By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,464)
Live from Tampa, Florida at Yuengling Center
Aired June 14, 2021 on USA Network
[Hour One] Alexa Bliss sat on her swing set and set up footage from last week’s show closing angle involving Lily the doll and Shayna Baszler. Bliss said that she decided to put Lily on timeout since WWE is going back on the road soon (amen).
Nia Jax showed up and told Bliss that Shayna Baszler will see her on Sunday at Hell in a Cell. Bliss said she can’t wait. Jax asked what happened to Bliss. She said they were friends and she knows the real Bliss. Jax said Bliss needs to stop interfering in her career and messing with her friends. Bliss got upset.
Jax challenged Bliss to a match. Bliss acted emotional and said she didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She asked Jax if she could forgive her, then laughed and said she was just kidding. Bliss stood up and accepted Jax’s match challenge…
The broadcast team of Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton checked in and hyped some of the previously advertised matches. Nikki Cross made her entrance while the broadcast team recapped Nikki Cross’s recent wins over Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair.
Backstage, Sarah Schreiber asked Charlotte why she wanted the match against Cross. She said she didn’t need a match, but then added that she didn’t put her blood, sweat, and tears into her career only to be shown up by a flash in the pan. Flair made her entrance and was introduced by ring announcer Mike Rome…
1. Charlotte Flair vs. Nikki Cross. Rhea Ripley made her entrance during the opening minute. Flair was distracted by Ripley and then rolled up by Cross for a quick two count. Flair was back in offensive control heading into a break. [C]
Ripley sat in an office chair next to the broadcast table and watched the match. Flair performed a fallaway slam on Cross in front of Ripley and then gloated. Cross returned to the ring while Flair was counted out.
Nikki Cross defeated Charlotte Flair via count-out in 7:50.
After the match, Flair attacked Cross. Ripley entered the ring and performed her Riptide finisher on Flair…
Powell’s POV: More of the same with Cross getting a flukey win that doesn’t do much for her, yet continue to hurt the champion and challenger heading into their Raw Women’s Championship match at Hell in a Cell. I’m still waiting for Cross to be added to the match to take the loss on Sunday.
Backstage, Riddle told Jeff Hardy that he felt bad for letting down Randy Orton. Jeff spoke about teamwork, continuity, and trust. Hardy said he couldn’t believe he was saying it, but he encouraged Riddle to listen to Orton. Hardy said he had a match with John Morrison and had to leave.
Riddle started babbling about Hardy having four eyes (his makeup) and Rick Boogs on Smackdown, then noticed that Hardy was no longer standing there. Randy Orton showed up. Riddle told Orton that he wouldn’t let him down again. Orton told him not to try to be another Randy Orton and to instead be himself. Riddle asked if that meant Orton liked him. Orton said no and walked away…
John Morrison made his entrance and pushed The Miz in his wheelchair… An ad for Hell in a Cell focused on Roman Reigns vs. Rey Mysterio in an HIAC match for the WWE Universal Championship… [C]
2. Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison. The Miz sat in on commentary. Smith said it was the first time in over a decade that Hardy faced Morrison in a singles match on Raw. Hardy went to the ropes to pose when Morrison sprayed his Drip Stick at him and then attacked him to start the match.
Cedric Alexander made his entrance. Hardy hit a Whisper in the Wind on Morrison for a near fall. Morrison came back with a kick and then clotheslined Hardy over the top rope. Morrison hit his finisher and scored the clean pin.
John Morrison defeated Jeff Hardy in 2:45.
After the match, Alexander took a mic and said he wanted to apologize to Hardy for not showing him the respect he deserved last week. Alexander said he idolized Hardy. But then he went back and watched their match and he realized that Hardy was nothing more than a sore winner. Alexander said he was apologizing for not sending Hardy’s “disrespectful ass into a retirement home.” Hardy got a mic and said he would retire if Alexander could beat him in an immediate match. Alexander was game… [C]
Powell’s POV: I really wish that the creative forces would have sent Miz home while he recovers from his knee injury. He’s a talented guy, but he’s been booked so poorly during this Raw run that he would benefit from taking some time away from television. Meanwhile, Hardy putting his career on the line is definitely a nice hook heading into a commercial break. Sure, it probably means a win for Alexander, but it’s still a nice hook.
