SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 4, 2023
CHARLOTTE, N.C. AT SPECTRUM CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett
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 a recap of highlights from WWE Payback.
– The newest member of the Raw roster, Jey Uso, made his way to the ring to welcome the crowd. Jey talked about Cody Rhodes calling him to get him on Raw before being interrupted by Sami Zayn. Sami told Jey that there are a lot of people not happy with having him on Raw, even Kevin Owens. Sami told Jey that he was happy to see him here and put over how Jey broke free. He told Jey that he was very proud of him and offered him a handshake, but Jey didn’t accept it.
– Sami started leaving after telling Jey that they can talk whenever they want. Jey stopped Sami from leaving and said that what he did wasn’t very Ucey before receiving a hug from Sami. Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle made their way to the ring and faced Jey on the ramp, only for Sami to get in the way.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A simple yet effective way to introduce Jey Uso to Monday Night Raw. Sami Zayn was the natural choice to welcome Jey to the show and establishing that Jey already has enemies gets him things to do from the get go.)
– A video package recapping Seth Rollins’ victory over Shinsuke Nakamura was shown. It focused on Nakamura’s assault after the match had ended and Nakamura claiming that he would become World Heavyweight champion.
– Backstage, Ricochet tried to talk with Adam Pearce, until Pearce left to confront Seth Rollins. Pearce told Rollins that the doctors told him to take today off, only for Rollins to insist that he was fine. Ricochet offered to help Rollins, but Rollins still claimed that he was fine.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Drew McIntyre accidentally knocking Xavier Woods out with a chair was shown
(1) DREW MCINTYRE & MATT RIDDLE vs. VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar w/Valhalla) – Tornado Tag Team Match
Drew and Riddle pummeled Ivar with chops and kicks to the chest, followed by a spinebuster and an assisted corkscrew senton. Ivar caught Riddle with a seated senton while Erik blocked Drew with a forearm strike. Erik cracked Riddle with a knee strike to the head before all of them started exchanging strikes. Drew clotheslined Ivar out of the ring before launching him onto the Raiders with a belly-to-belly suplex. Riddle pulled out a table, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Ivar laid Riddle on a table in the ring, but Drew stopped him from hitting a diving splash. Erik moved the table away before Riddle and Drew could hit Ivar with a double superlex through it. Erik cracked Drew with a knee strike to the head, following it with a clothesline on Riddle for a two count. Drew put Erik down with a belly-to-belly suplex, followed by neckbreakers on both of the Raiders. Drew planted Ivar with a Death Valley Driver, but Erik saved him from finishing him with the Claymore.
At ringside, Drew cleared the announce table and tossed Ivar over it before launching Erik away with a belly-to-belly suplex. Ivar immediately crushed Drew with a slash off the announce table. Riddle blasted Erik with a Penalty Kick and laid him on the table in the ring. Valhalla distracted Riddle, allowing Ivar to clock him with a leg lariat. Kofi Kingston saved Riddle from a Ragnarok, but accidentally nailed him with Trouble in Paradise. The Raiders rammed Kofi into Drew’s head before finishing Riddle with the Ragnarok through the table.
WINNERS: Viking Raiders at 9:52
(Pomares’ Analysis: Pretty good match with an actually surprising ending. Kofi Kingston accidentally costing Drew and Riddle the match should add to the fuel of a possible Drew McIntyre heel turn down the line.)
– A brief vignette showcasing Pat Patterson, The Honky Tonk Mah, Shawn Mciahels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Booker T and Roman Reigns as former Intercontinental champions was shown.
– Seth Rollins made his way to the ring to the crowd’s singing.
[Commercial Break]
– Seth Rollins hyped up the crowd before putting over how tough of a fight his match with Shinsuke Nakamura was. Rollins said that the fact that Nakamura walked out on his own while he had to be taken out in a wheelchair doesn’t sit well with him. Rollins called Nakamura out and he showed up on the ramp, but refused to move further. Since Nakamura didn’t move, Rollins offered him a title rematch right here right now. Nakamura teased going to the ring, only to start speaking Japanese on the ramp. Nakamura refused to have a rematch, only for Rollins to run at him and start brawling. Adam Pearce, many security guards and Ricochet showed up to break apart the brawl.
