HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT 7/15: Alt Perspective coverage of the live show including fallout from Extreme Rules, Lesnar’s first night as the new Universal Champion, and more

HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT
JULY 15, 2019
UNIONDALE, NY
AIRED ON USA NETWORK

Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

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[HOUR ONE]

-The show kicked off with Brock Lesnar’s music blaring in the arena to a chorus of boos from the audience. Lesnar walked out with Paul Heyman and smiled at the jeering audience while he stood on the entrance ramp. From there, Lesnar held the Universal Title up to his ear as Cole said there would be a Brock Party tonight. The audience booed even more. Lesnar and Heyman walked to the ring and Lesnar held the belt high above his head. As this happened, Michael Cole cued up a highlight video that recapped the events from Extreme Rules that crowned Lesnar champion.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Brock Party? Seriously Michael Cole? If nothing else, Brock Lesnar has a cool factor about him. Cole needs to be careful not to kill that with WWE-speak like “Brock Party.”

When the highlight video ended, Paul Heyman spoke and went through his standard introduction. He said that Lesnar slammed the summer and ruled extreme before announcing Brock as the new WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion. Lesnar smiled and Heyman continued by talking to Brock. He then turned to the audience and told them all that he told them so. He said that he told everyone exactly what would happen last night and went down exactly as he said it would. Heyman continued and again said “we told you so” as the audience booed. In response, Heyman told the booing crowd to boo themselves and paused to illicit more boos from the crowd.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Some really good promo control by Heyman. Not a surprise, but he paused at the precise moment to turn the boos he was getting into even louder boos from a larger part of the audience.

From there, Heyman continued and said that he told everyone in the WWE that Seth Rollins would not be the WWE Universal Champion come Summerslam. He said that he has the stroke around there now and that he has determined how Lesnar would get a challenger for WWE’s summer event. He said that Lesnar is a tough negotiator and that he only fights who he wants to fight. From there, Heyman announced a cross branded battle royal and the winner would face Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. After that announcement, Paul Heyman introduced all of the participants in the Battle Royal. Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Big E, Cesaro, Braun Strowman, Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Bobby Lashley, and Roman Reigns were officially announced. When the announcement was finished, Heyman spoke about Seth Rollins and said last night he found out first hand that when you step into the ring with Lesnar you lose your health and your manhood. Heyman then said another spoiler which was that anyone who steps into the ring with Brock Lesnar is Brock’s bitches. From there, Heyman tossed his microphone into the air and left the ring. As he did, Ricochet made his entrance to a good reaction from the crowd.

Heydorn’s Analysis: That worked. Heyman was able to tie in a believable back story into why the random Battle Royal was occurring tonight while cluing the audience in on the fact that it was his choice. The field for the battle royal is interesting. Will be interesting to see Rollins and Reigns go at it if they need to with this opportunity on the line. Outside of those two, Strowman and Lashley are the only other two that seem like reasonable victors. 

Ricochet ran right by Lesnar as Lesnar was walking up the ramp. The announcers noted that it took courage for Ricochet to do that. The announcers then ran down the rest of Raw before going to the first commercial break. (c)

-Out of the break, Bobby Roode finished up his entrance and was followed by The Usos. As they walked to the ring, they cut a promo and said that after last night they had unfinished business with the Revival. They then jumped into the ring and the match began.

(1) THE USOS & RICOCHET vs. THE REVIVAL & BOBBY ROODE – 2 out of 3 Falls Match

Out of the break, Dawson was clocked with a superkick. Ricochet then followed that with his finish and followed it with a standing shooting star press. From there, Ricochet made the cover for the 1,2,3 first fall win.

FIRST FALL WINNER: Usos and Ricochet

Heydorn’s Analysis: This is still a thing then huh? A convoluted mess. Period. And don’t even get me started about the babyfaces making their entrances before AND after the heels. It’s like WWE is saying, “ok everyone, don’t forget you’re watching and overproduced television show right now.” Good grief.

