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HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT
JUNE 17, 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
[HOUR ONE]
-The show began with Elias in the middle of the ring. He introduced himself and then ripped on the Anthony Davis to Lakers trade. He called Davis a piece of garbage and LA, a city where the people are more toxic than the air. From there, he said he had been invited to the show by Baron Corbin. After uttering those words, he removed his coat to reveal a referee shirt. At that point, Elias said that Baron Corbin picked him to be the special referee in his Universal Championship match on Sunday at Stomping Grounds. As Elias made the reveal, Seth Rollins attacked him with a steel chair. He crushed Elias several times with the chair and then demanded a microphone as the audience chanted “burn it down.”
Heydorn’s Analysis: Really good intensity from Rollins with the chair. He came off well as a big star and showcased a deeper part of his personality with the aggression in the chair shots.
Rollins said that after everything he’s been through with Brock Lesnar, he is no longer playing games. He said that he knows Baron Corbin needs to pick a special referee for Stomping Grounds, but then threatened the person that takes that role. He said that “this” was coming for them and held up his steel chair. At that point, Rollins walked out of the ring and the announce team debated the move and said he was fired up ahead of his championship defense on Sunday.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Short, but sweet. This is a classic example of why use 50 words when 25 words tell the story. Rollins was succinct in letting the audience into his frame of mind and used that frame of mind to setup the rest of tonight’s show. Good stuff.
-Once Rollins left the arena, The Miz made his entrance for the United States Championship number one contender match. As he walked to the ring, the announcers hyped Samoa Joe as the US Champion. Once Miz got to the ring, he saw Elias staggering. After, he hit Elias with the Skull Crushing Finale. At that point, Bobby Lashley walked out and crushed Elias with his spear. Cesaro walked out next and nailed Elias with the Cesaro Swing. Ricochet was next and like the others, hit Elias with a Codebreaker like facebuster. Finally, Braun Strowman hit the ring and stared down Elias as the audience chanted “get these hands.” He then hit Elias with the running Power Slam as the show went to commercial break. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: Cute. Too cute. The babyface finishers would have worked fine, but the heels hitting Elias confuses the audience going into a big match. Are they supposed to cheer for them since they attacked the heel Elias? That type of cute booking hinders WWE’s ability to tell a clear story in the ring.
(1) BRAUN STROWMAN vs. BOBBY LASHLEY vs. CESARO vs. THE MIZ vs. RICOCHET – Elimination Match with the winner facing Samoa Joe for the WWE United States Championship at Stomping Grounds
Out of the break, the action started with Strowman hitting the rest of his competitors with a running dropkick. Eventually, Cesaro got Strowman up for a slam and connected. This yielded a big reaction from the audience. After, Cesaro went for a pin, but Strowman kicked out. Strowman then lifted Cesaro up and hit him with the Power Slam before covering for the 1,2,3 elimination.
Cesaro Eliminated.
Soon after, Bobby Lashley attempted offense on Strowman, but Strowman countered it into the Power Slam. He then covered Lashley for the 1,2,3 elimination.
Lashley Eliminated.
From there, Strowman owned the match and destroyed each opponent. He crushed them with running shoulder tackles before taking the action back into the ring. There, Strowman was attacked by Bobby Lashley and Cesaro. They double teamed Strowman and finished their assault with Cesaro hitting his finisher on Strowman in the middle of the ring. At that point, Ricochet climbed to the top rope and shook his head that showed his open debate on whether or not he should take advantage of a fallen Strowman. Ricochet decided to go for the win and hit Strowman with the 630. Ricochet then made the cover with Lashley and Cesaro to eliminate Strowman.
Strowman Eliminated.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Nonsensical booking of Ricochet. He needs and openly accepts the help of two heels to win? What kind of babyface is that? This muddies Ricochet’s character and portrays him as unlikeable. That spot should have been saved for a heel as its heel 101 stuff. Disappointing and clearly defines Vince McMahon’s misunderstanding of what he has with Ricochet.
