7/2 WWE RAW RESULTS: Keller’s report on live show from Sioux Falls including Bayley and Sasha therapy, Reigns & Lashley vs. Revival

KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
JULY 2, 2018
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK

Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jonathan Coachman

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CATCH UP ON LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 6/25 WWE RAW RESULTS: Keller’s report on live show from San Diego including Ziggler vs. Seth in IC Title rematch

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LIVE POST-RAW PODCAST: After Raw concludes, join me live for the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show with guest cohost Matt Koon! You can stream the show live HERE or call to participate: (347) 215-8558 (push “1” after calling if you want to participate on the show with a question or comment).

Email comments and questions about Raw to wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com.

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[HOUR ONE]

-A video package aired recapping last week’s dynamics between Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley. (This video package had most soothing narrator voiceover in WWE history, and maybe all of human history. If that voice told me to sign a bunch of blank checks and hand them to him, I’d happily do it and feel unprecedented utter peace.)

-They went live in the building with Cole welcoming fans and Roman Reigns’s ring entrance began. “We’re live with the Big Dog!” Cole blared (shaking me out of the zen the narrator had produced in my soul). Cole said tonight Lashley & Reigns look to even the score with The Revival, but he wondered if Reigns and Lashley can get along. Cole said there are two massive egos clashing. He said G.M. Kurt Angle has taken it under consideration that Reigns and Lashley want to meet at Extreme Rules.

Reigns paced in the ring as the cheers and boos died down. “They’re extremely talented and they have a bright future, but never ever in my career did I think I’d say I lost to the Revival,” Reigns said (not getting even past one sentence before sounding like an arrogant full-of-himself jerk). He said “I’m not making excuses, but I did have the worst partner of all time, Bobby Lashley. (His second sentence contained a lie, because he followed up saying he is not making excuses by MAKING AN EXCUSE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SAME SENTENCE. He apparently needs to be brushed up on what the definition of the word “excuse” is.

He went back to calling him “Bob.” He said he doesn’t like Bob because Bob is an egomaniac and a fool because he believes he’s the guy. He said ten years ago he wasn’t the guy “because you couldn’t handle the road.” He said in ten years he won’t be The Guy because “I’m The Guy! I’m The Man around here, I’m the Big Dog who runs this yard.” He was interrupted by the screeching noise of Dolph Ziggler’s ring entrance. Cole called Drew McIntyre “his running partner.”

Ziggler laughed at Reigns calling someone else an egomaniac. He said he walks around like he owns the place and calls the ring his yard. Drew said he couldn’t help himself by playing the hero when he saved the day for his buddy Seth Rollins. Ziggler said he’s actually “a former Intercontinental Champion,” an insult masked as a compliment. They entered the ring. Drew said since Reigns stuck his nose in their business last week, they’re ready to return the favor right now. Reigns threw the first punch. Cole said Reigns did so because he realized he was outnumbered. Seth Rollins ran out to make the save. He knocked Drew out of the ring and then pounded away at Ziggler before Drew dragged him to safety. [c]

-A commercial aired for “Total Bellas” with Nikki complaining about John Cena not being there with her as she planned the wedding.

-Backstage Seth told Reigns he got in a couple good shots. Seth asked Angle for a match against Ziggler & Drew. Angle said he’d schedule it for next week. The crowd booed. Reigns said he wanted it this week. The crowd cheered. Angle gave in and said he’d give it to him, but he didn’t say what that meant for the Revival rematch.

(1) MATT HARDY vs. CURTIS AXEL (w/Bo Dallas) 

After Matt Hardy walked to the ring, The B Team did their impersonation of Bray and Matt with intentionally awful wigs and exaggerated inflections. They held a globe and sang, “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” Matt stood and soaked it up, then led the crowd in a “Delete!” chant. Cole said Hardy & Wyatt will defend the WWE Raw Tag Team Titles against The B Team at Extreme Rules.

(Keller’s Analysis: No surprise, there was no crowd heat here, just fleeting “Delete!” chants. There’s no compelling reason to root for or against each of these two when they’re matched against each other, and it leads to this ambivalence, which is not what pro wrestling promoters should go for. Building a feud around the notion of how cute it’d be if Curtis and Bo mocked Matt and Bray runs out of steam once the bell rings, and that’s more than enough to offset whatever is gained from the silly promos.)

