By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,465)
Live from Tampa, Florida at Yuengling Center
Aired June 21, 2021 on USA Network
[Hour One] The broadcast team of Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton hyped that there would be five Money in the Bank qualifying matches during the show…
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley made his entrance along with MVP and their lady friends. The VIP Lounge set was inside the ring. MVP said Lashley beat Drew McIntyre within an inch of his life and he’ll never be the same after that beating. MVP recalled the stipulation that McIntyre can no longer challenge him for the WWE Championship. MVP tried to lead the ladies in toasting Lashley.
New Day’s entrance music interrupted the toast. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods made their entrance with Kingston pushing a tray of pancakes. Kingston and Woods chucked the pancakes into the ring while claiming it was a toast. MVP said that was the type of nonsense that resulted in Kingston watching HIAC rather than headlining it like Lashley.
Kingston said it’s well documented that he surrounds himself with his friends and family rather than users. Kingston asked Lashley if he thought MVP and the ladies would hang around after he beats him for the WWE Championship. Lashley said he would never lose the title, especially to someone like Kingston.
Lashley spoke about the WWE hierarchy and how he’s at the top. Kingston said Lashley forgot that he beat Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, and pinned Lashley on Raw. Footage aired of Kingston’s distraction win over Lashley.
Kingston challenged Lashley to a title match at MITB. MVP started to talk, but Lashley cut him off by quickly accepting the match. Lashley said he wanted to make sure that it was a one on one match at MITB. Lashley called for a match against Xavier Woods on Raw.
Woods ran through some of his accolades and told Lashley to keep underestimating him because it would make the ass beating so much better. Woods looked up and announced that the match would be held inside Hell in a Cell. The camera panned up to show the HIAC structure hanging above the ring. Lashley accepted the match even though MVP didn’t look pleased…
An ad aired for WWE SummerSlam… [C]
Powell’s POV: And some of us thought it was bad when WWE gave away a Hell in a Cell match on Smackdown with only one day’s notice. Wow.
A Pride Month video aired with Sony Deville looking back on when she came out… Saxton hyped Lashley vs. Woods as the first HIAC match on Raw…
Ring entrances aired for the opening match with Mike Rome as the ring announcer introducing AJ Styles first. Footage aired of Styles and Omos having a backstage verbal exchange with The Viking Raiders. Styles said he and Omos would defend the Raw Tag Titles against them after he wins MITB and the WWE Championship. The Viking Raiders pointed out that they beat Styles once before. Styles knocked the turkey leg out of one of their hands…
The two MITB briefcases were shown hanging above the ring before Ricochet made his entrance. A Ricochet pre-tape aired with him saying that the match was his opportunity to show he belongs back at the top. He said he was willing to do whatever it takes to win…
1. AJ Styles (w/Omos) vs. Ricochet in a Money in the Bank qualifier. Ricochet went for an early moonsault off the post that Styles avoided at ringside. Styles picked him up and ran him into the ring post heading into an early break. [C]
Ricochet got some offense in until Styles caught him with an enzuigiri. Styles picked up Ricochet in Torture Rack position and then slammed him to the mat and covered him for a two count. Ricochet came back with an enzuigiri and then ducked a Pele Kick. Ricochet performed a German suplex into a bridge for a near fall.
Styles rolled Ricochet into a Calf Crusher, but Ricochet reached the ropes to break the hod. Styles performed a ushigoroshi and then set up for his finisher. The Viking Raiders ran out and went after Omos, who got the better of them. Omos charged the duo and they moved, causing Omos to crash into the timekeepers area. Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Ricochet caught him with the Recoil on the way down and pinned him…
Ricochet defeated AJ Styles in 9:55 to qualify for the MITB ladder match.
Powell’s POV: It’s nice to see Ricochet get a win, but beating AJ Styles in a singles match should feel so much more important than this did. Part of the problem is that we know Styles has other things going on as a tag team champion and they reminded us of that with the Viking Raiders pre-tape. But it’s also an issue that Styles hasn’t been positioned as a singles force in some time.
