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Monday Night Raw
Honoring Bruno Sammartino
Last week, we lost a legend in Bruno Sammartino. WWE Superstars and other staff observed a few moments of silence to celebrate and reflect on his life. I include a full historical look at Bruno Sammartino’s life here.
Spoiler Alert
Brock Lesnar is in St. Louis. “The reigning, defending, undisputed, Universal heavyweight champion,” gosh, sometimes Heyman gives me goosebumps too. This was a good segment for Brock. Paul has a way of painting him in a negative light, saying things like, “he’d rather be in a UFC fight, but instead, he will defend his title again in a steel cage in Jeddah.” Towards the end, Roman Reigns would come out to “face” off with Brock. But, even with this seemingly pro-Roman Reigns crowd, the segment fell flat for him when he said very little to get a reaction. At this point, we know that Roman will face Brock again for a Universal title chance and we also know that he will be seeing Samoa Joe at Backlash. That said, is Jeddah a place where Roman will finally get this title, or will he fall to the Beast again and lose any future chances at the title?
Hello I Am
Did anyone else realize that Elias had theme music? I suppose I should’ve assumed he did, but with his win-loss record lately, we either never got to hear it or I just figured it was something he wrote. Either way, with his match and win against Bobby Roode on Raw, I think we are finally going to see Elias get a big push. The match was solid. I think I forget that besides being a phenomenal musician and entertainer, Elias is truly an exciting fighter. And Roode is the same, though as this point, having a great entrance and being a great fighter does not equal superstar-dom. I’m ready for the Elias push, and I hope they do something soon with Bobby Roode. Because, he is an exciting wrestler, and he seems like such a nice guy. No better person to turn heel.
Mower of Lawn
I love listening to Matt Hardy. Half the time, I’m not even sure he’s saying full sentences. I’m so mesmerized by him. Matt and Bray get to face the Ascension for the #1 contender to face The Bar for the Raw Tag Team Titles at the Greatest Royal Rumble. Matt and Bray are so good in the ring. Their personas/characters are so unique and so are they entrances. I’m glad they come into both themes. Hardy and Wyatt ended up winning and will seemingly face The Bar at the Greatest Royal Rumble, but my question is, didn’t The Bar go to Smackdown Live? So, doesn’t that pretty much guarantee that “the deleter of worlds” will become the new Raw Tag Team champions?
The Sami and Kevin Show
Kevin and Sami getting their own (possibly) weekly TV show on Raw is so appropriate. After all, with MizTVnow on Smackdown Live, we need a new lineup to fill that space. And, in my opinion, no one could do a better job than Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. As their first guest, Sami and Kevin decide to have on Kurt Angle and try to clear the slate. After all, we know how tumultuous the last relationship they had with a GM was, and we don’t want that on Raw. What’s better, unlike Smackdown Live, Sami and Kevin have a McMahon in their corner. Though, it is appearing that Kurt doesn’t want to welcome in Kevin and Sami, as he was overstepped by Stephanie McMahon. But, to show he’s not completely against the change, as a gift, Kevin and Sami got to face Bobbly Lashley and Braun Strowman.
Bobby and Braun
Raucous chants of “get these hands” fill the stands as the match gets underway. And Sami and Kevin got them. So many clotheslines. Dropkick outside the ring. What a dominant force Braun Strowman is, and so athletic for someone his size. One handed vertical suplex by Bobby Lashley to Sami Zayn, makes the tag to Braun who gets a running power slam on Sami and gets the pin.
Braun and Lashley dominated the performance. With this match-up, all I can think is that they are trying to fit Braun into a story line, and trying to see who he has some chemistry with.Or, maybe they are attempting to set-up Lashley. With Braun, who is so over, Lashley could quickly become a household name. This will also help to get some interest from new wrestling fans, such as myself, who didn’t get to see Lashley part 1 ten years ago.
Miz-less Miztourage
With The Miz moving to Smackdown Live, the Miztourage is without a leader. In an attempt to align themselves with someone new on Raw, Axel and Dallas proposition both Rollins and Balor. I don’t know, what has a better ring “Burn it downers,” “The New Shield,” or “The Badaxel Club?” In any event, both men declined to team up with Dallas and Axel, leaving us to wonder, who would they best align with? Jinder Mahal? Or maybe this would be a great way to make Roode turn heel, by putting together this 3-man set. Hmm, could be “glorious!”
The Greatest Royal Heel
In a backstage segment before their match, Jinder calls out Chad Gable. He remarks, as only a true heel can, that he gained some weight and got a headband, but it’s nice to see Nicholas again. As you recall, Nicholas is the 10-year old kid who won the tag team titles with Braun Strowman. Even with the great mic-strikes, Jinder has not been able to get it done in the ring since coming to Raw. He loses to Gable. I know it sometimes takes time to build, but I hope they setup really strong stories for these two moving forward. I think both could be exciting to watch if we got some good emotional involvement.
The Reason for the Riott
It seems no secret to me at this point why the group is called, “the Riott squad,” and not, “Liv and let die,” or “The Logan project.” Ruby Riott is the best one of those three on the mic, and the most interesting true “character” out of the three. The three-some put the Raw women’s locker room on watch. Now that these ladies are a little more established and not the newest on the roster, I hope we can get a better sense of each of their personalities. I look back to the days of Team Bella, Team B.A.D, and others. Maybe they’ll head that way again.
A Moment of Bliss
A burrito bowl tragedy and a public service announcement from Alexa Bliss. Stopping Nia Jax from bullying seems to be Alexa’s sole focus. At Backlash, we will hopefully get a conclusion. Also, I’ve heard that mocking Nia Jax is bad for your health.
