7/29 WWE Raw Results: Keller’s report on Samoan Summit, Seth-Ziggler, Brock Lesnar, Road to Summerslam, Lynch vs. Bliss

KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
JULY 29, 2019
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARK.
AIRED ON USA NETWORK

Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

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[HOUR ONE]

-The show opened with the narrator speaking of the prestige of the WWE Championship and how it represents the epitome of “sports entertainment.” He said: “To be a champion is to achieve greatness. The WWE Championship has set the standard.” Then, what seemed too good to be true – WWE actually seriously emphasizing the importance of the titles in their ecosystem – was indeed too good to be true as they shifted to zany music and a video package of the comedic WWE 24/7 Championship. “Any man, woman, senior citizen can find themselves on top of the mountain. It is truly a championship like no other. The 24/7 Championship, redefining greatness.”

-They went live to the arena where the banner said they were in Little Rock, Ark. Cole did not name the city or state, though. The camera showed wrestlers gathered round ringside for a 24/7 Title defense. He said it’s the first time ever a 24/7 Title defense would kick off Raw. Drake Maverick and his wife Renee came to the ring together. Renee Young said it’s a mixed tag match and the title can change hands even if the women are involved in the finish.

They went to the announcers on camera. Graves said the 24/7 Title is one of the most popular titles in WWE. He said you thank Mick Foley for that distinctive honor. Cole said Truth has held the 24/7 Title more than anyone in WWE history.

Truth came out with Carmella, singing his song on their way to the ring. Truth asked Little Rock, Arkansas to “make some noise.”

(1) R-TRUTH & CARMELLA vs. DRAKE MAVERICK & HIS WIFE RENEE

Those at ringside: Robert Roode, Zack Ryder, Mike Kanellis, No Way Jose, EC3, Lucha House Party, Mojo Rawley, Titus O’Neal, Heath Slater, Eric Young, Curt Hawkins. Drake schoolboyed Truth at the bell to get a quick two count. Truth took over and legdropped Drake. Carmella and Renee got involved. Truth ended up getting the three count after a weird sequence.

WINNER: Truth in 2:00.

-As Truth celebrated, the wrestlers at ringside stood on the ring apron and surrounded him. They piled onto him. The ref counted to three and Mike Kanellis came out from under the pile and ran off with the title. Kanellis’s music played. The camera followed him backstage where he hid in the locker room. Maria pretended to be having contractions and pounded on the door. Everyone else ran away. Mike wouldn’t open the door because he wasn’t sure if it was actually Maria or perhaps it was Carmella. When she said if he didn’t open the door, she’d kick him in her vagina, he opened the door – the joke being, he knew it was her if she said something that demeaning and crude.

(Keller’s Analysis: That didn’t last long, but there wasn’t really much of anything to it either other than switching the title to Kanellis.)

-The announcers hyped Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler, the Samoan Summit.

-Rey Mysterio’s ring entrance took place for the Gauntlet Match which will determine A.J. Styles’s opponent for the U.S. Title at Summerslam. Others involved were shown on the screen – Cesaro, Ricochet, Andrade, Sami, and Rey. [c]

(2a) CESARO vs. REY MYSTERIO – Gauntlet Match for U.S. Title Shot

Rey landed a running sliding splash from the ring onto Cesaro on the floor. He sold a knee injury for a bit, but then made a comeback and head scissored Cesaro onto the barricade. They cut to a break mid-match with no gimmickry or split screen or “reset and restart.” (Is the nightmare over?) [c]

After coming back live, they showed what happened during the commercial where Cesaro threw Rey back-first into the ringpost and then landed a running European Uppercut at ringside. Rey beat the countout. Cesaro grounded Rey. The action picked up again with back and forth exchanges. Cesaro lifted Rey on his shoulders and climbed to the second rope. He set up a powerbomb, but Rey countered with headbutts and a flying bulldog off the top turnbuckle. He followed with a 619 that Cesaro conveniently crawled into position for, then landed his top rope splash for the win.

WINNER: Rey Mysterio in 11:00.

(2b) REY MYSTERIO vs. SAMI ZAYN – Gauntlet Match for U.S. Title Shot

Rey ducked an early Helluva Kick and then leveraged Sami down for a three count. Referees had to hold Sami back after he lost, he was so irate.

WINNER: Mysterio in under 30 seconds.

