Monday Night Rawwas on incredible form as theWWEtook to Portland, OR, to continue the road to Bad Blood. CM Punk opened the show with an intimidating promo aimed at an absent Drew McIntyre, Pete Dunne would score an enormous win over Sheamus, and tension has reached an all-time high in The New Day with a break-up seeming imminent.
Jey Uso and Bron Breakker will headline next week’s Rawand hyped their Intercontinental Title match with an incredible confrontation. Bronson Reed and Braun Strowman tore each other and the building apart (literally), Damien Priest would beat Dominic Mysterio in the night’s Main Event, but The Judgment Day would then make Priest and his Terror Twin, Rhea Ripley, pay with an epic beatdown to close the show.
Jey Uso and Bron Breakker
Two fan favorites make Portland go crazy
The Portland crowd proved to be a red-hot audience all night long, butthe building was shaking especially during the electric promo between Jey Uso and Bron Breakker ahead of next Monday’s Intercontinental Championship match. Intensity has been the name of the game every time the two have been face-to-face, and it reached a whole new level here. Family insults have been regularly unleashed but here,Bron dismissing Jey’s singles career was dunked on by Uso going to the well about Breakker’s failed NFL career.
It will be very interesting to see which way the crowd leans when they face off next week becausethe Yeeting and the barking from the audience were pretty much equal here. It’s been long spoken about that the Intercontinental Championship matters again. Listen to the reaction to both of these men. Feel the anticipation ahead of next week’s match. The proof is undeniable.
Iyo Sky vs Bianca Belair
What. A. Match.
Iyo Sky vs Bianca Belair isa WrestleMania-worthy matchand proved to be the in-ring highlight of the night. Amazing sequences, both women having a blast, deafening “this is awesome” chants, and a spot with Bianca carrying Iyo up the ring steps in a suplex position that needs to be seen to be believed.
Damage CTRL and the duo of Belair and Jade Cargill have clashed briefly in recent times, but this is the first time they have taken to the ring to settle their problems. There’s no way it’ll be their last.Iyo Sky would claim the victory after a non-stop thrill ride of a matchthat will be spoken about for weeks to come. Jade Cargill and Kairi Sane are sure to dance in the coming weeks. This is an incredible start to this feud.
CM Punk
One of the best promos since his WWE return
Opening Monday Night Raw was the Second City Saint witha promo that makes a laughing stock of the idea that this is an inferior version of CM Punk. Paul Heyman says the best thing about Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts is that when he talks, he comes through the screen and peers into the depths of your soul. This promo echoed that sentiment.
There were no interruptions. No physicality. No yelling. Just raw, ice-cold words, with a classic “I’m gonna make you bleed” declaration and an eerie promise thatDrew McIntyre will have to kill him to beat him at Bad Blood. Bring on October 5th.
Natalya
The Queen Of Hearts is back with a bang
A technical and hard-hitting return to singles competition following her big return in Calgary last Monday, asNatalya beat Zoe Starks following an exchange of roll-up pins. It is an interesting time for the graduate from the Hart Family dungeon. There were extensive talks before she inked her new WWE deal, and she has proved to be an asset to any company for good reason.
Natalya was born into credibility, and has years of experience, having been in the WWE’s ecosystem since 2007. While she has basically never been utilized to her full potential, one lesson that the Paul Levesque era has taught us is “never say never”. There is also surely enormous potential for her to be a vital component of WWE’s future behind the camera.
The Judgment Day
Finn and The Gang are on fire right now
This might have been the best night for the new look Judgment Day so far.There is no shame in Dominik Mysterio’s loss to Damien Priest, especially when the show went off-air with The Judgment Day laying waste to The Terror Twins and reigning supreme. Finn Balor was in superb form in his role as a master manipulator. His revelation that he was telling Dom to drop Rhea for Liv (to her face!) was deliciously devious.
An underrated moment of the night came when the group intimidated Ilja Dragunov for being nice to Jey Uso.Bad Blood feels like a literal Judgment Day for the Terror Twins. Finn and Liv face year-defining match-ups with Priest and Rhea respectively. There are two more episodes of Raw between now and then. Expect fireworks.
The New Day
Is the end near for Kingston and Woods?
This one is going to hurt. Since debuting on July 21st, 2014,The New Day has been one of the most popular acts in WWE history. More impressive than their 13 Tag Team Championship reigns, The New Day’s friendship has never wavered in their decade as a team. Their Tag Team Championship opportunity against The Judgment Day was interrupted by Liv, Dom, and Carlito before the LWO made the save. The factions brawling on the outside would cause distraction to the referee while Xavier Woods had JD McDonagh beatenbefore Finn broke up the count and he and JD wrapped up the win.
The cracks have been hinted at during their rivalry with The Final Testament, but there was something different about Woods this time around. During one of the lowkey best backstage interactions seen at Raw in years, learning that Kofi Kingston was behind the LWO’s presence at ringside, Xavier lost it.When Kofi admitted he doesn’t think they’re strong without Big E, the whole situation changed. It was a great moment of storytelling, one that dug deep into real life, as only the best stories do. For fans of the New Day, this will surely be a “loser” moment, but it’s great to see these guy finally involved in a high-profile story.
The Miz
The reaction must be as loud as the disrespect
The Miz is one of the most polarizing figures in WWE history. Ask five different people their feelings on The Miz and you are likely to get five different answers. What can’t be denied is that he really has beaten everybody there is to beat, and he is one of the most decorated superstars of any era. So why the flagrant disrespect from Braun Strowman when he says he wants to face Bronson Reed?
That question was perhaps answered a little later in the night. Strowman and Bronson Reed took to the ring for their match but the top rope snapping after caused an all-out war. Reed threw a fan at Strowman (seriously), Braun retaliated by putting Bronson through the barricade outside of the ring. Finally, the two monsters put each other through a wall. The question is, then, what Miz’s role will be in this feud. Is his only current role in the WWE just to be disrespected to hype up other matches?
