SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 29, 2024
ST. PAUL, MINN. AT XCEL ENERGY CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
Attendance: WrestleTix reported that as of last night that 11,447 tickets had been distributed; arena is set up for 11,841. Check out WrestleTix on Patreon for final figures.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
On the episode, Wade Keller will be joined by Chris Maitland from PWTorch to review Raw LIVE along with VIP member video caller, viewer emails, and chat room interactions plus often an on-site correspondent. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
JOIN US LIVE AFTER RAW: CLICK HERE
[HOUR ONE]
– Seth Rollins made his way to the ring wearing a flashy referee shirt. Rollins hyped up the match between Drew McIntyre and C.M. Punk before introducing them. Rollins informed them that if any of them lay a finger on each other or himself, the match for SummerSlam would be off. Punk rolled out of the ring and said that he was scared of what he would do to them. Rollins said that he volunteered to referee the match because no other official wanted and if he went to the back and gave his referee shirt away, the match would be off. Rollins told Punk that he wanted to see them fight and ordered him to enter the ring.
– Drew tried to convince Rollins that Punk was the enemy that was ruining WWE and poisoning the minds of the next generation in NXT. Rollins agreed with Drew, but told him that he hates them both, as much as they hate each other. Rollins told them that they would do what he says, claiming that he was petty and would end the match when he wants. Punk told Rollins that he didn’t believe him and asked him to not help him.
– Drew told Punk to focus on him and how he wouldn’t stop beating him, until his heart does. Drew said that he would get paid millions for doing something he would do for free. Punk mocked Drew for being obsessed with him and how much it’s actually helped his career. Punk told Drew that he was his own worst enemy and claimed that he was the best wrestler. He said that he had heart and had the people chanting his name, asking Drew what he had. Drew raised his hand with Punk’s bracelet, as they faced off one final time.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Great opening promo for a go-home show, however I have a bit of a nitpick. Drew and Rollins’ parts were so strong that Punk’s material kind of fell flat by comparison. It was still delivered well, but it never really addressed any of the points that Rollins and Punk made.)
– Backstage, the Judgment Day found their clubhouse destroyed. Carlito whined about his PS5 being broken while Rhea Ripley said that Liv Morgan simply threw on a hissyfit.
– Otis and Akira Tozawa made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against the Creed Brothers.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Damian Priest told Finn Bálor that he should be in his corner tonight, but Finn insisted that he would do it alone. Finn said that they should deal with Sami Zayn and Jey Uso, only for Priest and Rhea Ripley to be against it. Finn, JD and Dominik agreed that Carlito should deal with it.
(1) OTIS & AKIRA TOZAWA (w/Maxxine Dupri) vs. CREED BROTHERS (Julius Creed & Brutus Creed w/Chad Gable)
The Creeds pummeled Otis down in the corner, only for Otis to shut them down with a double clothesline. Otis dropped Tozawa on top of Julius, but Julius quickly shut him down with a delayed vertical suplex. Julius hit Brutus with a slam on top of Tozawa for a two count. Tozawa caught Otis with a cyclone kick and an enzuigiri, setting him up for a missile dropkick. Tozawa knocked Brutus down with a suicide dive, but Julius pulled him out of the ring to protect him from a follow-up move. Brutus turned Tozawa inside out with a clothesline, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Tozawa caught Brutus with a DDT, reaching Otis for the hot tag. Otis knocked Julius down with a series of clotheslines and smashed his shoulder into the ring post. Otis planted Julius with a powerslam, setting him up for the Caterpillar. Brutus stopped Otis atop the turnbuckle, only for Otis to knock him and Gable down. The Creeds floored Otis with an avalanche double back suplex for the win.
WINNERS: Creed Brothers at 7:46
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fun while it lasted, but I really expected more between these two. Otis has been criminally underused since the breakup of Alpha Academy and it really feels like this story is just stalling, until the Wyatt Sicks angle finishes.)