-Andrade and Zelina came out. The announcers talked about Rey and Andrade having battled in Smackdown previously. [c]

(2c) REY MYSTERIO vs. ANDRADE (w/Zelina Vega) – Gauntlet Match for U.S. Title Shot

The bell rang after the break. At 5:00 Andrade pinned Rey after a hammerlock DDT. Cole said Andrade defeated Rey, then said “no” and seemed confused. The ring announcer said Rey was eliminated. The ref had waved off Andrade because Rey was hurt, which Cole said confused him and made him think it wasn’t an actual pin. Andrade tore apart Rey’s mask, so Ricochet ran out for the save. Ricochet checked on Rey as Cole said it will either be Ricochet or Andrade challenging Styles at Summerslam. [c]

(2d) ANDRADE vs. RICOCHET – Gauntlet Match for U.S. Title Shot

Ricochet hit a few dazzling spots early. He went for a dive, but Zelina yanked on his foot and distracted him. Andrade then took control for a stretch. They showed Styles watching on a monitor backstage (from a natural angle). Ricochet teased a comeback, but Andrade side-stepped a charging Ricochet and flipped him into the corner where Ricochet landed on his head. He scored a two count on Ricochet after a double knee. Ricochet rallied and landed a reverse huracanrana. Cole exclaimed, “What a match!” Ricochet climbed to the top rope. Andrade met him up there. Ricochet shoved him down and landed the 630 for the win.

WINNER: Ricochet in 6:00 to advance to a U.S. Title match at Summerslam.

-Kayla Braxton interviewed Ricochet in mid-ring. He was out of breath. He said when he beat Samoa Joe to become the U.S. Championship, no one could believe it. He said it was kind of hard for him to believe himself. He said if he’s learning anything through his experiences, it’s that some people only believe what they can see. He said he’ll beat Styles at Summerslam, and everyone then will believe. “And so will I,” he said. They cut to Styles backstage watching on a monitor laughing uproariously at what Ricochet just said.

(Keller’s Analysis: Ricochet’s promos are still not where they need to be for him to be a well-rounded top tier player in WWE. The scripting of the promo was awkward, and I think the execution by Ricochet was probably messed up too. Strange syntax and pacing.)

-Backstage Kanellis told Maria now she can look at him with dignity and respect. She ordered him to get down on his back “like you usually do.” She called for a referee to count her pinning him so her unborn child could have a champion as a parent. Mike wasn’t happy, but dropped down and let her pin him. The ref counted to three. She laughed and celebrated and declared she is the first-ever pregnant champion. She gloated in the hallway in Titus O’Neal’s face. She asked if he’d try to pin a pregnant lady to become a two-time champion. She said this Thursday she’ll be at her OBGYN appointment. She gloated in front of other 24/7 contenders and kept saying she’s the first-ever pregnant champion.

-They showed Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross backstage. Cole said Bliss claims to have shocking footage no one will want to miss. [c]

-The announcers hyped the Summerslam line-up including the Smackdown matches.

-A Moment of Bliss: Alexa congratulated Maria. “You go, girl!” she said. She said it’s inspiring and it’s WWE breaking down barriers again. Nikki said she was inspired last week watching Steve Austin. Bliss said Austin said it best when he said they are all family. She said the very next night, Dolph Ziggler betrayed his family when he superkicked Shawn Michaels. She said she was appalled. She said it was nothing compared to the clip she was about to show.

[HOUR TWO]

Bliss threw to a clip of Fit Finlay demonstrating the Disarm Her with Natalya on students, explaining how to break the hold. Becky Lynch ran to the ring and kicked Finley and attacked Natalya. Fans at Raw chanted “Becky! Becky!” Bliss said that’s ridiculous to condone such behavior. “Is that the kind of example our Raw Women’s Champion should be setting for the WWE Universe?” Nikki said it’s almost as if Becky is trying to take Natalya out of the picture before Summerslam. Bliss said she has no respect for that. She said tonight she’ll knock The Man down a few pegs. Becky appeared on the big screen behind them. Becky said she can hear her back there so she decided to have a few words for her. She said it’s easy for her to run her mouth out there, but don’t forget that they’ll be wrestling one-on-one later tonight. Then she talked about Nikki. She asked if she came all the way from Scotland to become a coffee maker “for this dump.” Becky said Natalya learned there is nowhere to run or hide when you do her wrong. She told Bliss she hasn’t forgotten everything she has done, either.

(Keller’s Analysis: Becky seemed like a jerk in the clip. She was fine on the screen with the promo. Not a lot to that overall, though, other than reminding people Becky vs. Natalya is taking place at Summerslam and hyping the Raw match.)

