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WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 11, 2022
SAN ANTONIO, TEX. AT AT&T CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY DANNY DOUCETTE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick, & Byron Saxton
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
[HOUR ONE]
-The show opened with a recap of last Friday’s Smackdown. Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Paul Heyman were shown in the ring. Reigns said The Bloodline has all the gold and life is good.
-In the arena, Brock Lesnar’s music hit and he made his way to the ring, greeted by the adulation of the San Antonio crowd. The commentators ran down the rules of the Last Man Standing match which Reigns and Lesnar will engage in at SummerSlam. A “Lesnar” chant rang out as Lesnar grabbed a microphone and said “God bless Texas!” Lesnar said life is good for Roman Reigns, and the crowd booed. Lesnar mentioned a saying that (allegedly) came from Texas, “Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered”. Lesnar said Reigns is a hog and he slaughters hogs every day on his farm. Lesnar also said Reigns will get a “S***-kicking”.
Paul Heyman interrupted Lesnar to a chorus of boos. Lesnar and Heyman traded a few insults. Heyman said a betting man would bet on Lesnar, because Lesnar annihilates people and ends careers. Heyman said Lesnar doesn’t care if he sends Reigns to the hospital or the morgue. Lesnar nodded in approval of those comments.However, Heyman said Reigns’ streak is one that Lesnar will not conquer. Heyman said even if he has to train Reigns to pull out Lesnar’s “Heart through his ass”, that is something he will have to do.
Before Lesnar could reply, he was cut off by Theory’s music. Theory arrived on the stage with Money in the Bank briefcase in hand. Theory announced his intentions to regain the U.S. title from Bobby Lashley at SummerSlam. Afterwards, Theory said he will wait for Reigns and Lesnar to beat each other down and take his time coming to the ring to cash in. At which he will win the title by putting a foot on the chest of Reigns or Lesnar. Lesnar challenged Theory to come to the ring and fight him.
Theory referenced facing Lesnar at the Elimination Chamber event to remind everyone of how Lesnar has no regard for human life. Footage is shown of Lesnar hitting an F-5 on Theory off the Elimination Chamber pod onto the steel grate floor around the ring. Theory said he wants revenge for that. Chad Gable and Otis showed up to ringside and Lesnar said when he’s in town all the cockroaches show up. Theory commands Otis and Gable to attack Lesnar. Gable and Otis attacked, but did not phase Lesnar. Lesnar beat Otis and Gable down and threw both of them into the ring steps. Lesnar hit Gable with a belly-to-belly suplex onto the ringside floor and executed an F-5 on Otis through the announcer’s desk. Jimmy Smith called that was “Just an appetizer” for Brock Lesnar as Lesnar posed for the fans in the ring.
(Doucette’s Analysis: That was a pretty hot start. Theory looked like he belonged once again and is making his intentions clear for double championship gold. He even overshadowed Heyman in this segment. That was a nice callback to Lesnar brutalizing Theory at Elimination Chamber as added motivation for him. Hey look! Jimmy Smith still has his job!)
-A graphic aired for a match later in which Riddle and Bobby Lashley were set to take on Seth Rollins and Theory. Also, Bianca Belair was advertised to face Carmella.
-The Mysterio’s music hit and Rey and Dominik Mysterio made their way to the ring, slapping the hands of the ringside fans.[c]
-The commentators highlighted the San Antonio Spurs.
-Finn Balor and Damien Priest made their entrance onto the stage to boos from the crowd. Like last week, Balor is now wrestling in leather pants, which is still a visual adjustment. Priest demands that the fans rise and show respect to The Judgment Day. This was met with loud boos from the crowd. Priest said in a few weeks it will be the twenty-year anniversary of Rey Mysterio in WWE. Priest called Rey washed up and said that Dominik can’t learn anything from him. Priest invited Dominik to join The Judgment Day and step out of Rey’s shadow. Graves noted “It might be a good idea”. Balor mocked Rey’s legend status and said Edge is also a legend and look what happened to him. The footage of Balor, Priest, and Rhea Ripley attacking Edge was shown. Balor called both Edge and Rey bad leaders. Balor then called Rey a bad father.
