6/4 WWE RAW RESULTS: Keller’s report with more Money in the Bank developments, Nia Jax vs. Natalya, Balor vs. Owens, Strowman vs. Roode, Tag Team Battle Royal

KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
JUNE 4, 2018
HOUSTON, TEX. AT TOYOTA CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK

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Join me live after WWE Raw for the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-Show. Call (347) 215-8558 or email questions/comments at wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com. STREAM IT HERE.

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Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, David Otunga

[HOUR ONE]

-They opened with Elias in mid-ring under a spotlight playing his guitar. He then asked fans, “Who wants to walk with Elias?” (So it’s back. Arguably among the most babyface-oriented chants in the company encouraged again by a heel, totally unnecessarily.) He said he is WWE’s most valuable asset, and at MITB he will become the next Intercontinental Champion. Boos from the crowd. He said the entire world will see Seth Rollins learn the hard way that WWE stands for. Fans: “Walk With Elias!” (Just because fans will chant something along with a heel doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to do it week after week.) He said he smashed Seth with one of his favorite guitars and that caused him pain, but that inspired a song which he’ll sing right now. He played guitar as they replayed Elias smashing Seth from behind with the guitar last week in slow motion from various angles as Coach hammed it up in the background. The lyrics were, “A man has fallen down, I said a man has fallen down. That title is going to be my trophy, everybody is going to walk with me, because the architect has lost his ground, the man has fallen down, just like the Rockets when Golden State has come to town.” (Too soon!) Seth interrupted.

Seth walked out to his music. Elias revealed his new t-shirt and threatened Seth with his guitar. Seth circled the ring. Fans began chanting “Let’s Go Rollins!” Seth pulled a chair out from under the ring to offset the guitar and entered the ring. They each wound up their chosen weapons. Elias swung, but Seth met it mid-air. The guitar stayed in tact, but Elias dropped it. Seth then cornered Elias who looked panicked. Jinder Mahal attacked Seth from behind. Sunil Singh cheered them on. Roman Reigns made the save. Eruption of cheers and boos. Reigns was beat down by Elias and Jinder, but he fought back and quickly cleared the ring. Mix of cheers and boos. He helped Seth up, and Seth gave him a little half-hug of thanks.

Out walked G.M. Kurt Angle to the “You suck!” chants. He made the shocking announcement that Reigns & Seth would now face Jinder & Elias in a tag match “right here in Houston, Tex. and it starts right now.” Cole called it a major tag match. (As usual, “right now” in WWE-speak for “in four minutes.”) [c]

-After the break, they showed the announcers on camera. Cole welcomed Otunga “from the Kickoff Show.” He said Coach is on assignment.

(1) JINDER MAHAL & ELIAS vs. ROMAN REIGNS & SETH ROLLINS

Otunga said, “I don’t think people give Roman enough credit.” (Otunga just earned a job for life on Raw.) He said Reigns has taken Brock Lesnar to the limit multiple times. Graves touted Seth’s IC Title defenses in seven different countries in recent months. Cole said he might be the hottest Superstar in WWE today. He said Elias’s star is rising, though. Otunga said Elias is facing the highest-performing Seth yet. Seth eventually hot-tagged Reigns who charged in and faced boos as he took it to Mahal. Higher-pitched voices counted along as Reigns punched Jinder ten times in the corner. Jinder tagged in Elias, but Reigns dropped him with a big boot. He looked to the crowd and soaked up cheers and boos. He had his back turned for a long time looking at the crowd, then leaned over to set up the Superman Punch. Jinder distracted him. Reigns punched him off the ring apron. Elias rolled to the floor. Sunil pulled Jinder out of Reigns’s path at ringside, then Elias kneed him. With Reigns down, they cut to a break. [c]

Back live, Elias had Reigns down on the mat. Otunga gave Graves a hard time for making excuses for Sunil. Otunga said Jinder re-dedicated himself in 2017 and he doesn’t think he needs Sunil’s help. Jinder locked Reigns in a chinlock. The heels tagged in and out and isolated Reigns. When Seth said Jinder and Elias have “outclassed” two former members of The Shield, Otunga said, “That was real classy when Sunil Singh got involved.” Graves said, “Whatever works.” (Graves has finally met his match.) Reigns eventually hit the Samoan Drop to take Jinder down. Both were slow to get up. Jinder tagged Elias, but then Reigns tagged Seth a second later. Seth took it to Elias and landed a slingblade and a blockbuster leading to a near fall. Graves said Seth is a half step slow, so it must be the neck injury. Seth landed the Falcon Arrow for a near fall, but Jinder broke up the cover. Reigns hit Jinder with a Superman Punch.

