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WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 31, 2023
HOUSTON, TEX. AT TOYOTA CENTER
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 Nate Lindberg from PWTorch to break down the show with live callers and emails.
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[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a graphic for the recently passed “Exotic” Adrian Street.
– The commentary team ran down tonight’s match card.
– Logan Paul made his way, as a recap of Ricochet laying him out last week was shown. Logan claimed that he tried to introduce Ricochet to his audience, only for Ricochet to sneak behind him. He said that at SummerSlam, he would beat Ricochet in the most viral match in WWE history. Ricochet interrupted and called Logan out for trying to paint himself as the good guy.
– Ricochet said that despite Logan being a terrible human being, he can respect Logan’s athleticism. Logan claimed that he made Ricochet go viral with their spot at the Royal Rumble match. Logan told Ricochet that he hopes there’s no hard feelings when his fiancé has to declare him as the winner. Ricochet tackled Logan to the ground and started beating him down, until Logan caught a springboard attack with a punch.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Logan Paul’s promo was broadly fine, but it was elevated by what seems to be an extremely hot crowd. The last line about Samantha Irvin was pretty good and the brawl was well-executed. I can’t wait for this feud to be over, so we can stop hearing how “viral” their match will be.)
– A recap of Gunther accepting Drew McIntyre’s challenge for SummerSlam and their brawl from last week was shown.
– At backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Gunther about his upcoming title defense. Gunther moved the conversation to how Ludwig Kaiser let him down last week. Gunther said that Kaiser had a shot to redeem himself tonight by beating Matt Riddle while he would personally handle Drew McIntyre.
– Matt Riddle made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Ludwig Kaiser.
[Commercial Break]
– A commercial for ‘American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes’ was shown.
(1) MATT RIDDLE vs. LUDWIG KAISER (w/Gunther & Giovanni Vinci)
Riddle knocked Kaiser down with a pair of waist lock takeovers before receiving a forearm strike to the back. Riddle got out of a roll-up and laid out Kaiser with a pair of gutwrench suplexes. Before Kaiser could defend himself, Riddle planted him with a fisherman suplex for a two count. Kaiser smashed Riddle’s shoulder into the ring post, following it with a dropkick to the face. At ringside, Kaiser nailed Riddle with a running uppercut, only for Riddle to retaliate with a Penalty kick and a springboard Floating Bro, as WWE RAW went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Riddle blasted Kaiser with a series of chops and a Pele kick. Riddle dropped Kaiser with a Xploder, setting him up for a Penalty kick and a deadlift German suplex. Riddle crushed Kaiser with a senton, but Kaiser blocked a second one with his knees. Kaiser knocked Riddle off his feet with a clothesline, followed by a rolling senton and a Penalty kick for a two count.
Riddle caught Kaiser with a pump knee and a fisherman suplex. Vinci distracted Riddle, only for Riddle to still hit him with a powerbomb and a knee strike to the head for a nearfall. Kaiser slapped Riddle, only for Riddle to quickly shut him down with a running knee strike. Kaiser avoided a moonsault and cracked Riddle with an enzuigiri, followed by modified STO into a DDT.
WINNER: Ludwig Kaiser at 11:04
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty good match to start tonight’s in-ring action. After Gunther threatened Kaiser backstage, I was fully expecting him to win. However, I was shocked by how clean the final minute actually was. I hope this storyline wrinkle, eventually leads to a serious push for Vinci and Kaiser as an actual threat in the tag division.)
– A recap of the Viking Raiders defeating Alpha Academy two weeks ago.
– At backstage, Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla were shown preparing for their upcoming match.
[Commercial Break]
– At backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Logan Paul about his brawl with Ricochet. Logan said that he gave Ricochet a taste of what he would get at SummerSlam.
– A lengthy video package recapping the rivalry between Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar was shown.
– Maxxine Dupri made her way to the ring, ahead of her match against Valhalla.
(2) MAXXINE DUPRI (w/Chad Gable & Otis) vs. VALHALLA (w/Erik & Ivar)
Valhalla immediately knocked Dupri down with a running knee strike. Dupri managed to hit Valhalla with a pair of arm drags, only for Valhalla to nail her into the bottom rope. Valhalla cracked Dupri with a knee strike, but she managed to kick out at two. Dupri took Valhalla down with a pair of arm drags, followed by a roundhouse kick and a fisherman suplex. Dupri crushed Valhalla with a corner splash before Otis convinced her to hit her with the Caterpillar.
As Valhalla tried to get up, Dupri nailed her with a high crossbody, but Erik distracted the referee before the pinfall. Gable crashed into everyone at ringside with a top turnbuckle moonsault. Valhalla nailed Dupri with a cheap shot from behind and sat her atop the turnbuckle. Dupri countered a superplex with a crossed-arms electric chair slam for the win.
