August 1, 2016
Episode 1210
(aired live)
#RAW
City: Atlanta, GA
Venue: Philips Arena
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
Ring Announcer: Jojo
Video
Last week on RAW, Finn Balor became the number one contender for the Universal Title, and Sasha Banks became the Women’s Champ.
Intro Video
“Enemies” by Shinedown
Ring Area
Sasha Banks heads to the ring. She mentions her match against Bayley at Takeover: Brooklyn where they stole the show. Charlotte quickly heads to the ring.
Charlotte says that she doesn’t need anyone to beat Sasha. She will beat her at Summer Slam all by herself. She calls Sasha a one night stand. Sasha reminds Charlotte that her father is Ric Flair… ** I audibly laughed at that one. **
Chris Jericho then demands quiet as he heads to the ring. He calls Sasha ungrateful, but he says Charlotte is even greater than her father. He then questions what or who Sasha is the boss of. He doesn’t think she’s a boss, he thinks she’s a brat. Enzo Amore then heads to the ring.
Enzo then makes a very blatant (and kind of gross) pass at Sasha. Charlotte says there’s just one word for Enzo’s love life. Jericho offers to spell it out. Enzo insults Jericho’s speaking abilities, and Jericho tells Enzo to watch “it.”
Mick Foley then comes out to the stage. He compliments Enzo and Sasha and makes a match. A mixed tag team match. A match that happens right now.
Match 1
Mixed Tag Match
Sasha Banks (Women’s Champ) & Enzo Amore vs Charlotte & Chris Jericho
(referee: John Cone; guest commentary: Kevin Owens)
Result: Charlotte pins Sasha Banks after Natural Selection (and a distraction from Dana Brooke)
Time: 6:26 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. I liked the two teams, and they worked fine together, but it didn’t have a lot of drama to it. Still, it was entertaining. I like seeing new combinations and the possible start of new feuds. I also like that a match like this (and the previous segment) puts the men and women on the same level.
Ring Area
After the match, Jericho hits a Code Breaker on Enzo which prompts Big Cass to head to the ring. Jericho waits for him, but he ducks out of the ring as soon as Cass enters it.
Video
The Bella Twins were on the Teen Choice Awards. Brie won best female athlete.
Ring Area
Byron Saxton asks Local Talent why he would get in the ring with Braun Strowman. Money. He’s doing it for money.
Match 2
Braun Strowman vs Evan Anderhole (aka: Corey Hollis)
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Braun Strowman wins via pinfall after a reverse chokeslam
Time: 1:01
Match Thoughts
Boring.
Backstage
Stephanie McMahon compliments Foley on his match-making tonight when Mark Henry walks in. His creative juices are going. He’s made some renovations in the Hall of Pain and wants a re-opening. Steph and Mick see him more as a locker room mentor rather than a competitor. Mark says they’re wrong. He wants one more run. Foley gives Mark a US Title match which he lies very much. Stephanie seems a bit less enthused.
Backstage
Goldust thinks R-Truth is addicted to Pokemon Go and wants to get him in a ring. R-Truth agrees because he thinks there are Pokemon there.
Match 3
Golden Truth vs The Shining Stars
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: Primo pins Goldust with a sunset flip
Time: 2:01
Match Thoughts
A fun comedy match. I have a feeling the Pokemon thing could get old very quickly, but I’m still enjoying it so far. As for this match, it was basically a handicap match because R-Truth wouldn’t get off his phone.
Ring Area
Michael Cole is in the ring and welcomes Finn Balor. Balor says that he knew he had to make an impact on RAW, but Seth Rollins quickly interrupts and heads to the ring. Rollins hijacks the interview and talks about he did everything that Finn has done, but did them first and better. He also insults the hometown sports team.
Balor says he’s seen guys like Rollins everywhere he’s been. And he’s beaten them all. He also says how he earned his title shot while Rollins had his handed to him. He then talks about handing Rollins his ass. Rollins goes to attack, but Balor counters. Rollins escapes and backs up the ramp.
** I like the direction they’re going with this. They really have had fairly similar paths to where they are right now. **
Match 4
US Title Match
Rusev (US Champ) w/ Lana vs Mark Henry
(referee: Darrick Moore)
#USTitle
Result: Rusev wins via submission with The Accolade
Time: 3:34 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
An okay to pretty good match, but it was surprisingly short. There was a commercial break, but the end came very quickly after it.
Ring Area
Rusev gets on the mic after the match and says the Olympic Games are rigged for Americans. No American athlete deserves a gold medal in Rio, and no man can take his US title away from him. Roman Reigns, complete with beard and new red vest, makes his way to the ring. He gets face to face with Rusev and won’t let the champ walk past him. Rusev attacks, but Reigns hits a Superman Punch off the ring steps. Rusev backs away.
