Posted on 7/08/125 by Bob Magee
After her three-way Women’s Intercontinental title defense
against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria was announced Sunday,
reigning champion Becky Lynch will give her thoughts.
One half of the new Women’s Tag Team Champions Roxanne Perez
will take on Kairi Sane.
The mysterious El Grande Americano will also be in action.
*********
– After a live drone flyby through the Amica Mutual
Pavilion, we got shots of Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Penta, and the
Judgment Day entering the arena.
Seth Rollins and his faction open Raw
“BURN IT DOWN!” signaled the arrival of Seth Rollins and his
still-nameless entourage of Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed and
Bron Breakker. The commentators discussed Rollins’ upcoming
bout with LA Knight on this Saturday’s edition of Saturday
Night’s Main Event while the group walked down to the ring.
As Rollins and his faction stood inside the ring, the crowd
serenaded them with a singalong of Rollins’ theme music for
a bit. When Rollins asked for a microphone, Bron Breakker
took it from him and said that he stood in the ring because
Rollins and Heyman had a vision for Breakker which has him
as the face of WWE for the next two decades. Breakker said
that he also had a vision for a WWE without Sami Zayn
because he doesn’t like him, his “stupid” beaard or his
entrance music.
Breakker couldn’t understand why the fans rooted for someone
that has the athleticism of a dead fish and hangs on for
dear life for the last five years, because he was going to
put an end to Zayn tonight. That is because Breakker was
going to “maul” Zayn and ensure he’d be looking up at the
lights when all is said and done. Heyman then took the
microphone and gave it to Rollins so he could start
speaking… but Bronson Reed now asked for his turn.
Reed said that Breakker was a tough act to follow, but so
was he. He boasted about nailing Rollins with six
consecutive Tsunamis last year, an act which made Rollins
respect Reed enough to bring him into his faction. Reed said
that Jey Uso didn’t respect him, and that would change
tonight because he’d Tsunami the respect into Uso, just like
he did with Rollins.
Rollins grabbed the microphone, but he refused to speak due
to the fans chanting for CM Punk. So, it was time for Paul
Heyman to speak. Heyman said that the Empire would strike
first tonight. He said that tonight, Breakker would strike
first. Heyman said that Roman Reigns didn’t have the “balls”
to come back and step against the Rollins faction. There’s
also the “big news” that we haven’t heard, that being Seth
Rollins donning the tights against Penta tonight. Heyman
mocked Penta’s “stupid freakin’ hand signals”, and said that
Rollins would leave him unable to do them ever again because
he’d be stomped so hard later on tonight.
When it came time for Rollins to speak, the fans continued
to chant for CM Punk. Rollins concluded the promo by
welcoming everyone to “Monday Night Rollins”.
Standard opening segment for the Rollins faction to set the
stage for their matches later tonight, and the strange
divide of presenting this group as heels, but still having
Rollins and Heyman urge the crowd on to say their
catchphrases is still odd, to say the least.
*********
– At the Judgment Day’s clubhouse, the men were admiring
their championship gold, as Raquel Rodriguez spotted Roxanne
Perez putting a photo of Liv Morgan, much to the former’s
dismay. Rodriguez and Perez discussed how to best deal with
Kairi Sane, who was facing Perez in a match up next. Dominik
Mysterio thanked JD McDonagh and Finn Balor for the ‘Get
Well Soon’ cake, but it turns out, they didn’t gift it to
him. Mysterio had a closer look and saw that it was from AJ
Styles, as he turned to see Styles watching him from behind
a wall.
Roxanne Perez vs. Kairi Sane
The match got under way with Perez and Sane sizing each
other up as the former started hammering away at the latter
with fists. Perez threw Sane in the corner and tried to
maintain the momentum as she applied a headlock. An
attempted spear by Perez got turned into a unique pin
attempt that wasn’t enough. We got a series of dueling pin
attempts from Perez and Sane, as the newest member of the
judgment Day hit Sane with an elbow to the face.
Sane battled back with a backfist to the face of Perez,
followed by a flying forearm and a dive to the outside. With
the advantage in her midst, Raquel Rodriguez got on the
apron and allowed Perez to capitalize on a distraction with
a stomp to the arm across the bottom ropes, as the U.S. feed
of Raw headed to a commercial break.
During the break, Sane got momentum back with the
Interceptor, and we returned from break with Sane continuing
the attack, as she blasted Perez with the Sliding D in the
corner. Perez avoided the Insane Elbow and kicked Sane in
the face. Perez headed up to the top with a springboard
moonsault from the second rope for a near-fall.