(Pomares’ Analysis: The performances in this segment were fine, but the content was far from stellar. The Nakamura vs. Rollins’ feud didn’t really need to go beyond Payback and Nakamura not accepting the rematch was odd.)
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Seth Rollins refused to accept Adam Pearce’s help and walked away.
(2) RICOCHET vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Ricochet stopped Nakamura from running away and took him down with a headscissors takedown. Ricochet clocked Nakamura with an uppercut, followed by a back suplex and a chop to the chest. Nakamura stopped Ricochet on the middle rope and blasted him with a knee strike. Nakamura pummeled RIcochet down with a pair of kicks to the chest, followed by a sliding German suplex, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Ricochet clocked Nakamura with a jawbreaker, but Nakamura immediately shut him down with a knee to the midsection. Ricochet caught Nakamura with a handspring back elbow while Damian Priest was shown watching the match. Ricochet smashed Nakamura’s head into the turnbuckle, setting him up for a roundhouse kick, a springboard clothesline and a running Shooting Star Press for a two count. Nakamura avoided the 630 Senton and nailed Ricochet with a spinning kick to the head.
Ricochet caught Nakamura with the Recoil, but he managed to kick out at two. Nakamura knocked Ricochet off the top turnbuckle with a knee strike, but missed a knee drop on the apron. Ricochet crashed into Nakamura with a cannonball off the apron, only for Nakamura to nail him into the ring post. Nakamura knocked Ricochet off the apron and pummeled him down with a steel chair to cause a DQ.
WINNER: Ricochet via DQ at 9:32
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was a good match with an annoying DQ finish. I’ve really disliked the way they’ve handled Nakamura coming off of Payback. This whole match with a non-finish felt like a way to fill time on this show.)
[HOUR TWO]
– After the match, Shinsuke Nakamura put the chair on Ricochet’s head, but Seth Rollins showed up to make the save. Rollins took down a pair of security guards and hit Nakamura with a Tope con Hilo. Nakamura drove Rollins back-first into the steel steps before walking away while backstage Rhea Ripley told Damian Priest: “Not tonight”.
– A recap of Becky Lynch defeating Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark turning on Stratus at Payback was shown.
– Backstage Jackie Redmond interviewed Zoey Stark about her attack on Trish Stratus. Stark put Stratus over before claiming that nobody pushed her. Shayna Baszler interrupted to tell Stark that she should have done it earlier before Stark challenged her to a match later tonight.
– The Judgment Day made their way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
– Damian Priest told the crowd to rise for the Judgment Day, only for them to immediately shower Dominik Mysterio in boos. Finn Bálor put over how despite everything they are now tag team champions. Finn gave JD McDonagh a shout-out for having his back for 20 years before gloating about becoming a Grand Slam champion. Rhea Ripley said that Jey Uso showing up on Raw took away the focus from their title win.
– Priest tried to speak, only for JD McDonagh to interrupt him while carrying a black bag. JD said that big changes are needed on the Judgment Day and that the briefcase needed to go. JD presented Priest with a brand new purple Money in the Bank briefcase. Sami Zayn immediately interrupted to call them out on the fact that they needed 5 people to steal the belts. Sami called all of them turds and challenged Dominik to a match. JD offered himself to face Sami tonight and Sami accepted.
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was a fine segment that didn’t really add much to the Judgment Day story beyond the purple briefcase. Really hoping they don’t extend the Judgment Day vs. Sami and Kevin feud to War Games.)
– A brief vignette showcasing Pedro Morales, Ultimate Warrior, Razor Ramon, The Rock, Rey Mysterio, Wade Barrett and Seth Rollins.
– Backstage, Gunther said that someone like Chad Gable doesn’t deserve to be in the history books while he does. Gunther said that after tonight he would stand as the longest reigning Intercontinental champion in history.
