WWE RAW Live Coverage - July 24th, 2023
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Seth “Freakin” Rollins and Finn Bálor to sign contract for SummerSlam Title Match
Seth “Freakin” Rollins and Finn Bálor will meet to make their World Heavyweight Championship Match at SummerSlam official on Monday Night Raw. The Judgment Day have set their sights on Rollins and the World Heavyweight Title for weeks, but The Visionary has remained one step ahead… for now. What will happen when Rollins and Bálor put pen to paper live on Monday Night Raw?
:raw:
– Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up live on the USA Network, from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Samantha Irvin introduces The Judgment Day and they are already in the ring – Finn Balor, Damian Priest, WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. Priest calls on everyone to rise for The Judgment Day. Ripley goes on about how they run the main shows but they also run WWE NXT now. Balor hypes up each member and shows us a video on the man of the hour. We see how Dominik Mysterio won the NXT North American Title from Wes Lee last Tuesday.
We come back from the video and fans are already booing. Ripley says it is her honor to introduce the hottest man she knows. The music hits and out comes Dominik to loud heat. Kevin Patrick welcomes us to RAW and he’s joined at ringside by Corey Graves. The boos get louder as Dominik raises the title and declares himself to be the new NXT North American Champion. To celebrate his win, he shows us a brief video hyping himself up. Fans chant “you suck!” now. Dominik says he is your new NXT North American Champion but the music interrupts and out come the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions – Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
Fans pop big for Owens and Zayn as they speak from the stage. Owens says it feels like we did this last week. The Judgment Day came to the ring and tried to talk tough, no one believed the one with the mullet. Owens hates when no one learns a lesson, and The Judgment Day didn’t learn last week. Owens rips into Dominik about how no one will ever care what he says and if he wants to help the business, just shut up. Fans pop. Dominik says he’s a champion now and will not be disrespected. Sami goes on and proposes a match with Dominik tonight. Dominik tells him to come get some. Sami brings up how The Judgment Day got them to defend their titles last week, so Dominik should do the same tonight with his title. Ripley accepts the challenge for Dominik as The Judgment Day’s music starts back up to end the segment.
– Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves hype up tonight’s RAW.
Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark
We go back to the ring and out comes Becky Lynch to a pop. If Lynch wins this match, she will get a SummerSlam match against WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, but if she loses, she must get on her knees and thank Trish, then tattoo “Thank You Trish” on her chest. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes Zoey Stark with Stratus, who is still wearing her protective face mask. The bell hits and Stark unloads but Lynch fights back and takes control. Stark goes to the floor to regroup.
Lynch stops Stark from coming back in but Stark traps her and they fight at ringside. Lynch brings it back in as fans chant her name. Stark turns it around and nails a missile dropkick for 2. Lynch stays on Stark and covers for 2. Lynch looks to keep control but Stark keeps cutting her off. Stark with another big slam for a close 2 count as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Lynch is slamming Stark into the barrier a few times. Lynch brings it back in for a top rope leg drop for 2 as a worried Trish looks on from ringside.
Lynch knocks Stark to the apron and unloads, eventually kicking her to the floor. Lynch keeps control at ringside and rolls Stark back in but Trish headbutts her. Lynch stumbles in and Stark superkicks her but Lynch kicks out to a big pop. Lynch goes on to block the Z360 and then dump Stark on her head.
More back and forth between the two. Lynch climbs up, rock Stark and hits a big superplex. Stark reverses the Triangle and powerbombs Lynch for 2. Fans chant for Lynch now. They trade counters and pin attempts, and the Dis-Arm-Her is blocked.
Lynch stops to deal with Trish, knocking her off the apron and into the barrier, but Stark rocks her. Stark flies in at Lynch but Lynch catches her in mid-air for the Man-Handle Slam for the pin to win.
Winner: Becky Lynch
– After the match, Lynch stands tall and celebrates as the music hits and we go to replays. A disappointed Trish looks on as Lynch taunts her. Graves confirms that Lynch has earned a future match against Stratus.
– We see how Brock Lesnar ruined Cody Rhodes’ homecoming in Atlanta last week, destroying him in front of his family. The announcers hype Lesnar vs. Rhodes III at SummerSlam as we see Rhodes walking backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see RAW theme song artist Mo Williams in the front row.
– We go back to the ring and out comes Cody Rhodes to a big pop. The pyro hits as Rhodes poses and then heads to the ring.
Rhodes poses in the corner to more pyro now. He greets Tampa and apologizes for briefly turning his back on part of the crowd so he can say hello to everyone in the arena. Rhodes brings up last week’s attack from Brock Lesnar and how it was in front of his mother. Rhodes says his mother was not impressed by this assault, mentioning how she saw WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes go to war with other wrestlers like WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk. Cody says his mother knows Lesnar made one big mistake – he left Cody breathing.
