Another Monday brings yet another episode of Monday Night Raw, they start comin’ and they don’t stop comin’ folks. As always, I’ll be giving you the live recap and results of the show. Page will be updated throughout the night. Watch this space for the WWE Raw Results!
The ThunderDome gets it’s own thunder intro tonight, I guess. It’s the In Your Face edition of Monday Night Raw, unlike the very subtle version we get every other week. Dolph Ziggler on commentary.
Drew McIntyre opens the show. We see a melodramatic replay of the very short term injury that Orton handed him. Drew says that he thinks the time they compete, someone will have to be going home in an Ambulance and so he challenges him to an Ambulance match. Good, it’d have been a shame if this was as good a match as the last one. McIntyre also says the truth is Orton might not make it to Clash of Champions. Talks about the true story of how he invented the Claymore by accident. Shows a dumb hospital picture of the people he’s Claymored as a response to Orton’s identical Punt picture.
Adam Pearce comes out onto the stage and says if Orton can’t make it to the Clash and Keith Lee beats McIntyre tonight, he’ll get that title match instead. Keith Lee then makes his way out. They have a big staredown.
Champions vs. Champions: WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro
Cesaro with a charging European Uppercut to Dawkins! Hoists him onto his shoulders, takes him to the top rope where Nakamura tags in, driving nee to the gut, Cesaro hoists him off, Flying Knee/Gutwrench combo, Nak covers for a 2 count! Dawkins with a boot up, charging clothesline, tag to Ford. Big dropkick. Dawkins back flips him onto a splash, Cesaro breaks it up. Profits with a double dropkick! Ford tries a tope but Cesaro and Nakamura catch him out of the air and double powerbomb onto the barrier!
After a commercial break, Cesaro and Nak are working over Ford until he sidesteps a charge and sends Cesaro into the post. Simultags, Dawkins clotheslines Nakamura once, twice, and there’s the flying elbow. Flapjack to Cesaro, T-Bone to Nakamura! Cover for a nearfall. Nakamura avoids the spinning avalanche, sets him up in the second rope for the Ishimori Suplex. Charges for the Kinsasha but Dawkins counters with a Spinebuster! Tag to Ford, tries From The Heavens but Nak with the knees up! Cover for a CLOSE nearfall! Cesaro tags in, Cesaro Swing into a Nakamura dropkick, Dawkins has to break up the pin!
They focus on taking out Dawkins, Nakamura with an enziguri from the floor. Ford rolls up Cesaro for 2, charges, HUGE Very European Uppercut! Nearfall!!! Dawkins drives Nakamura into the steel steps on the outside. Takes Ford to the corner, pummels him with uppercuts! Big finishing one nailed. Cesaro-style Superplex, but Dawkins tagged himself in on the way up, Cash Out Splash for the win!
Winners: Street Profits
Surprisingly zero shenanigans. Just a solid match, very good stuff.
In lieu of actually pushing Mickie James ahead of this title shot, she gets a video package instead.
Angel Garza is talking to Lana who can’t believe Mickie got a title shot ahead of Natalya when she’s the BOAT. Not to mention she’s the winningest female superstar in WWE history. Angel agrees it’s very unfair and Lana’s passion for justice is intoxicating. Zelina interrupts them and Lana leaves. Zelina says Angel abandoned Andrade two weeks in a row, their tag title hopes have vanished, and now he’s here hitting on Lana? Angel says Andrade got pinned last week, yell at him. Andrade gets in his face. Zelina tries to get between them but just yells “I can’t do this anymore!” and leaves, the two men brawl into commercial.
The Hurt Business make their way out. MVP says attention WWE Universe, this is an official announcement: business is booming. Says the CEO Bobby Lashley is firmly in possession of the United States Championship. Shelton Benjamin has upgraded from the Gold Standard to Platinum Status. And Cedric Alexander is officially a member of the Hurt Business, life is good.
