By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw on the USA Network
Aired live on September 2, 2019 from Baltimore, Maryland at Royal Farms Arena
[Hour One] Corey Graves welcomed viewers to Raw. Braun Strowman made his entrance while Renee Young chimed in on commentary. Michael Cole was already in the ring to preside over a contract signing. Seth Rollins made his entrance and Strowman was shown smiling as he walked to the ring.
Cole said Rollins and Strowman were signing a contract for the WWE Universal Championship match at Clash of Champions. He also noted that they will defend the Raw Tag Titles on the same show against Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode. Cole asked if they could coexist. Rollins said he’s defended multiple titles before and his plan his to walk in as double champion and leave as double champion.
Strowman said they will be Roode and Ziggler, but it will be awkward for Rollins when his tag team partner beats him to become the WWE Universal Champion. Rollins pointed out that he beat Brock Lesnar to win the title, which is something Strowman was unable to do. Rollins said he would slay the monster. Rollins signed the contract.
The OC trio of AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson came out before Strowman could sign the contract. Cole tried to call off The OC, but Styles ignored him and said history will be made at Clash of Champions. Styles questioned if Strowman was getting a title shot because he was Rollins’ partner or because he looked at the title.
Styles said the U.S. Champion should be first in line for a Universal Title shot. Styles told Gallows and Anderson not to look at his title because apparently that’s how you get a title shot now. Styles also took issue with Roode and Ziggler getting a tag title shot. The OC approached the ring. Styles said that if the OC don’t get what they want then no one is going to get what they want.
Cole tried to talk Styles down, but Styles told him to shut up or he’d knock his teeth down his throat. The OC entered the ring and Cole fled. Styles grabbed the contract, tore it up, and threw the pieces into the air. Strowman titled the table onto Styles, and then he and Rollins cleared The OC from the ring heading into a break. [C]
Powell’s POV: It looks like they could be setting up Triple Threats for the pay-per-view for both the Universal and Raw Tag Titles, but nothing is official.
1. Raw Tag Champions Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (w/AJ Styles) in a non-title match. The match was joined in progress. Cole was on commentary with Graves and Young. Anderson sent Rollins to ringside where Styles hit him with a cheap shot. Strowman ran over, but the referee cut him off. [C]
Late in the match, Rollins worked over Anderson while Gallows and Strowman were at ringside. Styles tried to interfere, but Rollins punched him off the apron.Anderson rolled up Rollins, who then rolled up Anderson and pinned him.
Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman beat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in 10:50 in a non-title match.
Styles attacked Rollins right after the pinfall. Rollins cleared Styles from the ring, knocked Anderson off the apron, and then performed a suicide dive on Styles. Strowman performed a running shoulder block on Anderson and then Gallows, and ended up knocking Rollins down. Strowman showed remorse over hitting Rollins.
Roode and Ziggler ran out and attacked Strowman. The OC joined in on the attack and Strowman was run into a piece of the ring steps. Rollins tried to help, but he was quickly outnumbered and took a superkick and a Glorious DDT. Strowman got up and took another beating from the five heels. The heels teamed up to perform a Magic Killer on Strowman, then Styles hit him with a Phenomenal Forearm. The heels also posed in the ring afterward…
The broadcast team hyped Becky LYnch and Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in a “champions showcase” non-title match… [C]
Powell’s POV: Well, so much for the Triple Threat for the Raw Tag Titles. Anderson and Gallows had that brief run with the tag titles, but they’ve mostly been booked as henchman for Styles since The OC formed. The angle did a good job of putting some heat on the heels.
Graves read a tweet from Steve Austin about Cole being a hell of an announcer but not a good moderator. Cole immediately went into plugging a Connor’s Cure fundraiser…
Charly Caruso interviewed Cedric Alexander on the backstage interview set. Alexander spoke about Baron Corbin sitting on the King of the Ring throne last week. Before he could say much, The OC attacked Alexander and left him lying…
2. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler vs. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder. Neither team’s entrance was televised (and only a few seconds of Ziggler’s shitty entrance theme played). Late in the match, Hawkins and Ryder hit a double team move on Roode and had him pinned, but Ziggler broke it up. Ziggler hit Hawkins with a superkick and then Roode followed up with the Glorious DDT and scored the pin…
Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler beat Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder in 4:00.
