7/22 WWE Raw Results: Powell’s review Raw Reunion featuring Steve Austin, Ric Flair, DX, Hulk Hogan, and many more, Alexa Bliss talkshow with Becky Lynch, the build to SummerSlam continues

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Aired live on July 22, 2019 from Tampa, Florida at Amalie Center

[Hour One] Michael Cole welcomed viewers to the Raw Reunion. He was joined on commentary by Corey Graves and Renee Young…

John Cena’s music played and he made his entrance. There were more cheers than boos, which Cena noted by asking if all he had to do was be on the Raw Reunion to get the fans to be nice to him. Cena pumped up the crowd by telling them that Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, DX, and Steve Austin would be there.

“So I’m just like you guys, I could not miss this,” Cena said. “And this is my home.” Cena pointed down at the ring and said it’s his home. “Always has been, always will be.” Cena said he’s not around as much as he used to be, but he’s as excited to be in the ring now as he was on day one. Cena said let’s get the show on the road.

Jimmy and Jey Uso made their entrance and joined Cena in the ring. “Did you just say day one?” one of the Usos asked. The Usos said the fans want them and Cena to deliver some rhymes. Cena teased leaving and the fans booed. “They came to see the Doctor, who is this?” one of the Usos asked. The other said it was Cena, “the cat who left us for the movie biz.”

Cena rapped about how the Usos look just like they did in their mug shot and asked how it was to be arrested. The Usos had fun with it. Cena played to the fans again. Cena tried to leave again, but the Usos stopped him and introduced Rikishi, who walked to the ring and entered it as the Usos held the ropes open for their father. A loud “Rikishi” chant broke out.

Cena tried to leave, but Rikishi told him to back that ass up and turn around. Rikishi said he knows with respect that Cena is the man, but he couldn’t let him leave “fast and furious” without busting a move. Rikishi, the Usos, and Cena lined up for a dance, but they were interrupted. The Revival made their entrance and were followed by D-Von Dudley. Graves hyped Usos vs. Revival as being next…

Backstage, Hulk Hogan spoke with Jimmy Hart about all the legends appearing and told him to take his pick… [C]

Powell’s POV: A strong opening with a rare John Cena appearance. I wouldn’t have guessed that he’d end up in the same segment as the Usos and Rikishi, but it turned out fun even though it is odd that WWE keeps finding ways to bring up the Usos’ troubles with the law.

Cole played up being in Tampa while artwork and images of the city were shown briefly…

Booker T made his entrance and joined the broadcast team…

1. Raw Tag Champions “The Revival” Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder (w/D-Von Dudley) vs. Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso (w/Rikishi) in a non-title match. Booker hyped up the Usos and said the Revival are doing it the old fashioned way and remind him of The Brainbusters Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson.

Graves said something about someone moving to Dudleyville. Booker said the person shouldn’t do it because nobody wants to be around Bubba. They cut to a brief split screen commercial break. [C] In the end, Jimmy superkicked Wilder, then Jey performed a top rope splash on Dawson and pinned him…

The Usos defeated The Revival in a non-title match in 7:50.

Powell’s POV: I know it’s a feel good show, but this was another example of champions losing non-title matches on Raw. I wonder if anyone cringed at Booker mentioning Arn and Tully given that Arn was fired and most people assume he’ll end up in AEW once his non-compete expires, and Tully just signed a multi-show deal with AEW. Does Vince remember today that Anderson is no longer with the company? Anyway, I hope Raw is getting the split-screen commercial breaks going forward. Smackdown has done a better job of implementing Vince McMahon’s not allowing wrestling during regular commercial breaks thanks in part to the split-screen breaks. That said, this was a single sponsor break, so I’m not sure if it was special advertising or the beginning of split-screen breaks.