10-women Tag Team Match
What a breath of fresh air to see the women headline Monday Night Raw. This match was very good. We got a lot of big moves, specifically coming from Ember Moon, Nia Jax, and Mickie James. After Natalya gets repeatedly beaten by Mickie, Ronda Rousey, her old friend and new teammate, comes to Natalya’s aid. Rousey is so quick. She flips Mickie into an arm bar and gets her to tap out. Only one problem…Ronda is not the legal woman. Her entrance is simply interference, and the bell should’ve been rung immediately. Okay, I know, I’m sounding a little like Corey Graves right now. The match ended well though. As Natalya and Rousey align, it will be fun to see either one turn on the other. The women’s division definitely has me hooked.
Other fun things and talking points from this week’s episode:
- Corey and Booker T on commentary…together!? Guess they buried the hatchet.
- It is re-announced that Chris Jericho will be in the Greatest Royal Rumble
- Samoa Joe is facing Roman Reigns at Backlash…will they both be champs? Will it be belt vs. belt?
- The Rock welcomed another baby girl, Tiana, into the world
- Dolph and Drew McIntyre are a new team, and though I know very little about McIntyre, I like watching a big-man fight. I think he could be a great match-up with Big Cass.
- Dana Brooke’s outfit was on point
- The Lone Wolf, Baron Corbin faced No Way Jose. I have a feeling that Jose will be dropping the “no way” at some point. It’s kind of a mouthful.
Smackdown Live
Miz-TV
The re-debut of Miz TV on Smackdown Live was met with a lot of anticipation. Who would be his first guest? How would he respond to Daniel Bryan’s tweet? We were not disappointed. The Miz, who is always good on the mic, pointed out that Daniel Bryan must not have the same connection with his daughter as the Miz has with his. The Miz is a changed man now that he has his daughter, and he’d like to let Daniel Bryan punch him in the face so they can move past this time. Part of me wonders if Daniel Bryan wanted to punch the Miz in the face so badly, that he looked at that as part of his motivation to come back? Either way, it appears that Daniel Bryan will be the Miz’s first guest. But that is not to be. Instead, Big Cass, who spent last week pointing out size differences between him and Daniel, comes out to address why he can’t stand Daniel Bryan.
Big Cass informs us he used to be a little guy. And the reason he hates Daniel Bryan is because he doesn’t belong. He doesn’t look like a superstar, he looks like he should be delivering mail or picking up trash. Cass hates him because he reminds his of what he used to be. A little guy who got picked on, and he despises that guy.
Backstage, we see Daniel Bryan on the floor, looking like he got attacked. We find out later that it was Cass, which seems to be Cass’s calling card. If you recall, he did the same thing to Enzo. So, it seems we may not be getting Daniel Bryan versus the Miz right away. It’s going to be Cass versus Daniel Bryan at Backlash.
Knee To Face
The tension between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura has been steadily building since their WrestleMania 34 match. And, even though it was only two weeks ago, the story has appropriately built. Backstage, we see Renee outside Shane McMahon’s office, and then AJ Styles exits. We know that he will be facing Shinsuke at the Greatest Royal Rumble on Friday, but AJ is going to teach him a lesson tonight. Now, knowing that Shinsuke will be coming with Rusev Day (which I guess is the collective name for Rusev and Aiden English), AJ needs to find two partners. No surprise, he chooses Luke Gallows and Carl Anderson.
(Main event) To start off the match, Shinsuke got an amazing new opening see here (credit to Wrestling Planet). Reportedly, he wanted to change it so the fans didn’t sing along anymore. As we’d expect, this match was very physical with a good mix of all our favorite moves. Shinsuke gets a roll up on Gallows for the pin. AJ is not very happy to be on the losing end and rushes in to take out Shinsuke. In the scuffle, Shinsuke hits AJ with another low blow. He ends with a few more hits on AJ and Anderson, slinking off with a coy and creepy smile as the two lie reeling the ring.
New Power Couple
As I said last week, at least I think it was last week, as we move forward, we are in need of a new power couple in wrestling. Since Maryse is out with Monroe and Brie no longer wrestles, someone has to fill those shoes. I think they’re doing a great job in selecting Naomi and Jimmy Uso. After coming out to the ring last week as the Usos got beaten by the Bludgeon Brothers, I was excited to see how the story would unfold this week after she played, “the hysterical wife,” last week.
The Bludgeon Brothers were at it again this week. Showing off their incredible strength, they were really making work for the Usos. Into the match, we hear Naomi’s music hit. She comes out, dancing and “glowing” and with that distraction, Jey Uso comes out of nowhere with a super kick on Harper. Jimmy takes the opportunity to hit Rowan and rolls him up for the pin.
Contract Signing
Renee starts in the ring to announce the official contract signing between Carmella, the current champion, and Charlotte Flair. Carmella is announced first, which, as she points out to Renee, is incorrect. The champion should be announced after the challenger, ALWAYS! But, this gives Carmella some time to cut a promo on Charlotte and show her “greatest achievements” video over, and over, and over. Charlotte finally enters the ring, and doesn’t appreciate being mocked by Carmella holding the belt in her face. So, she smashes her head into the table. I like Carmella, and I like this story. I think Carmella will retain at Backlash.
Other fun things and talking points from this week’s episode:
- Becky Lynch and Asuka face The Iconics – Iconics win
- Sunil Singh comes out in a luchador mask to take out Jeff Hardy (sitting ringside for Shelton Benjamin v. Randy Orton) before he faces Jinder Mahal in Jeddah
- The Book of Booty is now available
- I wasn’t sure how the Bar could face Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt for the tag team titles if they were on Smackdown Live, but they informed us that if they win, they’re going back to Raw
- Samoa Joe cuts a great promo on Roman Reigns alluding to the title v. title match at Backlash