The broadcast team hyped the previously advertised MITB qualifiers. Piper Niven was listed as Eva Marie’s “mysterious partner” despite a WWE email listing her as Doudrop…
Riddle approached Randy Orton backstage and spoke about how they both have a chance to win the Money in the Bank match. Riddle said he would hide his stash inside the briefcase if he wins it. He explained that his stash is a bunch of Whoppers (hamburgers). Orton got annoyed. Riddle asked Orton for pointers. Orton suggested that Riddle stay out of his way. Riddle spoke about how it could be “two brothers” fighting over MITB. “Wouldn’t that be awesome,” Riddle asked. Orton responded, “Not for you.” Riddle still wished him good luck in his match… [C]
A brief John Cena clip aired with him greeting the Raw audience before plugging Fast & Furious 9… A video package recapped last week’s Piper Niven win and Eva Marie naming herself the winner…
Backstage, Kevin Patrick approached Eva Marie and her friend. Eva claimed she had a cold last week. She said she knows the fans are dying to see her return to the ring, so she brought in her protege. Eva asked her name. She appeared as if she was about to say Piper Niven, but Eva cut her off and said her name is Doudrop. Niven didn’t look happy, but she grabbed the tail end of Eva’s outfit while walking off behind her…
Powell’s POV: If you’re of a certain age, then you might think Doudrop is just the nickname of David Arquette’s character in Scream. Being hip, with it, and now I can tell you that… Fine, I went to the Urban Dictionary, which lists the following definition for Doudrop: “Referring to women who are sexually or romantically attracted to other women. ” Well, at least it did until pro wrestling fans changed it to “the rebrand of Piper Niven.” Yes, really.
Asuka and Naomi made their entrance. A brief pre-tape aired with the usual Asuka style promo. Eva and Doudrop made their entrance… [C]
2. Asuka and Naomi vs. Eva Marie and Doudrop in a Money in the Bank qualifier. Eva and Asuka started the match, but Eva tagged out before they could lock up. Naomi tagged in and was dominated by Doudrop, who had her pinned until Asuka broke it up. With Naomi down, Doudrop went to the ropes. Eva tagged herself in and tried to steal the pin, but Naomi kicked out. Eva wanted to tag out, but Doudrop dropped off the apron. Naomi rolled up Eva and pinned her…
Asuka and Naomi beat Eva Marie and Doudrop in 2:50 in a MITB qualifier.
Powell’s POV: Trouble between Eva and Doudrop already? I honestly didn’t see that coming so quickly. By the way, the qualifiers are a big help when it comes to filling the three hours of Raw. Unlike so many Raw matches, the qualifiers feel like they actually matter.
Highlights aired of Charlotte beating Rhea Ripley by DQ in the Raw Women’s Championship match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view… Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville were shown talking backstage. The broadcast team said they would address the controversy next… Another Cena and Fast & Furious 9 ad aired… [C]
Footage from the Lashley and New Day segment from earlier in the show aired with the buildup of Lashley vs. Kingston for MITB.
[Hour Two] The replay also showed Lashley challenging Woods, who accepted and turned the match into a HIAC match for Raw… Lashley was shown warming up backstage with MVP next to him…
Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville stood in the ring and called for Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley to join them in the ring. Ripley headed to the ring. Pearce said that what she did at HIAC was unacceptable. Ripley asked what they were talking about. They said she intentionally got herself disqualified. Ripley wondered if the rules only apply to her and not Charlotte Flair. She said she was only doing what Flair would have done. Pearce said Flair is not the current champion.
Charlotte Flair made her entrance and said Pearce forgot to add the “not yet” part at the end of his sentence. Flair said Ripley is smarter than she thought because she proved to be a strategic competitor. Flair said she would still destroy Ripley. Deville said that if this was Flair’s way of asking for a rematch, then she would grant her one at Money in the Bank…
Powell’s POV: So they don’t want Ripley to abuse the rules, but WWE officials have no problem with MVP interfering in a Hell in a Cell match? Yeah, there’s technically no rules in an HIAC match, but it’s still hard to watch this and not think of countless examples of heels cheating to win matches that were never addressed by the storyline authority figures.
WWE Women’s Tag Champions Natalya and Tamina were being interviewed on the photo shoot set when they got distracted by banging noises. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke were training in the ring. The teams bickered again. The champions tried to enter the ring, but Rose and Brooke kicked them back to ringside…
Randy Orton made his entrance for his MITB qualifier… [C] Still shots aired of Drew McIntyre’s back following the HIAC match… John Morrison and The Miz made their entrance…
3. Randy Orton vs. John Morrison (w/The Miz) in a Money in the Bank qualifier. Miz sat in on commentary. Orton slammed the head of Morrison off the broadcast table and then gave him a side suplex. Orton glared at Miz heading into a break. [C]
Morrison took offensive control and went for a cross arm breaker. Meanwhile, a picture-in-picture Fast & Furious 9 ad aired. Orton came back and performed a Draping DDT. Orton struck the Viper’s Pose. Miz sprayed the Drip Stick at Orton, who turned his focus to Miz. Morrison rolled up Orton for a two count. Riddle drove his scooter to ringside and chased Miz in his wheelchair. Morrison clotheslined Orton over the top rope and then hit Starship Pain for the win…
John Morrison defeated Randy Orton in 12:40 to qualify for MITB.
Powell’s POV: Yep, Johnny Drip Drip just pinned Randy Orton. I guess they are trying to go with some different faces in MITB. Ricochet and Morrison will surely do some cool things in the ladder match. It just remains to be seen whether anyone will actually take them as serious threats to win the match.
