In case of Seth Rollins injury, break glass. While that might not be what actually happened over the past week or so in WWE, it’s probably not a coincidence that when Rollins went down, Roman Reigns appeared not too long after. What he’s up to next is bound to be a big talking point on tonight’s episode of WWE Raw from Toyota Center in Houston.
There’s one particular person who Reigns seems eager to address: his former Wiseman, Paul Heyman. It was Heyman, after all, whose betrayal at WrestleMania earlier this year sent Reigns (and CM Punk) to defeat while securing victory for Rollins.
That truth would be bad enough if Rollins was around to protect Heyman. Now he’s not. And while Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed are, this looks like a rare case where the heels might be a little outmanned. Something to think about as you watch Raw unfold.
And you can do that live with us, as we will be recapping all the action from Houston live beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Check back regularly for the latest.
Dominik Mysterio pulls up and tries to valet his ride only to discover the guy working the stand is … AJ Styles. “I hope you get cleared today,” Styles says as Dom walks off muttering about harassment.
CM Punk is happy to be in Houston, but so is Gunther
And why wouldn’t he be happy? He has a shot at the WWE world title that has long eluded him at SummerSlam when he faces Gunther. He promises the cheering fans he will leave it all in the ring and says he has been preparing for this his whole life.
He goes on to remind Gunther he is not any other challenger but the Best in the World, a claim that brings Gunther out to join him in the ring.
The two men stare each other down for a bit as the fans chant something that is hard to make out on TV. They transition to an easily understandable “CM Punk” chant shortly after, followed by a “you tapped out” taunt directed at the Ring General.
Gunther says he, too, is excited to be there, so we’re aligned on that. Where there’s a difference of opinion, however, is that Gunther also thinks he is the best in the world, and while he admits he has a massive ego, he also thinks it’s justified based on his accolades. He says Punk will never be World Heavyweight Champion, but as he notes, at least he has the “degenerates” to chant for him for the rest of his life.
Stephanie Vaquer is asked to speak about Chelsea Green but is interrupted by Naomi, who says they will face off at Clash of Paris. She also tries using some psychology on Vaquer to get her to keep after Iyo Sky, which of course would benefit Naomi.
Rusev vs. Sheamus
Should I say it? No, we should let Big E say it:
I’ve long thought that the booking of any promotion is only as good as the strength of its midcard storylines, so I am at least a little intrigued by what WWE has these two do besides just beating the hell out of each other. Also intriguing? Sheamus slipping off the top turnbuckle on his first attempt to fly to the floor, then being determined enough to try it again and pull it off.
Rusev executes one of the more logical looking counters to the Brogue Kick, so props for that. He eventually gets Sheamus into the Accolade but can’t stop the Celtic Warrior from reaching the ropes for a break.
As an aside, Rusev’s trunks have “Tempest” over his right leg and “Son of Thunder” over the other, making my son and I wonder if those are nicknames for each leg. Hope so.
Anyway, Rusev attempts to use the exposed turnbuckle to his advantage again, as well as Sheamus’ shillelagh, but this time Sheamus is able to outsmart him and win with a Brogue Kick.
Winner: Sheamus by pinfall
Byron Saxton gets a rare word with El Grande Americano, who replies in Spanish. Dragon Lee is not as impressed with his linguistic skills, calling him a fake, and the two men end up scrapping until Jason Jordan and some other officials can pull them apart.
Michael Cole sets up a sneak peek of “WWE Unreal,” coming next week to Netflix.
Lyra Valkyria doesn’t seem to understand why Bayley would request for them to team to get a shot at the tag team titles tonight, and Bayley’s explanation really doesn’t make things any more clear for her.
The New Day vs. American Made vs. The LWO – No. 1 Contenders Match
Cole stays on The New Day for complaining about the state of the tag division despite rarely wrestling. That’s one of my favorite ongoing bits.
Joaquin Wilde, one of the more underrated performers on the roster, gets a chance to have an extended sequence of offense, and the crowd gets behind him. Dragon Lee ends up getting involved but is neutralized by El Grande Americano, who gets a telling off from American Made for his trouble.
It looks like The New Day is going to capitalize on the chaos, but Wilde is able to fold up Kofi Kingston and get the pinfall, securing a title shot for the LWO.
Winners: The LWO by pinfall
Cole and Corey Graves narrate a look back at Dirty Dom getting involved in his teammates’ match last week. Then we head to the back to see Sky and the Kabuki Warriors giving each other pep talks before Sky gets a challenge from Vaquer for Clash in Paris. Sky giddily suggest they not wait until Paris and wrestle tonight, and Stephanie accepts.
In case you forgot, Raw helpfully takes us back through the Heyman turn on Reigns at WrestleMania. “Paul, what the hell are you doing?” Classic call from Cole.
Adam Pearce wants Mysterio to see if he can get cleared to wrestle, and Dom has another run-in with Styles, now doing the job of a janitor. The New Day is confused by that and everything else going on, and even more perplexed by Grayson Waller showing up and seemingly inviting himself into the group.
The Man gets a taste of her own medicine from Lyra Valkyria
Becky Lynch wastes no time laying into the fans while simultaneously promoting “Happy Gilmore 2” like the consummate professional she is. Lynch notes that she just had the slickest victory of all time at Evolution, and many others are saying it too. That sounds like some other public figure, can’t put my finger on it.
It’s also funny when Lynch calls Valkyria selfish for wanting two title belts at once before calling for Lyra to join her in the ring. Lynch says their trilogy will end with their meeting at SummerSlam, and if Valkyria loses, she will never be able to challenge for that title again.
