By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,582)
Salt Lake City, Utah at Delta Center
Aired live September 18, 2023 on USA Network
[Hour One] Raw opened with Cody Rhodes making his entrance for the opening match and being introduced by ring announcer Samantha Irvin. Michael Cole and Wade Barrett checked in on commentary and hyped the Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso match as the main event of the show. They hyped the previously advertised matches and also noted that Becky Lynch would defend her newly won NXT Championship.
Cody asked the crowd what they wanted to talk about. He said he was interrupted last week and he really wanted to talk about Jey Uso. Cody was interrupted by the entrance music of Dominik Mysterio, who walked onto the stage with a microphone in one hand and the NXT North American Championship in the other.
Dom was booed heavily by the live crowd. Dom mentioned Judgment Day’s dominance. Dom said Rhea Ripley wasn’t there because she was injured by Nia Jax (good lord, Twitter should be fun right now). Dom entered the ring and said Ripley will be back soon. Dom added that he was dedicating his victory to “Mami”.
Cody said maybe that will impress Ripley enough to define their relationship. Cody said it might be before Dom’s time, but he was getting an Urkel and Laura Winslow vibe, meaning Dom was more into Rhea than she is into him. Cody said that it seems as if Ripley has eyes for Jey Uso. Dom said it wasn’t that way at all and said Judgment Day is family and they always have each other’s backs.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and Finn Balor made their entrance. Cole said the Cody vs. Dom match was coming up after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: It looks like another week of Cody not getting a chance to address why his character lobbied to have Jey traded to Raw. The popular assumption is that Cody will be the compensation traded to Smackdown. For whatever reason, it looks like they are stretching things out. I’m fine with that, but it does feel like the broadcast team should be told to at least keep the story of the trade compensation alive on both shows just to keep interest alive.
Cole hyped Dom defending the NXT North American Championship against Dragon Lee on next week’s Raw. Lee was shown in the crowd…
1. Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio (w/Damian Priest, Finn Balor). Cody applied an early figure four on Dom, who reached the ropes to break the hold. Cole also hyped Dom’s match with Carmelo Hayes on Tuesday’s NXT, as well as his title match with Mustafa Ali for the NXT No Mercy event.
Cody ended up on the apron and hit Dom with a forearm. Dom grabbed the referee and held him while Balor pulled Cody off the apron. Back inside the ring, Dom took advantage of the interference briefly. Cody came back with a Cody Cutter and then hit CrossRhodes and got the three count.
Cody Rhodes defeated Dominik Mysterio in 2:10.
After the match, the Judgment Day trio climbed onto the apron and were about to enter the ring. They stopped in their tracks when Kevin Owens’ entrance music played and he ran out with Sami Zayn. The Judgment Day trio opted to exit through the crowd on the hard camera side of the ring.
Cody’s music played and he started to leave, but Owens got a mic and asked for the music to be cut. Owens asked Cody to return to the ring and said they had to talk about something… [C]
Powell’s POV: Hey, perhaps we’ll get Cody talking about Jey after all. The Cody and Dom match was fine. There seemed to be some confusion when Dom hit the second suplex of the Three Amigo’s, but they recovered quickly. Oh, and I assume that Ripley isn’t actually injured and is just selling the attack of Jax from last week.
Owens sat on the top rope while Cody and Zayn stood in the ring. Owens recalled the story of Jey being on Raw because of Cody. Owens said he wanted to know why Cody thought it was a good idea to bring Jey into the Raw locker room. Owens said it wasn’t just for him, he said there were a lot of people in the back who wanted to know the same thing.
Cody said a lot of fans probably already know. Cody said his job is to make the fans happy. He asked the fans if they like Jey Uso, which led to cheers. Cody said Jey is one of the best in the world and he deserves a second chance and time to show that he’s changed. Cody said that The Bloodline are also down a member and asked what was bad about that.
