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WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 22, 2024
GREEN BAY, WISC. AT RESCH CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
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[HOUR ONE]
– Gunther made his way to the ring to address what he said about Damian Priest last week. Gunther said that he meant every word he said and everyone in this building was a bum. He said that the reputation of this sport was on the line and that Priest did not live up to it. Gunther said that Priest was a pretender and a wannabe before saying that today he would judge the Judgment Day. Gunther judged the entirety of Judgment Day as street trash. He once again offered Priest to hand him his championship. Priest showed up, only to clobber Gunther with a forearm strike and start a brawl. Numerous agents, referees and guards showed up to separate them.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A simple yet effective way to heat up the rivalry between these two. This has been by far the strongest build we’ve seen to a World Heavyweight title match since Priest won the belt. Gunther got a great reaction at the start and is more than ready to win the world title.)
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond tried to interview Gunther, only for Damian Priest to show up and continue the fight. Priest smashed Gunther’s head into a steel case, as referees and agents separated them.
– A recap of Bron Breakker assaulting Ilja Dragunov and Sami Zayn last week was shown.
(1) ILJA DRAGUNOV vs. BRON BREAKKER – WWE Intercontinental Championship Contender’s Match
Dragunov nailed Breakker with back elbows and chops, only for Breakker to tackle him out of the ring. Dragunov caught Breakker off-guard with a knee to the face and sent him to the apron with a big boot. Breakker pummeled Dragunov with forearms and jabs on the apron, only for Dragunov to retaliate with a forearm shot to the head. Dragunov blocked a superplex, only for Breakker to drop him ribs-first onto the ring post, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Breakker withstood Dragunov’s slaps and dropped him with a gutbuster. Dragunov countered a powerbomb with a DDT, following it with a barrage of chops and an enzuigiri. Dragunov clocked Breakker with a kick to the face and the Constantine Special. Before Breakker could react, Dragunov clobbered him with a running kick to the face. Dragunov managed to plant Breakker with a release powerbomb, but he kicked out at two.
Breakker stopped Dragunov atop the turnbuckle and launched him across the ring with a Frankesteiner for a nearfall. Dragunov tripped Breakker atop the turnbuckle and floored him with a superplex, setting him up for the H-Bomb. Dragunov planted Breakker with a Death Valley Driver on the apron, only for Breakker to block a diving move with a Spear, making his head crash into the apron. The referee checked on Dragunov and declared that he was not fit to continue.
WINNER: Bron Breakker at 12:05 via referee stoppage
(Pomares’s Analysis: A great match with a unique finish to protect Dragunov in defeat. I’m surprised that after weeks of Dragunov involvement, the title match didn’t end up as a triple threat match. After the shocking result at Money in the Bank, surely this is the time to crown Breakker.)
– Backstage, Rhea Ripley told the rest of Judgment Day that they would soon all hold gold. Dominik Mysterio asked Ripley about Jey Uso’s comments, but she told him not to worry. Finn Bálor insisted that Dominik needed to take care of Jey while Ripley said that it was unnecessary.
– Lyra Valkyria made her way to the ring, ahead of the match against Sonya Deville.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Otis, Maxxine Dupri and Xavier Woods were celebrating Akira Tozawa’s birthday with a cake.
(2) LYRA VALKYRIA (w/Kayden Carter & Katana Chance) vs. SONYA DEVILLE (w/Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark)
Lya cornered Deville with a bunch of shoulder thrusts and stomps. Lyra swept Deville off her feet and nailed her with a basement dropkick for a two count. Deville avoided a dropkick through the ropes and threw her into the barricade, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Lyra laid Deville out with a superplex, only for Deville to shut her down with a pair of kicks to the chest. Lyra knocked Deville down with an enzuigiri and a spinning kick to the head, setting her up for a fisherman suplex. Lyra evaded a clothesline and dropped Deville with a delayed gutwrench powerbomb. Baszler distracted the referee, allowing Stark to shove Lyra off the top turnbuckle. Baszler and Stark fought with Chance and Carter, until Deville helped them knock them out. Lyra caught Baszler and Stark with a dropkick, only for Deville to beat her with the Deville’s Advocate.
WINNER: Sonya Deville at 8:02
(Pomares’s Analysis: Decent match to continue putting over Sonya’s group and give her an actually meaningful win. Sonya has always had untapped potential, so I hope this push doesn’t wither down.)
– The commentary showed the latest VHS tape from the Wyatt Sicks. Uncle Howdy spoke about Nikki Cross and how she was ignored, as everyone watched her suffer. The video ended with a screeching scream from Cross.
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was good while it lasted, but massively disappointing after seeing what Bo Dallas and Erick Rowan accomplished in their tapes. Hopefully, the ones for Gacy and Lumis deliver.)