3. Jeff Hardy vs. Cedric Alexander. Hardy will retire if he loses the match. Alexander targeted Hardy’s left knee. Alexander performed a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Alexander went up top and went for a Swanton, but Hardy avoided it. Alexander hit Hardy with a knee to the head. Hardy dodged Alexander’s finisher and put him down with a Twist of Fate. Hardy followed up with a Swanton and scored the pin…
Jeff Hardy beat Cedric Alexander in 2:50.
Powell’s POV: With so little happening and three hours to fill, it’s kinda crazy that WWE didn’t build up this match to try to make the Hardy retirement stipulation mean something. So while it was a nice hook heading into a commercial break, they really should have gotten more out of that stip.
A video package recapped Drew McIntyre beating Kofi Kingston to earn the WWE Championship match at HIAC and last week’s contract signing with McIntyre and Bobby Lashley…
Naomi made her entrance for her match against Eva Marie… An ad aired for SummerSlam tickets… [C] The broadcast team hyped WWE going back on the road starting next month…
Eva Marie made her entrance and was accompanied by Piper Niven, who entered the ring and faced Naomi instead…
4. Piper Niven (w/Eva Marie) vs. Naomi. The broadcast team acted like they were unfamiliar with Niven, who dominated Naomi. Niven performed a Michinoku Driver on Naomi and pinned her clean.
Piper Niven defeated Naomi in 1:05.
After the match, Eva took the mic and proclaimed herself as the winner of the match. Niven hugged Marie, who did not reciprocate…
Powell’s POV: Niven is a talented NXT UK regular who also worked the Mae Young Classic. I don’t believe the broadcast team ever mentioned her by name, so we’ll see if they go with something else.
Footage aired from earlier in the day of Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke at a photo shoot. They were annoyed by noise coming from a ring. They asked Natalya and Tamina to keep the noise down. Tamina told them that they should be more worried about what they do in the ring than how they look. Natalya said their priorities are all wrong. Rose said Natalya and Tamina were carried by their last names. They four women fought inside the ring until two referees and a producer stopped them…
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods made their entrance… [C]
Drew McIntyre was interviewed by Kevin Patrick. McIntyre spoke about William Wallace as an example of a Scotsman who was a famous strategist. McIntyre said he had a strategy of his own that is cold and calculated and will result in him becoming WWE Champion…
[Hour Two] Randy Orton and Riddle made their entrance…
5. Randy Orton and Riddle vs. “New Day” Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Riddle applied an early Bromission on Woods, who backed into his corner where Kingston tagged in. Kingston and Woods double-teamed Riddle, who eventually backed into his corner, allowing Orton to tag into the match.
Kingston made a blind tag and performed a springboard cross body block on Orton that led to a two count. Kingston dropkicked Orton, who rolled to ringside. Riddle ran in and was suplexed by Woods. Riddle rolled to ringside. The New Day duo taunted them both by teasing dives only to pose on the apron. [C]
Orton ducked a Trouble in Paradise kick and then tagged in Riddle, who worked over Kingston. Riddle performed a Floating Bro and got a two count heading into another break. [C] Kingston performed a frogsplash on Riddle and had the pin, but Orton broke it up.
Orton powerbombed Woods for a near fall. Orton set up Woods for a Draping DDT, but Kingston blocked it. Orton tagged out. Riddle stood on the middle rope and tried to pull Woods over, but Woods slid between his legs and hoisted him up on his shoulders. Kingston tagged in and performed a top rope stomp and then covered Riddle for a near fall.
Orton made a blind tag and went for an RKO on Woods, who avoided it and rolled up Orton for a two count. Woods performed a somersault and shot up, but Orton caught him with an RKO and pinned him clean…
Randy Orton and Riddle defeated Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in 21:45.
Powell’s POV: A good match that ate up a lot of television time in entertaining fashion. The odd couple of Orton and Riddle continue to be a lot of fun. I expect them to be a big hit with live crowds once Raw goes back on the road.
Rhea Ripley was interviewed by Sarah Schreiber, who spoke about Flair having a bruised ego. She said she would send Flair to the back of the line after beating her on Sunday. Ripley told Schreiber to get out of her face…
Asuka made her entrance for her match against Ripley… [C] The broadcast team thanked Ozzy Osbourne for the HIAC theme song… Ripley made her entrance…
6. Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka in a non-title match. Saxton said Ripley needed to be careful so that she could be 100 percent when she faces Flair at the pay-per-view. Smith said Ripley needed to go 100 percent because athletes who don’t tend to get hurt. Nice sports-like discussion.
