SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 17, 2023
ATLANTA, GA. AT STATE FARM 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.
[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with Cody Rhodes making his way to the ring. Cody talked about the looming shadow of Brock Lesnar before calling him out to accept his challenge for SummerSlam. Lesnar didn’t show up, so Cody said that he would wait for him in the ring. Cody pointed out that his mother was in the front row, putting over how she’s always been by his side. Cody said that the words that come when thinking about Lesnar are “hard times”, but there would be hard times for Lesnar.
– As Cody hugged his mother at ringside, Lesnar’s theme music played, but no one showed up. The music played again as Cody walked through the entrance way. Cody’s body was thrown back to the stage by Lesnar who continued beating him down on the ramp. Lesnar planted Cody with an F5 in front of his mother. Lesnar put Cody in a Kimura before throwing his body back in the ring. After putting him in the Kimura Lock again, Lesnar officially accepted Cody’s challenge for SummerSlam.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Really good choice to open the show with Cody Rhodes in his hometown. The promo was solid as usual and the Brock Lesnar assault, while a bit repetitive, did stand out with the presence of Cody’s mother.)
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Brock Lesnar’s assault on Cody Rhodes aired.
– As Gunther made his way to the ring, a recap of Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle defeating Imperium aired.
(1) GUNTHER vs. MATT RIDDLE – Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci are barred from ringside
Gunther blasted Riddle with a couple of chops and slammed him onto the mat before a sleeper hold. Riddle broke a sleeper hold and tried to trap Gunther with a Triangle Choke. Riddle pulled Gunther out of the ring and clocked him with a Penalty kick. Gunther caught Riddle with a chop mid-air, followed by a body slam, as Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Riddle nailed Gunther with a Pele kick and a pair of leaping elbow strikes. Riddle hit Gunther with a couple of kicks, starting a chop and kick exchange. Gunther put Riddle down with a German suplex and a lariat for a two count. Gunther blocked a Floating Bro with his knees, setting Riddle up for a powerbomb and the win.
WINNER: Gunther at 8:14
– After the match, Gunther grabbed a mic and said that tonight was the greatest night of the crowd’s sad lives. Gunther said that they were seeing the greatest Intercontinental champion of all time. Gunther told Drew McIntyre that just like everyone else, he would be a victim of the Ring General.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A mostly dominant victory from Gunther who cut a pretty decent promo afterwards to set up his match with Drew McIntyre. After that loss Riddle should effectively be out of the title picture.)
– At backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez about their title defense tonight. They said that they weren’t afraid of anyone, until Rhea Ripley interrupted. Ripley knocked Liv out with a headbutt, starting a brawl with Raquel. Security guards and agents showed up to separate the wrestlers.
– The Judgment Day made their way to the ring, ahead of their tag team match.
[Commercial Break]
– At backstage, Valhalla was shown whispering something while the Viking Raiders stood by her side.
– The Judgment Day stood in the middle of the ring, as Rhea Ripley laughed at the possibility of them breaking up. Ripley said that she was the most dominant woman in this industry while Priest and Finn would become world champions. Ripley claimed that Dominik would become champion on NXT and the crowd drowned Dominik in boos when he tried to speak. Priest reminded everyone that he was guaranteed to be a world champion, but Finn would get the first crack. Finn said that his issues with Seth Rollins wouldn’t be over, until he becomes world champion.
– Dominik tried to speak again, only for Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to interrupt. Sami asked the fans if they paid to actually hear Dominik talk or someone shutting him up. Priest pointed at the tag titles and dared Sami & Kevin to put the championship on the line. Sami gave Kevin the mic and he officially accepted the Judgment Day’s challenge.
(Pomares’s Analysis: After last week’s show, I assumed we would get Sami and Kevin’s title defense against the Judgment Day at SummerSlam. There could still be shenanigans that lead to a rematch at the PLE.)
– A recap of Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez’s brawl aired.
– At backstage, a doctor recommended Raquel Rodriguez to opt out of her title match tonight due to her damaged knee.. Raquel insisted on taking part, forcing Adam Pearce to make the decision official.
[Commercial Break]
– At backstage, Chad Gable fired up Otis ahead of their Viking Rules match.
– Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville made their way to the ring, ahead of their tag title match.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
(2) LIV MORGAN & RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. CHELSEA GREEN & SONYA DEVILLE – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Green and Deville immediately put Liv down with a double vertical suplex and a leaping elbow drop. Liv managed to knock Deville down with a dropkick, reaching Raquel for the tag. Raquel launched Deville away with a Fallaway slam, but missed a shoulder strike, crashing into the ring post. Deville put Raquel in a Half Boston Crab, until Liv broke the hold. Liv took Green down with a series of shoulder tackles, followed by a knee strike.
Liv put Green down with a diving double knee strike and the Oblivion, only for Deville to break the pinfall with a running knee. Deville pulled Raquel off the apron and took her out with a chop block. Deville and Green nailed Liv with a jab and the Unprettier for a close nearfall. Liv hit Green with a jawbreaker and nearly beat Deville with a roll-up. Green and Deville knocked Liv out with the Unprettier and a running knee to the face.
WINNERS: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville at 5:13 (New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was a decent match for the time given. Raquel and Liv weren’t going to do anything with the belts after it was made clear Raquel would join the world title picture, so having new champions made sense. Chelsea Green has made everything she was given work since coming back work and Sonya Deville is long due a championship of any king.)
– A recap of Brock Lesnar’s assault on Cody Rhodes aired.
– Seth Rollins and Byron Saxton were shown preparing for a sit down interview to come later.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville winning the tag titles aired.
– At backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville about their title win. Deville said that they would run the division while Green still tried to thank numerous people for their win.
– A lengthy recap of Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman’s confrontation aired.
– Byron Saxton had a sit down interview with Seth Rollins, asking him about his upcoming plans for the World Heavyweight championship. Rollins said that he had a list of possible challengers for SummerSlam, listing the likes of Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, Drew McIntyre and Gunther. Finn interrupted and demanded a rematch, claiming that their issues are far from over. Rollins told Finn to stop living in the past, only for Finn to say that he was living in chaos.
– Finn said that he would laugh at Rollins’ face and alter his career forever. Rollins reminded Finn that the World Heavyweight championship is bigger than a personal vendetta or either of them. Rollins told Finn to take his shot or go away, seemingly convincing Finn to leave. Before Rollins could walk away from the set, Finn tossed a chair at his face and stomped him down, demanding him to make the match official.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Seth Rollins is pretty good at these sit down interview segments where he is allowed to tone down the more exaggerated aspects of his character. I’m personally not that interested in Finn Bálor getting a rematch, but it could make for some good drama among the Judgment Day.)
– Alpha Academy made their way to the ring, ahead of their Viking Rules match.
[Commercial Break]
– Titus O’Neil was on commentary for the Viking Rules match.
– There was the front of a viking boat attached to the ring on the side of the ramp while there were wooden shields surrounding the bottom rope.
(3) ALPHA ACADEMY (Chad Gable & Otis w/Maxxine Dupri) vs. VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar w/Valhalla) – Viking Rules Match
The entire Alpha Academy immediately attacked the Viking Raiders and Valhall with dropkicks. Erik bodyslammed Ivar off the boat onto Otis at ringside. Gable to put Erik in an ankle lock, followed by a cannonball on Ivar for a two count. Gable smashed Erik’s head into a shield before pulling out a table. Ivar knocked Otis down with a thrust kick and crushed him with a crossbody into the boat’s side. Otis countered a springboard crossbody from Ivar with a powerslam, as Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Erik cracked Gable with a Full Nelson into a knee strike for a two count. Ivar crushed Otis with a moonsault, but Gable broke the pinfall with a moonsault of his own. Gable put Ivar down with a bridging German suplex before Erik showed up to break the pin. Gable nailed Erik with a couple of strikes to the midsection, withstood a forearm strike and dropped him with a Fallaway slam. Before Erik could get up, Gable clocked him with a diving headbutt,only for Valhalla to pull him away.
