Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly WWE RAW hits and misses series.
Last night’s episode of RAW went down at FLA Live Arena in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Randy Orton, CM Punk, The Judgment Day, Terror Twins, Gunther, and Jey Uso worked the show.
Here’s what went down on 8/19 Monday Night RAW.
Miss – Opening segment on WWE RAW
Randy Orton kicked off RAW. The Viper said he’d become a 15-time world champion at Bash in Berlin. Gunther interrupted his challenger and vowed to embarrass him in Germany. Orton fired back before Kaiser came up with a sneak attack setting up his singles match against the former Legend Killer later for the night.
I feel like there’s something lacking with the build-up. Gunther looked like a major threat to Priest while chasing the title. He didn’t even need Kaiser’s help back then. Last night’s promo made the Ring General look like he needed help against Orton. The promo exchange between the two men was underwhelming as well.
Hit – Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne
Sheamus and Pete Dunne finally collided in singles action after weeks of build-up. Dunne targeted his old tag team partner’s limbs to gain the advantage. Sheamus retaliated with a couple of stiff strikes. The Celtic Warrior picked up the win following a Brogue Kick.
Sheamus gave another banger last night. Dunne’s work on Sheamus’ injured hand was great. It’s always a treat to see the Bruiserweight systematically destroy his opponent. The knee strike mid-air to Pete was brutal.
Miss – Ivy Nile vs. Maxxine Dupri on WWE RAW
Ivy Nile officially pledged allegiance to American Made before her match against Maxxine Dupri. Maxxine didn’t even wait for the referee to signal for the bell and jumped on Ivy. The lights went off and Wyatt Sicks showed up to take care of American Made.
The pre-bell action was great from Maxxine. I feel both these women could pull off a great match if given the time. Wyatt Sicks’ interference didn’t do it for me. They should’ve had the Wyatts feud against someone else before pitting them against American Made.
Hit – CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre II is official
CM Punk entered the ring. Punk cut a lengthy promo wherein he referenced Taylor Swift among other things. The Straight Edge Superstar called out McIntyre to face him in a Strap Match at Bash in Berlin. The Scottish Warrior showed up and accepted Punk’s challenge. Punk told him to give him his bracelet back. There was no physical violence between the two men tonight.
Punk’s feud with McIntyre has gone international. The Voice of the Voiceless traveled around the world to pull off the “Glasgow Screwjob.” Now, he wants McIntyre in a Strap Match in Berlin. I tip my hat to the wrestling gods for answering my prayers when I wrote Punk versus McIntyre II needs to happen in Germany.
Miss – Women’s tag team title match on WWE RAW
The Unholy Union defended their tag team titles in a triple threat tag team match. Damage CTRL and Pure Fusion Collective were the challengers. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn retained their championship after Alba pinned Shayna with a Swanton Bomb.
Lack of coordination and sloppy action sum up my review of this match. Kairi Sane botched a dive in the early goings of the match. The match lasted less than 10 minutes. I don’t know if it would’ve been better if the women got more time.
Hit – Terror Twins’ Judgment Day
Damian Priest came down to the ring to take on Dominik Mysterio. Priest caught Carlito, McDonagh and Balor while they tried to attack him before the match. Rhea Ripley caught Dom from behind. She was about to hit him with a riptide on the broadcast table but Liv Morgan made the save. The Judgment Day then ganged up on Terror Twins to cap off the segment.
Terror Twins weren’t going to get the upper hand this week. Liv Morgan’s timely intervention saved Dom from going through the table. The live crowd wanted Jey Uso to make the save, but he didn’t show up. Rhea took a lot of beating on the outside from Liv. Damian was destroyed in the ring just days before the Terror Twins take on Liv and Dom in mixed tag team action.
Honorable Mentions
- Odyssey Jones and The New Day had a fun six-man sprint against Kross and the Authors of Pain. Jones got a huge pop when he entered the ring to clean house. They kept on teasing Woods’ frustration with Kingston over Jones’ addition to the group. I’m looking forward to the payoff in this one.
- Bronson Reed destroyed The Miz in a Street Fight. WWE’s resident kaiju was about to unleash a tsunami on Miz when Bron Strowman returned to make the save. Let’s see how Triple H books Reed versus Strowman.
- Randy Orton and Ludwig Kaiser headlined WWE RAW. Orton and Kaiser had a methodical match-up where Kaiser targeted Orton’s limbs. The Viper picked up the win following an RKO. He then brawled with Gunther as the show went off the air.
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