WWE SummerSlam was a good two nights to be bad. A healthy list of heels walked away either newly crowned as champions or still in possession of their gold, and notable exception John Cena had already begun turning face even before he arrived at Met Life Stadium. There’s a good chance we’ll hear from some of them tonight on WWE Raw at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Let’s start with the biggest villain of them all, Seth Rollins. The Visionary fooled everyone from fans to dirt sheet writers (I’m using that term lovingly here, just to be clear) by not actually being that injured and cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on CM Punk moments after Punk defeated Gunther to become world champion. If you think Rollins won’t show up to gloat and that Punk won’t be on hand to express his displeasure … well I suppose it’s possible but let’s just say it would be quite surprising.
Also advertised for tonight are segments with Becky Lynch and new women’s tag champs Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, plus a third all-meat matchup between Sheamus and Rusev. Check back in with us throughout the night as we recap what’s going down from Barclays for as long as this Raw lasts.
A healthy dose of SummerSlam highlights kicks off the show, set to some new era Linkin Park. Then it’s time for that man who outsmarted everyone …
Seth Rollins boasts about his Plan B, but he wasn’t counting on LA
Given the reaction from the fans as he makes his way to the ring, it’s hard to say that people were upset about him swindling Punk. Also, here’s hoping Bronson Reed wears Roman Reigns’ sneakers around his neck forever.
Ah, but right on cue, once the music stops, there’s the “CM Punk” chant before Paul Heyman boasts about being the GOAT and introduces Bron Breakker, “The Tribal Thief” Reed and new World Heavyweight Champion Rollins. My favorite Heyman line is that Punk wasn’t champ long enough for his sideplates to be put on the title belt. That’s a big understatement!
Rollins tells the fans they should all be ashamed for taunting him for months with Punk or OTC chants. “Here’s a lesson: Never ever doubt Seth ‘Freaking’ Rollins again,” he adds for emphasis before saying the wrestlers in the back should be equally ashamed.
After all, Rollins always has a Plan B, and in this case he only told his wife and Heyman. Wonder if that will make Breakker a little irritated, though it seems a little early for internal dissent. How about some external dissent? Because that’s what LA Knight might be bringing to the party as he makes his way to the ring.
The Megastar congratulates everyone, including the “morons” Reed and Breakker. Knight wonders why Rollins would fake an injury when he already had the MITB case, insinuating it was to get out of more problems with him. Reminding Seth that he was the last person to beat the Visionary, LA challenges him to a title match right here and right now. As heel champs tend to do, Rollins refuses … though the arrival of Adam Pearce may change things.
Scrap Daddy says he wouldn’t normally make a world title match with zero promotion, but normally a superstar wouldn’t have his medical team fool Pearce’s team and lie to the fans. So it will be Rollins vs. Knight for the title tonight in Brooklyn, and the Brons are banned from ringside.
The Judgment Day’s mood is definitely split among gender lines tonight. While Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez leave to regroup, Dominik Mysterio ends up agreeing to a match with Dragon Lee tonight. AJ Styles also comes over to admit that Dom was “clever” at SummerSlam, but he’s not giving up his IC title pursuit and Mysterio will eventually run out of tricks.
Rusev vs. Sheamus
While a crowd-pleasing matchup, it’s fair to wonder if these gents can bring something different to their rubber match. As if in response, Sheamus hits a White Noise off the middle rope. Nice.
Something I did not consider is that there wouldn’t be a winner and this feud would continue. That’s exactly what happens as the fight goes outside the ring and they just keep brawling while the ref counts to 10. Even after a number of referees and officials hit the scene, they just want to keep fighting. The fans enjoy that more than the actual match, or at least it sounds that way as a “let them fight” chant rings out.
Winner: None, no contest due to double countout
Earlier today, we learn that The New Day is still mourning and won’t be right mentally until they get their tag team championships back. Still eager to prove himself, Grayson Waller goes looking for Pearce. Being a little too aggro earns Waller a match with Penta instead of a title shot for his mates.
Penta vs. Grayson Waller
Michael Cole and Corey Graves dive into why Waller is being called Big G. I think most people can figure it out. He’s excited when The New Day comes down the aisle, with Xavier Woods sporting an impossibly large fringed sombrero of sorts.
The New Day joins the announce table for some banter with Cole and Graves, though Woods needs to stand to the side because hat. Alas, their belief in Waller proves a little unwarranted, as Penta does what he does and pins Big G with a Mexican destroyer.
Winner: Penta by pinfall
After the match, Penta ends up arguing for a bit with The New Day and Waller, eventually running off all three of them and using the hat as a frisbee before leaping over the top rope to land on Woods and Kofi Kingston.
Bliss and Flair are minding their own business walking through the back when Sheamus and Rusev come hurtling by them, still fighting as refs try in vain to contain them.
A video package shows reactions to the return of Brock Lesnar at night 2 of SummerSlam.
Cole says he asked Triple H and Nick Khan when they decided it was time for Lesnar to return, and the answer is essentially “a few weeks ago.” We’ll hear what Cena thinks of that on SummerSlam, or so the announcers say while promoting this Friday’s show.
The odd couple of tag team champs gets familiar challengers
Well this is going well already, as Flair looks annoyed her theme doesn’t play the whole way out because Bliss’ music hits. There might not be enough spotlight for them both. Charlotte even is having issues with “we” instead of “me” but also hints they might be able to be friends if Alexa would stop hitting her in the head.
While they debate the merits of “Flair math,” the champs are interrupted by former titleholders Rodriguez and Perez. Flair and Blair are more than willing to put their belts on the line tonight, and after hinting at not letting this happen on Raw, he says tonight isn’t normal, so what the hell.
