WWE Raw live results: Money in the Bank build continues

Date: April 29, 2019
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

The Big Takeaway —

None.

Show Recap —

AJ Styles and Seth Rollins will have a contract signing later tonight.

A Moment of Bliss

Alexa Bliss came out to a good reaction. She spoke in the ring instead of on the stage and there were no chairs, just a black carpet. Bliss said both the women’s and men’s Money in the Bank ladder matches would have eight participants, four each from Raw and Smackdown.

Bliss introduced the first men’s competitor, Braun Strowman. Michael Cole gave us a useful reminder that Strowman won the contract last year. Bliss introduced Ricochet next as “the man who redefined aerial combat.” Corey Graves repeated the line, as if they were given the same verbiage. Ricochet got a good reaction. Drew McIntyre was next. He got a modest heel reaction.

Baron Corbin was next. Bliss was about to read the accolades he prepared for her, but then didn’t bother. Corbin received a ton of heat. Corbin said he would become a 2-time contract winner, then Ricochet said he would be a 2-time loser and reminded us that he failed the first time. Corbin asked if Ricochet’s mommy let him out to play.

McIntyre said Ricochet had a point. McIntyre said Corbin stole his opportunity last week, then failed when he faced Styles. McIntyre was tired of outside forces screwing up his Universal title opportunities, but he would be in control when he won the contract. Ricochet said he wasn’t here to talk, so McIntyre told him to shut up and leave business talk to the grown-ups.

McIntyre argued with Corbin some more, then Strowman told them to shut up. He said none of them could stop him. Strowman challenged them to a tag match right now. The segment wrapped up in 10 minutes, then they went to break. 

Braun Strowman & Ricochet defeated Baron Corbin & Drew McIntyre (14:04)

Cole said there would be a separate Moment of Bliss segment later to announce the women’s MITB participants. Ricochet began making a comeback but Corbin cut him off and they went to another break, less than 5 minutes into the match.

Back from break, Corbin was still working over Ricochet. Strowman chased around Corbin as he and McIntyre stalked Ricochet on the outside, then McIntyre cut him off with a Claymore kick. Ricochet eventually came back with a dropkick, then made the hot tag to Strowman, who nailed McIntyre with shoulder tackles.

Strowman ran into the ring post, then Ricochet tagged himself in just to eat a headbutt from McIntyre. McIntyre set up for the Claymore kick, but Corbin tagged himself in. Ricochet slipped away and tagged in Strowman. McIntyre was pissed, so he clocked Corbin and left. Strowman gave Corbin a powerslam, then Ricochet hit a shooting star press for the pinfall win.

The crowd really liked Ricochet here in Kentucky. I feel like he sold too much, but the crowd popped big for the finish anyway. 

The Usos defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (11:19)

The Usos came out signing along with their theme song, then they encouraged the crowd to join in. This is not a welcomed addition to their act. Gallows and Anderson did an inset promo where they ripped off the Usos, referring to the “good brother penitentiary.” They also called themselves “bulletproof.” I could be wrong but it looks like Gallows slimmed down a bit.

Back from a break, the heels worked over the babyface, just like the previous match. Jimmy Uso eventually caught Gallows with an enziguri then made a hot tag to Jey Uso. Jey gave Anderson a Samoan drop and running hip attack for two. Jey missed a Stinger splash, then Anderson gave him a spinebuster for two. Jimmy saved Jey with a superkick to Anderson.

Both Usos gave Gallows a superkick, Jey took out Anderson with a dive, then Jimmy hit a flying splash on Gallows for the pinfall win.

Afterwards, Jey encouraged parents to put their kids to sleep and told the grandmas to shut their eyes. They aired cell phone footage they took earlier of Dash Wilder shaving Scott Dawson’s back. Graves called this an invasion of privacy. Then Wilder and Dawson came out and called this an invasion of privacy, almost like they were given the same verbiage.

Dawson said they were men, and yeah, he has a few body hairs on his back. Dawson asked his best friend of 20 years to help him out, and Wilder was happy to have his friend’s back. Wilder said they would dispose of Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins later, then the Usos were next. Jimmy welcomed them to the Uso penitentiary. 

They aired a promo for Kushida’s debut on NXT tomorrow.

MizTV with “special guest” Bobby Lashley 

As Miz entered, Cole yelled, “we had A Moment of Bliss, and now MizTV!?” No Lio Rush with Lashley. Lashley referred to himself in the third person, which Miz acknowledged. Lashley said he would only answer questions he wanted to answer.

Miz said some claimed that Lashley hadn’t reached his full potential. Lashley reminded him that he was a 2-time Intercontinental champion in just a year since his return. He wondered what Miz had done. Miz ran down some of his accomplishments as the crowd lightly cheered. Miz added, “If anything, I’m an overachiever. Have you seen my wife?”

