Our WWE Raw results for tonight include Rhea Ripley battling Raquel Rodriguez, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston speaking for the first time since turning on Big E, the Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament continues with Lyra Valkyria vs. Zelina Vega vs. Ivy Nile, and the Wyatt Sicks seeking revenge against The Final Testament and The Miz in an 8-Man Tag Team Match, Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
WWE Raw Card:
- Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
- Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston Speak
- Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament: Lyra Valkyria vs. Zelina Vega vs. Ivy Nile
- 8-Man Tag Team Match: The Wyatt Sicks vs. Final Testament & The Miz
- Drew McIntyre Returns
WWE Raw Results:
While making their way into the arena, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are surprise that Alpha Academy and Natalya turn their backs on them.
The Ring General
World Heavyweight Champion Gunther says Finn Bálor made a grave mistake interfering in his business. Whether Bálor deserves it or not, he has Gunther’s full attention. Bálor and the rest of The Judgement Day interrupt. Bálor says he’s going to walk out of Saturday Night’s Main Event as the champion. Gunther says he understands that Bálor is frustrated. eight years ago, Bálor became the first Universal Champion, but look at him now.
Bálor is too busy hanging out with werdos in a club house and playing second fiddle to Damian Priest to be a champion. Gunther says Bálor was the best in the world for one night. Gunther has been is the best and will be for thousands of days to come. Bálor isn’t on Gunther’s level and never will be. Bálor and the rest of The Judgement Day surround the ring. Damian Priest music hits.
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Priest clears out The Judgement Day and tosses Bálor into the ring. Gunther chops Bálor’s soul out of his body. Priest superkicks Bálor. Gunther levels Priest with a lariat. Gunther beats down Priest and sets him up to be put through the commentary desk. Bálor breaks it up with slingblade. Báor double stomps Gunther off the apron. Bálor crushes Priest with the Coup de Gras four times.
Grade: B
This was a good opening segment. Guther has to rehab his aura at this point and stomping the crap out of Bálor will help. As usual, Gunther destroyed on the mic tonight, hitting Bálor with the truth of the matter: he’s not on Gunther’s level. Priest interjecting here was a nice touch, and this ended the way it should have, with Bálor standing tall and to set up the inevitable triple threat match.
8-Man Tag Team Match: The Wyatt Sicks vs. Final Testament & The Miz
Uncle Howdy sends his group tot he ring and a brawl breaks out. The Wyatt’s clear the ring. Kross and friends are working over Gacy. Gacy manages to tag in Rowan. Rowan clears the ring. a brawl breaks out between all eight men. Uncle Howdy sets up a dive, but Scarlett grabs his leg. Nikki Cross appears and scares Scarlett. Cross takes out Scarlett with a dive off the steps. Miz saves Kross from Uncle Howdy’s Sister Abigal. Before Uncle Howdy can retaliate, Paul Ellering appears and tosses powder into Uncle Howdy’s eyes. Kross hits the Final Prayer for the win.
Winners- The Final Testament and The Miz
Grade: D
This match was a mess. I have no idea why Kross doesn’t work, but everything he is attached to on the main roster seems to die, even this. The crowd is into the Wyatts, so the hope is that Kross and his group getting the win here will give them a bit of heat, but ehhhhhh. At least Ellering finally got to do something other than just stand there silently. We don’t see heel managers doing heel stuff often enough.
Dakota Kai vs. Liv Morgan
Kai sends Morgan flying with a few hip tosses. Morgna retreats to the corner. Kair charges in and gets tossed over the top to the floor. After the break, Morgan is working over Kai. Shayna Baszler, Sonya Deville and Zoey Stark walk down to ringside to watch the match. Kai fires up an lands a flurry of offense. Kai lands a running boot for a near fall. After a distraction from PFC, Kai misses her running boot. Morgan counters with Oblivion for the win.
Winner- Liv Morgan
After the match, PFC attack kai. IYO SKY and Kairi Sane make the save. After SKY helps Sane with a dive, Morgan surprises SKY with Oblivion.
In-Ring Segment: Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Rollins has a lot to say tonight. CM Punk has a future in politics. He’s a fraud, a con man. Here’s the truth about Punk and Rollins: Rollins did go to Punk when he was 16 and ask to be training. Punk helped Rollins get in the door. Punk left out a huge part of the story. When Punk left WWE, Rollins reached out and Punk ghosted him. The story didn’t end there. For the next 10 years all Punk did was try to tear this company down. The only reason Punk came back is because he failed at everything else and the money was right.
A CM Punk chant breaks out. Rollins just shakes his head. Rollins says he has done everything Punk has done twice and one thing he’s never done: main event WrestleMania. Sami Zayn interrupts. Rollins says he doesn’t wan to hear Zayn defined Punk, if that’s what this is, they can fight again. Zayn says apologizes to Rollins for assuming he attacked Jey Uso last week. Rollins wants to know why Zayn thought he attacked Jey. Zayn says Rollins seemed more like Drew McIntyre last week.
