Chris King’s WWE Monday Night Raw Takeaways (6/8/2026)

Intercontinental Championship matches galore on the card as WWE Monday Night Raw comes to Paris, and Chris King shares his thoughts!

On today’s episode of Monday Night Raw, Penta defends his Intercontinental Championship against the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, Sol Ruca has her first title defense against Lyra Valkyria, and there is another set of first-round matches for the King and Queen of the Ring Tournament. Chris King shares his thoughts and takeaways from Raw.

Oba Femi Opening Segment: 

“The Ruler” Oba Femi opened up the show, sharing about how he’s going to run through all the competition to become King of the Ring. He needs a trophy and he wants the head of Brock Lesnar. He calls him not a big bad beast but a big bad bitch. Dirty Dominik Mysterio interrupted Femi as expected. Dom claims he’s a twenty-year veteran, while Femi is a rookie. 

JD McDonaugh nailed Femi with a steel chair, but ‘The Ruler’ was unfazed. Dom hit a 619, but Femi threw him like a sack of laundry. McDonaugh saved Dom from the Fall from Grace. 

• Femi is so “over,” and it’s not just with the international crowds; it’s all over the world. The Ruler still wants Lesnar’s head after the sneak attacks and his loss at Clash in Paris. I was not surprised in the least that Dirty Dom interrupted and tried to set a trap for his semi-finals opponent, but it didn’t work. 
• Mysterio vs. Femi next week is the perfect time for The Beast to return and cost his rival the same tournament he won in 2002. The story seriously writes itself, and I’m still not convinced they are fighting at SummerSlam; I think their rubber match will be at Night of Champions. 

Seth Rollins Backstage Interview: 

‘The Visionary’ Seth Rollins is still riding high after his victory over Bron Breakker last week. The Vision is now in the past, and now he is looking to his future. A date with Roman Reigns is in his sights, and he will take back the world title that he never lost.

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Liv Morgan vs. Chelsea Green: Queen of the Ring Tournament 

The Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan rolled outside to avoid the action. Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, and Chelsea Green fought in the ring to gain control. Lynch hit a baseball dropkick to take out her opponent. Green hit a picture-perfect crossbody off the top rope as we rolled to the commercial break. 

The action was fast and furious as we returned, as all superstars were delivering powerful performances to advance to the semifinals. Morgan delivered a turnbuckle powerbomb to Green, and Bliss hit Twisted Bliss, but Lynch saved the match. All four superstars hit their signatures on each other as Morgan hit a backslide pinfall to steal the victory. 

• This match was fast-paced from the beginning, and it gave all four superstars brief moments to shine. This was a really short match, though, and the commercial break hurt the flow tremendously. 
• Morgan winning here was the right call if the end result is her facing off against Raquel Rodriguez at SummerSlam. It also helped Morgan look strong since she hasn’t defended her world championship since winning it at WrestleMania. 

Penta & Chad Gable Backstage Segment: 

An incredible hype package aired for Penta vs. Mysterio tonight, showcasing Mysterio’s history in the WWE. Chad Gable once again apologized to Penta, just like he did with his brother Rey Fenix last week on SmackDown. Penta said he knows who Gable needs to talk to about disrespecting Lucha Libre. 

The Usos & Jacob Fatu/Seth Rollins & Montez Ford Backstage Segment: 

Montez Ford tells Rollins that he’s proud of him and he’s this generation’s king of the ring. Rollins appreciates his support before they were interrupted by The Usos and Jacob Fatu. Rollins said he’s disappointed in them just being “bad boys” for Roman Reigns. Jey tried to sic Fatu on Rollins, but he just backed away.

• It was hilarious watching Jey in the background trying to bark orders like his cousin and Fatu not even giving it a second thought. I like the idea of Jey going after Cody Rhodes and becoming undisputed WWE champion. 

Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria (Women’s Intercontinental Championship) 

Sol Ruca started off her first title defense with a headlock takeover to her opponent. Lyra Valkyria answered back with her flashy, fast-paced offense. Ruca delivered some matrix-esque maneuvering followed by an X-factor for a near-fall. Valkyria tossed the champion outside as we rolled to the commercial break. We return as champion and challenger in a double collision in the ring. Some fiery offense, including a picture-perfect missile dropkick and a leg strike, gave Ruca a near-fall. 

Valkyria delivered a nice leg drop off the turnbuckle to bounce back. A series of counters and the former intercontinental champion got a near-fall. Valkyria tried for another kick attack and got her foot caught in the rope. Ruca hit Sol Snatcher for her first successful title defense! 

• Both superstars looked great, and unlike the first night of the match, the commercial didn’t break up the flow. Valkyria was a great first challenger for Ruca, who is still fresh to the Raw roster. Who will be the next to step up to the women’s intercontinental champion? 

The Usos & Jacob Fatu Backstage Segment: 

Jey is upset with Fatu not having his back with Seth Rollins. Jimmy said they called the play; he’s supposed to back them up. ‘The Samoan Werewolf’ made it clear he only acknowledged The OTC, not them, and they need to worry about LA Knight disrespecting the family who appears to be heading to the ring. 

LA Knight In-Ring Segment: 

LA Knight is talking about his upcoming fatal-four-way match this Friday on SmackDown for the King of the Ring tournament. Knight claims he won’t be surprised if someone from The Bloodline comes out to help Jey Uso win the match. Knight literally ran down the whole Anoi family before being interrupted by Jey Uso.

‘Main-Event’ Jey Uso came out to the raucous Paris crowd and yeeted in front of Knight. The Megastar once again told his opponent good luck and screw his family. Jey was about to attack before Jimmy took him back. 

