Raw revs its engines towards SummerSlam!

We are FIVE days away from the biggest SummerSlam ever, and ROMAN REIGNS is here! Will Detroit ACKNOWLEDGE the OTC?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Mixed Six Tag: AJ Styles & The Kabuki Warriors VS Judgment Day; Styles & The Kabuki Warriors win.
• Sheamus VS Grayson Waller; Sheamus wins.
• 8 Woman Tag: Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella VS Naomi & The Green Administration; Rhea, Iyo, Stephanie & Nikki win.
• WWE World Tag Team Championships: Finn Balor & JD McDonagh VS Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde; Finn & JD win and retain the titles.
• Jey Uso VS Bronson Reed w/ Paul Heyman; Jey wins, by disqualification.

PLAY BY PLAY

WWE again honors the memory of Hulk Hogan.

Just as on Friday, Triple H stands on stage with the superstars and staff of Monday Night Raw, as well as Nick Hogan/Bolea, and they give the Immortal Hulk Hogan the ten bell salute. Then a new video tribute plays, with photo and video highlights from the immortal career and life that is known as Hulkamania. “A household name that became bigger than professional wrestling,” iconic to generations around the world, even as the Hollywood villain that led a New World Order. He is the foundation for everything we have in wrestling today, and we can really only say, #ThankYouHogan.

Jey Uso is here!

He might be in the main event tonight, but Main Event Jey Uso wants to get the party started in Detroit YEET City already! He comes in from the opposite end of the arena, he’s that fired up! Jey still high-fives the front row and bounces with the fans, then has to take a breather! The fans still cheer him on, so Jey says why not. Here’s the encore! Or not… “Ladies and gentlemen,” Paul Heyman ruins all the fun. The fans boo as Seth Rollins’ Oracle tries to give his introductions, but he promises he didn’t come out here to be disrespectful to Main Event Jey Uso. Even though tonight, Jey is in the main event, against BIG Bronson Reed.

But Heyman is here to speak man-to-man as former Bloodline members, and to speak from the heart. The fans chant “O T C! O T C!” at Heyman already, but Heyman says he wanted to speak in front of this worldwide audience about family. Heyman steps into the ring, but then steps out as he says he’s seen “that” look in Jey’s eyes before. Heyman knows Jey runs fast so he’ll make some space. But Heyman says he can’t believe Jey accepted Roman’s invitation to team up this Saturday at SummerSlam against Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker! And all in the name of family.

Because Jey loves his family, right? Where Heyman comes from, they know it’s “family shmamily,” because they always let you down. Family will always get you in trouble. Heyman keeps backing up as he says to trust The Oracle: That’s not a prediction, that’s a prophecy. And Heyman can see Jey isn’t buying into what he’s selling. The fans again chant “O T C! O T C!” But Heyman tries this: When you were a kid, did mom tell you it was Santa Claus that left presents under the tree? Because if she did, that means she lied to you! And that goes for everyone here, not just Jey! Well, except for the Jewish people, because Heyman’s tribe knows better!

But did daddy tell you to be more iconic than he ever was? Is that what Daddy Rikishi told little Jey? Then your father lied, too! How about this. When Roman Reigns named his “next in line,” he didn’t pick Jey, did he? He picked Solo Sikoa! And how’d that work out for the family, huh? And now, does Roman tell Jey that Jey would’ve been a better choice? Does he tell Jey that Jey should be as rich and famous and powerful as Roman? Because if Roman said that, then Roman lied, too! Heyman says he isn’t saying this out of anger, but he is saying this out of love. Heyman says he loves Jey, just like family. YEET~!

Heyman drops the mic with a smug smile on his face, but the fans call BS. Jey says family IS why he’s here. And he’ll tell “OG” one more thing: Keep running your mouth, because you know Jey don’t play by his! Heyman knows Jey! Jey will pull up for his family every time! That’s just him, Uce. And guess what? The Bloodline still runs deep in Jey’s veins, Uce! The fans cheer that! Jey says Heyman out here talking crap, disrespecting him, talking about all Jey can do without Roman. Jey did those things in spite of Roman! Jey went out on his own to see if he could pull up. Jey won the World Heavyweight Championship to prove it to himself!

The fans cheer more, and Jey says THAT is family, OG. You talk about Jey’s family, where the hell Heyman’s at? Heyman knows what time it is! Heyman walked into The Bloodline’s family! so here’s real talk. Heyman screwed Roman over at Mania, Bron & Bronson screwed Jey out of the title, so this is all on OG. Whatever happens tonight, whatever happens at SummerSlam, that’s on Heyman! Talk to ’em, Detroit! Four letters, one word, UH UH, YEET! Now as he was saying, we run this back! The fans bounce along with the encore as Jey is even more fired up than he was before! Will nothing stop Jey from toppling the Colossal Aussie? Or will he be washed away by a Tsunami?

Mixed Six Tag: AJ Styles & The Kabuki Warriors VS Judgment Day!

Before the Phenomenal One goes after Dirty Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship, he teams with the Empress of Tomorrow & The Pirate Princess to get some payback on their mutual enemies. But will Dom, Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez be rolling into SummerSlam with all the momentum? Or will the champions not be ready for AJ Styles, Kairi Sane & Asuka?

Raw returns as the Kabuki Warriors make their entrance. Then Judgment Day enters all together, Dom following the ladies’ lead. But then Dom shoves Styles! The ref keeps things from turning into a brawl, and the trios sort out. Styles and Dom start, but then Dom runs away to tag Raquel. The fans boo but Styles backs off to tag Asuka. Dom is paranoid that Styles will go after him on the outside but Styles stays back. Asuka and Raquel tie up, Asuka headlocks, but Raquel lifts Asuka. Asuka holds on tight and the fans fire up. Raquel powers out the second time, but Asuka DROPKICKS her! And she BLASTS Roxie!