“Highlights” aired of the Alexa Bliss vs. Shayna Baszler match from HIAC…
Backstage, Patrick interviewed Baszler, Nia Jax, and Reginald. Jax said she would never hit Reginald again (after doing so while hypnotized). Baszler said nothing would stand in their way of qualifying for MITB. Jax conceded that there was something different about Bliss…
Alexa Bliss made her entrance to new music. Lily was all over her video wall, and the broadcast team stated that the stupid doll was still on timeout… [C]
Powell’s POV: I’m not a fan of Bliss’s hypnotic powers, but I can tolerate it if it leads to weekly doses of various wrestlers slapping the piss out of the Reginald character.
Nikki Cross delivered a backstage promo while wearing a superhero outfit. She said she represents all of us, regardless of our shortcomings. The camera pulled back and she had a full-on blue and yellow superhero costume… Cross made her entrance followed by Baszler and Jax…
4. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax (w/Reginald) in a Money in the Bank qualifier. Bliss smiled and acted like she enjoyed Nikki’s superhero bit as the match started. Cross avoided a charging Jax, who ended up tumbling to ringside. Reginald checked on Jax, but then became hypnotized by Bliss until Baszler cut off their eye contact. Cross performed a dive from the top onto Baszler, Jax, and Reginald. [C]
Late in the match, Jax got upset with Baszler for nearly hitting her when Baszler was trying to hit Cross. Bliss hypnotized Reginald again. He nearly slapped Jax, who hugged him. Cross dropkicked them through the ropes. Inside the ring, Cross rolled Baszler into a pin and got the three count…
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross beat Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax in 9:00 to qualify for MITB.
Powell’s POV: The demonically possessed woman who dresses like a child and her superhero tag team partner qualified for MITB. At the rate they are going, I won’t be the least bit surprised when Jaxson Ryker dresses up like Corporal Kirchner and teams with a 205 Live wrestler who turns out to be a werewolf.
Backstage, Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville approached Drew McIntyre, who said he wanted to look toward the future. McIntyre made it clear that he was going to wrestle his match despite their concerns regarding his injuries… Riddle made his entrance… [C]
Pearce and Deville walked through the backstage area and were confronted by Jinder Mahal and his sidekicks, Cedric Alexander, Jeff Hardy, and Sheamus. They wanted to know why they weren’t in Money in the Bank. Hardy and Alexander bickered. Sheamus said he’s the U.S. Champion and shouldn’t have to qualify. Pearce called him on not defending the title.
[Hour Three] Mahal said he would appreciate being considered an alternate if something were to happen to one of the entrants… McIntyre made his entrance…
5. Drew McIntyre vs. Riddle in a Money in the Bank qualifier. The cameras focused on the welts on McIntyre’s back. Riddle pulled McIntyre from the ropes. McIntyre landed on his back and sold being in major pain due to the welts. A short time later, Riddle performed an overhead belly to belly suplex on McIntyre at ringside. [C]
McIntyre picked up multiple near falls while continuing to sell his injuries from HIAC. McIntyre performed an inverted Alabama Slam for another near fall. McIntyre took Riddle to the ropes. Riddle fought back and McIntyre ended up being crotched on the ropes and then went into Tree of Woe position before sitting up and suplexing Riddle back into the ring. Randy Orton walked onto the stage with his arms crossed. Riddle was giddy. [C]
Riddle went for a backslide, but McIntyre got up and put him down with a Future Shock DDT that led to a good near fall. McIntyre set up for his finisher, but Riddle collapsed when he tried to stand up. McIntyre approached Riddle, who hoisted him up. They jockeyed for position and Riddle dropped him with a kick.
A short time later, Riddle dodged the Claymore Kick and put McIntyre in the Bromission. McIntyre got to his feet and broke the hold, but Riddle nailed him with a flying knee. McIntyre responded with a Glasgow Kiss. They fought for position again and this time Riddle rolled McIntyre into a pin for the win.
Riddle defeated Drew McIntyre in 21:20 to qualify for MITB.
After the match, Riddle drove his scooter up to the stage and wanted a fist bump from Orton, who stood there with his arms crossed. Riddle looked like he was going to cry when he asked Orton what was wrong. “Just talk to me, Randy, I’m always here for you, bro,” Riddle said. Orton made eye contact with Riddle…
Backstage, Kofi Kingston fired up Xavier Woods… [C]
Powell’s POV: A good match, but I have to be honest, my head was still spinning from the GLOW-like silliness that was the women’s tag match. Anyway, barring another idiotic second chance qualifying match or something along those lines, McIntyre won’t be winning Money in the Bank. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for him. Will he move to Smackdown via the draft? Hey, maybe he can show at the end of MITB and take the briefcase. There are no disqualifications in a MITB match, so Pearce and Deville won’t mind.
