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WWE RAW TV REPORT
JUNE 12, 2023
WICHITA, KS. AT INTRUST BANK ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
[HOUR ONE]
-After “Then, Now, Together, Forever” brand stamp, they skipped the Raw opening and the pyro and shots of the crowd. Instead, they went to Rhea Ripley making her ring entrance as Adam Pearce introduced her. Pearce stood mid-ring with the new title belt for her on a table under a covering. He presented her with the new belt, which he referred to as the “brand new Women’s World Championship.” She admired the new belt and handed over her blue Smackdown belt. She held it up and fans cheered a bit. Dominik Mysterio ran out to join her and snap the belt around her waist. Boos rang out when he ran out.
Dominik complained about the boos being disrespectful. “Everyone knows behind every great woman is a great man,” he said. Cody Rhodes’s music then played.
Cody came out as they shows fans standing and applauding. Cody entered the ring and asked the crowd what they want to talk about. He said they could talk about Ripley’s beautiful new belt with a legacy that she is building. He said they could also talk about his match with Miz later tonight. He threw to the video wall showing Dominik last week calling Cody a dead beat dad.
Cody said he’d rather have heard from Brock Lesnar, accepting his challenge, but he said Brock doesn’t have the balls to answer his challenge. He said instead he would challenge Dominik to a match at Money in the Bank. Fans chanted “You suck!” at Dominik. Cody told Dominik, “It’s a yes or it’s a no.” Fans chanted “Yes!” Ripley said Dom is more of a man than anyone in the arena, watching at home, and Cody himself, so he accepts. Miz jumped Cody from behind. Cody fought back and clotheslined him over the top rope. Dominik hit Cody from behind and then fled to the aisle where he and Ripley laughed and walked to the back.
(Keller’s Analysis: Nothing profound, but everyone played their part well. Dominik being brave until challenged and then Ripley speaking for him worked well. Dominik twisting the phrase into “behind every great woman is a great man” was pretty great. The new belt looks good, and it’s good to have the brand-affiliations removed.) [c]
(1) CODY RHODES vs. THE MIZ
The bell rang 14 minutes into the hour just as they returned from the break. Cody controlled for a few minutes with methodical offense until Miz yanked him off the ring apron and face-first into the ringside steps. He rammed Cody into the announce desk next. Back in the ring, Miz beat up Cody. Miz threw Cody into the ringside steps and then they cut to a break. [c]
Back from the break, Cody made a comeback with a sitout uranage. Miz charged at Cody seconds later, but Cody landed a snap powerslam. Cody then hit a Disaster Kick for a near fall. Miz caught Cody and went for a Skull Crushing Finale, but Cody leveraged Miz’s shoulders down for a two count. They exchanged moves and counter-moved rapid-fire leading to a DDT on Cody leading to a near fall for Miz. Cody blocked a Skull Crushing Finale and then hit a Cody Cutter and a Crossroads for the win.
WINNER: Cody in 11:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: The outcome wasn’t really ever in question, but they did enough to draw in fans who might buy into Miz nearfalls while not having Cody sell too much or take too many near falls before winning clean since they are trying to sell Cody as a threat to Lesnar and Roman Reigns, after all.)
-Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick hyped upcoming matches.
-Backstage Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were having a friendly chat with Becky Lynch. The camera followed Becky walking away and she noticed Chad Gable giving tips to Otis and Maxxine Dupree. She kept walking toward the door to the entrance.
-Becky made her ring entrance, walking past a gathering of a dozen ladders. [c]
-A clip aired of Becky beating Sonya Deville last week to qualify for the women’s Money in the Bank match.
-Becky stood mid-ring and talked about Ripley’s new belt. She said the MITB holder gives her leverage to strike fear in the champion. She said people do crazy things when they are scared. She said she struck so much fear in Trish Stratus that she got herself an insurance policy in the form of Zoey Stark. Stark’s music interrupted.
Stark walked out, mic in hand, and said she’s heard enough. She said Becky has accomplished a lot, but she’ll never get to beat Trish. She said she also won’t be able to beat her at Money in the Bank. She said she can add it to her list of failures. Becky said she has failed so many times, but she learns from them and that’s what makes her great. She said she knows that Stark is built like a pitbull, but she lacks a personality. Stark yelled at Becky, asking if she owns a damn mirror. She said Becky became relevant off of somebody breaking her face. The fans were “What’ing” Stark, so she told them to shut up. (She should not talk in a cadence with pauses in a rhythm.) Becky told her to come to the ring. At that moment, Chelsea Green’s music played. Green and Sonya walked out and asked the crowd to quiet down. Green asked Stark if her name is “Zoey.” Zoey made a move toward Green to try to get Green to flinch. Then she left.