Raquel hauls Asuka up, but Asuka CLUBS away! Then URAKEN! SOBAT! KICK! HAYMAKER! Asuka fires up to fire Kawada Kicks! Then a SUPERKICK! Raquel sputters, Asuka warns Roxie, and she tags Kairi. The Kabuki Warriors double whip but Raquel blocks! She double whips them, but Asuka SOABATS! Kairi AX KICKS! Then DOUBLE DROPKICKS sandwich Raquel! Cover, ONE!! The fans rally up as Kairi climbs a corner, and she CROSSBODIES! But Raquel catches Kairi, pops her around, and tags Roxie in. Raquel gives Kairi SNAKE EYES, then Roxie runs for Raquel to scoop, FALL AWAY SENTON ATTACK! Cover, TWO!

Kairi reaches out but Roxie CLUBS her down! And SMACKS her off the mat! The ref reprimands about the hair pulling, but Roxie whips. Kairi reverses, then blows past Roxie to go up and RANA! Roxie tumbles, Kairi runs up, BLOCKBUSTER! Roxie goes to a corner, Kairi CHOPS her, then CHOPS again! And again and again! The fans “WOO~” with every CHOP, then Kairi DROPKICKS Roxie down! The fans fire up, Kairi runs in, but Dom saves Roxie! The Sliding D crashes into the corner! The fans boo, Styles protests, but Raquel talks trash on Kairi. Then Raquel BOOTS Kairi down with all the distractions going on!

The fans boo more but Judgment Day has control while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Kairi JAWBREAKERS free of a chinlcok! Raquel stays up, keeps Kairi from her corner, but Kairi CHOPS! Kairi jumps, Raquel catches her, and THROWS her back! Kairi runs back up but Raquel LARIATS! Raquel drags Kairi up, tags Roxie, and then SLINGSHOT SUPLEX into the LIONSAULT! Cover, Asuka breaks it! The fans fire up, Roxie is furious, but the ref keeps the two of them apart. Roxie goes back to Kairi, but Kairi fires body shots! Kairi fires forearms, Roxie fires back, and then Roxie SOBATS! Roxie whips, Kairi ducks ‘n’ dodges to SPEAR! The fans fire up while both women are down!

Kairi and Roxie crawl, but Raquel creeps in from the outside! Ricky Desperado waits until Kairi is closer, then she YANKS Asuka down! The fans boo and then Dom BLASTS Styles! Styles hurries in but the ref keeps him back! Roxie drags Kairi around, Kairi BOOTS her away! Kairi then dodges Roxie, wheelbarrows, and STUNNERS! Raquel tags in, and she hurries to drag Kairi away! Raquel scoops, Kairi flails, and Kairi slips free! Kairi dodges Raquel, and Raquel POSTS herself! Hot tag to Styles! Detroit erupts as Dom has no choice but to get in! He doesn’t want to, so Style THROWS him in! PHENOMENAL BLITZ!

The fans fire up as styles LARIATS Dom inside-out, then SLIDING FOREARMS! Dom goes to a corner, Styles runs in at him, and LARIATS! Then a fireman’s carry for the USHIGOROSHI! The fans are thunderous as Styles goes to the apron! Styles aims, but Roxie stands in the way! Dom saved Roxie so Roxie is shielding Dom! Styles storms in and tells Roxie to back off. Dom runs up, Styles dodges, PELE! Roxie runs up, Styles hurdles over her, and Roxie tumbles out! Asuka is there to KNEE Roxie down from the apron! Then she SUPERKICKS Raquel! Kairi joins in and she builds speed! Styles gives her the boost to FLY onto Raquel!

Styles now aims at Dom, PHENOMENAL FOREARM!! Cover, Styles & The Kabuki Warriors win!

Winners: AJ Styles & The Kabuki Warriors, by pinfall

Needless to say, that was phenomenal! But will SummerSlam be even better than that when Styles takes the title from Dom? Or will Judgment Day find a way to stay golden through the weekend?

Backstage interview with Sheamus.

Jackie Redmond congratulates The Fella on his win over Rusev last week, and he thanks her for it. Jackie says Sheamus gave Rusev a taste of his own medicine, and Sheamus says it was an old-fashioned banger. As Big E would’ve said, it was big meaty men slappin’ meat. But speaking of Big E, The New Day and Grayson Waller walk in. The Aussie Icon calls out Sheamus and says talk less about Big E and more about Big G. Sheamus had to cheat against Waller, had to do that to Rusev, but Waller is feeling much better after dumping Austin Theory. And now he’s with the greatest tag team of all time, The NEW~ DAY~!

Sheamus says he can’t believe Waller is still lurking around the nether region of the WWE like the infection nobody wants. Anyone who touches Waller gets a case of the loseritis. Not true! Oh, very true. But is he saying he wants to fight? Y-Yeah, Waller will fight. He wants to scrap? Y-Yeah, Waller will scrap! He wants to go with the Celtic Warrior? Y-yeah! That’s music to his ears! Waller is down under, down ‘n’ out, and prime for a beating! Cuz you know what they say: When they call Sheamus’ name, it is banger after banger after banger! Sheamus heads out, Waller says “we ain’t scared!” But uh, where’d New Day go? Uh oh…

Waller stepped in it again, but will he somehow get his foot out of his mouth? Or will he just end up with Sheamu’s Brogue in there instead?

Sheamus VS Grayson Waller!

Raw returns as Waller makes his entrance. The bell rings, the two circle, and Waller still talks trash despite staying back. Waller scurries to the ropes, but then runs up to sucker punch! Waller fires off knees, has Sheamus int he corner, but Sheamus shoves him away. Sheamus CLOBBERS Waller, then BODY BLOWS! And UPPERCUTS! Sheamus whips Waller, Waller slides to a stop and comes back, SOMERSAULT FLATLINER! Waller soaks up heat, then brings Sheamus around to wrench and whip, only for Sheamus to block! Sheamus whips Waller to a corner, Waller goes up, but Sheamus catches him!