To start the second fall, the Usos and Ricochet continued to maintain control of the match. Roode took over soon after after hitting a twisting Spinebuster. From there, Roode tagged Dash into the ring and he kept momentum with some chops to the back of Jey Uso. Eventually, Jimmy Uso got the hot tag and hit the Samoan Drop on Dash. From there, he knocked Roode off of the apron but Dash made the tag to Dawson. Dawson hit Jimmy from behind which led to a flapjack slam. After, Dawson covered for the second fall win.

SECOND FALL WINNER: Revival and Roode

Right after the fall, the show went to break. (c)

Out of the break, the action continued with Ricochet getting the hot tag. He connected with a springboard clothesline before hitting Dawson with a step up enziguri. As Ricochet rolled on offense, Jey Uso hit a flying suicide dive. From there, Ricochet hit the 630 on Roode for the 1,2,3 win.

FINAL FALL WINNER AND MATCH WINNER: Usos and Ricochet via pinfall

-After the match, AJ Styles and The Club walked out to the ring and taunted Ricochet. Seeing this, Ricochet hit Styles with a suicide dive through the ropes. Ricochet punched AJ, but was soon attacked by Gallows and Anderson. From there, a brawl between all stars ensued. The Revival hit the Shatter Machine on the Usos before Ricochet hit them with a flying cross body. Out of that, AJ Styles nailed Ricochet with a Phenomenal Forearm before Gallows and Anderson crushed him with the Magic Killer. With Ricochet lying, Styles screamed that he was the man on Raw as he held his championship in the air.

Heydorn’s Analysis: The match had some good action but the nonsensical 2/3 falls stipulation distracted from it. The brawl to close the segment worked and positioned AJ and the Club as a viable unit thats fit to compete with anyone. Plus, Ricochet’s sell job on the Phenomenal Forearm was a true thing of beauty. 

-The Viking Raiders were shown backstage as Michael Cole said the loved to plunder their opponents. The show then went to break. (c)

-Out of the break, the Viking Raiders made their entrance. Corey Graves said they were literally marauders as they walked down the ramp and into the ring.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Literally huh? Probably not, Corey. 

As they posed in the ring they cut a pre-taped promo and said that the Viking Raiders wasn’t a name, but a mentality. They said they would lay down the savagery to anyone that gets in their way. From there, the bell rang in the ring, and the match began.

(2) THE VIKING RAIDERS vs. LOCAL TALENT

The Viking Raiders decimated both opponents with significant ease. After impactful offense, they hit the Viking Experience for the 1,2,3 win.

WINNER: Viking Raiders via pinfall

Heydorn’s Analysis: The commentary around the Viking Raiders is beyond over the top. Nobody believes they are actual Vikings. WWE needs to finesse that better. That said, the in-ring squash matches by the Viking Raiders work well and shows the devastation they can bring to opponents. They’re beginning to build some credibility. Good stuff in that regard. 

-After the match, the announce team hyped highlight clips from last night’s Undertaker match. When the highlights ended, Cole said that the Undertaker looked better than ever. From there, the announce team recapped Cedric Alexander’s involvement in last week’s main event. They then cued up a video that showed the locker room laughing about what happened to Drew McIntyre. Drew confronted them and Cedric in particular. He said that he promised he would come for him after he got involved in his business last week and that he would eviscerate him. Alexander responded and looked Drew dead in the eye before saying that once again the joke would be on him. The show then went to break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: That was a nice little side confrontation. McIntyre looked like a monster and Alexander held his own face to face. His confidence adds a bit of credibility to himself which will inevitably help Drew assuming he moves forward with a dominant win. Given the story, that is the direction they need to go here to reestablish McIntyre as a dominant threat. One thing though, Drew did win the match last week. Why not bring that up?