Cody doesn’t want to go to SummerSlam to win the rubber match, he wants to embarrass Lesnar. He says some backstage are saying oh no, Cody is poking the bear… Cody says no, he’s not poking the bear, he’s slapping it across the face and saying come get some. Fans chant “Cody!” now. Cody says he doesn’t want to beat Lesnar at SummerSlam because of ramifications on his career, but because Lesnar deserves it. Cody goes on and says one day when he’s looking back on his career, he will know the Lesnar chapter wasn’t pretty, but he closed the chapter with a pin. Cody will end this. The music starts back up as Cody poses in the corner to a pop from the crowd.
– We see recent happenings between Ricochet and Logan Paul. Jackie Redmond is backstage with Ricochet now. He’s thrilled that Paul accepted his invite to come to RAW tonight but he doesn’t get the guy and how he shows up when he wants, all because he’s a star on YouTube? Ricochet says that’s hilarious. He says, respectfully Jackie, everything I have to say to Paul, I want to say to his face. Ricochet walks off.
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NXT North American Title Match: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio (c)
We go back to the ring and out come the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions – Sami Zayn with Kevin Owens. We go back to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes The Judgment Day – NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio with Damian Priest and WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. The bell rings and Zayn attacks as they briefly go back & forth.
Sami unloads and takes control. Sami clotheslines Dominik over the top rope to the floor, then nails a big running dive to keep Dominik down at ringside as Ripley and Priest look on. Fans pop for Sami as Ripley tells them to shut up. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and Sami unloads in the corner, then mounts Dominik with punches as fans count along. We see how Ripley nailed Sami with a cheap shot during the break.
Sami keeps control but the feed briefly skips as it looks like Priest nails a cheap shot from the apron while Ripley has the referee distracted. Owens then lands a shot of his own it looks like, knocking Priest to the floor. The referee only sees Owens, then ejects him to the back as fans boo. Ripley and Priest laugh but the referee then ejects them to the back.
After the confusion, Sami follows right up with a Michinoku Driver but Dominik kicks out at 2. Dominik avoids a Helluva Kick and dropkicks Sami into the corner. Dominik charges but Sami turns him inside out with a lariat for 2. Sami goes up top but Dominik cuts him off, then climbs up. They fight but Sami headbutts Dominik to the mat.
Sami flies but Dominik dropkicks him in mid-air for a close 2 count. Dominik pounds on Sami now and talks some trash to boos. Dominik launches himself in from the apron with the senton, then hits another dropkick. They tangle and Dominik avoids a Blue Thunderbomb. Sami dodges 619, then nails the Blue Thunderbomb for a close 2 count.
Sami can’t believe it. Dominik comes back and stomps away. Dominik dropkicks Sami into the ropes again, and this time nails 619. Sami kicks out at 2 and Dominik is shocked. Fans rally for Sami as Dominik unloads with punches and taunts him. Sami fights back but Dominik kicks him and hits the Three Amigos to boos. Dominik goes up top for the Frogsplash but Sami gets his knees up.
Sami catches Dominik with the Exploder suplex into the corner. Sami is preparing for the Helluva Kick but he’s distracted by Priest and Ripley coming out with Owens, and dumping him on the stage. Dominik takes advantage of the distraction and rolls Sami up for the pin to win and retain.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
– After the bell, Priest and Ripley go right back to the back as Sami, Adam Pearce and a medic tend to Owens on the stage. Dominik takes his title and quickly retreats through the crowd to boos as we go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see what just happened in the NXT North American Title match. Kevin Owens is backstage being tended to, clutching his ribs and selling a hurt arm.
– The announcers show us what happened on last week’s SmackDown between Jey Uso and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns to set up Tribal Combat at SummerSlam.
– Shinsuke Nakamura is backstage when Ricochet walks up, looking for Logan Paul. Nakamura hasn’t seen him. Ricochet asks him to send Paul his way if he does spot him. Nakamura turns around and Tommaso Ciampa is standing there smiling. Ciampa acknowledges how he got involved in Nakamura vs. Bronson Reed last week and gave Reed the DQ win, and he will let Nakamura’s post-match kick to the face slide, but this isn’t charity and you only get one free. Ciampa says if he sees Nakamura out there tonight during his match with Reed, then that means they have a problem. Understood? Nakamura just looks ahead. Ciampa says that was a good talk, then walks off.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bronson Reed
We go back to the ring and out comes Bronson Reed. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and The Judgment Day is walking backstage with Dominik Mysterio bragging about his win. Apollo Crews is talking to Akira Tozawa when The Judgment Day bumps into them and accuses them of disrespect. They intimidate Tozawa into running away. Crews and Priest have words and a match is made for later. The Judgment Day walks off and Tozawa comes back to tell Crews he’s got this. We go back to the ring and out comes Tommaso Ciampa. We see recent events that led to this match.
Ciampa turns right around and slings his jacket at Reed. Reed yells at the referee to ring the bell. Reed charges and they go at it back & forth to start. Ciampa is sent to the floor.
Ciampa meets Reed on the apron and they go at it. Ciampa brings it in and beats Reed down in the corner, then nails a running boot. Reed comes back with a big slam into the turnbuckles, then the mat. Ciampa kicks out at 2. Reed stands on Ciampa to keep him down, focusing on the ribs. Fans rally for Ciampa as he counters and makes Reed fade in a choke. Reed powers up and drives Ciampa down to break free.
