WWE Raw live results: SummerSlam build continues
Date: July 29, 2019
Location: Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, AR
The Big Takeaway —
Raw was much better than usual.
The first two hours were largely carried by good wrestling, and the third hour featured a heavy heat angle involving Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins. Lesnar gave Rollins multiple F5s onto the edge of a steel chair, as well as on a stretcher, which caused Rollins’ to bleed from the mouth.
This segment also bled into the main event angle, which was a huge brawl involving Roman Reigns, The Usos and Cedric Alexander fighting Samoa Joe, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and Drew McIntyre.
Anderson and Gallows are the new tag champions. There was also wrestling through commercial breaks, and the show was better off for it.
Among the negatives was some questionable booking involving Becky Lynch, and Jimmy Uso being placed in a main event position. Oh, and the 24/7 stuff.
Show Recap —
The show started with a video package that emphasized the history and importance of the WWE Championship, then quickly turned into a comedy video about the history of the 24/7 title.
Mixed tag match: R-Truth & Carmella defeated Drake Maverick & Renee Michelle – R-Truth retained the 24/7 Championship (1:54)
The usual group of wrestlers who run after the 24/7 title surrounded the ring for the match. The announcers explained that if either R-Truth or Carmella won the fall, Truth would retain the title. If Drake Maverick or Renee Michelle won the fall, Maverick would be champion. The rules of the title were suspended for the match itself, but would go back into effect immediately after.
Truth won the match relatively quickly. Afterwards, he was surrounded by all the wrestlers. They all jumped on top of Truth and the referee counted the fall even though you couldn’t see who was covering him.
Mike Kanellis emerged from the pile with the title, then ran away to the back. They chased after him and he found a room to hide in. Maria showed up and demanded to be let in. He wasn’t sure if it was really his wife, so he refused. She demanded he open the door or else she would kick it down and kick him in his vagina. (One of the announcers fake laughed.) He let her in.
Ricochet won a Gauntlet Match to become #1 Contender for the U.S. Championship
Match 1: Rey Mysterio defeated Cesaro (11:10)
Mysterio used a hurricanrana to send Cesaro out of the ring, but Cesaro held on and landed on his feet. Mysterio managed to send him into the side of the ring, then hit a sliding splash. Mysterio then sent Cesaro over the barricade and they went to commercial.
They aired replays from during the break where Cesaro took over by powerbombing Mysterio into the post. Mysterio came back with a senton and kick to the face for a two count. Cesaro caught Mysterio off the ropes with an uppercut for a nearfall, then hit a big boot for two.
Mysterio went to the top but Cesaro cut him off with an uppercut. Cesaro tried something but Mysterio countered into a bulldog off the top, then followed with 619 and frog splash for the pinfall win. This was great. The crowd was very into it.
Match 2: Rey Mysterio defeated Sami Zayn
Zayn ran out and attacked Mysterio as he was down and the crowd booed. Zayn went for a Helluva kick but Mysterio countered into a small package for the quick win. (They messed up the spot initially but managed to adjust.) This was no more than a minute. Zayn complained to the referees as Andrade and Zelina Vega came out next.
Match 3: Andrade (w/Zelina Vega) defeated Rey Mysterio (4:58)
Andrade hit triple vertical suplexes, and did Eddie Guerrero’s pose (which actually wasn’t booed by the crowd), then hit a standing moonsault for two. The crowd chanted for Mysterio who went for a 619, but Andrade caught him and hit a backbreaker followed by a hammerlock DDT for the pinfall win. Andrade then ripped apart Mysterio’s mask and the crowd booed.
Ricochet ran out and gave Andrade a springboard clothesline. The crowd chanted for Ricochet as he checked on Mysterio.
Match 4: Ricochet defeated Andrade (w/Zelina Vega) (6:14)
Ricochet was all over Andrade and was about to go for a dive, but stopped when Vega got too close to the ropes. Ricochet fought off Andrade anyway, but as Andrade distracted the referee, Vega grabbed Ricochet’s leg and Andrade knocked him off the apron to take control.
Ricochet came back with a rolling front dropkick. Ricochet charged but Andrade hip tossed him into the turnbuckle, then followed with running knees in the corner for two. Ricochet used a small package for two, Andrade caught him with a back elbow, then Ricochet followed that with a reverse rana (spiking Andrade) for a nearfall.
Ricochet fought Andrade off the top and hit the 630 splash for the pinfall win. The crowd was happy. Good match. Ricochet faces AJ Styles at SummerSlam.
Afterwards, Kalya Braxton interviewed Ricochet. He said people couldn’t believe it when he beat Samoa Joe to win the US title in the first place, and even he couldn’t believe it. He said people only believe what they can see, and they will believe in him when he beats Styles for the title. The crowd popped. They cut to a shot of Styles watching on TV, having a good laugh.
Backstage, Mike Kanellis told Maria that he won the title for them. Maria told him to lie down. He was confused. She said to lie down like he always does. She called in a referee. She wanted her unborn baby to have a champion as a parent.