Rey had enough and attacked Balor. Rey and Dominik attacked both Priest and Balor, but they retreated. [c]
(1)REY MYSTERIO (w/Dominik Mysterio) vs. FINN BALOR (w/Damien Priest)
Back from the break, Balor was choking Rey on the ropes and Priest punched Rey while the referee was distracted. Rey began to make a comeback and took Balor down with a hurricanrana. Rey hit Balor with a diving crossbody on the outside of the ring. Back inside the ring, Balor was able to land a backbreaker on Rey and some strikes to the kidneys. Balor locked in a chinlock and then hit a few more strikes on Rey for a two count. Dominik rallied the fans for Rey, but Balor hit Rey with the suplex. It looked like Balor was about to execute the Three Amigos suplexes, but punched Rey in the back instead. Rey tried going to the top rope, but Balor knocked him down onto the apron and Rey was left hurt, clutching his knee. Balor threw Rey back into the ring, but was briefly distracted by Dominik. Rey came flying under the ring ropes and sunset flipped Balor into the barricade. [c]
Back from the break, Rey caught Balor and hit a hurricanrana off the top rope for a two count. Rey then hit a 6-1-9 on Balor, but went limping up to the top rope and missed a frog splash. Rey then surprised Balor in a crucifix pin, but it only got a two count. Balor landed a reverse DDT and a suplex for a two count. Balor then hit the Coup de Gras on Rey for the three count.
WINNER: Finn Balor in 11:00.
[Doucette’s Analysis: This match was okay. However, we know Balor and Mysterio can do better. Balor got a much needed win though, so that’s good for him.]
-Another graphic aired for the Belair-Carmella match.
-Becky Lynch’s music hit. Becky was straight-faced and focused as she made her way onto the stage. [c]
-A graphic touted an attendance of 156,352 fans that attended WrestleMania weekend.
-Becky Lynch was standing on the announce desk with a microphone. Lynch said she works her ass off every week for a paycheck. Becky said after winning the No Holds Barred match against Asuka last week, she should be the number-one contender. Becky further complained about not being given a title rematch after WrestleMania and demanded a championship match at SummerSlam.
-Bianca Belair’s music hit as Belair made her way to the ring. Becky looked on angrily and shouted at Belair from ringside. Belair jawed with Becky as Carmella made her entrance. Footage was shown of Belair and Carmella’s match at Money in the Bank.
(3) BIANCA BELAIR vs. CARMELLA – Raw title match
Belair started off on offense, trapping Carmella in the turnbuckles, but Carmella countered with a kick and some trash talking. Belair regained the advantage with a shoulder block and slammed Carmella into the announcer’s desk.
[HOUR TWO]
Back from the break, Carmella had Belair in a headlock, but Belair fought out. Carmella tried a headscissors, but Belair countered with a backbreaker. Carmella was able to hit a crossbody from the top rope for a two count, followed by a roll up for two as well. Belair caught Carmella as she attempted another crossbody and hit a suplex. Belair and Carmella traded roll ups, both for two counts. Carmella got her knees up as Bealir attempted a backflip splash. Carmella then hit a superkick for a two count. Belair countered another suplex attempt and threw Carmella in the turnbuckles. Belair went for the K.O.D. as Carmella hooked the top rope. Carmella was then able to counter into a facebuster for a two count. Carmella tried to retreat from the ring and as Belair caught up to her, Carmella raked Belair’s eyes. This stunned Belair long enough for Carmella to get back into the ring as the referee’s count neared eight. When Belair tried to re-enter the ring, Becky distracted Belair long enough for her to be counted out.
WINNER: Carmella by count-out in 12:00.