Coach talked about how Bo & Curtis are better at being Bray & Matt than Bray & Matt are. Late in the match as Matt signaled for the Twist of Fate, Bo stood on the ring apron and distracted him. Curtis then kicked Matt and backdropped him head-first into the ringpost. He followed with a face driver for the win. Bo and Curtis celebrated euphorically in the ring.

WINNER: Axel in 9:00.

-Cole said Reigns “isn’t scared to do double duty” and will wrestle in two tag matches.

(Keller’s Analysis: Reigns also won’t make excuses when he loses again, but then he’ll actually immediate make an excuse.)

-Graves plugged that they’d see Bayley’s first session with Dr. Shelby next. [c]

-Graves thanked Dead Sara for “Heaven’s Got a Back Door” for the theme for Extreme Rules.

-Seth told Reigns he has a 30 minute Iron Man match against Ziggler at Extreme Rules. Reigns lamented, “I don’t even have a match.” He was hanging this head. Seth said he’s sure it will change. In walked Lashley. Seth asked if he’s got it. Reigns said yeah. He stared a hole in Lashley. Lashley said he has some “huge brass ones” calling him an egomaniac tonight. He asked if he’s bulletproof and has a big “S” on his chest. He said he’s a trouble-starter and a heat magnet. He said besides his “brother” Seth, nobody likes him. He said he doesn’t like him, either. He told Reigns to check his huge ego at the door and focus. Reigns called him Bob again and told him to shut up. He said he’d start, finish, and win the match while Bobby stands there “with your phony smile and collects ‘W’.” They ended with a tense staredown.

-They went to the announcers on camera. Coach talked about the news Seth just dropped that he and Ziggler are having a 30 minute Iron Man match at Extreme Rules.

-A video recap aired of Sasha and Bayley’s break-up, and then Angle telling Bayley she has to go to counseling.

-They showed Bayley in the waiting room. Sasha Banks walked in and asked what Bayley was doing there. They compared notes and realized they were booked for the same session. Dr. Shelby walked out and welcomed them to his office. “I’m going to be helping you in your friendship counseling together,” he said. “If you’re ready, why don’t you follow me into what I call the Friend Zone.” A camera showed them on opposite ends of the couch. He told them it is a safe space. He ran down the seven tenets of friendship: Love, Helping, Joy, Sharing, Time, Honesty, and Respect. They cut away.

(Keller’s Analysis: Ugh. That just wasn’t even slightly funny, and this better be funny or else it’s got 100 percent chance to be a counter-productive waste of time and further setback to Bayley and Sasha.)

-The Prime Time Players came out to their music. [c]

(2) PRIME TIME PLAYERS (Titus O’Neal & Apollo Crews w/Dana Brooke) vs. AUTHORS OF PAIN (Aikam & Rezar)

Cole boldly proclaimed he’s sure AOP will be a force to be reckoned with in the tag team division on Raw. Cole called AOP intimidating, intense, beastly, and calculated. Coach said they have strength to go along with agility. They eventually pinned Titus clean with their Last Chapter. Graves said what’s most scary about them is they are gaining confidence by the week. Coach said they quickly turned a competitive match into a victory. There wasn’t really anything competitive about it beyond the first ten seconds.

WINNERS: AOP in 3:00.

-Backstage Seth asked Reigns how things went with Lashley. Reigns shrugged and laughed and said, “I don’t know, I wasn’t listening.” (That’s such a Roman thing to say.) They bumped fists and headed toward the entrance stage. [c]

-Kevin Owens arrived in a rental. The screen said it was at 7:55 CT. Cole said because they’re in Central time, it is still light out. Graves said he’s late. A valet walked up to Owens and said he can’t park there, so please give him his keys. Owens said, “No chance.” Owens put his hood up to try to hide his identity as he walked in the venue. Graves said a monster is looking for him.

-Seth and Reigns came out to separate ring entrances. (Reigns, as usual, walked to the ring looking like he was walking from the driveway toward his house when his teenager was in trouble for hosting a wild party while he was away against his warnings. In other words, not determined, but more perturbed.)