-Out of the break, Drew McIntyre made his entrance. As he walked to the ring, the announce team talked about his rough week. From there, Cedric Alexander made his entrance and as he walked down, the announce team cued up highlights from last week’s Raw main event. When the highlights ended, the bell rang, and the match began.

(3) DREW MCINTYRE vs. CEDRIC ALEXANDER

Drew took control of the match early until Alexander hit him with an enziguri. After that, Alexander connected with a flipping suicide dive before rolling Drew back into the ring. From there, Alexander attempted a springboard clothesline, but McIntyre countered it into a suplex. Drew owned the match from there and tossed Cedric across the ring numerous times. After the the third, he went for a cover, but only got a two count. Out of the pin, McIntyre crushed Cedric with a chop before deadlifting him into a vertical suplex. Cedric countered the move and nailed Drew with a back elbow. Eventually, Drew climbed to the top rope for a move, but Alexander countered it in mid air with a dropkick. After, Alexander attempted a springboard move, but Drew countered with a headbutt. From there, he attempted a reverse Alabama Slam, but Alexander countered it into a roll-up for the 1,2,3 win.

WINNER: Alexander via pinfall

Heydorn’s Analysis: A good little match, but one that was too competitive. Even with the fluky finish, Alexander was presented as on Drew’s level with some of the offense he got. He isn’t and a batch of the crowd probably doesn’t even know who he is. That doesn’t elevate Cedric, but it defines Drew down. As for the finish, if you thought an Undertaker feud was on the horizon for Summerslam like I did, maybe think again.

-After the match, Michael Cole played highlights of Shinsuke Nakamura winning the Intercontinental Champion last night at Extreme Rules. After, Balor cut a promo and said that last night was a tough night. He said he doesn’t dwell on the past, but looked for a way to move forward instead. He said that he wanted his IC title back and the Samoa Joe stood in his way. He said that he would go over, around. or through him to get what he wants. The camera then faded into a Joe promo. He said that once Balor heads to the ring he’ll see Joe waiting out there for him to hand him another loss. From there, Joe made his entrance as the show went to commercial break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: Nothing much there in terms of substance, but props to WWE for running with them. They were simple promos, but defined each man in terms of what their upcoming match meant to them. Stakes folks. Well done and it will help define the narrative of the show if they keep them up.

-Out of the break, Roman Reigns was interviewed backstage. He said that he doesn’t care what anyone says and that this is his week.

[HOUR TWO]

He mentioned the Espy’s and his movie premiere before saying that the only way his big week could end is with him winning the chance to face Brock Lesnar at Summerslam.

Heydorn’s Analysis: I could do without the random Espy mention, but that worked. Short, sweet, and mission defining. All the boxes checked for “successful Reigns promo.”

-After the promo, Finn Balor made his entrance to a nice reaction from the crowd. Once he got to the ring, the bell rang, and the match began.

(4) SAMOA JOE vs. FINN BALOR

Both men tied up in the middle of the ring to start things off. As they did, Cole and Graves discussed the history that these men have together. Back in the ring, Joe took Balor down with an arm submission. Soon after, Balor reversed the hold into a headlock. Eventually, Joe broke the hold and chopped Balor in the chest. Balor retaliated with a second headlock before taking him down to the mat. With him down, Balor pinned Joe for the 1,2,3 win.

WINNER: Joe via pinfall

-After the match, Joe assaulted Balor and attempted the Kokina Clutch. Balor countered it and nailed Joe with a double foot stomp before hitting his corner dropkick. From there, Balor connected with the Coup De Gras which sent Joe out of the ring. After, Balor celebrated until lights flickered and went out. It was clear something was taking place in the ring and when the lights halfway came back on, Bray Wyatt was in the ring holding Balor. He was masked and nailed Balor with Sister Abigail. Wyatt then stood in the ring and posed until the lights went out and he disappeared. The show then went to break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: Well, the debut we were waiting for. A big pop, though this was typical Bray Wyatt stuff. It worked as the audience was excited to see him and the theatrics around it all made it feel like a big deal. In the end, the success is in the follow-up.