Miz said nobody would ever question his own potential, unlike Lashley. Lashley reminded him that he lost to Shane McMahon at WrestleMania and said it was no wonder his father thought he was worthless. Miz wildly attacked Lashley and sent him out of the ring after a boot. Miz tossed some chairs at Lashley as they went to break. 

Bobby Lashley defeated The Miz

The match started during commercial and when they came back from break, the heel was in control, like the previous two matches. Cole reminded us that Lashley also lost at WrestleMania. Miz came back with It kicks in the corner and soft looking running knees. Shane’s music hit and he came out to the stage, then down to ringside.

Miz remained in control despite the distractions from Shane and caught Lashley with a DDT for two. Miz followed with It kicks as he continued to look back at Shane. A picture of Miz’s dad popped up on the screen and this was one distraction too many, so Lashley gave Miz a spear for the pinfall win.

After the match, Shane gave Miz a few punches, but Miz fought back until Lashley killed him with a spinebuster. Shane jumped on Miz and hammered away at him, then put him in some submission hold. He grabbed a mic and let Miz know he was the best in the world. 

The Viking Raiders defeated Gran Metalik & Kalisto (w/Lince Dorado) (1:55)

The Lucha House Party attacked Viking Raiders during their entrance as payback for last week. Viking Raiders won quickly with the Viking Experience (combo powerslam) on Kalisto. They gave Dorado a clothesline/suplex combo after the match. The crowd was dead for this, but this was an entertaining beating. 

A Moment of Bliss 

This time, they did have Bliss’ usual set up on the stage. Bliss introduced the Raw women competing at MITB, starting with Natalya. Natalya thanked her for the sweet introduction. (Bliss merely referred to her as the queen of hearts.) Natalya said she wanted to become Raw women’s champion for the first time. Bliss cut her off because she had another announcement.

Next up with Dana Brooke, who was done waiting in line. Brooke accused Natalya of getting every opportunity, then Natalya told her that she’s earned everything. Bliss told them to stop their catty argument, then introduced Naomi. Naomi called herself a 2-time Smackdown women’s champion and her only goal now was to win the Raw title.

All three argued, then Bliss said they were worse than the men. Bliss asked them to stop arguing so she could introduce the final competitor, who was waiting patiently. The fourth competitor was Bliss herself. Bliss told them to leave so she could have the spotlight.

Naomi challenged her to a match right now. Bliss said she would, but she didn’t want to. She also didn’t have her gear and wasn’t even wearing her own shoes. Naomi said she could beat her with or without shoes on. Naomi suggested maybe Bliss wasn’t as good as she thought she was, then Bliss accepted the match. This was no good. 

Firefly Fun House 

A new episode of the Firefly Fun House aired. Bray Wyatt was painting, which allowed him to express his suppressed feelings. A rat puppet wanted to see what he was painting, then Bray revealed it was a burning barn, which was pretty funny. Abby the witch interrupted, then Bray later told us not to worry about her because she was a sociopath. Bray said “sociopath” was also the word of the day and spelled it out for us. 

Naomi defeated Alexa Bliss

Bliss controlled much of the match despite having to repeatedly tie her shoes (which she claimed in the previous segment didn’t belong to her). Naomi hit a jawbreaker and tried grabbing Bliss by the legs, but her shoes fell off. This allowed Bliss to drop her onto the middle turnbuckle. Bliss argued with the referee about her shoes, then Naomi gave her a hip attack, followed by a split-legged moonsault for the pinfall win.

Backstage, Charly Caruso asked Rey Mysterio about what might be the most challenging stretch of his career. Dominic was with him. Mysterio said it wasn’t easy being his size in a land of giants and felt like he was letting everyone down, including his family and his son. Mysterio knew he was a better man and would prove it tonight against Samoa Joe. 

Becky Lynch interview

Caruso interviewed Lynch in the ring. The crowd chanted “Becky two belts.” Caruso asked why she would put up both titles at MITB. Lynch said the crowd was answering the question for her. Lynch said it was nothing impulsive, not after the journey she took to get here. She wasn’t just trying to protect her titles, she wanted to fight and fight all.

She wouldn’t be standing here as champion if she was worried about the odds. A year ago, nobody thought she could main event WrestleMania, but she did. A month ago, the so-called baddest woman on the planet Ronda Rousey was unbeatable, until Lynch beat her to become Becky two belts.

Lynch said nothing she has done was by accident. Even if it put her at a disadvantage, we should remember that she didn’t make history by dodging anybody, she made history by beating everybody.

Charlotte Flair might have the tools, but The Man still had her number. The “plank” Lacey Evans might have a great right hand, but maybe she shouldn’t punch someone who enjoys it. Lynch warned Evans that her beating was coming. Caruso showed a replay of Evans punching her last week. Lynch grabbed the mic from “Chuck” and called out Evans. Evans came out.