Reed levels Ciampa with a running splash, then drops the elbow. Reed looks to continue the attack on the floor as he flies out but Ciampa gets his knee up to rock Reed in mid-air. We go back to commercial with both Superstars down on the floor.
More back and forth and big offense after the match. They go on for several minutes until Shinsuke Nakamura comes walking down. Ciampa meets him at ringside and warns him, then they face off. Ciampa turns back around to Reed leaping off the apron with a big flying shoulder. Reed brings Ciampa back in and hits the Tsunami Splash for the pin to win.
Winner: Bronson Reed
– After the match, Reed stands tall as the music hits. Ciampa is not happy.
– We see how Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles last week. Liv Morgan is backstage with Byron Saxton now. She confirms Raquel Rodriguez suffered a serious knee injury in the attack by Rhea Ripley last week, but says Raquel is a big girl and will be back soon to take out Ripley. Liv then has words for Ripley ahead of their match tonight, saying she will not back down. Liv heads out. Green and Deville show up now, knocking Saxton for interviewing Morgan instead of them. Ripley shows up and they hurry off. Ripley says she warned Morgan and Rodriguez to stay out of her business, but they didn’t listen, so she took Raquel out, and Liv is next. Ripley asks Saxton if he sees a pattern forming. Ripley walks off as we go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins backstage talking to Adam Pearce for tonight’s contract signing.
WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan
We go back to the ring and out comes Liv Morgan for this non-title match. Liv is suddenly blindsided at ringside by WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley.
Ripley launches Morgan into the barriers and continues to destroy her at ringside. Ripley rolls Liv in and follows with a steel chair, then decks her. Ripley holds Liv’s arm down, making her scream out. Ripley talks trash and smashes the arm with a chair. Liv cries out.
Ripley tells Liv to get out of her business, she warned her. Liv is crying as officials tend to her. Ripley attacks again, wraps the chair around the arm and then stomps it. Ripley yells about how this is her division as the boos continue. Ripley makes her exit with the title in the air, still talking trash while Liv is being tended to. We go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see what just happened to Liv Morgan. Liv is back in the trainer’s room now and her arm is hurting.
– We see how The Viking Raiders won the six-person Viking Rules match over Alpha Academy last week. Alpha Academy is backstage now. Chad Gable dismisses last week’s loss and says no one even knows what Viking Rules are, so how about Academy Rules? Gable says they put his head through a shield, so he will put them through a chalkboard. Maxxine Dupri interrupts and doesn’t know why Valhalla has such a problem with her. Maxxine goes on ranting about Valhalla and says no one puts the Alpha Queen through a table. Maxxine says they will do this her way… her first singles match will be with Valhalla. She says she will see Valhalla next week. Otis yells out to end the segment, oh yeah!
– We go back to the ring and out comes Ricochet. He takes the mic and starts calling out Logan Paul. Ricochet gives Paul some props, but says he, Ricochet, is special every time he steps in the ring. Ricochet goes on about how Paul doesn’t belong in WWE, and how he can never relate to the sacrifices they make. Ricochet wants a match with Paul at SummerSlam.
Ricochet calls Paul out again but Paul suddenly drops him from behind. Paul, while streaming live on his phone, says he accepts the SummerSlam challenge and says he will show you all why he is the best in WWE. Fans boo. Paul knocks a fan in the front row, calling him a virgin who needs to get laid. Paul goes on ranting until Ricochet flies to take him down, then hits a Standing Shooting Star Press. Ricochet takes the phone and films while saying something to Paul, then tosses the phone onto him. Ricochet leaves as his music hits and we go to replays.
– Jackie Redmond is backstage with Shayna Baszler now. Redmond brings up Ronda Rousey but Baszler is sick of hearing that name in reference to everything she’s doing. Baszler says talking or a match won’t settle it, so the only way to settle it is to handle Rousey in the only language she knows. Baszler says at SummerSlam… she is going to fight Rousey. Baszler walks off.
Damian Priest vs. Apollo Crews
We go back to the ring and out comes Damian Priest with his Money In the Bank briefcase. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and Byron Saxton stops Logan Paul backstage. Paul says what Ricochet did was so unprofessional. Paul feels violated and victimized but it doesn’t matter as he’s coming for Ricochet on next week’s RAW and he will pop Ricochet’s stupid bald head. Paul walks off. We go back to the ring and out comes Apollo Crews as Priest looks on.
The bell rings and Priest immediately levels Crews with a big kick. Priest unloads in the corner and they go on until Crews nails a dropkick. Crews ends up sending Priest to the apron.
Crews kicks Priest to the floor and then hits a moonsault to the floor. They bring it back in and Crews hits a crossbody for 2. Priest fights out of a press slam and unloads back into the corner. Priest with a Broken Arrow for a close 2 count.
Crews avoids a South of Heaven chokeslam and comes back with an enziguri. Priest comes back with a lariat and more offense, then he drops the straps and stalks Crews as he tries to recover. