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WWE RAW TV REPORT
AUGUST 7, 2023
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. AT TARGET CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a video package showing highlights from SummerSlam.
– Cody Rhodes talked about how he survived “The Beast,” Brock Lesnar, before showing footage of Lesnar shaking his hand. Cody said that his mother told him that Brock Lesnar had acknowledged him. He said that he felt like he could beat anyone in the world, until Seth Rollins interrupted him. Rollins pointed out Cody’s claim that he can beat anyone in the world before saying they should put it to the test.
– The Judgment Day interrupted to say that they run RAW and they dictate what happens to championships. Damian Priest put over how they have the Money in the Bank briefcase, the Women’s World title and the North American title, until FInn Bálor attacked Rollins from behind. Sami Zayn arrived to join Cody and Rollins in a brawl, sending the Judgment Day out of the ring. Cody officially challenged the Judgment Day to a six-man tag team match in tonight’s main event.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid promos from everyone involved to set up tonight’s main event. This will probably mark the epilogue in the Judgment Day vs. Seth Rollins feud.)
– Earlier today, Adam Pearce tried to talk with Ricochet about Logan Paul’s cheating at SummerSlam. Pearce got Matt Riddle, Chad Gable and Tommaso Ciampa to his office and booked them all alongside Ricochet in a Four-Way match to determine Gunther’s next challenger.
(1) RICOCHET vs. TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. MATT RIDDLE vs. CHAD GABLE – WWE Intercontinental Championship Contender’s Match
Ciampa shoved Gable into Ricochet before receiving a forearm from Riddle. They all traded numerous pinfall attempts, breaking each other’s attempts in the process. Gable and Riddle put Ricochet and Ciampa in stereo ankle locks, forcing them to roll out of the ring. Gable and Riddle grappled on the mat, until Ciampa tossed both of them out of the ring. Ricochet took Ciampa down with a springboard clothesline and standing moonsault for a two count. Riddle put Ricochet down with a fisherman suplex, only for Gable to plant him with a Cliffhanger DDT.
Ciampa nailed Gable with a reverse DDT, but Ricochet broke the pinfall. Ciampa cracked Ricochet with a forearm strike before receiving a Detonation Kick from Ricochet. Riddle stopped Ricochet on the top turnbuckle, only for Ciampa and Gable to join in and hit a modified Tower of Doom. Gable avoided a knee strike and trapped Ciampa in an ankle lock, until Riddle broke it with a knee strike. Riddle dropped Gable with a powerbomb and a knee strike to the face.
Riddle avoided a standing shooting star from Ricochet before laying him out with a Xploder. Ciampa missed a clothesline, allowing Riddle to blast him with a pump knee. Riddle planted Ciampa with a superplex before both of them blocked Ricochet and Gable’s splash and Shooting Star Presses with their knees. They all traded elbow strikes and chops, until Ciampa stomped Riddle’s foot. Gable clotheslined Ricochet over the ropes before being low-bridged by Riddle. Riddle crashed into Gable with a springboard Floating Bro, only for Ciampa to spike him with a draping DDT.
Ricochet took Gable down with a Tope con Hilo, but Ciampa blocked his springboard move with a jumping knee. Ciampa cracked RIcochet with Project Ciampa, but he managed to kick out at two. Riddle hit Ciampa with the Broderick, only for Gable to break it with a diving headbutt. Gable avoided a roundhouse kick from Riddle, setting him up for a Recoil from Ricochet. Ciampa stopped Gable’s Chaos Theory German suplex with a leaping Famouser, only for Gable to immediately beat him with a Chaos Theory German suplex.
WINNER: Chad Gable at 10:07
(Pomares’s Analysis: Absolute top-notch opening contest to showcase four of Raw’s strongest mid-carders and use the no-commercial hour. Unironically this was better than half of the SummerSlam match card. I don’t think it’s going to happen, but with the right story Chad Gable could actually be the one to dethrone Gunther.)
– After the match, Chad Gable ran around the ring while lifting his son.
– A recap of Cody Rhodes’s victory over Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam was shown.