Zayn said he didn’t mean to pile on, but he’s known Owens since day one and it takes him more time to warm up to people. Zayn said that he and Owens have given each other second chances and Owens should do the same for Jey. Owens pushed back and suggested that Jey was on the verge of joining Judgment Day, but he said he hoped that Rhodes and Zayn were right about him…
Footage aired of Nia Jax’s return at the end of last week’s Raw. Cole played up Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez as both being injured by Jax and listed them as day-to-day.. Kofi Kingston made his entrance heading into a break… [C]
Powell’s POV: My satellite signal cut out briefly due to a storm in the area, but I think I got the basics of the segment. I was hoping that there was more to Cody’s explanation than just giving Jey a second chance. If Cody isn’t going to Smackdown, then who is? And why does it feel like we as viewers care more about that than anyone on WWE television right now?
Kofi was in the ring coming out of the break and called for Ivar to be brought out. “I want to slap this dude so badly, man,” Kingston said. Ivar and Valhalla came out. Cole recalled that it was originally scheduled to be a New Day vs. Viking Raiders best of three falls match. Footage aired of Adam Pearce informing the New Day duo that Erik wasn’t medically cleared. Kingston and Woods did rock, paper, scissors to determine which one of them would face Ivar…
2. Kofi Kingston vs. Ivar (w/Valhalla). Ivar was in offensive control and splashed Kingston on the floor heading into a break. [C] Kingston hit the Boom Drop on Ivar, who ducked Trouble In Paradise. Kingston ducked an Ivar kick, but Ivar put him down with a powerbomb for a close near fall.
Ivar set up for a move from the middle rope. Valhalla twirled her finger around. Ivar took her cue and then went up top and executed a moonsault, but it only lead to another close near fall. Valhalla screamed in frustration. Ivar placed Kingston on the top turnbuckle and set up for a move, but Kingston fought back and executed a sunset bomb. Kingston followed up with the Trouble In Paradise and scored the pin…
Kofi Kingston defeated Ivar in 13:10.
Powell’s POV: This was a lot more fun than I anticipated. Both wrestlers worked hard and this was a good, competitive singles match. I could have done without Kingston kicking out of the top rope moonsault. Ivar doesn’t perform that move routinely, so it felt like it should have been saved for a match finish.
Footage aired from last week of Shinsuke Nakamura standing over Ricochet in the backstage area while taunting Seth Rollins, who was in the ring…
Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Ricochet, who said he’s nobody’s pawn. Ricochet said that if Nakamura wants to play games, then they will. Ricochet said he’s the cheat code and tonight would be game over…
Shinsuke Nakamura made his entrance. Seth Rollins’ entrance music played. Rollins came out and was cut off by Adam Pearce and security. Rollins acted like he would listen, but then he charged the ring. Nakamura backed off while Rollins was held back by security. Once Rollins was trapped, Nakamura went to the ring and did his “come on” pose while Rollins jawed at him… [C]
Powell’s POV: Ricochet showed some improvement with that brief promo. He looks more confident delivering his lines and showed the right amount of fire given the circumstances. Rollins also showed good intensity while going after Nakamura.
3. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ricochet. Ricochet’s entrance was televised. Nakamura controlled the bulk of the early offense.
[Hour Two] Ricochet was on the offensive at ringside heading into a break. [C] Ricochet performed a springboard crossbody block. Nakamura threw his arm up at the last moment.
They went to ringside where Ricochet hit a step-up enzuigiri. Nakamura tried to hit Ricochet with a chair, but Ricochet avoided it and ended up with the chair. Ricochet slammed the chair over the back of Nakamura for the another DQ finish…
Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Ricochet by DQ in 13:00.
After the match, Ricochet argued with the referee. Nakamura hit Ricochet from behind and then worked him over and hit him with the Kinshasa. Nakamura pulled Ricochet to the corner and slammed his left knee into the ring post. Nakamura picked up the chair and hit Ricochet’s leg with it three times.
Seth Rollins hopped the barricade and attacked Nakamura. Rollins rolled Nakamura inside the ring and then tried to Pedigree him on the chair, but Nakamura backdropped Rollins onto the chair instead. Pearce, producers, and security tried to intervene. Rollins pulled Nakamura to ringside, but Nakamura ended up dumping him back first on top of the broadcast table. Nakamura grabbed a big Rollins head cut-out from a fan and held it in front of face… [C]
Powell’s POV: The post match angle was well done, but why in the hell can’t Nakamura just beat Ricochet clean? Nakamura was disqualified last time, and now Ricochet was disqualified this time. As much as I’m enjoying the Nakamura heel run, he needs clean and decisive wins to make the masses view him as a real threat to take the title from Rollins.