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– C.M. Punk made his way to the ring and officially announced that he was cleared to wrestle. Punk called Drew McIntyre out, so he could get his pound of flesh. Drew showed up, but immediately told Punk that he didn’t want to fight him. Punk tried to run at Drew, only for numerous referees to stop him. Drew said that this match was bigger than Green Bay before showing off Punk’s bracelet. Adam Pearce showed up to make the match official for SummerSlam before warning them that if they interact beforehand the match would be off. Pearce introduced Seth Rollins who announced that he would be the guest referee for their match.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A solid segment to finally make Punk vs. Drew official, but it did feel slightly rushed after last week’s segment. Having Seth Rollins as the special guest referee makes sense, but I worry it will take away from what is supposed to be a blood feud.)
– Backstage, the Judgment Day split up to confront Jey Uso, only for Liv Morgan to confront Dominik Mysterio. Liv told Dominik that everything would be okay, as Finn showed up to check on them.
– Xavier Woods, Otis and Akira Tozawa made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against the Final Testament.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Sami Zayn about his upcoming match against Bron Breakker. Sami acknowledged Breakker as a threat before warning him to not make the same mistake and take him seriously. A loud sound was head afar, as Sami ran to check on it. Sami found the Judgment Day assaulting Jey Uso, so he made the save.
(3) XAVIER WOODS, OTIS & AKIRA TOZAWA (w/Maxxine Dupri) vs. THE FINAL TESTAMENT (Karrion Kross, Akam & Rezar w/Scarlett & Paul Ellering)
Woods caught Rezar with a thrust kick, only for Rezar to immediately corner him. Rezar withstood Woods’ chops and shoved him into a corner, setting him up for chops and forearms from Akam. Woods caught Rezar with a couple of forearms, setting him up for an axe handle and a flying forearm from Tozawa. Tozawa low-bridged Akam and blasted him with a suicide dive, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Akam knocked Tozawa down with a back elbow, followed by an F5 from Kross. Kross knocked Woods off the apron before receiving a thrust kick from Tozawa. Otis got the hot tag to lay Kross and AOP with clotheslines and body blocks. Otis crushed AKAM with a corner splash, setting him up for the Caterpillar. Kross clobbered Otis with a forearm strike before Woods got the blind tag. Woods nailed Kross with a missile dropkick while Tozawa took care of AOP with a diving splash. Woods pummeled Kross down, only for Rezar to distract him and allow Kross to get the win with the Final Prayer.
WINNERS: The Final Testament at 8:34
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was fine, but it still feels like this New Day and Final Testament feud is going nowhere. At least, we got to see Otis and Tozawa wrestle after the kind of limp ending to their partnership with Gable.)
– Chad Gable and the Creed Brothers showed up while Otis, Tozawa and Woods tried to get up.
[Commercial Break]
– Chad Gable criticized Otis’ leadership skills and put over how smart it was to side with the Creed Brothers. Gable offered Otis, Tozawa and Dupri the chance to rejoin their group. Otis mocked Gable for running away from the Wyatt Sicks and said that his answer was still no. The Creeds assault Otis and Tozawa, only for Otis to knock them down with a double clothesline. Otis tried to flatten Gable with a powerslam, only for the Creeds to ram him into the ring post. They prepared to use chairs, until the lights turned off and the ring filled up with fog. The Wyatt Sicks showed up on the ramp and Uncle Howdy appeared behind Gable to hit him with Sister Abigail.
(Pomares’s Analysis: The stuff between Gable and Otis was decent, but felt like leftovers from a feud they never properly paid off. The angle with the Wyatt Sicks was much stronger and was a great tease of Uncle Howdy as a live wrestler.)
[Commercial Break]
– Bronson Reed and Pete Dunne made their way to the ring for a match, only for Sheamus to appear out of nowhere to blast Dunne with a pump knee. Sheamus cracked Reed with a pump knee and pummeled Dunne with the Beats of Bodhran. Dunne evaded a Brogue Kick and ran away before Sheamus clobbered Reed with a Brogue Kick.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A fine angle to continue the rivalry between Sheamus and Pete Dunne. I’m baffled by Bronson Reed’s involvement in this storyline as he keeps on taking beating after beating with no clear direction.)
– Backstage, Finn Bálor announced that he got a match against Jey Uso and Sami Zayn for tonight and a match against Gunther next week. Rhea Ripley berated them for confronting Jey and dragged Dominik Mysterio away, so they could go to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Sheamus about his recent assault. Sheamus said that he and Pete Dunne could fix their issues like proper fellas or deal with it in the ring.
– Rhea Ripley dragged Dominik Mysterio to the ring and demanded Liv Morgan to come out. Liv showed up in the crowd and said that Dominik had feelings for her. Liv said that men like Dominik only go for girls like her. Ripley tried to confront Liv, only for Dominik to stop her from leaving. Dominik grabbed the mic and told Liv that he hates her and that she is ruining his life. Liv walked away crying while Ripley left with Dominik.