WINNER: Maxxine Dupri at 3:32
(Pomares’s Analysis: Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla did a decent job with the time given. Not every move looked great, but the crowd’s loudness made up for it. I’m assuming this will be the end of the rivalry, but I thought the same after their last two matches.)
– A recap of The Judgment Day assaulting everyone last week was shown.
– The Judgment Day made their way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– At backstage, Tommaso Ciampa told Shinsuke Nakamura that he would fix whatever problem they have. Both men claimed they would win the SummerSlam Battle Royal.
– Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley put over how they took Kevin Owens and Liv Morgan out last week. Finn Bálor talked about going insane after the scars Seth Rollins left him with. Finn said that he can erase his scars, but he can inflict worse scars on Rollins. Dominik Mysterio tried to speak, but the crowd immediately drowned him in boos. Ripley made fun of taking Raquel Rodriguez out of commission, until Raquel made her return to confront her.
– Raquel immediately got into a brawl with Ripley and hit her with a clothesline over the ropes and a series of shots into the barricade. Dominik distracted Raquel, allowing Ripley to nail her with a chop block. Ripley crushed Raquel’s leg with stomps, as referees and agents tried to separate them.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A solid promo from the Judgment Day to finally set up Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez’s match for SummerSlam. There’s no real story, but based on their past work in NXT, the match should be good.)
– The first part of a video package aired, recapping the history between Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey before and after joining WWE. Baszler talked about helping Rousey launch her career in MMA and doing the same for her wrestling career.
– Shinsuke Nakamura made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Tommaso Ciampa.
[Commercial Break]
– At backstage, the Alpha Academy celebrated Maxxine Dupri’s big win before claiming they would win the SummerSlam Battle Royal. Imperium interrupted to criticize them for downgrading the show with their nonsense after Ludwig Kaiser’s victory. Dupri reminded Gunther that unlike his group, Gable and Otis are former tag team champions. Kaiser said that someone like Gable couldn’t even last 5 minutes with the Ring General. Gable challenged Gunther to a match with both their teams banned from ringside.
(3) TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Nakamura knocked Ciampa off his feet and pressed his boot into his head. Ciampa nailed Nakamura with a pair of chops and a backbreaker, setting him up for a sliding knee strike. Nakamura caught Ciampa with a rising kick, followed by a series of kicks to the chest on the apron. Ciampa stopped Nakamura on the apron with a pump knee, followed by another pump knee at ringside, as WWE RAW went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Nakamura clocked Ciampa with an enzuigiri, following it with a sliding German suplex for a two count. Ciampa stopped Nakamura on the apron and immediately dropped him with a draping DDT. Nakamura avoided a diving strike, blasting Ciampa with an enzuigiri and a knee strike to the midsection afterwards. Ciampa caught Nakamura with a jumping knee, only for Nakamura to surprise him with a modified roll-up.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura at 8:54
(Pomares’s Analysis: A solid match that never really reached its full potential. Ciampa, Nakamura and Bronson Reed will likely cross paths during the SummerSlam battle royal.)
– A recap of Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa beating Jey Uso down on SmackDown was shown.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley’s brawl from earlier tonight was shown.
– At backstage, Adam Pearce told Raquel Rodriguez that as soon as she got cleared from in-ring competition, she would give her a title match.
– Brock Lesnar made his way to the ring, grabbed a mic and listed all of his accomplishments. Lesnar said that at SummerSlam, he would get paid to kick Cody Rhodes’ ass while Cody gets paid to get his ass kicked. Lesnar told Cody to come out and shake his hand. Cody Rhodes arrived and shook Lesnar’s behind, only to immediately hit Lesnar with a suicide dive as he tried to walk away. Lesnar drove Cody into the ring post and clobbered him with the steel steps. Lesnar tried to leave, but kept on returning to make sure Cody didn’t get up.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fine segment with a hot crowd, but nothing we haven’t seen from this over the past three months.)
(4) GUNTHER vs. CHAD GABLE – 5-Minute Time Limit
Gunther knocked Gable down with a waist lock takeover and forced him to grab the ropes by picking his ankle. Gunther pressed Gable down with his entire weight before stomping his throat. Gable nailed Gunther with a couple of chops, only for Gunther to shut him down with one of his own. Gable avoided a chop and nearly hit Gunther with a German suplex. Gunther laid Gable out with a chop, but Gable countered his powerbomb attempt with an ankle lock.