Lacey Evans was shown walking backstage while Graves hyped her match against Natalya for after the break… [C] A Smackdown ad hyped Undertaker’s appearance (at MSG) next week…
Powell’s POV: It’s too bad that most of the Raw tag teams have been booked poorly because it’s tough for a new team like Roode and Ziggler to build momentum from a win like this.
3. Lacey Evans vs. Natalya. Evans made her entrance first. Natalya’s entrance theme interrupted Evans, and Natalya came out and knocked her down at ringside. The referee started the match once both women were inside the ring.
At 4:00, Evans went for a moonsault, but Natalya rolled out of the way. Natalya hit her with a discus clothesline and covered her for a two count. A short time later, Evans threw her handkerchief at Natalya to distract her, then knocked her out with the Woman’s Right and scored the pin…
Lacey Evans pinned Natalya in 5:10.
The broadcast team promoted the return of Rey Mysterio, then Becky Lynch was shown walking backstage and Graves said she’d be up next… [C] An ad for Smackdown played up the Roman Reigns mystery angle…
Powell’s POV: The broadcast team made a fuss over Natalya calling Evans a “nasty bitch” at one point during the match. I’ll take edgy Natalya over the version of the character who keeps bringing up her father’s death. This was a better Evans match than last week and it’s safe to assume that working with Natalya had something to do with that.
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch made her entrance. Cole hyped Lynch’s appearance on “Straight Up Steve Austin” for post Raw on USA Network. The broadcast team narrated highlights of Sasha Banks’s antics since her return. Lynch said The Man was on Raw and asked where Banks was. She said she heard what Banks had to say last week and it was a load of crap. Lynch said Banks was the centerpiece of NXT, then got main event after main event on Raw and Smackdown. Lynch said the company actually gave Banks bouquets of flowers after her matches.
[Hour Two] Lynch called Banks a “delusional little weirdo” and got some “Becky” chants in response. Lynch said Bayley has been doing just fine without Banks. Lynch said that with all her talent, Banks should have been the game changer. Lynch called Banks a “blue haired freak” and called her out.
Sasha Banks’s music played. and she walked onto the stage. Banks said Lynch was right in that she was supposed to be her by main eventing WrestleMania and begin on all the magazine covers and fame. Banks said the only reason Lynch got those things is that Nia Jax broke her face. Banks said she could make things personal. Lynch called for her to fight.
Banks said she won’t do anything for free for “these people.” Banks said when she faces Lynch it will be for the Raw Women’s Championship at Clash of Champions. Lynch said all she had to do was ask for a title shot. Banks said The Man is going to be The Boss’s bitch at Clash of Champions. Banks walked to the back while her music played and Lynch held up her title belt…
The Street Profits were shown with shocked expressions on their face. Angelo Dawkins asked Montez Ford what they were supposed to say to that. Ford said they should go to commercial and then counted them down…
A teaser for the Firefly Funhouse was shown… [C]
Powell’s POV: A good segment with Lynch and Banks. The Street Profits reaction felt really forced. Were they reacting to the “Boss’s bitch” line? Perhaps it would have packed more of a punch if Natalya hadn’t said something similar in the previous match.
An ad for NXT debuting on USA Network on September 18 was shown… Cole boasted about the show being in Baltimore, then the broadcast team hyped the Lynch vs. Banks match for Clash of Champions…
4. Baron Corbin vs. Cedric Alexander in King of the Ring quarterfinal tournament match. A Corbin pre-tape aired with him saying he’ll exile anyone who runs their mouths on social media or doesn’t bow at his feet. Alexander came out with both arms heavily taped and held his left arm at his side to sell The OC beatdown from earlier. Corbin caught Alexander in a tree of woe and then stood on the floor and slammed Alexander’s head into the post twice. [C]
Corbin targeted the left shoulder of Alexander, who cried out in agony. Alexander caught Corbin with a dropkick to the knees and then another to the head in the corner. Alexander went for a handspring into the ropes and then ate a spinebuster from Corbin, who covered him for a two count. Corbin caught Alexander with a Deep Six a short time later and got another near fall.