Waller slips down, but Sheamus just powers him back up! POWERSLAM! Sheamus clamps onto Waller with the Dublin Grin! The ref reprimands, even as Sheamus puts Waller on the ropes. Sheamus lets go, Waller gets up, and Waller SLAPS Sheamus! Waller then runs away, but still taunts Sheamus. Sheamus rushes out, Waller slides in, and then Waller dropkicks! Waller runs, slides, but Sheamus SLAPS him back! The fans fire up and Sheamus fireman’s carries Waller. Sheamus runs to ROLLING SENTON on the floor! “Are you not entertained?!” The fans cheer, they are indeed entertained, and Sheamus puts Waller in the ring.

Sheamus steps in but Waller’s JUMP KNEE hits! Waller bumps Sheamus off buckles but the fans rally for Sheamus. Waller climbs up, and TORNADO DDTS to the apron!! A risky move but it pays off, and Waller claps, “New! Day Rocks!” The fans disagree, but Waller somersaults back in, but into a KNEE CAPPER! The fans fire up for that one! Waller sputters, checks if he still has teeth, and stands on the apron. But he’s caught against the ropes! Sheamus points to the front row and the fans all fire up! Sheamus fires off BEATS OF THE BODHRAIN! The fans count along and Sheamus goes to TEN!

Sheamus has the fans all fired up again, and he aims from a corner. Everyone joins in with beating their chest, “FELLA~!” But Rusev is here! Sheamus CLOBBERS Rusev first, Waller rolls Sheamus! TWO!! Waller swings, misses, BROGUE!! Cover, Sheamus wins!

Winner: Sheamus, by pinfall

Rusev CLOBBERS Sheamus with the shillelagh, just as he wanted to last week! And he keeps going! The fans boo but the Son of Thunder soaks it all up! He beats on Sheamus, then clamps on with THE ACCOLADE!! Sheamus endures as the Bulgarian Bully pulls him back! Fans either boo or chant “We Want Lana!” Refs rush out here, but Rusev only lets go when he says so! Rusev’s wrath may be satisfied, but has he only ensured he and Sheamus will have another banger in the near future?

Backstage interview with Naomi.

Jackie Redmond is now with the Women’s World Champion, and says it wasn’t that long ago when she shocked the world by cashing in her Money in the Bank Contract at Evolution. But now at SummerSlam, Naomi’s first title defense is a big one, because it is a Triple Threat against two of the best in Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky. How does she feel about this match, knowing they will be prepared for her? Naomi asks why Jackie would ask her “some mess like that.” Rhea isn’t the only one who brings brutality! And Iyo may be a genius of the sky, but Naomi can fly high, too.

Naomi says those two and the rest of the “heifers” are just fake and phony, passive aggressive, but not Naomi. Naomi is aggressive aggressive, and you’ll see that in the 8 Woman Tag! And it’s gonna be a cautionary tale! Naomi laughs and promises that no matter who you throw at her, whether it is the past, present or so-called future of the Women’s Division, she’ll take ’em all out! And when she walks out of SummerSlam with her championship and prove all the haters wrong again, then don’t be shocked. You’ve all been warned to #ProceedWithCaution! Naomi is ready, but will anyone else be?

Paul Heyman talks with Bronson Reed.

The Oracle tells Auszilla, “You know what I hear? I hear Jey Uso’s ffffamily says now, with Seth Rollins on the shelf for an extended period of time, we’re nothing more than just a group without a leader.” Bron Breakker says, “Which we now have.” Bron tells Bronson he’s got this, they’ve got this, and tonight, Bronson will destroy Jey Uso. Bronson will Tsunami Jey Uso. And then they will restore ultimate power and total control over all of the WWE. That starts tonight with Bronson Reed. Bronson says tonight, Jey Uso, and any member of his family, will be left down, out, and TSUNAMI’D! Bronson heads out and Heyman is impressed.

Bron says he has a plan. Heyman is intrigued, but Bron is going to wait to tell Heyman. Just what could the unpredictable badass have in mind? And will it only ensure that Jey’s family doesn’t make it to SummerSlam?

Lyra Valkyria is here!

Detroit cheers, “WHEW~! WHEW~!” as The Morrigan makes her way to the ring. Lyra grabs a mic to say, “What is up, Detroit? We are five days away from SummerSlam, how we feeling?!” The fans cheer, and Lyra says these are more than just her big shoes. These are her “Becky Stompers.” In just one week, Lyra plans to be standing here as your first-ever TWO-TIME Women’s Intercontinental Champion! The fans cheer, but then Lyra says, “Or… I will have failed to never again be able to challenge for the title as long as Becky is champion.” The fans boo that idea.

Lyra says if that happens, she probably won’t be standing at all. Becky is going to have to beat Lyra into the ground if she wants to walk out of SummerSlam with the title! She already knows Becky doesn’t like to play by the rules. It is the only reason she was able to beat Lyra for the title in the first place. So she figured, fine! Let’s try it Becky’s way! Can’t break the rules if there are no rules to be broken, right? Some fans might think Lyra is playing into Becky’s hands, but the thing is… Lyra has seen everything Becky has ever done! She knows what Becky is capable of! But Becky doesn’t know what Lyra’s capable of.

In fact, Lyra isn’t even sure she knows what she’s capable of. All she knows is, she is ready and willing to go where she has never gone before and- She gets interrupted by Becky! But The Man doesn’t come ’round from the front, she comes ’round from the back! But Lyra feels it, and she turns around to DROPKICK Becky! Becky loses her kendo stick, and Lyra uses it to SMACK away on Becky! The fans fire up as Lyra just unloads! Becky can only run away as she keeps getting hit! They go into the ring, but Becky blocks a shot! Becky kicks Lyra down, winds up, but Lyra ducks! Lyra fireman’s carries, but Becky bails!