Evans said it was just like a man to want what he wants when he wants it, then blamed Lynch’s Irish temper. Evans said she was done talking, then went after Lynch. They brawled briefly until referees jumped in. Lynch continued to attack until more officials broke them up. Lynch again broke through and they continued to brawl until they were separated. They both broke through and again brawled until separated. Crowd chanted “let them fight.”

Lynch was good here and the crowd loved her. 

There was a nice Make A Wish segment with a young girl who requested to meet Stephanie McMahon and got the full backstage experience and got to meet Kofi Kingston, among others.

Raw Tag Team Champions Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins defeated The Revival in a non-title match (4:17) 

Ryder and Hawkins had new generic music. The crowd chanted “shave your back” at Dawson. He did already. Revival dominated the match but Ryder caught Dawson with a crucifix pin out of nowhere for the win.

Backstage, Miz told Sarah Schreiber that he was challenging Shane to a steel cage match. 

Sami Zayn promo

Zayn said he was kind enough to show some images of how nice his life was, but his life was great for more reasons than a few trips. He rekindled his love of history, sociology, and psychology. Reading about psychology really made him understand the fans.

He posted a simplified definition of psychological entitlement on the screen: psychological entitlement refers to a general belief that one deserves more or is entitled to more than others. (This is the first Google result when you search the term.) 

The fans thought that they were always right and they should be given what they want, and if they don’t, they can throw little tantrums. He told a story of a man who encouraged his son to ask him for an autograph at 4:00 in the morning. He refused the autograph. He figured the fans thought he enjoyed doing that, but it actually made him sick.

It made him sick because at 5 years old, that kid already thinks he’s entitled. He said he’s been more than generous in his career. He thought 17 years of giving us 5-star matches was pretty fair, but from now on, he was just going to give us whatever he wanted and we’d have to take it.

He mocked fans who thought he should just quit if he doesn’t like WWE. He said quitting would be amazing but what would be more amazing was holding them all accountable every single week. He called them drunk with power and he was there to take the power back. (Sadly, he didn’t end this promo by telling them to go to hell.)

The announcers let us know that Shane accepted Miz’s challenge via Twitter for MITB.

Rey Mysterio defeated U.S. Champion Samoa Joe in a non-title match (7:18)

Joe said Mysterio’s son was ashamed of him and how quickly he went to sleep at WrestleMania. If Mysterio was any kind of a father, he would’ve given his son a mask so he could hide his shame. Mysterio was used by AJ Styles to steal his Universal title opportunity and would take out his frustrations on Mysterio.

They had a fun match that ended abruptly with Mysterio winning using an unconvincing cradle on the much larger man. Dominic came out after to celebrate with Rey. 

MITB Universal Championship Contract Signing

Cole hosted. He said many call Rollins and Styles the best in-ring performers of their generation, then introduced both men. Cole asked Styles what a win would mean to him as he continued to build his legacy.

Styles said it was the whole reason he came to Raw. (Reminder: they noted during the shake-up that the wrestlers had no say in the moves.) Styles said Smackdown was great to him for two years and he was proud of what he built there. He always liked Rollins, but Rollins had something he wanted–the Universal championship.

Styles said people do unexpected things to get what they want. He noted people who thought Rollins may be the next AJ Styles, then called him younger, faster and stronger. But Styles said Rollins will never be him despite all of that. Rollins said he never wanted to be the next AJ Styles or anyone else, he wanted to be the first Seth freakin’ Rollins.

Rollins said this wasn’t the house that he built, this was Monday Night Rollins. He said Styles would have to be better than phenomenal to beat him. Styles noted how hard Rollins worked just to win the title and wondered how well he was holding up now. The crowd chanted “burn it down.” Styles said he would burn it down and build it back up.

Styles said Rollins’ little team, his little brotherhood, wasn’t around to keep him going. Rollins went through hell at Mania and Styles didn’t think he had much left. Styles was ready to go now. Styles said he would be a bulldog at MITB, would sink his teeth in and not let go until he was the new Universal champion.

Rollins wanted Styles to understand that while they had a lot of similarities, they also had a lot of differences. One thing that separated them was that he beat Brock Lesnar. Rollins was at his best when he beat Lesnar at Mania and would be at his best at MITB when he beats Styles. They both signed the contract.

Styles grabbed the belt to take a look. He handed it back to Rollins and offered a handshake. Rollins instead held up the belt. As they exchanged words, Styles attacked him. Rollins fought back and kicked him out the ring, then gave him a suicide dive. Rollins posed with the belt when Styles caught him with a forearm, then gave him a phenomenal forearm through the table. The show ended with Styles standing tall.

Styles was heelish here but this wasn’t a heel turn. If you didn’t see it, this wasn’t much of a segment before they attacked each other. 

Final Thoughts —

This was a dull show. More than usual, I mean. The Lynch segment was good. 

Bobby Roode was not on the show, one week after beating Ricochet, who was announced for Money in the Bank.