Once Strowman was pinned, Bobby Lashley and Cesaro left the ring. Strowman got to his feet and chased Ricochet down before hurling him out of the ring and at Lashley and Cesaro. Strowman then chased Lashley and Cesaro as the show went to break. (c)
Out of the break, Miz and Ricochet continued the match. Ricochet connected with a flying suicide dive. After, he climbed to the top rope and tried for the 630 again. Miz rolled out of the way, but Ricochet saw it coming and stopped the move. From there, Ricochet hit Miz with an enziguri. Out of that move, Miz countered Ricochet into the Skull Crushing Finale, but Ricochet countered back. The battle continued from there with Miz finally getting the upper hand. He targeted the knee of Ricochet with strikes and then put him in the Figure Four for additional damage. Eventually, Ricochet turned the tides and reversed the hold on Miz. From there, he was able to string offense together that culminated with a 630 on a prone Miz. After, he covered for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: Ricochet via pinfall
-After the match, Samoa Joe attacked Ricochet from behind. Ricochet took a beating for a while, but then battle back after dodging a clothesline. From there, he hit Joe with a cork screw dive over the top rope which stunned Joe and left him on the ramp. Ricochet then celebrated in the ring as the announcers hyped the title match between both of those men on Sunday. They then ran down other events on tonight’s show before the camera shots went backstage to Daniel Bryan and Becky Lynch arriving at the arena. The show then went to break. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: Ricochet winning is a big moment and leads to what should be a MOTN candidate against Joe. From a consistent narrative perspective, how he got the win is unacceptable any way you slice it.
-Out of the break, Becky Lynch hit the ring to a nice pop from the LA audience.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Big pop for Becky Lynch. A fresh crowd and the fact that her entrance didn’t cross commercial breaks had to help.
Once Becky entered the ring she grabbed a microphone and paused as the audience chanted “Becky.” From there, Lynch immediately called out Lacey Evans and said that the next time she comes face to face with The Man, she’ll give her what she deserved. Lynch then said she wanted to do the people a favor and kick Lacey’s ass all over LA. At that point, Evans hit the ring and said nobody cares about what Becky has to say. She said that Lynch doesn’t understand her. Becky responded and said that understand that Evans would rather stand on the ramp and talk slowly than fight in the ring. From there, Evans said she was a lady, but underneath her hat and good looks was an intense and competitive woman. Evans continued and talked about her time as a marine. Evans continued even further about her past before Lynch interrupted and said that she respects who Evans was, but not who she is. Evans responded and called Lynch beatable. She said she already caused Lynch to lose one title and that at Stomping Grounds, she’s lose another. At that point, Evans attempted to get into the ring, but Lynch attacked and nailed her with the Beck-Sploder. Lynch then held her title high above the air as the audience cheered.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Smart to bring up the past of Lacey Evans as it gives her credibility in the ring. That said, it feels like we’ve seen this exact promo for the last month. The match can’t come soon enough as both women need something fresher.
-Once Lynch left the ring, The Revival were shown walking around the backstage area. They then walked into Shane McMahon’s office and had a shot with
-Baron Corbin was interviewed backstage and said he was not scrambling for a replacement referee after Elias bowed out. Corbin said he had plenty of options and a backup in mind. He said he would reveal that backup during a special edition of the Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn show. From there, Seth Rollins crushed Corbin with a chair. He then told Corbin he’d offer him a seat, but that he needed the chair to continue beating up potential Corbin referee picks. Rollins then left the shot as Michael Cole reiterated Seth’s earlier plans of going after anyone that backs Corbin.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Corbin’s referee choice and Rollins fighting that choice is the hook for the show. Smart to pay it off along the way with segments like this. For better or worse, it’s a concerted attempt by WWE to hold viewers throughout the three hours.
-The Viking Raiders were shown backstage as the show went to commercial break. (c)
-Out of the break, Daniel Bryan and Rowan hit the ring. Graves called them the planet’s tag team champions before they began to speak. Once they did, Bryan said he understood why the McMahon’s chose to bring him to Raw. He said it was because “this place sucks.” He meant Monday Night Raw and Los Angeles. From there, Bryan ran down LA and said that he and Rowan were there to lift LA out of the smog. He then said the would destroy Seth Rollins in their match later in the show. He said he would show the world that Raw tag teams pale in comparison to the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. From there, the Viking Raiders made their entrance. As they did, they stared down Rowan and Bryan before walking to the ring.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Seeds planted. Could be a big match if WWE wanted to present it as one. Could also be the second match on random SmackDown episode. Hopefully the former.
(2) THE VIKING RAIDERS vs. LOCAL JOBBER TEAM
Once the bell rang, the Viking Raiders decimated their opponents. After a couple tandem moves, they covered for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: Viking Raiders via pinfall
Heydorn’s Analysis: The Viking Raiders need repairing. Wins like this will help. It can’t be done forever, but for now, good stuff.