– After the match, Chad Gable put Otis in an ankle lock, until Maxxine Dupri jumped on his back. Dupri slapped Gable before the lights in the arena started turning off. The Wyatt Sicks showed up and approached the ring and took off their masks to reveal Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis. Nikki Cross took Gable out with a high crossbody while lUMIS AND Gacy laid the Creeds out with stereo clotheslines. Lumis dropped Gacy on top of the Creeds with a powerbomb, followed by a running crossbody from Rowan. Gable retreated to the ramp, but ran away once he saw Uncle Howdy on the entrance way.
(Pomares’s Analysis: It’s good to see the rest of the Wyatt Sicks get physical in the ring. They are clearly building to Gable vs. Uncle Howdy, but I’m mostly shocked that after so long, it seems that if this story gets a match at SummerSlam, it will be a six-man tag match.)
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Carlito informed Dominik Mysterio that he was now scheduled to take on Sami Zayn. Rhea Ripley and Dominik pointed out that Carlito was supposed to deal with Sami, so they ordered him to deal with Jey Uso on his own.
(2) SHEAMUS vs. BRONSON REED
They immediately started exchanging forearm strikes, until Reed cornered Sheamus with a couple of chops. Sheamus nailed Reed with a pair of uppercuts and sent him out of the ring with a clothesline. Sheamus took Reed down with a diving clothesline, only for Reed to drop him with a Samoan drop on the announce table, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Reed evaded a diving clothesline and laid Sheamus out with a DVD for a two count. Sheamus stopped Reed atop the turnbuckle and flattened him with an avalanche White Noise for a nearfall. Sheamus pummeled Reed with the Beats of Bodhran and prepared to go for the Brogue Kick. Pete Dunne showed up to clobber Sheamus with a shillelagh, allowing Reed to get the win with the Tsunami.
WINNER: Bronson Reed at 9:37
(Pomares’s Analysis: A decent rematch between these two that oddly had a weak crowd early on. I’m excited for the eventual Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne match, but the constant shenanigans in matches are starting to get tiring. Additionally, I really get the feeling that Bronson Reed won’t get anything from this win beyond more 50/50 booking.)
– A recap of Gunther and Damian Priest brawling last week was shown. Priest mocked Gunther for getting everything he wanted while he fought for everything, calling himself a Puerto Rican badass.
– Jey Uso made his way to the ring, ahead of his match with Carlito.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– A video package was shown, featuring Bron Breakker calling Sami Zayn a comedian that is not taking him seriously like he made the mistake to do at Money in the Bank. Breakker said that at SummerSlam the joke would be on Sami while the Intercontinental title would be on himself.
(3) JEY USO vs. CARLITO
Jey immediately caught Carlito with a superkick, followed by a suicide dive. Jey pummeled Carlito down, until Carlito smashed his head into the ring post. Carlito knocked Jey down with a draping neckbreaker, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Jey nailed Carlito with an uppercut before receiving a TKO for a two count. Jey pummeled Carlito down with a series of right hands, followed by an enzuigiri. Carlito evaded a diving move and laid Jey out with a spinebuster for a nearfall. Jey surprised Carlitio with a roll-up before finishing him with a Spear.
WINNER: Jey Uso at 7:31
(Pomares’s Analysis: Nothing to see here. Just a quick match to keep Jey Uso strong and maintain the Judgment Day on separate pages.)
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Zelina Vega about what happened last week. Vega said that Sonya Deville and her crew reminded her that she was a threat. Deville, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark showed up to assault Vega and crush her arm with a boot into the wall.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, The Miz announced that he would be the host of SummerSlam and R-Truth interrupted, not understanding what he was supposed to do.
– A highlight reel of WWE’s tour through Japan was shown.
– Karrion Kross grabbed a mic and told Xavier Woods that Kofi Kingston was faking an injury because he couldn’t stand seeing the world revolve around Woods. Kross insulted the crowd, asked Woods to join his group, renounce the power positivity and tell Kofi that he should have retired.