Green walked out and said she came out to ringside last week because she didn’t want her tag partner to lose her rightful slot in the MITB. Becky told Green to head to the ring so she can show her why she’s famous. She threw the mic down and stood ready as Green entered the ring.
(2) BECKY LYNCH vs. CHELSEA GREEN (w/Sonya Deville)
The bell rang 40 minutes into the hour. Becky got in a flurry of early offense and knocked Green to the floor. They cut to a very early break. [c]
Back from the break, Green was in control with a chinlock on the mat. Becky came back with a sudden Disarm Her for the tapout win.
WINNER: Lynch in 7:00.
-They went to the announcers at ringside who threw to a video recap of Seth Rollins’s win last week over Damien Priest with Priest looking upset that Finn Balor came to ringside to try to help him win.
-Backstage, Priest, Balor, Ripley, and Dominik were walking together chatting. Priest told Ripley she should get a new belt every week. Ripley said Cody is going to get smacked at MITB. Balor was off in his own thoughts. Ripley asked if he was okay. He said he’s got a lot on his mind. Priest said he wants to qualify for the MITB match. He again said he wants to fight on his own.
(3) MATT RIDDLE vs. DAMIEN PRIEST – Money in the Bank qualifier
The bell rang 58 minutes into the hour. Priest took early control.
[HOUR TWO]
Priest charged at Riddle at ringside, but Riddle sidestepped him and then threw him into the announce desk. He quickly threw him back into the ring and rallied. Priest took control back a minute later with a Flatliner. The announcers talked about Priest growing and evolving while in The Judgment Day. Priest landed a backbreaker for a two count, then drove his knee into Riddle’s back. Riddle escaped and leveraged Priest’s shoulders down for a two count. They exchanged strikes mid-ring. Riddle got the better of Priest, so Priest rolled to ringside. Riddle springboarded at Priest with a twisting corkscrew senton.
Back in the ring, Riddle back suplexed Priest and bridged for a near fall. Priest blocked a Riddle kick. Riddle fired back with a high knee. Priest gave Riddle a Broken Arrow. They cut to a break at 7:00. [c]
Back from the break, Riddle applied a sleeper. Priest escaped and clotheslined Riddle. Priest charged at Riddle in the corner, but Riddle caught his arm and hung over the top rope. He had to break before the referee’s count reached five. When Riddle went for a slingshot move into the ring, Priest nailed him mid-air with a forearm. He then delivered a headlock driver for a near fall. A minute later Priest went for a top rope move, but Riddle escaped and then delivered a fisherman’s suplex on Priest off the top rope for a near fall. Riddle leaped off the top rope, but Priest moved. Priest then gave Riddle a Razor’s Edge off the top rope for the three count.
WINNER: Priest in 14:00 to advance to the men’s MITB match.
-Ludwig Kaiser and Gunther walked out as Priest began to celebrate the win. Priest confronted them at ringside, but then said, “Pick the bones.” Gunther attacked Riddle, who put up a hapless defense at first. Gunther stomped away at him as Kaiser taunted Riddle. Kaiser held Riddle as Gunther chopped his chest. Riddle went down, gasping for breath. Gunther yelled down at the fallen Riddle. His music played and he kept jawing at Riddle.
-They went to Graves and Patrick at ringside, who reacted to Gunther beating up Riddle. Then they threw to a clip of the opening segment between Cody and Dom.
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Cody backstage. She asked for his comment on his match against Dominik at MITB becoming official. He said Ripley accepted on his behalf. He said Lesnar won’t show up and Dom won’t go away. He said he loses his mind when the fans lose their minds singing his song. He said he is clinging to every second of his path to finishing his story. He wished Dom Dom luck knocking him off his path. He thanked Kelley and left. [c]
-Byron Saxton interviewed Natalya backstage. He asked about how she isn’t the same Natalya since losing to Ripley at Night of Champions. She said being her hasn’t gotten her anywhere and maybe she doesn’t even know herself anymore. She walked away. Saxton then saw Sami and KO walking by and asking about his tough loss to Gunther last week. KO said he came close, but tonight they’ve got a chance at payback. In walked Gunther and Kaiser. Kaiser said payback is what happened to Riddle. Sami tried to calm down KO as Kaiser got under his skin. Sami asked what happened to their third guy, “Baldy.” Pearce walked up and asked what the problem was. Sami said there was no problem. Kaiser challenged them to put their tag titles on the line. Owens shouted that he’s fine with that, so he was going to change out of his shorts and t-shirt into a different shorts and t-shirt. Gunther stared at the tag belts. Sami said he should take a good look because he’s looking at the Undisputed Tag Team Championships. Gunther told Pearce to make it a title match. Pearce said he’d think about it.
-Patrick threw to a lengthy video package on the Bloodline developments on Smackdown last Friday.
-A graphic hyped Reigns’s return to Smackdown on Friday.