Perez dragged Sane and continued to target the injured arm,
but missed on a corner charge and got hit with a boot from
Sane. Perez blocked an Alabama Slam attempt from Sane and
once again slammed her foe’s injured arm on the mat. Perez
set Sane up on the top rope, but got knocked down to the
mat. Sane connected with a diving forearm strike, followed
by the Alabama Slam. Sane headed up top and looked to finish
things off with the Insane Elbow, but Raquel Rodriguez
dragged Perez out of the ring. Sane took Rodriguez out with
a dive to the outside.
Back in the ring, Perez’s attempt at Pop Rox was countered
into a pin by Sane for the one, two, three.
Post-match, the Women’s Tag Team Champions attacked Sane in
a two-on-one beatdown until Asuka ran in for the save.
Rodriguez clotheslined Asuka and had her set up for her
powerbomb, but Sane made the save. Sane and Asuka took
Rodriguez out of the ring before they turned their attention
to Perez with an Insane Elbow.
Kairi Sane def. Roxanne Perez
A good enough match to open up Raw, but it’s nice to see
Asuka and Kairi Sane joining forces once more. The next step
is likely the Kabuki Warriors being the Raw representatives
for the four-way tag match at Evolution II on Sunday.
*********
– Jackie Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn about everything he’s
been going through as of late. Zayn said that he has too
much on his plate, and that he couldn’t focus on his ribs or
Karrion Kross because he has Bron Breakker to deal with
later tonight. Scarlett walked into frame and looked on as
Zayn walked off.
Commercial Break Exclusive Promo
The New Day appeared during the commercial dressed in black
clothing. They talked about how the Raw tag team division
died last week because they lost the WWE Tag Team
Championships against the Judgment Day. The two said that
the wrong will be righted when they find Adam Pearce later
tonight and demand the rematch for their tag titles that
they so deserved.
*********
– Adam Pearce spoke with American Made regarding El Grande
Americano competing tonight. Julius Creed said this was
impossible because Chad Gable was still out injured, but got
shouted down as by Brutus Creed and Ivy Nile. Pearce then
put Nile in the women’s battle royal at Evolution. Asuka and
Kairi Sane soon talked with Pearce and got included in the
fatal four-way tag match for the Women’s Tag Team
Championships.
– Nikki Bella announced that she’d be in the women’s battle
royal at Evolution for a championship opportunity at Clash
in Paris next month.
– As Sami Zayn was making his entrance for his match,
Karrion Kross attacked him from behind and smashed the lead
pipe across the injured ribs of Zayn. Referees led by Adam
Pearce got Kross to back off from the fight. During the
break, Zayn refused to back out of his upcoming match
against Bron Breakker, despite Pearce’s protestations.
Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
With Zayn very much not in any condition to fight, Breakker
seemed to relish what appeared to be an easy match ahead of
him. Breakker backed Zayn into the corner and targeted his
injured ribs with shoulder thrusts that crumpled him to the
mat. He ripped away the tape around Zayn’s ribs and drove
both knees into the exposed ribs.
Breakker lifted Zayn up and threw him across the ring with a
suplex, as he targeted him for a Spear. Zayn intercepted
Breakker’s attempt with a clothesline, which created some
needed separation for him. Zayn, with adrenaline running in
his veins, headed up top for a high-risk maneuver, but got
met by a particularly vicious Spear from Breakker.
As Zayn rolled to the outside, Breakker saw red in his eyes
and headed out to hit his super Spear on the badly-injured
Zayn. Breakker rolled his foe back into the ring and pulled
down the straps. Breakker ran the ropes and put an end to
this with his super Spear for the victory.
Bron Breakker def. Sami Zayn
More of an angle than an actual competitive match, it did
the job in establishing Breakker as a dangerous threat and
selling the dire situation of Zayn at the hands of Kross and
the Rollins band.
*********
– As Adam Pearce chatted with the War Raiders, he was
confronted by the New Day, who accused Pearce of helping
“kill” the tag division. Becky Lynch walked past the scene
and told New Day that getting rid of Big E was a “good
idea”.
Becky Lynch addresses her Evolution triple threat match
Lynch wanted an explanation on how two “losers” got a title
match in a scenario where her chances of losing the Women’s
Intercontinental Championship were far greater. She said
that she got why Adam Pearce put her in this match, but not
why she had to face Bayley or Lyra Valkyria again. Lynch
claimed that Bayley and Valkyria were working together to
get this shot, but before she could elaborate further,
Bayley interrupted and walked down to the ring. Bayley,
however, found herself interrupted by Lyra Valkyria, who
marched down to the ring with a purpose.