The broadcast team hyped A Moment of Bliss with guest Becky Lynch, Miz TV with guest Seth Rollins, and Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles…

Alicia Fox was talking about her hat backstage with Kaitlyn and Dana Brooke when Torrie Wilson showed up. Santino Marella entered the picture and Kaitlyn and Brooke disappeared. Torrie asked Santino about his sister. Fox asked about his little friend. Santino pulled out his cobra sock and said it’s very comfortable around them. Drew McIntyre showed up and glared at them. McIntyre said legends, then shook his head and walked away in disgust while Cole hyped McIntyre vs. Cedric Alexander for after the break… [C]

Backstage, Charly Caruso interviewed R-Truth and Carmella and set up footage of Truth at the San Diego Comic Con. Hurricane Helms showed up at the convention and rolled up Truth for a two count before running off. Drake Maverick showed up in a costume and rolled up Truth for a two count, then Truth ran away. Back live, Maverick’s wife Renee showed up and scolded Truth for ruining her life. Carmella bickered with Renee, then Maverick appeared. Maverick rolled up and pinned R-Truth to win the WWE 24/7 Championship. Once everyone else left, The Godfather showed up and said it was time for everybody to come aboard the (he let the crowd fill in the Ho-Train). Godfather and Caruso danced…

Powell’s POV: You have to assume this will be the first of many WWE 24/7 Title changes tonight.

Drew McIntyre vs. Cedric Alexander never got started. McIntyre came out first. McIntyre went to ringside and attacked Alexander as he was heading to the ring. Alexander fought back, but McIntyre picked him up and tossed him back first into the ring post casing. McIntyre threw repeated punches at Alexander and then picked him up and ran him back first into the barricade. McIntyre performed the inverted Alabama Slam, which drove Alexander face first into the ring apron…

Cole hyped various legends, then the Viking Raiders were shown backstage while Graves hyped them as coming up next… [C]

Powell’s POV: I like that they didn’t just give McIntyre his win back one week after Alexander scored the upset pin. This is a good way to extend their feud without having either guy take another television loss.

A sponsored ad featured a Ricochet highlight video…

Drake Maverick snuck around and tried to gather his belongings in the locker room when he stumbled upon a bunch of worms. The Boogeyman showed up and said he was coming to get Maverick, who fell down and sold back pain. The lighting changed and Boogeyman was gone. Pat Patterson entered the room, kicked Maverick, and put his foot on him to pin him. Pat Patterson pinned Drake Maverick to win the WWE 24/7 Championship…

Christian joined the broadcast team. Lilian Garcia served as the guest ring announcer for the following match…

2. “The Viking Raiders” Ivar and Erik vs. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder. A pre-tape aired with the Viking raiders saying they were ready to annihilate anyone, including Hawkins and Ryder. The broadcast team noted that Christian won his first world championship in Tampa. Erik bodyslammed Ivar onto Ryder, which led to a two count. Hawkins tagged in and was turned inside out with a clothesline from Ivar. A short time later, Ivar performed a suicide dive onto both opponents at ringside. Back inside the ring, the Viking Raiders performed the Viking Experience on Hawkins, then Erik pinned him…

The Viking Raiders defeated Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder in 2:40.

Powell’s POV: The usual Vikings Raiders squash match, only this time they beat an actual main roster tag team.

The legends party continued backstage with the legends from earlier and Jillian Hall. Mike Kanellis was talking with Eve Torres-Gracie and Eric Bischoff when Maria Kanellis entered the picture. Eve said she’s a mom and might be able to help Maria. Eric said if that doesn’t work then maybe Maria should thinking about leaving and coming over to Smackdown. Maria scolded Mike for not rubbing lotion on her pregnant belly so she wouldn’t get stretch marks. She yelled at him and said she’s the breadwinner in their family. Ron Simmons showed up, took Jimmy Hart’s megaphone, and delivered the “Damn!” line…

Samoa Joe was shown walking backstage… [C] An ad for Smackdown hyped Shane McMahon addressing Kevin Owens, and Kofi Kingston laying down a challenge to determine his SummerSlam opponent…

The OC (new name for The Club) were backstage wearing their new t-shirts. AJ Styles said they are the only club that matters. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson worked up Styles about his match with Seth Rollins. Styles spoke about how they could make a statement…

Pat Patterson was shown lying on the ground. Gerald Brisco stood over him and boasted that he’s the new WWE 24/7 Champion. Brisco encountered Kelly Kelly, who ended up pinning him. Kelly Kelly beat Brisco to become the new WWE 24/7 Champion…

Powell’s POV: Patterson won a tournament that never actually happened to become the first Intercontinental Champion, so it’s only right that he droves the 24/7 Title without actually being pinned. By the way, there are so many legends advertised that I’m afraid I’ll end up missing some. Feel free to let me know via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com in the comments section at the bottom of the page if you see someone I missed.