Gunther attacked Gable with another chop before trapping him in a sleeper hold. Gable blocked a powerbomb and sent Gunther out of the ring with a hurracarrana, as time ran out. Gunther took the announcer’s mic away and demanded the match to continue. Gable blasted Gunther with a dropkick, as WWE RAW went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
Back from break, Gunther pummeled Gable down with a barrage of chops to the chest. Gable caught Gunther off-guard with an armbar using the rope and diving knee drop to the shoulder. Gable trapped Gunther in an armbar, only for Gunther to get out and launch him away with a German suplex. Gunther climbed the top turnbuckle before receiving a superplex. Gunther knocked Gable off his feet with a chop, but was quickly taken down with a German suplex for a nearfall. Before Gable could react, Gunther cracked him with a big boot and a lariat for a two count. Gunther blocked the Chaos Theory German suplex, clobbered him with three chops and finished him with a powerbomb.
WINNER: Gunther at 12:54
– After the match, Gunther told the fans to get used to seeing him bask in his success because he would retain his title. Gunther said that he would end Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Really good match to give Gunther a win ahead of SummerSlam while giving Chad Gable a great showcase as a singles star. I really hope we see them clash again down the line.)
– At backstage, Seth Rollins got fired up while preparing for his match alongside Sami Zayn.
– Becky Lynch made her way to the ring, ahead of her upcoming match.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar’s brawl from earlier tonight was shown.
– At backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Cody Rhodes about his physical status ahead of SummerSlam. Cody said that at SummerSlam he would shatter the aura of the Beast.
– Becky Lynch grabbed a mic and said that she had already done everything that she needed to do to get her rematch against Trish Stratus. Lynch demanded Stratus to come out, so they can have their match. Stratus and Zoey Stark showed up, only for Stratus to say she would pick when the rematch would happen. Stratus tried to delay the match, until Pearce showed up to make the match official for tonight.
(5) BECKY LYNCH vs. TRISH STRATUS (w/Zoey Stark)
Lynch nailed Stratus with a clothesline, only for Stark to immediately attack her and cause a disqualification.
WINNER: Becky Lynch via DQ at 0:05
– The brawl continued, as Becky Lynch sent Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark to ringside. Lynch tossed Stratus over the barricade and nearly hit her with the Manhandle Slam. Stratus blasted Lynch with a chair shot and escaped alongsided Stark.
(Pomares’s Analysis: An okay brawl and an interesting angle. Unless this match isn’t taking place at SummerSlam, I don’t understand why they are overbooking the story so much.)
[Commercial Break]
– At backstage, Adam Pearce informed Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark that there would be a rematch in two weeks with Stark banned from ringside.
– The second part of the Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baslzer video package aired. Baszler compared her friendship with Ronda to accepting to be in a toxic relationship. She said that she was done riding in the backseat for Ronda Rousey and would take her reputation as The Baddest. Baszler said that she loves Ronda’s daughter and she would never forgive her for what she will do to Ronda.
(Pomares’s Analysis: These two video packages for Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler did more to build their rivalry than anything they did over the past few weeks. Top-tier stuff.)
– Sami Zayn made his way to the ring, ahead of his main event match.
[Commercial Break]
– The commentary team ran down SummerSlam’s match card.
– Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn immediately started brawling with the Judgment Day on the ramp, until Rollins nailed Bálor with a suicide dive. Rollins chased Finn away from the ringside before returning to the ring, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
(6) SETH ROLLINS & SAMI ZAYN vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio w/Rhea Ripley)
Rollins dropped Dominik onto the turnbuckle pad and nailed him with a Penalty kick. Sami nailed Dominik with an axe handle before receiving a jab from Priest. Sami knocked Priest off his feet with a diving elbow drop, followed by a diving double stomp to the arm from Rollins. Priest caught Rollins with an uppercut, followed by right hands from Dominik. Ripley pulled Dominik away from the corner, allowing Priest to blast Rollins with a thrust kick. Rollins blocked the South of Heaven, only for Finn Bálor to pull him off the apron and smash his head into the ring post, as WWE RAW went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Rollins avoided a back suplex, reaching Sami for the hot tag. Sami nailed Priest with a clothesline and tossed him out of the ring. Sami crushed Priest with a Tope con Hilo, following it with a Tornado DDT for a two count. Dominik tagged himself in, only for Sami to turn him inside out with a lariat. Rollins knocked Priest down with a sling blade and three back-to-back suicide dives, launching him over the announce table. Rollins avoided the South of Heaven and cracked him with two thrust kicks.
Dominik hit Rollins with a clothesline before receiving a lariat from Dominik. Finn blasted Sami with a shotgun dropkick while the referee was distracted. Priest planted Rollins with the Razor’s Edge and tried to cash in his briefcase. Rollins nailed Priest with a thrust kick using the briefcase before smashing Dominik with the briefcase behind the referee’s back. Sami knocked Finn off the apron with a Helluva Back while Rollins knocked Priest out with the Curb Stomp.
WINNERS: Seth Rollins & Sami Zayn at 12:24
(Pomares’s Analysis: A pretty good, but ultimately forgettable main event to Raw. There was no major story development and I was slightly taken out of the match due to the referee blatantly ignoring interference that was clearly on his sight.)
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