The fans boo, but Lyra holds up the busted kendo stick! Will that kendo stick look tame compared to what they do to each other when it is No Holds Barred?

Sit-down interview with Sami Zayn.

Corey Graves was with The Underdog from the Underground before Raw tonight, and Corey brings up how Sami and Karrion Kross have been at odds for months. Those issues come to a head this weekend at SummerSlam, but what is Sami hoping to accomplish? Sami is just hoping to be done with Kross once and for all. Kross has been a thorn in Sami’s side for months, and Sami isn’t even sure what Kross wants out of him. Kross wants Sami to admit to some sort of warped truth? Sami doesn’t know and he doesn’t care at this point, it is all in his way of achieving his goals. Sami wants to be world champion, and that won’t happen while he’s stuck dealing with Kross.

At SummerSlam, Sami vows to put an end to it all. Okay, then how are Sami’s ribs? Oh wait, Kross steps into the room… Corey says they’re in the middle of something but Kross “insists.” Corey steps aside and Kross sits down. Kross leans in and says he had this idea that he could just blast Sami with the steel pipe again, but then Sami wouldn’t make it to SummerSlam and that doesn’t work for Kross. Because everyone Kross has been dealing with, he eventually gets them to show their true colors. Except Sami… And that is starting to piss Kross off.

Kross says at SummerSlam, Sami is going to say the words, “Kross told the truth.” Then Kross will go away! Sami can go on, wanting to be world champion. Because believe Kross when he says Sami is no different than anyone else, and is certainly not better than Kross. Kross shows off the steel pipe, Sami takes it, and Sami says, “You think you’re so smart, huh? You think you’ve got me figured out? You think you’ve got everybody figured out. You think you’re some kind of puppet master, revealing everyone’s inner… What exactly is it you want, huh? I’ll tell you what. You beat me at SummerSlam, I’ll say whatever it is you want me to say.”

If Sami has to say Kross has been right, fine. But here’s what Kross needs to think about: Maybe Kross is wrong. About everything! About Sami, about the others, about himself! And when Sami wins, because make no mistake, he will win at SummerSlam, Kross will have to look Sami in the eyes and admit that Kross was wrong. Sami gives the pipe back, and says he’ll see Kross at SummerSlam. Sami heads out, Scarlett looks to Kross, and while she’s upset, Kross actually smiles! Is Kross still going to drag Sami down into the darkness? Or will nothing extinguish the light inside Sami?

Backstage interview with Bayley.

Jackie is now with The Role Model, and she appreciates Bayley taking the time. Bayley did come up short in the tag title match last week, and has no SummerSlam plans. Where is her head at? What are her plans for what’s next? Bayley says she lost her opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship, lost her opportunity at the Women’s Tag titles, missed WrestleMania and is now missing SummerSlam. For the first time in her career, she is at a loss for words. Bayley heads out, what will it take for her to find direction?

8 Woman Tag: Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella VS Naomi & The Green Administration!

It is quite the all-star match here, as Mami, the Genius, La Primera and #FearlessNikki team together against the Women’s World Champion, The Hot Mess, and the Secret Her-vice. Will Rhea, Iyo, Vaquer & Nikki all be on top? Or will Naomi, Chelsea, Alba & Piper remind them to #ProceedWithCaution?

Raw returns as The Green Administration makes their entrance to join Naomi. Then Iyo makes her entrance, followed by Vaquer, Nikki, and last but not least, Rhea. The teams sort out and Naomi starts against Rhea. The fans rally up and the two run up! Naomi goes Matrix to avoid the boot, then she fires off fast hands! Naomi CLUBS away, stomps Rhea down, then talks trash. Naomi runs, but Rhea gets around to waistlock, ripcord, and LARIAT! Then LARIAT again! And then ripcord for a mule kick! Rhea reels Naomi in for an atomic FACEBSUTER! Naomi sputters, Chelsea tells Rhea to stay back, and Naomi tags Chelsea in!

The fans cheer Rhea on as Chelsea reluctantly steps in. Chelsea is scared, but now Nikki wants in? The fans cheer as Rhea tags in Nikki! Chelsea says oh please, she can handle Nikki! THESZ PRESS from Nikki! Nikki rains down fists, then gets up to cravat and KNEE SMASH! Then she RAMS Chelsea into the Secret Her-vice! Roll-up, TWO! SPINEBUSTER! The fans fire up and Nikki pushes Chelsea to the corner. Chelsea bails out, Nikki says okay then. Nikki runs out after Chelsea, they go around the way, and Chelsea kicks Nikki down. Tag to Alba, Nikki storms in, she fires forearms on them both! Tag to Piper and then Alba SUPERKICKS Nikki!

Alba drags Nikki up and feeds her to Piper’s HAYMAKER! Nikki falls, Piper steps in, ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Nikki survives but Piper drags her right up. Piper salutes The Hot Mess while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Naomi keeps Nikki down with a chinlock. Nikki fires body shots, snapmares free, but Naomi drags her from the corner! Nikki fires forearms but Naomi KNEES low! Naomi headlocks, BUCKLE BULLDOGS, then she swaggers around. Naomi taunts Nikki with her own hip shake, then runs in, slide and SLAP! Naomi talks trash on Nikki, but Nikki kicks low! And ELBOWS Naomi away! Nikki goes up, up, and FLYING CHUCK! The fans fire up while both women are down! They crawl, reach for their corners, hot tags to Alba and Iyo! The fans fire up as Iyo dodges Alba to SHOTEI! And SHOTEI! And DROPKICK!

