Posted on 6/03/125 by Bob Magee
After a replay of last week’s main event, Sami Zayn (still
being called the ‘underdog from the underground’), Jey Uso,
Seth Rollins and his crew were shown arriving.
They showed a replay of Michael Cole and Pat McAfee making a
bet over the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers series. The
Pacers won, so Cole lost the bet, which meant he had to wear
a tank top while calling Raw. The top he wore was a Pacers
jersey. The Oklahoma crowd booed because, by pure
happenstance, the Pacers will be playing the Oklahoma City
Thunder in the NBA Finals.
CM Punk and Sami Zayn segment
Punk entered and made a few references to the NBA Finals. He
appreciated everyone’s basketball fandom, but asked the fans
to watch Raw or SmackDown if it fell on the same day as the
game.
Punk moved on to his Money in the Bank qualifier. He looked
forward to winning MITB for the third time. It was the
Summer of Punk, and it was time for him to be wearing gold
again.
Two people were on top of the mountain, and one was his
friend, Jey Uso. Punk wanted Jey to know that if they did
fight for the title, it was not personal, only business.
Punk spoke next about John Cena. The tables have turned
since Punk first got to WWE—Cena is now public enemy number
one because he sold his soul to a “bald fraud goof.” (For a
moment, I thought that meant Triple H, but he obviously
meant The Rock.) Punk has always had Cena’s number. He
called Cena a bitch and said it was time for him to become
champion again.
Punk was done, but Sami Zayn entered. The crowd chanted for
Zayn, and he appreciated it. Zayn was glad to hear Punk
speak clearly about his goal of becoming world champion.
Zayn had his own ambitions to become champion, but MITB was
no longer his path thanks to Rollins’ crew.
Zayn wanted to emphasize the importance of this match and
told Punk that tonight was a must-win. Zayn knew that Punk
was probably thinking about Rollins’ crew, but he couldn’t
be distracted by them. Zayn and Jey would take care of
Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker tonight.
Zayn warned that if Rollins won the title, it would be all
over because this place would turn into something they
didn’t like. We needed Punk to win tonight. (The crowd
chanted for Punk.)
Zayn wanted Punk to win, but also wanted him to know that if
he did win the world title, they would be face-to-face in
this ring again, and their conversation would be much
different. Punk said he looked forward to it. They shook
hands.
********
Roxanne Perez offered to help Liv Morgan tonight, but Morgan
told her to stay out of her business. Morgan bumped into Iyo
Sky and, just like last week, warned Sky that she was coming
for her title. Sky said that was not going to happen.
There was a Stephanie Vaquer video package where she spoke
Spanish (with English subtitles) about her dream to be in
WWE since she was ten years old. The package included
pictures of her wrestling in Mexico. It made her look like a
big star outside of anything she’s done in WWE.
They plugged Vaquer’s match at Worlds Collide this weekend
as she entered.
Money in the Bank triple threat qualifier: Stephanie Vaquer
vs. Ivy Nile vs. Women’s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan
Vaquer didn’t waste any time doing her devil’s kiss move,
first doing it to Morgan. Vaquer did it next to Nile, but
Morgan broke it up with a dropkick. Morgan hit Vaquer with
three amigos—hitting the final suplex on top of Nile. Some
counters led to Nile hitting both women with a double German
suplex.
There were multiple “We want Truth” chants during a break.
(The crowd was into the match, but there were a few signs
for R-Truth, which may have prompted the chants.)
After the break, Nile hit a tower of doom powerbomb for a
two count. Morgan followed with a Codebreaker on both women
off the ropes for a double two count. Morgan hit Vaquer with
Oblivion, and Nile tried to steal the pin, but Morgan got
back in and broke it up.
Nile shoved Morgan into the steel steps, and Vaquer hit Nile
with SVB for the pinfall win.
This was good for the time they had, and the crowd was into
it despite the chants for Truth (which happened to occur
during the commercial break).
Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Ivy Nile and Liv
Morgan to qualify for Money in the Bank (10:18)
********
Paul Heyman approached AJ Styles backstage and wished him a
happy birthday. (Today is Styles’ 48th birthday.) Heyman
spoke for a while, trying to convince Styles to focus on
Dominik Mysterio and the Intercontinental Championship and
leave MITB to Rollins.
Styles asked Heyman if he wasn’t exhausted, constantly
chasing his next meal ticket. Styles did plan on going after
Dom and the IC title (as well as MITB), but he didn’t
respond well to threats, and knew that Heyman was
threatening him. If they tried to push him out, he would
push back. Styles knew Rollins’ plan, but everyone had a
plan until they got punched in the mouth.
********
Chad Gable cut a promo during the break. He said the Pacers
would beat the Thunder, El Grande Americano would win
tonight, and he (Gable) would beat Vikingo on Saturday.
********
There was a Rusev video package. He didn’t appreciate that
Sheamus was disappointed with him last week. Sheamus ran out
to help a stranger, but they were friends, and Sheamus
didn’t help him from falling into the abyss. Sheamus had a
body of granite but a neck of sand, and Rusev had the one
move (the Accolade) that could end him. Rusev warned Sheamus
to stay out of his way or he would snap his neck.
Sheamus met with Akira Tozawa, Maxxine Dupri, and Natayla.
He wanted them to keep their heads up because they heart,
which not many people had in WWE. He thought Natalya and
Dupri could win the tag titles. Natalya appreciated the
words and put over Dupri.
Cathy Kelley interviewed Sheamus. He said he went way back
with Rusev, who was a groomsman at his wedding. Rusev’s WWE
career imploded because of his own bad decisions, and his
career outside the company lasted about as long as Rusev
Day. Sheamus called Rusev a bully, and Sheamus bullied
bullies.
********
They went to break again after the previous segment, so
there was only one match in the first 54 minutes of the
show. And this match went to break after a couple of
minutes.
The War Raiders vs. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh (without
Carlito)
There were more chants for R-Truth as the match began.
The New Day joined commentary for this match, but they were
quickly tossed to the back by the referee because she caught
them about to interfere.
They had a normal match, and Judgment Day won thanks to
Roxanne Perez. Ivar set up for a moonsault, but Perez
distracted the referee. McDonagh yanked Ivar by his beard
into the ring post, knocking him down. Bálor followed with a
Coup de Grâce for the pinfall win.
Match result: Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh defeated The War
Raiders (11:08)
********
Becky Lynch promo
There was a Becky Lynch video promo. She said she’s only
been back for six months, and Lyra Valkyria has cost her the
tag titles and her chance at MITB. And yet, Valkyria accused
her of taking away opportunities. Valkyria was an echo
chamber for the ignorant who did not understand what
greatness was and would never achieve it.
Valkyria has forgotten everything Lynch did for her.
Valkyria was in a lose-lose situation at MITB. Even if
Valkyria won, Lynch couldn’t face her again, but Lynch was
the best thing to ever happen to her. Lynch would win, and
Valkyria would raise her hand—the same hand that would hold
her down.
********
During a break, New Day advised Grayson Waller to drop
Austin Theory, just like they dropped Big E, because he was
deadweight holding him down.
American Made confronted New Day. They were pissed about New
Day turning on them in their match last week. The Creeds
thought New Day said that brothers stick together. Kofi
Kingston said they misheard them, because he said ‘brothas’
stick together. Xavier Woods suggested American Made help
them, but Julius said they were coming after the titles.
********
Kelley interviewed Vaquer backstage. Vaquer said she felt
great and continued to respond in Spanish, but was quickly
interrupted by Rhea Ripley. They were cordial and shook
hands. Ripley said she would see her on Saturday. (Both
women got big crowd reactions when they appeared.)
********
Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch segment
Valkyria called Lynch a coward for talking big backstage.
Valkyria called her out to the ring, so Lynch entered. Lynch
was about to speak, but Valkyria told her to shut up.
Valkyria called Lynch delusional and said her downfall
needed to be studied. Lynch worked hard to get to the top,
but only stayed there because she gave up being a good
person. Valkyria realized she needed to get angry, and now
she was. No one has hurt her the way Lynch has, and now
Lynch has given her what she needed to beat her.