Samoa Joe made his entrance. Joe said shows like Raw Reunion are a plague to WWE. Joe said it lets the WWE Universe put on their rose colored glasses and indulge their ridiculous addiction to nostalgia. Joe said the fans could have seen him do what he does best, but instead they had the Usos and their daddy spitting out limericks with Cena.

[Hour Two] Roman Reigns’s entrance music interrupted Joe. Reigns told Joe that if he had something to say about his family then he could go ahead and say it. Joe said he already said something about Roman’s family. Reigns said Joe is from the same island so he knows what happens next. Joe said he does, then tried to take a cheap shot, which Reigns blocked.

Joe ran Reigns through the ropes and shoulder first into the ring post. Joe worked over Reigns at ringside. Back inside the ring, Joe headbutted Reigns, which knocked him out of the ring. Joe picked up Reigns and jawed that he wasn’t doing anything about it. Joe rolled Reigns back inside the ring and tried to follow, but Reigns knocked him off the apron with a Superman Punch.

Joe grabbed a mic and asked if Reigns wanted to do it the right way. Joe asked if Reigns thought the people wanted to see it. Joe said he wasn’t doing a damn thing for the people, then headed up the ramp. Reigns picked up another mic and said not all Samoans are cowards. Joe said the fans were about to see one Samoa be put out. Joe asked if Reigns wanted his match. “Uh, yes, sir,” Reigns replied. Joe indicated that the match was on… [C]

3. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe. Joe was dominant for the first few minutes. Reigns showed some signs of life, but Joe cut him off and used a senton to get a two count at 5:00. Reigns came back with a spear out of nowhere and scored the pin…

Roman Reigns beat Samoa Joe in 5:35.

The broadcast team hyped the previously advertised upcoming matches and segments…

The Miz made his entrance for the Miz TV segment with Seth Rollins… [C]

Powell’s POV: It’s was well established coming into the show that Reigns beats Joe, and that The Revival lose to nearly everyone in televised non-title matches. We’ve seen a lot of legends, but WWE has yet to make a strong pitch to casual viewers who tuned in for the reunion show to keep watching in future weeks. Here’s hoping they have something big planned.

The Miz hyped the return of Miz & Mrs. before introducing Seth Rollins. Footage aired of Rollins winning the battle royal to earn the WWE Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Moments later, Miz set up a video package on Lesnar cashing in the Money in the Bank contract at Extreme Rules and going on to beat Rollins for the title. Rollins questioned who wouldn’t want to be Lesnar, then said he doesn’t want to be Lesnar. Rollins said Lesnar is actually a Rollins wannabe.

Paul Heyman interrupted on the big screen from the Gorilla position interview area. Heyman introduced himself as Seth’s dose of reality. Heyman pointed out that Rollins cashed in the MITB contract at WrestleMania 31. Rollins interrupted and said he did and it took Lesnar four years to return the favor because he’s a Rollins wannabe. Heyman walked through the curtain and onto the stage.

Rollins told Heyman that if he’s going to talk the talk for Lesnar, then he better be prepared to walk the walk for Lesnar. Rollins gave Heyman five seconds to leave the stage. Heyman said he’s an advocate. Rollins did a fast countdown, then Heyman raced backstage.

Rollins said Heyman has billed Lesnar as a conquerer and a beast. Rollins said Lesnar is a man and any man can lose. Rollins said he will face Lesnar for the title at SummerSlam, and Lesnar will lose. Rollins switched to hyping his match against Styles. He told the fans it’s time to ignite the fire and burn it down. Rollins dropped the mic and left the ring…

Powell’s POV: I want to be excited by the Lesnar vs. Rollins match at SummerSlam, but it’s going to take some work and this segment didn’t generate any momentum.

