WWE RAW Live Coverage - June 12th, 2023

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KO and Sami take on Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser

Imperium is becoming a thorn in the side of Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. Most recently, interference from Intercontinental Champion Gunther's "sacred" forces helped The Ring General defeat KO on last week's episode of the red brand. Now, Owens and Zayn will look for payback when they battle Gunther and Kaiser in a heated tag team showdown.


:raw:

– Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up on the USA Network, live from the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The music hits and out comes SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley to a pop. Kevin Patrick welcomes us to RAW, and he’s joined at ringside by Corey Graves.

Adam Pearce is in the ring with something to reveal. Ripley hits the ring and Pearce presents her with the new WWE Women’s World Title. A “Mami!” chant breaks out. Ripley raises the title up to a pop. Dominik Mysterio runs down to celebrate with Ripley and the cheers turn to boos.

Ripley calls on Dominik to tell everyone how amazing she is but he’s drowned with boos. Dominik says this is disrespectful. The music interrupts and out comes Cody Rhodes to a big pop. Cody praises Ripley and says he has all the respect in the world for her. Cody shows us how Dominik slapped him last week.

Cody brings up Brock Lesnar and says he doesn’t have the balls to face him, but what about Dominik… at Money In the Bank? Dominik says he’s not afraid of anyone in the world and he embarrassed Cody in this ring just like he would anyone else. Fans boo and chant “you suck!” now. Cody gets fans to repeat the chant.

Ripley goes to brag about Dom but The Miz tries for a sneak attack from behind but Cody rocks him. Cody kicks Miz out of the ring but Dominik hits him with a cheap shop. Dominik and Rhea laugh as they back up the ramp, and Ripley seemingly accepts Cody’s challenge. Miz and Cody stare each other down with Miz on the floor as we go to commercial.

Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz

Back from the break and they go at it. Cody Rhodes, with his cast on, nails an early dropkick to The Miz. Cody keeps control and delivers another big kick.

Cody works Miz over at ringside, then brings him in for an aggressive Dragon Screw leg whip. Fans chant for Cody as he focuses on Miz’s knee now. Cody charges into the corner but Miz sends him to the floor.

Miz keeps control at ringside, sending Cody face-first into the steel ring steps, then the announce table. Miz brings it back in with a stiff DDT. Miz with chops and shots to Cody’s hurt arm using the ropes. Cody fights back and hits a suplex. They end back up on the floor but Cody gets sent into the ring post, then the steel steps again. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Miz hits the big corner clothesline. Miz ends up on the top but Cody takes him down and mounts big offense. Cody plants Miz and yells in his face. Cody with the Disaster Kick for a close 2 count.

Miz counters and looks for the Figure Four but it’s blocked. They tangle and the Skull Crushing Finale is blocked but Miz delivers It Kicks. More back and forth now. Miz with a big DDT for two. They go on and the Skull Crushing Finale is blocked. Cody then hits a Cody Cutter to a big pop. He comes right back with the Cross Rhodes for the pin to win.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

– After the match, the music hits as Cody celebrates with fans.

– The announcers hype tonight’s show.

– Becky Lynch is walking backstage. She stops and has a brief chat with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, then sees Chad Gable and Otis teaching moves to Maxxine Dupri.

Becky Lynch vs. Chelsea Green

We go back to the ring and out comes Becky Lynch as Samantha Irvin does the introductions. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Lynch looks up at the Money In the Bank briefcases as we see how she qualified by defeating Sonya Deville last week. Lynch takes the mic and talks about how she’s never won Money In the Bank, but she feels good about this year. She says the most powerful person isn’t the champion, it’s the one who has power to scare the champion, and who better than the Money In the Bank winner? She goes on about liking power and then she brings up WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus and how she needed help from Zoey Stark. The music interrupts and out comes Stark to the stage.

Stark says Lynch will never beat her or Trish, and she can add that to her list of failures. Lynch says she learns from her failures, and that’s what makes her great. They have words and Lynch knows Stark has in-ring skills but she has no personality. Stark asks if Lynch owns a mirror because she has no personality. Stark goes on about how Lynch got famous by having her face broken, and she’s desperately holding on to that fame. Stark promises to make Lynch famous at Money In the Bank, but Lynch says they can fight tonight. The music interrupts and out comes Chelsea Green with Sonya Deville. Stark goes to leave but they want her to come to ringside while they make excuses for last week’s qualifier loss by Deville. Lynch ends up calling Green to the ring for a fight, then she tells Stark to take a seat to watch and find out why Lynch is famous.

The bell rings and Lynch takes control with a dropkick. They go to the corner and Lynch sends Green to the floor. Lynch yells up at Stark, who is on the stage, as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Green grounds Lynch with a headlock while Stark watches from up on a ladder. Green works Lynch around and sends her face-first into the bottom turnbuckle.