Reigns ran to the floor and delivered a Drive-By to Elias. Seth then kicked Elias and stomped the mat to set up the Stomp. Sunil distracted Seth, but when Seth moved toward him, Sunil leaped into the arms of Reigns. Oops. Jinder made the save and threw Reigns into the ringside steps and then over the barricade into the crowd. Elias rolled up Seth from behind for a two count. Seth took Elias down with a step-up enzuigiri. Seth then dove through the ropes  with a dive at Jinder. Seth’s head crashed into the barricade. He went down clutching his head and neck. Sunil then swung a chair toward Seth, but Seth took it. Elias then DDT’d Seth onto the chair just as Seth brought it into the ring. Graves said Seth’s neck could be destroyed. Elias picked up Seth’s dead weight and gave him a Drift Away for the win.

WINNER: Elias & Jinder 18:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: Good long tag match. Smart booking if the goal is to get Reigns over as a babyface by having him actually do something selfless and coming to the aid of his friend Seth. The crowd didn’t love him, but it mitigated the relentless boos he gets during solo performances not linked with Seth. Graves talking about Seth being a step short and talking about the lingering neck issues was a bit of a giveaway that Seth would lose here, but it was the right move to give Elias that signature visual of pinning Seth as he heads toward the IC Title match at Money in the Bank. Otunga showed again why he’s WWE’s best third-man in the booth, countering Graves’s pro-heel rationalizations intelligently, and he didn’t get in the way of anything or step in anything, which is refreshing considering what usually goes on in that chair.)

-The announcers hyped upcoming matches on Raw including the Tag Team Battle Royal and Bobby Roode vs. Braun Strowman.

-A Smackdown commercial hyped the Asuka-Carmella and Shinsuke Nakamura-A.J. Styles feuds generically. [c]

-Houston-native Bruce Prichard was sitting front row. Graves said the new episode is going to cover when WWE presented its version of ECW.

-Curt Hawkins stood in the ring, and there was a buffet of tacos at ringside. Cole said Hawkins would explain. Hawkins said earlier on Twitter he made a bold prediction and promise. He said he’s sitting at 199 losses in a row. The fans chanted “We Want Tacos.” He said when he wins tonight, everyone in the arena will get a free taco. He interviewed his opponent, who said he is James Harden. Hawkins called that quite a coincidence. He said he’s from Houston, Texas.

(2) CURT HAWKINS vs. JAMES HARDEN

Cole said at least this James Harden has a beard. Graves asked if he’s included in the recipients of free tacos. Graves said he always have Diablo sauce with him. Harden fought back a minute into the match, but Hawkins cut him off and nailed a clothesline. Harden took a great twisting bump. Hawkins got psyched up, but before he could hit his signature move, Baron Corbin marched out to his music. He entered the ring and attacked Harden with the End of Days. That meant Hawkins was DQ’d and that meant fans didn’t get tacos.

WINNER: Harden via DQ in 2:00.

-Corbin threw Hawkins onto the taco tables and then tipped the table over onto him. “No tacos for anyone!” said Graves.

(Keller’s Analysis: That’s a LOT of wasted food for Vince McMahon adding food to Raw again just to be defiant against those who were critical of the food fight last week!)

-They showed Ronda Rousey giving tips on how to punch to Natalya backstage. [c]

-A commercial aired for Total Bellas on E! this Sunday. (Watch, because they could use the viewers this year. Two weeks of record-low ratings for the series so far this season.)

-Angle asked Corbin what he’s thinking. Corbin said he’s tired of being overlooked, so he went directly to Stephanie McMahon at WWE Headquarters. He read a statement that she is installing “checks and balances” on Raw due to questionable decisions by Angle. “I hereby appoint Baron Corbin constable of Monday Night Raw.” Corbin said he’s now Angle’s assistant. Angle was shocked and looked at the letter himself. He seemed resigned to it being a legit decree.