Alexander came back and ran Corbin through the ropes and into the ring post a few times, then put the boots to him. Corbin went to ringside. Alexander hit him with a flip dive. Alexander came up selling his bad arm. Back inside the ring, Alexander performed a missile dropkick that didn’t look very good and got a two count.
The broadcast team noted that he didn’t get all of it and they even showed it in slow motion and pointed out that he only hit Corbin with one foot.. Alexander hit Corbin with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Alexander set up for a springboard move, but Corbin tripped him up and then followed up with the End of Days for the win…
Baron Corbin defeated Cedric Alexander in 14:30 to advance to the King of the Ring semifinals.
The broadcast team spoke about the updated bracket and noted that Corbin will face the winner of Ricochet vs. Samoa Joe. They also hyped upcoming segments… [C] The NXT on USA Network commercial aired again…
Powell’s POV: An entertaining match. It’s a good sign that the creative forces cared enough about Alexander to give him an out for losing. The broadcast team put him over big for his performance despite the “injury” even before they spoke about Corbin advancing in the tournament. Alexander is very good, but he must connect with the fans on the mic before he can take a real step forward.
The broadcast team spoke about the WWE 24/7 Championship as a graphic showed the current champion and some “first time” moments involving the title. Cole transitioned into a video package on the Roman Reigns drama from Smackdown…
A Steve Austin tweet graphic was shown and read by Cole. Austin volunteered to be the moderator of the contract signing between Rollins and Strowman…
Charly Caruso interviewed Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley and asked her about Sasha Banks’ return. Bayley was silent. Caruso asked her about Banks saying the WWE Women’s Tag Title match at WrestleMania meant nothing to her. Bayley said she talked with Sasha because she’s her best friend, but declined to share the details. Instead, Bayley said Banks took her ball and went home, whereas she stuck around and is the Smackdown Women’s Champion. Caruso asked her about being overshadowed by Becky Lynch. Bayley said she wouldn’t let anything overshadow the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Bayley said she beat Nikki Cross last week and this week it would be Alexa Bliss’s turn when they meet in the tag match later in the show. “And by the end of the night, we’ll see who is standing in whose shadow,” Bayley concluded…
Powell’s POV: A good promo in that she acknowledged that Banks is her best friend, spoke about how they took different paths, and then concluded with that line designed to make viewers wonder if there will be issues between her and Lynch. It may lead to something or it may lead to nothing, but it’s a good hook either way.
The Viking Raiders were shown making weird faces in front of a red light again… [C] Cole hyped Lynch on Austin’s post-Raw show on USA Network…
Caruso stood in the ring and asked two guys named Brian and Tyler why they agreed to face the Viking Raiders. One of them mentioned they drove from Pittsburgh, which drew boos, then the other used the world “Baltimorons” to get more heat…
5. “The Viking Raiders” Erik and Ivar vs. Brian Thomas and Tyler Casey. The broadcast team had some fun with the enhancement guys being billed from Graves’s hometown of Pittsburgh. The Viking Raiders squashed the locals and finished them off with The Viking Experience…
The Viking Raiders beat Brian Thomas and Tyler Casey in 1:25.
Powell’s POV: The enhancement wrestlers heeling on the crowd means the company has repositioned the Viking Raiders as babyfaces. I like the idea of turning them since the crowds were just sitting on their hands while watching a heel duo destroy jobbers, whereas this approach might actually lead to a crowd reaction.
Backstage, Sarah Schreiber asked Sasha Banks if she was rooting for her best friend Bayley to win later in the show. “I see what you’re trying to do here,” Banks said. “Get the hell out of my face.” Schreiber ran off…
Samoa Joe made his entrance for the KOTR match… [C] A sponsored Ricochet highlight video aired… Cole said Steve Austin will moderate the contract signing between Rollins and Strowman on next week’s Raw…
Powell’s POV: It’s nice to see that WWE is trying to give the show a boost rather than throwing in the towel against the stiff competition of the annual Monday Night Football doubleheader.
