Raw: CM Punk calls for a strap match

Joseph Casciaro

Raw: CM Punk calls for a strap match

Happy Monday everyone! Tonight’s edition of Raw kicks off with Randy Orton, who is set to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at Bash in Berlin.

Orton said this match with Gunther was supposed to be about the legacy of the world title, but Gunther decided to make it personal giving him more of a reason to beat his ass. When Gunther spoke about his dad and grandfather last week it allowed Orton to show him the three most dangerous letters in wrestling, RKO.

Gunther now interrupted telling Orton that he needed him to shut his mouth and listen to him speak. Gunther was confused about what Orton was celebrating, the fact that he hit him from behind with an RKO. However, Gunther agreed that he should celebrate that because he would not get to celebrate anything else. That RKO made this feud even more personal than Gunther had made it and he will never get to RKO him again.

When he is done with Orton in Berlin, he is going to leave him a bloody mess and leave him exposed as a very successful one-trick pony. Orton warned Gunther that if he keeps talking he is going to be flying to Berlin with a size 15 boot up his ass. Orton now attempted to square off with Orton when he was attacked from behind by Ludwig Kaiser. He chopped Orton’s knee and then Gunther took his head off with a lariat. Imperium stands tall over The Viper tonight.

Pete Dunne and Sheamus have been in an intense feud for quite a while now and it was last week when Dunne attacked Sheamus with a shillelagh last week. Dunne slammed that shillelagh over Sheamus’ hand leaving him injured heading into their match tonight.

Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne

Sheamus was quickly looking for revenge with some clubbing blows to Dunne and an Alabama slam. To get some control back Dunne attacked Sheamus’ injured hand and manipulated his wrist and fingers. Sheamus broke himself free with an Irish curse backbreaker and then launched Dunne off the apron into the announce table. However, Sheamus now let himself get distracted and Dunne stomped on his injured hand resting on the steel steps.

Dunne continued with some stiff forearms and anytime Sheamus tried to battle back Dunne would attack his hand. Dunne even hit Sheamus with his own 10 Beats of the Bodhran, but that just angered Sheamus and he then hit Dunne with the move himself. As the match continued Dunne attempted a moonsault only to be caught in mid-air with a bicycle knee, but Dunne responded with a powerbomb.

Dunne now showed his innovation, he trapped Sheamus’ hand in the turnbuckle pad. He began to kick the injured hand, but Sheamus ripped the entire turnbuckle pad off and charged at Dunne hitting a Brogue Kick for the win.

Winner: Sheamus

The New Day has recently aligned with Odyssey Jones and Xavier Woods has not been looking too happy since this change. Woods presented his issues to Kofi Kingston tonight, saying he wishes Kofi would have talked to him first because it feels like he trying to replace Big E. Kingston promised that was not the case and that this was just about helping Jones get himself off the ground. We can only assume these problems are not solved.

Maxxine Dupri w/Alpha Academy vs. Ivy Nile w/American Made

Dupri was on fire to begin this match beating Nile all around the ring, throwing her into the barricades, suplexing her on the floor and throwing her over the announce table. She was fired up, but she then ran into a stiff kick from Nile. With Nile now in control, all the lights in the arena went out! The Wyatt Sicks have arrived and all of American Made jumped in the ring, but it made no difference.

Nikki Cross beat down Nile and Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis took care of The Creed Brothers. Chad Gable was left on his own and it was Uncle Howdy who came after him planting him into the mat with Sister Abigail.

The Terror Twins, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley aired a video package sending a message to the new Judgement Day:

CM Punk brutally beat Drew McIntyre last week with a strap and tonight he made his way out to the ring with that strap around his neck. He said his eye bags are bigger tonight because he was up all night excited about making an announcement tonight. Before he got to that announcement though, he asked to tell the crowd a story. At a festival over the weekend fans asked him why he is on such a hot streak recently, he said it is because of all the fans. All the freaks up in the nosebleeds that keep the shows going every week.

The fans give him strength and all the fans over the weekend that made him bracelets over the weekend mean so much to him. However, he still wants his original bracelet that Drew ripped off his write and Drew claims to hate him, but he is really obsessed with him. Punk announced that he made Drew a bracelet, the strap that was hanging around his neck.

So, unless Drew is too scared at Bash in Berlin it will be CM Punk against Drew McIntyre in a Strap Match! Tied to each other by their wrists, Punk promised to leave Drew with lasting scars that he will never forget. McIntyre now made his way out from the back, saying for the last week he had been thinking about what he was going to do to him. However, it seems Punk did all the thinking for him and he accepts the Strap Match. Drew does not want to wait for Berlin though, he needs a receipt for last week, so he told Punk to lose the strap and come fight him.

Punk said he would give Drew the strap if he gave him his bracelet back, but Drew just laughed in his face. He doesn’t trust Punk, plus AJ and Larry are much happier at home with him. Punk said in Berlin he is going to regret those words because it won’t be Punk attached to Drew, it will be Drew attached to Punk.