(Doucette’s Analysis: I liked this match. Carmella was more impressive than usual. She always works hard, but her athleticism was on display here. It was silly for Belair to be so easily distracted, though. It looked very contrived and not believable.)
-Carmella grabbed the Raw title and celebrated after the match, but Belair hit her with the K.O.D.
-Footage aired from last week showing A.J. Styles defeating The Miz, then being attacked from behind by Ciampa.
-The Miz’s music hit as he arrived on the stage and introduced Ciampa, who joined him in walking down to the ring.[c]
-The same mysterious promo from the past few weeks aired.
-The Miz welcomed everyone to Miz TV and introduced Ciampa. Miz said he and Ciampa would face A.J. Styles in a two-on-one match tonight. Miz asked Ciampa if he had an explanation for his actions the past few weeks. Ciampa said he wants all the eyes of the people on him and no one commands more eyes than The Miz. Miz agrees and promotes his shows and mentioned how he led Logan Paul to defeat the Mysterios at WrestleMania. Ciampa got fired up and said he wants to headline WrestleMania and SummerSlam. Miz ignored Ciampa and kept talking about Logan Paul. Miz showed a promo from Paul in which he reiterated he wants to fight Miz. Miz hypothesized that Paul is trying to get publicity, but again tells Paul to retract his statement. If not, Miz said he will get another partner and doesn’t have to look far, referencing Ciampa.
A.J. Styles’ music played as he walked down to the ring and told Miz to shut his mouth. Styles said what Miz is saying makes him sound like a coward with tiny balls. The fans chanted “Tiny balls” as Ciampa and Miz yelled at the fans to shut up. Styles got into the ring as Ciampa and Miz retreated. Styles threw the MizTV set chair at Ciampa and Miz as Ezekiel made his entrance. Ezekiel introduced himself and said Elias always called Styles phenomenal and also mentioned Miz’s tiny balls. Ezekiel said he talked to Adam Pearce and asked Pearce to turn the two-one-one match into a tag team match. Styles agreed to team with Ezekiel to the dismay of Miz and Ciampa. [c]
(Doucette’s Analysis: Well, they gave Ciampa a (somewhat flimsy) reason for Ciampa to align with Miz. It seems that the story being told is that Ciampa doesn’t like Miz, but will use his stardom for an advantage until he no longer needs him. If done right, Ciampa’s eventual turn on Miz could be good.)
(3) THE MIZ & CIAMPA vs. A.J. STYLES & EZEKIEL
Ezekiel and Ciampa started things off and the two traded offense. Miz and Ciampa mostly beat down Ezekiel, making quick tags in and out as Styles clamored to get into the match. Ezekiel scored a high knee strike on Ciampa and finally tagged in Styles. Styles hit a rapid succession of strikes on Miz, who had been tagged in as well. Styles hit a rack backbreaker for a two count after Ciampa broke up the pin at the last second. Styles caught Miz in the Calf Crusher, but Ciampa jumped in and beat on Styles. Ciampa, as the illegal competitor, wouldn’t stop punching Styles and was disqualified by the referee.
WINNERS: A.J. Styles & Ezekiel in 13:00 by disqualification.
(Doucette’s Analysis: Nothing much happened here. Just a weak finish.)
-After the match was thrown out, Styles hit Ciampa with a skydiving elbow on the outside as Miz ran up the stage.
-Riddle approached Bobby Lashley backstage as Lashley was warming up. Riddle talked to the U.S. title belt saying he is glad it found a good home with Lashley. Riddle said he wants to hit Seth Rollins with an R.K.O. and Lashley said he wants to get his hands on Theory. Riddle invited Lashley to go watch Stranger Things since he gets scared. Lashley chuckled and said he’s already seen it, but will see him when it’s time for the match. Riddle told Lashley to “Remember the Alamo, bro”.
(Doucette’s Analysis: If Randy Orton is going to be out for a while, Lashley and Riddle might be another fun tag team to try out.)
