SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 31, 2023
HOUSTON, TEX. AT TOYOTA CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
[HOUR ONE]
-After the “Then, Now, Forever, Together” brand stamp, Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves introduced the show as the camera panned the crowd. They hyped the main event tag match with Seth Rollins & Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio, plus Brock Lesnar’s appearance in person.
-Logan Paul made his ring entrance. They went to clips of the last exchange with Logan and Ricochet. Then back live, Logan asked Houston to allow him to welcome them to Monday Night Raw. Boos rang out. “I have this thing where I don’t like talking to brain dead people for too long, so I’ll make this quick,” he said. “I’m not here for y’all. I’m here for Ricochet.” He paused, annoyed at the booing when was talking. A “You suck!” chant rang out. They showed fans smiling at Paul being annoyed by them. He said last week he just wanted to build up the hype for their match at Summerslam, but then he was “sneak-attacked and victimized and abused.” He began to tear up and freak out at Ricochet embarrassing him. He said he’s going to beat Ricochet at Summerslam “in the most viral match in WWE history.” He said there is nothing he won’t do. Ricochet then walked out to his music. Fans cheered.
Ricochet asked Logan what was going on. Fans chanted, “Ri-co-chet!” He said last week he was in his live stream, but this week’s he’s in his head. He said Logan was trying to spin the story to make him the good guy, but he’s not the good boy. He entered the ring and said he thinks Logan is a horrible human being, but he does respect that he’s an athlete, competitor, and showman, and he can always at least respect that. Logan said, “You know what?” He paused for more boos. Logan said he really appreciates what he said. Fans chanted “You suck!” He said Ricochet is one of the greatest to ever do it until he showed up. He said they’re not that different. He said they think alike. He said their issues didn’t begin at Money in the Bank. He said it started when they did the double-springboard clothesline, crashing into each other. He threw to the big screen which replayed it. “I really got it, don’t I?” He said they’re going to put on a hell of a match.
As Ricochet began to leave, Logan said he had one more thing to say. He said at the end of their match, the ring announcer will announce the winner. He pointed at Samantha Irvin and said she’s his fiancé. He said he hopes there’s no hard feelings “when I have your girl saying ‘your winner is Logan Paul.'” He smiled and waved at Irvin at ringside, who sneered a bit at him. Ricochet attacked Logan. Ricochet avoided a Logan clothesline with a duck under and kip up. He followed with a Justin Gaethje high kick to the side of his head. He then springboarded at him, but Logan knocked him out of mid-air with a punch. Logan smiled and put his hat back on. He then videoed of himself laughing at Ricochet.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was really good at hyping their match. That was Logan’s best mic work to date, and Ricochet is a level higher than he’s ever been in WWE in every way – fan reaction, comfort level on the mic, overall star presence. I’m not crazy about wrestlers seeming more interested in their match going viral than winning, but it worked in the end because Logan brought it around to wanting to win so he could force Ricochet’s fiancé to announce him as the winner. That was a great villainous moment for him.)
-They went to Graves and Patrick at ringside reacting to the angle. They shifted to a clip of the brawl with Drew McIntyre and Gunther last week that led to Gunther out on the floor.
-Jackie Redmond interviewed Gunther, Gionvani Vinci, and Ludwig Kaiser backstage. Gunther scolded Kaiser and said he has a chance to redeem himself against Matt Riddle. He said this Saturday he will go on to personally end Drew once and for all.
-Riddle made his ring entrance. [c]
(1) MATT RIDDLE vs. LUDWIG KAISER (w/Gunther, Giovani Vinci)
Patrick said Gunther expressing disappointment in Kaiser is like when your parents are disappointed in you and it feels awful. Graves said he’s still a disappointment to his parents “and I’m famous.” The bell rang 22 minutes into the hour. They chopped each other in the chests. Riddle gave Gunther a hard elbow to side of his head and Gunther went down like Dustin Poirier. The ref checked on Kaiser quickly, but then signaled the match could continue.