Highlights aired of Elias walking out on his most recent match with Jaxson Ryker…
Backstage, Ryker was whipping himself with a belt when Mansoor showed up and said he was going to ask him for advice. Mansoor figured it was a lost cause and started to leave, but Ryker told him to never let his enemy escape. Ryker said he would face Elias in a strap match next week. Ali showed up and told Mansoor that he was asking all the wrong questions and all the wrong people. Ryker went back to whipping himself…
The broadcast team hyped Ryker vs. Elias in a strap match for next week. They also announced Orton vs. Styles vs. McIntyre in a Triple Threat second chance MITB qualifier…
Powell’s POV: Because of course they are having a second chance qualifier. Good lord. Meanwhile, Ryker clearly went to the Gilmore training facility.
Xavier Woods made his entrance for his destruction… [C] Riddle, Nikki Cross, John Morrison, and The Miz were announced as the Raw Talk guests… Lashley made his entrance…
6. WWE Champion Bobby Lashley (w/MVP) vs. Xavier Woods (w/Kofi Kingston) in a non-title Hell in a Cell match. Woods dropkicked Lashley to start the match. Lashley quickly regrouped and worked him over with shoulders to the gut. Lashley performed a neckbreaker and went for a cover, but Woods kicked out at one.
The wrestlers fought to ringside. Woods tried to hit Lashley with a chair, but he blocked it with his hands, then punched it at the face of Woods. Back in the ring, Lashley went for a spear, but Woods moved. Lashley rolled to the floor. Woods dropkicked him through the ropes twice. Woods got the chair and hit Lashley with it a few times. [C]
Late in the match, Riddle performed a springboard elbow drop that drove Lashley through a table that was set up inside the ring. Lashley came back and threw Woods face first into a chair that was wedged in a corner of the ring. Lashley speared Woods and then applied the Hurt Lock for the win.
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defeated Xavier Woods in 13:40 in a non-title Hell in a Cell match.
After the match, Lashley threw Woods into the side of the cage in front of Kingston. When the referee exited through the door, MVP entered the cage and locked the door behind him. Lashley put Woods in the Hurt Lock in front of Kingston, who yelled at Lashley to let him go…
Powell’s POV: The match was fine. I actually expected Woods to take more of a beating, but the post match angle accomplished what it needed to. It’s tough to take Kingston as a serious threat to beat Lashley, and his continued gloating over his flukey distraction win over Lashley isn’t helping.
It was encouraging to see WWE advertise five matches in advance for this show. And with those matches being MITB qualifiers, I assumed that I would end up enjoying Raw more than usual. Between the Bliss and Cross madness, silly authority figure logic, the announcement of a second chance MITB qualifier, and other strangeness, I came away just as disappointed and underwhelmed by Raw as I usually am. I will be back shortly with my weekly same night audio review of WWE Raw. Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
I’m guessing that they are doing and HIAC match on RAW because peacock got upset about them doing one on Fox
Do you think many people caught on that last night’s opening was a take off the movie Warriors?
Was a fantastic opening !
(Can you digggg it?)
If the Riddle scooter vs Miz wheelchair chase was the only goofiness on the show, it wouldn’t be so bad. Instead, it’s lost in the middle of the rest of this mess.
So Nikki Cross is now a mix of Mighty Molly and the Blue Blazer?
“Jax got upset with Baszler for nearly hitting her when Baszler was trying to hit Jax” You don’t say.
Thus far, this MITB match participants and winner seems like it will be even less relevant than Otis’s win last year.
“Late in the match, Riddle performed a springboard elbow drop that drove Lashley through a table that was set up inside the ring.”
Impressive!
Carefull Jason don’t call Lily a stupid doll. you might find strange unexplainable things happening to you like they did to Shayna Baszler. LOL
Jason you forgot to mention this is the first time in over a year that Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross teamed up since they broke up and Bliss got possed by the Fiend.
I wouldn’t be suprised if Bliss bring out the crazy side of Nikki she had on NXT.
And remember the “Lesnar rule” from a few years ago? Technically, someone doesn’t even have to officially be a participant in the Money In The Bank match, anyone could come out and take the briefcase and be declared the “winner.” Welcome to the WWE where rules are selectively unforced and consequences (if there are any) for rules violations largely depend on who you are and/or who you know. Some people can do whatever the fuck they want without consequences and repercussions where as others are micromanaged and punished for not following the rules to the letter.
It really is sad that they put themselves in these situations. Just give us some consistency, and I don’t mean consistently making up the rules as they go along.
“If you’re of a certain age, then you might think Doudrop is just the nickname of David Arquette’s character in Scream.”
What????? Even at a certain age no one thinks that.
The Steven Stone bodyguard character called him Dewdrop in Scream 3.
https://scream.fandom.com/wiki/Steven_Stone