WWE was attempting to wrap up all of its key storylines as this was the last episode of Raw before this weekend's Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
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WWE was attempting to wrap up all of its key storylines as this was the last episode of Raw before this weekend’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view.Prior to his world title bout against Finn Bálor on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, Seth Rollins addressed his health following a number of sneak strikes from the Irishman. Additionally, Dominik Mysterio discussed his conflict with Cody Rhodes, while Ronda Rousey engaged in a singles match against Raquel Rodriguez.
Raw began with a video package highlighting Dominik Mysterio and Cody Rhodes’ feud. Dom and Rhea Ripley were already in the ring as we went live to the arena. The audience booed Mysterio as he attempted to greet everyone at the performance in Savannah’s Enmarket Arena.
The American Nightmare premiered to a standing ovation. Dom went to the apron as soon as he entered the ring, but Ripley stood firm. Dom attempted to flee when Rhodes hurled abuses at him. The American Nightmare almost lured him into the ring to attack him, but Dom backed off.
When Ricochet faced Shinsuke Nakamura, Bronson Reed attended ringside to get a close look at two of his opponents. These two have had some troubles in recent weeks, so this match offered the babyfaces an opportunity to vent.
The King of Strong Style trapped Ricochet with kicks and briefly choked him with his boot before landing a leaping knee for a two-count. When Nakamura utilized the ropes to apply a rear-naked choke for the whole five-count, Reed seemed impressed. After both guys fell in front of his feet at ringside, he mocked them, and they ended up kicking him before returning to the ring.
The Aussie Destroyer attempted to intervene but was ejected by the ref. The match resumed after the break and into the following segment. Ricochet won with a great shooting star press after dodging the Kinshasa.
Winner: Ricochet
Ronda Rousey competed in singles action against Raquel Rodriguez, who was accompanied by Liv Morgan, after successfully uniting the WWE and NXT women’s tag belts. Rowdy had no qualms about locking up with the behemoth, and as a consequence, she was slammed to the mat. She attempted to guillotine Rodriguez but instead found herself suplex. Shayna Baszler offered Rousey assistance, and Morgan punished her by leaping down the steps upon her. Back in the ring, The Baddest Woman on the Planet used a pinning combo to win.
Winner: Ronda Rousey
READ MORE: Twitter erupts as fans enjoy the WWE RAW build-up toward Money in the Bank 2023 PPV
Seth Rollins promoted his upcoming Money in the Bank match against Finn Bálor. The Prince attempted to assault him with a steel chair, but Rollins anticipated it. They battled in and around the ring until ringside spectator Carmelo Hayes stopped Bálor from using a chair. The Visionary chased him away, but he was visibly in pain from the attack.
When Tommaso Ciampa was about to enter the ring for his first match after returning from injury, his opponent, The Miz, attacked him from behind. The A-Lister defeated him and performed the Skull Crushing Finale on the floor.
Dom gained hold after the bell, but Tozawa wasn’t going down without a fight. Before knocking Dom out of the ring with a flying shoulder, he hit a fantastic hurricanrana and a brilliant wizard. Tozawa drilled him with a suicide dive, but Ripley’s distraction allowed Mysterio to recover and perform a frog splash for the victory.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
All six women’s MITB ladder match participants gathered in the ring for a summit hosted by Corey Graves. Each woman got a few seconds to talk and send out the typical insults. It quickly devolved into a massive brawl. Becky Lynch was the last woman standing when she claimed the briefcase, but not this weekend.
The next bout was Sami Zayn vs. Gunther, which was scheduled when Imperium assaulted Matt Riddle backstage, and Zayn demanded vengeance for his buddy. Kevin Owens seems unconcerned about The Original Bro but backed his teammate’s decision. To get things started, the Ring General grabbed charge and floored Zayn with a headlock. As the fight progressed, Giovanni Vinci staggered toward the ring on crutches.
Zayn attempted an exploder suplex in the corner, but Gunther was too strong for him. The Underground’s Underdog made a comeback, getting a couple near two-counts with iconic techniques like the Blue Thunderbomb.
When Owens attacked Ludwig Kaiser for getting involved, Zayn was able to take down Gunther with a dive over the top rope. While the ref was distracted, Vinci struck Zayn with his crutch, allowing Gunther to hit a powerbomb for the win.
The majority of this match consisted of an entertaining exchange between two outstanding veterans. The intervention made sense given the ongoing conflict, and Riddle appearing at the end to make the rescue certainly sets up a six-man bout in the future.
Winner: GUNTHER
Finn Bálor was in the ring ready for Carmelo Hayes after a quick backstage sequence with Alpha Academy calling out The Viking Raiders. This match was scheduled after Hayes assisted Rollins in defeating the Irishman earlier in the evening and at NXT Gold Rush.
The leader of The Judgement Day grabbed Hayes by the legs and trampled him immediately away to assert authority. Melo hit Bálor with a flawless dropkick followed by a springboard reverse leg drop he called The Fade Away after being on defense for a few minutes.
When we returned from our break, The Prince was back in command. Bálor flipped Hayes inside out with a clothesline when he tried to make another comeback. Surprisingly, this match concluded without any interference, and Bálor won with the Coup de Grace.
Winner: Finn Bálor
Rhodes had to face Damian Priest before going through Dominik Mysterio. The Archer of Infamy took control thanks to his modest size advantage, but The American Nightmare battled back and continued to find methods to counter his offenses.
He started focusing on Priest’s arm, but the large guy shoved him into a corner and stamped on him to stop his progress. Dom and Ripley walked down to get a ringside view and distracted Rhodes so Priest could finish him with a flat liner. They closed the evening with a strong performance, as predicted. It really ramped up in the second half, as is typical of Rhodes’ battles.
Dom tripped Rhodes while the ref was preoccupied, but Priest couldn’t finish him with South of Heaven. The American Nightmare recovered and defeated Cross Rhodes.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
For more WWE news
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