Cedric says life is good but last week his social media was blowing up with shade. Says this is his job where he does what he has to do to succeed. Nobody knows what it’s like to be him to show up every week on Monday being beaten up by three of the baddest men in the business and not be able to play with his kids the next morning. Being with Apollo and Ricochet left him empty and broken but now that he’s in the Hurt Business…
Apollo and Ricochet make their way out. Crews says they treated him like a brother and he sold them out. He was weak-minded and allowed MVP to manipulate him. They’ve always had his back but Cedric cuts them off and asks how many times he caught a beating for him when he WAS the US Champion. Shelton tells him he doesn’t owe them an explanation. Ricochet tells Shelton nobody’s talking to him. Says Cedric joined the Hurt Business for what, for money? What happened last week hurt him more than anything the Hurt Business did. He says they’re not here to ask “Why, Cedric, Why” he says if he thought the Hurt Business was bad, now they’re the ones going after him.
Ricochet vs. Cedric Alexander
Ricochet double legs him, Cedric with a knee to the gut. Ricochet with a big back elbow off the charge, he throws him to the outside, running kick to the face from the apron! HUGE TRIANGLE MOONSAULT! Hurt Business tries to get involved but Erik comes out to neutralize Lashley, they brawl as we go to commercial break. We come back to see Cedric getting Ric down in waistlock. Ricochet struggling. Punches his way free. But Cedric with a forearm. Exchange of blows now. Ricochet hits the ropes but eats a BIG knee to the gut! Dropkick to the back for a 2 count.
Forearm drops hi. Ties him up in the ropes for a gut shot. Whips him but Ric reverses, BRUTAL dropkick right to the face! Uppercuts from Ricochet, running chop! Ricochet plants him with a German Suplex, bridge for a nearfall! Goes up top, Cedric rolls out of the way and Ricochet rolls through, flip kick but Cedric with a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall! LUMBAR CHECK DESTROYS HIM AND THAT IS THAT!
Winner: Cedric Alexander
Hot dayam that Lumbar Check has never looked better. But as the Hurt Business celebrates, the lights go down and we get another promo from Retribution. They say they’re the product of empty promises, the result of lies and betrayal. They walk with eyes wide open. They see what you are, waste, scrap, by-product. When you show loyalty to an entity that treats you like garbage, you become garbage. Cutting a bit close to home there, don’t you think?
Mickie James has a promo, says she loves what the high stakes competition brings out of her. What drives her, through various stages of her career, she’d have very different answers. With experience comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes clarity. She has always had what it takes to become WWE Raw Women’s Champion but what fuels her tonight is that tonight could be her very last chance.
Adam Pearce is yelling at security, understandably. MVP and the Hurt Business come up to him. Montel says he understands he is under a lot of pressure right now with Retribution. But if he doesn’t find a solution to this soon, he’ll have the added pressure of finding a new job. Pearce says that’s not his problem. Lashley says it is if he says it is. MVP suggests they upgrade their security force from boys to men. Demands he let them help him keep his job. Pearce agrees and thanks them for volunteering. They laugh and say they’re the Hurt Business, emphasis on Business. They will be paid.
WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Mickie James
Lock-up, Asuka pushes her to the mat for a 1 count. Mickie rolls her up for 1, Jacknife for 2. Asuka grabs her arm, wants an armbar, Mickie fends her off but Asuka with a shoulder block. Mickie trips her when she tries to charge, Neckbreaker for a 2 count! Asuka with a Jawbreaker. Exchange of forearms. Asuka pops her up with a knee lift to the face for a 2 count! Asuka charges for a Hip Attack, Mickie avoids her, kick to the face sends her to the floor! Commercial break.
When we come back Mickie trying for something close to the Asukalock actually, Asuka drives her into the corner. Mickie fights out of the corner, headscissor! Spinning back kick, high kick to the chin, Asuka dodges a shot and hits a Hip Attack! Asuka charges but Mickie stops her with a Flapjack! Kips up! Mickie goes up top, Asuka tries to interrupt her. Mickie knocks her off though, Flying Thesz Press for a nearfall! Asuka reverses it into a cover for 2. Exchange of shots, Asuka wins out quickly! Mickie ducks a shot, Asuka avoids the Mick Kick, Spinning Backfist! Roundhouse Kicks to the chest!
