Logan Paul starts the show, Matt Riddle VS Ludwig Kaiser
Logan Paul arrived to kick off Monday Night Raw as the Maverick talked about how his match with Ricochet at Summerslam is going to be the “most viral match in WWE history”. Ricochet then arrived and told Logan that whilst he cannot respect him as a human being, he can respect his ability in the squared circle. Logan Paul then had a brilliant line referencing ring announcer Samantha Irvin before the two men started to brawl. Whilst it worked out for the One and Only to begin with, he got Knocked out after LP delivered a mid-air One Lucky Punch. I thought this was better than usual opening promo segments, particularly as Logan Paul is a really good promo whilst it was nice to see the crowd cheering for Ricochet. I also liked that Paul mentioned Samantha Irvin (Ricochet’s fiancé) as it doesn’t feel like that happens nearly as much as it should.
Grade: B-
Imperium were being interviewed backstage and Gunther warned Ludwig Kaiser that he had to beat Matt Riddle tonight after multiple failures in the previous months. “I expect better, especially from you” was a particularly good line by/from the Ring General. Matt Riddle then made his way down to the ring as his match with Ludwig Kaiser would be the first of the night. This match was actually good fun as both guys showcased both their technical and striking abilities. It was also good because I wasn’t sure who was going to win, and in the end, it was Ludwig Kaiser who picked up the victory with a brand-new DDT-type finisher. After the match, Gunther demanded that Kaiser got up before the two shook hands. There are so many different things that people can excel at in wrestling and whilst Kaiser is a good wrestler and good talker, his facial expressions are some of the best in the entire company.
Grade: B-
Maxxine Dupri VS Valhalla, The Judgment Day, Shinsuke Nakamura VS Tommaso Ciampa
Logan Paul was acting very cocky during an interview with Byron Saxton before we got a video package showcasing the feud between Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes. Of course, this was really good, but the words in the song didn’t really fit in well with the storyline. Maxxine Dupri was then ready to make her in-ring singles debut as she faced Valhalla. If you only like watching technical wrestling showpieces, this isn’t the match for you at all. However, if you want to watch something entertaining, this is the right match for you. We know that Valhalla can wrestle, but the focus in this match was rightly on Maxxine Dupri and what makes Dupri so good is she’s so bad. She wrestles in a way that is poor and entertaining at the same time and her Caterpillar was horrific, but also made me laugh and that’s the whole point of this. One thing I will say is the ending of this match was quite good as Maxxine hit a lovely bridge to pick up the victory in her “debut” match. Whilst you wouldn’t want this for the entire show, it certainly has a place on the show as I really can’t complain about it.
Grade: C+
Tommaso Ciampa found Shinsuke Nakamura backstage and told him that he needs some momentum heading into the Summerslam Battle Royal. Shinsuke agreed so the two will now have a match later on in the show. The Judgment Day’s music then hit as Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Dominik Mysterio all made their way down to the ring. All four members talked about their dominance and about how everyone who steps to them has been put on the shelf. Finn Balor then said that Seth “Freakin” Rollins will be added to that list after Saturday before Raquel Rodriguez arrived to start a brawl with Rhea Ripley. Whilst this worked out to begin with for the former NXT Women’s Champion, it soon didn’t as the Women’s World Champion stomped on the injured knee of Rodriguez before referees stopped Ripley from doing any more damage. This was a decent segment, but I feel like Mysterio should’ve mentioned what happened at NXT The Great American Bash.
Grade: C+
We got a video where Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler talked about their history together. This was totally fine and there’s a part two later. Imperium then found the Alpha Academy who were celebrating Maxxine Dupri’s big victory. Gunther was not impressed by all of this and it eventually led to Gable agreeing to a 5-minute match with the Intercontinental Champion after the Ring General said he couldn’t hang with him. It was then time for two former NXT Champions to collide as Shinsuke Nakamura went one-on-one with Tommaso Ciampa. Whilst this match was totally fine, it felt like it could’ve and should’ve been a lot better. Both guys were absolutely incredible in NXT, but Shinsuke’s star power has significantly dwindled over the past few years whilst Tommaso Ciampa is barely winning matches. That fact was proved once again as Nakamura grabbed the tights to steal the victory. This was a typical “it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good” type of match.