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[HOUR TWO]

(3) SETH ROLLINS & ROMAN REIGNS vs. DREW MCINTYRE & DOLPH ZIGGLER

Seth and Ziggler exchanged some moves and then Ziggler tagged in Drew. Drew wrenched on a headlock. Cole noted Drew left WWE for three years and learned so much. Seth ducked Drew’s clothesline and rolled into his corner. Reigns asked for the tag. Cole called it a “goosebump moment.” A “Let’s Go Roman! / Roman sucks!” chant broke out. They showed Lashley watching backstage. Coach said despite the tension, Lashley doesn’t want Reigns less than 100 percent later. Drew took Reigns down with a headbutt, then Ziggler landed a superkick and scored a two count. Reigns looked groggy. Reigns hot-tagged Seth at 7:00. The pace picked up and Seth dove through the ropes and tackled Drew into the ringside barrier. Reigns gave Ziggler a Drive-by. Seth landed a frog splash on Ziggler. Drew broke up the pin to break up the count. Four-way chaos broke out. Ziggler rolled up Seth with a handful of tights. Seth rolled through and then catapulted Ziggler over the top rope to the floor. Seth leaped off the top rope onto Drew and Dolph. They cut to a break as Cole yelled, “Seth Rollins is burning it down!” [c]

Ziggler settled into a sleeper on Seth after the break. Drew chopped away at Seth later and methodically kept control of the match. Seth flipped out of Drew’s grip and knocked him to ringside. When Seth dove for a tag, Drew yanked Reigns off the ring apron. Then Dolph and Drew double-teamed Ziggler. Seth reverse-whipped Ziggler into the barricade. Drew, though, prevented Seth from tagging Reigns, then kicked Seth in the jaw. Seth went for the tag again, but Ziggler intervened. Seth gave him a buckle bomb. Seth crawled for a tag again. The Revival then attacked Reigns. The ref called for the bell.

WINNERS: No contest in 16:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: Seth not being able to tag Reigns three times in a row, but having the energy to hit big moves in between looked ridiculous. Seth’s crawling to get a tag is great, but it just didn’t fit with the big spots he was able to execute.)

-Drew and Dolph beat up Seth in the ring as The Revival beat up Reigns at ringside. Drew and Dolph gave Seth a Zig Zag/Claymore combo. The Revival gave Reigns their “Shatter Machine” finisher. Coach said, “I know you don’t like it, but I gotta be honest – I like it. Do what you gotta do to make a name for yourself.”

(Keller’s Analysis: It’s so counter-productive for Coach to say that as it just totally undercuts the heat Revival were trying to get for beating up the so-called lead babyface. The announcers should be unified in being outraged that a competitive match was ruined by Revival because fighting to an actual outcome should matter more than anything.)

-They replayed the KO-Braun Strowman angle last week.

-Owens told Angle he has to do something about Braun. Angle said on Raw they settle things in the ring and it sounds to him like he wants a match. An exasperated Owens said, “How does it sound like that?” He said Strowman is a perfect candidate for therapy. He suggested he suspend him and fire him. “Do both, just to be safe.” Angle said Owens just convinced him to book him against Strowman tonight.

-“The Constable” Baron Corbin walked to the ring. [c]

-They showed a clip of the Bayley-Sasha therapy. Graves said the therapeutic thing to do would be to let them fight.

-Corbin stood mid-ring. After he was introduced by Mike Rome, Corbin made him add that he is “Stephanie McMahon’s personally appointed constable of Raw.” Corbin said everybody needs help to get to their full potential. He said if a police officer gives you a speeding ticket, they’re trying to make you a better driver. If a teacher sends you to the principal’s office, they’re trying to make you a better student. He said every once in a while, there’s a Superstar too proud to accept a helping hand. He said last week when he tagged himself in, Finn Balor kicked him when his guard was down. He continued a running commentary as last week’s mix-n-match tag match ended in a countout loss for him and Balor aired. He said Balor’s conduct was unprofessional and inappropriate. He said to help him get his career on track, he’s inviting Balor out to the ring to offer him an apology.

