SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 17, 2023
ATLANTA, GA.
AIRED LIVE ON USA
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
[HOUR ONE]
-After “Then, Now, Together, Forever,” Kevin Patrick introduced the show and touted the sellout crowd. They hyped the scheduled matches.
-Cody Rhodes made his ring entrance. Graves said, “The American Nightmare is home!” Patrick said friends and family are in attendance. (Uh oh.) Patrick said the question now is whether Brock Lesnar will show up to answer Cody’s challenge for a match at Summerslam. Cody asked fans what they want to talk about. He said the truth is, they don’t need to talk because there’s a big shadow looming over the arena because Lesnar should just come to the ring and accept his challenge. Graves said Lesnar is scheduled to be there tonight.
After a pause, Cody said this is Brock’s M.O. to be “fashionably late.” He said he’ll be in the ring waiting for him whenever he decides to show up. Fans chanted “Cody! Cody!” Cody’s voice cracked as he said his mom is in the front row. They showed Michelle Rhodes smiling in the front row. He said there’s a reason his catchphrase isn’t “funky like a monkey.” He said the other side of his family made him who he is.
He said his relationship with Lesnar is complex. He said it’s just two words, and it’s not his hit single or representative of his life so he doesn’t use them much, but the two words are “hard times.” (Not much crowd reaction; maybe a lot of fans aren’t that familiar with Dusty Rhodes’s incredible body of work.) He said Lesnar faces hard times when he shows up in his home state in front of his people. He got all fired up and told the crowd to enjoy Raw and he said he loves them very much. As Cody dropped to ringside to hug his family members at ringside, Graves said Cody’s challenge hasn’t been accepted yet.
Lesnar’s music then replaced Cody’s. Cody looked for Lesnar, but Lesnar didn’t show up. Lesnar’s music played again. Cody waited for him on the stage. He went to the back. A chair flew out of the entry area. Brock then came out from the back and beat Cody with a chair cross his back several times. He whipped him into the ringside barricade and then rammed him back-first into the ringpost. He followed with an F5 right in front of his family. They showed his mom reacting.
Lesnar threw Cody into into the ring and applied a Kimura lock. Fans booed as Cody cried out in pain and clutched his arm. Lesnar then yelled, “Challenge accepted! I’ll see you at Summerslam, bitch!”
(Keller’s Analysis: Cody continues to be in rhythm with the WWE audience. Having Lesnar beat up Cody in front of his mom was a good touch.) [c]
-A Smackdown commercial hyped that it will air on FS1 this Friday instead of Fox.
-Patrick and Graves narrated a replay of Lesnar beating down Cody.
(1) GUNTHER vs. MATT RIDDLE
They replayed last week’s happenings that led to this match, including Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci being banned from ringside. The bell rang 23 minutes into the hour. Gunther grounded Riddle early. At 1:00 Riddle used his legs to throw Gunther over the top rope to the floor. He kicked Gunther soccer-style from the ring apron. When he leaped at Gunther, Gunther chopped him out of mid-air. Gunther slammed him at ringside. They cut to a break with Riddle crying out in pain on the floor. [c]
Back live at 5:00, they replayed Riddle landing a superplex on Gunther during the break. Gunther came back with a released German suplex and a clothesline. They kept cutting backstage to get the reactions of Vinci and Kaiser watching on a monitor. Riddle made a comeback with some knees to the head leading to a near fall at 7:9090. Riddle went for a Floating Bro, but Gunther raised his knees. Gunther then powerbombed Riddle and stacked him for the three count. Graves said it was a hell of an effort from Riddle.
WINNER: Gunther in 9:00.
-Gunther stood on the announce desk afterward. He said tonight is the greatest night of the fans’ “sad lives.” He said they have just seen the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. He said Riddle is done and he is building a legacy. He said Drew McIntyre can step up and try to ride on his coattail, but like everybody else, he will fall victim to him.
(Keller’s Analysis: Not that they can’t get him revved up again down the line, but Riddle is definitely being treated as a second tier wrestler on the roster these days. It’s good to see a clean decisive win for a heel, especially given Gunther’s character and how hard he’s being pushed.)
-Graves plugged the Women’s Tag Team Title match later.
-Jackie Redmond interviewed Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez backstage. Raquel said the tougher the battle, the sweeter the victory. As Liv listed potential opponents, in walked Rhea Ripley. “Not even me?” she said. Rodriguez looked directly at her and said, “Not even you.” As Liv began talking, Ripley headbutted her. Rodriguez and Ripley brawled. Referees and officials quickly separated them. Rodriguez clutched her knee as Liv asked if she was okay. Graves said she’s got a big match tonight.
(Keller’s Analysis: In the Wade Keller Hotline for VIP members earlier today, I questioned whether Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green were credible challengers given how they’ve been portrayed lately. Having Rodriguez go into the match injured addresses that issue by making Rodriguez & Liv seem more vulnerable. This also sets up a future Ripley vs. Rodriguez match.)
-The Judgment Day’s ring entrance began. [c]
-Patrick hyped the Priority Passes going on sale for next year’s WrestleMania in Philadelphia.
-They went backstage to the Viking Raiders and Valhalla under special lighting as Graves hyped their match later.
-The Judgment Day stood in the ring. Ripley said people thought they were going to break up, but they’re together tonight. She said no one can stop them. She said they don’t just run Raw, they dominate it. She said Raquel just found that out. She said Damian Priest and Finn Balor will become World Champions. She then said tomorrow night, her “Latino Heat” and “Dirty Dom” will become the NXT North American Champion.
Dom began talking about tomorrow night. Fans drowned him out with boos as he said he was going to beat Wes Lee. Priest said they get it, but those boos won’t change the fact that Dominik will win the NXT North American Title. He held up his Money in the Bank briefcase and said their boos won’t stop him from becoming WWE Champion. He told Balor that he will get the first crack at Seth. Balor told Priest he loves him. Balor said the issues that he has with Seth Rollins will never be over until his arm is raised as the new WWE Champion. Dom tried to talk again. More boos. He ranted in Spanish. He was then interrupted by Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.
Sami said he thinks he has a pretty good relationship with the WWE Universe. He said he tends to know what they like and dislike. He said he wanted to ask about one thing. “Did you pay your hard-earned money to come here tonight and listen to Dominik Mysterio talk?” Fans booed. He asked if, instead, they paid their hard-earned money to see someone shut Dominik’s mouth for him. Cheers. He said they’re all in luck because they’re going to face Priest and Balor later.
Priest said lately they’ve been focused on singles titles. He said he sees belts that would look great around their waists. He told them to put their titles on the line tonight. Sami thought about it and said it’s not bad idea. Fans chanted, “Yes! Yes!” He said he feels he should let his partner in on this. He said KO seems agitated after listening to the Judgment Day talk for five minutes. He handed KO the mic.
Owens asked Sami if he should lead with his heart. KO yelled that as long as he can stun Priest and put his fist through Dom’s face, they’re on. He shouted, “Let’s go!” Graves said KO’s temper might’ve just cost them their titles.
-Patrick said they just heard that Seth plans to respond to what Balor just said. Also, Miz TV will feature Becky Lynch. They went to Patrick and Graves on camera.
-Backstage a trainer said he’d feel better if they scanned Rodriguez knee. Rodriguez didn’t want to miss the match. Adam Pearce said if Rodriguez says she’s okay, he’s still sanctioning the match. [c]
-They showed images of Atlanta-based sports teams as Patrick noted their success lately.
-They showed Chad Gable, Otis, and Maxxine getting psyched up tonight.
-Ring entrances took place for the women’s WWE Tag Team Title match. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
(2) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ & LIV MORGAN vs. CHELSEA GREEN & SONYA DEVILLE – WWE Tag Team Title match
Deville kicked a charging Morgan at the bell. The heel duo controlled her in the corner. When Rodriguez tagged in, Deville cranked on a half Boston crab, targeting Raquel’s injured knee. Liv broke up the hold. Liv went back to her corner. Rodriguez crawled over and tagged in Liv at 4:00.
Liv went on the attack and landed a meteora and then a Oblivion for a near fall, broken up by Deville at two. Green fired back with an Un-Pretty-Her (they’re really enunciating it carefully now) for a near fall. Liv rolled up Sonya seconds later for a near fall. Deville yanked Rodriguez off the ring apron and Rodriguez landed on her sore knee and went down. Meanwhile, Green hit another Un-pretty-her. Deville then landed a running knee to Liv’s face for the pin. Raquel was sitting dejected on the floor as a medic tended to her injured knee.