Kaiser knocked Riddle into the ringpost and then dropkicked him to the floor. He followed with a running uppercut at ringside. He threw him into the ring and then got some advice from Gunther. Riddle head-scissored Kaiser over the top rope and then punt kicked him from the ring apron. He followed with a springboard Floating Bro off the second rope to the floor. They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
Back from the break, Riddle was in control. He scored a two count with a German suplex. They fought back and forth with a nice pace and hard-hitting intensity. Kaiser avoided a Floating Bro off the top rope and then landed a high kick to the side of his head followed by a signature DDT for the win.
Gunther entered the ring and shook hands and congratulated Kaiser. Kaiser smiled with pride.
WINNER: Kaiser in 11:00.
-Patrick commented on clips of the Viking Raiders-Alpha Academy saga including the Raiders winning two weeks ago on Raw. They cut backstage to Maxxine warming up and being cheered on by Chad Gable and Otis. Then elsewhere, Valhalla was getting ready in a dark space with deep breaths.
-A vignette aired for Timothy Straton.
(Keller’s Analysis: They totally played up her being an Original Barbie-like character with lots of pink and having her act like Barbie. Genius!) [c]
-Byron Saxton approached Logan who was dancing with joy backstage. He said he just gave Ricochet a small taste of what’s happening on Saturday and they’ll have the most viral match ever. He said he thought Ricochet said he’s always a step ahead of him, but he left him lying in the ring “looking like a full-grown fetus.” He knocked the mic away and left.
-Patrick hyped that Cody Rhodes has joined TikTok.
-They went to Graves and Patrick at ringside who threw to a four minute video recap of the Lesnar-Cody feud.
-Maxxine made her ring entrance with Otis and Gable. [c]
(2) MAXXINE (w/Chad Gable, Otis) vs. VALHALLA (w/Erik, Ivar)
Valhalla landed a running Derrick Lewis knee to take Maxinne down. Maxxine recovered quickly and armdragged Valhalla twice. Patrick said the training has paid off. She reverse-whipped Valhalla, but Valhalla reversed her into the ropes. It was awkward, but that’s sort of Maxxine’s gimmick at this point. Maxxine landed a fisherman’s suplex.
Otis stood on the ring apron and ripped off his t-shirt, revealing a pink singlet matching Maxxine and Gable. She did the Caterpillar into an elbowdrop for a two count. Maxxine climbed the top rope. Graves said she might be getting too confident. She landed a crossbody block. When Erik stood on the ring apron, the ref turned to him. The Raiders attacking Otis at ringside. Gable flipped off the top rope onto them on the floor. Valhalla took over and set up a top rope move, but Maxxine slipped free and then lifted Valhalla onto her shoulders. She dropped back and bridged for a three count. “What?!” exclaimed Graves.
WINNER: Maxxine in 3:30.
-They went to Patrick and Graves at ringside who threw to a video recap of last week’s main event setting up this week’s main event.
-The Judgement Day made their entrance. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Graves hyped the new John Cena/Jackie Chan movie on Netflix.
-Tommaso Ciampa confronted Shinsuke Nakamura and said they could have gone their separate ways, but Nakamura apparently didn’t want that. He said he’s going to win the Summerslam battle royal. Nakamura said he’s going to win the battle royal. “Problem solved,” he said.
-They plugged Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor at Summerslam.
-The Judgment Day stood mid-ring. Priest said, “All rise for The Judgment Day!” Rhea Ripley said, “Let’s face it, guys. Monday Night Raw doesn’t start until we say it does because this is our world now.” She said if someone doesn’t want to fall in line, they have no problem putting them on the shelf. She asked who’s going to stop them. Priest said, “Let’s run through the heroes on Raw.” He mentioned Kevin Owens and said they took him out. He said they left Sami lying. He said they gave Seth an epic beating on Raw. And Ripley gave Liv Morgan a beating. He said if Seth and Sami show up, he and Dom will make sure they don’t leave the arena whole.