(3) NATALYA vs.  NIA JAX

(Keller’s Take: My first thought was how interesting it was to see Rousey coming out 45 minutes into the first hour, not at the top of the hour. This is a big break from Raw’s typical format of having the biggest four segments going on at the top of each hour.)

Rousey shook hands with the announcers and joined them on commentary. Cole congratulated Rousey for being among a small handful of people whose first singles match is a televised championship match. Rousey mumbled: “Yeah, you know, there’s, uh, a… a list of firsts, uh, that I’ve had already to up to this point, but since I’m not the first, this is already tried ground.” She then glared at Cole like he just asked her about an affair with Monica Lewinski. (That was just awkward.) Otunga asked if she’s feeling pressure being moved to the front of the line ahead of women she said might be more deserving. Ronda said: “Yeah, but pressure is what I’m used to. It brings out the best in me. Pressure is what builds up behind a bullet in a chamber of a gun.” (Huh? That’s a strange response.) Otunga asked if she’s looking for anything specific when scouting Nia. Ronda said she looks at personality a lot when scouting talent. When Graves said Nia calls her “ripe for the picking,” Ronda said: “Ripe for the picking is something only my husband calls me.” They immediately cut to a break. (I don’t know what to make of her personality here, but it’s not endearing.) [c]

Jax had Natalya in a twisting chinlock. Graves then brought up the “ripe for the picking” question again and Rousey oddly repeated her one-liner. (Do they know that exchange aired before the break? Why did they go back to it? It was awkward the first time. I suppose it was meant to be a zinger, but they wanted her on camera when she said it, I suppose. That is one of the stranger things I’ve seen on WWE in a long time.) Graves asked Rousey how she prepares for headbutts, something she’s not used to dealing with in MMA. She said her judo will let her use Jax’s strength against her. Natalya took Nia down with a clothesline and scored a two count at 7:00. The crowd was quiet, so Natalya yelled for them to make some noise. Natalya sold a knee injury when she ran the ropes. Nia then gave Natalya the Samoan Drop for the win. Rousey said she’s ready for anything, but she hopes Natalya is okay. Natalya quickly unstrapped a knee brace to check on her knee.

WINNER: Nia in 8:00.

-Rousey walked to the ring to check on Natalya. Jax was concerned for Natalya and asked how she was doing. Rousey told her to back off. Rousey shoved her aside. Jax gave Rousey a light tap on the back in retaliation. They got chest-to-chest. Rousey looked her and said, “Just go!”

(Keller’s Analysis: Whatever the opposite of charming is, that’s Rousey during this stint on commentary. She comes across as petulant, grouchy, dolorous, and gruff. The crowd was quiet for the match because they didn’t have anyone to root again. Nia has been nothing but reasonable, which isn’t helping make Rousey likable given that she’s so surly toward Jax. This was a bit of a mess this week.)

-The announcers hyped Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens and that Bobby Lashley would respond to Sami Zayn. [c]

[HOUR TWO]

-Renee Young interviewed Roode about participating in his first MITB. He said he will win and get a ticket to becoming Universal Champion, which will be glorious. He made a big production of it, and the crowd didn’t response at all. She asked about tonight against Braun. Roode said he doesn’t know. He said he’s been “in this business” for over 20 years and he’s never seen anyone like Braun, so he’ll have to use every trick he has. He said he hopes it’s enough to beat Braun, but tonight his goal is just to survive. He let out a big breath.