-Alexa Bliss made her entrance to the ring. [c]
-Back from the break, Asuka made her entrance as Bliss’s partner. Nikki A.S.H. made her entrance next and was joined by her partner Doudrop on the stage.
(4)ALEXA BLISS & ASUKA vs. NIKKI A.S.H. & DOUDROP
Nikki and Asuka started things off, but Asuka got the advantage offensively before tagging in Bliss. Doudrop tagged herself into the match, getting a powerslam on Bliss to give her team the upper hand. Asuka came into the match and took out both Nikki and Doudrop single-handedly. Bliss tagged back in and hit Nikki with a DDT and scored the three count.
WINNERS: Alexa Bliss & Asuka in 4:00.
-Asuka and Bliss celebrated together in the ring.
-A recap was shown of the Street Profits-Usos match from Money In The Bank, highlighting the controversial ending with Montez Ford’s shoulder being up during the pinfall.
-The Usos made their entrance to the stage as Jimmy Uso was set to face Angelo Dawkins after the commercial break. [c]
[HOUR THREE]
– A graphic aired for the Unified Tag Team championship rematch at SummerSlam between The Usos and The Street Profits with a mystery special guest referee.
-The Usos were still standing in the ring, now with microphones. Jey Uso said they are like a broken record, as every week they say what they are going to do and actually do it. The Usos said the Profits are twos and they are the ones. The Street Profits came out to the ring and contested the result of the match at Money in the Bank. The Profits said they want the smoke. R-Truth came out onto the stage and called San Antonio “The city of brotherly love”. Truth said he has many certifications such as marriage counselor, Top Gun pilot, and tag team counselor. Dawkins remarked that Truth has a lot of jobs. The Usos told Truth to leave unless he’s a referee. Truth pulled out a folded up piece of paper that said “Referee certification”. Truth revealed he was wearing a referee shirt under his t-shirt. Truth showed off his referee skills by counting and demonstrating his knowledge of holding and charging calls. The Usos called Truth a clown. Truth got angry and said he would fight The Usos himself, as long as he has the Profits as partners.
M.V.P. and Omos then came out and offered Omos’ services to The Bloodline and to face off against Truth and the Profits. The Profits asked Truth if he is in, and Truth replies “Remember the Alamo” and attacks Omos. However, Omos and The Usos were able to get the upper hand and beat down Truth and the Profits. Byron Saxton wondered if there was going to be a six-man tag match. [c]
(Doucette’s Analysis: This was such a random assortment of wrestlers, but I enjoyed it as I do with most R-Truth segments. I think even Jey legitimately cracked up at one point because of Truth.)
(5) THE USOS (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) & OMOS (w/M.V.P.) vs. THE STREET PROFITS (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) & R-TRUTH
Ford and Dawkins hit Jimmy and Jey with double dives onto the outside. Truth tried to hit Omos with a dive, but Omos caught him with a running body block. [c]
Back from the break, Omos continued to beat on Truth inside the ring. Ford tagged in and rallied his team back with dropkicks. Truth tried John Cena’s five knuckles shuffle, but was pulled out of the ring by Omos. Omos nailed Dawkins with a two handed chokeslam for the three count.
WINNERS: The Usos & Omos in 11:00.
(Doucette’s Analysis: Not sure why this had to be a showcase for Omos. As of now, Omos, nor R-Truth, have anything to do with The Street Profits or The Usos. R-Truth could’ve taken the pin, at least.)
-A recap aired of Brock Lesnar’s promo and beating down Otis and Gable earlier.
-Kevin Patrick was shown backstage and was then joined by Seth Rollins for an interview. Patrick asked Rollins how he felt about being hit with an R.K.O. by Riddle last week before he was going to stomp Ezekiel. Rollins said he felt great and questioned the identity of Ezekiel. Rollins said he doesn’t care if he is Elias, Elmo, or El Gigante. Rollins then questioned who Riddle is and called him an idiot who hid behind Randy Orton. Rollins said he won’t allow Riddle to use his name for clout. Rollins said Riddle is playing with fire and will get burned, like Cody Rhodes. Theory appeared and asked Rollins for advice on cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase. Rollins cackled with delight and told Theory to walk with him.