-Out of the break, Drake Maverick was shown checking into his honeymoon hotel. Him and his wife argued about how Maverick booked the hotel and Maverick told her that it was the perfect spot for them to consummate their marriage. Maverick then took the hotel key before walking off. As he did, R-Truth was shown in the background. He went up and confronted the hotel worker and looked up Maverick’s info. From there, the Street Profits were shown backstage and made fun of Maverick for not consummating his marriage yet. From there, they ran down the big events on the show in an effort to hype them up. They each picked winners of the big matches before the shot went back to the ring.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Typical 24-7 stuff. The Street Profits need definition outside of being the hype guys of Raw. They can be more than that as they’ve proved in NXT. The longer this path lasts, the harder it will be for the audience to view them as anything more significant. 

In it, Zack Ryder was shown before the camera went to Mike Kanellis backstage. Maria confronted him and called him a loser. She said she had a better chance to win pregnant than he does. Their music hit and she walked out to the ring after pushing Mike aside. After she made it halfway down the ramp, the referee stopped her. Mike ran down instead and the match began.

(5) ZACK RYDER vs. MIKE KANELLIS

As soon as Mike got to the ring, Ryder hit the Rough Ryder for the 1,2,3 win.

WINNER: Ryder via pinfall

-After the match, Maria cut a promo on Mike and said that she would have had a better shot at winning. She then stormed off before Mike ran up the ramp after her.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Can anyone predict any possible way to pay this off in a meaningful way? Didn’t think so. Eye roll.

-The Club was shown strategizing backstage as the show went to commercial break. (c)

-Out of the break, AJ Styles and The Club made their entrance. As they did, Michael Cole recapped Styles winning the United States Championship last night at Extreme Rules. After, the Lucha House Party made their entrance. Once they got to the ring, the bell rang, and the match began.

(6) AJ STYLES & THE CLUB vs. LUCHA HOUSE PARTY

AJ Styles started the match against Lince Dorado but quickly tagged Anderson in. From there, Anderson took over and laid a beating on Gran Metalik who had tagged in as well. The Club’s dominance continued with Gallows tagging and maintaining control with headbutts and other strikes on Metalik. As The Club celebrated together, Ricochet hit the ring and pulled Styles off of the ring. Ricochet beat up AJ which caused the match to break down. The show went to break as the officials attempted to restore order.

Out of the break, the action in the match continued with AJ Styles maintain control over Lince Dorado. AJ tagged Gallows into the match and Gallows connected with some strikes before he tagged Anderson into the match. As soon as he entered, Anderson made the cover, but only got a two count. Eventually, Dorado turned the momentum with a Springboard Stunner before tagging Kalisto into the match. Kalisto hit a flurry of offense including a group of dropkicks. Kalisto then connected with an over the top rope corkscrew dive on Anderson before rolling him back into the ring. From there, Kalisto attempted a Springboard Clothesline, but Styles tripped him up. Kalisto kicked him away and tried the move again, but Anderson countered it into a spinebuster. From there, Styles tagged into the match and put Kalisto in the Calf Crusher. Kalisto immediatley tapped out for the loss.

WINNER: Styles and the Club via submission

-After the match officially ended, Styles kept the hold locked in. As he did, Cole said that he did that to send a message to Ricochet. Styles then kicked Kalisto out of the ring and posed with Gallows and Anderson.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Good match. The action was smooth and the story was effective in presenting AJ and The Club as heels. Plus, the restart even made sense given the storyline and the involvement with Ricochet. Well done.

-Cole and the announce team played highlights of Brock Lesnar cashing in his Money In The Bank contract at Extreme Rules.