-Ricochet made his ring entrance. Patrick said Ricochet is riding high right now after qualifying for MITB. [c]
-A promo aired with Indus Sher and Jinder Mahal backstage. Jinder said their job isn’t done when it comes to Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander, but if they accept a rematch, every one of their fears will be justified.
(4) RICOCHET vs. BRONSON REED
The bell rang 36 minutes into the hour. Reed brushed off Ricochet’s early offense and then took Ricochet down with a stiff forearm to the side of his head and neck. Shinsuke Nakamura walked out. Reed beat up Ricochet and then looked down at Nakamura. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
Nakamura sat at ringside after the break. Ricochet made a comeback and springboard-dropkicked Reed and then dove through the ropes to knock him into the announce desk. Ricochet played to the crowd as Reed returned to the ring. He then hit a top rope crossbody block and a springboard moonsault for a two count at 6:00. Reed caught Ricochet flipping off the ring apron and threw him like a dart into Nakamura at ringside. Reed threw Ricochet back into the ring. Reed climbed to the top rope. Nakamura knocked him off the top rope. The ref DQ’d Ricochet due to Nakamura’s interference.
WINNER: Reed via DQ in 8:00.
-The ref admonished Nakamura. Ricochet got up and took issue with Nakamura’s interference costing him the match. Reed attacked them both. He knocked Nakamura to the mat and climbed to the top rope. Ricochet knocked Reed off balance as he climbed to the top rope. Nakamura set up a suplex. Ricochet joined in. They worked together to vertical suplex Reed off the top rope to the mat. “How is the ring still standing?” asked Patrick. Fans chanted “Holy shit!” so WWE bleeped the chant.
-Backstage, Sami chatted with Owens and asked about him blowing up at Imperium. He said he’s been doing that a lot lately. Owens said it’s due to months of stress with the Bloodline and now Imperium. He said they “speak European” and he should understand it with his French background, but he doesn’t know what they’re saying and it stresses him out. Sami asked if he’s good to wrestle. KO said he’s great. Sami said that’s all that matters. Owens said he’s going to get water and asked Sami if he wants water. Sami said he does.
-They showed Balor, snarling as he made his way through the hallway. Patrick said he wanted to say something in the ring after the break. [c]
-Backstage, Ricochet told Pearce that he needs a rematch against Reed after what happened. Pearce said Reed is already booked against Nakamura next week. Ricochet asked Nakamura to explain what his problem is because that was his fight and he didn’t ask for his help and he doesn’t need it. He said if that happens again, they’ll have a problem they’ll need to deal with in the ring. Nakamura said it’s nothing personal, but it’s his turn to succeed where Ricochet failed. He said he can have Reed after he’s done with him.
-Balor walked out to the ring to an augmented version of his entrance theme fit for a villain. Patrick said they’re not sure what he’s doing out there. He said he wants to talk to Seth Rollins without jokes or zingers or singalongs. Seth made his entrance as fans sang his song. When Seth entered the ring, an agitated Balor asked if they were done. Fans kept signing. He said the fans better shut up because he’s been waiting a long time to say what he has to say.
He said they should sing about what Seth did to him seven years ago when he was the top draft pick on Raw and beat Roman Reigns on his first night, and then three weeks later beat Seth to become the first-ever Universal Champion. Fans kept singing. Seth licked his lips and smiled. Balor said this isn’t funny, it’s serious. Seth asked Kansas if they were having fun. Balor said he’s not having fun and said he’s been waiting seven years to say what he’s about to say to Seth. Fans kept loudly singing.
[HOUR THREE]
Seth asked what he has to say. Balor said what should have been the highest of highs for him in an instant became a lowest of lows because of Seth. He listed the injuries he suffered. He said it’s a tough business and injuries happen. He said what’s bothering him “because these idiots who won’t stop singing” is that he thinks the fans like him, but they don’t even know him. Seth asked what he was talking about. Balor said he’s talking about how he took everything from him. He said he took his momentum, his title, and a year of his career. He said it’s now his turn to take it all back. He said he’s going to take Seth’s momentum and take a year from his career at Money in the Bank.
Seth took a breath as fans went back to singing his song louder. Seth cackled and then said the fans of Kansas were too kind. He said he’s not laughing because they sang his promo out of the building. He said he’s laughing because this is the Balor he’s been waiting to see the last seven years. He said they went on career trajectories that were completely different because one of them got bitter and the other got better. He said he’s the best version of himself now and then accepted his challenge for a match at MITB. He asked Balor which version of him is going to show up in London. He said Balor is now a bitter shell of a champion who doesn’t stand a chance, but the Balor who beat him to become the first-ever Universal Champion with his arms hanging off his body (from where do they usually hang?) has a chance. Seth said this current version is a little bitch. He then laughed and left the ring quickly. Balor got a stern look and had a few words for Seth as he left the ring.