6. Ricochet vs. Samoa Joe in a King of the Ring quarterfinal tournament match. Joe cut a brief promo about how others have claimed they will be King of the Ring, but King Samoa Joe sounds just right. Ricochet’s entrance was televised and there was a brief pre-taped promo.
[Hour Three] Ricochet caught him charging and pulled down the top rope, causing Joe to crash to ringside. Ricochet performed a moonsault onto Joe from the barricade. Joe came back once they were back in the ring and drove the knees of Ricochet into the mat. A short time later, Joe performed a uranage, then took Ricochet to ringside and performed an exploder suplex into the barricade. Joe remained in control heading into a break at 8:30.
Ricochet performed a standing shooting star press. Corbin was shown watching the match on a backstage monitor. Joe had blood on his nose and forehead. Joe came right back with a quick powerslam for a near fall. Ricochet sent Joe to ringside and then performed a handspring flip dive over the top rope and onto Joe.
Ricochet rolled Joe back inside the ring and went to the top rope, but Joe cut him off. Joe applied the Coquina Clutch while both men were on the ropes. Ricochet pushed off the ropes with his legs and both men crashed to the mat. The referee counted the pin while both men had their arms draped over one another.
Ricochet and Samoa Joe fought to a double pin in 16:00 in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match.
The official went to ringside and took a headset and spoke to someone and asked if they saw that. The referee said from his vantage point both men’s shoulders were down. The ref listened and then said he would take that under advisement. Ricochet approached the referee, who told him the match was over and they would make a ruling. Joe and Ricochet fought on the entrance ramp, then returned to the ring where Ricochet performed the Recoil. Graves said he would go look for answers…
Powell’s POV: The drama with the referee didn’t make any sense. It was clearly a double pin and it’s not like there’s never been a double pin in wrestling. So why would he need to get on the headsets or go backstage without announcing his ruling? Perhaps this will make more sense in the followup somehow, but I’m not really sure how it could.
Backstage, Strowman told Rollins that he wasn’t happy about Austin moderating their contract signing. Strowman said he heard Austin praise Rollins in his Skype interview. Rollins took issue with Strowman being more concerned with the Austin news than being beaten up by five men earlier. Rollins said he was all for Austin moderating next week. Strowman said that if Austin got out of line he would “get these hands”…
Another Firefly Funhouse teaser aired and some fans popped… [C]
Bray Wyatt hosted the latest Firefly Funhouse video. Wyatt said that what The Fiend did to Finn Balor was rude and he was sorry. The Vince McMahon devil puppet popped up and took issue with Wyatt challenging Rollins or Strowman to a match at Hell in a Cell. The Vince puppet was about to fire him, but Wyatt stopped him by holding up a bunch of cash. Vince got dollar signs in his eyes. Wyatt put one of the bills in Vince’s mouth and he passed out.
Wyatt said that was close, then tossed the rest of the money behind him. Wyatt said Seth and Strowman don’t work well together. He called them selfish and greedy and said they both took something very dear to him in a past life. Wyatt spoke about teamwork. Abby, Huskus, and the rabbit and buzzard puppets appeared next to Wyatt. Bray said his team helps him cope with the pain, but The Fiend helps him inflict it. “See you in hell,” Wyatt said with a smile. Wyatt became serious and said, “Let me in.” Wyatt’s face morphed into the Fiend mask, then back to Wyatt, who signed off in an over the top happy manner…
Powell’s POV: Another good segment from Wyatt. Unless I missed something, we never actually saw Wyatt issue the challenge to face the Rollins vs. Strowman winner. In fact, it’s something that’s only been acknowledged on the arena website, so I do wonder if some fans were left wondering what he was talking about. Either way, Wyatt continues to shine in his new personas.
Graves tried to interview referee John Cone about the finish of the Ricochet vs. Joe match. Corbin entered the picture and boasted that he would get a bye into the finals. Cone said WWE officials had decided that both men were not eliminated. Cone said Corbin would face Joe and Ricochet in a Triple Threat match next week…
Powell’s POV: The crowd cheered, but that’s ridiculous logic given the way this has been handled historically. Cone was really rough in his delivery, and Corbin threw a forced rant that made him sound like a seven year-old.