WINNERS: Green & Deville in 5:00 to capture the Women’s Tag Titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: Green and Deville have been a fun duo, but they haven’t been treated as a real threat or top level team. They beat a weakened championship team, which seems to pivot Rodriguez to a singles feud with Ripley.)
-The announcers commented on a replay of the Lesnar attack on Cody earlier. Then they hyped Lesnar vs. Cody for Summerslam.
-They showed Seth backstage chatting with Byron Saxton backstage as he was getting mic’d up. [c]
-Graves said they were all shocked and equally excited about the future of the Women’s Tag Team Division after Green & Deville won.
-Saxton interviewed Deville and Green backstage. He began talking about how they basically won against a one-person team. Deville said they didn’t want to talk about Rodriguez’s “fake knee injury” and now they’re going to run the division and everybody better respect them. Green was rambling, to the apparent slight annoyance of Deville, about all the people who believed in her that she wanted to thank.
-Graves threw to a video package on the Bloodline segment with Jey Uso on Smackdown last Friday.
-They went backstage to the sitdown interview with Seth and Saxton. Saxton asked what his plans are for Summerslam regarding defending his title. Seth said he has big plans. He said he has a list of challengers, and Balor has earned a place on that list. He said others include Priest, Drew McIntyre, Gunther, and Kevin Owens.
In walked Balor. He said he could take it from there, so Saxton stood and left. Balor sat in front of Seth and stared at him. He said he wants his rematch and he doesn’t care about how many other contenders there are. “The line starts with me,” he said. He told Seth the issues between them are far from over, so he should talk to Pearce and make the match.
Seth said he understands where he is coming from, but he has to stop living in the past. Balor said he’s not living in the past, he’s living in chaos. He said he’s going to hurt Seth and laugh in his face and alter his career forever. Seth stared back at him and said, in a more somber serious tone than usual for his character, that the title is bigger than his personal vendetta. He said it’s bigger than both of them. He said if he wants to settle a score, they don’t need a match because they can do that right now. “Take your shot or get out of my face,” he said. Balor smiled and said “cool.” He stood and knocked over his chair, then turned and left. Balor then returned and jumped Seth as Seth was taking off his mic. Balor looked down at him and said, “Make the match.”
(Keller’s Analysis: Balor has really risen to this occasion.)
-They went to Graves and Patrick at ringside who reacted to the angle. Then they shifted to talking about the Vikings Rules match. “This is going to be wild,” Graves said.
-Chad Gable and Otis made their ring entrance. [c]
(3) THE VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar w/Valhala) vs. ALPHA ACADEMY (Chad Gable & Otis w/Maxxine)
Titus O’Neil joined the announcers on commentary. Gable and Otis jump-started the match as the Raiders were getting ready to enter the ring. Gable scored an early two count at ringside. The Raiders took control until Ivar springboarded off the middle rope at Otis, but Otis caught him and turned it into a powerslam. Titus went bonkers as they cut to a break. [c]
Back from the break, Ivar landed a top rope moonsault. Gable broke up the cover by landing his own moonsault onto Ivar’s back. Gable then went into a German suplex into a bridge for a near fall, broken up by Erik. Gable landed a diving headbutt off the top rope on Erik. Valhalla broke up the cover. Maxxine then leaped off the top rope with a flying body press. Titus exclaimed, “Yessss!” Gable picked up a letter jacket and told Maxxine to put it on as a reward for her progress. Valhalla then charged and drove her through the table propped in the corner. The Raiders threw gable into two Viking shields wedged in the corner.
Otis blocked a spin wheel kick by Erik and then beat him up. He fended off an interfering Erik, also. He yelled, “Oh yeah!” Otis landed a released powerbomb on Erik. He then did the Caterpillar Elbowdrop. Graves said he needed Titus to bark there. Valhalla hit Otis as he climbed the top rope. Ivar and Erik then powerbombed Otis off the top rope for the win.
WINNERS: Viking Raiders in 11:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was fun.)
-They replayed Miz vs. Tommaso Ciampa ending after Bronson Reed attacked Ciampa. Graves said they’re still awaiting an explanation because they know Reed and Miz have had an alliance in the past.
-Graves and Patrick hyped what was coning up later in the show including Reed vs. Shinsuke Nakamura.
-Shayna Baszler made her ring entrance. [c]
-A video package aired on the set-up for Wes Less vs. Dominik on NXT tomorrow night.
