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WWE RAW TV REPORT
MAY 20, 2024
GREESBORO, N.C. AT THE GREENSBORO COLISEUM
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
Attendance: WrestleTix reported earlier today that 8.031 tickets had been distributed; arena is set up for 9,421.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
[HOUR ONE]
– Sami Zayn made his way to the ring to talk about his triple threat match against Bronson Reed and Chad Gable at King & Queen of the Ring. Sami said that he chose to make this a three-way match because he has personal issues with Gable and Reed wants his title. He said that this match was a battle of the soul, mind and body, claiming that he was the soul. Sami said that he would bet on the soul every time since it was what got him to beat Gunther at WrestleMania.
– Gable interrupted to put over how he has been too nice to Sami and the rest of Alpha Academy. Gable took shots at Maxxine Dupri, Akira Tozawa and Otis for disappointing him. Sami asked the rest of Alpha Academy how much longer they would take Gable’s crap. Gable claimed that they have already pledged themselves to his cause and that in Saudi Arabia, he would pin Sami to take his title and his soul. Sami dared to have their scheduled match right here and now.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A solid promo to further the issues between Gable and Sami while continuing the establishment of Gable’s heel persona. Otis has done a really good job, selling how Gable’s turn has affected him and the crowd is fully buying into it.)
(1) SAMI ZAYN vs. CHAD GABLE (w/Otis, Akira Tozawa & Maxxine Dupri)
Sami attacked Gable with right hands, a clothesline and a diving elbow drop. Sami sent Gable out of the ring with a chop and a clothesline, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Gable planted Sami with a snap suplex, but missed a follow-up diving headbutt. Sami took Gable down with a lariat, only for Gable to counter the Blue Thunderbomb with a Xploder. Gable pressed Sami’s back into the ropes and distracted the referee, but Dupri refused to take a cheap shot at Sami. Gable knocked Sami down with a shoulder tackle before receiving a barrage of right hands. Sami chased Gable out of the ring, only for Gable to hide behind Dupri. Gable stomped Sami down and distracted the referee, but Tozawa didn’t take a cheap shot. Gable demanded Dupri and Tozawa to walk away from ringside, allowing Sami to plant him with a Blue Thunderbomb, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Gable planted Sami with a series of German suplexes, until Sami responded with German suplexes of his own. Sami flattened Gable with a Michinoku Driver for a close two count. Gable countered the Helluva Kick with an Ankle Lock, until he was able to reach the ropes. Gable threw Sami out of the ring and distracted the referee, but Otis didn’t interfere. Otis berated Gable and slapped him before grabbing the Intercontinental title. Sami laid Gable out with a Xploder while the referee took away the belt. Otis blasted Sami with a corner clothesline, allowing Gable to win with the Chaos Theory German suplex.
WINNER: Chad Gable at 16:07
(Pomares’s Analysis: Not usually a fan of pinning champions, but it really worked here with a pretty good match that mostly focused on advancing the story of Alpha Academy. The crowd seems to be more invested in Otis, so it makes sense to make him a main character in Gable’s story. Since Sami already lost tonight, I’d be shocked if he lost on Saturday.)
– A video package hyping up the match between Iyo Sky and Lyra Valkyria was shown.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Jackie Edmond interviewed Alpha Academy about the involvement of Otis in his match. A loud noise heard on the back stopped the interview, as LWO ran to see a beaten down Cruz del Toro. Adam Pearce and the rest of LWO tried to check on Del Toro and asked for medical attention.
(2) BRON BREAKKER vs. KALE DIXON
Breakker angrily blasted Dixon with a Spear and threw his body out of the ring. Breaker ran through Dixon with a running Spear at ringside. The referee checked on Dixon and declared that he couldn’t continue.
WINNER: Bron Breakker at 1:52
– After the match, Bron Breakker hit Dixon with another Spear, but referees and agents stopped him from continuing the assault with steel steps. Breakker crushed Dixon’s head with a chair shot into the steel steps.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A violent beat-down from Bron Breakker, but I think I would have preferred to see a more straight-forward story to debut Bron on the main roster.)
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Kale Dixon was taken away in an ambulance. Adam Pearce confronted Bron Breakker, only for Breakker to blame him for not putting him in the King of the Ring tournament.
– A recap of Iyo Sky and Lyra Valkyria winning their quarterfinals match was shown.
– Backstage, Becky Lynch showed her support for Lyra Valkyria, ahead of the semifinals match.
(3) LYRA VALKYRIA vs. IYO SKY – Queen of the Ring Semifinals Match
Lyra knocked Sky down and got two counts with La Magistral, a roll-up and a diving crossbody, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Lyra avoided a drive-by dropkick, only for Sky to pull her head into the ropes. Sky pummeled Lyra down and crushed her with a double knee strike into the corner for a two count. Sky hit Lyra with a knee to the abdomen, setting her up for a double underhook backbreaker. Lyra kicked out of numerous pinfall attempts and slapped Sky before launching her away with a release German suplex. Lyra put Sky down with a series of clotheslines and kicks, setting her up for an enzuigiri and a dropkick through the ropes. Back in the ring, Lyra crushed Sky with a high crossbody, followed by a fisherman suplex for a nearfall.