Balor spoke about facing Seth briefly and looking to avenge him for their past. Dominik then tried to talk over huge boos. Ripley said Dom, with the NXT North American Title, is bringing pride to the Mysterio name. Ripley said Raquel Rodriguez will have to learn to enjoy her time in rehab “just like Liv and Kevin Owens.”
Rodriguez marched out and went after Ripley. They brawled mid-ring. Rodriguez clotheslined Ripley over the top rope, then threw her hard into the ringside barricade. Rodriguez rammed Ripley spine-first into the ringpost and then into the barricade. Patrick said Rodriguez, due to an injured knee, wasn’t cleared to compete but she’s been effective attacking Ripley. Dom distracted Rodriguez, which gave Ripley an opening to clip her knee from behind. Referees and producers came to separate Ripley from Rodriguez.
-They went to Patrick and Graves at ringside. They threw to a video package on the history of Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler after Patrick said they were a great tag team before the break-up.
-Nakamura made his ring entrance. [c]
-A commercial hyped Sheamus vs. L.A. Knight and more with Roman Reigns and Jey Uso this Friday on Smackdown.
-Gable and Otis congratulated Maxxine and said they’re proud of her. They said they’re going to win the battle royal, too. In walked Imperium. Gunther said Kaiser restored honor to the great sport in the first match, and Maxxine ruined it right afterward. Maxxine said her coach is an Olympic athlete. Gunther called Otis a freak. Otis said, “Hey!” Kaiser said Gable wouldn’t last five minutes with someone like Gunther. Gunther said that’s a good point. He said his soul could benefit from dragging someone around the ring a little bit. He said he won’t need five minutes to beat him. Gable said he’ll last five hours, but he told Gunther to leave his crew in the back and he’ll do the same. Gunther said he’d see him later.
(3) TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
The bell rang 20 minutes into the hour. They cut to a break a few minutes in as they brawled at ringside. [c]
Ciampa landed a DDT for a near fall after the break. Graves noted Ciampa was fighting valiantly through the rib injury caused by Bronson Reed last week. He said there’s nothing better in life than watching two people you can’t stand beat each other up. Ciampa avoided a flying knee by Nakamura, but Nakamura fired back with a high kick and landed a knee to the ribs for a near fall. Nakamura escaped a Fairy Tale Ending and then rolled up Ciampa for the three count. Ciampa winced afterward, selling the rib injury. A replay showed that Nakamura yanked on his trunks. They showed Bronson Reed watching on a monitor backstage laughing.
WINNER: Nakamura in 9:00.
-Graves and Patrick threw to a two minute video package hyping Roman vs. Jey at Summerslam. [c]
-After a replay of Ripley clipping Rodriguez’s knee, they went backstage to Rodriguez in pain as a trainer tended to her knee. Pearce said as soon as she’s cleared, he will book her against Ripley.
-Brock Lesnar walked out to his theme song and looked around the crowd. Lesnar entered the ring and introduced himself. He said he is an NCAA Heavyweight Champion, a UFC Heavyweight Champion, and WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World. He said if there’s one thing he knows about championships is that this is fight week. He said the hype is over and this Saturday at Summerslam – “What!?” chants began, but Brock was practically asking for it with his cadence.) He said he gets paid to kick Cody Rhodes’s ass at Summerslam. He said Cody gets paid to get his ass kicked by Brock Lesnar. He chuckled. Fans booed. He then called Cody to the ring.
Cody answered and walked out as fans roared with cheers. Cody looked dead serious. Graves said he was dressed to fight. Cody circled the ring and eyed Lesnar. Lesnar stood mid-ring and stared back. Cody entered the ring and made Brock flinch slightly as Brock was taking his cowboy hat off. Cody offered a handshake. Scattered boos. Lesnar stared at Cody and shook his hand. Lesnar stepped toward Cody and had some words for him off-mic. Cody whispered something to Lesnar which rattled Lesnar.