Braun came out first. Then Roode. Then they cut to a break. [c]

(4) BRAUN STROWMAN vs. BOBBY ROODE

Cole said Roode said he’s just looking to survive. Otunga wondered if there are ladders strong enough to hold Strowman. Strowman just manhandled Roode. Roode caught a charging Strowman with an elbow. Roode pulled a ladder out from under the ring. He bridged it up on the ringside barricade and the ring apron. He smiled as he re-entered the ring, then taunted Braun. “Come on, big boy!” he said. Strowman charged at Roode. Roode ducked under the ladder and hoped Braun would run into it. Roode called for Braun to come get him now. Braun then bashed the ladder in half with his bare fists. Roode backed away and then ran, but stumbled. Braun caught him and threw him into the barricade at ringside. “The big bear is hunting!” said Cole. Braun then gave Roode a running powerslam for the win. Cole wished the other MITB competitors “good luck.” He asked Graves and Otunga if they saw what Strowman did to that ladder. Graves said he needs to see a replay to believe what he saw. Otunga said it’s hard to fathom the power it takes to smash a ladder in half like that. They replayed it from what seemed like a strategic and thus suspicious angle to hide whatever give was actually in the ladder.

WINNER: Strowman in 4:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: I sure hope Roode is going to be turned heel immediately, because he looked like a total dope there and there’s nothing about that version of Roode worth cheering. The ladder stunt was cool and effective headed into MITB.)

-They showed Kevin Owens watching backstage on a monitor. He looked unhappy. Charlie Caruso interviewed KO regarding his thoughts on Sami and Lashley. He said he doesn’t care about that. He said the popularity of Balor is evidence of how stupid the WWE Universe is. He wondered what “Too sweet!” even means. He said Balor couldn’t beat Strowman last week and lost to him the week before. Caruso pointed out that Owens cost Balor a chance last week. Owens said that is besides the point.

-The announcers hyped Owens vs. Balor. [c]

-Backstage Rousey tended to Natalya, who was on crutches and icing her knee. She said she felt something pop. Nia walked in and said she didn’t mean to hurt her knee. She asked if she can compete in MITB. Rousey asked if she’s done enough already. Nia said, “We were having a match. You should know, this isn’t ballet. She’s just as much my friend as she is yours.” Rousey told her to leave. Nia said she doesn’t want to leave her friend. Natalya said she knows she didn’t mean to hurt her, but she needs a minute to herself. She walked away on crutches, leaving Rousey and Nia standing awkwardly alone together.

-Renee introduced Broken Matt and Bray Wyatt from mid-ring. They said that power drives and consumes men. They said they aren’t men, but rather Woken Warriors. Hardy asked Renee if she’s woken. She said yes. Hardy said “Wonderful!” Bray said their opponents would suffer and be deleted at MITB.

(Keller’s Analysis: Not a lot to that, but I’m glad to see Matt & Bray get some in-ring promo time.)

-The announcers hyped the tag team battle royal. [c]

(5) TAG TEAM BATTLE ROYAL

They showed the entrances of B-Team and Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre. Already in the ring were Rhyno & Heath Slater, Titus O’Neal & Apollo Crews, The Revival, Breezango, and The Ascension.  After several close calls, Ziggler was eliminated. That eliminated Drew, also. The crowd booed the announcement that they’ve been eliminated. Drew gave Slater a headbutt and beat up a few others. Ziggler re-entered the ring and beat up Rhyno, too. Cole said they’re being poor sports. Drew and Ziggler gave the Clayborne/Zig-Zag combo to Rhyno. Three refs ordered them out of the ring. [c]

It came down to Rhyno & Slater and the B-Team. Graves wondered what a feat it would be for B-Team to maintain their undefeated streak in a battle royal. Slater mistakenly knocked Rhyno off the ring apron to eliminate his team.

WINNERS: B-Team in 9:00. [c]

-Lashley made his ring entrance. He wore a white sports coat with a peach colored t-shirt and blue jeans with a baseball hat. I don’t know many people who can pull that off, and I’m not sure Lashley did. Lashley slapped hands on his way to the ring and smiled wide. Lashley said Sami has been doing a lot of trash-talking, but he wants him to say it to his face if he has more to say. Sami’s music played, but he didn’t come out. Graves complimented Sami, but then said after a long wait that he must have misplaced his hat. Sami showed up in the crowd opposite the stage. Sami said there’s no chance he enters the ring because the last time he was in the ring with him, Lashley assaulted him when he wasn’t ready and squeezed his hand too hard on a handshake. He said he’s been debilitated, and he couldn’t even cook his organic tofu steaks that were in his refrigerator. (Tired tofu jokes.) Sami then said he was going to make fun of Lashley’s “inspirational quotes” on InstaGram. “They told me to think outside the box. I showed them there is no box.” Sami mocked it and said it blew his mind and said it’s deep. Another IG post said: “Apply for that job. Date that person. Buy that plane ticket. Move to that city. Do all the things that scare you, they’re worth it.” Sami said that one hit him in the heart and he got choked up because fear has held him back from his dreams, but thanks to Lashley and his IG posts, he feels he can live his dreams.