Iyo brings Alba around, Alba wrenches to waistlock, but Iyo victory rolls to STOMP 182! The fans fire up, Alba sputters, but Iyo whips. Alba reverses, Iyo grabs ropes, and Iyo BOOTS Alba away. Iyo dodges Naomi’s sucker punch to DECK her! But Alba CLOBBERS Iyo from behind! Tag to Chelsea and they double whip. Iyo ducks ‘n’ dodges to handspring! Alba & Chelsea dodge, Iyo DROPKICKS Alba down! Chelsea DROPKICKS Iyo! Cover, TWO! Chelsea bumps Iyo off buckles, tags Piper, and Piper stomps a mudhole in. Piper whips Iyo to the corner hard, then SPLASHES! Tag to Naomi, Naomi fires hands, then she runs in for a SPLASH!

Naomi tags Chelsea, they mug Iyo, but the fans rally up. Chelsea bumps Iyo off buckles, taunts Rhea, then runs in, but Iyo BOOTS her! Iyo fires off hands, Naomi RAMS into Iyo in return! Tag to Naomi, she puts Iyo through the ropes, and hits the HEATSEEKER! Naomi then STOMPS Iyo down, and drops a leg! Cover, TWO! The fans rally as Iyo crawls, but Naomi clamps on with a chinlock. Naomi bumps Iyo off buckles, Chelsea tags in, and she tags Alba. Then Alba tags Piper before the CODE BREAKER! Piper adds the SENTON! Alba is up top, she SWANTON BOMBS! Cover, but Nikki & Vaquer break it!

The fans fire up but Chelsea BOOTS Vaquer! Piper CLOBBERS Nikki! Rhea storms in so Chelsea stands behind Piper. Naomi pushes them both aside to run up on Rhea! Rhea ROUDNHOUSES Naomi, but Piper hits the BLACKHOLE SLAM! Chelsea TOSSES Rhea, then calls to Naomi. Naomi RAMS Rhea into steel steps! Alba has Iyo, Iyo rolls her up! TWO, and Alba SUPERKICKS! Iyo wobbles, she and Alba scrap, and Alba CLUBS Iyo. Alba runs, but Iyo FLAPJACKS her! The fans fire up while both women are down again! Iyo and Alba crawl, kick at each other, hot tags to Chelsea and Vaquer! The fans erupt but Chelsea still runs in!

Vaquer bumps Chelsea off buckles! Then springboards to CROSSBODY! Vaquer SLAPS Chelsea, then SUPERKICKS Alba! Piper runs in, Vaquer wrenches her for SOLE FOOD! Vaquer has targets in the corners, but Naomi grabs her! Vaquer sends Naomi into buckles first! Then HEADBUTTS away until Naomi sits down! Okay, now all corners are targets for Vaquer! METEORA for Alba! METEORA for Piper! Then METEORA for Chelsea! And METE- NO, Naomi goes up! But Vaquer blocks the kick to DRAGON SCREW! Chelsea staggers up, into a BIG back suplex! Vaquer kips up, and the fans erupt as she puts on the headscissors!

Chelsea freaks out, but Vaquer turns her over for DEVIL’S KISSES! AH AH AH AH AH AH AH AH AH AH! YEEEEAH~! Cover, Alba SUPERKICKS it apart! Nikki runs in and kicks Alba! Nikki hits the BELLA BUSTER! Naomi is in but Nikki stares her down. Naomi slithers out, then takes her title and goes home! The fans boo, but Iyo grabs Naomi first! Iyo puts Naomi back in the ring, and Nikki DECKS her! Iyo then springboards to MISSILE DROPKICK Naomi! Iyo kips up, and Nikki joins in with the crazy genius taunt. But Piper DOUBLE LARIATS them, and mocks the taunt! The fans boo but Rhea is in!

The fans fire up as the powerhouses meet! They run up, Rhea dodges to HEADBUTT, then pump handle! RIPTIDE!! But Chelsea SLAPS Rhea! Rhea’s pissed now! Chelsea runs away but Vaquer is there! Kick and tuck, S V B!! Cover, Vaquer’s team wins!

Winners: Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella, by pinfall

The dream team wins out! But now, Rhea and Iyo need to shift gears as they prepare for the Triple Threat. Will either of them win that title back? Or will Naomi find a way to use them against each other and survive with the gold?

Judgment Day regroups backstage.

Roxie, Raquel & Dom are bummed from their loss, but Finn Balor & JD McDonagh warm up for their own match. JD says Finn needs to rally the troops. Finn says, “Hey, gang, chin up! C’mon, get up. It’s not the end of the world. It’s just one night, alright? Think about it like this: Zoom out. What’d everyone say when we got rid of Rhea? They said that was it for The Judgment Day! What’d everyone say when we got rid of Damian? They said that was it for the Judgment Day! All these factions come and go, but the only one that’s still here IS The Judgment Day! So chin up, look at us! We got all this gold! Stronger than ever! And Liv’s not even here!”

JD agrees, and tonight, LWO gets smashed up! They’re ready to go, Dom asks if they need any help. No, Dom can chill back here. Play some games or something. Roxie picks up the brand new Switch 2 for Dom! It’s all his, and already loaded up with WWE 2K25. Dom does like WWE 2K. Raquel says, “You know who else likes WWE 2K? Liv.” Yeah, Dom will call her! FaceTime or something! Can Raquel make sure Dom remembers he’s with Liv and not Roxie? Will Judgment Day (not) be fine while she’s still healing up?

Rhea, Iyo, Stephanie & Nikki celebrate backstage.

They all high-five the win, it felt so good! Rhea says they’re done with that, time for some real fun. But while Nikki and Stephanie head out, Iyo has Rhea hang back. Rhea tells Iyo that they’re friends and all, but at SummerSlam, Rhea will finally have Iyo’s number. Iyo says Rhea has never beaten her, and she never will. Iyo smirks but Rhea says, “We’ll see about that.” Will these friendly rivals stay friendly, even when the top prize is between them?