Mickie demands more, Asuka hits the ropes for a charging kick but James catches it, turns it into a Single Leg Boston Crab! Asuka inches towards the ropes, Mickie pulls her to the center but a cradle gets a 2 count and breaks the hold! James with a Capoeira Kick, Asuka with a hand on the rope to break up the pin. They fight to their feet, Asuka grabs the arm, Mickie rolls her through for 2. Asuka leaps at her into the Asukalock! Mickie tries to roll through but the ref doesn’t recognize it as a pin and just calls a submission?
Winner: Asuka
We’re told Mickie could not continue the match. What just… that looked like a botch on the ref’s part at first but maybe he actually felt the need to call it for Mickie’s sake, I’m not sure.
Zelina Vega comes out to the ring distracting from this. She says she’s been thinking about her future. It’s dawned on her that she’s wasted some of the best years of her career managing two selfish little ingrates, just like Asuka. Says she was handed the Raw Women’s Championship by one of the greatest in the world and she has been reckless with it, defending it against everybody and their mother. Says she’s so focused on the best of yesterday, she forgot about one of the best today. Tells her not to even ask if she’s ready for Asuka, because she’s ready for THAT, and she points at the title. Asuka gets in her face but Zelina nails her with a forearm and runs off.
Keith Lee backstage says people fight their whole careers for the opportunity he has tonight. Says he and him have known each other for a long time, long enough that Drew knows that he means it when he says he doesn’t enjoy him interfering in his matches. Says he takes this very seriously. When asked he says he definitely doesn’t want to take advantage of his injury but to become WWE Champion, he will do what he must.
Bobby Lashley vs. Erik
The brawl starts immediately. Lashley chokes him in the corner, hits the ropes, shoulder thrust. Erik reverses in the corner, pummels him, Buisaku Knee! Inverted Hip Toss into a knee to the face for a nearfall! Erik hits the ropes, Lashley with a Throw Down Spinebuster! Dominator nailed, nearfall! Full Lashley cinched in, it’s also now called the Hurt Lock apparently, maybe that’s just the bodyscissor variant. Whatever he taps.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Afterwards, Kevin Owens is asked where Aleister Black’s vendetta came from. Owens says maybe he said something to set him off, maybe Hot Topic wouldn’t give him 30% off on that shirt of a screamo band he likes so much. Maybe it’s because he spent like a year sitting in a dark room waiting for people to knock on his door and pick a fight and barely anyone wanted to. Says the question is how is he gonna give him a beating of his life that reminds him every day what happens when you pick a fight with him. He’s not worried because he’s Kevin Owens. He walks off and Black appears to stare at him.
Shane McMahon and his big boi are ready for Raw Underground. Braun Strowman appears and has never looked shorter, nonetheless he wants in Raw Underground and promises to send somebody home with a handful of their own teeth.
Video package of the Rollins/Mysterio feud plays leading up to tonight’s Steel Cage match.
Rollins backstage goads Murphy to come in, he looks very much like a scolded dog. Seth says he’s been waiting for him to come see him all night. Buddy says about last week, what they did to him- Seth says no, he understands they ganged up on him and beat him senseless with kendo sticks. Atoning, forgiveness, it’s all part of the process. But it’s in the past, they have to look to the future, tonight is an opportunity. He’s locked inside a Steel Cage with Dominik Mysterio. This is a perfect opportunity to teach the young man and the world a lesson.
He asks Murphy if he’s prepared for his role tonight because he has something very important for him to do and he needs him to be ready. Murphy says he’s ready. Seth slaps him across the face, grabs him by the chin and tells him his role is to stay back here so he doesn’t have to deal with his stupid mistakes again.
Weirdly high def R-Truth argues with a Kit-Kat Bar in a commercial. Liv agrees that it’s begging to be broken and snaps it. They also confirm that Mandy Rose has indeed been drafted to Raw.
Dominik has a promo before the match, says if he wants to follow in his dreams and in his dad’s footsteps, he can’t back down from any challenge, even stepping into a steel cage. Rey says he thinks he and his wife are more worried than Dominik is. Once the cage door shuts, he’s on his own. But he sees the fire in Dominik when he talks about what Seth Rollins has done to our family, maybe Seth should be concerned about Dominik.