The Judgment Day (Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez) vs. Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair (c) – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Graves notes that the challengers, who once had a hard time finding common ground, now almost certainly are more united than the champs. He and Cole put over Rodriguez as doing the best work of her career at the moment, and they definitely make a persuasive argument. While we’re at it, Perez has certainly benefited from being part of The Judgment Day.
Raquel and Roxanne build some momentum while Alexa is out on the floor, but Bliss returns just in time to not only bail out her partner but seal a successful defense with Sister Abigail on Perez.
Winners … and still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions: Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair by pinfall
Iyo Sky’s convo with the Kabuki Warriors is interrupted by Rhea Ripley, who has a cordial but still determined stance about beating Sky next time they face off. Iyo respectfully disagrees, saying Rhea will never beat her. “We’ll see about that,” says a grinning Ripley.
Bayley tries to apologize to Lyra Valkyria, who isn’t hearing it and says she needs to get out of this “Bayley vortex.” They aren’t good for each other, says Lyra, who doesn’t want to be friends or enemies but just wants Bayley out of her life completely.
Dragon Lee vs. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio
No title on the line, just Lee trying to teach Mysterio a lesson in respect. Good luck with that, Dragon, as others have tried that and failed.
What’s going to be the coolest spot from this match, I wonder aloud. And I’m covering this show in my home office while my wife and eldest kid watch Food Network on the big TV, so I’m talking to myself. We may never get to know as I failed to consider the chance for hijinks, which come in the form of not one, not two, but three El Grande Americanos.
The legion of masked men help Dom win. “Is that uno, dos, tres El Grande Americanos?” asks an exasperated Cole.
Winner: “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio by pinfall
Ah, but two can play the run-in game. After the bell, Styles heads to the ring to go after Mysterio, chasing him away from any post-match beating of Lee.
Jackie Redmond congratulates Sami Zayn on proving Karrion Kross wrong, though Zayn says it’s not really about that for him. Sami mentions the moment where he had the metal pipe in his hands and admits he wanted to use it. “It’s not about who I am, it’s about who I want to be,” Zayn explains, saying he needs to be world champion but it’s important to do it right. But poor Zayn gets enveloped by the continuing Sheamus-Rusev fight, eating a right hand from Rusev before that wandering brawl heads elsewhere.
Method Man, Dave East, Da’Vinchi and Adam Blackstone are among the celebs on hand for tonight’s Raw at Barclays Center.
The Man gets into it with a WWE Hall of Famer
Reports of Becky getting new music are true. The Wonder Years is not a group I know, but props to giving Lynch a real song instead of one of the same-y themes WWE’s in-house team cranks out.
Lynch is gleeful about putting Valkyria behind her, and now she wants to move on to other competitors. She won’t be opening the floor tonight … oh hey, that’s Nikki Bella. The Hall of Famer leads off with an expression of respect but pivots to calling Lynch a disappointment. Nikki says the women’s division is the best it’s ever been and she wanted to test herself, but she’s confused about why Becky came back.
Maybe Hollywood wasn’t what she expected? Lynch puts over her role in “Happy Gilmore 2” and claims she got Bella cut from the movie. Heh.
Things get even more personal when Bella calls Lynch a liar like her husband, and Becky fires back with a sharp quip about Nikki’s failed relationship with a certain wrestler who just lost the world title at SummerSlam. Damn, cooked her.
Bella recovers enough to wonder why they shouldn’t go head to head to see who’s better, but Lynch lays her out with a right hand and leaves.
Naomi says she feels good about still being champion. She might not feel as good about Stephanie Vaquer threatening to take the title for her at Clash of Paris, if Naomi still has it, but Naomi just fires back a creative insult and laughs her way off stage right. Really enjoying this run for Naomi.
Cole and Graves give a medical update on Gunther and the injuries he suffered at SummerSlam. Get well soon, Ring General.
Oh yeah, and while we get a preview of next week’s Raw, we are reminded that the reason Naomi could lose her gold is because she defends it against Sky next Monday.
Backstage, Lynch is confronted by Natalya and Alpha Academy, though she somehow gets her match next week to be against Maxxine Dupri and not Natalya. That was neat.
LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins (c) – World Heavyweight Championship Match
Just putting it out there, but with Rollins’ wingmen banned from ringside, the chances of interference by CM Punk are high. And while I wouldn’t normally endorse a hot potato job with a world championship like having it switch hands three times in a matter of days, Punk costing Rollins the belt as revenge for his stunt at SummerSlam would be incredible payback.
OK, probably not, but here we go. Graves sells the idea that Seth could be a little banged up from Saturday night and … hey wait, he wrestled for like two minutes! Almost got me there, Corey.
Rollins survives an early assault by Knight, who fires back with a superplex that gets Heyman to do the combo concerned/astonished face only he can do. Knight is running through most of his trademark offense now, making me hope this isn’t the umpteenth “look good in a losing effort” moment for him. Pretty sweet inverted Death Valley Driver for Knight gets him another near fall, and the crowd rewards that with the “this is awesome” chant.
The champ evades the BFT but gets sent flying over the announce table, which is arguably worse. But just when you think we might get a clean finish here, CM Punk arrives, and there goes that idea. Punk attacks Rollins and Knight is upset, but he soon has other issues as with the match over, Breakker and Reed are free to join the fray. They take out the good guys with gusto, allowing Rollins to hit the Stomp on Knight and Punk.
Winner: None as match is a no contest
Oh, and Roman Reigns wants a piece of this too. But despite the way the fans are hyped, he ends up taking the same beating as Knight and Punk, including a Spear from Breakker and a Tsunami (three times) from Reed. Pearce and some officials have hit the ring now, but as Graves yells, the damage is already done.
Plus Reed steals Reigns’ shoes again, lol.
Turns out it’s still good to be a bad guy! See you all next week.