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Rollins tells Zayn he’s nothing like McIntyre. Zayn tells Rollins to handle his business how he sees fit, but he wants to know if they are good. Rollins says they are good, but Zayn has so business to handle with McIntyre. Rollins leaves. Zayn says he isn’t dealing with McIntyre and weeks of him complaining about how Zayn is wrong. He are ending this as soon as possible; he’s talked to Raw GM Adam Pearce and the will face-off this weekend at Saturday Night’s Main Event. As Zayn is walking up the ramp, McIntyre attacks him on the ramp.
Grade: B-
Raw having all of these interconnected storylines adds so much to the show. Things don’t happen in a vacuum, and this just adds to the realsim of all of this. Again, that’s what’s missing in pro wrestling at large- realisim. That said, they only real detraction from this segment was the weak beatdown by McIntyre to close the segment.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament: Lyra Valkyria vs. Zelina Vega vs. Ivy Nile
Nile gets tossed out of the ring. Valkyria and Vega trade pin attempts. 619 by Vega. Nile pulls Vega off the apron and crushes Valkyria with a suplex. After the break, Valkyria and Nile trade pins. Vega breaks one up with a senton off the top. Vega can’t hold either woman down. Nile rolls out of the ring. Vega lands a sliding sunset powerbomb. Nile breaks up Vega’s pin after a meteroa off the top. Nile suplexes Valkyria and Vega at the same time. Valkyria breaks up Vega’s pin after she hit the Code Red. Valkyria hits Nightwing on Nile for the win.
Winner- Lyra Valkyria
Grade: C+
This match was shockingly entertaining. The action was fast paced and fun. Valkyria is a literal blackhole of charisma, so this writer is positive the wrong person won here, and all signs point to her winning this whole thing… which.. ugh…
It’s a New Day, Yes it is?
Backstage, Kelly ask Woods and Kingston why they berated their best friend last week. Kingston is incredulous at how Kelly asked the question. Woods says they are going to talk to the people they need to speak to right now. Woods takes a camera from a camera man and follows Kingston into the arena.
Kingston grabs a mic and the crowd drowns him out with boos. Kingston says after a decade of positivity they act like this after one day? Woods tries to speak and gets drowned out, too. Woods yells that they didn’t even do anything to E. Kingston says they could have taken him out with a chair, but didn’t. The crowd isn’t having it. Woods drops the mic. Kingsto and Woods walk away.
Grade: A
The New Day are the biggest heels in the company and they didn’t have to lift a finger to do it. That’s how it’s done.
No DQ Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Ripley attacks Rodriguez on the stage. The fight tracks through the crowd. During the break, Ripley filled the ring with weapons. The fight spills back into the ring. Ripley lands a missile dropkick off the top. Rodriguez sends Ripley into the commentary desk with a fallaway slam.
After the break, Rodriguez botches going to a chair. Ripley angrily hits Rodriguez with another chair. As Ripley sets up Riptide on a pile of chairs, Liv Morgan runs down to the ring to distracts Ripley. Morgan drops Ripley with Oblivion. IYO SKY appears and takes Morgan out with a springboard dropkick. Sky lands a dive. Ripley puts Raquel through a table with Riptide for the win.
Winner- Rhea Ripley
After the match, Both SKY and Ripley grab the Women’s World Championship
Grade: B
Somethign must have run long tonight because Ripley and Rodriguez had what seemed like eight minutes to get from start to finish for this thing. Werdily that may have been a good thing. Gargbage matches are what they are, but this was short and too the point. Ripley and Rodriguez didn’t get too stagey and spend minutes building Erector sets for elaborate spots. This was good. The run ins made sense and didn’t take away from the match; they highlighted the two storyline heading into the special event this Saturday: SKY quest to dethrone Morgan, and Ripley neverending quest for revenge.
WWE Raw Review:
Tonights show was a solid lead up to this weekend’s Satuday Night’s Main Event live event. The world title match has expended to a triple threat (and how we got there actually makes sense) Morgan and SKY came to blows and though Ripley says she is going to wait her turns, we are already getting teases of conflict between Ripley and SKY. All of the in-ring promos tonight were good, with Woods an Kingston battling with the crowd to get a word out edgewise winning the top promo honors.
Match of the night was the main event between Rodrigez and Ripley, check that one out on play back if you can. It’s a condensed weapons match were nothing stupid happens. So it was. a bit of a unicorn. What do you think will happen at SNME? Will Gunther manage to Retain? Can SKY win singles gold on the Raw brand? Will Woods and Kingston ever be able to cut a promo ever again? Let us know i the comments!
Rating: B-
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