Powell’s WWE Raw Hit List: Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh vs. Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro for the World Tag Titles, CM Punk and Gunther

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

WWE Raw Hits

Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed: The match was fun while it lasted, but the Hit is for the excellent post-match angle that saw Reed and Bron Breakker get major heat by leaving Uso and Roman Reigns lying. The big question now is whether WWE will double down by having Reed and Breakker go over at SummerSlam. It could be a big night for Heyman’s heel stable, especially if the plan is for Seth Rollins to make a successful surprise cash-in.

Finn Balor and JD McDonagh vs. Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro for the World Tag Titles: The match was laid out in a way that made the underdog babyfaces look strong throughout the match before the interference from El Grande Americano Uno and El Grande Americano Dos cost them the match. The Americano gag felt repetitive when Chad Gable was under the hood, and it seemed like the Ludwig Kaiser version was quickly heading in the same direction. But the introduction of another masked Americano was a fun and unexpected twist. Will Los Americanos accept the open challenge for a shot at the AAA Tag Team Titles that Angel and Berto issued for Friday’s Smackdown?

Bayley’s promo: Compelling mic work from Bayley, who got over that she is down on her luck after taking some high-profile losses. This was effective in terms of leaving viewers wondering what comes next for her character.

CM Punk and Gunther: Punk was good, not great, in his bounce-back promo. I enjoyed it, but the mic drop moment felt like it was a bit much, as this was not one of his standout promos. The build to the World Heavyweight Championship match at SummerSlam has left something to be desired. I look forward to the match, but that’s because it looks good on paper, not because the build increased my level of interest.

AJ Styles, Asuka, and Kairi Sane vs. Dominik Mysterio, Raquel Rodriguez, and Roxanne Perez in a mixed tag match: Styles playing dress-up while taunting Dom during campy sports entertainment skits did nothing for this viewer. Clearly, though, something about their feud clicked with this live crowd, as the fans were hot Styles pinning Dom heading into the Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam.

Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Stephanie Vaquer, and Nikki Bella vs. Naomi, Chelsea Green, Piper Niven, and Alba Fyre: WWE hasn’t run the eight-person tag team matches into the ground like their top competitor, but I sure hope this wasn’t the first of many trivial eight-person tag matches to come. Putting that concern aside, the live crowd got up for the match and got behind the babyfaces. On a side note, I also liked the post-match verbal exchange between Ripley and Sky, which included Sky saying Ripley has never beaten her and never will.

Sheamus vs. Grayson Waller: I got a kick out of Waller claiming that he joined New Day, only to have Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods look as surprised as anyone by his claim. The actual match was enjoyable, with Sheamus going over clean before being attacked by Rusev to set up the rubber match of their current feud.

WWE Raw Misses

Lyra Valkyria promo: Yikes. The crowd didn’t care about her or her big shoes. She won them over a bit once things got physical with Becky Lynch, but the segment shows that Valkyria still hasn’t fully connected with the fans.