• LA Knight continues to talk trash about the entire Bloodline, and I’m fully expecting Roman Reigns to have something to say next week. I can see them fighting at Night of Champions or at SummerSlam for the world championship. 
• It’s either going to be Seth vs. Roman at SummerSlam or Knight vs. Roman. Perhaps. Roman will issue a challenge to Knight just for disrespecting their family to shut him up. 

Chad Gable, Rey Mysterio, and Dragon Lee Backstage Segment: 

• Dragon Lee was the first one to forgive Gable for everything he did under the El Grande Americano mask. Mysterio forgives him as well, but he told Gable he needs to look back on things he did before he put on the mask as well. 

Penta vs. Rey Mysterio (Men’s Intercontinental Championship) 

Both Lucha Libre superstars came out of the gate firing on all cylinders with high-octane offense. The Hall of Famer avoided a dropkick to the outside, and Mysterio delivered a springboard moonsault on Penta outside as we rolled to the commercial break. We return as Penta has taken control of this intercontinental championship match, as he delivered a superkick to Mysterio in the corner. Mysterio escaped to get a breather on the outside, but the champion delivered a stunning tope con Hilo. 

A Mexican destroyer attempt was thwarted, and Mysterio hit a stiff kick. Penta flew back and hit a backstabber off the turnbuckle for a two-count. The Hall of Famer utilized his incredible fast-paced offense with his signature sunset-flip powerbomb on Penta into the barricade. Penta hit a nasty superkick on his challenger followed by a Penta Driver for a near-fall. Mysterio delivered a Poisonrana followed by a 619 and Dropping the Dime for a close 2.99 count. Another 619 was executed, and a Frog Splash was thwarted as Penta got the knees up and delivered the Mexican Destroyer for the victory! 

Ethan Page and Rusev destroyed both superstars following the match. Dragon Lee came out to send both heels crashing on the outside. Rusev ripped Mysterio’s mask off,

and Chad Gable made the save, delivering two German suplexes before handing Mysterio’s mask back to the babyfaces. 

• This was a dream match, and it lived up to the hype. Give both superstars an extra five to ten minutes, and this would have been a five-star classic. Penta and Mysterio are incredibly talented, and it’s impossible for them to put on a bad match no matter who their opponents are. 
• The Intercontinental Championship scene is on fire at the moment with Page and Rusev on the sidelines and now Chad Gable’s inclusion. Gable now understands the importance of the mask and respects the Lucha Libre culture. I love that they are allowing Gable air time on both Raw and SmackDown too. The best part is, I don’t know where this is heading, and I’m loving every second of it.

Raquel Rodriguez/Iyo Sky Video Package: 

• Both superstars hyped up their semifinal match for the Queen of the Ring match next week. I don’t think Sky is winning, as I believe the story is Raquel vs. Liv for the Women’s World Championship at SummerSlam. 

Judgement Day Backstage Segment: 

• Roxanne Perez is apologizing to Liv Morgan for how she handled her loss last week in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Dirty Dom showed up, and Liv blows Roxy off to go over some different game plans with Dom. 

Seth Rollins vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Ricky Saints vs. Talla Tonga: King of the Ring Tournament 

Ricky Saints blasted Seth Rollins to start the match, which left JeVon Evans and Talla Tonga in the ring. After some impressive flips, the giant bulldozed Evans with a shoulder tackle. ‘The Visionary’ and Evans joined up to battle Tonga. Saints and Tonga formed a temporary alliance to battle the babyfaces, as Tonga blindsided him with a big boot. Tonga delivered a gorilla press slam and tossed Evans onto Saints and Rollins on the outside as we rolled to the commercial break. 

We returned as Rollins and Saints worked together to take out the giant. Evans neutralized Tonga on the outside as Saints and Rollins were battling in the ring.

High-octane offense between all three superstars as ‘The Young OG’ delivered Red Dot for a near-fall. A buckle bomb was countered into a hurricanrana into the turnbuckle. ‘The Absolute’ hit The Revolution DDT for a two-count. A series of explosive moves occurred as Rollins delivered a Pedigree on Evans, but Tonga broke up the pinfall. The Young OG hit a beautiful flying dive onto all of his opponents. 

Tonga tried for his signature chokeslam on Rollins, but it was thwarted by Evans. Rollins managed to hit a Super Stomp off the barricade to Tonga. Rollins countered a Revolution DDT into a Stomp, and at the last second, Austin Theory broke up the pinfall. Montez Ford came out to help, but Bron Breakker speared Rollins out of his boots. Saints tried to take advantage, but Evans hit the OG Cutter for the victory! 

• What a main event here with all four superstars delivering a fantastic performance. Talla Tonga continues to impress, first with a huge victory over Damien Priest last Friday and now with his dominant performance tonight. He’s a force to be reckoned with, and when he leaves The MFTs, he will be unstoppable. Seth Rollins has insane chemistry with damn near everyone, and he’s so versatile. JeVon Evans and Ricky Saints are destined for great things in WWE. Evans picking up the victory was a huge shock to me. 
• I really felt like we were on the cusp of Rollins vs. Roman at SummerSlam, but it doesn’t look like the King of the Ring is how we get there. The Vision once again costs Rollins the victory, and Rollins vs. Breakker III is on the horizon. Once The Visionary can finally put Breakker in his rearview, then he can focus on getting back his world championship.

Final Thoughts: 

The Queen of the Ring match wasn’t great, but hopefully it sets up Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez at SummerSlam. Sol Ruca successfully defended her championship against Lyra Valkyria in a good match. Penta vs. Rey Mysterio was a dream match on live television. 

LA Knight and his brewing feud with The Bloodline is must-see television. I think Knight could win the KOTR and face Roman, if not Oba Femi, who may have his hands full with Brock Lesnar soon. I have to say though, the main event helped adjust my grade from a B- to an A. Definitely a must-watch episode of Monday Night Raw.