HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT 7/22: Alt Perspective coverage of the live show including full reunion coverage with WWE legends, A Moment Of Bliss with Becky Lynch, and more

HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT
JULY 22, 2019
TAMPA BAY, FL
AIRED ON USA NETWORK

Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

[HOUR ONE]

-The show opened with John Cena’s music hitting to a loud pop from the audience. Cena hit he ring in class bright colors and played to the audience as they sang “John Cena sucks,” to his theme song.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Seemingly, singing “John Cena sucks” to his entrance song is now on the level of “you suck” to Kurt Angle’s song. The audience sang that song, but clearly were thrilled to see Cena.

From there, Cena ran down to the ring as the announce team called him the greatest of all time and synonymous with the WWE for the last fifteen years. Once the music stopped, Cena paused in the ring to soak in “Cena” chants. Cena then asked the crowd if all needed to do was be a part of the Raw Reunion for the audience to like him. The audience cheered him and he smirked. Cena then welcomed everyone to the Raw Reunion and highlighted key legend acts who were in attendance including Hulk Hogan, DX, Ric Flair, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Really John? Talking up Hulk Hogan? Have you learned nothing from your debacle of a speech in Saudi Arabia? Some things are just not worth tying yourself to. This should be one of them for Cena.

After, Cena called the WWE ring his home and said it always has been and always will be. Cena said he knows he isn’t around as much as he used to be, but said the audience is his family and that he is as proud to be a part of WWE today as he was on his first day years ago. To finish, Cena called for the show to get started which prompted the Usos to walk to the ring. They got a nice pop as well and walked into the ring with Cena. There, they said that the audience wanted to see them and Cena drop rhymes to which the audience chanted, “yes.” Cena dismissed that idea and tried to leave the ring, but the Usos said that the audience came to see the Doctor. This caused Cena to look back and in response, the Usos razzed Cena for leaving the business for movies. Cena immediatley jumped into the ring and rapped back at both Usos. He made reference to their mug shots which got a big pop from the crowd. The Usos battled back with a rap which culminated in them bringing out their father, Rikishi. Rikishi received a nice pop and as he entered the ring, Cena left it. Seeing this, Rikishi told him to “back that ass up” and get back in the ring. With Cena in the ring, Rikishi said he couldn’t let him leave without busting a move together. From there, Cena, both Usos, and Rikishi were about to do their old school dance together but were interrupted by the Revival and D-Von Dudley instead. Together, they walked down to the ring as the action moved to a segment backstage between Jimmy Hart and Hulk Hogan. Hogan was talking up the Raw Reunion legends on the show as the show went to commercial break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: A to B legend type stuff, but it worked in that vein as the audience loved it. Nice to see the Revival get some heat out of interrupting the big dance segment. Trolling heat, but heat nonetheless and they can absolutley use it. 

-Out of the break, Booker T made his entrance and took his seat at the announce desk. After he did, the bell rang in the ring, and the action began.

(1) THE REVIVAL w/ D-Von Dudley vs. THE USOS w/ Rikishi

The Usos took control of the match early with Jimmy hitting slams on both Dash and Dawson. From there, they kept momentum until Dawson dropped Jimmy onto the top rope neck first. Dawson then tagged Dash into the match and Dash maintained control with stomps and kicks. The Revival cut the ring in half and tag teamed Jimmy with a boot to the face before Dawson tagged back into the match. There, he connected with an elbow drop before taunting Rikishi near the ringside area. Dash and Dawson kept momentum and threw Jimmy of the ring apron and into the guardrail as the show went to commercial break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: When the Revival are given time to really work in that ring, they come off as bigger stars than when they are presented as a silly comedy act. WWE needs to recognize that and book them in situations where they have that time to shine. Night and day difference between the two presentations.

Out of the quick break, the Revival were still in control of the match as Dawson tagged Dash back into the match. Dash kept the ring cut in half and took Jey down with a headlock. Eventually, Jey made the tag to Jimmy and Jimmy took over in the match. He knocked both Dash and Dawson out of the ring before attempting a top rope splash. As he went for it, Dawson countered and ended up hitting him with a fallaway German suplex instead. From there, the action spilled to the outside of the ring where D-Von tried to get involved in the match. Rikishi walked over to stop him and talked trash to D-Von while doing so. At this point, Dawson got into the trash talk which distracted him. Because of this distraction, he was hit with a super kicked and pinned for the 1,2,3 win.

