Posted on 9/01/125 by Bob Magee
– Over a live shot of Paris and fans entering the La Defense
arena, the voice of Michael Cole welcomed us to the show
before we went inside the arena for tonight’s show. We then
took a look back at yesterday’s Clash in Paris event in a
video recap.
– CM Punk was seen backstage waiting for Seth Rollins, as
Adam Pearce tried to get him to wait inside instead. Punk
said that it’d be “on sight” if he saw Rollins.
– AJ Styles, the Kabuki Warriors, and Penta were shown
arriving at the arena as their various matches were hyped
up. We then went to Jey Uso making his entrance through the
raucous Paris crowd.
Jey Uso opens Raw
Jey started by saying that he wasn’t going to run back his
entrance with the crowd, mainly because of what happened
with Roman Reigns yesterday. He said that if there was one
thing about Jey Uso, he doesn’t play with his family. Uso
said that you never disrespect or put your hands on his
family before he challenged The Vision to come fight him in
the ring right now.
Instead of Seth Rollins’ group, LA Knight made his entrance.
“Let me talk to ya,” started Knight before he said that he
believed in himself last night, but he stood here today as a
loser. Knight said that he had no shame in that, before he
talked about the rap on Jey Uso was that he lived in his
cousin’s shadow, but there was no question that Rollins
lived in his wife’s shadow.
Knight then said that Uso spoiled his chances of being a
world champion yesterday on more than one occasion, and that
he was tired of laying on his back over and over again. Uso
challenged Knight to get him up to speed before The Vision’s
Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker appeared on the ramp.
Breakker mocked Knight’s “YEAH!” taunt and that the only
thing we should be concerned with right now is the wellbeing
of Paul Heyman after what Roman Reigns did to him last
night.
Breakker said that the only think Uso and Knight should be
concerned with is that Heyman isn’t here, because there’s
nothing holding them back, which meant that they’d be able
to put Uso and Knight in the hospital right next to Reigns.
Reed took the mic next and demanded Paris to acknowledge
their “Tribal Thief”. He said that Seth Rollins had a vision
and it didn’t include Roman Reigns, hence why he got beaten
down brutally last night. Reed then told Uso and Knight that
they weren’t a part of Rollins’ vision, so they’d be next.
Breakker and Reed challenged Uso and Knight to face them in
a tag match tonight. Knight told Uso that they could settle
their business another time so they could take on the
“greasy warthog” and “cross-eyed halfwit” in tag action
tonight.
Standard opening promo to get things set up, but what was at
least interesting was the small tease of LA Knight’s
frustrations about losing repeatedly, that could dovetail
into a possible heel turn.
**********
– After Michael Cole and Wade Barrett recapped last week’s
drama with Rhea RIpley, Iyo Sky, and the Kabuki Warriors, we
saw Sky and the Warriors backstage apparently having made
up. Sky offered to be at ringside with Asuka and Kairi Sane,
but Asuka told her that she and Sane were fine to handle
business on their own.
Judgment Day (Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez) vs. The
Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
Asuka and Perez got things going with a lock-up struggle
before Asuka took control with a side headlock. Perez
responded with a slap before she avoided a kick from Asuka
as she slid out of the ring for a breather. Perez then
tagged in Rodriguez, who used her strength to lift up Asuka
to avoid the octopus stretch. Sane tagged in as she and
Asuka used their speed to leave Rodriguez a bit flatfooted.
Sane sent Rodriguez back to the Judgment Day corner as Perez
re-entered the match. Lots of acrobactic dodging between
Perez and Sane before the former got sent to a retreat and
Rodriguez tagged in briefly. Perez finally got the advantage
for her team as she pulled at Sane from the apron and then
took her out of the ring. With a toss to the barricade, the
Judgment Day were in control as we got a break in the
action.
The match resumed with Perez and Rodriguez maintaining the
advantage over Sane with a double team kick/russian leg
sweep maneuver. Sane avoided calamity from Rodriguez, which
gave her the opening to tag in Asuka.