In the ring, Valkyria said that her title was wrapped around
a “bucket full of crazy” and it was about time to take it
back. Bayley entered the ring and said she could’ve been the
Women’s Intercontinental Champion if it wasn’t for
Valkyria’s intervention.
Bayley said that if she learned anything from WrestleMania,
it’s that she didn’t need friendships or heartbreak, but she
did need the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.
Valkyria said that Bayley was just as bad as Lynch because
of what she just admitted, and she was out to rescue the
Women’s Intercontinental Championship from “two massive
disappointments” at Evolution II.
Bayley talked about how she watched Valkyria from all her
moments of glory, and that seeing her raise Lynch’s hand
made Bayley see her as a “little bitch”. Valkyria took
exception and tried to punch at Bayley, but she ended up
hitting Lynch instead. A brawl ensued, which ended with
Valkyria nailing both Bayley and Lynch with the Night Wing.
Valkyria walked over to the fallen Lynch and mockingly
raised her hand, stating that it would be the last time her
hand would be raised.
Just a nice segment between these three women ahead of a big
match at Evolution II on Sunday. I enjoyed it a lot.
*********
– Backstage, Seth Rollins and his band strategized their
next move, as Paul Heyman revealed that Sami Zayn would be
out of action indefinitely. Rollins told Bronson Reed to
deal with Jey Uso next.
Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed
Uso was on the offensive to start as he rocked Reed in the
corner with a kick. An attempted Irish Whip was countered as
Reed crushed Uso with a thump, which gave the big man an
advantage early on. Uso dodged a senton from Reed and kept
up the attack with punches and a kick that sent Reed to the
outside.
With a Yeet, Uso hit a suicide dive that send Reed over the
announce table. Uso cleared the commentary table, but got
met by a recovering Reed. A superkick by Uso caused Reed to
be seated onto one of the chairs, long enough for another
Jey Uso superkick. Inside the ring, Uso looked for another
suicide dive, but got the chair thrown at him, to cause the
disqualification.
Post-match, Reed went on a Tsunami rampage, hitting two
fierce dives onto Uso before Adam Pearce and his personnel
stopped.
Jey Uso def. Bronson Reed
Again, not so much an actual match, but more storytelling to
sell the nameless Rollins band’s threat. I suppose it did
the job in the regard.
*********
– LA Knight spoke about his upcoming match with Seth Rollins
at Saturday Night’s Main Event in five days time on NBC.
– Michael Cole and Corey Graves tossed over to a video
package for the Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky Women’s World
Championship match at Evolution II on Sunday, with the
underlying theme of Ripley’s inability to defeat Sky in past
encounters.
El Grande Americano vs. Dragon Lee
As the match started, Cole pointed out how this El Grande
Americano was a foot taller than the “other one”. We got
some back and forth lucha libre action between Lee and El
Grande to start, but things turned to Lee’s advantage with a
diving crossbody for an early near-fall.
El Grande got Lee with a nice arm drag, as he showed off
after landing on his feet off a Lee monkey flip. This opened
him up for a kick from Lee, who attempted to take flight. El
Grande intercepted with a kick to the face, as he continued
the attack by throwing Lee over the timekeeper’s area, which
took Raw to a commercial break on the U.S. feed.
The action resumed with El Grande and Lee fighting on the
top rope. Lee caught El Grande with a sitdown powerbomb that
got a near-fall. As El Grande was down and out, Lee tried to
rip away at the mask, but to no avail. Lee took advantage
with a vaulting kick over the top rope, which rocked El
Grande. Lee followed that with a running dropkick, but
couldn’t get the win from that.
El Grande chopped Lee and connected with a springboard
Blockbuster for a near-fall of his own. Lee fought out of El
Grande’s grasp and trapped him in a Tree of Woe position, as
he then came down with a double stomp on El Grande. Lee then
took flight with a dive to the outside that connected. As El
Grande got hack into the ring, he appeared to slip something
in his mask, as he hit Lee with a steel-plate assisted
headbutt for the win.
El Grande Americano def. Dragon Lee
A fine little match, even though I’m not high on the El
Grande Americano character like others. The in-ring action
was at least enjoyable to watch.
*********
– As Penta was preparing for his match with Seth Rollins
later, he was confronted by Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker.
Penta remained fearless and told the two “Cero Miedo” before
he walked off.
Commercial Break Exclusive Promo
Karrion Kross was interviewed and got a huge reaction from
the Providence crowd, who chanted “We Want Kross”. Kross aid
that every time Sami Zayn shows up every week, he was going
to blast him with a steel pipe. All he wanted for Zayn to
say was “Kross Told The Truth”, and if he didn’t do so, he’d
continue to make Zayn suffer.
