WWE RAW
Episode 1367
#RAW
Original Air Date: August 5, 2019
Event Date: August 5, 2019
(aired live)
City: Pittsburgh, PA
Venue: PPG Paints Arena
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Ring Area
Superstars and crew members stand on the stage in honor of the people killed in EL Paso, TX and Dayton, OH.
Intro Video
“Born For Greatness” by Papa Roach
Ring Area
Samoa Joe interrupts the intro video. He’s standing on the announce table, and he has something to say. People are trying to accuse Joe of attacking Reigns last week at the end of SmackDown Live, but he’s been wrongly accused. Corey Graves says it’s officially been labeled an accident, but it’s no surprise that people think Joe did it. Michael Cole says there was a poll where 80% of people think Joe is responsible, but Joe says he just did a poll right now that says 80% of the WWE Universe are idiots.
Joe demands that they play the footage of the “accident” to see if he can be seen anywhere near the scene. The footage is played. Joe comments on the ridiculous number of cameras pointed at the scene, but in no shot can Joe be seen. Joe says he’s going to head to the ring and shut RAW down until he gets the apology he deserves.
Before Joe can even get off the announce table, Becky Lynch comes out and heads to the ring for a match.
Match 1
Becky Lynch (RAW Women’s Champ) & Charlotte Flair vs Natalya & Trish Stratus
(referee: Shawn Bennett)
Result: Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair win via DQ when Natalya refuses to break a sharpshooter applied to Becky Lynch
Time: 7:07
Match Thoughts
This was pretty good, though it was essentially a handicap match. Trish Stratus never got tagged into the match, but that sort of made sense since Natalya is so angry about everything right now. Natalya wanted to beat up everyone, and that led to her not really caring about winning the match. Charlotte and Becky obviously didn’t get along either, so this match was largely about story and personality, but I think it worked well for building up Summer Slam.
Backstage
Rey Mysterio fastens his mask as he walks.
Match 2
Rey Mysterio vs Andrade w/ Zelina Vega
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Andrade wins via pinfall after a hammerlock DDT (and a distraction from Zelina Vega)
Time: 9:07 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Great match. Any time WWE needs something exciting on their show, they can just put these two guys together. The pace was extremely high right from the opening bell, and it felt like their feud from earlier in the year was never put on hold. Andrade hit some punishing power moves while Rey used his speed and agility to attack Andrade. There were a lot of great near falls towards the end, and Zelina Vega was going nuts at ringside as the intensity of the match kept getting higher.
Video
Last week, Maria Kanellis became the first ever pregnant 24/7 Champ.
Backstage
From a set backstage shoddily dressed as an OB/GYN office, Mike and Maria Kanellis wait for an appointment. Maria tells Mike that his only job is to protect her as the 24/7 Champ. Mike says he won’t let Maria down, but Maria doesn’t have much faith in Mike.
Backstage
While Maria is getting ready to be looked at in the doctor’s office, Mike says he’ll do his best to protect her. Mike tells Maria to lie back and relax. She does, and Mike hugs her as she reclines. From off screen, we here a referee count. Mike Kanellis is the new 24/7 Champ.
Backstage
Back in the OB/GYN waiting room, R-Truth and Carmella are waiting for Mike Kanellis. R-Truth throws a baby doll at Mike as a distraction, and R-Truth pins Mike to become the new 24/7 Champ.
Backstage
Charly Caruso welcomes Becky Lynch. Becky isn’t happy. Becky talks about how Natalya is upset that “the machine” has gotten behind Becky when it never got behind her. Becky says she never waited for anyone to support her, she did the work and gave everyone no option other than to support her. While Natalya was on reality TV and perfecting her duck face on Instagram, Becky Lynch was changing the industry. Becky looks forward to heading to Toronto to give the people there a new hero.
Backstage
Natalya says she won’t ever tap to Becky.
Backstage
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman walk.