WWE World Tag Team Championships: Finn Balor & JD McDonagh VS Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde!

Raw returns as The Prince & Irish Ace make their entrance to join The LWO in the ring. The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who’s really the dynamic duo!

The teams sort out and Finn starts against Wilde. The two feel things out, tie up, and Wilde waistlocks. Finn wrenches out to wristlock, but Wilde rolls, only for Finn to throw him down by his hair. The ref reprimands, but Finn kneels on Wilde. Wilde still kips up, rolls, and handsprings to break free and DROPKICK! Wilde ELBOWS Finn down, then drops an ELBOW! The fans fire up with Wilde, he wrenches Finn and tags in Cruz. Cruz goes up to AX HANDLE Finn’s arm! Finn goes to a corner, Cruz CHOPS him, then whisp corner to corner. Cruz runs up, is put on the apron, but RAMS into Finn down low!

Cruz slingshots to sunset flip, but Finn rolls through to basement DROPKICK! Tag to JD, he storms up and AX HANDLES Cruz down. JD bumps Cruz off buckles, CHOPS him, then wrenches to whip. JD drop toeholds Cruz, runs, but Cruz avoids the leg drop, brother! PENALTY KICK! Tag to Wilde and the LWO mugs JD. Wilde wrenches, tags Cruz, and they mug JD more. They double whip and DOUBLE ELBOW, then Wilde runs so he can handspring into the HIP TOSS SPLASH! Cruz LIONSAULTS! Cover, TWO! JD survives, Cruz says it was that close, but then JD RAMS Cruz into the corner! Tag to Finn and they mug Cruz now!

Finn sits Cruz down, stomps him, then Judgment Day soaks up cheers and jeers. Finn tags JD, JD drags Cruz up to snapmare, then tag back to Finn. Slingshot STOMP! Finn tags JD back in, slingshot ARABIAN PRESS! Cover, TWO! Cruz survives but JD keeps cool. JD bumps Cruz off buckle, whips corner to corner, then runs and LARIATS! JD whips again, Cruz slips outside, avoids Finn and springboards to MISSILE DROPKICK JD, all in one move! Then Cruz comes back to DROPKICK Finn off the apron! JD runs up but Cruz TOSSES him! Tag to Wilde and he goes up, SUPER CROSSBODY! Down go JD & Finn, the LWO fires up, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and the fans rally up as Wilde endures a chinlock. Wilde rises, fires body shots on JD, but JD bumps Wilde off buckles. Wilde fires hands in return on JD & Finn! The fans rally as Wilde backs JD down, but JD kicks low! JD scoops, Wilde slips free, and Wilde shoves JD. JD stops from running into the ref, but also keeps the ref distracted as Finn KICKS Wilde from behind! Finn soaks up the heat, but Wilde trips JD! Wilde CATAPULTS JD into Finn! Finn falls onto the desk! The fans fire up as Wilde crawls, hot tag to Cruz! Cruz springboards to CROSSBODY JD! Cruz rallies with a LARIAT and a DROPKICK!

Cruz runs, tilt-o-whirls and RANAS! JD tumbles, Cruz BLASTS Finn, but JD ELBOWS Cruz. JD goes up, but Cruz trips him! JD is in the Tree of Woe, Cruz SUPERKICKS him! Then Cruz dodges another cheap shot, and he triangle jump DROPKICKS Finn back down! The fans fire up again as Cruz goes up the corner! Cruz aims at JD, and he goes COAST2COAST!! The fans are thunderous as JD flops out of the Tree! Cruz drags JD to a cover, TWO!! Cruz is stunned but the fans know “This is Awesome!” Cruz drags JD up, but JD JAWBREAKERS! JD tags Finn. they bring Cruz up and double back suplex! Cruz lands out! Tag to Wilde!

Wilde springboards, but into a kick down low! JD has Cruz now, but the LWO DOUBLE SUPLEXES first! JD & Finn tumble out, LWO fires up again, and they both DIVE! The topes take JD & Finn down! The fans fire up as Wilde puts Finn in, goes up, tags Cruz, then MOONSAULTS! Cruz is up top now, and he PHOENIX SPLASHES!! Cover, JD BREAKS IT! The fans fire up, Wilde runs in, but JD dodges! JD runs up and LARIATS Wilde and himself out! But wait! EL GRANDE AMERICANO IS HERE!?

El Grande Americano, or more accurately Ludwig Kaiser in disguise, is on the apron and he shouts at Cruz! Cruz shouts back at him, the ref tells El Grande to get outta here, but DRAGON LEE is here! The Boy Wonder YANKS Grande down, and they brawl back up the ramp! Cruz hurries to get Finn but Finn cradles! TWO!! Cruz SUPERKICKS from the corner! Cruz then ENZIGIRIS JD! JD was trying to use the belt! The ref grabs the belt to put aside, and Wilde SUPER CANNONBALLS JD! Cruz goes up while the fans lose their minds! But wait, who is THIS now? It’s like a knockoff Grande Americano, and he YANKS Cruz down!!

The fans boo as this other luchador messes things up! Finn hits the COUP DE GRACE!! Cover, Judgment Day wins!!

Winners: Finn Balor & JD McDonagh, by pinfall (still WWE World Tag Team Champions)

Chad Gable is El Grande Americano, Ludwig Kaiser is El Grande Americano, I’M El Grande Americano! Are there any other El Grande Americanos we have to worry about? As for the titles, will anyone ever dethrone Judgment Day when thinks just keep working out in their favor? Or will it be Judgment Day then, now and forever?

GUNTHER is here!

