Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly WWE RAW hits and misses series.
Last night’s RAW went down at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. CM Punk, The Judgment Day, Terror Twins, Jey Uso, and Bron Breakker appeared live on the show.
Here’s what went down on the September 2 episode of RAW.
Hit – Alpha Academy vs. American Made on WWE RAW
Alpha Academy squared off against American Made in six-person tag team action. The Creed Brothers tried to keep Otis at arm’s length but the big man retaliated with a series of rights and lefts. Chad Gable tried to cause a distraction for Maxxine allowing Ivy Nile to pick up the win for her team via submission. Chad Gable challenged Wyatt Sicks to an eight-person Street Fight for WWE RAW next week. Uncle Howdy came out and accepted the match.
These two teams never disappoint inside the ring. The Creeds are freakishly strong and incredibly athletic. Tozawa pulled off some dangerous offense. Otis got a huge pop with the hot tag. Maxxine and Nile had some brilliant exchanges. WWE should let them have 10 minutes of singles action on weekly TV. I’m looking forward to the eight-person Street Fight on RAW next week. It’s going to be total chaos.
Miss – Zelina Vega vs. Shayna Baszler
Zelina Vega took on Shayna Baszler after previously attacking her on WWE RAW. Baszler picked up the win. Pure Fusion Collective jumped Zelina after the match. Lyra Valkyria tried to make the save but was taken out as well. Sonya Deville cut a promo after flattening both women.
A quick win for Shayna Baszler followed by the routine three-on-two beatdown. Lyra teased a third member to take on Pure Fusion Collective on 9/9 RAW. It remains to be seen how will tag with her and Vega next week.
Hit – Drew McIntyre assaults CM Punk
CM Punk appeared live and in living color to celebrate his win over Drew McIntyre at Bash in Berlin. Punk said he was done with McIntyre and wanted a shot at Gunther’s World Heavyweight Championship. Punk climbed the broadcast table only for McIntyre to attack him from behind. The Scottish Warrior unleashed a relentless assault on the Voice of the Voiceless, leaving him for the medics to attend.
McIntyre took Punk’s bracelet and broke it. He then shoved the pieces in Punk’s mouth causing Punk to bleed. If that doesn’t smell bad blood, I don’t know what does. The two are tied a piece. This brilliant rivalry is getting a tiebreaker.
Shoutout to Wade Barrett for his terrific performance during the segment. The former Nexus leader tried to talk some sense into McIntyre only to justify his friend’s actions after watching him nearly take Punk’s head off with multiple Claymores.
Miss – New challenger steps up to Gunther on WWE RAW
Gunther came down to the ring to address his incredible first world title defense from last weekend. The Ring General was interrupted by Sami Zayn. Zayn said he wanted a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. Gunther denied and left the ring to Zayn. The former Intercontinental Champion referenced his WrestleMania XL win over Gunther to try to stir him up to accept the challenge.
Gunther may be a man of small talk, but he sure knows how to work up the crowd. I wasn’t expecting Zayn to show up as the next challenger. To be honest, I never wanted Zayn to dethrone Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. Chad Gable deserved it more. I’m hoping WWE gives this potential world title match TV treatment instead of booking it for Bad Blood to bolster Gunther’s reign on weekly television.
Hit – Ilja Dragunov gets the win
Ilja Dragunov, Dominik Mysterio and Dragon Lee collided in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament. Carlito attacked Dragon Lee to help Dominik. Damian Priest arrived and chased away Dom leaving Dragunov and Lee as the two competitors in the match. Dragunov and Lee had some back-and-forth exchanges before The Mad Dragon picked up the win.
This was a solid triple threat match with three of the most exciting stars on the main roster. Dom invited Ilja’s wrath by slapping him across the chest. The suplexes from Ilja to Dom looked brutal. Priest chasing off Dominik continued Terror Twins’ storyline with The Judgment Day. Dragon Lee and Carlito have unfinished business.
Honorable Mentions
- Joe Tessitore started on RAW last night with Wade Barrett as his broadcast partner. Corey Graves and Michael Cole will be the new SmackDown commentary team beginning this Friday. I thought I was hearing the late great Gene Okerlund on commentary because Tessitore sounded so much like him.
- Kairi Sane nearly lost her eye on WWE RAW last night. The Pirate Princess performed a dive on the outside and cut herself from the eye upon impact. There’s no word (as of this writing) about her medical status. Hope nothing’s serious.
- Jey Uso tagged with Damian Priest because Rhea Ripley asked for a favor against Finn Balor and JD McDonagh. Jey and Priest won the match after Priest planted JD with a Razor’s Edge. The trio celebrated by Yeeting after the show went off the air.
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