WWE RAW Highlights, Recap And Results

WWE RAW Highlights, Recap And Results

27/6/2018

Seth Rollins def. Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler via Disqualification

Seth Rollins has built his identity around being a fighting Intercontinental Champion, so last week’s surprise title loss to Dolph Ziggler hit The Kingslayer hard. Rollins technically got even by defeating Ziggler in the rematch , but thanks to a disqualification ruling, the title will remain around The Showoff’s waist.

It’s a bitter ending for The Architect, but given the progression of the match, it wasn’t unexpected. The Kingslayer was so aggressive in his opening salvo that the commentary team openly raised the possibility of both a disqualification and, later, a count-out after the action spilled to the outside. Ziggler’s efficient, scientific counter-attack seemed to foreshadow a straight-up defeat for The Architect ... at least until an interfering Drew McIntyre got himself ejected, giving Rollins his biggest break of the match.

The Kingslayer did not waste his moment, and it took The Showoff a long while to gain ground as The Architect began to surge. But McIntyre didn’t stay in the locker room for long, re-emerging to haul the ref out of the ring after Rollins executed the superplex-Falcon Arrow. A surefire post-match beating from Ziggler & McIntyre was cut short by the arrival of Roman Reigns , and The Big Dog’s assistance in driving them away allowed Rollins to end the night with a brother at his side and a battle well fought. Rollins remains a fighter, to be sure — but not a champion.

Curtis Axel def. Raw Tag Team Champion "Woken" Matt Hardy

True, teaming with Mr. Monster in the Bank did help Owens notch a win against Finn Bálor & Baron Corbin in a shuffled-up rematch of last week’s main event. And true, they meshed well enough. But the former Universal Champion was wary from the start about Strowman’s intentions, and his concerns turned out to be well-founded the second the final bell rang.

After the match ended in a count-out when Finn and The Constable came to blows, Strowman refused Owens’ offer of a handshake and instead pursued his tag team partner throughout the entire backstage area. KO seemingly managed to lose The Gift of Destruction by hiding in an empty locker room, but when he made his way to the parking lot, he found a cackling Strowman lying in wait with KO's keys in hand. Owens feared the worst, but it turned out Strowman had put These Hands to another use: Flipping over Owens' getaway car. Mr. Monster in the Bank strolled away, apparently satisfied with his handiwork, while Owens was left to stew in well-founded worry. After all, Braun Strowman had tried being his friend.

The Authors of Pain def. Rich & Rex Gibson

As the race for the Raw Tag Team Titles heats up, The Authors of Pain have been conspicuous by their absence the last couple of weeks.
Akam & Rezar rectified that on Raw, resurfacing by bullying a stagehand behind the curtain and confronting Titus Worldwide before absolutely brutalizing a pair of local competitors named Rich & Rex Gibson, who had been wrangled to face them. The beatdown from the former NXT Tag Team Champions was so vicious that Titus O’Neil & Apollo Crews had to make the save, though AOP opted to close the book on this particular evening and leave the ring rather than throw down.

Natalya def. Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss

Thanks to Raw General Manager Kurt Angle’s ruling from last week, Ronda Rousey is suspended from Team Red for 30 days.

Natalya has no such restraints, though Alexa Bliss might be wishing she did right about now: The Queen of Harts — a training partner of Rousey’s — didn’t just confront Little Miss Bliss right as she and Mickie James were running down the absent Rowdy Ronda; she shocked the Raw Women’s Champion in a Kurt Angle-sanctioned match.

Natalya had some backup in the form of Nia Jax — the Superstar Alexa dethroned as Raw Women’s Champion — who was in Natalya’s corner to lend a literal hand. Right when Alexa got a head of steam, The Irresistible Force tripped the champion up in the ropes (payback of sorts for similar interference on Mickie’s part) to set up Alexa to tap to Natalya’s signature Sharpshooter.

The Riott Squad def. Sasha Banks, Bayley & Ember Moon

Raw General Manager Kurt Angle won’t give up so easily.
Citing the two champions’ importance to the Raw brand, The Olympic Hero gave them one final chance to get on the same page, sanctioning a Six-Woman Tag Team Match between Sasha, Bayley & Ember Moon against The Riott Squad. Angle’s gambit failed to pay dividends in more ways than one: Flashes of teamwork aside, Sasha and Bayley were barely tolerating each other from the jump, and after The Boss was pinned by Ruby Riott to close the match, Bayley pounced all over Sasha and pummeled her ruthlessly about the ring, refusing to let up until after she’d thrown Banks into the steel steps not once, but twice. The outcome was so savage, in fact, that Angle immediately handed ultimatums to both Bayley and Banks after the match: Each woman must attend mandatory counseling next week, or lose her job.

Mojo Rawley refused a rematch with No Way Jose

No Way Jose wanted another crack at Mojo Rawley after being embarrassed last week. It didn’t quite pan out the way he wanted. Initially, Rawley outright refused to compete against The Dominican Dancing Machine on the grounds that Jose was bringing a literal conga line of people down a WWE ramp who hadn’t earned the honor. (He had some particularly harsh words for a cheeseburger named Todd). Then, when Jose — equally unworthy of the honor, according to Rawley — rushed to defend his entourage, Rawley sucker-punched him and backed up the ramp.

Braun Strowman & Kevin Owens def. Finn Bálor & Baron Corbin via Count-out

Kevin Owens wanted to be Braun Strowman’s friend. This week, he got what he wanted, and unsurprisingly, it wasn’t all he wanted it cracked up to be. True, teaming with Mr. Monster in the Bank did help Owens notch a win against Finn Bálor & Baron Corbin in a shuffled-up rematch of last week’s main event. And true, they meshed well enough. But the former Universal Champion was wary from the start about Strowman’s intentions, and his concerns turned out to be well-founded the second the final bell rang.

After the match ended in a count-out when Finn and The Constable came to blows, Strowman refused Owens’ offer of a handshake and instead pursued his tag team partner throughout the entire backstage area. KO seemingly managed to lose The Gift of Destruction by hiding in an empty locker room, but when he made his way to the parking lot, he found a cackling Strowman lying in wait with KO's keys in hand. Owens feared the worst, but it turned out Strowman had put These Hands to another use: Flipping over Owens' getaway car. Mr. Monster in the Bank strolled away, apparently satisfied with his handiwork, while Owens was left to stew in well-founded worry. After all, Braun Strowman had tried being his friend. He seems to like him better as an enemy.