** This could be alright. Rusev has been built up very well to this point, and Reigns, having fallen out of the top tier, could be a believable challenge for the champ. I think Reigns is better in matches with smaller, more agile guys, but I think Rusev could help Reigns put some good matches together. **
Video
Promo clips for Nia Jax. You know, she’s not like most girls.
Match 5
Darren Young w/ Bob Backlund vs Titus O’Neil
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Titus O’Neil wins via pinfall with a schoolboy (and a handful of tights)
Time: 3:57
Match Thoughts
A pretty good, and pretty surprising match.
Backstage
Stephanie give Foley a tablet computer when Sheamus shows up and asks them whats going on. Why did they give Henry a title match? Cesaro answers: because nobody wants to see Sheamus. Steph tells them that they both were big complainers on the Draft show, and Foley tells Cesaro that his draft number had a lot to do with questions about his health. He then gives them both the opportunity to prove that they should’ve been top picks by having a match, against each other.
** I like that they addressed and explained Cesaro’s low pick. Now they need to address Kevin Owens’ low pick. **
Backstage
Backlund is screaming at Titus for cheating. Titus tells him to calm down before he knocks him out. This prompts Darren Young to attack, defending his mentor.
Match 6
Ariel Monroe vs Nia Jax
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Nia Jax wins via pinfall after a falling powerslam
Time: 1:09
Match Thoughts
Squash. Boring. We can see that she’s bigger than the other women. Do we really need these matches?
** The best part of this match is that I think the name of Jax’s opponent is a reference to Storm from X-Men (her real name is Ororo Munroe, and that sounds similar to me). **
Ring Area
After the match, Saxton asks Jax how it feels to be on RAW. She responds by hitting Ariel Monroe.
Backstage
Tom Phillips welcomes Sami Zayn. Zayn says that Rollins’ weakness is his big mouth. Rollins said that he has something to prove, but so does Zayn. He’ll prove it tonight.
Ring Area
New Day heads to the ring and addresses the complaint that Anderson and Gallows files against them which bans a member of New Day from ringside. Xavier Woods, the hometown boy, lost a game of “Bag of Fruit” and must sit in the back during the next match.
Match 7
New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) (Tag Champs) vs Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: Big E pins Karl Anderson with a schoolboy
Time: 1:20
Match Thoughts
A quick match that was really just a way to set up the post-match shenanigans.
Ring Area
Anderson and Gallows attack New Day (including Xavier Woods who returns to the ring). They hit the Boot of Doom on Big E twice. They also crotch him on the ring post.
Backstage
Big E is being looked at by the trainer.
Match 8
Cesaro vs Sheamus
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Cesaro wins via pinfall after a Neutralizer
Time: 5:54
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. Cesaro looked better and was able to show his formidable strength. The pace was a little slower than I would have expected from these two (especially Cesaro), but I still liked it alright.
Ring Area
After a commercial break, Sheamus and Cesaro have to be held back from attacking each other. In the ring, Heath Slater, the hottest free agent, has brought Jinder Mahal to RAW! Foley comes out to the stage and reminds Heath and Jinder that they aren’t on the RAW roster. He does offer to give them a match against each other. Slater balks, but Mahal does not.
Match 9
Heath Slater vs Jinder Mahal
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: Jinder Mahal wins via pinfall after a big boot
Time: 0:14
Match Thoughts
Pretty funny, and it’s good to see both of these guys on the show.
Backstage
Tom Phillips welcomes Chris Jericho. He asks Jericho if he’s worried that he’s a “marked man.” Jericho is not worried. He has someone to watch his back. Phillips questions him, but Jericho’s answer is… odd. Kevin Owens shows up and tells Jericho that he has Jericho’s back.
Match 10
Seth Rollins vs Sami Zayn
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Seth Rollins wins via pinfall after a Pedigree
Time: 7:43 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. Zayn looked good, but I don’t think the winner here was ever really in question.
Ring Area
#BrockReturns
Paul Heyman introduces Brock Lesnar. Heyman says that Lesnar will “entertain” everyone at Summer Slam. He’s not here to put his stamp on the “New Era,” the New Era needs to step up to Brock Lesnar. Facetiously, Heyman talks about Orton and his RKO. He talks about the voices in his head and what they should be telling him.
As Heyman talks about the RKO, Orton shows up and hits Lesnar with one. He then runs out through the crowd and takes his shirt off.
Show Impressions
The wrestling was a drop off from last week, but it was still mostly entertaining (except for Strowman and Jax again). There weren’t as many big moments this week, but that’s to be expected after they stacked the deck last week. This show felt a lot like a character-building show.
But this show does mark the first breaking of the brand split. They lasted a whole week before breaking their own rules. Wow. Talk about poor pacing.
Match of the Night
Seth Rollins vs Sami Zayn
There were a ton of matches on the show, but the majority of them were either comedy or a means to an end. This was a solid match, and easily the best among the good ones on the show.