Ring Area
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman head to the ring. Heyman has been instructed to educate everyone tonight. Wasn’t Seth Rollins supposed to be the hero of WWE and the man to stop Brock Lesnar? The answer lies in a piece of footage shown by Heyman. The footage is of Brock Lesnar savagely and repeatedly attacking Rollins last week on RAW.
Heyman says he dropped to his knees last week and begged The Beast to show mercy on Seth Rollins. The beating Lesnar gave Rollins as “borderline criminal,” but Rollins is here in the building tonight. Heyman continues to talk about Rollins as Rollins’ music plays. After a few seconds, Rollins limps out to the stage with a chair in his hand.
Rollins makes it down to the ring and carefully climbs inside. Rollins runs at Lesnar, but he is immediately taken down. Lesnar hits Rollins with his own chair before running Rollins into the corner. Lesnar toys with Rollins as we can hear Heyman say “I can’t stop him this time.” Lesnar hits Rollins with an F5, then he hits another during a commercial break.
Back from the commercial break, Rollins is still in the ring. Medical staff wants to stretcher him away, but Rollins has something to say. Rollins says hes been wondering if this is all worth it. For Rollins, yes, the beatings are worth it. This is all he’s ever wanted to do. Rollins guarantees that he will be at Summer Slam, and he guarantees that he will beat Brock Lesnar. Rollins then heads to the back under his own power.
Backstage
Charly Caruso welcomes Kurt Angle. As Angle begins to speak, the Street Profits interrupt. Ford and Dawkins are getting ready to defend their NXT Tag Titles at Takeover this weekend, but their preparations have left them a little thirsty. They bring out three red Solo cups and a carton of milk. Angle says he promised his wife he wouldn’t do anything too crazy, but Dawkins convinces him to have at least one milk.
As the Street Profits and Angle performs a toast, Drew McIntyre interrupts. McIntyre says he comes in peace. He’s here to tell Angle that, as the referee for McIntyre’s match against Cedric Alexander, he better call the match fairly. Otherwise McIntyre might have to embarrass Angle like he did in their last match against each other.
Match 3
Viking Raiders vs Jay Alexander & Eric Abraham
(referee: Dan Engler)
Result: Ivar pins Jay Alexander after the Viking Experience
Time: 1:19
Match Thoughts
Squash…
Video
A look at Harley Race in memory of his recent passing.
Ring Area
Kurt Angle heads to the ring to referee the next match. Cedric Alexander is the first competitor to come out, but he is attacked by Drew McIntyre on the stage. McIntyre beats up Alexander at ringside, but Alexander fights back and hits a tornado DDT on McIntyre on the floor.
With both men down, the lights in the arena go out. The lights begins to flash, and The Fiend has appeared in the ring. the Fiend attacks Kurt Angle with the Mandible Claw. Angle is down as the lights go back out and the show goes to a commercial.
Match 4
Big E & Xavier Woods (SD Tag Champs) vs Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows (RAW Tag Champs) w/ AJ Styles (US Champ)
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: New Day wins via DQ when AJ Styles enters the ring and attacks them
Time: 0:24
Match Thoughts
The OC wasn’t interested in a match, they were just interested in beating up New Day. Therefore, this wasn’t really a match.
Ring Area
The OC continues to atatck New Day, but Ricochet runs down to even the odds.
Match 5
Big E & Xavier Woods (SD Tag Champs) & Ricochet vs Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows (RAW Tag Champs) & AJ Styles (US Champ)
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: Luke Gallows pins Xavier Woods after the Magic Killer
Time: 5:45 (joined in progress)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. The OC’s teamwork was great, and even though New Day and Ricochet looked very good for their part, The OC just looked better tonight. This was an exciting, fast-paced match with a lot of stuff crammed into under six minutes of screen time.
Backstage
Samoa Joe tells a crew member to announce that he is shutting down RAW right now.
Video
Clips of stuff sort of almost falling on Roman Reigns at the end of last week’s SmackDown Live.