– Shayna Baszler made her way to the ring, ahead of her match against Zoey Stark.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Adam Pearce finished speaking with Raquel Rodriguez, only for Chelsea Green to show up. Green was told that Piper Niven wasn’t cleared to wrestle before continually insulting Raquel. Raquel appeared behind Green’s back, as Pearce officially booked them in a singles match.
(3) ZOEY STARK vs. SHAYNA BASZLER
Baszler knocked Stark down with a shoulder tackle before receiving a dropkick and a headlock takeover. Baszler stomped Stark’s arm and nearly put her in a Kirifuda Clutch. Stark caught Baszler with a thrust kick, but Baszler immediately trapped her in the Kirifuda Clutch. Stark drove Baszler into the announce table and hit her with a Pescado, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Stark blasted Baszler with an enzuigiri and a springboard missile dropkick for a two count. Baszler caught Stark with a knee strike to the head, but she kicked out at two. Stark nailed with a forearm strike sending her out of the ring and setting her up for a splash off the apron. Baszler avoided a top rope corkscrew senton and trapped Stark in the Kirifuda Clutch. Stark tried to get up to break the hold, but passed out.
WINNER: Shayna Baszler at 8:50
– After the match, Shayna Baszler gave Zoey Stark a fist-bump.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid match to once again showcase Zoey Stark in defeat while giving Baszler a win. Baszler has barely appeared on TV since SummerSlam, so I hope this story with Stark actually goes somewhere.)
– Backstage, Finn Bálor suggested they have JD McDonagh join the group, but Damian Priest wasn’t on board. Dominik Mysterio said that he was fine with whatever while Rhea Ripley said that she wanted to see how he does tonight. Priest and Finn left while Ripley told Dominik to make sure everything goes right in JD’s match.
– Raquel Rodriguez made her way to the ring, ahead of her match against Chelsea Green.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Rhea Ripley defeating Raquel Rodriguez at Payback was shown.
(4) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. CHELSEA GREEN
Raquel manhandled Green in a Bear Hug before receiving a kick to the midsection. Raquel nailed Green with a big boot, followed by a Fallaway Slam. Green pulled Raquel’s head into the ropes, only for Raquel to catch her high crossbody. Green slapped Raquel before receiving a huge lariat and the Tejana Bomb.
WINNER: Raquel Rodriguez at 1:43
– After the match, Raquel Rodriguez grabbed a mic and announced that she would get a rematch with Dominik Mysterio barred from ringside.
(Pomares’s Analysis: I get that Chelsea Green’s character isn’t supposed to be taken seriously, but in most cases I hate champions being squashed. As for the rematch, it will hopefully make up for their mostly lackluster match at Payback.)
– A brief vignette showcasing Don Muraco, Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Kofi Kingston and Cody Rhodes as former Intercontinental champions was shown.
– Backstage, Chad Gable put over all of his accomplishments to remind Gunther that he is already in the history books. Gable said that tonight he would prove that his desire to take the title would be greater than Gunther’s desire to keep it.
– The Miz made his way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– A recap of Kofi Kingston Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle their tag match earlier tonight was shown.
– Backstage, Drew McIntyre angrily looked for Kofi Kingston before telling Matt Riddle that he already gave a pass to Jey Uso. Kofi showed up to apologize for what happened while pointing out that Drew already cost them a match. Drew said that he would keep his eyes open in case of any other ‘accident’ before leaving frustrated.
– A recap of LA Knight defeating The Miz at Payback was shown.
– Miz stood in the middle of the ring for Miz TV and kept on complaining about being robbed at Payback. Miz introduced John Cena and his music played, but no one actually showed up. The camera moved on stage like it was following Cena’s ring entrance. Miz yelled at an empty chair and told it that it screwed him over. Miz insisted that Cena was there and kept on asking if Cena conspired with LA Knight. He told Cena to leave his show before doing the Skull Crushing Finale motion. Miz said that this wasn’t over and challenged LA to a one-on-one rematch. Miz said that the LA Knight chants would end because his chances of winning are non-existent like the John Cena in the ring.