Steel Cage: Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins
Seth takes him down, pummels his back. Dominik with a Russian Legsweep to counter. Tries to climb, Seth pulls him down but Dominik counters with an Around-The-World DDT! Murphy appears, hands Seth a Kendo Stick, that promo must’ve been a work! Seth takes the stick to Dominik, throws him into the steel! Commercial break.
Seth grinds Dominik’s face into the cage, hits the ropes, forearm to the head takes him down. Rollins pulls him to his feet, Dominik reverses a whip and sends him into the steel! He scales the cage again but Rollins pulls him off for a Powerbomb only to be rana’d into the cage! He starts to climb but Dominik takes the kendo stick to him! Tosses him into both sides of the cage, Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall! Mysterio grabs the stick again, Seth with a double leg, Catapult but Dominik grabs the links!
Both men scaling now as Seth gives chase. Dominik rams his face into the cage repeatedly. Seth with a kick crotches him on the top rope! But Dominik shoves Seth down and Seth ends up in the same position, they both comically flop to the mat. Dominik crawling towards the door. Murphy grabs Rey Mysterio and throws him into the barricade, pummels him, goes to slam the door in Dominik’s face – but he gets Seth instead! Dominik is scaling on the other side, Buddy climbs up from the outside but Dominik thwarts him, sends him flying in a very fake looking spot because of how they shot it. From the top rope, Frog Splash to Seth for a nearfall!
Dominik climbs again, Seth chases, grabs the ankle. Dominik kicks him away. But Seth grabs him, Superplex into a Falcon Arrow! Slow to cover, nearfall. Seth starts clapping at Rey. Dominik rolls him up for a 2 count, Seth with the Stomp! Just to be a dick, he hits him with a second Stomp and pins him.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Never gonna be bad when these two step into the ring.
Buddy holds the door open as Seth makes his leave with a kendo stick but he glares at him. He gets in his face. As this happens, Rey slips into the ring to check on Dominik. Rollins acts like him and Murphy are cool before slamming him into the barricade and then the cage! Yells at him, asks when he’ll learn to do what he tells him, slams the cage door in his face and asks him how it feels! It sucks, he knows because he did it to him! Seth yells at the women of the family. Rey’s daughter actually takes a moment to check on Murphy before they all converge on Dominik in the middle of the ring.
We go to Raw Underground where Ziggler is wrestling with a dude. Elbows to the back of the head until the ref calls it. Now Riddick Moss steps into the ring again. They grapple, can’t get an advantage. Ziggler picks a leg, Riddick pucnhes him to avoid it, eats an uppercut. Spinebuster nailed, Moss punching him from above, Ziggler picks a leg and goes into a headlock, that looked legit. As they fight to their feet, Braun rushes in and pounces on Ziggler. Moss tries to attack him but Braun hits him with a Uranage! Ziggler comes in but eats a Dominator and that’s all for now.
Drew McIntyre with a promo, says Keith is gonna do whatever it takes to win the WWE Championship, of course. But do you remember last week when he was walking around the building, he didn’t hit the ring until Lee got struck with the RKO. Says he’s not saying Lee wouldn’t have kicked out but he did win 13 world titles with that move and if he got hit with at SummerSlam he might not be champion. Keith Lee appears and doesn’t want his name dragged through the mud. Drew doesn’t want him spinning his words. Lee says it sounds like he believes Orton would’ve beaten him but the only match that he did NOT interfere in was the match where he BEAT Randy Orton at Payback.
McIntyre gets aggravated, Lee starts suggesting he’s going after his jaw, Drew smacks his hand away, they start brawling! Lee sends McIntyre into a supply box, agents have to break them up!
Titus O’Neil wants in Raw Underground and they let him in. We see Braun Strowman destroy I think Shane Thorne maybe? Riddick Moss hits the ring again and gets taken down with a big boot this time. Titus charges Braun, manages to double leg him! Strowman fights his way up though, a shot drops him and Shane himself tries to pull him off.
Kevin Owens comes out for his match, Aleister Black jumps him from behind before the bell! Rips off the blindfold because screw wrestling in that.