– Backstage, Sami Zayn tried to get Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins to be on the same page. Rollins and Cody begrudgingly agreed that they were cool.
– A recap of Roman Reigns’s victory over Jey Uso at SummerSlam was shown.
– Backstage, The Miz got annoyed at an LA Knight photoshoot making him wait.
(2) BRONSON REED vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Reed knocked Nakamura off his feet with a shoulder tackle, only for Nakamura to retaliate with a series of knee strikes. Reed nailed Nakamura with a running back elbow, followed by a pair of elbows to the back. Nakamura avoided a seated senton, setting Reed up for a couple of sliding kicks. Nakamura knocked Reed off his feet with a jumping kick, followed by a sliding dropkick. Reed shut Nakamura down with a body block, followed by a leaping elbow drop, as WWE RAW went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Nakamura dropped Reed with a diving knee strike, followed by a series of kicks. Nakamura caught Reed with a leaping kick to the head, but he kicked out at two. Reed blocked a diving move and laid Nakamura out with a snap powerslam.
[Commercial Break]
Reed hit Nakamura with a sitout powerbomb for a close nearfall. Nakamura tried to hit Reed with a Kinshasa, but Reed shut him down with a Death Valley Driver. Reed turned Nakamura inside out with a lariat, but missed the Tsunami, allowing Nakamura to knock him out with two Kinshasas.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura at 11:53
(Pomares’s Analysis: It took a bit to get going, but Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bronson Reed got pretty good by the end. It kind of feels like this feud is over, but I don’t know anymore.)
– Earlier today, Adam Pearce informed Raquel Rodriguez that she wasn’t cleared to wrestle yet. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell tried to cheer Raquel up.
– Becky Lynch made her way to the ring.
[HOUR TWO]
– Backstage, Ludwig Kaiser showed up in the Alpha Academy’s locker room to congratulate Chad Gable, but only Maxxine Dupri was available. Kaiser said that Dupri has potential before insulting Gable and Otis. Dupri slapped Kaiser and Otis showed up to challenge Kaiser to a match tonight.
– A recap of Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark attacking Becky Lynch last week was shown.
– Becky Lynch said that she is so close to the end and is ready to put an end to her saga with Trish Stratus. Lynch talked about getting to fight Stratus with no interference from Zoey Stark, only for Stark to interrupt. Stark said that they were over months ago after both she and Stratus beat Lynch. Lynch said that Stark could challenge for the championship, but she is playing second fiddle to Stratus.
– Stark insisted that Lynch was jealous and called herself the baddest woman in the roster, until Shayna Baszler interrupted. Baszler confirmed that she kicked Ronda Rousey out of WWE before calling out Stark’s claim to being the baddest. Stark threatened to kick Baszler out of WWE and had a face-off with her, until Adam Pearce showed up to book them in a match.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Becky Lynch and Shayna Baszler cut solid promos as per usual while Zoey Stark is still a work in progress in that regard. Interesting to see how far Shayna Baszler can go as a babyface after kicking Ronda Rousey out of WWE.)
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Seth Rollins’ victory over Finn Bálor at SummerSlam was shown.
– Backstage, Damian Priest confronted Finn Bálor about his behavior tonight while he spoke with J.D. McDonagh. Both of them blamed the other for what happened at SummerSlam, only for Rhea Ripley to separate them. Finn and Priest begrudgingly agreed to act like adults, so Judgment Day could still run Raw. J.D. interrupted to say that the briefcase is getting in-between them and they should get rid of it.
(3) SHAYNA BASZLER vs. ZOEY STARK
Baszler knocked Priest down with a waist lock takeover and hit her with a shoulder tackle. Stark nailed Baszler with a back elbow to her purple eye before stomping her down. Baszler nailed Stark with a series of kicks to the knee, followed by a back suplex and a clothesline over the ropes. Stark nailed Baszler with an enzuigiri, setting her up for a springboard missile dropkick, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Baszler knocked Stark down with a couple of clotheslines, a jumping knee and a German suplex. Baszler cracked Stark with a sliding knee strike, but she kicked out at two. Stark avoided a knee strike and dropped Baszler with a thrust kick for a two count. Baszler avoided a stomp to the elbow, only for Stark to blast her with a thrust kick.
