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Vince McMahon has retired. Triple H is the head of creative. It's safe to say tonight's Raw marked the start of a very new era in WWE. So much stuff going on backstage, you'd be forgiven for forgetting Monday night's show aired live from a legitimately sold-out Madison Square Garden, and just five days before the second biggest show of the year for WWE, SummerSlam. Suffice to say, there were a lot of reasons to believe this could be one of the biggest and best episodes of Raw for a very long time. Everything that went down on this week's show, and whether it was a winning moment or a losing one, can be found below.
Winner: A Pull Apart Brawl To Open The Night Followed By Your Tribal Chief
If you didn't already know McMahon is no longer in charge of what we see in WWE, the first 60 seconds of Raw were a dead giveaway. When the cameras started rolling, some fans likely thought it was old footage and they had simply missed the beginning. It was not. Right before the show went on the air, Logan Paul grabbed a mic and called out The Miz. By the time Raw had actually gone live, the two of them were brawling in the ring and officials were flooding out to pull them apart.
The momentum that opened the show wasn't given the chance to dissipate. As soon as Miz and Paul were pulled apart and taken backstage, Roman Reigns' music hit. After an appropriate amount of Brock Lesnar bashing, Theory entered the fray and reminded the Unified Champion he will also be a threat this Saturday. Reigns then got what might well be the best crowd reaction he has received in the past year when he told Mr. Money in the Bank his daddy isn't here anymore. Reigns added he runs The Garden now, and those in attendance appeared to agree.
Winner: Key Players Join Forces
WWE continued to have one segment bleed into the next moving forward. Even though Reigns took his leave, Theory stuck around for a match with Drew McIntyre. The young upstart gave a good account of himself too, but was saved in the nick of time by Sheamus when he did start to look a little like he might lose.
Since Bobby Lashley then came to the ring to even the odds, a tag team match was underway when Raw returned from the break. All four men got some great offense in, and Theory even looked like he might pick up a momentum-generating win ahead of SummerSlam. Thanks to Dolph Ziggler popping up at ringside and doing nothing more than waving, that didn't happen. Lashley synched in The Hurt Lock and Theory tapped immediately. The cherry on Theory's terrible cake then came in the form of a double superkick from the returning Usos.
Winner: 20 Years Of Rey Mysterio
Raw was used as a platform to celebrate 20 years of Rey Mysterio this week. Dominik and the rest of the Mysterios were shown arriving at the arena, and the legendary luchador cut a promo recanting the highlights of his two decades in WWE. As that promo came to an end, Finn Balor and Damian Priest emerged from the crowd for a match against Rey and Dominik.
A large chunk of Mysterio's promo was dedicated to Eddie Guerrero, but it couldn't top the tribute he paid to Latino Heat in the match. With the ref distracted, Rey tossed Balor a chair and then threw himself to the mat. Classic Eddie, and the confusion generated started the wheels in motion so the Mysterios could pick up the win. Judgment Day would get the last laugh, though. A returning Rhea Ripley crashed Rey's after party, dragged Dominik out of the room, and the rest of the group was lying in wait.
Loser: Becky And Bianca Clash Before SummerSlam
Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair clashing at SummerSlam on Saturday will probably be a great match, and it's a cool way to mark exactly one year since the former returned and beat the latter in 26 seconds. The build to this one just hasn't connected, and it was no different on SummerSlam's go-home Raw. Belair reciting words that end in EST is now more annoying than it is entertaining, and the short brawl once her list was done felt like something we have seen from the two countless times before.
Loser: Alexa Bliss and Doudrop Felt Directionless
Alexa Bliss and Doudrop wrestled again on Monday Night, with Nikki ASH watching on from ringside. It has now been two months since this feud began (really) and it's still unclear where exactly it's supposed to be going. No one seems to be getting anything from it, and this match was no different from any of the others the two have had. ASH pushed Bliss off the turnbuckle, and for some reason that opened the door for Bliss to pick up the win, and no, you didn't read that wrong.
Loser: A Logan Paul-Maryse Promo Battle
Once Paul had cooled off from the brawl at the start of the night, he was able to return to the ring for his Impaulsive TV segment with his SummerSlam opponent. Except The Miz wasn't keen to begin with, so a returning Maryse came out in her husband's place. That began a somewhat awkward exchange between the two, the highlight of which was Paul's reaction to Maryse revealing Miz measures his balls. Talk of his private parts coaxed Miz to the ring, and after more shade was thrown, he left Paul laying with the help of Tommaso Ciampa.
Winner: Ziggler And Styles Working Together
It wasn't entirely clear why AJ Styles decided to declare his admiration for Dolph Ziggler backstage, but hey, sometimes wrestling doesn't have to make sense to be good. The match wasn't a barn burner by any means. It probably wasn't even one you'll remember beyond tomorrow. Ziggler and Styles on the same team though, that's good stuff. Add the always entertaining Chad Gable into the mix, and the match was the perfect easygoing bout to prepare fans and viewers for the main event.
Winner: A Fitting Main Event For MSG
MSG is about as traditional as it gets when it comes to WWE, and this felt very much like a traditional main event. The World Champion in action ahead of a huge match five days from now, but only sparingly since it was a six-person tag match. The other five Superstars shouldered the bulk of the load, including a showing from Riddle demonstrating why he should still be a World Title contender.
The Street Profits and The Usos also gave it their all ahead of a huge Tag Title match this Saturday. Montez Ford was even left bloodied, albeit unintentionally. Where's that TV-14 rating when you need it? The Bloodline won the match, and then Seth Rollins made a very late appearance to further soften up Riddle before the two of them clash at SummerSlam.
Results
- Drew McIntyre def. Theory via disqualification
- Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre def. Theory and Sheamus
- Rey and Dominik Mysterio def. The Judgment Day
- Alexa Bliss def. Doudrop
- Dolph Ziggler and AJ Styles def. Chad Gable and Otis
- The Bloodline def. Riddle and The Street Profits
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