-The Usos made their way to the ring and did some mic work. Cole hyped the Usos vs. The OC vs. The Revival was up next. [c]

(3) THE REVIVAL vs. THE USOS vs. THE OC (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) – Raw Tag Team Title match

The OC came out after the break. Cole again said The OC stands for “the only and original club.” Graves and Renee said he forgot “official.” The Revival came out next. The announcers discussed the (ridiculous) triple threat championship rules that The Revival could lose the titles even if they’re not involved in the outcome. He also said even though there is no DQ, tag rules have to be followed (or else… what?). Formal ring introductions took place. Five minutes in, Dawson applied a sleeper on Jey Uso. Dash tagged in and Uso soon made a comeback with a crossbody for a two count. Dash threw Jey to the floor where Gallows clotheslined him. [c]

Anderson had Uso down on the mat after the break. A few minutes later The Revival hit Uso with a top rope bulldog. Anderson broke up the cover. Dawson and Anderson tumbled to the floor over the top rope. Dash DDT’d Gallows at ringside. The Usos dove onto Dash at ringside. Everyone was down at ringside. Dawson knocked Jey off balance on the top rope. Then he set up a superplex. Uso suplexed Dawson onto a crowd at ringside. More chaos followed, with Jimmy missing a top rope move, Gallows blind-tagging in, The Revival hitting Shatter Machine on Jey, then Jimmy dove onto Revival from the top rope. Gallows gave Jimmy a spinebuster. Then Anderson and Gallows pinned Jey for the win. They took the Raw tag belts and ran up the ramp quickly to celebrate.

WINNERS: The OC in 17:00 to capture the Raw Tag Team Titles. [c]

-Kalya interviewed Styles backstage. In walked Anderson and Gallows. They celebrated loudly and obnoxiously. Styles stood on a table full of food and liquor then yelled.

-They went to Cole, Graves, and Renee who reacted to the tag title change. They threw to a three minute video package on the Raw Reunion last week. Then they threw to a clip of the Dolph Ziggler-Shawn Michaels angle on Smackdown last week. [c]

(4) THE VIKING RAIDERS vs. JOHNNY JAMES & COLE CARTER

Cole said The Vikings were in Denmark last week undergoing Viking Battle Training with thousands of Vikings from around the globe battling and learning new techniques. He said they’re now more dangerous than they were last week. Total squash.

WINNERS: The Vikings in 2:00.

-The Street Profits talked about what an eventful Raw it was so far including recapping the U.S. Title gauntlet, the 24/7 Title change, and the Raw Tag Team Title change. Montez Ford asked Angelo Dawkins if he was the father of Maria’s child. He denied it and said it isn’t funny to start rumors like that. Seth Rollins walked in and joked around with them.

-They showed Becky backstage walking toward the entrance. [c]

-They replayed Maria pinning Mike earlier and then her celebration afterward.

-Becky made her ring entrance first. Graves complained about her conduct at the workout with Natalya and Finlay. Renee agreed with Graves.

[HOUR THREE]

(5) BECKY LYNCH vs. ALEXA BLISS (w/Nikki Cross)

Becky put her arms behind her back and stuck her chin out. When Bliss took a swing, Becky blocked her quickly and then took her to the mat. Nikki interfered to turn the tables. Graves said his sources told him Becky made Seth sleep in the bathtub for a month after he lost the WWE Title to Brock Lesnar. After a Becksploder, Bliss grabbed her ankle in pain and began crying. The ref backed Becky away (because in pro wrestling, you’re supposed to do everything you can to hurt your opponent before pinning or submitting them unless, of course, you hurt them so badly they cry?)  A trainer came out as Becky backed off in the corner and watched. The ref said she couldn’t continue and gave Becky the win by forfeit. (Logically, once a match like this is stopped, the injured wrestler should always have to forfeit immediately rather than leave it open for a double cross.)

WINNER: Becky in 5:00.

-Afteward, Nikki got in the ring and challenged Becky to a match. [c]

(6) BECKY LYNCH vs. NIKKI CROSS

Cole said Nikki apparently believes Becky injured Bliss on purpose. (Isn’t that the ENTIRE POINT of every move and hold in a pro wrestling match? Argh!) Bliss sat at ringside with her ankle raised on another chair, but not being iced to treated or anything. Bliss scored the three count with a Man-handle Slam.

WINNER: Lynch in 3:00.

-After the match, Bliss charged into the ring and attacked Becky once Becky celebrated with her back turned. Cole said it was a ruse by Bliss. Bliss and Nikki double-teamed Becky. Natalya ran out and cleared the ring of the two women, then went after Becky with a sharpshooter. Natalya released it after a minute and left. Graves said, “What goes around, comes around.”

-Kayla interviewed Natalya backstage. She asked if her friendship with Becky has been forever damaged. Natalya said it’s not about making friends, it’s about being professional. She said after she beats Becky at Summerslam, Becky won’t want to shake her hand. Natalya said that’s good, because she doesn’t trust her enough to offer her her hand. She said she’d like to challenge Becky to a Submission Match with “her superior sharpshooter” vs. “Becky’s inferior Disarm Her,” but because she knows Becky wouldn’t agree to it, she won’t bother. [c]

-A Smackdown commercial said Randy Orton will address his title match against Kofi Kingston.

-Maria posed with her 24/7 Title belt as a cameraman snapped a lot of pictures. She told him to send her the good ones because she doesn’t want to see the others. Braun Strowman walked in and crowded her. She said Braun is a man who enjoys making a baby, but not the process of caring for a baby. She asked him to show her how big and strong he is. He breathed deeply and snarled. Okay.