Grade: C+
Brock Lesnar calls out Cody Rhodes, Gunther VS Chad Gable, Becky Lynch VS Trish Stratus
Raquel Rodriguez was being checked on in the trainers’ room before Adam Pearce gave Raquel his word that she could have a shot at Rhea Ripley as soon as she’s medically cleared to compete. I’m pretty sure Pearce never follows through on “his word”. Brock Lesnar then arrived and reminded everyone that he has basically completed combat sports. Brock also made me smile by saying “Heavyweight Champion of the World” before he called out Cody Rhodes. Cody then arrived in fighting attire before he got in the ring and shuck the Beast’s hand. As Lesnar went to walk off, Rhodes took him out with a suicide dive before the two brawled. Once again on this show, the person who started the brawl didn’t stand tall as Lesnar destroyed Rhodes before he delivered an F5 to leave the American Nightmare laying in the ring. This was a short segment which made sense given Brock said he didn’t want to be in Texas and I’m hoping that their match on Saturday is going to be good.
Grade: C+
It was then time for a “5 Minute Challenge” as Gunther looked to beat Chad Gable in under 300 seconds. Gunther dominated his opponent for about four and a bit minutes, but Gable wouldn’t quit and he ended up sending The Ring General to the outside to technically win the match. However, that wasn’t the case as Gunther asked for more time and the match then continued after the ad break. Whilst that was all a bit silly, the in-ring action was good and it sort of protected Gable (even though lots of stars have gone way longer than 5 minutes with Gunther). In the end, though, the Intercontinental Champion was too much for the Master as Gunther scored the win with his trademark Powerbomb. I definitely think Gunther and Gable could have a World-Class match if it was just a normal contest from the beginning.
Grade: C+
Seth “Freakin” Rollins was getting very hyped up next to Sami Zayn backstage before Bryon Saxton asked Cody Rhodes whether he’d still be able to compete at Summerslam after Brock Lesnar’s attack earlier in the night. What a stupid question and I think Rhodes thought the same as he reminded Saxton that he fought the Beast with a broken arm at Night of Champions. Becky Lynch was then in the ring as The Man called out Trish Stratus, saying she wants her match with her right now. Trish then arrived and told Becky that she’ll get her match eventually, but not whilst Stratus’ face is still injured. However, Adam Pearce didn’t seem to care about this (despite what he said to Raquel Rodriguez earlier) as he booked the match between Lynch and Stratus to happen right here, right now. The bell then rang, Lynch hit 1 move and Zoey Stark attacked her to cause the DQ. This caused a brawl which eventually led to Stratus and Stark fleeing. There really wasn’t anything to this and when Stratus and Stark were in the back, Adam Pearce told them that what happened was unacceptable and Trish must fight Becky in 2 weeks. Firstly, I’m surprised that this match isn’t happening at Summerslam (unless Trish is legitimately still injured) and second of all, Trish saying the bell ringing means the match happened is genius.
Grade: C
Seth “Freakin” Rollins and Sami Zayn VS The Judgment Day
We got the second part of the Ronda Rousey-Shayna Baszler video and both women genuinely got emotional. It’s probably the most personality both women have ever had (certainly Ronda) and Shayna’s line about how her Goddaughter (Rousey’s kid) is going to grow up to hate her because of what she does to her Mom on Saturday was excellent. It was then main event time as the World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins teamed up with 1-half of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn to take on The Judgment Day. The thing I found most amazing about this match was how everyone in the ring is either holding a Championship or has a guaranteed shot at a title. At one point, Rhea Ripley was on the outside of the ring wearing both her Women’s World Championship and Dom’s NXT North American Championship around her waist whilst holding Damian Priest’s Money in the Bank Briefcase in her hand which is a pretty powerful image. The match itself was what you would expect, it’s four people all talented (in different ways) at what they do whilst Rhea Ripley and Finn Balor kept trying to get involved. The interesting part of all of this was Damian Priest had Seth Rollins beaten after he delivered a Ridiculous Razor’s Edge, but instead of pinning him, he asked for his Money in the Bank Briefcase. Finn Balor seemed to hesitate a little and that combined with the referee losing all of his brain cells (an unwritten rule in wrestling) meant Rollins was able to Superkick the briefcase into Priest’s face and deliver a Stomp (whilst Zayn Helluva Kicked Balor) to pick up the victory. It’s interesting that Damian Priest could’ve won, but he ended up being pinned. It makes sense over the North American Champion being pinned when you think about it, but it still surprised me. All I do know is I’m very much looking forward to their match at Summerslam and I’m torn when it comes to who I want to win. What I definitely do know is Dominik Mysterio (or Rhea Ripley) should win the Summerslam Battle Royal.
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