Raw takes place tonight at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Bobby Lashley will defend his US Championship against Ciampa after Ciampa shot the title last week. Ciampa first won a triple threat against Chad Gable and Dolph Ziggler before later defeating AJ Styles with an assist from The Miz.
Rey Mysterio will face off against The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor. After losing a tag title match to the Usos last Monday, Rey and Dominik Mysterio were attacked by Judgment Day until Edge made the save. However, Edge mistakenly impaled Dominik in the brawl.
After beating Montez Ford last week, Rollins meets Ford’s tag team partner Angelo Dawkins tonight.
Additionally, the road to crowning new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions will begin when a tournament for the titles begins. The titles have been vacant since Sasha Banks and Naomi left this May.
View Summary —
There was video summarizing recent events involving Bianca Belair, Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky before announcers rolled down tonight’s card. They showed a bracket for the women’s tag team title tournament. NXT’s Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark are among the teams. (Sasha Banks and Naomi are not.)
Bayley, Sky and Kai entered to start the show. They said the fans needed them and this division needed them. Bayley didn’t think fans could care for Becky Lynch and said Belair would be nothing without her. Bayley wondered why she was the only one to realize Sky was a weapon and wondered why she was the only one to see the benefits of Kai.
The crowd didn’t want to hear anymore and they booed loudly at Bayley until she was interrupted by Alexa Bliss, Asuka and Belair. The crowd sang for Belair.
Bliss informed Kai and Sky that they would not win the Tag Titles due to their inability to overcome themselves and Asuka.
Belair was not done with Bayley’s crew and was ready to fight immediately. Not wanting to wrestle in Cleveland, Bayley challenged her to a six-woman tag match at the Clash at the Castle.
Belair accepted before decking Bayley. The six women fought until Bliss knocked them all out by jumping off the barricade. Officials tried to separate them as they went on commercial breaks. The crowd was in brawl.
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Seth Rollins def. Angelo Dawkins (with Montez Ford) (8:51)
Corey Graves noted how much practice and homework Dawkins had done specifically for this match. Dawkins wrestled shirtless and Graves also mentioned how much he had slimmed down.
Rollins fell outside and Ford mocked his sale, which was funny. The distraction allowed Dawkins to attack Rollins across the commentary table, resulting in the match being stopped after 90 seconds.
Rollins took control after driving Dawkins’ face into the middle rope. Rollins kicked Ford, which infuriated Ford so much that he grabbed a chair and jumped into the ring. The referee had to restrain Ford and eventually threw him out. (The announcers said Ford’s temper got the better of him and Rollins was smart enough to take advantage of it.)
Dawkins threw Rollins out of the ring and followed with a flip dive. Dawkins followed with a suplex, spin corner splash, and silencer for two. Dawkins twice avoided a stomp before hitting a spinebuster in the sit-out for a close nearfall. (The crowd there wanted the excitement.)
Rollins ducked a charge, and Dawkins went shoulder-first onto the steel steps. Dawkins once again avoided a stomp, but Rollins yanked him down the shoulder before hitting a Pedigree for the pinfall win. (The crowd banged on the family tree.)
That was a good performance for Dawkins and the crowd loved it.
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Edge told the Mysterios that he had their back tonight. Rey believed him, but Dominik wasn’t exactly happy to see him. Edge said there was a mistake last week and asked Dominik if they were cool.
Dominik pushed Edge so that Rey held him back. Rey said he’s known Edge for 20 years and it’s like family. Dominik couldn’t believe Rey was on Edge’s side, so he left. Rey told Edge he would speak to Dom.
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Kevin Owens defeated Ezekiel by referee stop (approx. 0:45)
(The bell never rang to end the game, so I don’t know what the official decision was.)
Ezekiel was denied entry. Owens got a nice bang on the way out.
Owens was all over Ezekiel from the start of the game. About 45 seconds into the match, he powerbombed Ezekiel to the edge of the ring and the referee checked out Ezekiel, who appeared to be injured.
Owens laughed as the medical staff brought out a stretcher for Ezekiel.
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Judgment Day promo
Finn Bálor and Damian Priest entered. Bálor found it funny that Edge and Rey thought doomsday should fear them, but they couldn’t even get on the same page and Dom had already left them. He said fear isn’t real, but danger is real, “and I am danger”.
Priest said he’d like to go out with Edge tonight, but noted Raw was in Toronto in two weeks. It’s been ages since Edge wrestled on Raw in Toronto, so Priest challenged him to a match. If Edge had the balls, Priest and Judgment Day would finish him off before any friends and family he had left.
— In the background, Rey told Edge that he couldn’t reach Dominik. Edge offered to go to the ring, but Rey knew Dom would come to his senses.
[SECOND HOUR]They claimed that SummerSlam had 1.3 billion video views on social media.