(4) XAVIER WOODS vs. KARRION KROSS (w/Akam, Rezar, Scarlett, Paul Ellering)
Woods immediately punched Kross in the face, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Kross clocked Woods with a pair of elbow strikes and dropped him with a Xploder. Woods nailed Kross with a series of chops and a discus elbow strike. Woods blocked a power move, only for Akam to hit him with a cheap shot behind the referee’s back. Woods evaded the Final Prayer and knocked Kross down with a thrust kick before taking care of AOP with a suicide dive and a shot into the ring post. Kross avoided a diving elbow drop and finished Woods with the Final Prayer.
WINNER: Karrion Kross at 6:03
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fine match, but this storyline has absolutely no juice. Since this is clearly not paying off at SummerSlam, I’m starting to fear they’ll drag this feud all the way to Bash in Berlin.)
– Earlier today, Triple H welcomed WWE Hall of Famer, Jesse Ventura, to the arena.
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Sami Zayn about what Bron Breakker had to say. Sami pointed out that he did a comedy show before Money in the Bank and he still beat him. Sami called Breakker out for constantly attacking him and said that instead of teaching him a lesson, he would kick his ass. Sami made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Dominik Mysterio.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Liv Morgan dropped a bunch of Dominik Mysterio items and photos into a trash can on fire. Liv said that she would make Rhea Ripley’s life a living hell and leave with the world title.
(5) SAMI ZAYN vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO
Dominik put Sami in a wrist lock and pummeled him down, only for Sami to respond with jabs of his own. Sami threw Dominik out of the ring and crushed him with an Arabian moonsault, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Dominik stomped Sami down and spiked him with a Tornado DDT for a two count. Sami knocked Dominik off his feet with a clothesline, followed by a diving axe handle. Dominik blocked the Blue Thunderbomb and hit Sami with the Three Amigos. Sami avoided a Frog Splash and put Dominik down with a Xploder into the corner. JD McDonagh and Carlito showed up to distract Sami, allowing Dominik to get a nearfall with a roll-up. Sami dropped Dominik with a back body drop and a clothesline, followed by the Blue Thunderbomb. Carlito jumped into the ring to attack Sami and end the match.
WINNER: Sami Zayn at 8:09 via DQ
– After the match, Jey Uso ran down to save Sami Zayn from the assault. Bron Breakker showed up to attack Sami, only for Sami to send him out of the ring and stand tall.
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was fine, but it never got into third gear and was always destined to end in a lame DQ. The post-match angle was decent, but felt underwhelming for a go-home show.)
– The commentary team revealed the latest tape from the Wyatt Sicks. Uncle Howdy talked about people launching at Dexter Lumis while they watched him drown. Howdy asked him what they should do when the buzzards start circling.
(Pomares’s Analysis: After seeing how powerful the Erick Rowan tape from a few weeks ago was, these past two have been very disappointing.)
– Backstage, Chad Gable told Adam Pearce that he found out the identities of the rest of the Wyatt Sicks. Gable asked Pearce to get him a match against Gacy, Lumis and Rowan next week.
– Lyra Valkyria, Katana Chance and Kayden Carter made their way to the ring, ahead of their match.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– A video package was shown, featuring Rhea Ripley mocking Liv Morgan for playing the victim in her revenge tour. Ripley pointed out that Liv hurt her the first time because she warned her multiple times to get out of her business. Ripley said that Liv wants her to be the demon in her story, but at SummerSlam, she would get her revenge.
(6) LYRA VALKYRIA & KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER vs. SONYA DEVILLE & SHAYNA BASZLER & ZOEY STARK
Lyra hit Deville with a strike to the abdomen before receiving a forearm strike to the head. Stark knocked Lyra away with a missile dropkick, only for Lyra to put her in a wrist lock. Chance and Carter caught Stark with knee strikes in the corner, followed by a dropkick through the ropes from Lyra, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Baszler and Deville pummeled Lyra down, until she was able to knock them away and give Carter the hot tag. Carter knocked Stark and Deville off the apron before beating Baszler down with a series of clotheslines. Carter shocked Baszler with a thrust kick and a springboard leg drop for a two count. Stark tried to powerbomb Carter, only for her to respond with a hurracarrana. Stark caught Carter with a thrust kick, but Chance quickly hit her with a Codebreaker. Lyra dropped Stark with a sitout powerbomb, only for Baszler to break the pinfall. Chance and Carter tried to go for the After Party, but Deville pulled Stark out of the ring. Stark cracked Chance with the Z-360 to pick up the win.