Dupri took care of Valhalla with a high crossbody before being given back her Alpha Academy jacket. As Dupri posed, Valhalla tackled her through a table in the corner. The Raiders nailed Gable’s head into a pair of shields in the corner. Otis knocked Erik and Ivar with clotheslines and Xploders before laying Erik out with a pop up powerbomb. Otis crushed Ivar with the Caterpillar, but was stopped atop the turnbuckle with a strike from Valhalla. The Raiders laid Otis out with a double powerbomb for the victory.
WINNERS: Viking Raiders at 10:29
(Pomares’s Analysis: Just like the last time, the Viking Rules is just an excuse to have a really fun Tornado tag team Falls Count Anywhere match. After months of these teams feuding, it feels good to finally see them get a decent amount of time to perform. I wanted Gable and Otis to come out on top, but it makes sense to keep VIking Raiders strong as possible contenders to Sami and Kevin’s tag titles.)
– A recap of Bronson Reed helping The Miz defeat Tommaso Ciampa last week aired.
– Shayna Baszler made her way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
(4) SHAYNA BASZLER vs. NIKKI CROSS
Cross missed a corner splash and was immediately forced to tap out with a Kirifuda Clutch.
WINNER: Shayna Baszler at 0:20
– After the match, Ronda Rousey showed up in a skybox and justified taking the backdoor to WWE by putting over her MMA career and calling Baszler a knock-off Ronda Rousey. Baszler said that in this ring she is a better Ronda Rousey than her and dared her to fight her in the ring. Ronda declined the challenge, angering Baszler into running up the bleachers. As security guards tried to stop Baszler, Ronda chose to give Baszler a singles match at SummerSlam.
(Pomares’s Analysis: It is good that they finally established Ronda Rousey as the heel in this story. Shayna Baszler’s promo was good and the crowd reacted well to it. Ronda still isn’t great at talking though. Also I don’t think we are ever getting anything from Nikki Cross after it was confirmed Eric Young was gone from WWE.)
– A recap of Logan Paul and Ricochet’s confrontation last week aired.
– At backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Ricochet about his confrontation with Logan Paul. Ricochet said that Logan doesn’t get their world and thinks he is a joke. Ricochet said that the people in this world don’t care about Logan and he is the joke. He invited Logan to show up next week so he can hurt his ego.
– At backstage, Becky Lynch made her way to the ring for Miz TV.
[Commercial Break]
Did you know that PWTorch VIP membership gives you access to an ad-free version of this website (mobile and desktop versions), an unmatched 35 year library of insider wrestling content in newsletter article and podcast formats, dozens of new VIP-exclusive podcasts throughout the month (that are easily compatible with Apple Podcasts App, Apple Car Play, and many other popular podcast apps), and more benefits. Check out details and sign up HERE.
[HOUR THREE]
– The Miz was in the ring for Miz TV, gloated about his win over Tommaso Ciampa, called Pat McAfee a loser and compared Becky Lynch to him. Miz showed footage of Zoey Stark defeating Lynch last week, as he introduced her. Miz insisted on calling Lynch a loser, only for Lynch to throw the furniture out of the ring and demand him to bring in Trish Stratus because she knows how he does his stupid show. After Miz introduced Stratus and Zoey Stark, she claimed that she wasn’t interested in fighting Lynch because she had already beaten her.
– Stratus said that they were done before demanding Lynch to say “Thank you, Trish”. Lynch put over how she has accomplished more than Stratus and dared her to fight her to prove she is actually as good as she says she is. Stratus agreed to face Lynch, as long as Lynch defeats Stark first, say “Thank you, Trish” on her knees after she loses and tattoo it on her chest. Stratus and Stark tried to beat Lynch down, but she was able to overpower both of them. Lynch smashed Stratus’ protective face mask into both of her opponents.
(Pomares’s Analysis: I haven’t been the biggest fan of this feud, but for the most part this segment worked in setting up their eventual match at SummerSlam. Becky Lynch’s promo work was pretty good, but the brawl at the end was staged a bit awkwardly.)
– A recap of Brock Lesnar’s assault on Cody Rhodes aired.
– Shinsuke Nakamura made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Bronson Reed.