Lyra accepts that stipulation but counters with one of her own: no DQ, no countouts, there must be a winner. Lynch tries to sucker her in for an attack before the segment ends, but Valkyria sees it coming and hits her with her own Manhandle Slam.
The Judgment Day (c) vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria – Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
I know a lot of people think WWE does the “can they coexist?” thing too often, but I’d argue this is a little different because we already know Bayley and Lyra won’t get along. There’s also the subplot of Dom being out there to support his teammates as Cole mocks the idea that he says he still can’t return to the ring.
The challengers actually work pretty well together deep into the match, perplexing Graves. Mysterio ends up accidentally taking a big boot to the face from Raquel Rodriguez, leaving her open to a dropkick from Lyra as she calls for medical. If you guessed the “doctor” would end up being Styles, you got it.
Lynch also gets involved, dragging Valkyria off the apron and leaving Bayley without a partner, which means she has nowhere to run when Raquel nails her with a Tejana Bomb. The champs retain.
Winners … and still World Tag Team Champions: The Judgment Day by pinfall
Jackie Redmond expresses her surprise that Sami Zayn will face Karrion Kross again tonight, but Sami says even though he isn’t 100%, he can’t let this feud go any further. He wants to deal with it tonight, and in fact, right now.
Dirty Dom stomps through the backstage area looking for Styles, but he gets an ultimatum from Pearce that he needs to report to medical for an exam or he will forfeit his title. Finn Balor and JD McDonagh seem amused by the whole thing.
Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
Is Kross going to get Zayn to break? That is the big question here as Sami battles despite the wrestling staple, taped up ribs.
He certainly gets in plenty of offense, though it does feel like a matter of time before he hits the wall. He pulls off a sunset flip powerbomb before Scarlett offers the metal pipe to Kross. A distraction from Scarlett allows Kross to smash Zayn in the midsection with the pipe, and that’s all she wrote for Sami.
Winner: Karrion Kross by pinfall
Pearce and Styles await the doctor’s decision, but Mysterio makes it easy by assaulting AJ from behind and telling him they will see each other at SummerSlam.
Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer
Cole plays this one up and says it’s fair to expect fireworks between two of the best women’s wrestlers on the planet. As if to back up that assertion, they spend an extended time grappling with both hands clasped early on. Vaquer hits a sweet springboard cross body right before we break for commercial.
Graves just gets done saying that both women look a little tentative toward each other when Sky tries an ambitious sunset flip powerbomb to the floor, which Vaquer counters with a knee and a Devil’s Kiss on the apron. A “this is awesome” chant breaks out as the battle rages on, though Sky is now clutching her left knee in pain.
Sky wants the Over the Moonsault, but Vaquer hustles to join her on the top rope and counters with … I don’t know what that is called, to be honest. Both women are down, but Piper Niven and Alba Fyre come down to the apron, and now Green is in there too, attacking Vaquer.
The ref calls for the bell as the brawl continues with all five women involved, at least until Sky and Vaquer clear the ring. Naomi sneaks in as well and lays out Sky, and the fans explode as Rhea Ripley decides to join the fray too. Green gets the Riptide as Rhea ends up standing aside Iyo and Stephanie in the end.
No winner, match ends as a no contest
Paul Heyman has to face the music for his betrayal of Roman Reigns
Flanked by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, who he calls the future of the business, Heyman says he has a lot of things to get off his chest. It appears they will have to wait, though, since Reigns’ music hits and the OTC enters to a huge reaction from the Houston faithful.
The fans may never let Heyman speak, booing or chanting any time he gets started. Just noticed that Reed is carrying Seth’s MITB briefcase and oh man, Heyman is trying to convince Reigns to join forces with him again. “You know deep in your heart, we’re far better teamed up than we are opposing each other,” Heyman claims before professing his love for the Tribal Chief.
Roman wants to put that on pause so he can do the thing he forgot to do, which is of course to get H-Town to acknowledge him. They do, eagerly.
“A few years ago, I might have said those were wise words from a wise man,” Reigns quips. “But you’re not a Wiseman any more … you’re just a dumbass.”
Roman suggests that Bron and Bronson listen up, because even though people have tried to claim credit for making him the Tribal Chief, none of them were telling the truth. The only reason he’s Tribal Chief is because the people still acknowledge him. Reigns says Heyman did have a part in his becoming the greatest world champion of all time, but he had no role in keeping his world championship. The Usos did, Solo did, and even Sami did.
When he lost his title, Roman continues, he went home to continue raising the next generation of the Bloodline. Reigns also warns Breakker to “back up son” before he reveals what really gets under his skin: Heyman used to be a business partner, but Roman made him a part of the family. Then he threw it all away for a “best friend,” someone he hadn’t spoken to in more than a decade.
“I didn’t ruin the Bloodline,” Roman says. “This dumbass did.”
Breakker takes the mic and says no one wants him around any more. He calls Reigns irrelevant, suggesting that Heyman won’t stab him in the back because he has value. “I’m the big dog now, I’m the top dog now, I’m the future of WWE, I’m the man around here now,” Bron boasts, before telling Roman to do what he does best and leave.
Roman cracks that he heard nothing that Bron said because his mic may not have been working. He tosses his mic to Breakker and hits a Superman punch, but with Reed’s help, Breakker soon turns the table with a spear.
It’s two on one now, but not for long as Main Event Jey Uso hits the ring too. A Yeet flurry ensues, and the show ends with Uso helping Reigns back to his feet and signs of the old Bloodline back in effect.