Perez got blasted by a combination of kicks by Asuka, as she
locked in an armbar submission. Rodriguez broke up the hold
with an elbow drop before she tagged herself in. Rodriguez
smashed Asuka with a hard clothesline, which was then
followed by a rope-assisted suplex. Rodriguez tried for the
Tejana Bomb on Asuka, but she got taken out of the ring.
In the ring, Asuka Lock was reversed into a pin by Perez,
but Asuka kicked out. Sane took Rodriguez out of the
equation with the Insane Elbow to the outside, and Asuka
finished the match off by submitting Rodriguez with the
Asuka Lock cinched in.
The Kabuki Warriors def. Judgment Day via submission
A decent opener, though the finish of the match was
unusually sloppy with perhaps some miscommunication on
whether or not the finish would be a pin or a submission.
**********
– Adam Pearce talked about what would happen to the Women’s
World Heavyweight Championship in the wake of Naomi vacating
it. He said that we’d see Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky
fighting for the vacant title in three weeks at
Wrestlepalooza, ESPN’s first live PLE.
– CM Punk was shown once again awaiting for Seth Rollins in
the backstage area, with revenge on his mind.
Finn Balor vs. Dragon Lee
Balor held Lee in a standing arm submission, until it turned
into a chain wrestling duel between the two opponents. Balor
struck down Lee with an elbow to the jaw before he threw him
in the corner in the hopes of delivering some punishment.
Lee fought back with a springboard armdrag, followed by a
unique dropkick from the apron to a prone Balor seated in
the corner.
Balor answered back with a backbreaker to the spine of Lee.
After Balor missed with a running strike to the corner, Lee
fought back and sent Balor to ringside before he soared with
a dive over the top rope, which led to the break in the
action.
Raw returned with Balor trapping Lee in a resthold. Lee
fought out of the hold and lit up Balor’s chest with chops.
Lee kicked Balor twice and hit an impressive roll into a
sitout powerbomb that only got a close near-fall. Balor was
looking for a swinging neckbreaker, but Lee countered.
However, the second time was the charm as Balor connected
with the neckbreaker for the near-fall.
Lee headed up top and hit a diving crossbody on Balor, but
the Judgment Day leader kicked out at two. Balor shelled Lee
with the shotgun dropkick and looked like hwas going to hit
the Coup de Grace. JD McDonagh jumped on the apron, but
found himself the victim of a combination Fosbury Flop into
a hurricanrana on Lee. However, this gave Balor enough time
to recover from the tree of woe position, as he then got the
win with a Coup de Grace.
Finn Balor def. Dragon Lee
I quite enjoyed this match, and the lively French crowd
certainly did well to elevate the atmosphere.
**********
– As Iyo Sky was talking amicably with Nikki Bella, they
were rudely interrupted by the Kabuki Warriors, who offered
to be in Sky’s corner for her match with Stephanie Vaquer at
Wrestlepalooza. Bella didn’t seemed too enthused with
Asuka’s barging in.
– Backstage, the Judgment Day wondered where Dominik
Mysterio was for Finn Balor’s match before Raw General
Manager Adam Pearce informed Dominik that there’d be no
interference from Balor or JD McDonagh for his
Intercontinental Title Match versus AJ Styles later tonight.
The New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) & Grayson Waller
vs. Penta & The War Raiders (Erik & Ivar)
Penta and Woods were the legal men to start this match off.
Penta took advantage with a hurricanrana on Woods before
things started to break down. The “New G’Day” were left
reeling outside with diving cannonballs from Erik and Ivar
before Penta took to the skies with a dive on everyone
before Raw headed to a commercial break on the U.S. feed.
We returned with Woods stomping Erik before he mocked
Penta’s strut to the masked luchador’s face. Erik caught
Woods with a knee to the face before Ivar entered the match
and looked to have the New G’Day at his mercy until Waller
avoided a running hip strike in the corner. Penta got the
hot tag and went to town on Woods and Waller with his
signature offensive assault. Penta attempted a Penta Driver,
but Woods countered as Erik tagged in once again. Waller
connected with a rolling flatliner on Erik as Kingston
headed up top with the crossbody. Penta broke up the count
as things began to break down once more.
Woods was isolated with the War Raiders hitting a mammoth
assisted crossbody before Penta brought the victory for his
team with a Mexican Destroyer on Woods.
