to Pearce.
Pearce left, and Heyman took a mic to explain his actions. Heyman didn’t dump Roman and betray Punk back at WrestleMania just to get to Seth. He did it to get the Vision, the future of WrestleMania Bron Breakker and the new Tribal Thief Bronson Reed. Seth isn’t the leader of the vision; he’s a “bum shoulder b!tch.”
— The other members of the Judgement Day were agitated with Dominik Mysterio, who last week talked Adam Pearce into a tag team title defense against AJ and Dragon Lee tonight.
WWE World Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (JD McDonough & Finn Balor) defend against Dragon Lee & AJ Styles
This is the second defense for the champions in 111 days, which Joe Tessitore claimed showed the champions are cowards, but I’d contend is a symptom of PLEs with only five matches on them. McDonough and Balor cut off Lee and worked him over in the their corner. McDonough came off the top with an axe handle. Styles got the tag and tried to run the ropes, but McDonough held them open and Styles tumbled to the floor heading into an ad break.
After the break, Dragon Lee got the tag and suplexed McDonough. Lee went to the top, but McDonough crotched him. McDonough got tied up hanging upside down in the corner, and Lee came off the top with a double stomp. Balor pulled McDonough out of the ring, and Lee followed them both out with a tope con hilo. Back in the ring, Lee went for a powerbomb on McDonough, but McDonough countered into a powerbomb of his own.
Styles and Balor got the tags. Balor caught Styles with a slingblade and dumped Lee. Styles came back with a Phenomenal Forearm, but McDonough broke up the pin attempt. Styles caught McDonough with a Pele kick, but McDonough came back with a Spanish Fly for a near fall. McDonough came off the top with a moonsault, Balor came off the top with the foot stomp, but Lee broke up the cover. Lee took out McDonough with a dive. Styles blocked a Styles Clash from Balor, countered with a Styles Clash of his own, and Styles got the pinfall to win the tag tiles. New Champs!
Match Result: Dragon Lee & AJ Styles defeated JD McDonough & Finn Balor to win the WWE World Tag Team Championship (13:24)
— In the back, Jimmy and Jey Uso made peace with each other ahead of the battle royal tonight.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against Rusev
Mysterio caught Rusev with a dive before he could get in the ring, then threw him into the ring steps. But once the match started, it was all Rusev, smashing Mysterio with a clothesline and mauling him with shoulderblocks in the corner. Rusev tried to kick off Mysterio’s new neck tattoo. Mysterio caught Rusev with a boot and came off the middle ropes with a pair of axe handle blows. Mysterio tried to set up for the 619, but Rusev came back with a clothesline that missed, but everyone decided to sell it like it hit anyway. Rusev dumped Mysterio to the floor with a fallaway slam heading into an ad break.
Back in the ring after a 3 minute commercial, Dominik hit a slingshot senton. Dom tried a suplex which Rusev blocked, but Dominik shifted his weight into a DDT for a near fall. Mysterio went to the top for a frog splash, but Rusev got his knees up. Rusev dropped Mysterio with a spinning uranage. Mysterio had enough and tried to leave, but Penta cut him off. Rusev threw Domink into Penta. Penta got in Rusev’s face, so Rusev knocked him out.
Back in the ring, Dominik went for the 619, but Rusev blocked it… and found the timekeeper’s bell in Mysterio’s boot. Rusev was going to use the hammer on Dom, but the ref grabbed the hammer away. As the ref and Rusev argued about the bell hammer, Mysterio kicked Rusev low, hit the 619 and then a frog splash to get the pinfall.
After the match, Penta hit Rusev with a springboard DDT.
Match Result: WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defeated Rusev to retain (9:20)
— UFC greats Max Griffin and Nate Diaz were shown in the crowd.
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Maxxine Dupri
This is Becky’s 7th defense in 134 days. Dupri is from Sacramento, so she got a great reaction upon being announced.
Lynch mauled Dupri in the corner with forearms and shoulderblocks. Lynch went for the uranage, but Dupri countered with a rollup for a near fall. Lynch came back and dumped Dupri to the floor.
After a commercial, Dupri was still on the floor, struggling to get back in the ring. When she did, she caught Becky with a cradle, and countered another attempt at the uranage with a jawbreaker. Dupri hit a pair of flying clotheslines and a set up legdrop for a near fall. Dupri pulled down her straps and hit a running knee for a near fall. Boo/Yay punches, but Lynch got the advantage.
Dupri again escaped the uranage and caught Lynch with a kick, then locked in an ankle lock. Lynch kicked out the ankle lock, and went for an armbar. Dupri reversed the armbar back into the anklelock. Dupri came off the top with a crossbody for two, and Lynch rolled to the floor. Lynch tried to leave with her belt, but Dupri brought her back to the ring. Lynch finally had enough and hit Dupri with the IC title belt, drawing the disqualification. Becky retained her championship.