Green poses to boos now. Green with more strikes. She takes Lynch up top but Lynch knocks her back and hits a missile dropkick. Lynch sends Green out and nails an elbow off the apron. Lynch launches her into the barrier a few times.

Green ends up nailing a stiff enziguri and sending her into the turnbuckles. Lynch shoves Green away and Green rolls her up for 2, but Lynch applies the Dis-Arm-Her for the submission win.

Winner: Becky Lynch

– After the match, Lynch stands tall to celebrate as the music hits. She points up at the MITB briefcases while taunting Stark.

– We see how WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins retained over Damian Priest in last week’s main event, then faced off with Finn Balor.

– The Judgment Day is walking backstage. Finn Balor seems bothered or distant as the others chat, mainly about Dominik Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes at Money In the Bank. WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley asks Balor if he’s OK. Balor says he has a lot on his mind. Damian Priest says he will make sure he qualifies for Money In the Bank when he beats Matt Riddle tonight. Priest says he wants to go out alone tonight.

Money In the Bank Qualifier: Matt Riddle vs. Damian Priest

We go back to the ring and out comes Matt Riddle for the final Men’s MITB qualifier. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Damian Priest by himself as Samantha Irvin does the introduction. The bell rings and they go at it. Priest controls early on but Riddle applies a hold.

Riddle ends up on Priest’s back with a Sleeper but it’s broken. The back & forth continues with strikes but Riddle’s are doing nothing. Priest goes on and knocks Riddle to the floor. Riddle brings it back in and mounts Priest in the corner now. Riddle with more offense until Pries slams him with a Flatliner, then beats him down in the corner.

Priest with a big backbreaker now. Priest covers for 2. Riddle unloads with strikes and hits the overhead kick. Riddle goes on and hits a Bro-ton. Priest is sent back to the floor, which allows Riddle to springboard back to drop Priest on the floor. Riddle brings it back in with a German suplex for 2. They trade big strikes now. Priest stuns Riddle and hits a big Broken Arrow but they’re both down as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Priest fights out of two submissions, then fights up and nails a lariat. Priest smashes Riddle in the corner, but then leaps into a submission on the ropes. Priest levels Riddle with a big forearm as he tries to springboard in, then drops him with a Headlock Driver for 2.

Riddle blocks the South of Heaven chokeslam. Riddle goes to the top for a Floating Bro but Priest shoves him. Priest climbs up for a big move but Priest fights and he has to re-group. Riddle with a Fisherman’s superplex but Priest somehow kicks out. Riddle climbs back up but still can’t hit he Floating Bro. Priest catches Riddle in the corner and nails the Razor’s Edge for the pin to win and advance.

Winner: Damian Priest

– After the match, the music hits and Priest stands tall. The music hits and out comes Ludwig Kaiser and WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER. Priest walks past Imperium and tells them to pick Riddle’s bones. Riddle is double teamed and destroyed now. Kaiser stands over Riddle talking trash while GUNTHER poses with the title over Riddle. The Imperium music starts up.

– We see what happened earlier with Cody Rhodes and Dominik Mysterio. Cody is backstage with Cathy Kelley now, and she asks what he thinks about the match with Dominik being official now. He says he doesn’t think Dominik would have accepted the match on his own, and The Judgment Day is just setting up Dominik to get hurt. Cody goes on about how Brock Lesnar won’t show up and Dominik won’t go away, and how everyone has their eyes on him after his loss to Roman Reigns. Cody is focused on finishing the story, and won’t let Dominik or Brock knock him off his path. He wishes good luck to Dominik.

– Back from the break and we get a video on WWE and the Special Olympics.

– Byron Saxton is backstage with Natalya now, asking about recent changes in her. Natalya says never being the same is a good thing as being her has gotten her nowhere. Natalya says maybe she doesn’t know how to be herself. She walks off a bit emotional.

– Saxton stops Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn backstage now, and asks about Owens’ loss to GUNTHER last week. Owens says he came close to beating the seemingly unbeatable. They mention payback. GUNTHER and Ludwig Kaiser walk up. Kaiser taunts Owens and says payback is what happened to Matt Riddle last week. Sami wonders where “baldy” is and says it took three of you to beat Owens last week. The back & forth continues until Kaiser challenges them to defend the titles tonight if they’re so confident. Adam Pearce walks up. Owens snaps a bit and starts ranting, and the champs seemingly agree to defend. Owens storms off and Sami follows after taunting Imperium. GUNTHER tells Pearce to make it a title match and Pearce says he will have to think about it. Imperium walks off.

– We see what happened with The Bloodline on SmackDown.