Ring Area
Samoa Joe heads to the ring. Joe calls Roman Reigns to the ring to give the opportunity to apologize to him. Reigns doesn’t come out, so Joe sets up a chair and sits down in the middle of the ring. Joe is shutting down RAW until Reigns comes out and apologizes for the false accusations Joe has been receiving over the past week.
After a little while, Joe gets word that Reigns is in the parking lot. Joe decides to go meet Reigns out there.
Backstage
Samoa Joe arrives at the parking lot just as Roman Reigns drives up. Joe starts yelling at Reigns as Reigns exits his vehicle. Reigns sees something off screen and dives back into his car. A second car rams into the side of Reigns’s car.
After a commercial break, we see that the attacking car quickly drove away. Joe, concerned for Reigns’s wellbeing, called for medics to come help. Jamie Noble and Triple H came out to check on Reigns as well.
Match 6
Fatal Four Way Elimination Women’s Tag Team Title Match
Kabuki Warriors vs Fire & Desire vs Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss vs The IIconics (Women’s Tag Champs)
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross win and become the new Women’s Tag Champs
1. Mandy Rose pins Billie Kay after a running knee strike (2:28)
2. Asuka submits Mandy Rose with the Asuka Lock (4:55)
3. Alexa Bliss pins Kairi Sane after Twisted Bliss (5:26 – joined in progress)
Time: 13:26 (2 breaks)
Match Thoughts
I liked a lot of the action, but there was also a lot I didn’t care for. Seeing The IIconics dominate the first part of the match was fun. That was something we should have been seeing since Wrestlemania, at least a little here and there. As it is, the dominance they showed in this match doesn’t match with the smart and weaselly characters they’ve been portraying. Still, it was good to see them shine for a few brief moments at least.
Mandy Rose was really awkward in this match though, and her time in the ring really bogged the match down. She telegraphed when she was about to get hit, and her exchange with Asuka towards the middle of the match made me think there was a lot of miscommunication going on. The awkwardness was only when Rose was in the ring though, so that makes me think it was her.
I did like the exchanges between the Kabuki Warriors and Bliss & Cross, but all of that entertaining action was overshadowed by the history WWE has with putting titles on people for sudden storyline purposes without thinking of the bigger picture. That made me have almost no investment in the match since I pretty much knew who was going to win. I was right, and while I’m happy for the winners, I think it was the wrong move at this time. There was no buildup to it, and other title matches that we were promised over the last few months never happened. The story is that the IIconics were ducking the competition, but the reality is they have just booked the women’s tag title poorly. Hopefully something good comes out of this, and a lot of the action in the match was good, but right now it’s all just a bit aggravating.
Ring Area
The Miz heads to the ring for Miz TV. Miz TV tonight is a contract signing. Shawn Michaels heads to the ring to oversee the proceedings. Miz then introduces Dolph Ziggler who heads to the ring.
Ziggler says he’s the best thing to happen to pro wrestling since HBK lost his smile and The Miz lost his balls. When Ziggler wins at Summer Slam, he will finally get the adulation he deserves as a living legend. Ziggler signs the contract.
Miz says name-calling is childish (despite Miz calling Ziggler a pariah when he introduced him). Miz says he can’t wait to fight Ziggler next Monday on RAW. Miz knows Ziggler is confused, so he explains. Ziggler just signed a contract for a match with someone else. Ziggler looks at Shawn Michaels, but it’s not him. Goldberg’s music plays, and Goldberg heads to the ring.
Ziggler leaves the ring as Goldberg enters. Alone in the ring, Goldberg signs the contract. Ziggler is next. As Ziggler walks up the ramp, he’s kicked in the head by Shawn Michaels.
Show Impressions
There was some stuff I really didn’t like on this episode, but the good stuff was really good. Standouts for me were the Andrade/Mysterio match, the six man tag, the segments building up to The Fiend and Kurt Angle’s exchange, and everything Samoa Joe did. The women’s tag matches were both runners up on my personal list of likes. I could have done without everything else.
Match of the Night
Rey Mysterio vs Andrade
I don’t know if this matchup will ever not be one of the best matches of the night any night it’s on the show.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2019-08-05