-After the match, the camera panned the audience to show R-Truth and Carmella hiding in the audience. Since the camera showed him, the rest of the locker room ran out to try and defeat him for the 24-7 championship. Truth hid under the ring and then ran through the crowd as the rest of the group continued to chase him.
-Backstage, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens were shown talking with Baron Corbin backstage. From there, Kevin Owens walked to the ring with Sami Zayn. The show then went to break. (c)
-Out of the break, Shane McMahon was shown dining with The Revival and Drew McIntyre. As they ate, Heath Slater walked in and asked if he could get a raise. Both Dash and Dawson laughed it off. Shane said that it took a man to come in and ask, but that his answer was no. He said that it took guts to walk in and that he’d let Slater walk out like a man. Slater left, but was then followed by Drew. Drew tried to offer Slater money, but attacked him instead. McIntyre destroyed Heath with vicious shots and was eventually pulled off by Shane and the Revival. They told him to save it for Sunday against Roman Reigns before walking back into their VIP party.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Good intensity from Drew and a nice little callback to their days as 3MB. Outside of that, the stable Shane has developed feels main event. The Revival appear as bigger stars and Drew stands tall to deliver big time heavy for Shane. They seem to have chemistry together as well.
-After that encounter, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn welcomed everyone to their show.
[HOUR TWO]
They then welcomed Baron Corbin out to the ring as their guest. They did so in epic fashion and with many Corbin accolades. Once Corbin got to the ring, Zayn told him he was in a safe space. From there, Zayn complained about the safety of WWE after being assaulted by Seth Rollins last week. At that point, he and Owens both said they were not interested in being Corbin’s referee pick on Sunday. They said that even though that referee wouldn’t be them, he wanted to offer Corbin a big stage to reveal who it would be. From there, Corbin said he picked someone that was born to count to three. He then announced EC3. EC3 walked out and posed, but was promptly crushed with a steel a chair thanks to Seth Rollins. Rollins pounded on EC3 a few times before pointing at Corbin and walking to the back. Corbin ranted from there and blamed Seth for taking away opportunity from a fellow superstar.
Heydorn’s Analysis: More good stuff from Rollins. I’m liking him hitting all of Corbin’s picks like a sniper. The audience appears to as well.
From there, The New Day walked out. Big E covered EC3 with his vest, but they were then interrupted by Zayn. Zayn said they weren’t invited guests and weren’t wild cards either. In response, Kofi said he was the WWE Champion and that he goes where he wants when he wants. To that, Owens yelled at Kofi and said that if Dolph Ziggler doesn’t take the WWE title from him, he would as soon as he gets another opportunity. From there, Kingston asked Owens who won at Money In The Bank. At that point, he discussed his match with Ziggler on Sunday and said he would walk out of Stomping Grounds as the WWE Champion. Baron Corbin proceeded to challenge all three members of the New Day to a match. In response, they lifted EC3 to his feet and sanctioned the match for him since he was unconscious. The show then went to break. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: Really enjoyed Kofi using the WWE Championship as a means to convey an alpha attitude and one in which he goes where he wants. Big star stuff. That said, New Day coming out felt a bit forced, out of place, and thrown together at the last minute. Nah, that doesn’t happen in the WWE does it?
-Out of the break, AJ Styles was shown in the WWE training room. He was discussing his condition with a doctor, but was then confronted by the Good Brothers. They joked with him, but AJ stopped them and said he didn’t need doctors. From there, AJ said that three years ago, they made their debut on Raw. The three men proceeded to reminisce a bit, but stopped after AJ called them out for being too comfortable. AJ asked them when was the last time they won a match or were on TV. He told them they needed to get serious. This offended both Gallows and Anderson and they said they would get serious and beat the Usos. From there, they walked out of the shot.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Could be the start of something for Gallows and Anderson. Being associated with AJ is definitely a step in the right direction.
(3) BARON CORBIN, SAMI ZAYN, & KEVIN OWENS vs. THE NEW DAY – 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match
Heydorn’s Analysis: 2 out of 3 falls? C’mon WWE …
To start, the New Day took control, but it was quickly snatched up by Corbin and his team. Eventually, Corbin was able to cut the ring in half on Woods and decimated him with vicious stomps and punches in his corner. From there, Corbin taunted Kingston and Big E by teasing Woods making a tag. Instead, he beat on him more before locking in a submission. Finally, Woods broke the hold and hit Corbin with a step up enziguri. Woods tried to make the tag, but couldn’t after Zayn stopped him. Instead, Woods rolled Zayn up for a 1,2,3 cover.