WINNER: Usos via pinfall

Heydorn’s Analysis: Nothing wrong with the match itself, but why is D-Von Dudley out there cheering on the Revival? Too forced and without any context whatsoever.

-After the match, the Usos celebrated in the ring with Rikishi. From there, the action went backstage where Alicia Fox was talking with Dana Brooke. As they chatted, Torrie Wilson, Kaitlyn, and Santino Marella interrupted. They joked about Santino’s cobra before Drew McIntyre barged in. He meanly shrugged off the legends before shaking his head and walking away as the show went to break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: A bit silly, but they were minor returning legends so no harm done. In the end, the hope with these returns is that they help put a large focus on the current stars. At the very least, this segment did that and we didn’t have Santino attempt to use the silly cobra on Drew. Drew was the focus in the end and that is the key. If I’m WWE, the same rule would apply with bigger returning legends later in the show. 

-After the commercials, Charly Caruso interviewed R-Truth and Carmella. Truth looked around as Caruso cued up his appearance from Comic-Con over the weekend where he almost lost the 24-7 championship twice. When the highlights ended, Truth talked about chickens before he was confronted by Maverick’s wife. Maverick’s wife told him that he should be ashamed of himself for costing her her wedding weekend. As Carmella confronted her back, Truth was rolled up from behind by Maverick. After becoming the 24-7 champion once again, Drake ran off as Charly looked on. From there, the Godfather approached her and did his old intro schtick before dancing with Caruso. When the dancing ended, Drew McIntyre’s music hit and he hit the ring for his match against Cedric Alexander.

Heydorn’s Analysis: The chicken discussion about birds from R-Truth didn’t work and didn’t get the laughs that 24-7 segments typically get. Is the gimmick running out of gas or was this material simply not good? Maybe both, but we’ll find out soon enough as the interest in this gimmick will wane quicker than others giveN the nature of it.

-Once McIntyre got to the ring, Alexander walked out to a very quiet reaction. Alexander played to the crowd, but as he walked down the ramp, Drew left the ring and attacked him before he could get into the ring. Drew tossed Cedric into the ring steps, but Alexander countered and was then able to hit a moonsault off of the second rope. Cedric attempted to keep up the offense, but Drew countered and tossed him into the  ring post. Drew dominated Cedric from there and hit him with the inverted Alabama Slam onto the ring apron.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Predictable 50/50 booking, but it was a vicious looking spot and Drew needed it after the debacle last week. As I said last week, without context, a Cedric win does nothing for him, hurts Drew, and leaves their program without true direction. This helped a very little bit to get things back on track and in order but just isn’t enough to overcome last week in one swoop. Baby steps. 

From there, McIntyre stared Alexander down as he stood on the ramp. At that point, the announcers hyped a “toast to Monday Night Raw” for later in the show between Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The show then went to commercials. (c)

-Out of the break, Drake Maverick was shown hiding in a locker room. In doing so, he encountered the Boogeyman which scared him and caused him to fall on his back. From there, Pat Patterson walked into the locker room and pinned Maverick to become the 24-7 Champion.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Ohhhhhh dear … just not for me, folks. 

-From there, Christian made his entrance and joined the announce team and Lilian Garcia was introduced as the special ring announcer. After, the Viking Raiders hit the ring and were introduced by Garcia. As they walked down the ramp, they cut a promo and said they were ready to slaughter any competition including Hawkins and Ryder. Once they stepped into the ring, Christian gave his thoughts on them before Hawkins and Ryder made their entrance.

(2) THE VIKING RAIDERS vs. CURT HAWKINS & ZACK RYDER

Ryder and Hawkins took the momentum early but that momentum was halted after a right hand from Erik on Ryder. Ivar tagged in after and decimated Ryder with a flurry of forearm shots to his face. After, Ivar made the tag to Erik again and hit Ryder with a double team body slam. They continued to tag in and out of the ring and owned the match until Ryder made the tag to Hawkins. As soon as Hawkins hit the ring he was crushed with a clothesline. The Viking Raiders maintained momentum from there and hit a tandem move in the ring before Ivar connected with a suicide dive. After, they connected with the Viking Experience before covering for the 1,2,3 win.

WINNER: Viking Raiders via pinfall

Heydorn’s Analysis: Essentially a squash match and an effective one once again. In addition, Christian’s commentary framed them nicely and as stars who understood tag team wrestling. Christian has credibility there which helped validate the Viking Raiders. A good use of a returning legend.