The broadcast team hyped the Royal Rumble coming to Tampa Bay…
Rollins was shown limping backstage and telling a referee that he was fine before he fell to the ground. The referee helped Rollins enter the trainer’s room…
Cole set up footage of Shayna Baszler destroying Chelsea Green last week followed by the post match angle involving Zoey Stark and Piper Niven…
Byron Saxton interviewed Green and Niven in the backstage area and asked them about Baszler and Stark. Green said Baszler and Stark are not even a real team. Green said the key to being a team is friendship. Green said that she and Niven are best friends. Niven disagreed and asked Green if she even knew what country she’s from. Green guessed Florida. Niven walked off. Saxton told Green that Niven is from Scotland. Green called him “Brian” and stormed away…
Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark made separate entrances, and then the entrance of the champions followed…
4. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven vs. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark in a non-title match. A couple minutes into the match, Niven executed a nice shoulder breaker on Stark that led to a two count. Green checked in and traded a couple of strikes with Starks that drew some gasps from the crowd.
Starks put Green down and had her pinned, but Niven broke it up. Baszler ran in and sent Niven to the floor. Niven came back and slammed Baszler on the floor. Suddenly, Nia Jax attacked Niven and ran her into the ring post for the no-contest finish.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven fought Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark to a no-contest in 3:50 in non-title match.
After the match, Jax entered the ring and put Stark down with a Samoan Drop. Jax ran the ropes and executed a senton splash on Stark. Green got to her feet and tried to run when she spotted Jax, who stopped her and tossed her into the corner.
Jax performed a hip attack on Green and then splashed Bazler in the opposite corner. Jax followed up with the Annihilator (Bonzai Drop) on Baszler. Jax left the ring. The camera mic caught her saying that it’s open season and she’ll take out anyone she wants. “The division is on notice,” Jax said…
Powell’s POV: No complaints about this no-contest finish. Unlike the Nakamura vs. Ricochet match, there was no reason to have either one of these teams lose. Green and Niven haven’t established themselves as a team despite being the champions, so having them lose in a non-title match already would have been damaging. Jax attacking everyone saved them from having a finish and continued her storyline destruction.
Adam Pearce spoke on the phone and vented about what was happening. Chad Gable showed up and asked how Rollins was. Pearce tried to make his exit, but Gable asked him for one more shot against Gunther. Pearce said Gunther won last week, so Gable would have to earn his way up.
Bronson Reed showed up and told Gable to get to the back of the line. Gable did his silly shoosh line and then said he made a name for himself by suplexing “big boys like you.” Gable and Reed jawed at one another. Pearce told them to take it to the ring and said their match was up next…
Cole narrated a Did You Know? segment and touted that The Rock’s return on Smackdown generated over 103 million views on social media… A video package recapped The Rock’s appearance…
Chad Gable made his entrance along with Otis and Maxxine Dupri… [C]
Jey Uso was interviewed by Jackie Redmond on the backstage ring set. Jey spoke about how he knows he has eyes on him. He said he has history with Drew McIntyre and said they would get physical.
Damian Priest showed up and asked Redmond if he could have a word with Jey. Priest told Jey that Judgment Day was looking for an Uso. He said the crew was pushing hard for Jimmy. Priest said he wants Jey, but it’s not a dictatorship. Priest said that if Jey is willing, the Judgment Day could be the family that Jey has been looking for his whole life. Priest asked Jey not to make him look bad in front of his family and asked Jey to give him an answer by the end of the night…
Bronson Reed made his entrance…
5. Chad Gable (w/Otis, Maxxine Dupri) vs. Bronson Reed. Gable performed an early missile dropkick, but Reed stayed on his feet. Gable tried to suplex Reed, who backhanded him away. Reed put Gable down with a powerslam and then worked him over. Gable caught Reed with a boot to the face. Reed pressed Gable over his head and tossed him onto a top turnbuckle. Gable stood on the apron and was knocked down to the floor by Reed. [C]
Reed went for a running senton, but Gable put his knees up. Gable tried to suplex him and sold pain. Reed got Gable on his back and then fell backward. Reed followed up with his top rope Tsunami splash for the win…
Bronson Reed beat Chad Gable in 6:40.