Sami called Texans simpletons. He said as an intellectual, he dug deeper. He said he sent Lashley a DM as a fan with a fake name. Sami said Lashley sent him a link in response, but it sent him to a page for Bobby’s fan club and march page. He said you can buy a $19.99 Lashley headband or a $39.99 a Lashley t-shirt. Sami said it’s all a ruse and a cash grab. He said he’s trying to get one over him.

Lashley asked Sami where he’s going with all of this. He asked him how many burner accounts Sami has. He said he should at least have the decency to face him in person. Sami said he doesn’t meet liars face-to-face. He said he’s not sure if he should laugh at him or feel sorry for him. He said he knows Sami is scared of facing him at MITB, but he’d appreciate not doing it at the expense of his reputation. Sami said everything about him is a lie including that smile plastered on his face all the time. He asked if he even really has sisters. “Were you even in the army?” he said. Lashley’s smile went away and the crowd went “Oooh!” Sami said maybe Bobby never even served his country and that was just another one of his lies. Fans chanted “USA” as Lashley snarled at Sami. Cole said Sami just crossed into territory he won’t be able to come back from. Cole said Lashley really did serve his country. (He didn’t vouch for him actually having sisters, though. Hmmm.)

(Keller’s Analysis: Those IG quotes were cringe-worthy, so this seemed more born out of a mean-spirited writing session mocking Lashley behind his back – like, you know, shoving someone into the pool unexpectedly just for laughs. In the end, the line about not really being in the Army got the crowd into it.)

-After a replay of the tag match that opened Raw, the announcers said Reigns faces Mahal at MITB.

-Caruso interviewed Mahal and Singh backstage. She asked what’s at the root of the issue between them. Jinder said Reigns is a bitter, jealous man who senses his superiority and is threatened by it. He said Reigns has been given opportunity after opportunity that belong to him instead. He said that’s why he speared him through the wall in the MITB qualifying match. He said something is in the air and the winds are shifting and soon Reigns will find the storm is coming.

(Keller’s Analysis: Good promo from Jinder. The raspy voice is gone and he showed more range than usual and got rid of the cartoonish snarl.)

-Renee asked Reigns for his response to being accused of being bitter and jealous. He said maybe Jinder should go back and check his resume. He asked what Jinder has done around here lately. “Nothing.” He said Jinder expects to be handed everything. Jinder interrupted from where he was being interviewed. He said he would never say that to his face. Reigns told him to shut his mouth. He said he’ll come say it to his face, so stay put and he’ll shut his mouth for him. Reigns got directions from someone on where to find Jinder. The camera stayed on him as he marched around looking for Jinder. He came upon Jinder and Singh. He threw Singh aside and then beat up Mahal. Producer Adam Pearce and referees pulled Reigns off of him.

-Alexa Bliss made her ring entrance. [c]

(6) SASHA BANKS & EMBER MOON & ALEXA BLISS vs. SARAH LOGAN & LIV MORGAN & RUBY RIOTT

Bliss tagged in a couple minutes in. The tag was as sloppy as it gets. Graves blamed Moon. Otunga said he’s surprised Bliss even tagged in. Cole said Moon wanted to tag Sasha, but Bliss got in the way. When Bliss entered, she immediately sold a leg injury after landing on the mat. Graves said the women’s division is snake bit tonight. [c]

The announcers said Bliss has left the arena with an apparent leg injury, which left Sasha and Moon in a handicapped match against all three Riott Squad members. Graves said he hopes she’s recovered in time for MITB. Banks hot-tagged in deep into the match and took both Morgan and Logan down with a flying knee.  Cole said this has turned into a no-win situation for the two babyfaces. With Sasha down and slow to get up, Bayley ran out. Sasha tagged her and the ref allowed it – WHICH IS THE DUMBEST THING EVER – and he counted Bayley scoring the pin on Logan after a Bayley-to-Belly. Graves exclaimed Bobby Heenan style, “How is this legal? This is ridiculous!” Otunga said if Angle approved it, it must be legal. Graves said the referee is obviously doing his job on Ambien, a Roseanne reference.

