SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 3, 2023
BALTIMORE, MD. AT CFG BANK ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Darrin Lilly from PWTorch to break down the show with live callers and emails.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com
•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, SEARCH “WADE KELLER” ON YOUR PODCAST APP TO SUBSCRIBE AND THEN DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW TWO HOURS OR SO AFTER THE TV SHOW ENDS.
– The show opened with an in memoriam graphic for the recently passed Darren “Droz” Drozdov.
– A video package aired, recapping the highlights from Saturday’s Money in the Bank.
– Seth Rollins made his way to the ring, as the crowd sang his theme. Rollins listed some of the top moments from Money in the Bank before focusing on his victory over Finn Bálor. Rollins prepared to talk about SummerSlam, only for Cody Rhodes to interrupt him. Before Cody could start speaking, Brock Lesnar showed up and started a brawl while Rollins walked away from the ring. Cody evaded the F5 and caught Lesnar with a Cody Cutter, forcing him to retreat, as WWE RAW went to commercials.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid way to open the show and continue to build Cody and Brock’s feud. I have given up on WWE giving us a reason why these two are actually feuding. I’m assuming they’ll do a stipulation match at SummerSlam.)
[Commercial Break]
– Back from break, Seth Rollins tried to speak about SummerSlam once again, but the Judgment Day interrupted him. Rhea Ripley said that everyone wants to talk about them, only for Rollins to point out that Finn Bálor is missing. Damian Priest told Rollins to not be concerned about Finn and to be concerned about his briefcase. Priest teased all the moments he could cash-in his contract, including tonight.
– Rollins told Priest that he doesn’t even have a match tonight and would go to celebrate in Baltimore. Dominik Mysterio tried to speak, but the crowd’s booing didn’t let him speak. Ripley said that Dominik wants to fight Rollins tonight. Rollins pointed out that it looks like a trap, but still chose to accept the challenge.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fine follow-up for the Judgment Day and Seth Rollins after Money in the Bank. Not particularly excited for Rollins vs Dominik. I think Damian Priest will try to cash-in, but Finn Bálor will stop him.)
– At backstage, Shinsuke Nakamura made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Damian Priest.
[Commercial Break]
(1) SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. DAMIAN PRIEST (w/Rhea Ripley & Dominik Mysterio)
Priest put Nakamura in a wrist lock before clocking him with an elbow strike. Nakamura caught Priest with a series of knee strikes, followed by a sliding kick to the face. Priest stomped Nakamura down, setting him up for a corner elbow strike and a Bell Clap. Nakamura nailed Priest with a kick to the back and a rising knee strike to the mid-section. Priest evaded a sliding dropkick and laid Nakamura out with a Broken Arrow onto the barricade, as WWE RAW went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Nakamura dropped Priest with an STO, following it with a sliding German suplex. Nakamura blew a kiss at Ripley before knocking Priest down with a dropkick. Priest caught a diving knee strike with an elbow strike. Nakamura countered a flatliner with a roll-through, followed by an armbar attempt. Priest blasted Nakamura with a cyclone, but he kicked out at two. Nakamura evaded the Razor’s Edge and the South of Heaven, nailing Priest with a spinning kick for a two count. Nakamura cracked Priest with a diving knee strike, but missed the follow-up Kinshasa. Priest turned Nakamura inside out with a hammerlock lariat, followed by the South of Heaven for the win.
WINNER: Damian Priest at 10:59
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty strong first win for Damian Priest as Mr. Money in the Bank. I’m fully expecting Priest to start a winning streak, now that he is essentially a future main event star.)
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Shayna Baszler turning on Ronda Rousey and costing them the Women’s tag titles aired.
– Ronda Rousey made her way to the ring to address Shayna Baszler’s betrayal, only for Baszler to immediately interrupt. Baszler said that everyone was tired of hearing her speak. Baszler called Ronda narcissistic and said that she was the one that brought her into this business. She pointed out how she has paid her dues and worked hard while Ronda came through the back door directly into WrestleMania.
– Baszler said that she loves this and Ronda ruined it for her. Baszler said that the sobering reality is that she is the only one that can shut Ronda up. Ronda knocked Baszler off the apron with a kick and tried to put her in a sleeper hold. Baszler turned the hold into an ankle lock, following it with a knee strike to the head.