Mike was real sad, but he did what she said. She put her foot on him and the referee counted the fall. Maria is the 24/7 champion. The crowd actually seemed upset at Maria for doing this to Mike. She exited the room and bragged to every wrestler about being the first pregnant champ. They all left her alone, obviously.
[Second hour]
A Moment of Bliss with Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross
Bliss started by congratulating Maria for being a pregnant champion. They spoke about Raw Reunion last week. Bliss agreed with Steve Austin that they were all a family and was disappointed in Dolph Ziggler for attacking Shawn Michaels. She said he had no moral compass, which brought us to the clip she wanted to show.
She aired a clip from earlier tonight in the arena, before doors opened. Fit Finlay was in the ring training three women, along with Natalya. As Natalya worked with one of the women, Becky Lynch slid into the ring. Finlay was in her way, so she gave him a low-blow, then put Natalya in the Disarmer.
When they came back to Bliss, the crowd was cheering and chanting for Lynch. Bliss asked if they were condoning that behaviour and they cheered. Bliss said she would beat Lynch tonight. Lynch appeared on the big screen and warned Bliss not to injure herself by turning her head around too quickly. Lynch offered warnings to both Cross and Bliss.
The Usos came out and cut a quick promo during their entrance. The only notable line, I guess, is they said they weren’t going to miss Raw for anything. They welcomed us to the Uso Penitentiary.
Triple threat tag match: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson defeated The Revival and The Usos to win the Raw Tag Team Championships (17:23)
The first few minutes involved only the Revival and the Usos. It’s like they were having a full match with tags and a nearfall as Gallows and Anderson just watched from the apron. Finally, almost six minutes into the match, Jey Uso was sent to the outside and Gallows booted him.
After a break, the OC worked over Jey. As Gallows hammered away on him, Renee Young said, “I think people are going to be taking The OC seriously now.” (It’s a bad name.) Jey fought out of a rest hold and tagged in Jimmy who ran wild on the Revival. Jimmy pushed Dash Wilder into Scott Dawson and followed with a Samoan drop for a nearfall.
Dawson made a blind tag and they gave Jimmy a Steinerizer but Anderson broke up the cover. Everyone took turns hitting moves and almost everyone ended up on the outside. Jimmy then gave Dawson a superplex off the top rope to the outside — onto the crowd of bodies.
Dawson avoided a diving splash by Jimmy, then Gallows tagged himself in. Revival gave Jimmy a Shatter Machine, then Jey took them both out with a high cross. Anderson gave Jey a spinebuster, then OC gave Jimmy a Magic Killer for the pinfall win. OC are the new tag champs. This was pretty good by the end. Renee said, “Things are coming up OC around here!”
Tomorrow on Smackdown, Trish Stratus appears on King’s Court with Jerry Lawer. On Wednesday’s NXT, Roderick Strong faces Pete Dunn.
Backstage, Braxton found Styles who prepared a table of food and champagne for his buddies. She was about to interview him but Gallows and Anderson showed up and they hugged and yelled in celebration. Styles jumped on the table, ruining the food. He grabbed a bottle of champagne but was too excited to open it. He excitedly offered them a plate of sushi instead. You’ve never seen three happier men than this.
They aired a recap of Raw Reunion. John Cena’s line about the Usos was not included. They also replayed Ziggler superkicking Michaels on Smackdown.
The Viking Raiders defeated Cole Carter & Johnny James (1:26)
Viking Raiders won quickly with the Viking Experience. A fine squash match. Michael Cole said the OC should probably watch their backs.
The Street Profits spoke about tonight’s events. Angelo Dawkins wondered why Maria won the 24/7 title. Montez Ford told him that she’s untouchable because she’s pregnant. Dawkins seemed excited about her being pregnant.
Ford wondered if maybe he was the baby’s father and said he’d be locked down for 18 years if so. Dawkins told him that wasn’t funny. Seth Rollins showed up and they were happy to see him. They were looking forward to him beating Ziggler tonight. Ford was about to yell “Burn it down” but Rollins stopped him and they all did it together.
[Third hour]
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defeated Alexa Bliss (w/Nikki Cross) via ref stoppage in a non-title match
The crowd loudly chanted for Lynch to start the match. She put her hands behind her back and offered Bliss the first shot. Bliss hesitated before throwing a punch but Lynch blocked it and took her down. Bliss yanked her into the rope and distracted the referee so Cross could attack her. Lynch fought back a few times but Bliss kept cutting her off.
Bliss hit (missed) a right hand and followed with Insult to Injury but Lynch kicked out. Lynch came back with kicks and an Exploder. Bliss began selling her ankle and the referee held back Lynch. Bliss cried as the referee and Cross checked on Bliss. A trainer checked on Bliss as the crowd booed.