Kevin Owens vs. Aleister Black
After a commercial break, Owens with a double axe handle, Senton, mounted punches. Stomp to the back. Black stops him with a spin kick. Takes him down, version of a Single Leg Crab cinched in. Owens fights up, back body drop takes him to the floor. He hits the ropes for a tope but couldn’t launch himself off the bum leg, Black trips him up and slams the leg into the apron. Black with a big boot in the ring. Pulls him up, drives him in the corner. Singles out the leg, big kick!
Owens with a right hand, seems to nail the bum eye as he drops. Owens staggers over, pulls him up by the hair, Black picks the leg for a Kneebar! Owens fights over, grabs the bottom rope for the break, Aleister holds on for 4. Stomps him down. Ref has to pull him away, Owens with a Superkick! Black knocks him down again, teases the Black Mass… lights start flashing, distracts Black, Owens with the Stunner for the win.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Retribution makes for a convenient excuse, eh?
Drew is getting ready for his match when Keith attacks him and the fights kicks up again, Adam Pearce has to threaten to cancel Clash of Champions to get them to stop!
Riott Squad make their way out. In an inset they say anyone can tell the difference between them and the champs. The only thing tying Nia and Shayna is the tag titles and their mutual disdain. Liv says once they get finished with Lana and Natalya they’ll show the champs what a real team looks like.
Riott Squad vs. Lana & Natalya
Nattie charges Liv before she’s ready, pummels her into the mat. Takes her to the heel corner. Stomps her down, Lana tags in, throws Nattie into a shoulder thrust. Lana with spinning back kick for a 2 count. Stomp to the spine. Liv knocks Nattie off the apron, headscisor sends Lana into the middle rope. Ruby tags in, tag kick combo, Detonation Kick gets the win!
Winners: Riott Squad
Afterwards Shayna and Nia hit the ring and assault the losing team. Nia strips off the announce table as Shayna chokes Lana, makes sure the Riott Squad is watching. They toss Lana to the floor. Nia hoists her up, SAMOAN DROP THROUGH THE TABLE, GEEZE!
We come back to see Braun mauling yet more folks in Raw Underground. Riddick Moss up AGAIN, quite funny. He runs in and gets taken down with a single punch, Dolph back in too. They charge him two on one, Dolph clips him, they gang on him to get him down for a moment but Strowman throws Ziggler, knockout shot to Moss. Tilt-A-Whirl Powerslam to Ziggler. Now in comes Dabba-Kato. Shane gets in between them and says no, this is for next week!
Main event time.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee (Non-title)
Lee charges in, drives him into the corner, shoulder thrusts. Body shot, throws him to the opposite corner, McIntyre with the boots up. McIntyre sidesteps him but Lee with a shot to the injured jaw, Pounce sends him to the outside, commercial break! McIntyre chops his way up as we get back until Lee hits him in the jaw! Drew reverses a whip, boot to the face. Chops, ducks a line, flying clothesline! Wants a Belly To Belly, Lee blocks it but eats a Glasgow’s Kiss, McIntyre tosses him over his head with a Belly To Belly!
McIntyre hops to the top rope. Flying clothesline off the top, both men down for a moment until McIntyre kips up! He looks for the Future Shock DDT, Lee blocks it but a Spinebuster takes him down, Jacknife Cover for a nearfall!! Pulls him up, hooks for a vertical suplex. Lee stands his ground, pulls the hand off! Drew with a body shot, forearm to the face but Lee with the big double chop! Spinning elbow, hits the ropes, HUGE lariat for a nearfall! McIntyre with a Jawbreaker on the way up, goes up top again but Lee leaps at him for a headbutt to stop him!
Lee goes up top, grabs him, wants a Superplex. Nails it! Cover for a nearfall! Drew with a kick to the gut as they fight up, meaty chop, Lee avoids a running big boot, hoists him up for a Spirit Bomb but McIntyre escapes it, collision course spot! Aaaand of course here comes Retribution to the ring. They swarm the apron, Lee and Drew turn and fight but they swarm on them. And yeah I’ll just go ahead and put this here now…
Winner: N/A
They keep stomping on them amidst piped in boos.
The Hurt Business music plays and they come out quite heroically which is, something. It’s a little late to save this show from being ruined but whatever, they come in and a big brawl kicks up. LEE AND MCINTYRE WITH A STEREO TOPE ONTO THE PILE! They stare each other down as we fade to black, and that’s the show.