-When the video ended, Seth Rollins was interviewed backstage. He said that he was physically and emotional spent from last night. He said that what hurts him the most is that he has to stand there without the Universal Title. He said he was hurt, but he was a man possessed. From there, Rollins said that Becky Lynch would be ok after what happened last night. Rollins then addressed Corbin and said that he found out what happens when you mess with something that is important to him. Rollins said that that same thing would happen to anyone that gets in between him and his path back to the Universal Title. He said that he found fight anyone to get the shot to fight and beat Brock Lesnar again. Seth then walked out of the shot as Cole cued up highlights that recapped Bray Wyatt’s return.

Heydorn’s Analysis: A really good babyface promo that covered a lot of ground. Rollins was authentic and displayed real disappointment. At the same time he protected his girlfriend while also putting her over and setting a mission for himself. All with smooth, confident delivery. Good stuff. 

-When the recap was over, Alexa Bliss made her entrance with Nikki Cross. They hugged each other as they walked into the ring. After, Carmella made her entrance. Naomi and Natalya followed. Once the match was about to start, Becky Lynch walked out to a big pop from the audience. Lynch limped as she walked down to the ring and as the show went to break. (c)

Out of the break, the match started.

(7) ALEXA BLISS vs. CARMELLA vs. NAOMI vs. NATALYA – Fatal Four-way Elimination Number One Contender Match for the Raw Women’s Championship at Summerslam

To start, Naomi and Nattie had a nice exchange of moves. Carmella then entered the fray and attempted a series of pin attempts on both Naomi and Nattie. Bliss hid throughout the opening portion of the match, but came out of hiding to pin Carmella out of nowhere for the 1,2,3 elimination.

Carmella Eliminated.

From there, the action continued with Bliss owning some offense until Nattie countered to gain momentum. The show then went to break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: Did a pig just fly over my head? No convoluted restart, random elimination, or pausing of the match. I never thought I’d say this because I dislike commercials in matches, but his feels fresh. Cheers all. 

Out of the break, the action continued with Bliss holding control over Natalya and Naomi.

[HOUR THREE]

Bliss locked in a headlock on Naomi before slamming her face first into the ring post. Nattie stopped the flurry of moves which allowed Naomi to roll Bliss up for a two count. Out of the pin, Naomi hit a leg drop and covered again, but only received a two count. From there, Nattie clocked Naomi with a discus clothesline. She covered after, but got a two count. Out of the pin, Nattie put Naomi in a sleeper hold before locking in the surfboard submission. Bliss pinned Nattie with the hold intact but only got a two count. Nattie’s kickout forced her to relinquish her hold on Naomi which prompted their battle to start again. Naomi set Nattie up for a springboard moonsault, but Bliss interrupted it. Naomi dealt with Bliss which allowed Nattie to grab Naomi for a sit down powerbomb. She connected and covered, but only got a two count. Immediatley out the pin, Bliss took over and tossed Nattie out of the ring. She then put Naomi in a sleeper hold before stomping on her in the corner.

Heydorn’s Analysis: The match started out with some fire, but has slowed to a snails pace. Fans are getting restless with a “this is awful” chant. It’s on Bliss and Nattie to try and get them back.

Bliss wore Naomi down until Nattie stormed the ring and drove Bliss into the corner.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Now the audience is straight up booing the match. A rough go, but has been booked to go too long. Had the match been cut in half they would have been fine. They don’t seem to have the material to take it longer and they are paying a price.

From there, Naomi hit Nattie with a boot to the face and then nailed Bliss with a kick on the ring apron. Naomi attempted a springboard roll-up on Nattie but Nattie rolled through and ended up pinning Naomi instead for the 1,2,3 elimination. The show then went to break. (c)

Naomi Eliminated.

When the show returned, the bell rang again, and the match continued.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Seriously? The match has been going on for a good 20 minutes. It’s one match, not multiple ones. This is the annoying production stuff that drives viewers crazy. No good reason for it either.