Lesnar turned and left. Cody dove through the ropes and surprised Lesnar with a tackle. Lesnar picked up Cody and rammed him into the ringside steps. Lesnar picked up the top of the stairs and bashed Cody with it. A few seconds later, he hit Cody with the stairs again. Lesnar’s music played and he put his hat back on. But then he went back at Cody and hit him with the stairs a third time. His music stopped. Lesnar threw Cody back into the ring and gave him an F5. [c]
-A replay aired of Lesnar’s beatdown of Cody.
(4) GUNTHER vs. CHAD GABLE – 5 Minute Challenge
The bell rang 51 minutes into the hour. Gunther methodically, comfortably dominated Gable for four minutes. Gable scored a hope spot with an anklelock, but Gunther soon took over again. Gunther applied a sleeper as the countdown clock was near zero. Gable faded. With ten seconds left, Gunther shifted to a powerbomb, but Gable blocked it and yanked Gunther over the top rope to the floor as the clock expired. Gable celebrated. Irvin announced the time limit expired, so Gable was the winner. Gunther grabbed the mic and demanded more time. The ref agreed to it. Gable dropkicked Gunther. “We on the verge of a major, major upset!” Graves declared as they cut to a break. [c]
[HOUR THREE]
Gable put Gunther in a Fujiwara armbar. Gunther escaped and gave Gable a released German suplex for a near fall. Graves said this cannot be good for Gunther’s confidence. Gunther chopped Gable hard in the chest, knocking him down. Gable fought back and landed a German suplex into a bridge for a near fall at 12:00. Gunther fired back with a big boot and a hard lariat for a believable near fall. He followed with a Chaos Theory suplex attempt, but Gunther blocked it and chopped Gable down hard. Gunther then finished him with his powerbomb for the win.
WINNER: Gunther in 13:00.
-Gunther stood on the announce desk and vowed he would not lose the Intercontinental Title at Summerslam. He said what he did to “that man” (Gable) is his fate on Saturday. He said he’d end Drew McIntyre at Summerslam.
(Keller’s Analysis: A heck of a match. There’s no shame in losing to Gunther, and Gable put up a valiant fight. Gunther was great at being too confident early while still being dominant, and then selling so well for anything Gable did that interrupted his dominance. This type of match is fun. My first live wrestling event in 1981 included Adrian Adonis needing to beat a young Curt Hennig in under five or ten minutes or else Larry “The Axe” Hennig got to get his hands on Adonis.)
-Backstage, Sami and Seth were getting fired up for their main event. Seth was a little too much for Sami, who told Seth to calm down.
-Becky Lynch made her ring entrance. [c]
-Patrick plugged that Reigns would appear on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday morning at 11:15 ET.
-Clips aired of the Lesnar beatdown of Cody.
-Byron Saxton asked Cody backstage if he’ll be able to compete Saturday. Cody said Lesnar could break his arm again or even his jaw and he’d be there. He said whatever brutality Lesnar delivers to him, he’ll bring to Lesnar. He said at Summerslam, the aura of Brock the Beast gets shattered.
(Keller’s Analysis: I love these brief follow-up interviews. Cody is so on his game with a timeless babyface persona and a believable intensity and likability that just draws everyone into his fight, rooting for him. He’s really found his groove and is the right person for the right moment in a way that I think exceeds anyone’s highest hopes when he first returned to WWE.)
-Becky stood mid-ring and addressed Houston to cheers. She got worked up and called out Trish Stratus. Trish came out with Zoey Stark and said nobody tells her when to fight. She said Becky beat Stark in a fluke. She said Becky will get her rematch. She said she’s not a cheater, unlike the Houston Astros. Pearce walked out and announced that Trish will face Becky right now. Graves called Pearce a stooge. Trish pointed at her facemask. Graves said she might not even be cleared and she even sounds nasally like she has trouble breathing.