The New Day & Odyssey Jones vs. The Final Testament

Kofi Kingston and Karrion Kross began the match with Kross gaining control thanks to interference from Scarlett. AOP then helped Kross as they had Kingston in a three-on-one situation. Kingston finally side-stepped Akam and crawled for a tag, but instead of tagging Woods, he chose to tag Jones. This left Woods visibly upset, but despite his anger, he still involved himself in the match to fight off Rezar. Jones was then able to drop Akam with a Bossman Slam to get the victory.

Winners: The New Day & Odyssey Jones

WWE now aired a video remembering Afa, who passed away on Friday. You can read the SlamWrestling.Net obituary here.

No Disqualification Match: Bronson Reed vs. The Miz

Reed has been on a terror the last three weeks and Miz was looking to put a stop to that tonight. Miz brought weapons into the mix to help himself out as he hit Reed with chairs and trash cans and brought a table into the ring. The weapons did not phase Reed and he slammed Miz through a trash can, but Miz then sent Reed head-first into a chair.

Miz was able to follow that with a tornado DDT onto the chair and hit several kendo stick shots. He then attempted a springboard, but he was caught in mid-air and Reed put him through a table with the Death Valley Driver. Reed now dove off the top rope hitting the Tsunami for the win.

Winner: Bronson Reed

Strowman coming for Reed. Credit: WWE

Following the win, Reed tried to hit another Tsunami and injure Miz the same way he injured Seth Rollins and R-Truth. However, Braun Strowman made the save and stopped the attack. Strowman wants a piece of Reed and he may finally have met his match.

The Intercontinental Champion, Bron Breakker was interviewed backstage to discuss what is next for him and his title. He announced that starting next week there will be a tournament starting next week to crown his next challenger. Breakker promised to spear whoever wins through the floor and give them the beating of a lifetime.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Damian Priest

In the middle of Priest’s entrance, Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh and Carlito of Judgement Day attempted to attack him from behind. However, Priest was ready for them and he fought off all three of them leaving them down and out. Dom was left on his own to face Priest and Rhea Ripley came through the crowd to headbutt Dom. She then wanted to put Dom through the announce table when she was hit from behind by Liv Morgan with a chair.

The New Judgement Day stands tall. Credit: WWE

Judgement Day then jumped on Priest again and he could not handle all four men, they beat him down and made him watch Ripley get destroyed by Morgan. She then hit Ripley with the Oblivion while Bálor hit Priest with a Coup de Grace and Dom followed that with a Frog Splash. The New Judgement Day just left its mark on the Terror Twins.

Women’s Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match: Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn (c) vs. Damage Ctrl (Iyo Sky & Kairi Sane) vs. Pure Fusion Collective (Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark w/Sonya Deville)

Damage Ctrl flew around the ring early as Sane bounced off the ropes flipping onto Baszler and Stark and at the same time Sky took out the champs with a suicide dive. Following a commercial break, Sky was beating down all four of her opponents and hit springboard missile dropkicks and running double knees. Alongside Sane, they drove Fyre into the mat with a double superplex from the top rope and Sane followed that with a spear.

However, thanks to some interference from Deville, Baszler and Stark were able to get control of the match. Baszler had Sane in the Kirifuda Clutch when the tag champs tagged themselves in the match. Dawn hit Baszler with a backstabber and held her there for Fyre to hit a beautiful senton bomb for the win.

Winners: Still Women’s Tag Team Champions, Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn

Michael Cole announced that this Raw will be the final one for Pat McAfee for the next few months as he is heading off for the College Football season. The WWE prepared a video showcasing McAfee’s best moments from the year before he heads off:

Randy Orton vs. Ludwig Kaiser

These two began changing shots until Kaiser made the mistake of chopping Orton, as he responded with a fallaway slam. Orton then got Kaiser in the corner for 10 punches and an uppercut before the match spilled to the outside. Orton now chopped Kaiser to the ground and wanted to hit his signature side suplex onto the announce table, but Gunther came through the crowd distracting Orton. The distraction allowed Kaiser to chop Orton’s knee and side-suplex him onto the announce table before driving his knee into the steel steps.

Kaiser then ran around the ring to drill Orton’s knee into the steps with a running dropkick. He was now focused on the injured knee and was doing everything he could to weaken Orton. However, Orton began to battle back and he drove Kaiser into the steps before clotheslining him onto the floor. He then landed a side suplex onto the announce table four times, with the last one sending Kaiser flying over the table. Now back in the ring, Orton hit his vintage power slam, a superplex and the draping DDT. All that was left was the RKO and Orton hit a perfect one to get the victory.

Winner: Randy Orton

Once the bell sounded, Gunther got right into the ring and the brawl was on. Raw went off the air as these two men were trading shots in the middle of the ring.

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