(Keller’s Analysis: For a match that didn’t feel particularly big before this promo, calling on their history and showing how bitter and torn up Balor is over what happened seven years ago added some steam to the match. The crowd’s enthusiasm for singing Seth’s song continues to make for fun television, especially when a heel like Balor is so visibly irked by it all.)
-Patrick said the Cody vs. Dom match is official for MITB.
-Raquel Rodriguez made her ring entrance. [c]
-Graves said Seth vs. Balor was official for MITB.
(5) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. SHAYNA BASZLER (w/Ronda Rousey)
The bell rang 13 minutes into the hour. They locked up at the start. Rodriguez landed two fallaway slams. Baszler retreated to ringside. Fans booed. Baszler avoided a running big boot by Rodriguez. Rodriguez rallied at 2:00 and set up a powerbomb. Rousey stepped onto the ring apron. Rodriguez dropped Baszler to walk over to Rousey and yell at her. Baszler rolled up Rodriguez from behind. Rousey added to Baszler’s leverage with a boot to the back as the ref counted three.
WINNER: Baszler in 3:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Was there any good reason for that match to be so short?)
-A video package aired on Iron Sheik, who died last week. [c]
(6) CHAD GABLE (w/Maxxine, Otis) vs. VIKING RAIDER ERIK (w/Viking Raider Ivar, Valhalla)
The bell rang 24 minutes into the hour. Gable landed a top rope headbutt a minute in. When Valhalla charged at Maxxine at ringside, Maxxine armdragged her. Gable rolled up Erik for a three count seconds later. The announcers made a big deal out of Maxxine successfully armdragging Valhalla. Patrick said she has potential.
WINNER: Gable in 2:00.
-A vignette aired on Ripley.
-Backstage Balor told J.D. McDonagh that it’s not important to make friends, it’s important to make money. McDonagh thanked him for the advice and said he’d catch up with him later. Priest walked up to Balor and said he seems to be in a better mood after getting the title shot he wants. Balor said if Priest wins MITB, would he cash in against him. Priest said no way, but he told Balor to keep his word with him. He said Seth has him “up and down and all over the place” and it’s leading to tension between them, so he told Balor to end things with Seth at MITB.
-KO and Sami made their ring entrances. [c]
-Kelley interviewed Seth backstage and he said he’ll beat Balor at MITB and Balor won’t just lose his mind, but Priest might be out on him as well. He cackled. He said he’s feel frisky and spry. He said they should throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing. He issued an open challenge next week on Raw for his title.
-Patrick and Graves hyped that Logan Paul would return to Raw next week.
(7) KEVIN OWENS & SAMI ZAYN vs. GUNTHER & LUDWIG KAISER – WWE Tag Team Title match
Mike Rome did formal ring introductions. The bell rang 40 minutes into the hour. Graves questioned KO volunteering to put their tag titles on the line. Patrick said Sami has been the voice of reason for KO lately. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
Kaiser took control of Sami at 8:00. He kicked Sami to the floor. Gunther then slammed him on the ring apron as Kaiser distracted the ref. As Imperium struck a pose, they cut to a break. [c]
Sami sunset-bombed Kaiser out of the corner right after they returned back live from the break. KO got the hot-tag at 14:00 and was fired up as he went after Gunther. He took him down with a hard clothesline and a quick senton followed by an exploder suplex. He fended off an interfering Kaiser and then superkicked a charging Gunther. Owens landed a cannon ball in the corner and a top rope Swanton Bomb for a near fall.
With Sami rallying a minute later against Kaiser, Gunther stopped Sami’s set up for a Helluva kick by yanking him to the floor by his feet. Sami ducked a Gunther chop. Sami returned to the ring with an attempt at a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Kaiser blocked it and landed an enzuigiri followed by a fireman’s carry slam. Gunther tagged in and launched Sami into a European Uppercut to the back of Sami’s neck. He then dove through the ropes at Owens. His boots hit the middle rope but he still hit Owens. Gunther, meanwhile, gave Sami a hard lariat for a near fall. The crowd popped for the kickout. Gunther hit Sami with another hard lariat and scored another near fall. Kaiser and Gunther gave Sami the Imperium Bomb. Owens broke up the cover by shoving Gunther into Kaiser. Fans chanted “This is awesome!”
Owens went after Gunther at ringside. Gunther threw KO into the ringpost. Riddle ran out as officials tried to keep him away. Gunther kicked him as he charged toward him. Owens gave Gunther a DDT on the entrance ramp. In the ring, Sami ducked a Kaiser clothesline and landed a Blue Thunder Bomb for the three count.
WINNERS:
(Keller’s Analysis: Good match. As usual, I’ll round out this report with more analysis later, but I’m off to immediately host a live podcast on this episode.)
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