(5) TRISH STRATUS vs. BECKY LYNCH
As soon as the match began, Stark attacked Becky. The ref DQ’d Stratus immediately.
WINNER: Becky via DQ in three seconds.
-Afterward, Trish joined in the brawl. Becky tackled her to the floor. Stark then attacked Becky. Becky fought back and threw Trish into the time keeper’s area. Stark yanked Becky by her hair back to ringside, interrupting Becky’s attack on Trish. Becky rammed Stark into the ringpost. Trish hit Becky with a chair and then escaped up the aisle with Stark as Trish’s music played. [c]
-After a clip aired of the brawl before the break, Trish told Pearce they delivered on the rematch. She said he didn’t give her time to prepare, though. Pearce booked Trish in two weeks in Winnipeg, Manitoba and said Stark is barred from ringside. Trish and Stark, of course, threw a fit.
-Graves and Patrick plugged Summerslam.
-Another segment of the Rousey-Baszler backstory video aired. Baszler said being best friends with Rousey is accepting being in a toxic relationship. She said she got to live with her free, but that meant being a sparring partner and getting beaten up all the time. She said then they teamed together. “She was stringing me along like she was doing me a favor,” she said. “She needed me to stand in front of her so she could stand above me.” Rousey was broken up emotionally and teared up as she talked about Baszler being there for her at her lowest times. Baszler broke down emotionally as she talked about how she gave Rousey everything she could in their friendship and Rousey never gave back. She said Summerslam won’t be a match, it’ll be a fight. She said she’ll take the thing that means the most to Rousey. “I’m going to take her reputation,” she said. “She has never been the baddest. It’s always been me.” Rousey said it drives her insane if anyone gets the better of her for even one second. “That’s the difference between me and Shayna.” Baszler said the worst part of about the whole thing is that outside of Rousey’s husband and her mother, she was the first person to hold her baby. “I love that kid,” she said. “I’m her godmother. She’s going to grow up and she’s going to never forgive me for what I’m going to do to her mother, Ronda Rousey.” Baszler stood and walked away, knocking over her chair as she did so.
-Graves hyped the Rousey vs. Baszler fight “under MMA rules.”
-Sami made his ring entrance. [c]
-Patrick and Graves hyped the entire Summerslam line-up.
(6) SETH ROLLINS & SAMI ZAYN vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO & DAMIAN PRIEST (w/Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor)
Seth’s ring entrance took place. Then the ring entrance of The Judgment Day began. Seth and Sami charged at them to jump-start the match. They brawled at ringside as fans sang Seth’s song. They cut to a break once Seth and Sami cleared the ring. [c]
The match began right after the break, 47 minutes into the hour. Judgment Day took control of Seth after the break. Balor interfered at ringside, ramming Seth into the ringpost. They cut to another break 51 minutes into the hour. [c]
Shortly after returning from the break, Seth hot-tagged in Sami who went to work on Priest. Sami tossed Priest over the top rope to the floor and then flip dove over the top rope onto him. He stood and played to the crowd before throwing Priest back into the ring. A “Sami! Sami!” chant rang out. Sami hit a tornado DDT in the ring. Dom tagged in to boos. Sami took him down with a clothesline; Dom flip bumped to the mat.
With Seth in trouble, Balor handed Priest the briefcase. Seth kicked Priest before the cash-in became official. Dom tried to interfere as Ripley distracted the ref, but Seth threw the briefcase at him. Sami gave Balor a Helluva Kick off the ring apron. Seth then hit Priest with a Stomp (although it largely misfired) for the three count.
WINNERS: Seth & Sami in 13:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: An exciting match, but heavy on the commercial-to-content ratio, unfortunately. The MITB cash-in tease was unexpected.)
Props to Ronda and Shayna for their promos, best work from both.
Stellar performance from Gable!