Ricochet vs. Bronson Reed

Back from the break and out comes Ricochet. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and we get a new vignette from Indus Sher. Jinder Mahal mentions how Veer and Sanga beat Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander, saying they were done before the match started. Jinder says the job is not done because they are still walking. Jinder offers them a proper match and proper chance of survival. He says all of your fears will be justified.

We go back to the ring and out comes Bronson Reed. We see how he attacked Shinsuke Nakamura and Ricochet last week. The bell rings and they go at it. Ricochet sends Reed to the corner and dropkicks him.

More back and forth now. Ricochet keeps going but Reed cuts him off. Nakamura comes out now, slowly walking down the ramp. Reed goes on dominating Ricochet, slingshotting him into a big slam using the top rope. Reed yells at Nakamura as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Ricochet dodges big strikes, then decks Reed. Ricochet uses his speed to keep control, nailing a springboard from the apron to send Reed out. Ricochet with a big suicide dive.

More back and forth now. Ricochet hits a springboard crossbody and a standing moonsault for 2. Reed fights from the apron now but Ricochet kicks him.

Reed gets kicked to the floor. Ricochet goes for a moonsault from the apron but Reed catches him and launches him into Nakamura at ringside. Reed brings Ricochet back in as he goes to the top, but Nakamura kicks him for the disqualification.

Winner by DQ: Bronson Reed

– After the bell, Nakamura ends up arguing with the referee before Reed runs over Ricochet and Nakamura. Reed goes up top for a Tsunami and Ricochet cuts him off but is knocked back. Nakamura climbs up for a superplex now. Ricochet joins him and they hit a double superplex. Ricochet and Nakamura face off now.

– Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are backstage. Sami asks Kevin why is he blowing up so much lately. Owens says he’s not at a level 10, just 6 or 6.5 as he goes on about stressful months and The Bloodline, and how they now have to deal with tall guys who speak European, among others. Zayn asks Owens if he’s good, and Owens asks if Sami wants anything as he goes for a water.

– We see Finn Balor walking backstage. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Adam Pearce is on the phone with someone about the main event. Ricochet walks up and demands another match with Reed for next week. Pearce gets it but someone is already facing Reed next week. But who? Shinsuke Nakamura walks up and it’s him. Ricochet says this is his fight, and he didn’t ask for help, and he doesn’t need it. Nakamura says he will succeed where Ricochet failed, and Ricochet can have Reed when he’s done. Ricochet warns that if Nakamura does anything like this again, they can take it to the ring and see who the last man standing is.

– Back from the break and out comes Finn Balor.

Balor calls out WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins so they can talk. No jokes, no sing-alongs, just the facts. The music hits and out comes Rollins to a big pop as fans begin singing his song. This goes on for a few minutes as Rollins just watches. Balor asks if Rollins is done because he’s been waiting 7 years to say this and won’t wait any longer. Balor says 7 years ago he was the #1 Draft pick, he beat Roman Reigns on his first night, and beat Rollins 3 weeks later to become the first WWE Universal Champion. The loud singing continues and Balor is not amused.

The singing goes on and on. Balor says this isn’t funny, this is serious. Rollins finally speaks and plays to the crowd. Balor rants but Rollins goes quiet again as the singing continues. Balor brings up what happened 7 years ago again. The singing gets low but picks back up when Balor calls fans idiots. Balor goes on now about how Rollins took everything from him, his momentum, his title, and a year off his career, but now it’s Balor’s turn to do it and he’s going to do it at Money In the Bank. Rollins just laughs and says Kansas is too kind. He says he’s laughing because this is the Balor he wanted to see. He recalls their SummerSlam match years ago and says one of them got bitter, one got better. Rollins says he’s done some bad things in the 7 years but he’s made memories and moments for the fans, and now he’s the best version of himself. Rollins says he got better every day and the proof is the WWE World Heavyweight Title. He says Balor is on if he wants a shot at Money In the Bank.

Rollins wonders which version of Balor he will get in London – the bitter, shell of a former champion who don’t stand a chance or the Balor who beat him to become the first Universal Champion, who stands a chance. Rollins asks if that Balor will show up, or the one who’s been acting like a little bitch for the past 7 years. Rollins exits the ring with a laugh as fans sing along.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Shayna Baszler

We go back to the ring and out comes Raquel Rodriguez. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out come the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – Shayna Baszler with Ronda Rousey. The bell rings and they go at it, trading holds.

Gonzalez hits a big fall-away slam and a corner splash early on, then another fall-away slam. We have some technical difficulties and come back to Rousey causing a distraction on the apron. Baszler ends up rolling Gonzalez up for the pin while Rousey uses her leg for leverage to get the pin.

Winner: Shayna Baszler

– After the match, Rousey and Baszler stand tall with their titles.