Caruso interviewed Rey Mysterio on the backstage interview set about the “emotional roller coaster” with his family. Mysterio said his son convinced him to keep fighting, then they had a father and son moment later and Dominick told him how much it meant for him to grow up in a WWE family. Mysterio said he’s been blessed to see his don grow up to be a man and he can’t thank him enough for convincing him to continue to pursue his passion. Mysterio said it’s a parents responsibility to push their children to pursue their dreams, but it was his son who pushed him to pursue his dreams. Mysterio said he’s not done and he still has much more left to accomplish and he’s doing it for his son…
The Miz made his entrance… [C] Cole announced Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash of Champions…
7. Cesaro vs. The Miz. Cesaro blasted Miz with an uppercut at the bell and covered him for a two count. Miz came back and hit a DDT for a two count. Miz hit some running knees in the corner, but Cesaro came back with a popup uppercut for a near fall. Miz avoided the Neturalizer and the Swing. Cesaro had Miz pinned and grabbed the rope for leverage on a sit down spot, but the referee caught him holding the rope. In the end, Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale…
The Miz defeated Cesaro in 5:05.
The broadcast team hyped the women’s tag team match, then the NXT on USA Network ad aired again… [C]
Powell’s POV: It was a mistake to tell viewers before this match that Miz would be getting the title shot at the pay-per-view, as that took away any mystery as to who would win.
The broadcast team hyped Ricochet vs. Joe vs. Corbin in a Triple Threat KOTR match, and Austin moderating the Rollins and Strowman contract signing segment for next week’s Raw at MSG…
8. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley. The entrances for both teams were televised. Cole said it was the first time that the singles champions had teamed up to face the women’s tag champions. Sasha Banks walked onto the stage before the two-minute mark and they cut to break. [C]
Banks watched the match from the bottom of the entrance ramp. Bliss and Cross isolated Bayley. Lynch eventually took a hot tag and worked over both opponents. Banks ran in and hit Lynch from behind and then dropped her with a Backstabber for the no-contest finish.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross fought Becky Lynch and Bayley to a no-contest in 10:45 in a non-title match.
Banks went to ringside and grabbed a chair, which she slammed over the back of Lynch. Bayley took the chair from Banks. Bayley smiled at Banks and then slammed the chair over the back of Lynch several times. A loud “yes” chant broke out as Cole asked “why?” as Bayley hit Lynch again as the show concluded…
Powell’s POV: Forget the match, the important thing was the post match angle. WWE dropped the ball on Bayley when they called her up to the main roster. She’s just never been booked as well on the main roster as she was in NXT. The heel turn is a needed change and I’m all for it. Overall, a solid three-hour show. Again, it’s good to see WWE not just conceding viewers to next week’s ESPN Monday Night Football doubleheader. There’s no chance WWE wins that ratings battle, but it’s good to see them try to keep as many viewers as they can by pushing Austin moderating the contract signing, the KOTR semifinal match, and the intriguing follow-up to Bayley’s turn (assuming they don’t give it away on Smackdown). I’ll have more to say about the show in my weekly same night members’ exclusive audio review.
I won’t lie.. Bayley as a heel has me somewhat interested. Aside from that though, I get the feeling they’re either trying to push Ricochet to the moon, or testing the waters for a Samoa Joe face turn.. Now a question for Powell, as I don’t do the Podcast thing, but it may have been addressed… Would the likes of Cesaro, Axel Curtis and various underused and/or poorly booked (Asuka for example), be better off going to NXT with it going to a 2 hour format?
Who’s “Axel Curtis”?
I hope they stick with the Bayley heel turn. It will be interesting on how they address her upcoming match with Charlotte. Will somebody attack Charlotte and a likeable babyface replaces her in the title match? WWE, dont screw it up
I am expecting the 1st ever Queen of the Ring tournament very soon. Every year they add something the women have never had. This will be next.