Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly WWE RAW hits and misses series.
Last night’s RAW emanated from Calgary, Canada. Hometown hero Bret “The Hitman” made a special appearance during the show. WWE confirmed several matches for the upcoming Bad Blood PLE as well.
Here’s what went down on the September 9 episode of Monday Night RAW.
Hit – A brutal Street Fight to kick off WWE RAW
American Made and The Wyatts Sicks brought their feud to a brutal conclusion last night. Chad Gable and his group took on Uncle Howdy and his minions in a Street Fight. Both teams dished some brutal punishment on each other as Howdy watched the action from his rocking chair. The Creeds tried to isolate Eric Rowan, but the big man returned during the closing moments of the match. A Sister Abigail followed by a splash from Dexter Lumis on Gable sealed the win for the Wyatts.
I had doubts about this feud when it kicked off. That said, the two teams delivered inside the ring. Wyatts and American Made brought out the best in each other in tag team action. These men and women gave us a PLE-quality outing on weekly television. Gacy and Lumis were the workhorses in this match-up. The Olympic Slam to the table was sweet. Ivy and Cross had some brutal exchanges as well.
Miss – Women’s tag team title match
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair put their titles on the line against former champions Unholy Union. Alba and Isla brought the fight, but the champions proved to be too much for the challengers. Jade stopped the pin on multiple occasions to set up the finishing spot.
This was pretty much the same from their previous outing. The only highlight I could find out was Jade running to make the save. Could it be that WWE is trying to establish Belair as the weakest link of the two to set up their feud?
Hit – Gunther reveals his favorite wrestler to Bret Hart
Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett welcomed Bret Hart to the ring. Hart recalled his in-ring days. Gunther interrupted the Hitman. The world champion told Bret he is his “second favorite wrestler” and that Goldberg is his favorite wrestler.
Sami Zayn showed up. Zayn berated Gunther for disrespecting the WWE Hall of Famer. Zayn said he wanted Gunther at Bad Blood. Gunther said know. Bret mocked Gunther for not accepting the challenge leading to a brawl between Gunther and Zayn.
Gunther is a different beast on the mic. Mocking Bret by bringing Goldberg was a brilliant creative idea. Props to the person who came up with it.
Bret’s hatred for Goldberg has been canonized, folks.
Speaking of Goldberg, we may never get Bret versus Gunther but if Bill is still looking for his retirement match, he knows what line to hit.
Miss – Six-woman tag team match on WWE RAW
Sonya Deville interrupted Lyra Valkyria’s entrance. Natalya showed up as Vega and Valkyria’s mystery tag team partner. The trio pulled a trifecta sharpshooter in Nattie’s home country of Canada for the win.
Assuming this was Nattie’s one-time appearance alongside Lyra and Zelina, this match did nothing for Pure Fusion Collective. The in-ring action itself featured some botches like the spot between Vega and Baszler on the ring screen.
Hit – CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre III at Bad Blood
Drew McIntyre said he put an end to CM Punk’s career last week on WWE RAW. McIntyre then hyped up his first movie, The Killer’s Game starring Dave Bautista. Check out some of Dave’s best acting roles while you’re at it. McIntyre brought his attention to Wade Barrett for daring to interrupt him on multiple occasions. Adam Pearce showed up and told McIntyre he’d face Punk for the third and final time at Bad Blood.
McIntyre’s character progression is about to reach an all-new level. He’s slowly starting to reach a point where there’s no difference between friend and enemy. I hope WWE pulls off something creative during CM Punk versus McIntyre to set up a feud between Barrett and McIntyre, assuming Barrett is all in for an in-ring return against his longtime friend. Punk will be on RAW next week.
Miss – Finn Balor vs. Rey Mysterio
Balor and Mysterio went at it. Balor brutalized Mysterio with some offense. He then grabbed the Hall of Famer’s compromised knee and refused to let it go. The referee called for the bell. Balor delivered two jumping stomps on Rey’s chest before leaving him for medics.
This was a short match that was story driven. Balor is slowly recreating Judgment Day in his image. He’s been wanting to for a long time. The group destroyed The Terror Twins on WWE RAW before the singles match.
Hit – Fatal four-way on WWE RAW
Jey Uso, Ilja Dragunov, Pete Dunne, and Braun Strowman collided with an opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship. Strowman demolished his competition. Bronson Reed showed up out nowhere to put away Strowman with a tsunami through the broadcast. Jey picked up the win with a splash. Bron Breakker entered the run to have a stare down with his champion.
What a great main event. Ilja and Dunne brought their indie intensity to WWE NXT. These two know each other so well. Strowman looked like a legitimate threat, but Reed popped a tsunami out of nowhere. The crowed came alive for the spot. Simply terrific! Let’s see who wins between Jey and Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Championship.
RELATED: Bron Breakker: My Ilja Dragunov Matches Show I Can Work At A High Level With Anyone