-A graphic was shown for the match with Riddle & Lashley vs. Theory & Rollins. [c]
-The mysterious promo aired again, this time showing an old Randy Orton shirt with the N.W.O.-style font, a Mick Foley flannel shirt, and a John Cena hat.
(Doucette Analysis: Alright, now I’m convinced it’s Edge. I know I’m late, but I wasn’t quite sold. I was hoping he’d go back to the grizzled veteran character he had upon returning in 2020. This makes it seem like he’s still going to do the unnecessary dark, spooky Edge character. I’ll give it a chance, though.)
-Logan Paul responded to Miz’s promo from earlier by video. Paul said he will be at Raw next week to confront Miz and it will be awesome.
-First Lashley, then Riddle, made their entrances. [c]
-A recap was shown of Riddle’s R.K.O. on Rollins from last week. Rollins made his entrance as Riddle stared him down. Theory was next to enter, buddying up to Rollins as they met up at ringside.
(6) BOBBY LASHLEY & RIDDLE vs. SETH ROLLINS & THEORY
Theory and Rollins took turns beating down Riddle to start. Theory posed to taunt Lashley, who was on the apron. Riddle made a comeback hitting some kicks on Theory. Lashley tagged in and shoulderblocked Theory in the ribs. Lashley hit a Flatliner-DDT combo on Riddle and Rollins. Lashley caught Rollins on an attempted dive, but Lashley caught him and bounced Rollins’ head off the ringpost. Then, Dolph Ziggler’s music played and he walked down to the ring in a suit. The commentators were baffled and wondered why he was there. [c]
(Doucette’s Analysis: I am confused as well…)
Back from commercial, Riddle elbowed Riddle and Theory as he tried to escape the corner. Rollins hit Riddle with a reverse suplex from the top rope for a two count. Ziggler was shown ringside sitting in a chair as the commentators continued to wonder why he was there. Riddle fought off Rollins with some chops, but Rollins wore him down with a sleeper. Theory tagged in and tried a jumping dropkick, which Riddle amazingly countered into a Bromission. Theory escaped and Lashley and Rollins tagged back in. Lashley scored a two count from a powerslam after Theory broke up the pin. Rollins landed a frog splash on Lashley for a two count as Ziggler looked on. Riddle and Theory tagged back in as Riddle hit Orton’s DDT. Theory escaped the R.K.O. and retreated with Rollins, but Lashley speared Rollins through the barricade. Theory rolled up Riddle with his feet on the ropes, but Ziggler pushed Theory’s feet off the ropes. Riddle hit Theory with the R.K.O. for the three count.
WINNERS: Bobby Lashley & Riddle in 15:00.
-Post-match, Riddle & Lashley celebrated by playfully slapping each other. Lashley slapped Riddle too hard and he fell, but Lashley helped him up. As Theory got up inside the ring, Ziggler superkicked him to end the show.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Another mediocre show. Something was off about the show tonight, but the San Antonio crowd was better than average. Lesnar’s promo was unimpressive, but the beatdown was good.
Theory is becoming the focal point of the show. His treatment reminds me of Seth Rollins’ run as Mr. Money in the Bank in 2014. I am assuming the Dolph Ziggler and Theory program is a vehicle to get Theory an impressive win against an established talent.
The storytelling and continuity of the storylines continues to improve. However, the lack of Roman Reigns hurts things. It is a glaring hole when the unified champion is missing every week. Lashley would be a great option for Raw champion, so hopefully the titles will be split soon. Otherwise, this was a run-of-the-mill Raw. Nothing awful, nothing great.
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