(4) SHAYNA BASZLER vs. NIKKI CROSS
Baszler absorbed an flurry of forearms by Nikki at the bell, avoided a charge in the corner, and applied her sleeper for a quick tapout,
WINNER: Baszler in about 20 seconds.
-Afterward, Ronda Rousey’s voice said, “And the crowd goes mild!” Rousey was standing in a luxury suite. She said Baszler accused her of getting a ticket to her WWE career through a back door shortcut. She said her back door path was tougher than Baszler’s. She said her path was winning a historic Olympic medal in judo and then having a historic UFC career only to be thrown to the wolves into WWE with no training or experience. She said she built a Hall of Fame WWE career in less than a year. She said Baszler, on the other hand, was trained every step of the way gradually. She said it took her only a fraction of the time to eclipse her in a new field yet again. She called Baszler “a knock-off version of me.”
Baszler said it’s easy for her to talk from all the way up there. Baszler said when it comes to doing what they do in a WWE ring, “I’m a better Ronda Rousey than you.” She told her to waltz to the ring and fight. Rousey said no. Rousey kicked her feet up. “Unless you wanna make me,” she said. Baszler charged up the steps. Rousey said she’s going to do her a favor and “finally get you booked on Summerslam.” She said she’ll see her in the Motor City. She called Baszler a bitch and threw the mic and left as Baszler stood amongst the fans.
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s pretty clear now that Baszler is supposed to be the babyface here. Rousey still needs a metronome to pace herself on promos because her cadence is like a runaway truck without brakes going down a steep hill.)
-They went to the announcers on commentary who talked about the Ricochet-Logan Paul situation. A clip aired of Logan’s promo last week.
-Redmond interviewed Ricochet backstage and asked about Logan saying he doesn’t want to just give Ricochet another viral moment. Ricochet said in WWE, Logan is the joke. He challenged him to meet him next week on Raw in Tampa, Fla. and he’ll hurt him where it really hurts – his ego.
(Keller’s Analysis: Ricochet was good there. He’s getting reps in on the mic and he’s getting better.)
-They showed Becky Lynch backstage heading to the ring for Miz TV. [c]
[HOUR THREE]
-Miz TV: Miz said he beat Ciampa and he’s a winner. He said he’s the biggest winner in all of WWE. He said he played in a big Golf Tournament next to other celebrities including Pat McAfee. He said McAfee is the most overpaid loser in all of sports “besides Trey Young” (the local NBA star). He said his guest has been on a downward spiral as of late and is the first woman to main event and win at WrestleMania.
Becky made her ring entrance. A clip aired Zoey Stark beating Lynch last week after a distraction by Trish Stratus. Miz told Becky she lost to Trish, then lost at MITB, and then last week lost to Stark. Miz asked if she has lost a step. Becky threw chairs out of the ring and yelled in Miz’s face. She said she’s lost a lot of things in the last year including titles and friends and maybe even her mind. She said she gets how his stupid little show works. She told him to bring Trish out there “before you lose your tiny testicles.” A “Tiny balls!” chant rang out. “That was a bit much,” said Miz. “And thank you for ruining the surprise.” He admitted he has surprise guests. He introduced Stark and Trish.
As Trish walked out wearing a facemask, Trish ranted. Trish told her to settle down because she’s acting like a bratty toddler. Trish brought up Becky’s daughter. Becky told her to leave her daughter’s name out of her mouth. Trish asked what her problem was. She asked why she was so obsessed with her. As she entered the ring, Trish thanked Miz for bringing up that she already fought her and won. She said she won’t fight her again. She said since she’s been back, Becky has had a run of losses, so they’re done with Becky and ready to move on. She said this is the perfect place for her to say, “Thank you, Trish.”
Becky called Trish a self-centered psychopath. She said she hit her when she was at her weakest because she knew she couldn’t handle her at her strongest. She said she shouldn’t act like she owes her anything. She said she has accomplished more in WWE than she did. She said she wants her to accept a rematch to prove she’s as good as she says she is. She asked if she’s all talk and only good at hiding behind Stark.
Trish agreed to fight her, but only under a few conditions. She told booing fans to shut up. Boos got louder. She said she needs to go through Stark first because she didn’t beat her yet. “Done,” said Becky. Trish said Stark is the fastest-rising star in WWE and she seems overconfident. She told Becky to get on her knees and say, “Thank you, Trish.” Becky said, “Done.”