-After the match, a reunion party was being thrown backstage. Mike Kanellis was shown talking to Eve until Maria interuppted him. She yelled at him for talking to Eve before being introduced to Eric Bischoff. Bischoff hinted at a possible trade to SmackDown before Maria started to yell again. She said she needed him to put lotion on her and that she was the breadwinner in the family. She then walked off and out of the shot. Ron Simmons walked in and yelled “Damn” as the show went to break. (c)

-Out of the break, AJ Styles and The Club were shown talking backstage. He pumped each other up and called themselves the only Club that matters. They said that they run Monday Night Raw and that nobody would make a name for themselves off of them. Styles chimed in and said they would make an example out of Seth Rollins later in the night before laughing and posing together.

Heydorn’s Analysis: What kind of promo is that? From a content perspective it was all over the place and simply featured each guy running through cliched statements. Styles is better than this and looked like less of a star act while surrounded by Gallows and Anderson. 

-Pat Patterson was shown laying backstage and Briscoe leaned over him after pinning him for the 24-7 Championship. He celebrated and walked off before running into Kelly Kelly. After Kelly hugged him, she hit him below the belt and pinned him to become the 24-7 Champion. Kelly celebrated and then ran off.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Ok, who had Kelly Kelly as the first woman 24-7 Champion? Eye roll. 

-Samoa Joe hit the ring and cut a promo. He said his name was Samoa Joe and that he was out there to point out an atrocity in WWE. He said that they where there to celebrate the Raw Reunion but they shouldn’t be. He called it a plague to the WWE and said it was a chance for fans realize their addiction to nostalgia. The audience booed and he said the crowd could see him do what he does best, but instead they’d rather watch the Usos rap with John Cena. Joe called that fact embarrassing, but was interuppted by Roman Reigns.

[HOUR TWO]

Reigns walked out like normal and received a standard reaction from the Tampa crowd. Reigns took his time getting to the ring. Once he did, he hit his pose and then spoke to Joe. He told Joe to talk about his family to his face. In response, Joe said he didn’t have anything to say because he already said it. Joe then got in Roman’s face and Reigns responded with “you’re from the same island, so you know what happens next. Joe said he did and then tried to attack Reigns. Reigns blocked the punch and unleashed punches on Joe. They brawled for a bit until Joe sent Reigns shoulder first into the ring post. From there, the brawl spilled out to the ringside area where Joe slammed Reigns into the guardrail. Joe then hit Reigns with a flurry of strikes as the audience faintly chanted “let’s go Roman.”

Heydorn’s Analysis: Ok, this isn’t a match at the moment, but Cole and the announce team are calling it like it is one. The brawl lacked a passionate response even though some in the crowd gave WWE the Roman cheers they wanted. 

Eventually, Reigns hit Joe with the Superman Punch which sent Joe to the floor. Reigns then yelled for Joe to get back into the ring. Instead of doing so, Joe grabbed a microphone and teased getting into the ring. From there, Joe asked Reigns if he wanted to do it the right way. Joe asked the people if they wanted to see them fight and they cheered. He then said he wouldn’t do anything for the people and walked off. In response, Reigns apologized to the fans and said that not all Samoans were cowards. At that point, Joe fired up and agreed to the match as the show went to break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: It was a long road to get to the match and the match didn’t need one. They’re there though.

(3) SAMOA JOE vs. ROMAN REIGNS

Out of the break, the bell rang, and the match began. Joe and Reigns came out swinging at each other with Joe getting the early upper hand. Joe targeted Roman’s injured arm with strikes until the referee counted him down and pulled him off. From there, Joe hit Reigns with a fireman’s carry and then locked in a side chinlock as the audience chanted faintly for Reigns. Eventually, Reigns broke free, but was knocked back to the mat with a shoulder tackle. After, Joe went for the pin, but only got a two count. Out of the pin, Reigns battle back with a series of headbutts, but couldn’t maintain his momentum. Joe battled back and connected with a suicide dive before attempting a second one. This time though, Reigns moved out of the way and hit Joe with the Drive By instead. Reigns rolled Joe into the ring and connected with a clothesline before hitting Joe with his corner clotheslines. From there, Reigns connected with a big boot before motioning for the Superman Punch. He tried for it, but Joe countered it into an Atomic Drop which he followed with a running Senton. Joe attempted a pin after, but Reigns kicked out at two.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Where is the crowd reaction? Even for Reigns this is a tame reaction. The audience feels disengaged. They aren’t booing it like they did the women’s match last week, but they aren’t reacting either.