FIRST FALL WINNER: New Day via pinfall
After the pin, the show went to break. (c)
Out of the break, Zayn, Owens, and Corbin controlled the match once again. Zayn and Owens beat on Big E until E countered their strikes. From there, E went for a cover, but Owens super kicked him in the face before covering for a two count. After, Owens tagged Baron Corbin into the match and Corbin whipped Big E into the turnbuckle. He then decimated Big E with right hands before tagging Zayn back into the match. Finally, Kofi tagged into the match and cleared the ring. After his fast paced offense, Corbin nailed him with Deep Six and covered, but the pin was broken up by Woods and Big E. From there, Corbin hit Sami Zayn on accident which caused Owens to get upset. He pushed Corbin and Corbin pushed him back. Owens then hit him with a super kick before leaving with Sami Zayn. This allowed Kingston the time to hit Corbin with Trouble In Paradise for the 1,2,3 win.
SECOND FALL WINNER: New Day via pinfall
Heydorn’s Analysis: A good enough match, but one that shouldn’t have been two out of three falls. Especially after seeing how the falls played out. Again, just too cute for the sake of being cute. The unfortunate outcome is match stipulations like two out of three falls becoming watered down and ineffective.
-After the match, Nikki Cross was shown backstage. She as confronted by Alexa Bliss who handed her a present. The present was a note that invited Cross to join Bliss as a tag team in a match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. Bliss then briefly talked about Bayley, but shifted gears as Cross asked questions. From there, Bliss said Cross needed to focus as this match was the biggest match of her career.
Heydorn’s Analysis: I continue to enjoy how Cross and Bliss play off each other. Cross is selling the Bliss manipulation in an authentic way which is making the storyline more believable. Well done.
-Paul Heyman was shown backstage as the show went to break. (c)
-Out of the break, Paul Heyman walked to the ring. As he got into the ring, Cole wondered if Brock Lesnar was at the building. Heyman did his usual introduction before asking the audience to forgive him. He said that he wasn’t comfortable being out there with Rollins running around hitting people with steel chairs. He said he was not a physical threat to Seth Rollins and that he was not going to be the special guest referee between Rollins and Corbin at Stomping Grounds. He said he would not accept it because he was not a moron. From there, Heyman compared Seth Rollins to the Lakers and said they both traded away their Balls.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Clever, but the Laker bashing is already over done. Regardless, it lives better with the Elias schtick than it does with a serious Paul Heyman.
Heyman ran down LA and then said that Rollins traded his balls for a steel chair. He said that with a chair is the only way Rollins would be able to face his client, Brock Lesnar. Heyman then said because Rollins was vulnerable due to his matches and because of that vulnerability, maybe Lesnar was on hand. He then said, “or, maybe not.” Heyman said that nobody knows when Lesnar will show, especially Seth Rollins. Heyman then tossed his microphone in the air and left the ring as the audience booed.
Heydorn’s Analysis: They are building to the Rollins vs. Lesnar rematch. Small promos like this help tell that story in the shadows of other events on the show. Good stuff.
-Backstage, Baron Corbin tried to convince Eric Young to be his special referee. As Young walked off, he was confronted by Seth Rollins. Young tried to defend himself to Rollins and Rollins told him it was all ok. Rollins then walked away, but turned around and crushed Young with a chair. Like his other victims, Rollins nailed Young multiple times with the chair before walking off.
-The Usos cut a small promo on Gallows and Anderson ahead of their match as the show went to break. (c)
-After commercials, the Usos made their way to the ring. From there, Gallows and Anderson walked out. Once they got down to the ring, the bell rang, and the match began.
(4) GALLOWS & ANDERSON vs. THE USOS
Gallows starting things off by bulldozing Jey Uso out of the ring. They then hit Jimmy with a double team before covering for a two count. From there, they kept momentum as AJ Styles looked on from the backstage area. In the end, both Usos hit simultaneous super kicks to Gallows before covering for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: Usos via pinfall
-After the match, both Gallows and Anderson complained in the ring as Styles looked disappointed backstage.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Furthers a story between Gallows, Anderson, and AJ Styles if WWE wants it to. A nothing match for the most part, but one that effectively told the story of Gallows and Anderson being losers. Well done?