(Pomares’s Analysis: While this story has some plot holes, that was by far Shayna Baszler’s greatest promo since moving to the main roster. If the rumors are true, kicking Ronda Rousey out of WWE could be a strong way to establish Baszler as a top star.)
– At backstage, the Alpha Academy trained ahead of their encounter against the Viking Raiders.
– Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez made their way to the ring to watch a gauntlet match to determine new title contenders.
– Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green made their way to the ring, ahead of their gauntlet match.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– Earlier today, Candice LeRae told Nikki Cross that they couldn’t be partners tonight while Emma offered to be her teammate.
– All the participating teams were watching the match from ringside.
(2a) CANDICE LERAE & INDI HARTWELL vs. CHELSEA GREEN & SONYA DEVILLE – Tag Team Gauntlet Match
Hartwell knocked Deville down and nailed her with an uppercut. LeRae and Hartwell dropped Deville with a neckbreaker and backbreaker combination. Green took Hartwell down with a thrust kick before LeRae sent her out of the ring. LeRae missed a moonsault, allowing Green to hit her with an Unprettier and Deville to knock her out with a knee strike.
WINNERS: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville
(2b) CHELSEA GREEN & SONYA DEVILLE vs. NIKKI CROSS & EMMA
Cross attacked Green and Deville from behind, but tagged out to check on LeRae. Emma clocked Green with a sideways dropkick for a two count. Emma dropped Green with a suplex, followed by a corner splash, but Deville broke the pinfall. Green dropped Emma with a Russian leg sweep, but couldn’t tag out because Cross was crying at ringside. Green and Deville knocked Emma out with an Unprettier and a running knee strike.
WINNERS: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville
(2c) CHELSEA GREEN & SONYA DEVILLE vs. TEGAN NOX & DANA BROOKE
Nox clocked Green with a dropkick, followed by a series of uppercuts. Brooke and Nox laid Green out with a double facebuster. They knocked Green and Deville down with stereo sliding dropkicks, as WWE RAW went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Green and Deville had just eliminated Nox and Brooke.
WINNERS: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville
(2d) CHELSEA GREEN & SONYA DEVILLE vs. KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER
Chance sent Green out of the ring while Carter nailed Deville with a thrust kick. Carter crushed Deville with a leg drop, followed by a springboard moonsault from Chance. Green and Deville dropped Chance with a double suplex for a two count. Carter caught Green with a forearm strike, but she was able to knock Chance off the apron. Chance planted Green with an avalanche hurracarrana off of Carter’s shoulders, but Deville broke the pinfall at the last moment. Deville tripped Chance off the apron before being tripped off the top turnbuckle by Carter. Deville took a cheap shot at Carter, allowing Green to finish her with the Unprettier.
WINNERS: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville at 11:54
(Pomares’s Analysis: There are two types of gauntlet match. The long ones that can showcase a good chunk of the roster while possibly making a star in the process ala Kofi Kingston or Seth Rollins. And the short ones that showcase two participants at most while making the rest of the participants look weak in comparison. Unfortunately this was the latter. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville looked solid, but nearly everyone else looked like enhancement talent.)
– A recap of Becky Lynch, Zoey Stark and Trish Stratus fighting at Money in the Bnak aired.
– At backstage, Becky Lynch made her way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
– A video package for Bronson Reed aired.
– Becky Lynch made her way to the ring and called out Trish Stratus to finish their issues right now. Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark showed up on the ramp, with Stratus wearing a protective face mask. Stratus said that she is not medically cleared, only for Lynch to challenge Stark. Stratus told Lynch that no one is better than her because she is the greatest of all time. Lynch pointed out how Stratus needed Stark’s help to beat her.
– Lynch said that Stratus would just leave Stark when she returns to paying to appear on the cover of magazines. Stratus said that she is the face of the division and that Stark would break her face. Stratus said that she had a medical appointment, but Stark would available to wrestle Lynch next week.
(Pomares’s Analysis: That segment started fine with Becky Lynch doing another fired-up promo. However, it went on for longer than the amount of new material they actually had.)
– A recap of Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar brawling at the start of the show aired.