After the match, Lynch drove a knee into Lynch’s face in the corner, then finally put her down with the uranage.
Match Result: Maxxine Dupri defeated WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch by disqualification (9:43)
Stephanie Vaquer came out to the ring for her match.
— At some point earlier in the night, a graphic displayed all the participants in the battle royal and included Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. But, Adam Pearce informed Paul Heyman that he’d had a new graphing made because Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker were out of the battle royal. Heyman was then was confronted by Becky Lynch. Just because Seth Rollins didn’t survive the day last week, there is still room for Becky Lynch in the Vision. Becky turns him down, then tried to spin it that Seth knew Heyman was going to turn on him. When Seth returns, he’ll take his aggressions out on whatever “nepo-baby” Heyman has attached himself to.
WWE World Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Roxanne Perez (w/ Raquel Rodriguez)
Vaquer tried for a package piledriver, but Perez escaped and dropped to the floor to regroup. Back in the ring, Vaquer tried for a cradle and got caught with a slap from Perez. Vaquer went for the Devil’s Kiss, but Perez escaped. Behind the ref’s back, Raquel Rodriguez caught Vaquer with a right hand.
After a break, Vaquer hit a suplex. Vaquer hit a meteoria in the corner, then took Perez out of the corner with a dragon screw leg whip. Vaquer got the Devil’s Kiss, but Vaquer was selling her left wrist was bothering her. Perez then attacked the wrist. Rodriguez distracted Vaquer on the apron, and then Perez snapped Vaquer’s arm against the ropes. Vaquer caught both Perez and Rodriguez with crossbody off the top to the floor. Back in the ring, Vaquer hit the Angel’s Wings at got the pinfall.
Perez and Rodriguez attacked Vaquer after the match, but Nikki Bella ran in for the save. Vaquer tried to springboard back into the ring, but slipped and hurt her leg. Eventually Bella and Vaquer stood tall, double-dropkicking Perez out of the ring. This was kind of a mess.
Match Result: WWE World Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer defeated Roxanne Perez to retain (11:58)
— Lyra Valkyra and Bayley have a moment in the back, and Bayley has a surprise for Lyra next week.
— Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker need an explanation for why they’re not going to be in the battle royal tonight from Paul Heyman, who explains that Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns are all memorable thanks to him. This somehow satisfied them.
— Nikki Bella and Stephanie Vaquer have a moment in the locker rooms and agree to have each other’s back.
Battle royal for WWE World Heavyweight title shot at Saturday Night’s Main Event
Just when it looked like things would get underway, CM Punk came out to join the color commentary team.
Otis and Rusev had a standoff after a hot start for Otis, but Rusev eliminated him. Rusev booted Tozawa and tossed him, too. Dragon Lee went for a springboard but McDonough and Balor caught him and sent him to the floor. Penta and Rusev brawled on the apron, and Dominik Mysterio shoved them both to the floor.
After a commercial, Ivar was squashing Jimmy Uso and AJ Styles in the corner. Sheamus and Ivar had a confrontation mid ring. They battled onto the ring apron, and Sheamus gave Ivar White Noise on the apron to eliminate him. El Grande Americano loaded up his mask, but the Usos gave him a 1D and tossed him. Sheamus tried to eliminate Mysterio, but Balor and McDonough saved him. Sheamus eliminated McDonough and Balor. They then helped Kofi Kingston eliminate Sheamus from the floor. Sheamus brawled with McDonough and Balor, and the officials missed Styles toss Mysterio trying to braek that up. So Mysterio got back into the ring and was able to conitune in the match.
After another break, we’re left with AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston, LA Knight, Dominik Mysterio and The Usos. Kingston monkey-flipped Syles across the ring. Styles dumped Kingston on the ropes (Kingston may have hurt his wrist) and hit him with a forearm to eliminate him. Knight blocked a Styles Clash from Lee. Jey Uso and Knight did “Yeet/Yeah” punches, with Jey Uso dangling from the apron, until Jimmy made the save with a superkick. This was the second time Jimmy saved Jey in the match.
AJ went for a springboard on the Usos, but they super kicked and eliminated him. Jimmy and LA Knight battled against the ropes, and Jey Uso DUMPED BOTH KNIGHT AND HIS BROTHER JIMMY. Jimmy was upset; he thought they were looking out for each other! Jey then tossed Dominik for the win. Jimmy was irate, but the fans were still behind Jey because it’s anything goes in a battle royal.
After the match, CM Punk stood in the ring with Jey Uso and that’s the main event for Saturday Night’s Main Event for the vacant World Title.
Feels like they should just put the belt on Bron Breakker and let him run roughshod over everyone.
Match Result: Jey Uso won a battle royal to face CM Punk at Saturday Night’s Main Event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (18:28)