Tommaso Ciampa delivered a promo while seated in a backstage area. He said he decided to play the long game and be patient once he arrived on Raw. He said he waited and waited, and he learned that patience is a crutch. Ciampa said you have to create your own opportunities. Ciampa said Gunther has what he wants. Ciampa stood up and knocked his chair over while walking away…
Powell’s POV: I guess this means Gable is on the back burner following last week’s loss to Gunther. I’m all for Reed getting a significant push. I don’t know if the idea is to have Reed go after Gunther or if Ciampa’s next in line based on his promo.
A video package recapped Becky Lynch beating Tiffany Stratton to win the NXT Women’s Championship… Lynch was shown walking backstage. Cole said it was a star making performance for Stratton, but Lynch is “The Grand Slam Man.” Akira Tozawa entered the picture and nervously held out his fist. Lynch bumped fists with him while Cole hyped Lynch as being in action and questioned who will face her… [C]
[Hour Three] Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were arguing about Jey Uso in the backstage area. Jey showed up and told Owens if he had something to say he should say it to his face. Owens assumed that Jey would be joining Judgment Day. He said he doesn’t trust Jey either way and told him to go ahead and join the faction. Owens said they didn’t have a match and he was leaving. Zayn told Jey that it seemed like Jey had a big decision to make and wished him good luck with it…
Cole played up Jey having to decide whether to join Judgment Day by the end of the night and hyped his match against McIntyre as the main event…
NXT Women’s Champion Becky Lynch made her entrance. Lynch said that winning the title wasn’t on her bingo card this year, but she’s learned that you have to take opportunities when you can. She said she didn’t want to put the title on her mantle so she can say she’s a grand slam champion, she wants to defend the title and elevate it to heights never seen before.
Lynch said NXT is the future of the business and it represents hope, hunger, passion, and progress. Lynch said she wants to face the very best that NXT has to offer. Lynch said she will be at NXT on Tuesday. Lynch issued an open challenge.
Natalya made her entrance and told Lynch to name another woman who has worked their ass off more than she did for an opportunity. She recalled pushing Rhea Ripley to her limit and said she’s been waiting backstage since then. Natalya accepted the challenge.
Lynch said it was intended for someone new who hasn’t had any opportunities. Natalya accused Lynch of stepping all over the women in NXT who were waiting patiently for their chance. Natalya called her a hypocritical ginger witch. Lynch accepted the challenge…
Powell’s POV: Utah might be one of the only places in the country where fans gasp in response to a wrestler being called a “hypocritical ginger witch.”
6. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya for the NXT Women’s Championship. Cole said both women actually made fair points. Natalya caught Lynch with a punch and then threw her through the ropes and into the ring post. Lynch tumbled to the floor heading into break just seconds into the match. [C]
Lynch put Natalya down with an exploder suplex. Natalya stuffed a Manhandle Slam and countered into a release German suplex. Natalya went for a Sharpshooter, but Lynch countered into an inside cradle for a two count. Natalya came back with a superplex for a two count.
A short time later, Natalya avoided a top rope move from Lynch and then put her down with a discus clothesline for a two count. Lynch avoided the Sharpshooter and countered into the Disarmer. Natalya escaped. Lynch rolled her up for a two count. Natalya rolled on top over, but Lynch pulled her over and got the three count.
Becky Lynch defeated Natalya in 8:20 to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.
Afterward, Irvin did the “and new” routine and then added “the NXT Women’s Champion Becky Lynch”…
Backstage, Adam Pearce was talking with Dragon Lee. Dominik Mysterio entered the room and said he lost to Cody Rhodes because Rhea Ripley wasn’t by his side. Dom said Pearce wasn’t doing his job and let Ripley get hurt. Dom told Lee that he doesn’t like guys in masks because they remind him of his deadbeat dad. Lee spoke of taking the title from Dom when they meet next week…
Powell’s POV: This has been a weak introduction of Lee to Raw viewers.