Backstage, Caruso was at the reunion party. She was about to interview some of the legends when Sami Zayn cut her off and complained about her wasting precious television time. He said they’re not legends, they are people who happened to be there at the time. He said they are desperate for one more cheer. Zayn said the legends should be told to go home and stay home.

Rey Mysterio showed up and said Zayn should be showing respect and remember who paved the way. Zayn laughed and said he doesn’t respect any of the people He said he could pave the road with Mysterio. Kurt Angle stood between them and said that when there was a problem while he was general manager they would settle it in the ring. Mysterio said he would be in the ring… [C]

Kelly Kelly boasted to Melina, Candice Michelle, and Naomi about becoming 24/7 Champion. Melina unzipped her jacket to reveal a referee shirt, then Candice attacked Kelly and pinned her while Melina counted. Candice Michelle pinned Kelly Kelly to win the WWE 24/7 Title. Alundra Blayze showed up and grabbed from Candice from behind. Candice tapped out for some reason. Alundra Blayze beat Candice Michelle to win the WWE 24/7 Title. Blayze said she wouldn’t be champion very long so if anyone had anything to say they better say it to her face quickly…

Powell’s POV: I don’t think Madusa/Blayze flubbed her lines, as Young wondered aloud what she meant by that, so apparently it’s leading to something.

4. Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn. Jonathan Coachman joined the broadcast team on commentary for the match. Coachman spoke about how people are buying into the 24/7 Title and said people might be shocked by who walks out as champion. Mysterio went for a 619, but Zayn rolled to ringside and teased leaving around 3:30.

Rob Van Dam, Sgt. Slaughter, The Hurricane, and Kurt Angle made their entrances onto the stage. Coachman said the word got around backstage that Zayn disrespected the legends. The legends walked toward Zayn, who returned to the ring. Mysterio worked over Zayn with a 619 and then went up top. Myterio pointed at himself in RVD style and performed his won version of the Five Star Frogsplash for the win…

Rey Mysterio beat Sami Zayn in 5:00.

A limo arrived backstage. For once it wasn’t a member of the McMahon family. Rather, Ric Flair exited the limo and was grinning ear to ear…

An ad aired for the WWE Smackville special that will air Saturday night on WWE Network at 8CT/9ET…

Powell’s POV: The Mysterio and Zayn bit was fine. The crowd was fired up for RVD and it probably would have been enough to have him stand in Zayn’s way, but they have a lot of legends and only so much television time even on a three-hour show. Just a quick note that I will be in Waterloo, Iowa attending the National Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday night, so I will not be able to provide live coverage for the the network special.

Montez Ford found his Street Profits tag partner Angelo Dawkins coughing and putting drops in his eyes. Dawkins spoke about hanging out with RVD. Dawkins recapped his visit to the legends party for an awestruck Ford. Dawkins got a call from Godfather and walked away…

Alundra Blayze walked onto the stage and recalled telling everyone that she wouldn’t be 24/7 Champion for long. Blayze picked up a trashcan and teased putting it in the trash (please do!!!), but she was interrupted. “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase walked out and said he would buy the title from her. DiBiase pulled out a stack of cash and made the transaction. Ted DiBiase bought the WWE 24/7 Championship to become the new champion.

Powell’s POV: There’s still hope that Steve Austin will throw the 24/7 Title off a bridge. I know some of you like it and I’ll concede that some of what they’ve done tonight is cute, but this show comes off like they spent more time creatively coming up with 24/7 Title plans than anything else.

Cole hyped Rollins vs. Styles and noted that the match was sponsored by Burger King… [C]

Jerry Lawler was introduced and sat in on commentary for the Rollins vs. Styles match.