Eventually, and out of nowhere, Reigns hit Joe with his spear before covering for the 1,2,3 win.

WINNER: Reigns via pinfall

Heydorn’s Analysis: That’s an abrupt finish if I’ve ever seen one. It was almost as if Vince told them to go home at the last second and they did. Fine action, but felt off given the fact that the audience seemed totally out of it and in a funk. 

-After the match, Reigns celebrated in the ring as the announce team ran down upcoming segments on the show. When they finished, Miz made his entrance for Miz TV as the show went to break. (c)

-Out of the break, Miz welcomed the audience to Miz TV and welcomed his guest while plugging season two of his reality show that debuts tonight. Miz said that even he was not above hyping his own show because “he’s The Miz.” From there, Seth Rollins walked out and as he made his entrance, the announce team cued up highlights from last week where Rollins earned his Summerslam Universal Championship opportunity against Brock Lesnar. After the highlights, Miz welcomed Rollins and played a highlight video that recapped how Rollins lost the Universal Title to Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules. In response, Rollins laughed off the video and mocked Brock Lesnar. Rollins called him a “godzilla looking bastard,” and put him over a bit in discussing his physical attributes. He asked “who wouldn’t want to be Brock Lesnar?” and answered by saying he wouldn’t. He then called Brock Lesnar a “Seth Rollins wannabe” before being interuppted by Paul Heyman on the video screen.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Rollins mocking Lesnar for his looks was a bad touch as it started to drag Lesnar down a peg or two rather than build him up as a heel worth building. In the end, Seth saved it though in how he talked about Lesnar’s physical prowess and credibility.

Heyman did his typical introduction and then called Rollins out for being a hypocrite. He said Rollins was a hypocrite for running down Lesnar for how he won the title at Extreme Rules when he did the same thing to Brock at WrestleMania 31. Rollins responded by saying that Lesnar waited 4 years to get back at him and he did that because he was a Seth Rollins wannabe. From there, Heyman told Rollins to stay in the ring. Heyman walked out, but was immediatley interuppted by Rollins who said that he would stomp his head into the ramp if he kept it up. Rollins said he would give Heyman 5 seconds to get out of there and then quickly counted to 5 which prompted Heyman to run away. Rollins laughed it off and then picked up the microphone again. He switched to a serious tone and said that Brock Lesnar wasn’t a beast, but a man. He said anyone could lose and that at Summerslam, Brock Lesnar would lose to him for the Universal Championship. From there, Rollins said he doesn’t prep for the biggest match of the year by sitting on the sidelines, but by taking on the toughest competition possible. He hyped his match later in the night with A.J Styles before telling the audience to “ignite the fire, and burn it down.” Rollins then walked off as the show was tossed back to the reunion party. There, Sami Zayn and Rey Mysterio confronted each other over Zayn’s disrespect of the legends. Angle got in between them and told them to settle it in the ring. Mysterio agreed and walked off as the show went to break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: That worked. Rollins came off as the alpha and as a true babyface going up against the monster heel. He dealt with Heyman confidently and in a way that got the audience behind him. In addition, he was able to articulate clear differences between him and Lesnar in an attempt to further bring the audience to his side.

-Out of the break, Kelly Kelly was shown celebrating with her 24-7 title backstage. She ran into Candice Michelle and Melina. As they briefly talked, Melina revealed that she was the referee and as she did, Candice rolled Kelly up to become champion. Soon after, Alyundra Blaze pinned her and became champion herself.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Ok, Melina is a referee now? Good grief.

-The Coach walked out and joined the commentary team. From there, Rey Mysterio made his entrance to a nice reaction from the audience. Once he hit the ring, Sami Zayn made his entrance. Once he got to the ring, the bell rang, and their match began.

(4) REY MYSTERIO vs. SAMI ZAYN

Both men tied up to start things off. Mysterio quickly got momentum, but lost it as he went for a moonsault. Zayn countered that moonsault and proceeded to hit a dropkick before making a quick cover for a two count. Out of the pin, Zayn crushed Rey with strikes before locking in a sleeper hold. Rey broke free of the hold and tried for a hurricanrana, but Zayn held onto the control of the match and countered that move with a powerbomb. After, Zayn lifted Rey for body slam, but Rey countered it into a DDT. From there, Mysterio hit Zayn with leg kicks before tossing him into the middle rope. Seeing this, Rey attempted the 619, but Zayn moved off the ropes. The audience booed him for this which prompted him to leave the ringside area. As he did, RVD walked out with Sgt. Slaughter, The Hurricane, and Kurt Angle to stop him from leaving. Together, they walked Zayn back down to the ring and forced him to get back in. Mysterio was waiting and connected with the 619 before hitting the frog splash for the 1,2,3 win.