Detroit boos Der Ring General as he makes his way to the ring, World Heavyweight Championship around his waist. Gunther steps into the ring, grabs a mic, but hears the fans chanting for “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” Gunther asks they all calm down. Last week was a clean victory for Gunther. Gunther went toe-to-toe on the mic with the supposed best talker in wrestling, The Best in the World. The fans continue to chant for Punk, and Gunther says yes, that’s who he means. Gunther walked down the aisle, stepped into the ring, and looked Punk right in the eye and told him what will happen at SummerSlam. Gunther left the Voice of the Voiceless speechless.

The fans chant, “You Tapped Out! You Tapped Out!” Gunther says at least he isn’t running out of things to say. But last week, Gunther made Punk understand that he doesn’t deserve to call himself The Best in the World! Gunther made Punk understand that he will never be World Heavyweight Champion. And more importantly, Gunther made Punk shut the hell up! Except here comes Punk! Punk calmly walks down the ramp, doesn’t even worry about saying what time it is, and steps inside the ring. The fans chant for Punk as Punk calmly grabs a mic and paces. Punk then says, “Speechless? No. No. More dumbfounded.

“But not because of anything you did or said, but because of the moment, the gravity of this situation. It dawned on me, standing across the ring from somebody as great as you, belt around your waist. It dawned on me that I don’t want to be World Heavyweight Champion. I need to be World Heavyweight Champion.” The fans cheer that! Punk continues by saying he needs to be champion like he needs air in his lungs. He needs the title like he needs his heart to pump blood through his veins! Punk needs to be World heavyweight Champion like the Detroit Redwings need a 12th Stanley Cup! The fans cheer that, too!

Punk NEEDS the World Heavyweight Championship like a Midwest dad needs a cold, frosty old one while mowing the lawn on a hot Summer day! Well, Punk doesn’t drink, smoke or do drugs, but he does understand addiction. Because this, this place, pro-wrestling, that is his addiction! He NEEDS to be world champion so he can raise it up as a thank you to the MILLIONS who have chanted his name for over ten years! The fans chant even now! Gunther thinks the fans are only a consolation prize but it all means something to him and it means something to the fans! Punk NEEDS to be World Heavyweight Champion!

And Gunther, as great as he is and for all the great things he has done, he dares to come out here and say Punk doesn’t deserve to call himself Best in the World? Punk will give it to Gunther, he’s right. Punk doesn’t deserve it, but he’s earned that right! He’s earned the right to call himself Best in the World and be arrogant about it, but Gunther is out here, World Heavyweight Champion, being as arrogant as Punk but he cannot back it up! Punk has left a trail of bodies of Hall of Famers, legends, and superstars that Gunther could only dream to be in the ring with. When you compare Gunther’s career to Punk’s, it isn’t apples to apples.

Gunther says he has a counter to that: SHUT- Punk stops Gunther’s mic! “I wasn’t finished.” Punk says there are levels to this, kid. And Gunther finds out on Saturday that he is NOT on Punk’s level. Saturday night, Punk leaves World Heavyweight Champion! But hey, at least Gunther can finally feel what it is to be in the ring with the one, the only, THE Best in the World, C M PUNK! Now Punk leaves Gunther speechless as he heads out! Will Gunther walk into MetLife Stadium champion only to walk out a loser?

Jey Uso VS Bronson Reed w/ Paul Heyman!

We heard from Main Event Jey Uso and The Oracle to open tonight, but now it is time to back up words with actions! Will Jey be able to YEET the Colossal Aussie? Or will the plan come together with one giant Tsunami?

Raw returns as Bronson makes his entrance, Heyman with him. The bell rings and the two run up! Jey dodges to fire haymakers! “YEET! YEET! YEET!” But Bronson grabs Jey, TOSSES him to a corner, then runs in, only for Jey to dodge! Jey fires hands, then climbs up to rain them down! We get “YEET!” all the way to TEN, then Jey hops down. The fans fire up and Jey whips. But Bronson blocks! Bronson whips Jey to a corner, runs up, but Jey dropkicks legs out! Bronson hits buckles, Jey shouts “UCE! OH!” HIP ATTACK! Bronson is down, Jey covers, TWO! Bronson is tougher than that but Jey stays focused.

Jey runs and LARIATS, but Bronson stays up! Jey runs again, LARIATS, but Bronson still stays up! Jey runs, but Bronson CLOBBERS him! Heyman grins sinisterly as Bronson taunts Jey. Bronson mocks the YEET then SENTONS! The fans boo but Bronson drags Jey up to HEADBUTT! Jey falls, Bronson eggs him on, then flexes. Bronson CHOKES Jey on the ropes, the ref counts, and Bronson stops at 4. Bronson stands on Jey’s body! The ref counts, Bronson steps off, and Bronson soaks up the heat. Jey sputters but Bronson brings him up. Jey fires body shots, the fans “YEET!” along, but Bronson CLUBS Jey down!

Bronson snarls and drags Jey up. Bronson whips Jey to a corner hard and Jey falls to the mat! Heyman says to punish Jey, so Bronson puts him in a corner. Bronson winds up while the fans rally up, and Bron runs in, only for Jey to BOOT him away! Jey goe sup, up, and CROSSBODIES, but Bronson catches hm! And WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM! Bronson grins, the fans boo, but Raw goes to break.

Raw returns, the fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” but Bronson mockingly gives last rites before he runs and SENTONS! But Jey moves! Bronson crash lands and the fans fire up again! Bronson rises, runs up, but Jey blocks to ROCK him! And again! And again! “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey pops, locks ‘n’ puts some stank on the HAYMAKER! “YEET!” SUPERKICK! Bronson tumbles out, Jey builds speed, and Jey DIVES! Down goes Bronson but that was a rough landing for Jey, too. Jey gets up, BUT HERE COMES BRON!! BRON SPEARS JEY DOWN!!