Trish said she’ll need one more thing. She said she wants her tattoo “Thank you, Trish” across her chest. Becky said, “Done.” Stark laughed. They attacked Becky two-on-one. Becky fended them off and ripped off Trish’s protective face gear and put it on.
-The announcers commented on a clip of Lesnar’s attack on Cody.
-Nakamura’s ring entrance began. [c]
-Patrick plugged Survivor Series tickets going on sale this Friday.
(5) BRONSON REED vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Graves said Reed likes to accept money to do bad things to people. They cut to an early break with Reed in control. [c]
Back from the break, Nakamura made a comeback. He avoided a charging Reed in the corner, round kicked him, and then Dragon whipped him to the mat leading to a two count. Reed made a comeback and landed a running Death Valley Driver for a believable near fall. Fans chanted, “Nakamura!” When Reed climbed to the top rope, Nakamura stood and kicked him off balance. He then landed a flying knee off the second rope for a near fall. Reed countered a Kinshasa attempt with a bodypress. Tommaso Ciampa attacked Reed.
WINNER: Reed via DQ in 8:00.
-Nakamura was upset with Ciampa after the match. He yelled at him mid-ring. Ciampa patted himself on the chest and said, “My bad.” Nakamura kicked him and got bleeped as he yelled at him. Graves said Nakamura’s frustrations are understandable.
-Backstage, Owens and Zayn were prepping for their title defense next. [c]
-Saxton interviewed a frustrated Nakamura backstage. He said he is tired of everyone getting in his business. Saxton asked about what he did to Ciampa. Nakamura stood and yelled, “I said I’m tired of everyone getting involved in my business!”
-Graves said he’s eager to see what that means in coming weeks. Patrick then hyped next week’s Raw: Becky vs. Zoey for a chance to fight Trish and also Drew and Gunther face-to-face. Then Graves said Logan accepted through social media and he’ll be in Tampa next week.
-Owens and Sami made their ring entrance. The Judgment Day made their entrance next. Graves said it just became official that Seth will defend against Balor at Summerslam. [c]
(6) KEVIN OWENS & SAMI ZAYN vs. DAMIAN PRIEST & DOMINIK MYSTERIO – WWE Tag Team Title match
Seth dove at Balor at ringside and brawled with him to the back. The bell rang 43 minutes into the hour. The heels eventually isolated Sami for a minute in their corner. When Sami made a comeback, Dom rolled to ringside. Sami pursued him and threw him into the announce desk. Priest chokeslammed Sami on the ring apron. Then they cut to a break at 4:00. [c]
Back from the break, Sami hot-tagged in Owens who went to work on Priest with punches and then clotheslined him over the top rope to the floor. Owens landed a clothesline and a senton splash on Priest. He followed with a frog splash on Dom off the ring apron, doing an Eddie Guerrero body shake first.
Back in the ring, Owens side-stepped a charging Priest and landed a cannonball seconds later. He followed up with a top rope swanton, but Priest raised his knees. Dom landed a top rope frog splash. Sami broke up the cover. Priest attacked Sami.
Owens gave Dom a pop-up powerbomb and made the cover. Priest hit Owens on the back, but Owens was still covering Dom and Dom’s shoulders were still down, but the ref stopped his count, rewarding Priest’s interference needlessly. They went to a cool wide shot of the full arena who were chanting “This is awesome!” Dom and KO each tagged in their partners.
Sami battled Priest in the corner. Fans sang encouragement to Sami, but Priest hit a huracanrana from the top rope for a near fall. Dom dropkicked Sami from behind and then charged, but Sami backdropped him over the top rope to the floor. Owens flipped onto Priest on the floor. Sami dove onto Dom at ringside. Sami threw Dom back into the ring. Ripley threw KO into the ringside steps.
Priest snapped a distracted Sami’s neck over the top rope. Dom rolled up Sami for a two count. Ripley distracted the ref from the ring apron. Liv ran out and yanked her off the ring apron. Ripley went for a slam, but Liv slipped free and tackled Ripley over the barricade into the time keepers area. Sami attacked a distracted Dom and overhead suplexed him into the corner turnbuckles. Sami set up a Helluva kick, but Priest intervened. KO gave Priest a stunner. Sami hit the Helluva kick for the win.
WINNERS: Sami & Owens to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good main event tag match with plenty of drama and subplots and good action.)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.