WINNER; Mysterio via pinfall

Heydorn’s Analysis: A simple story that I suppose was delivered on. Zayn and Mysterio got into it over Zayn’s disrespect of the legends and the legends helped Rey in the match. That said, is this the best use of someone like Kurt Angle? With so many stars on the roster needing a rub in getting over, why not have him shine in a role that accomplishes that goal. This appearance was for nostalgia purposes only and therefore has a short shelf life. If used in other ways, his use could linger over the guy he put over for months to come. 

-After the match, Mysterio celebrated in the ring as the legends cheered him on from the outside. Rey then joined them and shook their hands before the show was tossed backstage once again. There, a limo pulled up and Ric Flair walked out of it. As he did, the show went to break. (c)

-Out of the break, the Street Profits hyped Raw Reunion backstage. After, Alyundra Blaze walked out with her newly won 24-7 Championship. She said she told everyone she wouldn’t be champion long. She then teased tossing the title into a garbage can in a moment that was a play off of what she did to her women’s championship all those years ago. Before she could, Ted Dibiase walked out and said that he wanted to buy that title from her since everyone has a price. She agreed and sold the title to the Million Dollar Man before walking off. Dibiase celebrated and smiled as the show went to break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: More 24-7 nonsense. In my head, I’m debating what’s better – This 24-7 nonsense or standard reunion nonsense backstage with twenty plus legends in a room together. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think it’s the latter. Only because the former involves a championship belt. 

-After the break, Jerry Lawler was introduced as he joined the commentary team. From there, AJ Styles hit the ring with Gallows and Anderson. Like before, they had matching shirts on as the announce team talked them up and discussed the fact that Styles had gotten a big head recently.

[HOUR THREE]

Seth Rollins hit the ring next and once he got to the ring, the bell rang.

(5) SETH ROLLINS vs. A.J. STYLES

To start, Rollins took Styles down with a shoulder tackle. After, Rollins went for a tie-up, but Styles kicked Rollins in the midsection instead. Styles kept control from there and crushed Seth with chops. Rollins returned the favor before rolling Styles up for a two count. Out of the pin, both men exchanged punches again until Rollins rocked Styles with a forearm shot to the face. From there, Seth stomped on A.J. in the corner before dropping his neck on the top rope. After this, Rollins was on the outside of the ring and got distracted by Gallows and Anderson. Because of that distraction, Styles punched Rollins, took momentum, and joined his cronies on the outside of the ring. As all three members of the Club were about to attack Rollins, the DX music played. Triple H and Shawn Michaels walked out and saved Seth as the show went to break. (c)

Out of the break, the action continued with DX in Seth’s corner. Rollins hit Styles with a Blockbuster and tried to follow that with a springboard clothesline. Styles countered, but Rollins hit him with a super kick instead. From there, Rollins cued up the the Stomp, but was jumped by Gallows and Anderson. This prompted DX to get into the ring for the save again. Before the brawl ensued, Styles called for “too sweet.” It looked as if DX was about to oblige, but they fought off the Club instead and tossed them out of the ring. From there, Styles, Gallows, and Anderson picked up steel chairs and threatened once again. As they did, Road Dogg, X-pac, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash walked down to help out. Dogg introduced everyone and joked about Billy Gunn’s absence before calling his group the OG’s. He then told the OC to get to stepping and they backed off. Styles jawed with DX as he left until Seth Rollins was allowed to “do the honors.” Rollins proceeded to tell Styles that if he wasn’t “down with that, they had two words for him … suck it.” The audience ate it up and cheered loudly with them as the DX music fired up. From there, DX hugged and celebrated in the ring as the show went to break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: Segments like that are to be expected on a reunion show like this one. At the same time, Seth’s involvement presented him as “less than” DX. With a main event level match on the horizon at Summerslam against Brock, Seth shouldn’t play second fiddle to anyone even if its in an effort get a rub from nostalgia. He’s above that now and needs to be presented as such. 