[Hour Three] The OC trio made their entrance while Cole recapped Styles stating earlier in the night that The OC is the only club that matters. Rollins made his entrance…

5. U.S. Champion AJ Styles (w/Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson) vs. Seth Rollins in a non-title match. Lawler said Patterson and Brisco embarrassed everyone by asking for seconds at the Last Supper, but they were still around winning championships in WWE. Anderson distracted Rollins, allowing Styles to knock him off the apron. The OC teased going after Rollins, but they were stopped in their tracks by the DX entrance music. Triple H and Shawn Michaels walked out (Cole noted that it was HBK’s birthday) and stood on opposite sides of Rollins while glaring at The OC. [C]

Triple H and HBK remained in the corner of Rollins while the referee restarted the match (sigh). Rollins set up for the Stomp, but he was tripped by Anderson or Gallows, who entered the ring with Styles.

Seth Rollins beat AJ Styles by an apparent DQ.

Triple H and HBK entered the ring and stood next to Rollins. “You’re one of us,” Styles told Hunter and Michaels. The OC held up the “too sweet” sign, then Hunter and Michaels did the same before crotch chopping The OC. Rollins, Triple H, and Michaels cleared The OC from the ring. The OC returned with chairs.

Road Dogg’s entrance music played and he led X-Pac, Razor Ramon, and Diesel (Road Dogg acknowledged the real names of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, who wore NWO t-shirts). “OC, let me introduce you to the OGs,” Road Dogg said. He advised them to “get to steppin’ and get to steppin’ quick.” The OC backed down.

Styles barked at Michaels. Road Dogg gave Rollins the mic and told him to do the honors. Rollins led the “suck it” chant and then the DX music played. Rollins had a group hug with the DX and NWO members while the broadcast team hyped upcoming segments and thanked Lawler for joining them…

Mark Henry and Mick Foley were shown talking backstage… [C]

Powell’s POV: So the old gang is better than the new club. Point taken. Anyway, Styles jawing at Michaels is interesting if only because this could be continued tomorrow night on Smackdown since Michaels is sitting in as a guest commentator.

Ted DiBiase was shown laughing and getting into a limo with the WWE 24/7 Title. A bunch of noise could be heard coming from inside the limo after he closed the door. Drake Maverick emerged from the limo with a referee, so apparently Drake Maverick beat Ted DiBiase to win the 24/7 Title. Maverick boasted to his wife Renee that he won. A group of the regular suspects chased him out of the camera shot…

Mick Foley stood in the ring and delivered the cheap pop line by mentioning Tampa. Maverick ran through the ring past Foley and the usual suspects chased after him. Foley told him to have a nice day, then said he’d get his hands on the 24/7 Title before the end of the night. Foley said some of the best moments of his life happened on Raw and thanked the fans for being part of them.

Foley said he was asked to pick out his favorite and said he wanted to share it. Footage of Mankind celebrating his title win were shown. The footage stopped and the lights went out. Bray Wyatt’s “The Fiend” appeared in the ring and gave Foley the Mandible Claw. The lighting effects started again and Wyatt could be heard laughing over the speakers…

Powell’s POV: Foley can’t take bumps, so this was a cool way of having Wyatt attack him without doing anything overly physical. It was nice to see that at least one of the legends was used to put over one of today’s stars in a meaningful way.

Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross walked onto the stage for the Moment of Bliss segment. They sat down at the set and introduced Becky Lynch as the guest. Bliss brought up Lynch defending the Raw Women’s Championship against Natalya in Toronto. Natalya walked out and stood next to Lynch and said whatever Lynch had to say she could say it to her face. It was noted that Lynch and Natalya teamed together in Japan years ago. Lynch called Natalya on trying to help Ronda Rousey stop her from winning the championship at WrestleMania. Lynch said she’ll embarrass Natalya in her home county. Lynch and Natalya brawled and were quickly separated by four referees…

Cole hyped a toast to Raw featuring Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Shawn Michaels… [C] Caruso interviewed Natalya, who said she will teach Lynch a lesson when she takes the title from her at SummerSlam…

Maverick was out of breath as he rushed to get into a limo with his wife. R-Truth showed up and tried to roll him up, but Renee held onto his hands. Carmella kicked Maverick’s hands and he was rolled up and pinned. Truth hopped in the limo with Renee and told the driver to leave. The limo sped away, and then Maverick figured out that Truth was in the limo with his wife…

6. Braun Strowman vs. Randy Row. Before the match, Strowman told the fans not to blink because it wouldn’t last long. Strowman tossed the enhancement wrestler a couple times, hit him with a big boot, and then picked him up by the throat. Strowman slammed Row by the chest and pinned him…

Braun Strowman beat Randy Row in 0:41.