– Cody Rhodes showed up on the stage for an interview. Cody said there is no way that he and Lesnar could co-exist on RAW. He said that he would be willing to fight Lesnar every night.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Why did this interview segment take place on the stage and not backstage?)
[Commercial Break]
(3) ALPHA ACADEMY (Chad Gable & Otis & Maxxine Dupri) vs. VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar & Valhalla)
Erik knocked Gable down with a clothesline, followed by an elbow strike. Otis knocked Ivar off the apron and took Erik down with a back elbow. Otis planted Ivar with a body slam, followed by a corner clothesline and the Caterpillar on Erik, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Otis took Erik and Ivar down with a double shoulder tackle. Gable nailed Ivar with a Mule kick, setting him up for a running blockbuster. Gable took Erik down with a Xploder and Ivar with a n avalanche bulldog. As Erik got up, Gable tackled him over the ropes and crushed him with a cannonball. Gable nailed Ivar with a diving headbutt, but Erik broke the pinfall.
Erik cracked Gable with a knee strike before receiving an elbow strike from Otis. Ivar blasted Otis with a leg lariat, knocking everyone down. Dupri got the hot tag to hit Valhalla with a couple of throws and a suplex. Dupri tried to do the Caterpillar, but Valhalla clocked her with a knee strike. Gable took Otis, Erik and Ivar down with an Orihara moonsault. Dupri surprised Valhalla with a sunset flip pinfall to pick up the win.
WINNERS: Alpha Academy at 7:57
(Pomares’s Analysis: Just a fun match to seemingly put an end to this rivalry while giving Maxxine Dupri her first win. After that, I’d like Alpha Academy to get back to the tag scene.)
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– A recap of Ricochet putting Logan through a table aired.
– Footage of Logan Paul and Ricochet brawling backstage at Money in the Bank was shown.
– At backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Ricochet about his interactions with Logan Paul. Ricochet called out Logan for confronting him backstage before daring him to show up next week.
– Natalya attacked Rhea Ripley on the ramp, as she made her way to the ring. Natalya drove Ripley into the steel steps before tossing her into the ring.
(4) RHEA RIPLEY vs. NATALYA – Women’s World Championship
Natalya knocked Ripley off her feet, forcing Ripley to roll out of the ring. Ripley caught Natalya with a jab and started smashing her head into the announce table. Natalya avoided a clothesline and dropped Ripley with a German suplex. Ripley hit Natalya with a strike to the mid-section, followed by a series of forearm strikes to the back. Natalya attacked Ripley with a couple of forearms, but she knocked her down with a headbutt for a two count.
Ripley pummeled Natalya down with numerous seated sentons, a kick to the ribs and a thrust kick. Natalya knocked Ripley off the top turnbuckle and crushed her with a high crossbody. Ripley took Natalya down and blasted her with a basement dropkick for a nearfall, as Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Ripley blocked the Sharpshooter and kicked Natalya away. Ripley cracked Natalya with a grounded spinning kick to the head. Natalya took Ripley down with a hurracarrana and a discus clothesline, but she kicked out at two. Ripley kicked Natalya away and blasted her with a missile dropkick for a nearfall. Ripley trapped Natalya in an inverted Cloverleaf, only for Natalya to send her into the turnbuckle.
Natalya tried to lock in the Sharpshooter, but Ripley smashed her head into the turnbuckle pad. Natalya blocked a Frog Splash with boots to the face, launching Ripley away. Ripley missed a shoulder strike and crashed into the ring post, allowing Natalya to hit her with a powerslam. Natalya put Ripley in the Sharpshooter, forcing her to crawl to reach the ropes. Ripley evaded a sliding dropkick, blasted Natalya with a rising kick and finished her with the Riptide.
WINNER: Rhea Ripley at 14:07 (Still Women’s World Champion)
– After the match, Rhea Ripley assaulted Natalya, until Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez made the save.
(Pomares’s Analysis: The build to this match has been far from great and way too long. However, once they were actually allowed to wrestle, Natalya and Rhea Ripley had an outstanding encounter. Easily Ripley’s best match since winning the belt and Natalya’s best singles match in God knows how long.)