-Shane and his group were shown in VIP once again. From there, Roman Reigns was shown backstage as the show went to commercial break. (c)
-Out of the break, Roman Reigns hit the ring to a mixed reaction from the Los Angeles crowd.
[HOUR THREE]
As Reigns walked to the ring, Cole and the announce team hyped his match against Drew McIntyre on Sunday at Stomping Grounds. Once Reigns hit the ring, a recap video aired that detailed Shane McMahon vs. Roman Reigns from Super Showdown. After the video, Reigns paced around the ring as the audience reacted to him. He said “what’s going on LA” which prompted a cheer. From there, he said Super Showdown was not a good show for him. He said he wouldn’t make excuses though because excuses don’t entertain the audience. He said what would entertain the crowd his him whooping someone’s ass. From there, Reigns challenged Shane McMahon to a rematch and said if he ever wanted to earn something for himself, he would face him. At that point, Shane McMahon appeared on the big screen and demanded his intro. Shane said Roman Reigns shouldn’t be ashamed of losing to him. Shane said he was too hot and that they call him Mr. Fahrenheit. Shane denied Roman’s request and said he needed to be thinking of Drew McIntyre. From there, Drew spoke and said that the only reason he wasn’t out there beating Roman up was because of Shane McMahon. Drew said that he would assault Reigns and beat him so badly it would be uncomfortable. Drew then mentioned Roman’s family which prompted Reigns to leave the ring and walk through the audience. Reigns then stormed back to the VIP area and destroyed both members of the Revival. He beat them up around the backstage area before confronting Shane and Drew in the VIP suite. Reigns and Drew brawled until Reigns put Drew through a table. From there, he chased Shane McMahon back into the building and around the ringside area. Finally, Reigns caught Shane and beat him around the ringside area with strikes. Then, Reigns tossed Shane into the ring and nailed him with a Superman Punch. After, he hit Shane with the Spear as the audience cheered. From there, Reigns took the microphone again and told Shane to crawl to the back and tell Drew he’d beat his ass on Sunday. Reigns then left the ring as Shane recouped in the ring.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Not a lot of depth there, but it worked and lead to a mostly positive reaction for Reigns. If you’re WWE, that’s a win. As for the feud itself, it feels like both Drew and Roman talk about it as being more intense than it actually is. Better that than the opposite I suppose.
-The IIconics were shown walking backstage as the show went to commercial break. (c)
-Out of the break, the announcers highlighted the events between Shane McMahon and Roman Reigns. From there, Bayley was interviewed and asked about accusations made about her. Bayley said that the rumor about her and the fan picture was not true and that Bliss was annoying her. Bayley then said she would head to the ring and shut her up. From there, the IIconics made their entrance and talked about being in Los Angeles. They talked about defending their titles and then talked about their opponents, Cross and Bliss. From there, Royce and Kay dissed the Lakers again before Cross and Bliss made their entrance.
Heydorn’s Analysis: More Laker bashing? That’s three times now and its less effective each time.
As Cross and Bliss walked to the ring, highlights aired from two weeks ago that detailed the events between Bliss, Cross, and the IIconics. After the highlights, official introductions were made, the bell rang, and the match began.
(5) ALEXA BLISS & NIKKI CROSS vs. THE IICONICS – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Before the physicality got underway, Bayley made her entrance to watch the match ringside. As she did, the show went to break. (c)
Out of the break, both Royce and Kay owned the match over Bliss until Cross entered the match. She rolled Royce up for a two count and then connected with two dropkicks. After, Cross attempted a splash, but missed. From there, the action continued until Cross was left alone in the ring with both IIconics due to Bliss being distracted by Bayley. After Cross went on the offensive against Royce, Kay rolled her up for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: IIconics via pinfall
Heydorn’s Analysis: Smart booking. The IIconics have been working a gimmick of facing low level talent as they continue their reign as the longest women’s tag champs ever. Them getting a victory this way gives them additional ammo for that story while adding some annoying heel heat to the arch. If done right and with the right babyface team, the true payoff of Royce and Kay losing could be a big one.
-After the match, both IIconics celebrated while Bliss and Cross consoled each other in the ring. Bayley jawed with Bliss as the announce team ran down all of the big matches at Stomping Grounds. The show then went to break. (c)
-Out of the break, Cross and Bliss discussed their match. Nikki was upset that Bayley cost her a championship and told Bliss that she wanted her to beat Bayley at Stomping Grounds so she could feel what she felt.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Cross is making this story work and it’s all in her selling. Good stuff.