Winner: Jey Uso, by disqualification

The “new leader” doesn’t care about wins, just about hurting their prey! Bron & Bronson mug Jey, but here comes Roman Reigns! The fans fire up but Bron has Bronson wait, they’ll let Roman come to them. Detroit is all fired up as The OTC rushes up, and he HOTSHOTS Bronson! Then he fires hands on Bron! The fans fire up and Roman LARIATS Bron up and out! Bronson is up, Roman fireman’s carries, but that’s a bit too much to lift! Roman goes to a corner, Bronson runs in, but Roman dodges to POST Bronson! The fans fire up while Bron & Bronson go outside. Roman helps Jey to his feet, and Heyman is upset.

Bron gets up but Jey SUPERKICKS Bron first! SUPERMAN PUNCH for Bronson! The fans fire up with Roman & Jey again, and they go out to “OOAH~!” They both run in around the way, and they- NO, Bron SPEARS Roman first!! Bronson CLBOBERS Jey!! The fans either boo or bark as Bron’s side turns things back around! Bronson puts Jey in the ring, and he sets Jey up for Bron to BODY BLOW! Bron builds speed, and he BREAKKER SPEARS Jey again!! The fans boo but Bron tells Bronson to go up. The plan wasn’t to win, it was to crush Jey with a TSUNAMI!! Jey sputters and coughs, but Roman manages to stand!

Bron is annoyed by that, so he goes to the apron, for the LEAPING BULLDOG!! Bron wipes Roman out against the desk!! The fans boo but Bron box jumps back up! Bron & Bronson have brutalized the OTC and Main Event Jey for tonight’s main event, but they’re not even done yet! Bron hauls Roman up with a fireman’s carry, puts him in the ring, and Bronson goes up top again! Even The OTC gets a TSUNAMI!! Bronson mocks the “OOAH~!” as he stands tall. Bron kneels and tells Roman that what used to be his is all Bron’s now. This is Bron’s ring! These are Bron’s ropes! That cameraman is Bron’s, he works for!

“You see all these fatasses in the arena?! They’re all DOGS! They bark for ME!” Bron finishes copying one of Roman’s more infamous rants from his days as Undisputed Champion, then DUMPS Roman out of the ring. But then Bron twitches, because he has that itch that he needs to scratch. Bron goes outside, runs in around the way, and he SPEARS Roman & Jey through barriers!! The fans go nuts, but Bronson makes sure Roman understands that WWE belongs to the group Seth Rollins built! And now Bronson is taking Roman’s shoes?! Insult to injury as Bronson says these Tribal Chief Ones are his now!

The fans boo as Bron, Bronson & Heyman stand all in the ring. Will everything in the WWE soon belong to them? Or can Roman & Jey rise up and win for the family?

My Thoughts:

A great episode from Raw tonight, especially as the go-home to SummerSlam. We got a great second tribute to Hulk Hogan, and it was so nice that his son, Nick Hogan, was able to be here in person. Great opening Mixed Six from Styles & Kabuki Warriors VS Judgment Day. Great win for the Faces, but that just means Dominik Mysterio finds a way to retain at SummerSlam. Especially if Dominik is also starting up stuff with AAA stars like Mega Champion, El Hijo del Vikingo. If they want that crossover to be huge, Dom needs to have momentum as he goes into a match with Vikingo, and possibly even tease title for title.

Good promo from Judgment Day as a group, with Finn clearly giving Roxie cues on how to appeal to Dom. Raquel reminding Dom that Liv is his girlfriend was good stuff, too. Raquel will work with Roxie to be champs, but she won’t let Roxie split up the happy couple. Great tag title match from Finn & JD VS LWO, but I should’ve known El Grande Americano Dos would get involved. But then while it was great for Dragon Lee to go after Grande, who in the world was that new bootleg El Grande? Is Chad Gable already healthy enough to run around and do stuff? Or is someone else trying to get in on that gimmick?

Great promo from Sheamus with Waller and New Day, and obviously New Day is not ready to have a new third man, which is why they left “Big G” to handle Sheamus alone. Rusev of course got involved, and I expect Sheamus VS Rusev the tiebreaker to be No Disqualification after Rusev used the shillelagh. Great promo from Naomi before the 8 Woman Tag, and a great 8 Woman Tag at that. Great win for the Faces there, too, but that indicates Naomi finds a way to win at SummerSlam. Especially with Rhea and Iyo having their promo, showing they might be a little too focused on each other and their rivalry rather than beating Naomi.

Very good promo from Lyra, but the fans didn’t seem immediately onboard with her until she started whooping on Becky. But with that, I think that means Becky wins. Bayley’s promo where she was forlorn and unsure, I feel like she has to be the one to cost Lyra, if only because she’s still upset over the Best 2 out of 3 loss. And then Bayley can make herself the contender because she just can’t beat Lyra but has a chance against Becky. Great promos from Gunther and CM Punk with Punk naturally “standing tall” this time to get even with Gunther from last time. Gunther VS Punk is one that could go either way and I’m fine with that, really.

Great promo from Sami and Kross in that sit-down format, and I like that Sami threw things back at Kross. Their match is going to be great stuff, and with this “gentlemen’s agreement” for the loser to concede the argument, that makes for some good drama. And now, with the Rollins faction story intertwining with the proven commodity of the Bloodline story, things got really good here. Very good promo from Heyman and Jey to open, very good promo from what Bron is now claiming is his faction, and great main event. They did a great job with the camera seeing Bron coming down the ramp to spear Jey, it was like seeing the train coming and there was nothing anyone could do.

Roman being advertised for the night, I thought he’d get the promo with Heyman but making the save was good enough. And then Bron & Bronson brutalizing Roman & Jey both is huge go-home math to say Roman & Jey find a way to win. It has to be Roman’s win because this is his return match, and it compels Team Bron to come back and try harder as we move into the Autumn season.

My Score: 9/10