Cole hyped Dom vs. Lee for the NXT North American Title for next week’s Raw…
Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser made their entrance for Kaiser’s match against Tommaso Ciampa… [C] Ciampa made his entrance coming out of the break…
7. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Giovanni Vinci (w/Ludwig Kaiser). Gunther was shown watching the match on a backstage monitor. After some back and forth action, Ciampa caught Vinci with a knee to the face. Ciampa applied the Sicilian Stretch and got the submission win. Afterward, Kaiser scolded Vinci at ringside for losing the match…
Tommaso Ciampa beat Giovanni Vinci in 3:25.
Cole hyped the main event as coming up next along with Jey’s decision… [C]
Seth Rollins wore crazy shades (even by his character’s standards) as Saxton asked him backstage how he was doing. Rollins said he was tired and losing his mind. He said he would do anything to get Nakamura in the ring. Rollins said maybe he’s been going about things wrong and it was time to take his hands off the wheel. Rollins told Nakamura to name the time, place, and even the stipulation. Rollins said their destinies are very intertwined at this point. Rollins asked if Nakamura will define his legacy “or will it be me?”…
The broadcast team set up a video package on Jey Uso’s time on Raw… Jey made his entrance for the main event… [C]
Cole listed the following matches for next week’s Raw: Damian Priest and Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, Otis vs. Bronson Reed, and Shinsuke Nakamura responds to Seth Rollins’ challenge… Drew McIntyre made his entrance carrying his stupid sword while dressed in a white kilt…
8. Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre. The broadcast team played up Jey being one of the men responsible for preventing McIntyre from winning the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Clash at the Castle event (even thought it was Solo Sikoa who helped Reigns). Damian Priest, Finn Balor, and Dominik Mysterio walked toward ringside heading into an early break. [C]
The Judgment Day trio was at ringside coming out of the break. McIntyre put Jey down with a spinebuster and got a two count. McIntyre put Jey down with a neckbreaker and then kipped up. McIntyre set up for a Claymore Kick and did his countdown, but Priest grabbed his ankle while Dom distracted the referee.
Jey took advantage of the distraction with a superkick that led to a two count. Cole said he wasn’t sure if Jey even realized what happened. Jey sat in corner while the Judgment Day members encouraged him. Priest climbed onto the apron when Jey stood up. Jey gave Priest a fist bump, but then turned and superkicked him. Jey followed up with superkicks on Balor and Dom, but then ate a Claymore Kick from McIntyre, who pinned him…
Drew McIntyre defeated Jey Uso in 14:15.
After the match, McIntyre headed toward the stage and stopped when he spotted the Judgment Day trio entering the ring. Priest, Balor, and Dom put the boots to Jey. McIntyre stood and watched as they stood Jey up and threw punches at him and then knocked him down and put the boots to him. McIntyre turned his back and walked toward the back while fans booed. McIntyre stopped and looked back to the ring.
Cody Rhodes’ entrance music played and he ran past McIntyre. Rhodes entered the ring and took out Priest and Balor, and then hit Dom with CrossRhodes. McIntyre apparently went backstage because he was not on the stage. Cody pulled Jey to his feet. A graphic listed Bronson Reed, Imperium, and Nia Jax for Raw Talk just before the show went off the air…
Powell’s POV: A solid finish in that it protected Jey while also putting an end to the story of Judgment Day courting him. The post match angle continued McIntyre’s slow build toward his heel turn, and Cody looked like the good person for saving Jey when McIntyre wouldn’t do so.
Overall, there was no filler on this episode. The creative forces continue to fill the time nicely. I don’t know how much it will help them in the ratings given that they are going against two football games this week and next week, but Raw is an enjoyable show to watch. I will have more to say in my weekly same night audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of Raw by grading it below in our post show poll.
As much as one on the outside can confirm, Ripley is not injured but here in Australia. She was spotted at a sporting event here over the weekend and rumour has it she is here as part of the announcement of a WWE Stadium show here.
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for passing that along.
“If Cody isn’t going to Smackdown, then who is?”
Jade Cargill.
Utah might be one of the only places in the country where fans gasp in response to a wrestler being called a “hypocritical ginger witch.”
Jason, you always make me LOL, which is why I read your reviews. Good after a rough weekend for bot purpl and green
I hate that it looks like Gable is going back to being irrelevant. WWE has no idea how to roll with someone organically over (I assume they will mess it up with LA Knight as well).
Raise your hand if you thought Jade Cargill was coming out to accept Lynch’s challenge.lol