Ripley was standing on the floor when Asuka tried to kick her from the apron. Ripley put Asuka on her shoulders and then dropped her face first onto the barricade. Ripley looked down at Asuka and smiled. [C] Late in the match, Asuka went for an Asuka Lock, but Ripley powered her way out of it. Ripley ducked a kick and a back first, then hit her Riptide finisher and scored the clean pin.
Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley beat Asuka in 11:05 in a non-title match.
After the match, Charlotte Flair entered the ring and attacked Ripley who fought back. The referee pulled Ripley off of Flair, who then connected with a cheap shot. Both women traded punches until several producers and referees pulled them apart. Flair came up with a bloody nose. Flair was held back at ringside when she turned and chopped Adam Pearce. Ripley kicked Flair while the producers held her. Flair appeared to be censored for cussing. Flair told Ripley that she would kick her ass…
Powell’s POV: The match was entertaining and the post match angle is the first time that creative has done something to make Ripley vs. Flair feel important. Where the hell has that been throughout the bad build that felt like it was more about propping up Nikki Cross than it was about the champion or challenger.
Bobby Lashley and MVP were hanging out with Lashley’s ladies in their dressing room when Kevin Patrick showed up. Patrick asked Lashley about the Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles match. MVP scolded Patrick for barging in the room. MVP said he didn’t know how the match came about and he doesn’t care.
Lashley stood up and took the mic from Patrick. Lashley said McIntyre will wish that he never uttered his name once he’s in the HIAC match with him. Lashley said McIntyre will meet the same fate as William Wallace. “I am going to publicly execute Drew and I’m going to mount his head on a stick,” Lashley said…
Alexa Bliss made her entrance to the distorted Firefly Funhouse theme… [C] The broadcast team hyped Bliss vs. Baszler for HIAC… Nia Jax made her entrance…
7. Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax. Jax sent Bliss to the mat during the opening minute. Bliss did a strange crawl and went right back on the attack.
[Hour Three] Jax came back by plowing Bliss over. Jax threw Bliss across the ring. Jax slammed Bliss and covered her for a two count. A short time later, Bliss avoided a leg drop. Bliss ended up sittng on the second rope.
Reginald showed up and tried to distract Bliss, who went for a DDT that Jax stuffed. Bliss roughed up Jax and gave her a regular DDT. Bliss went up top and hit Twisted Bliss. Reginald ran in and pulled off Bliss for the DQ.
Alexa Bliss beat Nia Jax by DQ in 4:00.
Afterward, Bliss approached Reginald, who begged off. Bliss tilted her head and Reginald did the same as if he was hypnotized. When Jax got up and approached Reginald, Bliss left the ring and then Reginald snapped out of it…
Powell’s POV: Well, at least the wannabe Annabelle doll wasn’t involved in this. Here’s hoping that Bliss can use her hypnotic powers to make Reginald get the hell off of my television.
MVP spoke with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in their locker room. MVP said KofiMania is dead and is never coming back. He said Kingston is wasting his career in tag team with people who don’t measure up. MVP said Kingston wasn’t pinned earlier and he was still a loser. Woods said he needed to get home and put water in MVP’s mother’s dish.
Kingston said he would never agree with MVP. He said the reason he’s been so successful is due to the bond he has with his friends and brothers. Kingston told MVP to move on. MVP wished Kingston good luck at HIAC, then acted like he forgot that Kingston doesn’t have a match at the pay-per-view…
Powell’s POV: I dig the way that MVP is stirring the pot and I’m legitimately curious to see where it goes. New Day had a lot of success, but I wouldn’t complain if they shook things up.
Elias made his entrance for his rematch with Jaxson Ryker… [C] Ryker made his entrance to some generic music…
8. Elias vs. Jaxson Ryker. A Ryker pre-tape aired. He said Elias has always wanted to walk alone. He said that’s okay and blamed Elias for holding him back. The bell rang and Elias immediately blasted Ryker with a leaping knee strike.