-Seth Rollins made his way to the ring. They replayed what happened on Smackdown last week with Ziggler and Seth. Back live, Seth stared at the entrance stage. Instead of Ziggler’s music, though, Shawn Michaels’ music played. “Oh my God!” exclaimed Cole. Actually, out came Ziggler imitating Michaels. The crowd was deflated. Ziggler asked, “What happened? Ha ha ha ha ha ha!” He said it looks like Seth just lost his smile. He said he should be thanking him for every embarrassment that comes back begging for relevancy, “taking our spots away.” He said it’s equally embarrassing if its Michaels or Goldberg. He then flexed and kneeled like HBK.

(7) SETH ROLLINS vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER

Seth took control early. With Ziggler at ringside, they cut to a break. [c]

A few minutes later, as Ziggler set up a Sweet Chin Music, Seth caught him with two superkicks of his own instead. Seth then stomped the mat as fans chanted “Burn it down!” Brock Lesnar’s music played. Lesnar and Paul Heyman walked to the ring. Lesnar attacked Seth and the ref called for the bell.

WINNER: No decision.

-Lesnar gave Seth some German suplexes. Cole said he’s taking Seth to Suplex City. He threw him into the barricade at ringside, then hit him with a chair inside the ring, then delivered an F5 on a chair. And another. Seth bled from his mouth. Renee called it disgusting. He watched Seth retch, then dropped him a third time on the chair. Heyman told him that was enough. Lesnar left. Seth was put on a stretcher by medics. [c]

-Medics pushed Seth on a stretcher past Becky Lynch who looked on with concern, but didn’t talk to Seth or follow him to the ambulance, which was strange. Roman checked on Seth as Seth was being stretchered into an ambulance. The camera stayed on Reigns oddly instead of turning to Seth. The OC and Samoa Joe then attacked Reigns and the Usos. The camera went back to the ambulance where Seth was being put inside. Lesnar then yanked him out and attacked him again, tipping over the stretcher and kicking Seth, who retched some more. Lesnar then gave him an F5 onto the stretcher. Seth cried out in agony. [c]

-The Usos chatted with Roman Reigns in a pre-recorded sit-down conversation hyping Roman’s new movie.

-The announcers commented on replays of Lesnar attacking Seth. Graves said he doesn’t want to watch it again. He said it just glorifies Lesnar and it’s garbage.

-Joe stood in the ring and said he regrets to inform everyone that the Samoan Summit has been cancelled due to catastrophic failure of peace talks. He said he came there to fight, not talk. He called Roman to the ring if he can make it so he can finish the beatdown he started in the back. Roman’s music played. Fans cheered. They brawled at ringside and then into the crowd. Drew McIntyre joined in the attack. Cedric made the save. Drew and Joe fended off Cedric and then set up a chokeslam of Reigns on the announce table next to the stage. The Usos ran out and made the save. The OC ran out too. Cedric appeared on top of the LED set and leaped onto the crowd on the stage. The OC brawled with the Usos in the ring. Reigns and Drew joined in again. Cedric then flip dove onto Drew. The Usos double-kicked Joe. Reigns then speared Joe. The Usos and Reigns celebrated in the ring. Cedric joined in. Graves said if Joe was looking for a fight, he got one.

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MUST-LISTEN ALL-NEW EPIC CAREER PODCAST with Sgt. Slaughter

Sgt. Slaughter joined Wade Keller & Bruce Mitchell on this weekend’s Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast in front of a live audience at the Tragos/Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame summer event this past weekend. He has done interviews infrequently, and no interview as long or as detailed and revealing as this two-hour epic career retrospect spanning from his pre-Sgt. Slaughter days to last Monday at the Raw Reunion and all of the career highlights and controversies and hilarious stories in the decades in between.

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Fascinating 2-hour @_SgtSlaughter interview by @thewadekeller and @mitchellpwtorch, discussing his entire wrestling career, work with #gijoe and more. Dont miss it.

Oh, and while you’re at it, go @PWTorch VIP and follow the Sarge on Twitter.https://t.co/5CpQeLGUHs pic.twitter.com/Wvmhq4VFoj

— Special Mission Force (Brian) (@specialmforce) July 28, 2019

Listened on the drive even though I watched in person – I found myself enthralled and laughing again at the same stories I had just heard

— Dan Kuester (@ddkuester) July 30, 2019

Had a long drive yesterday. Listened to the whole thing in one sitting. Fantastic!

— J.D. Oliva (@JD_Oliva) July 30, 2019

What a fantastic interview! Thanks for taking the time to do this for us.

— Tracy Bland (@tracybland101) July 30, 2019

Just listened to the interview and it was great

— Michael Balistreri (@BlackSnowComic) July 28, 2019