Sky smashed Lyra’s head on the mat and nailed her with a running Meteora for a close two count. Lyra trapped Sky in an inverted Boston Crab, transitioned into a Pendulum. Sky kicked out of an European Clutch to put Lyra in a crossface, until she countered with a pinning combination. Sky clocked Lyra with an uppercut and a missile dropkick, setting her up for a double knee strike to the back. Lyra pulled Sky off the top turnbuckle, but Sky blocked her Tornado DDT. Sky clocked Lyra with a Penalty kick and crashed into her with an Asai moonsault, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Sky hit Lyra with a roll-through into a double for a two count. Sky missed a double knee strike, allowing Lyra to spike her with a Tornado DDT and a fisherman buster for a nearfall. Sky took Lyra down with a German suplex and a double knee strike, but Lyra stopped her atop the turnbuckle. Lyra tried to go for an avalanche move, only for Sky to drop her with a sunset flip powerbomb. Lyra evaded a moonsault and blocked a sunset flip to score the three count.
WINNER: Lyra Valkyria at 19:17
(Pomares’s Analysis: An outstanding match with a bold booking decision at the end. Lyra making it to semifinals was a strong way to introduce her to the main roster, but actually pushing her to the finals feels like a bit of a statement. My only issue with this outcome is that I genuinely do not think Lyra will win the whole thing, making whoever wins on SmackDown the favorite.
– After the match, Jackie Redmond tried to interview Lyra Valkyria before Iyo Sky yelled something in Japanese at her. After Sky walked away, Lyra talked about not expecting to beat a former champion three weeks ago.
– Backstage, R-Truth talked with New Catch Republic and claimed to The Miz that he got Andre the Giant to help them tonight.
– Backstage, Ilja Dragunov tried to talk about Gunther, only for Ricochet to interrupt. Ricochet claimed that just because Dragunov beat him once, meant it would happen again. Bron Breakker appeared out-of-nowhere and Speared him into a storage case.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– A video package recapping Gunther and Jey Uso’s wins last week was shown.
– Earlier tonight, Gunther walked through the empty seats to talk about Jey Uso giving the fans hope and illusion. Gunther said that tonight it wouldn’t be about who is more exciting, but about who is the best pro wrestler. Gunther admitted that Jey might be the more popular act, but he is the better wrestler.
– A recap of Carlito helping Judgment Day get a title shot was shown.
– Backstage, Damian Priest showed his support for Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh, ahead of their match tonight. Priest put over Carlito’s attack on Cruz del Toro and claimed that they weren’t his personal security. After JD and Dominik walked away, Finn told Priest that part of him wanted to team with him, but understood that Priest was the champ.
– Awesome Truth made their way to the ring, ahead of their tag title match tonight.
[Commercial Break]
– A video of Baron Corbin attending a bowling event was shown.
– Backstage, a returning Sonya Deville met Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark to discuss something, but they rejected her offer.
(4) AWESOME TRUTH (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh) – World Tag Team Championship
Miz put Finn in a wrist lock, only for Finn to smash his head into the turnbuckle. JD stomped Miz down, but Miz shut him down with a knee to the abdomen. Miz and Truth hit JD with a running kick and an elbow drop, setting him up for a corner clothesline. Miz knocked Finn off the apron, but couldn’t hit JD with the Skull Crushing Finale. Finn took a cheap shot at Miz behind the referee’s back, allowing JD to knock him off his feet, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Miz knocked Finn off the apron before he and JD took each other out with clotheslines. Truth got the hot tag to hit FInn with shoulder tackles and a back suplex. Finn blocked the Five Knuckle Shuffle, only for Truth to put him in an STF. JD threw Miz out of the ring while Finn got a nearfall with a roll-up. Finn knocked Truth off his feet with a sling blade, only for Awesome Truth to plant him and JD with stereo back suplexes.
They nailed them with stereo Five Knuckle Shuffles and knocked Carilto off the apron. Miz hit JD with a Pescado while Truth nailed JD with a flatliner, only for Carlito to put his boot on the ropes. Braun Strowman showed up to throw Carlito into the barricade, allowing Truth to beat JD with an Attitude Adjustment.
WINNERS: Awesome Truth at 9:36 (Still World Tag Team Champions)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fine match, but I’m so over Awesome Truth as champions. I’m not a huge fan of Braun Strowman just becoming the designated savior of the babyface roster since his return. If there was more time, I’d assume Strowman could be a contender to Damian Priest’s title, but I doubt his reign is long for this world after Clash at the Castle.)
– Backstage, Becky Lynch congratulated Lyra Valkyria; and Liv Morgan punched Lyra on the face..
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Bronson Reed confronted Sami Zayn to tell him that he only cared about money and he would use his body to obtain his biggest payday. Otis showed up behind Sami, only for Sami to tell him that he shouldn’t be proud of what he did. Otis apologized and Sami told him that he has to get away from Gable, speaking from his own experience.
– Becky Lynch made her way to the ring to talk about defending her title against Liv Morgan at Queen of the Ring. Lynch talked about facing Liv numerous times and Liv never defeating her. Lynch said that this was a very different Liv Morgan before being interrupted by Liv. Liv claimed that Lynch was gaslighting the crowd and accused her of only caring for herself. Lynch congratulated Liv for finally finding her purpose after 10 years while she has known it since she was 15.
– Lynch put over how she broke ceilings and left everything better than how it was before asking what Liv’s plan was after finishing her revenge tour. Liv insulted the fans by telling them that they had their head in Lynch’s ass and said that at the end of her tour, she would stand tall as women’s champion. Lynch dared Liv to fight her now, only for Liv to tease her and walk away.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Probably the best promo work from Liv Morgan ever, at least in terms of delivery. I didn’t love every line, but Liv looked confident and like an equal to Becky Lynch. With Becky’s contract still up in the air, there’s a real chance that Liv could win the title this weekend and segments like this make her more believable as possible champion.)
– Backstage, Judgment argued about Braun Strowman, until Damian Priest told JD to get a match against Strowman next week. Priest said that he didn’t recognize the group anymore before walking away.
– Damage CTRL made their way to the ring, ahead of their contender’s match tonight.
[Commercial Break]
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