*********
Gunther addresses Goldberg
The World Heavyweight Champion took the mic and started by
saying that he was going to defend his title this Saturday
at Goldberg, and for the last two weeks, he had been
verbally abusing Goldberg in the ring, and he has not done
anything about it. That meant, Gunther can only assume that
Goldberg was afraid of him and the pressure, but he was
suddenly interrupted by the sound of a car arriving to the
arena.
On the Titantron, we saw the car park as Goldberg stepped
out of it and immediately made a beeline to the ring. The
soon-to-be-retiring WCW legend marched to the ring and met
Gunther face to face, in a mood for a fight. Goldberg dared
Gunther to hit him, as he blocked a punch and knocked the
champ down. Goldberg had Gunther in position for a Spear,
but Gunther rolled out of the ring and avoided a potentially
grisly fate.
Given how Goldberg looked a bit blown up in just the little
bit of work he did tonight, Gunther will have to do a lot of
the heavy lifting on Saturday to ensure that this match is
at the very least presentable.
Saturday Night’s Main Event Card
LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins
Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Goldberg
Evolution II Card
WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Trish
Stratus
NXT Women’s Championship: Jacy Jayne (c) vs. Jordynne Grace
Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs.
Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
Women’s World Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way: Raquel
Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte
Flair vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Zaria & Sol Ruca
Naomi vs. Jade Cargill
Evolution Battle Royal (Winner gets a Championship Match at
Clash in Paris)
*********
Penta vs. Seth Rollins
Penta surprised Rollins with a superkick just as the bell
rang, which sent him just outside of the ring. At ringside,
Penta chopped away at Rollins and maintained an attack by
bouncing his head over the announce table. Another attempt
at a chop by Penta, was dodged by Rollins, which caused
Penta to hit the LED ringpost covering instead. Penta roared
back with a diving hurricanrana on Rollins.
As Penta got back in the ring, Rollins took advantage with
stomps, but couldn’t maintain a clear advantage for long as
Penta fought back. Rollins attempted a Pedigree, but Penta
countered and sent Rollins to the outside with a
clothesline. Penta followed that up with a tope con hilo
that felled Rollins just as Raw went to one final commercial
break on the U.S. feed.
Rollins sustained a cut above his right eye during the
break, but he had the upper hand as Raw returned from
commercial in the United States. Penta fought out of
Rollins’ grip successfully and hit him with a modified
Slingblade. He then followed that up with his dropkick in
the corner on Rollins.
Penta looked for the Penta Driver, but Rollins countered and
escaped. The former architect of the Shield, however,
couldn’t escape the Backstabber from Penta that soon
followed. As both men recovered, Rollins showed impressive
strength and lifted Penta on his shoulders before he dropped
him with a gutbuster. Rollins headed up top and mocked
Penta’s signature taunt before hitting the frog splash. One,
two… this one’s not done yet.
Rollins had Penta in position for the Stomp, but couldn’t
connect. Rollins was placed on the top rope by Penta as the
two began to duke it out up top. Penta landed on the apron
and connected with the hurricanrana. In the ring, Penta
managed to hit the Penta Driver on Rollins. One, two…
Rollins just managed to kick out at 2.999999999.
Penta placed Rollins in position for the Sacrifice, but Mr.
Money in the Bank escaped and hit the Buckle Bomb. Penta
recovered right away and hit the Mexican Destroyer. He went
for the cover, but Rollins grabbed the bottom rope at the
last possible second. Penta dragged Rollins’ lifeless body
in the middle of the ring, but Rollins recovered and went
low with a headbutt. This gave Rollins the opening for the
Stomp and the win.
After the match, Paul Heyman called for Bronson Reed and
Bron Breakker to continue the punishment on Penta, but LA
Knight snuck into the ring and blindsided Rollins with the
B.F.T. Breakker and Reed made a run for it, but couldn’t
catch up to Knight, who made his getaway in the crowd to end
Raw for tonight.
Seth Rollins def. Penta
A solid main event on Raw tonight. Just some tremendous
stuff between Rollins and Penta. The Knight appearance at
the end was a decent way to set up the Saturday Night’s Main
Event match in five days.
All in all, an okay edition of Raw that did as best as it
could to sell viewers on the big WWE weekend of action
coming in a few days. Whether it was successful or not is up
remains to be seen. The throughline of the Rollins band’s
dominance was at least a good angle to go with all night
long, I will say.