Penta & The War Raiders def. The New Day & Grayson Waller
via pinfall
A very fun six-man tag match and the unique trio of Penta
and the War Raiders made for some really neat spots.
**********
– Rhea Ripley was asked if her friendship with Iyo Sky
complicates her own championship ambitions. Ripley said that
she’d do whatever it takes to get back to the title hunt,
before the Kabuki Warriors once again interrupted.
Asuka accused Ripley of not being a true friend of Iyo
Sky’s. Ripley warned Asuka not to push her even though she
was trying to play nice for Sky’s sake. Asuka responded by
telling Ripley that she can push whoever she wanted.
– Roxanne Perez complained to Adam Pearce that she should’ve
been added to the Women’s World Heavyweight Championship
match at Wrestlepalooza because she was the one who beat Iyo
Sky. Lyra Valkyria argued with Perez and Raquel Rodriguez
before the Judgment Day duo. Pearce told Valkyria that he
talked with Bayley, who said some “weird things” to him, and
that she was coming back real soon. Pearce then told
Valkyria that she could face either one of the Judgment Day
women in a match next week on Raw.
Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. AJ
Styles
As Styles made his entrance, he was serenaded with the “Il
est vraiment” song from the Paris crowd, which even lasted
through the entire commercial break.
Dominik hit a sneak attack on Styles during the ring
announcer’s introduction as he looked to get the early
advantage. Style fought back with a dropkick, followed by a
vaulting forearm over the top rope and onto Dominik at
ringside, which took us into the break.
Raw came back from the break as Dominik and Styles mixed it
up in the corner before the Intercontinental Champion hit a
springboard hurricanrana on his foe. Dominik maintained
command of the match as he stomped away on Styles.
The veteran woke up with a sliding forearm, followed by the
ushigoroshi for a near-fall. Styles propped up Dominik for
an attempt at a Styles Clash, but got countered. Dominik
reversed Styles’ Phenomenal Forearm before he threw him out
of a ring with a hurricanrana from the apron. After a
baseball slide from Dominik, Styles caught him and threw him
onto the French commentary table with a powerbomb.
We resumed our match as Styles looked for another Styles
Clash, but Dominik reversed with the “Mullet-o-Matic”. One,
two… not even close. Styles countered a Dominik Mysterio
suplex and delivered one of his own to send his opponent
into the corner. Domink threw Styles shoulder-first into the
ringpost, as he delivered a Michinoku Driver for the close
near-fall.
Dominik hit the Three Amigos suplex trifecta, followed by
the Frog Splash. Styles, however, managed to kick out once
more. Styles connected with the Styles Clash finally, but
Dominik managed to get a single foot on the rope. As Styles
looked for a Phenomenal Forearm, El Grande Americano
appeared from under the ring and grabbed at his foot.
Americano hit Styles with the loaded headbutt, which allowed
Dominik to retain his vaunted Intercontinental Championship
with one final Frog Splash.
Dominik Mysterio def. AJ Styles via pinfall to retain the
Intercontinental Championship
A solid title match, and admittedly a risky move to go for
the cheap interference finish, which seems to be the norm as
of late in WWE matches.
**********
– The commentators tossed to a recap of last night’s Roman
Reigns vs. Bronson Reed match at Clash in Paris, as well as
the aftermath.
– Rhea Ripley and CM Punk were chatting with one another
before Adam Pearce told Punk that Seth Rollins is in the
building. Punk said he was going to go handle it.
– During the commercial break, a video from The New Day
about what they saw as the “death of the Raw tag team
division” was shown for international audiences.
CM Punk calls out Seth Rollins
Punk entered the ring and said he was hijacking this show
until Seth Rollins showed up to face him, even if it meant
he was singing songs with his friends in Paris. Punk said
he’d do this until Rollins would come to face him, man-to-
man.
Seth Rollins’ theme played, but it wasn’t the World
Heavyweight Champion who appeared. Rather, Becky Lynch
appeared dressed as Rollins. “Oh, what’s the matter? Wasn’t
the Man you were looking for?” asked Lynch as the Paris
crowd chanted for “AJ Lee”.