Balor walked out. Corbin insulted Balor but masked them as apologies. He told Balor to apologize. Balor said he lost the right to have anyone’s respect once he became Stephanie McMahon’s stooge. Corbin heard enough and attacked him, but Balor fired back with a slingblade. Corbin retreated.

-Elias was playing his guitar backstage. He told Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan he wasn’t performing for the fans, but he would for them. He began to play. They knocked some stuff over and yelled excitedly and walked away. Morgan thanked Elias for the music. [c]

(4) LIV MORGAN (w/Sarah Logan) vs. EMBER MOON

Not much crowd heat here early. Liv had Moon in a side headlock a minute in. Moon escaped and landed a springboard crossbody for a two count. Liv rolled to the floor and they abruptly cut to a break. [c]

Back from the break, Liv was still in control, but shortly thereafter Moon won with an Eclipse

WINNER: Moon in 7:00.

-Back to the therapy session, Dr. Shelby asked Sasha to pretend to be Bayley. Sasha said when she grows up she’ll be a champion, not because she deserves it, but because she collects autographs. She said she’s a pushover and will be everybody’s best friend and “did I mention I love hugs!” Shelby asked Bayley how that makes her feel. Bayley said she’s the Boss and she’ll stab her in the back first chance she gets no matter what “because I’m the legit Boss.” Sasha stood up and asked Bayley if she thinks she’s funny. They argued and talked over each other. Dr. Shelby yelled, “Enough!” The screen said, “To be continued.”

(Keller’s Analysis: Ugh. Not funny. Not even campy-funny.)

-Cole said it’ll be interesting if this therapy ever works. He said it will take plenty of time. The announcers weren’t even pretending this was funny or entertaining.

-The Revival made their ring entrance. [c]

(5) THE REVIVAL vs. BOBBY LASHLEY & ROMAN REIGNS

Reigns was already in the ring after the break. Lashley then made his full ring entrance. The announcers said Reigns won’t show in the face how much pain he’s likely in from the beatdown earlier. Coach said Reigns should let Lashley do most of the work. Reigns started the match. Lashley offered to tag in after the Revival got in some shots on Reigns’s injured ribs. Reigns looked at Lashley like he just offered to take his wife on a date and show he what a real man is like. It was just totally out of step with Lashley’s gesture.

[HOUR THREE]

Revival continued to isolate Reigns. He fought out of it and knocked Dawson to the floor. Dash dropkicked Reigns and went after him aggressively. When Revival double-teamed Reigns, Lashley entered and cleared the ring of the heels,. He then went back to his corner and yelled for Reigns to finally tag him. Reigns blew him off again. Graves said he has to swallow his pride. Fans booed. Dash attacked Reigns. Dawson joined in. The ref DQ’d them. Lashley had enough and walked to the back.

WINNERS: Reigns & Lashley.

-The Revival continued to beat up Reigns. Fans began chanting “One more time!” after a Shatter Machine. They left and for some reason Reigns’s music played.

-Backstage Angle shook his head in disgust. Owens walked in and said Angle has to fix this chaos happening on his show. He said Angle should cancel his match with Braun. Angle said no, the match is still on. Owens said he’ll organize his office for him. He said it’s a little known fact he’s a good organizer. He said he can get him Shaniya Twain tickets. He said he’d even babysit his kids. Angle said there is no way he’s getting out of the match. Owens snapped, “Fine, you don’t deserve Shaniya Twain tickets.”

-Back to the ring, Reigns was trying to stand. Cole asked if Reigns’s pride finally caught up with him tonight. Fans didn’t react when he finally stood. A babyface who fans liked would have been cheered at that moment after all of that build-up. [c]

-A commercial for Smackdown hyped Team Hell No reuniting. The narrator said for the first time in five years, they’re together on Smackdown.

-The announcers narrated a clip of Reigns being beat down by Revival.

-They showed Angle texting for some reason. Then Reigns walked in and said he’s tired of it. Angle said Lashley wants the same thing he wants and the match is made. Reigns said at Extreme Rules he’s laying his punk ass out.