-The next episode of the Firefly Funhouse aired.
-After the episode, Daniel Bryan was interviewed. He said that without a chair in his hand, Seth Rollins just isn’t a better wrestler than him. He said that with a chair, Seth is a bad ass. Bryan also said that the one thing Seth has never done was beat Daniel Bryan. Seth was then shown walking backstage. He crossed paths with Becky Lynch and showed her the steel chair. From there, the show went to break. (c)
-Out of the break, Daniel Bryan made his entrance. After, Rollins walked out to the ring to a nice pop and with his trusty steel chair. As Rollins walked down the ramp, Cole cued up highlights of Rollins using the steel chair on Corbin’s referee choices throughout the night. Once Rollins got to the ring, the bell rang, and the match began.
(6) SETH ROLLINS vs. DANIEL BRYAN
Rollins and Bryan went toe to toe to start the match. Rollins got the upper hand and connected with a springboard clothesline early. He followed with a suicide dive and connected. From there, he tried a second, but was caught by Rowan and slammed to the ring apron. This caused Bryan to be disqualified.
WINNER: No contest
-Once the bell rang, Rowan and Bryan attacked Seth. This prompted the New Day to run out to make the save. After them, the locker room cleared and a massive brawl ensued. Eventually, WWE officials ran down to the ring to restore order. Once the order was restored, it was announced that Rollins vs. Bryan would restart and that nobody would be allowed around the ringside area. Cole wondered who made that call and then sent the show to break. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: Confusing. What was the reason for the brawl? This happened to just to happen and without context. That type of storytelling plagues WWE and hinders their ability to tell stories properly.
(6b) SETH ROLLINS vs. DANIEL BRYAN – Restarted
Out of the break, Bryan was fully in control of the match until Rollins decimated him with a clothesline. After Rollins tried to rally with punches and chops. He connected and then whipped Bryan into the corner. From there, he hit Sling Blade and covered for a two count. Out of the pin, Rollins cued up the Stomp, but Bryan rolled him up for a pin. The two men proceeded to exchange pins until Bryan took control again after hitting Rollins with European uppercuts. From there, they exchanged strikes. Eventually, Rollins attempted an enziguri, but Bryan countered with a submission hold. As Rollins escaped, Bryan countered the escape into a German suplex. From there, Bryan had control and used it. He connected with a flying knee before climbing to the top rope. As he was about to jump off, Rollins punched him and joined him on the third turnbuckle. Rollins then tried for a superplex, but Bryan countered with a headbutt. This knocked Rollins off, but he responded by running up and hitting Bryan with the suplex from the top rope. As they hit, Rollins rolled through for the Falcon Arrow, but Bryan countered it into the LaBelle Lock. Rollins writhed in pain, but made it to the ropes to force the break. After the break, Bryan hit Seth with the Yes Kicks that culminated with a stiff shot to Seth’s face. From there, Bryan teased the running knee and went for it. Rollins countered it into a buckle bomb and followed with a superkick. Rollins then made a cover, but only got a two count. Out of the pin, Rollins tried for a top rope frog splash, but Bryan countered with a submission. Rollins escaped and eventually hit the Stomp for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: Rollins via pinfall
-After the match, Michael Cole talked about all of the momentum Rollins gained with this win ahead of his Universal Championship match at Stomping Grounds against Baron Corbin. Rollins celebrated on the ramp and looked at his belt. He was then hit from behind with a steel chair. Baron Corbin was the culprit and he continued to hit Seth with the chair as the audience booed. Corbin then dragged Seth into the ring and planted him with the End Of Days. From there, Corbin held up the Universal Championship belt as the show went off the air.
Heydorn’s Analysis: A good little match between Rollins and Bryan. Like he did throughout the show, Rollins came off as the star of the show. Corbin capitalized as much as he could off of that by the end of the show when he beat Rollins down. WWE doesn’t weave stories throughout their programming successfully very often. Tonight it worked with the chair. The Rollins/Corbin feud isn’t close to boiling hot and may not even be simmering at this point. That said, they laid a foundation tonight that they can build off of on Sunday during their match.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT 6/10: Alt Perspective coverage of the live show including Super Showdown fallout, early build for Stomping Ground, Samoa Joe on Miz TV, and more
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