– We get a tribute video for WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik, who passed away at the age of 81 last week. Fans chant “Sheik!” as we go back to commercial.

Chad Gable vs. Erik

We go back to the ring and Alpha Academy is out – Chad Gable with Otis and Maxxine Dupri. The Viking Raiders are also out – Erik with Ivar and Valhalla.

The bell rings as Erik and Gable taunt each other. Gable grounds Erik with an armbar. We have some technical difficulties and come back to Gable hitting the diving headbutt. We see Valhalla rush Maxxine but Maxxine takes her down. Gable goes on and hits a sunset flip into the pin to win.

Winner: Chad Gable

– After the match, Alpha Academy celebrates.

– We get a hype video for Rhea Ripley.

– Finn Balor is backstage talking strategy with JD McDonagh when Damian Priest walks up. JD leaves. Finn congratulates him on qualifying for Money In the Bank. Priest says Balor seems to be in a better mood now that he has his title shot. Balor asks if Priest would cash in on him. Priest says of course not. Priest blames any tension in The Judgment Day on Rollins. Priest tells Balor to make it worth it and end this at Money In the Bank.

– Cathy Kelley is backstage with Seth Rollins. They talk about being prepared for a bitter Finn Balor at Money In the Bank. Rollins says Balor will lose their match but it looks like he may also lose Damian Priest. Rollins laughs some more and announces another Open Challenge for next Monday.

:rawtag::sdtag:

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles Match: WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER and Ludwig Kaiser vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

We go back to the ring for tonight’s main event and out first comes Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and it’s announce that Logan Paul will return next week. We go back to the ring and out comes WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER and Ludwig Kaiser of Imperium. Samantha Irvin does formal ring introductions. GUNTHER starts off by over-powering Sami.

Sami comes back with chops but gets knocked away. Fans do dueling chants now. Sami sends GUNTHER to the floor, then hits a big dive out onto GUNTHER for a big pop. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Kaiser is going at it with Sami. Sami hits a big arm drag. Kaiser fights on but Sami blocks a kick and nails an elbow from the middle rope for 2. Owens tags in with stomps and a senton for 2. Owens goes on and hits a moonsault for 2.

Owens and Kaiser trade big strikes in the middle of the ring now. Owens drops Kaiser and hits a senton for 2. Sami tags in for a quick double team. Kaiser sends him into the opposite corner but Sami fights out. GUNTHER tags in but Sami doesn’t see it as he sends Kaiser to the floor. GUNTHER big boots Sami, then hits another to knock Owens off the apron. GUNTHER with a flying headbutt for 2.

GUNTHER keeps control and tags in Kaiser. Kaiser grounds Sami, then sends him out to the floor. GUNTHER slams Sami on top of the edge of the apron. Imperium poses as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Sami fights it out up top with Ludwig. Sami with a Sunset Bomb. Owens and GUNTHER tag in now. They unload on each other. Owens drops GUNTHER and hits a senton. Owens with a big Exploder into the corner. Kaiser runs in but Owens drops him, then superkicks GUNTHER. Owens with a corner cannonball. Owens goes to the top and hits a Swanton Bomb on GUNTHER for 2.

Kaiser distracts Owens, allowing GUNTHER to roll him up for 2. GUNTHER blocks a Stunner, then hits a big kick to drop Owens. Sami and Ludwig tag in. Sami with the Exploder into the turnbuckles. Sami calls for a Helluva Kick but GUNTHER pulls him to the floor. Sami sends GUNTHER into the ring post hits off a counter. Sami comes back in but Kaiser blocks a Blue Thunderbomb and hits an enziguri.

Kaiser with a big DDT. GUNTHER tags in as Kaiser decks Sami, then knocks Owens off the apron. Imperium double teams Sami with the European uppercut. Kaiser with a suicide dive to Owens on the floor. GUNTHER with a slingshot lariat on Sami for 2. GUNTHER punishes Sami some more and hits another clothesline for 2. GUNTHER puts Sami on his shoulders, and they hit the double team Imperium Bomb. Kaiser covers Sami for 2 as Owens rushes in to shove GUNTHER into the pin to break it up.

Fans chant “this is awesome!” now. GUNTHER and Owens brawl at ringside now and Owens is sent into the ring post face-first. Matt Riddle comes out with officials trying to hold him back. Riddle breaks free and hits GUNTHER with a big boot. Owens runs up and drops GUNTHER on the ramp with a DDT. Kaiser sees this from the ring, then turns back around to Sami. Kaiser swings but Sami ducks and comes right back with a Blue Thunderbomb for the pin to win.

Winners: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

– After the match, Owens and Zayn stand tall and celebrate as the music hits. We go to replays. The champs continue their celebration as RAW goes off the air.