Baszler planted Stark with a gutwrench slam for a close two count. Stark blocked the Kirifuda Clutch and sent Baszler out of the ring, setting her up for a Pescado. Stark got distracted with Lynch, allowing Baszler to put her in a sleeper hold. Baszler caught Stark with a knee strike, followed by the Piper’s Pit for the three count.
WINNER: Shayna Baszler at 11:48
(Pomares’s Analysis: Decent match that didn’t quite reach its full potential. The crowd are very into Shayna Baszler at the moment, so she could make for a strong contender to Rhea Ripley’s title in the near future.)
– Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Shinsuke Nakamura about his victory over Bronson Reed. Nakamura talked about carving his own path, until a commotion interrupted the interview. The cameras revealed J.D. McDonagh assaulting a seemingly injured Sami Zayn.
[Commercial Break]
(4) LUDWIG KAISER (w/Giovanni Vinci) vs. OTIS (w/Maxxine Dupri)
Kaiser tried to take control early on with body shots and strikes to the head, but they weren’t effective. Otis nailed Kaiser with a clothesline and a bodyslam, but missed a follow-up shoulder strike into the ring post. Kaiser cracked Otis with a Penalty Kick and pummeled him down while taunting Dupri. Kaiser got distracted with Dupri, until Otis laid him out with a Xploder and a corner splash. Otis hit Vinci with a vertical suplex into the ring, distracting the referee in the process. Gunther clocked Otis with a boot to the face, followed by a Shining Wizard by Kaiser for the win.
WINNER: Ludwig Kaiser at 3:02
(Pomares’s Analysis: Not much to say about the match itself, but I’m happy to see they are giving Gunther vs. Gable a proper build. A bit odd to see Ludwig Kaiser get another singles win. I’m assuming Gable will beat him en route to their eventual title match.)
– After the match, Imperium tried to beat Otis down, until Chad Gable showed up to make the save.
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins about the status of Sami Zayn. Rollins said that the doctors wouldn’t clear Sami Zayn, only for Shinsuke Nakamura to offer to join his team. Rollins said that he respected Nakamura and agreed to have him on the team.
– The Miz made his way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– A recap of L.A. Knight winning the SummerSlam Battle Royal and eliminating The Miz was shown.
– The Miz complained about not being respected by the likes of LA Knight who didn’t even shake his hand. LA Knight interrupted to properly introduce himself to Miz, only for Miz to decline a handshake. Miz claimed that LA is a flash-in-the-pan and a flavor of the month, and that he is just an Attitude Era fanboy. LA warned Miz to not make this personal, only for Miz to complain about having to earn his spot in WWE for the past 20 years, questioning what has LA done.
– LA said that he spent the past 20 years making himself dangerous and waiting for the right opening. LA said that Miz got to have in 20 years stop because he is safe and took all the backstage bullying. He said that people didn’t take a chance on him because he is a dangerous man and unlike Miz, he is not to be messed up with. LA said that he is in the climb while Miz’s career is in the toilet.
– LA said that he didn’t mind making Miz a stepping stone to the main event. Miz angrily claimed that he is the main event and LA is not on his level. LA told Miz to prove him wrong because he is not going anywhere. Miz attacked LA from behind, only for LA to knock him out with the BFT.
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was an excellent promo segment. Miz had probably his best performance since the Daniel Bryan feud and LA Knight might have cut his best promo in WWE. Killer job in making people care about a match that on paper doesn’t sound particularly exciting.)
– Earlier today, the Viking Raiders said that the Gods have called them and they challenged anyone to become a sacrifice for the Gods.
– The Viking Raiders made their way to the ring, ahead of their match.
[Commercial Break]
– Xavier Woods and a returning Kofi Kingston revealed themselves as the Viking Raiders’ opponents.
