As going-home episodes go, Monday Night Raw was pretty impacting. Less than a week away from Bad Blood, Evansville, Indiana, saw Jey Uso’s coronation and Bron Breakker coming to the ring to congratulate him.
The two were respectful to each other, which could have symbolized a face turn for Breakker, but I’m not quite sure yet.
Kayden Carter and Katana Chance Are Back…Yay
In the second match of the night, Zoey Stark defeated Lyra Valkyria with the help of the rest of Pure Fusion. This match was worked well, with both women having a few moments., Kayden Carter and Katana Chance came to Valkyria’s defense as the numbers game got to the latter.
Chance and Carter still lack pizazz, but they add more depth to the tag-team division.
Xavier Woods Defeats Rey Mysterio in a Heel-ish Way
Woods got this match when he engaged in an argument with Mysterio last week. Woods won when he appeared to mistakenly remove Mysterio’s mask and he secured the roll-up pin while the luchador struggled to cover his face.
Woods is killing it in this program and I hope it vaults him to an even higher level.
Hell in a Cell: Punk vs. McIntyre…Nuff Said
CM Punk and Drew McIntyre had a promo session inside a Hell in a Cell. Nothing was noteworthy here, but the match has all the hype one could ever have. Bring on Saturday.
Judgment Day Gang Up on Rhea and Damian…Again
The Judgment Day took out the LWO in a match featuring a few decent spots but nothing special. It’s a typical Judgment Day finish with help from Finn Balor. Liv Morgan had her promo interrupted by Rhea Ripley purely to hype the tag-team match at Bad Blood.
This battle lasted long, with Rhea and Damian Priest holding their own for a while before Judgment Day took advantage.
New Day Breaking Up? Here is Another Layer Peeling Away
Chad Gable defeated Kofi Kingston with Chaos Theory after Woods’ attempted interference backfired on his New Day brother. The New Day split is brewing, and I wonder if this happens at Bad Blood or in the following episode of Raw.
Sami Zayn Gets His Match and a Beatdown
Gunther finally accepted Sami Zayn’s challenge for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. Zayn struck a nerve, referring to Gunther’s issues with his father. Zayn got the match but got beaten in the process.
The Miz Turns on R-Truth
The Awesome Truth isn’t so awesome anymore. The Miz turned on R-Truth and left him for slaughter by AOP. It seems a collaboration of some kind could be on the table between The Miz and the Final Testament.
Last Man Standing Masterpiece and Seth Rollins’ Return
After Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed battled in an absolutely amazing Last Man Standing match for well over 15 minutes, the culmination happened when the latter hit a ring-breaking superplex.
The last man standing count got to six and Seth Rollins emerged from the back to hit the stomp on Reed, putting his face through the ring steps.
Strowman then beat the count to win the match. The ambush was retaliation for Reed’s tsunami attack, which put Rollins on the shelf for weeks.
Joe Tessitore is Finding His Groove
On the commentary side, this was Joe Tessitore’s best show since joining the WWE. He sounded even more comfortable and plugged in. This episode was solid overall, even though it was torn between Bad Blood storylines and things that will likely bleed past the upcoming premium live event.
Here is a look at all of the highlights.