-No Way Jose was finishing his dance in the ring when Mojo Rawley made his ring entrance. Mojo said he worked hard to earn the right to step into the ring and he won’t give Jose a rematch if he just dances in the ring. He attacked a member of the Conga line and then slammed Jose hard into the ring apron. Cole said for the second straight week, the rematch won’t take place.

-Cole threw to a video package on Ronda Rousey and Alexa Bliss. Then he threw to a WWE.com interview Renee Young conducted with Rousey where Rousey said she’ll be sitting ringside at Extreme Rules.

-Alexa Bliss and Mickie James made their ring entrance. [c]

-Nia Jax made her entrance. From the stage, she told Bliss that two months ago at WrestleMania she defeated her for the Raw Women’s Title and she thought she was finished with her. Jax revealed her match against Alexa at Extreme Rules will be an Extreme Rules match because “this needs to end.” Mickie’s jaw dropped and Alexa looked concerned. Jax, noting Mickie brought Bliss with her, said she brought back-up of her own. Out came Natalya.

(6) NIA JAX (w/Natalya) vs. MICKIE JAMES (w/Alexa Bliss)

Jax absorbed some kicks and then checked Mickie hard to the mat, so Mickie bailed out. Jax chased her down. She lifted her and set up a Samoan Drop. Bliss pulled her to safety. Natalya joined Jax in squaring off against the two heels at ringside as they cut to a break. [c]

Mickie dominated after the break until Jax ducked a Mick Kick. She then gave her a sitout powerbomb mid-ring. Alexa distracted the ref and Jax. Natalya yanked Alexa off the ring apron. Jax lifted Mickie and gave her a Samoan Drop for the pin.

WINNER: Jax in 10:00.

-Backstage Owens stood with Jinder Mahal and did breathing exercises. He told Jinder he’s not feeling anything and it’s not working. “What am I doing wrong?” he asked. Jinder tried to walk him through the process for inner peace. Owens said he can’t do it right. Charlie Caruso asked Owens if he’s feeling shaken up. Owens denied it. He claimed he’s thrilled the match with Braun is still on. He said some people would be terrified, but he fought that monster before so many times so he knows his every move before he does them. He said he will show the world tonight how you destroy a monster. [c]

-An NXT commercial hyped EC3 vs. Johnny Gargano.

-Cole said depending on who you talk to, Reigns is either a proud warrior or an egomaniac. He asked fans to decide as he threw to footage of Reigns getting bean down.

-Renee Young interviewed Lashley backstage and asked for his reaction to Angle booking Lashley vs. Reigns at Extreme Rules. Lashley said Reigns told him to stay out of the match, so it was enjoyable seeing Reigns get exactly what he asked for. He said he cannot wait for Extreme Rules. He said Reigns made a big name for himself because he wasn’t around, and if he didn’t leave ten years ago, Reigns’s yard would have been nothing but a concrete patch in the training park.

-The announcers hyped all matches announced for Extreme Rules so far.

-They aired footage of what Braun did to Owens’s car last week. [c]

(7) BRAUN STROWMAN vs. KEVIN OWENS

Owens was in the ring after the break. When the bell rang, they locked up. Braun shoved Owens down hard and then roared. Owens rolled out of the ring and fled to the back and into the parking garage. His car was locked. He frantically tried to hide somewhere and chose the port-a-potty. Lashley wrapped duct table around the port-a-potty and dragged it onto the arena stage. He asked if Owens was still in it and Owens yelled for him to let him out. Strowman then teased knocking it over, but stopped. Cole said Strowman was showing sympathy for Owens. Strowman then speared it right off the stage and knocked it down. Fans gasped. Fans chanted “Holy shit!” Coach noted how hard it hit the floor as they replayed it from several angles in slo-mo. Workers broke open the door and out came Owens covered in the blue slime. He was loaded onto a gurney.

WINNER: Braun via countout in under 1:00.

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LIVE POST-RAW PODCAST: After Raw concludes, join me live for the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show with guest cohost Matt Koon! You can stream the show live HERE or call to participate: (347) 215-8558 (push “1” after calling if you want to participate on the show with a question or comment).

Email comments and questions about Raw to wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com.

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NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 6/25 WWE RAW RESULTS: Keller’s report on live show from San Diego including Ziggler vs. Seth in IC Title rematch