Valkyria planned on beating the crap out of Lynch to make
sure she could never poison what it meant to be IC champion.
(Valkyria got loud ‘What’ chants as she spoke.)
Lynch said Valkyria’s perspective was poisoned. Lynch knew
Valkyria just wanted a reason to hate her. Valkyria wanted
to replace Lynch, but nobody could do that. Lynch did not
want to hurt Valkyria—she wanted to make her better. But
that’s changed now, and Valkyria would have to raise her
hand on Saturday.
Lynch stormed out of the ring, so Valkyria called her into
the ring to have their match now. Lynch said she didn’t
fight in Tulsa, so she would see her at MITB. Valkyria ran
after Lynch and attacked her until officials stepped in.
Whatever they’re trying with Valkyria isn’t working.
********
They announced a Tyrese Haliburton-WWE shirt available on
Fanatics. The shirt features an animated Haliburton doing
the choking gesture at MSG.
There was a Penta video package. Winning MITB was his
destiny.
********
Sami Zayn entered with Jey Uso, and the entrance got a
typically big reaction. Zayn danced to Jey’s music when they
hit the ring, which the crowd got a kick out of. (This was
during a break, but it was nice seeing Zayn having fun
because he’s been way too serious lately.)
Sami Zayn & World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso vs. Bron
Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/Paul Heyman)
They went to break 75 seconds in the match. The heels worked
over Zayn until he hit Reed with a tornado DDT. Jey made the
hot tag and ran wild on Bron until Bron hit him with a
gutbuster. Bron went for a super spear, but Jey caught him
with a superkick for a close nearfall.
Jey put Bron in a sleeper, but Reed broke it up with a
senton. Zayn went after Reed and tried hitting both men with
a dive, but they caught him. Jey then wiped everyone out
with a suicide dive.
Seth Rollins then ran down and gave Jey a curb-stomp for the
DQ.
— Bron placed Zayn on the announce table as Reed set up for
a Tsunami off the top, but Punk attacked Bron from behind
with a chair and chucked it in Reed’s face. Punk went after
Rollins, but Rollins bailed. Bron was fuming over Punk, but
Rollins settled him down and said they knew exactly where
Punk would be later tonight.
Punk, Zayn and Jey stood tall in the ring as Punk’s music
played.
The crowd was hot for all of this, despite the non-finish.
Match result: World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso & Sami Zayn
defeated Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed via disqualification
(9:01)
********
Morgan joined Judgment Day in the back. She told Bálor she
knew what he was trying to do by bringing in Perez. Bálor
played innocent and reminded her that she helped him and JD
win tonight. Bálor knew Perez was coming on strong by giving
Dom chicken nuggets, but said Morgan could trust Dom. Morgan
said it wasn’t Dom she was worried about trusting.
Bálor said trust in Perez would come with time. He suggested
Perez join them at ringside for Raquel Rodriguez’s match.
Morgan said Bálor could babysit Perez and wanted her to stay
out of it. Morgan left with Rodriguez.
Dom (wearing a Carlito t-shirt) apologized to Bálor for
costing him the match last week, but Bálor smiled and said
it was water under the bridge.
********
Kairi Sane vs. Women’s Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez
(w/Liv Morgan)
The crowd chanted for Truth again during this match.
About five minutes in, Sane went to the top, but Morgan
jumped on the apron to distract her. Iyo Sky ran out to her
music to take out Morgan. Sane drove Rodriguez into the ring
post and followed with an Insane Elbow for the pinfall win.
Match result: Kairi Sane defeated Raquel Rodriguez (6:01)
********
Karrion Kross approached Zayn as a trainer was checking on
him. Zayn wanted to know what his problem was.
Kross said Zayn was a liar. That was the problem. He lied to
the fans and lied to himself. He could have been a world
champion ten times over by now. Kross knew Zayn was capable
of doing bad things because he was a bad guy, just like the
rest of us. Zayn said he was wrong. Kross said he might be
wrong, but he might be right, too.
(You may have read that Kross gets a big reaction every week
when he appears. He does get a decent reaction, but it was
only the night after WrestleMania that he got a significant
one.)