The trainer told the referee that she can’t continue, so he stopped the match and they announced Lynch as the winner. Cross got into Lynch’s face and they argued ahead of a commercial break. The crowd was hot for Lynch at the beginning but were quiet during her comeback. (The match was called off around the 6:30 mark.)
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defeated Nikki Cross (w/Alexa Bliss) in a non-title match (2:30)
Bliss watched from ringside with her leg elevated on a chair. Lynch kicked Cross’ face into the middle turnbuckle, then hit the Man-handle Slam for the pinfall win. It was a struggle pulling off the move. Cross might’ve thought she was doing an Exploder, so they stopped for a moment, then Lynch loudly called the correct spot and hit the move.
After the match, Bliss miraculously recovered and attacked Lynch from behind. They put the boots to her until Natalya ran out and they bailed. Natalya put Lynch in the Sharpshooter for a while as Lynch screamed in pain. The crowd lightly booed. Lynch got what she deserved.
Braxton approached Natalya backstage and said that “the pursuit of a championship has ruined many friendships” and that her friendship with Lynch has been damaged, then stuck the microphone in her face. Natalya said she would beat Lynch and won’t shake her hand afterwards. Natalya was going to offer a submission match as the stipulation, but figured Lynch wouldn’t accept given that the Sharpshooter is much more dangerous than the Disarmer, so she didn’t bother.
Maria did a photoshoot with her new title. Braun Strowman showed up and she yelled at him for a bit, then asked if he wanted to show her how big and strong he was. He growled while looking off into the distance and she disappeared from the frame.
Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler via DQ (9:23)
After Rollins entered, Shawn Michaels’ music hit but of course it was Dolph Ziggler instead. Ziggler cut a promo calling himself the real main event, the real headliner, and the show-stealer.
Rollins was all over him early on until Ziggler kicked the middle rope into his groin and followed with a jumping DDT on the apron, which spiked Rollins, and they went to commercial (two minutes into the match).
After the break, Rollins fired up and gave Ziggler a rolling elbow and slingblade. He followed later with a Falcon Arrow for two. Ziggler tossed Rollins shoulder-first into the post twice and nailed a Zig-Zag for two. Ziggler set up for Sweet Chin Music but Rollins caught him with a superkick of his own. Rollins set up for the stomp when Brock Lesnar’s music hit.
Lesnar and Paul Heyman entered. As they made their way down the ramp, Ziggler grabbed Rollins’ leg, then Lesnar jumped in the ring and attacked. He gave Rollins a German suplex and repeatedly tossed him into the barricade. Lesnar then gave him an F5 into the ring post. Lesnar nailed Rollins with a steel chair, then sat down on the chair in the ring.
With the chair still in the upright position, Lesnar gave him an F5 rib-first onto the chair. Lesnar set the chair up again and gave him another F5, then posed with the title. Blood began dripping from Rollins’ mouth. Lesnar picked him up as Heyman pleaded with him to stop. Lesnar gave him another F5 on the chair. Heyman begged him to back off and Lesnar eventually did.
The announcers were disgusted by Lesnar. Graves told the crew to stop showing replays. EMTs helped Rollins onto a stretcher as they went to break.
This was really good.
After a break, Rollins was being taken through the back on the stretcher as Lynch looked on. The Usos and Roman Reigns appeared as well. As Reigns watched Rollins being taken away, Anderson and Gallows attacked the Usos. Reigns jumped in but was attacked from behind by Samoa Joe. As this was happening, the camera moved back to the ambulance with Rollins.
The ambulance was about to leave but it abruptly stopped. Lesnar was in its way. He yanked Rollins out of the truck and off the stretcher. The crowd gasped as Lesnar hoisted up Rollins and gave him another F5, this time on the edge of the stretcher. Rollins took an awkward bump.
There was a commercial where the Usos interviewed Roman about being in Hobbs & Shaw.
Samoan Summit
Joe marched to the ring and said the summit has been cancelled but was fine with that because he was here to fight. He called out Reigns so he could finish the beating he started in the back. Reigns came out and they brawled. Joe tossed him into the steps, then Reigns tossed the steps at his face.
Drew McIntyre showed up to attack Reigns, but he fought back and they brawled through the crowd. Joe jumped in and they got the advantage on Reigns. Cedric Alexander showed up and fought off McIntyre, but Joe decked him with a clothesline. McIntyre tossed him into the video boards on the stage.
Joe and McIntyre were about to put Reigns through the announce table but the Usos made the save. Anderson and Gallows joined the fight as well. As everyone brawled, Alexander dove off the top of the video board (which is fairly high), taking down the entire pile.
The fight actually kept going and McIntyre tried to give Alexander a Claymore kick, but Alexander caught him with a dropkick. Anderson and Gallows attacked him, but Reigns made the save. Alexander took out the OC with a flip dive.
Joe went after Reigns but the Usos gave Joe superkicks, then Reigns gave him a spear to finish this chaotic brawl. The good guys, and Jimmy Uso, celebrated together as Graves wondered about the condition of Seth Rollins.