Graves hyped the Raw toast featuring Austin, Hogan, Flair, and Michaels for after the break… [C]

Powell’s POV: The live crowd is either fatigued, unimpressed by the squash, or both. They reacted to the punishment that Row took, but they didn’t cheer for Strowman’s pre-match promo or when he scored the pin.

A sponsored clip showed Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania…

Ric Flair made his entrance and was introduced by ring announcer Mike Rome. The legends who were featured throughout the night in previous segments all came out and lined up on the stage behind Flair. Hulk Hogan made his entrance and bowed to the legends, then Hogan and Flair bowed to one another and hugged.

“Well let me tell you something, brother,” Hogan said over a mic. Hogan said it was great to be at Raw reunion in his hometown. Hogan said some of his greatest memories occurred in Tampa. Hogan said there was one last question to ask. “Whatcha gonna do when the Raw Reunion and Hulkamania runs wild on you, brother,” Hogan’s music played again and he cupped his ear.

Steve Austin’s music played and he made his entrance by going straight to the ring for his familiar four corner pose. Austin pulled out a cooler and had someone at ringside toss him a couple of beers. Austin slammed the beers together and slammed them while Cole hyped the Broken Skull IPA beer that Austin is marketing. Austin’s music stopped playing and the fans cheered and then delivered a loud “Austin” chant.

“Give me a hell yeah,” Austin said. The fans obliged. Austin fired them up with a few more “hell yeahs.” Austin said it was good to be back in Tampa. He recalled being on the road with his brothers and sisters, but he said don’t think for a second that Stone Cold was going to get sentimental. Austin said everyone on the stage has bled, sweat, cried tears, may have crapped or pissed themselves. He said they’re all family. Austin looked at the crowd and into the camera and said they’re all part of the WWE family too.

Austin said he’s thankful to come out to celebrate the illustrious reunion. Austin did a setup for the “What” bit and said he came out a day early and did a podcast with Hogan and they drank some beer and ate sushi. Austin said he stayed up all night drinking all the beer in the bar while listening to Ric Fair stories.

Austin listed a bunch of room service he ate, then spoke about going back to the bar for another round. He said he ran into Ron Simmons and beat him to the punch with a “damn.” Austin said it’s all about the brotherhood and the sisterhood and he’s thankful for the family reunion. Austin invited the legends to join him. Austin toasted the fans in the arena and said it was a legitimate sellout. Once the legends were in the ring or at ringside, Austin delivered his “Stone Cold says so” line and his music played while he tossed beers to various legends. They all celebrated. Cole spoke about how proud he was to be associated with Raw for 22 years.

Austin called for the music to stop and asked how much time they had left. He spotted Gerald Brisco and recalled doing something illegal in South Africa. Austin recalled wondering what he should say or do. Austin recalled Jonathan Coachman telling him to be himself, so that’s what he just did. Austin said he may drink a little too much. He said he was thankful to all of the legends but he wouldn’t start sending out Christmas cards “or none of that shit” (censored). Austin toasted everyone again and delivered another “hell yeah” to close the show…

Powell’s POV: Was this the series finale? It was fun to see the legends again and Austin did a good job and the crowd loved him. So while this was a fun reunion, I can’t help but feel disappointed that WWE didn’t do a big angle or anything to really hook returning viewers to keep them watching. It’s another missed opportunity in that regard, so keep that in mind if they do a big rating for this show and things go back to normal quickly. I will have more to say in my weekly same night audio review of Raw coming up later tonight exclusively for Dot Net Members.