********
There was a Giulia video package during a break.
Kelley interviewed Perez during the break. Perez said Bálor
knew she was already one of the most dangerous competitors
on the roster at just 23 years old. She wasn’t just there to
assist Judgment Day—she was there to take over the division,
and she would start by winning MITB.
********
They ran down the cards for Worlds Collide and Money in the
Bank.
There was a video package for Jey Uso vs. Gunther for the
world title on Raw next week.
Gunther sat down next to Jey in the locker room. Gunther
said the world title was personal to him, so he appreciated
the effort Jey put in to being a great champion. But because
he refused to think with his head instead of his heart,
Gunther would take it back. Jey was too selfless. He helped
his friend Zayn tonight, but now he was less than 100%. He
might help Punk tonight, too, if he needed it, and he was
helping out Cody Rhodes on Saturday. None of that was the
business of the world champion.
Gunther thanked him because he knew the moment he lost at
Mania, he would avenge it. In one week, the party was over.
Jey responded: “Three letters, one word: tap. See you next
week, G.”
********
Money in the Bank triple threat qualifier: CM Punk vs. AJ
Styles vs. El Grande Americano
Punk wore pink and black gear. (He wore Bret Hart’s
merchandise earlier.)
Punk and Styles told the referee to check El Grande
Americano’s mask for a metal plate. As McAfee noted, he
should be checking all three men.
Punk and Styles teamed up on Americano and tossed him from
the ring. Styles dropped Punk with a dropkick, but Americano
got right back in and dropped Styles with a running
headbutt. Americano posed for the crowd, so Punk hit him
with a running knee. The crowd cheered as Punk tried
removing Americano’s mask, but Americano fought him off and
hit a dive.
They went to break a couple of minutes into the match, and
Americano held control throughout, mostly working over
Punk’s leg.
Back from break, Styles gave Americano a back drop off the
middle rope, and Punk followed with a diving elbow drop on
Styles. Americano gave Punk a running headbutt before
turning Styles around with a release German suplex. The
crowd chanted, “He’s Chad Gable,” and “No, he’s not.”
Americano tried a flying crossbody, but Punk tried rolling
through like John Cena, but Punk isn’t as strong as Cena and
was also selling his leg, so it wasn’t exactly smooth. Punk
did get him up on his shoulders, but Styles dropped both
guys with a combo DDT/inverted DDT.
Americano put Punk in an ankle lock, but Punk rolled
through, and Americano’s momentum sent him with a Styles’
Clash by AJ, but Punk broke up the cover. Chants for R-Truth
were replaced by chants of “This is awesome.” Punk got
Styles in a jackknife cover, but as Styles bridged out of
it, Americano hit them both with a moonsault.
Punk hit Americano with a GTS, but Breakker pulled him out
of the ring. (You could see it coming because of where Punk
was positioned, and because the crowd was barking.)
Reed and Breakker beat up Punk until Jey and Zayn ran out to
make the save. As everyone brawled, Styles wiped out
everyone with a springboard dive. The crowd chanted “Holy
sh*t,” which they tried desperately to censor.
Styles went for a Phenomenal forearm, but Americano caught
him with a mid-air headbutt for the pinfall win. (Americano
presumably loaded his mask during the earlier commotion, but
the announcers called it like it was a normal headbutt.
There was also no evidence that he loaded it.)
With the win, Gable will wrestle at Worlds Collide, and his
alter ego will wrestle at MITB. Stephanie Vaquer will do the
same.
— Rollins ran down to attack Punk. They brawled until
Breakker speared Punk. Zayn attacked Breakker, but the heels
swarmed him, and Rollins put him down with a stomp. Rollins
stomped Punk, too. Jey superkicked Reed, but Breakker
speared him and Rollins stomped him, too. Reed flattened Jey
with consecutive Tsunamis.
Rollins’ heel group stood tall as the show ended.
The crowd was into all of this and was really into Punk all
night.
Match result: El Grande Americano defeated AJ Styles and CM
Punk to qualify for Money in the Bank (11:50)