WINNERS: Sonya Deville, Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark at 8:36
– After the match, a returning Damage CTRL showed up to assault Deville, Baszler and Stark. Iyo Sky crushed them with a top turnbuckle moonsault to stand tall with the rest of Damage CTRL.
(Pomares’s Analysis: The action in this one was good, but the crowd was flat-out dead. At least they popped for the return of what seems to be babyface Damage CTRL which should be a fun change of pace for them.)
– Earlier today, Gunther stood in the arena’s stands to mock Damian Priest for being emotionally unstable. Gunther said that he exposed Priest and mocked Finn Bálor for associating with street trash.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Damage CTRL said that now that they are back, they would re-establish the order back here. Dakota Kai challenged Sonya Deville to a match next week and claimed that she would cut the head of the snake.
– The commentary team ran down the match card for this weekend’s SummerSlam.
– Backstage, Rhea Ripley asked the rest of Judgment Day what they expected. Finn Bálor admitted that they had to focus on SummerSlam while Ripley and Damian Priest told him that they could be by his side tonight. Finn told them to focus on their upcoming matches and that he needed to prove himself tonight.
– Gunther made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Finn Bálor.
[Commercial Break]
– It was announced that Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill would challenge for the Women’s tag titles on this week’s Smackdown.
– It was announced that the Wyatt Sicks would face Chad Gable & the Creeds; and that Dakota would take on Sonya Deville.
(7) FINN BÁLOR vs. GUNTHER
Finn blasted Gunther with a pair of chops, only for Gunther to shut him down with a single chop. Finn caught Gunther with a basement dropkick, followed by a kick to the ribs. Gunther clobbered Finn with a big boot, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Gunther dropped Finn with a bodyslam, followed by a chop and a back suplex. Gunther put Finn in a Boston Crab, until he was able to grab the ropes. Gunther sat Finn atop the turnbuckle and whacked him with a chop to the back, only for Finn to counter a superplex with a crossbody. Finn evaded a powerslam and knocked Gunther down with a reverse DDT. Gunther knocked Finn down with another chop to the chest and knocked him off his feet with a massive lariat.
They traded body shots and chops, until Finn knocked Gunther down with a sling blade. Gunther blocked the shotgun dropkick with a sleeper hold, only for Finn to counter it with a pair of double stomps to the chest. Finn crushed Gunther with a double stomp to the back, followed by the shotgun dropkick. Gunther evaded the Coup de Grace and trapped Finn in a sleeper hold. Gunther laid Finn out with a powerbomb before trapping him in a deep sleeper hold. Finn tried to break the hold, but Gunther applied more force and made him pass out.
WINNER: Gunther at 12:13
– After the match, Gunther put Finn Bálor in the sleeper hold again, until Damian Priest ran down to make the save. They brawled around the ring and Priest tossed Gunther over the announce table. They continued fighting as the show came to an end.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Some much needed good action with a hotter crowd after what has been a show heavy on backstage promos and video packages. The ending fell a little flat, but was a good setup for the post-match angle. Unfortunately, the post-match angle also fell flat due to the lack of any major spot to make the brawl feel more intense. Everything was made worse by an incredibly lackluster crowd that popped hard for the opening segment and struggled ever since.)
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
On the episode, Wade Keller will be joined by Chris Maitland from PWTorch to review Raw LIVE along with VIP member video caller, viewer emails, and chat room interactions plus often an on-site correspondent. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
JOIN US LIVE AFTER RAW: CLICK HERE
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