Finn Bálor (w/Damian Priest) def. Rey Mysterio (13:56)
Bálor started with the three amigo suplexes – including Eddie Guerrero’s worst shimmy ever – but Rey countered into a suplex of his own and hit a low dropkick for two. Rey opted for a 619, but Priest got in the way and took the train instead. This allowed Bálor to surface and drive Rey into the ring post.
Rey fought back after a break and hit a skidding DDT into the barricade. Priest tripped Rey when the referee was distracted, so Edge immediately jumped in to his music and began fighting Priest through the crowd.
Rey hit Bálor with a code red for a close nearfall. Rey went for the 619, but Bálor killed him with a clothesline and a shotgun dropkick.
Dodging a coup de grace, Rey set up for the 619 but was distracted. Rhea Ripley appeared on stage with Dominik over her shoulder. She dropped his lifeless, beaten body in front of her.
The distraction allowed Bálor to hit 1916 and a coup de grace for the pinfall win.
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Sarah Schreiber interviewed Tamina and 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke. Brooke was looking forward to becoming a double champion with her former opponent. Bayley and her friends showed up and she taunted Brooke. Tamina stood up for Brooke and warned her that she could execute them immediately. The heels went, but not before Sky told Brooke she didn’t like them.
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Round 1 of Tag Team Championship Tournament: IYO SKY & Dakota Kai (w/Bayley) def. Tamina & 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke (10:04)
(I think Byron Saxton mentioned that Kai and Sky worked together years ago in Japan.)
They went on break 90 seconds into the match after Brooke obliterated her opponents with a leap from the top. Kai and Sky took control at the break after herding Brooke into the barricade. The crowd was quiet until a random “Bayley sucks” chant erupted.
Tamina made a hot day, but she was cut off by Kai and Sky (after Brooke crashed into the barricade when Bayley saved Kai). Sky scored the pinfall win with a moonsault.
Kai and Sky move on in the tournament and meet the winner of Asuka/Bliss vs. Doudrop/Nikki ASH.
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Patrick ran up to Owens for an interview as he left the arena. Owens warned him not to do that again or he would drop him harder than Ezekiel. Owens knew there were more eyes drawn to this show now than they had in a while, and he wanted to remind everyone that this was still Kevin Owens’ show.
— In the background, Doudrop, Nikki, and a few others were checking on a limousine that appeared to have crashed into a parking lot wall.
Elsewhere, Rey and a trainer checked Dominik.
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They re-aired last week’s US cover video.
Ciampa entered in the red, white and blue Harley race robe.
Graves (in a perfectly serious tone) said that Ciampa had experience “being coached by Harley Race, spending time under Killer Kowalski’s tutelage, and now learning from Miz.”
Bobby Lashley def. Ciampa (w/The Miz) to retain US Championship (12:56)
They had a strong match, interference aside, and Ciampa got a couple of nearfalls before Lashley finally won.
Ciampa slipped out of a powerslam and hit a chop block, but Lashley didn’t sell a couple of chops before hitting a rear elbow. Lashley went for Ciampa to the post but Miz got in his way so Lashley just threw Ciampa at Miz.
[THIRD HOUR]Ciampa took control with a knee during a break, but Lashley came back with shoulder tackles and a modified Dominator for two. They traded counterattacks until Lashley hit a javelin, but Miz put Ciampa’s leg on the rope to break up cover.
AJ Styles came out of nowhere and chased Miz through the crowd. Lashley flatlined as Styles chased Miz around the ring and back.
Ciampa took advantage of the distraction, driving Lashley into the exposed turnbuckle before scoring a knee for a near miss. Lashley countered a Fairy Tale Ending, but Ciampa used the Gargano Escape. Lashley fought his way out, but Ciampa hit a draping DDT for a nearfall.
Lashley blocked a knee and hit a chokeslam before applying the hurt lock and knocking out Ciampa. The crowd liked Lashley and was dying to win.
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Styles continued to fight with Miz in the back during the commercials and a match between the two was announced for tonight.
1v2 Handicap Match: Omos (w/MVP) def. Andrea Guercio & Spencer Slade (1:43)
Omos hit two guys.
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Patrick interviewed Rollins (whose full name is still Seth Freakin’ Rollins). Patrick informed Rollins that Riddle would have an injury update next week. Rollins was upset that Patrick invited him for an interview just to ask him about Riddle.
Rollins describes himself as the gatekeeper of this industry. As great as Riddle could be in the ring, he was great at flushing his own potential down the toilet – just ask Dana White. Rollins figured Riddle should back off, or maybe he’d just have to shove Cody Rhodes his butt out the door.
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Chad Gable (with Otis) vs. Dolph Ziggler
#WWE #Raw #Live #Scores #Lashley #Ciampa #Title #Match
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