(Pomares’s Analysis: As usual, this storyline got an incredibly loud reaction and possibly the first time the crowd didn’t boo Dominik during a promo. However, I really disliked a lot of this segment’s content, especially during the Liv promo. The women’s title feels like an afterthought in this feud and I can’t wait to be done with this.)
– Zelina Vega showed up on the entrance way for an interview to claim that Sonya Deville’s attack wouldn’t stop her. Vega entered the ring, ahead of her match against Zoey Stark.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
(4) ZELINA VEGA vs. ZOEY STARK (w/Sonya Deville & Shayna Baszler)
Vega shoved Stark into the corner, only for Stark to smash her damaged arm into the mat. Vega avoided a knee drop and caught Stark with a spinning kick to the head. Stark pummeled Vega down, until Vega nailed her with a spinning back elbow. Vega crushed Stark with a double knee to the back before climbing the top turnbuckle. Stark hyper-extended Vega’s arm into the top rope, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Vega surprised Stark with an inside cradle before receiving a springboard dropkick. Vega caught Stark with an enzuigiri and spiked her with a Tornado DDT, setting her up for a moonsault and a two count. Stark blocked the Code Red and blasted Vega with a thrust kick for a two count. Vega sent Stark to the ropes, only for Baszler to trip her behind the referee’s back. Lyra Valkyria, Katana Chance and Kayden Carter showed up to attack Baszler and Deville. Vega clobbered Stark with her arm brace, setting her up for the Code Red and the win.
WINNER: Zelina Vega at 8:50
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pleasantly surprised by how much time was given when considering how little time a women’s match in this spot of the card usually gets. I’m all for the undercard women to have a feud of their own, though I’m not sure what the end goal is currently since the SummerSlam card seems full already.)
– Backstage, Xavier Woods asked Adam Pearce for a match against Karrion Kross next week. Pearce made the match official before Drew McIntyre showed up to complain about Seth Rollins being the referee for his match and say that it wasn’t fair. Pearce that he and CM Punk would find out how fair it is when Rollins explains them the rules next week.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn about Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill’s challenge. They said they would see them on Friday, only for Sonya Deville and her crew to interrupt.
– A video package was shown where Gunther addressed every champion in the World Heavyweight lineage and how he would bring prestige to it.
– Jey Uso and Sami Zayn made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against Judgment Day.
[Commercial Break]
– It was announced that Seth Rollins would give the referee instructions; Valkyria, Chance and Carter would face Deville, Stark and Baszler; Xavier Woods would battle Karrion Kross; and Finn Bálor would take on Gunther.
– The commentary team ran down the match card for SummerSlam.
(5) SAMI ZAYN & JEY USO vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh w/Carlito & Dominik Mysterio)
Finn knocked Jey down with a shoulder tackle and cornered him with a shoulder thrust. Jey caught Finn with a clothesline and an enzuigiri, followed by a diving double stomp to the arm from Sami. JD stomped Sami down, only for Sami to take him out with a clothesline. JD knocked Jey off the apron before receiving a clothesline over the ropes. Sami sent Finn out of the ring and crushed Judgment Day with an Arabian moonsault. Dominik distracted Sami, allowing Carlito to smash his head into the ring post, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, JD dropped Sami with a back suplex, only for Sami to plant him with a back body drop. Finn crushed Sami with an elbow drop to stop him from tagging out. Sami took JD down with a Blue Thunderbomb, reaching Jey for the hot tag. Jey pummeled Finn with a bunch of right hands, followed by an uppercut and an enzuigiri. Jey clocked JD with a hip attack and Finn with a high crossbody for a two count. Finn and JD managed to overpower Jey and pummel him down in the corner. Jey caught Finn with a superkick mid-air, reaching Sami for the hot tag. Sami dropped JD with a Xploder, but Dominik grabbed his leg before the Helluva Kick.
JD surprised Sami with a Spanish Fly for a close nearfall. Jey and Sami nailed JD with the 1D, only for Finn to break the pinfall at the last moment. Finn took Jey down wiht a sling blade before receiving a superkick. Jey knocked Carlito and Dominik off the apron, but JD pulled his head into the ropes. Finn blasted Jey with a shotgun dropkick and the Coup de Grace, setting him up for a moonsault from JD. Sami broke the pinfall and threw Finn out of the ring. Sami clocked JD with a Helluva Kick and took care of the rest of Judgment Day with a Tope con Hilo. Jey immediately hit Sami with an Uso Splash to take the win.
WINNERS: Sami Zayn & Jey Uso at 16:27
– After the match, Bron Breakker knocked Sami Zayn out with a Spear.
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was a good main event match reminiscent of 2023 that felt like it needed a major angle afterwards. The only development we saw here was Breakker attacking Sami which was more of the same we’ve seen from him. Additionally, I’m not a huge fan of beating the champions to set up a title match, but at least a Judgment Day vs. Jey and Sami title bout would be a much needed tag team championship defense on Raw.)
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