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was a fun concept for a segment and Miz delivered it well, but I have no interest in a rematch against LA Knight.)
– A recap of the rivalry between Gunther and Chad Gable was shown.
– Sami Zayn made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against JD McDonagh.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Akira Tozawa avoided interacting with Jey Uso before Jey met Adam Pearce. Pearce told Jey that someone would be moved to SmackDown and the locker room might not be happy. After Jey left, Tommaso Ciampa met Pearce and entered his office to discuss something.
(5) SAMI ZAYN vs. J.D. MCDONAGH
Sami took JD down with a monkey flip, followed by an Irish-whip into the corner. JD nailed Sami with a pair of clotheslines and a series of chops, only for Sami to send him out of the ring. JD smashed Sami’s head into the announce table numerous times and drove him into the ring post, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Sami knocked JD down with a clothesline, followed by a barrage of right hands. Sami planted JD with a back body drop before laying him out with a Michinoku Driver for a two count. JD missed a diving splash, allowing Sami to plant him with a Xploder into the corner. Dominik Mysterio pulled JD out of the ring before the Helluva Kick, only for Sami to beat him down at ringside. Sami knocked Dominik off the apron, only for JD to roll him up for the three count.
WINNER: McDonagh at 8:07
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fine match to give JD McDonagh his first major singles win on the main roster. Really thought a bigger angle was going to take place.)
– After the match, Sami Zayn hit Dominik Mysterio with a Xploder, but JD stopped him from doing the Helluva Kick. Sami planted JD with the Xploder, setting him up for the Helluva Kick.
– A recap of Becky Lynch and Tiffany Stratton having a confrontation on Payback was shown.
– A brief vignette showcasing Randy Savage, Tito Santana, Triple H, Edge, The Miz and Bobby Lashley as former Intercontinental champions was shown.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, the Judgment Day put over JD McDonagh’s win before Dominik left to confront Jey Uso. Dominik tried to tell Jey that he knows what he is going through and told him that the Judgment Day has open arms for him.
– It was announced that next week Rhea Ripley would take on Raquel Rodriguez and that Cody Rhodes would return.
(6) GUNTHER vs. CHAD GABLE – WWE Intercontinental Championship
Gunther took control over Gable with a headlock takeover, only for Gable to nearly put him in an Ankle Lock. Gable evaded Gunther’s chops and knocked him off the apron with a pair of dropkicks, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Gable put Gunther in a kneebar using the middle rope. Gable attacked Gunther’s knee, but Gunther quickly shut him down with a big boot for a two count. Gunther blasted Gable with three back-to-back huge chops, knocking him off his feet. Gable fired up and pummeled Gunther with a series of chops of his own. Gunther laid Gable atop the turnbuckle, hit him with a huge chop and stepped on his throat, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Gable pulled Gunther out of the ring with headscissors before planting him with a German suplex. Gable managed to throw Gunther back in the ring, but was immediately dropped with a powerbomb for a nearfall. Gunther knocked Gable off the top turnbuckle with a chop, only for Gable to still hit him with a superplex. Gable crushed Gunther with a diving headbutt for a close two count. Gable immediately put Gunther in an Ankle Lock, but Gunther quickly kicked him away.
Gunther blocked the Chaos Theory German suplex before receiving a Saito suplex. Gable planted Gunther with the Chaos Theory German suplex, but he managed to kick out at two. Gunther tried to block a moonsault with his boot, only for Gable to immediately trap him in an Ankle Lock. Gunther was barely able to kick Gable away before putting him in a sleeper hold. Gable was able to break the hold by turning it into a pinning combination. Gunther immediately laid Gable out with a sleeper suplex, followed by a powerbomb and a lariat for the three count.
WINNER: Gunther at 16:11 (Still WWE Intercontinental Champion)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Excellent match that I wish we got to see more of. I don’t usually complain about commercial breaks cutting matches. However, after this match was left out of Payback, I was incredibly annoyed at the two back-to-back commercial breaks early on. Still a top-tier match and probably one of the TV matches in WWE this whole year.)
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