Before Bliss got into the ring, Nikki Cross demanded that the audience cheer and chant for Bliss. They booed loudly which prompted Nikki to tell the fans to shut up. From there, the action continued with Bliss gaining the upper hand on Nattie. The fans chanted “you suck” as Bliss hit her double knee moonsault. From there, Bliss kept momentum up until Nattie countered a Bliss pin into the Sharpshooter. Bliss quickly tapped out to give Nattie the win.

WINNER: Natalya via submission

-After the match, Nattie was interviewed and said that “first off, Alexa sucks.” That got no reaction, but Nattie continued and commented on how it would be a dream come true to face Becky Lynch in Canada or the Raw Women’s Championship. Lynch interrupted and the audience chanted “Becky” at her. She congratulated Nattie and said that she doesn’t care that she was hurt because she likes to fight. Lynch said that she likes Nattie, but that if Nattie doesn’t step up, she would wipe the floor with her in her home country. From there, Lynch continued and said that Nattie needed something in her career and that she was it. Lynch said she was better at war than love to which Nattie said that Lynch must not be a good lover. From there, Nattie called Becky Lynch and said she would beat the hell out of her at Summerslam. Nattie dropped the microphone and then her and Becky jawed back and forth at each other. Nattie then left the ring.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Boy, the match itself was shockingly too long and the crowd let everyone know it. Nattie vs. Becky in Canada is intriguing and should evoke a good reaction from the audience on-site. The promo tonight worked and helped set the foundation for the rest of the feud to build on. Both Lynch and Nattie delivered the lines well and came off as serious in doing so. Well done. 

-A taped Randy Orton promo aired in which he said that after he wins the Battle Royal he has unfinished business with Brock Lesnar. He said he didn’t have a chip on his shoulder, but he did have enough venom to slay the beast with the three most powerful letters in WWE. The RKO. From there, Miz made his entrance for Miz TV as the show went to break. (c)

-Out of the break, Miz started Miz TV and introduced Dolph Ziggler as his guest. Ziggler walked out and joined Miz in the ring. Miz asked him why he asked to be on the show and said that he has his own problems on SmackDown. Ziggler said he wanted to come on Raw to see if the rumors were true. Miz questioned him and asked what he was talking about. He called Miz out for “kissing WWE ass” and not being featured on Extreme Rules to which Miz responded that it was better to be on the show than lose to Kevin Owens in 17 seconds. Both men went back and forth and Ziggler said that Miz had become everything he hates. He then commented on Miz’s wife which prompted Miz to attack Ziggler and toss him out of the ring.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Well, that was out of nowhere huh? Both guys went at it just for the sake of going at it. It got a response, but since it occurred without context, the follow-up will be minimal and ineffective. A fall from grace for the Miz to be sure. He one-upped Ziggler, but at this point in time, that doesn’t say much for you. 

-Drake Maverick was shown putting roses on his hotel bed as the show went to commercial break. (c)

-Out of the break, the announce team recapped the re-debut of Bray Wyatt. From there, Maverick was shown in his hotel room again. He said that “Daddy was ready for love” and then got into the bed with his 24-7 championship. As his wife was about to get into the bed with Drake, there was a knock at the door. It was the champagne. His wife wheeled in the champagne and Maverick noticed that the waiter was a WWE referee. From there, he searched the room, but R-Truth appeared behind him. He rolled Maverick up for a pin, but Drake kicked out. Truth then hit a cross body onto the bed and pinned him again for the 1,2,3 win.

R-Truth is the 24-7 Champion once again.

After the pin, Truth ran off and Maverick chased him as his wife screamed in fear alone in the room.

Heydorn’s Analysis: That worked in WWE’s 24-7 universe. It got a nice pop as well. Not for me, but can’t argue with that reaction.

-When the 24-7 action was over, Cole and the announce team recapped Roman’s big week. Reigns was then shown backstage ahead of the main event battle royal. The show then went to break. (c)

-Out of the break, the ten participants in the number one contender Battle Royal made their way to the ring. Big E walked out first and was followed by Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins. Rollins walked with a purpose down to the ring and without pandering to fans.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Smart of Rollins to remain consistent with the demeanor she showed in the promo backstage. Gives depth and seriousness to him and what happened to him last night at Extreme Rules.