(5) VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar w/Valhalla) vs. NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Woods nailed Erik with a series of chops, followed by an enzuigiri from Kofi. Woods hit Erik with a back suplex, setting him up for a twisting splash from Kofi. They nailed Erik with a Penalty kick, splash and elbow drop combination for a two count. Erik caught Woods with a knee strike while Ivar blasted Kofi with a leg lariat. Erik planted Woods with a uranage, setting him up for a diving splash from Ivar for a nearfall.
Ivar nailed Woods with a knee to the midsection, followed by a knee strike from Erik for a two count. Woods knocked Ivar off the apron and hit Erik with a Tornado DDT, reaching Kofi for the hot tag. Koif knocked Ivar down with a diving clothesline, a series of dropkicks and a leaping clothesline. Kofi nailed Ivar with a high crossbody, followed by the Boom Drop. Ivar avoided the Trouble in Paradise, only for Kofi to put him down with SOS for a nearfall.
Erik smashed Kofi with a knee strike to the head for a close two count. Kofi took Erik out of the ring with a hurracarrana, followed by a roundhouse kick on Ivar. Kofi cracked Ivar with Trouble in Paradise and Erik with a Tope con Hilo while Woods finished Ivar with a diving elbow drop.
WINNERS: New Day at 5:40
(Pomares’s Analysis: Decent match for the time given, but it wasn’t the big story here. The New Day returning is a major shot to the tag division that has taken a bit of a hit with Kevin Owens’ injury.)
– Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Becky Lynch about her upcoming match with Zoey Stark. Shayna Baszler interrupted to tell Lynch that she didn’t need her help and that she had a list of scores to settle that included her.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed the New Day about making their return to WWE. They
– The commentary team confirmed that Sonya Deville had suffered a torn ACL and would be out of action indefinitely.
– The Judgment Day made their way to the ring for tonight’s main event, only for Raquel Rodriguez to attack Rhea Ripley. Referees, agents, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell showed up in an attempt to separate them. Ripley started beating Raquel down, only for LeRae and Hartwell to take her down, as officials were able to stop the brawl.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Iyo Sky cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase at SummerSlam was shown.
(6) SETH ROLLINS & CODY RHODES & SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Finn Bálor & Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio w/Rhea Ripley)
Dominik tagged himself in because Finn and Priest were not on the same page. Nakamura nailed Dominik with a knee drop, forcing him to retreat to ringside, as Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Finn hit Nakamura with a Scissor Kick, followed by a sleeper hold from Priest. Priest hit Nakamura with a leg drop, only for Nakamura to retaliate with an enzuigiri. Rollins got the hot tag and planted Priest with a sling blade and a Falcon Arrow for a two count. Rollins took Priest and Finn down with a pair of suicide dives before receiving an uppercut and a flatliner from Priest. Finn sent Rollins into the barricade with a shotgun dropkick, as Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Dominik knocked Nakamura off the apron before receiving a lariat from Dominik. Cody got the hot tag, nailing Finn with a drop-down punch and Priest with a Disaster kick. Cody put Finn down with a snap powerslam, only for Finn to counter the Cody Cutter with 1916 for a two count. Finn ran into Cody’s boot before receiving a Cody Cutter for a two count.
Nakamura hit Dominik with a spinning kick, only for Priest to take him down with a pump kick. Rollins sent Priest out of the ring before being taken out of the ring by Finn. Ripley distracted the referee, allowing Priest to clobber Cody with his briefcase. Sami Zayn showed up to attack Priest and throw him over the announce table. Rollins blocked a briefcase shot from Finn with a superkick, setting him up for Cody’s Cross Rhodes.
WINNERS: Seth Rollins & Cody Rhodes & Shinsuke Nakamura at 14:45
– After the match, Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes begrudgingly shook hands to stand tall. Shinsuke Nakamura blasted Rollins with a Kinshasa before walking away from the ring.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid main event, but nothing to write home about. They are taking their time with the Judgment Day split which I assume will kick into high gear after Dominik loses the North American Title. It finally feels like the Judgment Day vs. Seth Rollins feud is officially over. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins is an interesting program to move to, but I’d be shocked if it actually main events a show like Payback.)
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