Punk said he wasn’t going to do this as Lynch demanded to
know if he cared what he was doing to his family. Lynch said
she wasn’t going to sit back and let Punk tell lies about
her husband, someone who is everything that Punk will never
be. Lynch berated Punk for having his name chanted during
her matches, because she viewed it as a sign that nobody
cared about the matches she worked hard for.
Lynch took credit for taking herself to the WrestleMania
main event as she said that she and Rollins ran the
business. She told Punk to get out of the way because he
wasn’t what the business needed right now.
Punk responded by saying that he was the “Best in the
World”, and that it wasn’t just him saying it, it was the
maniacs in crowd saying it. He said that the only thing
Rollins runs is running behind Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed,
and Bron Breakker, and now his wife. Punk called Rollins a
paper champion and that this thing between them would never
be over.
Rollins appeared on the ramp and said if Punk had something
to him, to come say it to his face. Punk tried to go at him,
but Lynch got in the way as Rollins walked to the back. In
the ring, Lynch slapped Punk repeatedly. Punk then said he
was going to make Rollins regret cashing in on him, and he
was going to make Lynch regret putting her hands on him.
Whether or not this’ll lead to an AJ Lee appearance is about
the only thing interesting for me regarding this story with
Punk and Rollins and The Vision.
– CM Punk was still looking for Seth Rollins, but was told
by Adam Pearce that Rollins was long gone. Punk then asked
Pearce where SmackDown would be on Friday. “Chicago”, said
Pearce, and Punk’s only response to that was a simple
“tremendous”.
Jey Uso & LA Knight vs. The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson
Reed)
Jey punched away at Reed to start the match off as Knight
then entered the match and hit some tandem strikes on Reed
alongside Jey. Reed roared right back with a headbutt to
Knight before Breakker tagged in. Knight escaped a Breakker
suplex and hit a neckbreaker. Jey tagged in and hit a
running hip attack on a prone Breakker in the corner.
Reed clubbed Jey from the apron in the back, which allowed
Breakker to take advantage with a throw of Jey to the
outside and one final break in the action.
Our main event returned as Breakker blocked Jey from making
a tag to Knight by forcing him into The Vision’s corner. Uso
reversed a Reed back suplex and avoided a clothesline as he
got the tag to Knight. The former U.S. Champion dropped Reed
with his jumping neckbreaker followed by his elbow from the
top rope. Breakker caused a distraction on Knight, which
allowed Reed to take advantage.
Breakker pulled Knight to the outside and threw him into the
steel steps before he threw him back into the ring. Reed
continued the punishment on Knight with a heavyweight
senton. Breakker entered the match and hit a fierce suplex
on Knight, which left him reeling. Breakker trapped Knight
in a chinlock, but he couldn’t hold on for long. As Knight
tried to reach out to Jey for a tag, Breakker threw him
halfway across the ring with a German suplex.
Uso finally got the hot tag after Knight avoided a senton
from Reed. The former World Champion was on fire as he
delivered a Spear of his own on Breakker. Jey and Knight
joined forces to take Reed out with a double-team
clothesline. Jey hit a suicide dive on Reed outside the
ring. Knight dropped Breakker with the BFT. The Uso Splash
from Jey Uso seemed to be enough, but Reed made sure it
wasn’t as he dragged him out of the ring to break the count.
Reed took Knight out by throwing him into the ring post.
In the ring, Jey looked to have the match won with an Uso
Splash on Reed, but Breakker, who was still the legal man,
flattened his foe with a Spear to pick up the win.
Post-match, the Vision laid a beating on Jey and Knight as
Jimmy ran down to the ring with a chair to scare off
Breakker and Reed. Jimmy checked up on his brother as Raw
ended for the week.
The Vision def. Jey Uso & LA Knight via pinfall
If were being honest, the weak point of Raw seems to be The
Vision. Might be just me, but I’m just not at all interested
in this group starting and ending shows the same way every
week. Seth Rollins just doesn’t make for a compelling heel
faction leader and having him be the focal point of the show
is a tough sell.
All in all, an average Raw that was elevated mostly by the
eclectic Parisian crowd chanting and being loud and engaged
all night long.