– Earlier today, Tommaso Ciampa called out The Miz for attacking him from behind. Ciampa pointed out how Miz has been losing many matches over the past few years. Ciampa said that he saw the spark back in Miz’s eyes and was ready to face him.
– At backstage, The Miz said that everyone who has ever been by his side is gone while he is still here. Miz challenged Ciampa to a No Disqualification match next week.
[Commercial Break]
– A lengthy video package of the Usos defeating Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at Money in the Bank aired.
– The commentary team confirmed that Roman Reigns would be on trial on this week’s SmackDown.
– Matt Riddle made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Giovanni Vinci.
[Commercial Break]
– At backstage, Rhea Ripley crossed paths with Iyo Sky. Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest asked if they had heard from Finn Bálor. Ripley said that Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez would pay if they got in her business again.
(5) MATT RIDDLE vs. GIOVANNI
Vinci attacked Riddle from behind, nailed him with a couple of chops and dropped him with a body slam into the ropes. Vinci took Riddle down with a springboard crossbody, followed by an ankle lock. Riddle kicked Vinci away and cracked him with a Pele kick. Vinci put Riddle down with a rolling senton and a moonsault for a two count. Riddle caught Vinci with a knee strike, but he responded with an ankle lock. Vinci tried to counter the Broderick with a roll-through, only for Riddle to turn it into a successful pinfall of his own.
WINNER: Matt Riddle at 1:38
– After the match, Imperium assaulted Matt Riddle, until Drew McIntyre showed up to make the save. Drew faced Gunther before blasting Vinci with a Claymore. Gunther had a face-off with Drew before walking away from the ring.
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was a nothing match that only served to have Gunther and Drew face off again. I wish Vinci and Kaiser were given chances to do more stuff than just being Gunther’s cronies.)
– Dominik Mysterio made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Seth Rollins.
[Commercial Break]
– At backstage, Matt Riddle thanked Drew McIntyre for keeping his back. Byron Saxton interrupted to interview Drew about his comeback. Drew confirmed that he was back while Riddle said they should team up to face Imperium next week.
– It was confirmed that next week we would see Becky Lynch battle Zoey Stark, Logan Paul and Ricochet have a face-to-face; and Tommaso Ciampa take on The Miz in a No Disqualification match.
(6) SETH ROLLINS vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO (w/Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley)
They started the match exchanging headlock takeovers. Rollins knocked Dominik dow with a shoulder tackle, followed by a series of body shots. Ripley distracted Rollins, but he still launched him out of the ring. Rollins nailed Dominik with a knee strike off the apron, as WWE RAW went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Rollins hit Dominik with Three Amigos. Ripley distracted the referee, allowing Priest to save Dominik from a Frog Splash. Dominik nailed Rollins with a pair of Frog Splashes, but Rollins blocked a third one. Rollins attacked Dominik with a series of kicks and forearm strikes, followed by a backbreaker. Rollins cracked Dominik with a Shining Wizard, but Priest distracted him before the Pedigree. Dominik tried to attack him from behind, but Rollins sent him out of the ring. Rollins blasted Dominik and Priest with a suicide at ringside. Back in the ring, Priest dropped Rollins with South of Heaven to cause a Disqualification.
WINNER: Seth Rollins via DQ at 9:46
– After the match, Priest drove Rollins into the steel steps and planted him with a flatliner on the announce table. Rollins evaded the Razor’s Edge and nailed Priest with a thrust kick. Dominik clocked Rollins with the briefcase from behind before giving it to Priest. Priest prepared to cash-in, only for Finn Bálor to attack Rollins and accidentally knock Priest off the apron. Finn tried to go for the Coup de Grace, but Priest stopped him to argue with him. Dominik tried to stop Rollins from walking away, but Rollins laid him out with a Pedigree.
(Pomares’s Analysis: The match itself was nothing to write home about. It was the post-match angle that actually set up an interesting storyline. Finn Bálor and Damian Priest clashing at SummerSlam seems like the most logical conclusion while Seth Rollins moves on to a program away from the Judgment Day.)
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Darrin Lilly from PWTorch to break down the show with live callers and emails.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com
•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, SEARCH “WADE KELLER” ON YOUR PODCAST APP TO SUBSCRIBE AND THEN DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW TWO HOURS OR SO AFTER THE TV SHOW ENDS.
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