-Out of the break, Ted Dibiase was shown getting into a limo. Once he did, there was a loud ruckus in which you could hear a referee count a pinfall. Soon after, Maverick appeared from the limo and held up his newly won 24-7 title. He then ran off with his wife.

-Mick Foley was shown in the ring and talked about his love for Monday Night Raw after being briefly interuppted by 24-7 shenanigans. As Foley talked, Bray Wyatt appeared and assaulted Foley in the dark. From there, he laughed as the show went to commercial break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: That worked and got a major reaction. Interesting to see Foley get a bit physical as well. A good rub for Wyatt and another good use of a legend. 

-Out of the break, Alexa Bliss made her entrance for A Moment Of Bliss. Bliss introduced Nikki Cross before introducing her guest, Becky Lynch. Lynch confidently walked out to a nice reaction and sat in the chair opposite Bliss and Cross. As Bliss was asking her first question, Nattie walked out and stood next to Becky. Bliss asked her what she was doing and Nattie told Becky that if she had anything to say to her she needed to say it to her face. From there, Bliss cued up highlights from last week where Nattie and Lynch confronted each other ahead of their Summerslam match. When the highlights ended, Lynch and Nattie confronted each other again. Becky questioned Nattie’s allegiance with Rhonda Rousey and said that she would embarrass her in her own country. In response, Nattie and Becky brawled before being broken apart by officials. The show then went to commercial break. (c)

Heydorn’s Analysis: Simple, but it worked. Lynch brought up history with Nattie and important history that tied in with her championship win at WrestleMania. Consistency like that is missing everywhere else on the show. It being featured here is not only refreshing, but a major factor in making this program the hottest program Raw has for Summerslam at the moment. 

-After the break, Nattie was interviewed backstage and said that Becky Lynch made this match personal. She said that she built the women’s evolution and she would take the women’s championship from her at Summerslam.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Way to fast of a cadence from Nattie there. Content was fine, but she needs to slow it down a notch so people can understand her. 

-When the interview ended, Maverick was shown running to his car. As he was about to get into it, Truth rolled him up and pinned him for the 24-7 championship. Truth then dove into the car and it drove off with Maverick’s wife in it. After seeing this, Maverick yelled “my baby” as the Carmella stared him down. From there, Braun Strowman hit the ring to a nice reaction from the crowd. Before his match started, he got on the microphone and said “don’t blink, this aint gonna last long.” At that point the match did get underway.

(6) BRAUN STROWMAN vs. LOCAL JOBBER

Strowman decimated his opponent with a handful of destructive power moves. He then made the cover for the 1,2,3 win. (c)

WINNER: Strowman via pinfall

Heydorn’s Analysis: A nothing match, but that pre-match promo did more Strowman than most of his booking this entire year. Not saying much, but true.

-Out of the break, Ric Flair’s music hit and he walked out to the ramp to a chorus of “woos.” Flair stood on top of the stage and paused as the rest of the legends flocked from the locker room behind him. From there, Hulk Hogan’s music hit and the audience cheered as Hogan walked out and bowed to his fellow legends. Hogan and Flair bowed at each other before slapping hands. Hogan then did his pose as the audience continued to cheer. When he finished, Hogan addressed the audience and said that it was great to be on hand to celebrate the Raw Reunion with his friends and hulkamaniacs in his hometown. He said some of his greatest memories were in Tampa and that he wanted to thank his fans. From there, he did his “Whatcha Gonna Do” before giving a high five to Flair again.

Heydorn’s Analysis: I despise WWE’s attempt to even give it a go with Hogan. Tone deaf and not worth it.

After, Stone Cold’s glass broke and Austin walked to the ring. Austin didn’t acknowledge Hogan or Flair as he headed down the ramp. Once he got into the ring, Austin posed on the ropes before opening a cooler full of beer. In the ring, Austin toasted the fans before grabbing a microphone. Austin paused as the audience cheered and chanted his name. From there, he addressed them and told them to give him a hell yeah. Austin continued on and thanked the fans and his brothers and sisters in the WWE. He told stories about drinking with Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Ron Simmons before toasting the audience once again as the show went off the air.

Heydorn’s Analysis: Loads to be said about the effectiveness and execution of this show. That said, Austin is still an incredibly compelling watch. A star in every sense of the word. The entire roster should have been watching that and taking notes.

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NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT 7/22: Alt Perspective coverage of the live show including full reunion coverage with WWE legends, A Moment Of Bliss with Becky Lynch, and more