Ryker came back and dumped Elias to ringside and then followed him to the floor. Ryker picked up Elias and drove him into the ring post. Elias could have returned to the ring, but he opted to take the count-out loss instead…
Jaxson Ryker beat Elias via count-out in 2:35.
Powell’s POV: The military man beats the pro wrestling deserter again. In other words, Elias is a dirty hippie.
A Hell in a Cell video aired… Drew McIntyre made his entrance. Graves said McIntyre could be resting for his match, but he wants to make sure that his sword stays sharp… [C] The broadcast team ran through the HIAC lineup…
Bobby Lashley’s entrance theme played. McIntyre smirked. Lashley, MVP, and their ladies took a seat on the makeshift VIP Lounge that was set up on the stage. AJ Styles and Omos made their entrance…
9. Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles (w/Omos). McIntyre was dominant during the opening minutes. He motioned for Lashley, who got up and walked to ringside. McIntyre set up for his finisher, but Omos pulled Styles to ringside. The Viking Raiders made their entrance. [C]
Lashley and MVP stood in front of the broadcast table while Erik and Ivar stood on the other side of the ring coming out of the break. Styles got his first prolonged stretch of offense during the match. Styles set up for a Styles Clash, but McIntyre backdropped him over the top rope.
McIntyre followed Styles to the floor and rolled him back inside the ring. Lashley approached McIntyre, who punched him and ran him into the barricade. A short time later, Lashley entered the ring and attacked McIntyre for the disqualification.
Drew McIntyre beat AJ Styles by DQ in 13:30.
The Viking Raiders entered the ring and helped McIntyre. The Viking Raiders threw Lashley to the floor. McIntyre went after him and gave him an overhead belly to belly suplex on the floor. [C]
10. Drew McIntyre and “The Viking Raiders” Erik and Ivar vs. Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, and Omos. Smith noted that Lashley was backstage changing into his gear when the match got started coming out of the commercial break. A little over a minute into the match, Lashley ran out, pulled McIntyre off the apron, and ran him into the barricade.
Erik was isolated by the heels. He eventually caught Lashley with a punch and then stumbled into his corner where Ivar tagged in. Lashley performed his big spinebuster on Ivar and covered him, but Erik broke it up. McIntyre returned to the ring and was suplexed by Lashley. Omos tagged into the match. Ivar went right at him, but Omos knocked him down with a shoulder block. [C]
Late in the match, Omos tossed Erik into the timekeepers area. McIntyre went to his corner for a tag, but both Viking Raiders were down. Styles tagged in Lashley, who didn’t look happy about it. McIntyre blasted a distracted Lashley with a Claymore Kick and pinned him.
Drew McIntyre and The Viking Raiders defeated Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, and Omos in 13:35.
Graves tried to say that Styles wanted to tag in Omos, but his body gave out and that’s why he tagged in Lashley. Saxton delivered final hype for the WWE Championship match. McIntyre looked down at Lashley and told him that he would see him in hell and he can’t wait…
Powell’s POV: WWE loves their distraction finishes. I guess turnabout is fair play given that Lashley beat McIntyre with a distraction finish at WrestleMania. Overall, Raw featured a lot of good in-ring action. They finally gave some quality hype to the Ripley vs. Flair match, and a solid finish push to Lashley vs. McIntyre. It wasn’t a hot show by normal standards, but it was by 2021 Raw standards. I will be back shortly with my weekly same night audio review of Raw for Dot Net Members. Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
Join John Moore for his live review of NXT on Tuesday night.
Good lord. Please make this bliss stuff end!!!
That is all …
Piper Niven is potential gold as a babyface down the road. Let’s hope they don’t eff this up by making her look like a total moron during this storyline.
They won’t get it right, but they should start planting little seeds of Eva Marie using her and have the full turn happen at the Royal Rumble, leading into a series of matches that culminate with Niven going over at WrestleMania.
They won’t, but they should as the angle damn near writes itself.
Two count outs and two DQ finishes out of 10 total matches.
That’s terrible.
Also, you all really need to pony up a little cash and get rid of all of these pop up ads. It’s awful.
No kidding. I love having my page just sporadically forward me to a fraudulent scam site halfway through reading these reports…
Try a pop up blocker guys. It works for me.
I use a combo of uBlock Origin and DuckDuckGo, and haven’t seen/heard an ad in years.
Not that it’s a broad solution, but Chrome Reader Mode on mobile does the trick and takes no effort