[Commercial Break]
(5) BRONSON REED vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Nakamura knocked Reed down with a leaping knee strike, only for Reed to shut him down with a body block. Nakamura nailed Reed with a kick to the back of the head, but missed a follow-up knee drop on the apron. Reed blasted Nakamura with a shoulder tackle off the apron, as WWE RAW went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Nakamura cracked Reed with an enzuigiri, followed by an enzuigiri and a dragon screw. Reed floored Nakamura with a Death Valley Driver for a close two count. Nakamura knocked Reed off his feet with a diving knee strike, only for Reed to shut him down with a body block. Tommaso Ciampa showed up and cracked Reed with a pump knee, causing a DQ.
WINNER: Bronson Reed via DQ at 7:32
– After the match, Shinsuke Nakamura nailed Ciampa with a kick to the face.
(Pomares’s Analysis: The match ended before it could really reach its next gear. I’m all for doing Bronson Reed vs Tommaso Ciampa, but I’m not quite sure where Shinsuke Nakamura would fit.)
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Tommaso Ciampa costing Shinsuke Nakamura his match against Bronson Reed aired.
– At backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Shinsuke Nakamura about his assault on Tommaso Ciampa. Nakamura screamed that he was tired of people getting in his business.
– It was announced that next week, Becky Lynch would battle Zoey Stark, that Gunther & Drew McIntyre would have a face-off and that Logan Paul would return.
– The Judgment Day made their way to the ring, as it was confirmed that Seth Rollins would take on Finn Bálor at SummerSlam.
[Commercial Break]
– Before the title match could start, Seth Rollins blasted Finn Bálor with a suicide dive, chasing him away from the ring.
(6) KEVIN OWENS & SAMI ZAYN vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio w/Rhea Ripley) – Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
Sami nailed Priest with chops and right hands while Kevin took care of Dominik at ringside. Priest pummeled Sami down with body shots and stomps before giving Dominik the tag. Sami caught Dominik with a clothesline, followed by a couple of sentons from Kevin. Kevin crushed Dominik with a leaping elbow drop, only for Dominik to hit him with an axe handle. Dominik rolled out of the ring to avoid a clothesline, but Sami quickly smashed his head into the announce table. Ripley distracted Sami, allowing Dominik to hit him with a sliding dropkick. Priest planted Sami with a chokeslam on the apron, as WWE RAW went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Priest and Sami traded right hands, until Priest drove him into the corner. Sami avoided a back suplex, reaching Kevin for the hot tag. Kevin knocked Dominik off the apron and clotheslined Priest over the ropes. At ringside, Kevin blasted Dominik and Priest with clotheslines, followed by a senton on Priest and a Frog Splash on Dominik. Priest blocked the Stunner, only for Kevin to drive him into the ring post. Kevin crashed into Priest with a corner cannonball, but Priest blocked his Swanton Bomb with his knees. Dominik hit Kevin with a Frog Splash, as Sami arrived to break the pinfall.
Sami tossed Priest out of the ring while Dominik sent him over the ropes. Dominik blocked a Stunner, only for Kevin to lay him out with a pop up powerbomb for a nearfall. Sami got the hot tag and blasted Priest with a chop, setting him up for a Tornado DDT for a two count. Priest stopped Sami atop the turnbuckle and knocked Kevin off the apron. Priest clocked Sami with a cyclone kick, setting him up for an avalanche hurracarrana for a close nearfall. Sami caught Priest with a boot to the face before tossing his body out of the ring.
Dominik got a blind tag and tried to hit the 619, only for Sami to launch him out of the ring. Kevin took care of Priest with a cannonball off the apron while Sami crushed Dominik with a Tope con Hilo. Ripley smashed Kevin into the steel steps behind the referee’s back while Domink got a nearfall with a roll-up. Ripley tried to argue with the referee, but Liv Morgan attacked her and clotheslined her over the barricade. Kevin knocked Priest out with a Stunner while Sami finished Domink with the Helluva Kick.
WINNERS: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn at 15:31 (Still Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Top-notch main event. Sami and Kevin have been the MVPs of RAW since their WrestleMania win and this was no exception. I’m still confused as to what is the plan for Kevin and Sami for SummerSlam. Unless a team from SmackDown pops up, I’m expecting the Viking Raiders.)
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.
Question: do you think we were going to get InSanity 2.0?