-After Rollins, Bobby Lashley walked out and was followed by Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, Roman Reigns, Cesaro, Randy Orton, and Braun Strowman. Before Strowman walked out, he cut a quick promo and said that everyone in the match would “get these hands.” Once all of the men got to the ring, Brock Lesnar’s music hit again and he walked out with Paul Heyman and the Universal Title. Lesnar sat in a chair on the top of the ramp as the show went to break. (c)

(8) ROMAN REIGNS vs. SETH ROLLINS vs. BARON CORBIN vs. BIG E vs. REY MYSTERIO vs. CESARO vs. RANDY ORTON vs. BOBBY LASHLEY vs. BRAUN STROWMAN vs. SAMI ZAYN – Universal Championship Summerslam Number One Contender Battle Royal

When the show returned, the bell rang, and this match began. Rollins made a line for Baron Corbin and pounded on him until Corbin choke slammed him. From there, Corbin tried to eliminate Rollins, but Rollins hung on. Strowman and Lashley were featured next and teased eliminating each other until Baron Corbin got involved. Cesaro crushed almost everyone with a running uppercut before hitting Rey Mysterio with the Cesaro Swing. From there, Cesaro tried the Swing on Big E until Lashley lifted him up and tossed him out of the ring for elimination. Soon after, Braun Strowman tossed Lashley over the top rope and went face to face with Big E. Big E hit Strowman with his finish, but was then tossed over the top rope by Zayn. From there, Zayn celebrated, but was hit with an RKO. After that, Rey hit him with the 619 and Orton tossed him over the top rope. Right after, Orton hit Reigns with the RKO but soon after was Superman Punched out of the ring through the ropes. From there, Corbin eliminated Mysterio which left four men left. Strowman, Reigns, and Rollins all beat up Baron Corbin until Rollin eliminated him. The audience cheered loudly for that elimination. From there, Strowman attacked Rollins. Reigns attempted a Superman Punch, but Strowman countered. Soon after, Reigns attempted a spear on Strowman, but hit Rollins instead. With Seth down, Strowman and Reigns battled near the ropes. Seeing this, Rollins ran over and tossed both men over. Rollins thought he won at that point, but was then attacked from behind by Randy Orton who was still in the match. Orton attempted to throw Rollins over the top rope, but Rollins countered. Orton hit his second rope DDT, which pulled Seth back into the ring. From there, Orton called for the RKO, but Seth countered with a kick. He then hit the stomp before throwing Orton out for the win.

WINNER: Rollins via final elimination

Heydorn’s Analysis: Good action and a good win for Seth. Strange crowd reaction though as they were cheering and chanting for Orton near the end. Seth seemed to get most back by the time the finish happened, but it wasn’t universal cheers by any means.

-After the match, Paul Heyman arrogantly introduced Rollins as the winner and said that Brock Lesnar would victimize him at Summerslam. Rollins then picked up a microphone and addressed Lesnar directly. He said that he was possessed and that he would do anything it took to win back the Universal Championship at Summerslam. From there and as the show ended, Brock walked down to the ring as Rollins egged him on. Lesnar tossed a chair in the ring, but then backed off as the show faded to black.

Heydorn’s Analysis: I liked the promo. Babyface in nature from Seth as it should have been. It also clearly defined both the Lesnar and Rollins side of the story. I’m one for mission statements for babyfaces and this was an important one for Rollins to setup. He did so nicely. Well done.

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NOW CHECK OUT THE WADE KELLER PRO WRESTLING POST-SHOW FROM SATURDAY NIGHT COVERING “AEW FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN”

Wade Keller and Mike McMahon talked with live callers with diverse points of view on the show, then an on-site correspondent from Jacksonville, and finally the mailbag with more comments and questions about the live event that streamed on B/R Live.