WINNERS: Moon & Sasha & Bayley.

-Backstage Corbin asked Angle if he’s really going to stand for that. Angle said it’s none of his business. Corbin said whatever happens on Raw is his business. He said he is his boss’s eyes and ears. He said what Bayley did was illegal. He told Angle to break it to them that their win doesn’t count. “Or do you want to go ask Stephanie,” he said with an air of self-satisfaction. “Thank god for the constable,” said Graves.

(Keller’s Analysis: I’m totally with Corbin on this. They just made Angle out to be a complete buffoon which establishes that Corbin was needed after all. So dumb.) [c]

-Backstage Ember told Sasha that they won because of Bayley saving them. Sasha thanked her. Bayley said, “You’re welcome.” Ember said she’s ready to go celebrate, so hug it out. Angle walked up to them. He said because Bayley wasn’t officially in the match, Riott Squad are the winners by DQ. Ember was way way way too shocked at that ruling. Sasha and Ember walked away from Bayley as if Bayley had done them wrong.

(Keller’s Analysis: God this was so stupid. Every babyface was made to look like an idiot. If there was some precedence for wrestlers routinely replacing injured tag partners during a match, this might have made slightly more sense, but it was one of those cases where they wanted to tell a certain story but they didn’t come up with a way to get there in a sensible way and they just went with it anyway. The sensible thing to do would have been to show Bliss secretly filmed backstage bragging that she left Sasha and Moon out there at a disadvantage, and then have Angle rule that Bayley could fill in. Then it would have seemed like Angle was trying to fix an injustice and not just try to help babyfaces with an arbitrary helping hand late in the match.)

-Corbin scolded the referee backstage.

-Big Show stood on the stage with a dozen Special Olympians. He spoke for a couple minutes. Then Balor made his ring entrance, slapping hands with the Special Olympians on his way out. They did the Balor arm extension to the beat of his music with him. Graves said, “Balor Club is for everybody.” [c]

-The announcers said Sasha vs. Moon vs. Bliss. vs. Natalya was scheduled for a Fatal Four-way match, but Natalya and Bliss are question marks. Also, Balor vs. Strowman vs. Roode vs. Owens is scheduled next week. Plus, Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey in a face-to-face segment.

-Owens’ ring entrance took place.

(7) KEVIN OWENS vs. FINN BALOR

Mat work in the early minutes. They cut to a break as Balor made a comeback. [c]

Back live Owens had Balor in his obligatory mid-match chinlock. Cole said KO has the attitude needed to do well in a ladder match. He went for a powerbomb, but Balor blocked it and then double-stomped KO. They were both slow to get up.

[OVERRUN]

Owens was eventually DQ’d for stomping on Balor in the ropes and not breaking. Graves said this is the most dangerous version of Kevin Owens.

WINNER: Balor in 18:00 via DQ.

-Owens attacked Balor afterward including a frog splash. He brought a ladder into the ring and climbed it. Then he teased leaning off of it, but seemed to lose his will because of a fear of heights. He took a couple steps down. Balor popped up and yanked Owens off the ladder and then threw him into it and then dropkicked him. Balor then climbed the ladder and leaped off with a Coup de Grace. The camera angle was opposite of Owens and low, so there was no sense of the impact made. Balor climbed to the top of the ladder and grabbed the briefcase. Cole asked if this is the symbol of what will happen in two weeks.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Weak, weak Raw for various reasons.

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ALSO CHECK OUT ZACK HEYDORN’S “ALT PERSPECTIVE” LIVE COVERAGE OF TONIGHT’S RAW HERE.

HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT 6/4: Alt Perspective coverage of the live show including Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Roode, and more

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NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 5/28 WWE RAW RESULTS: Keller’s report on live show from Richmond, Va. with Seth Rollins vs. Jinder Mahal, Women’s Gauntlet Match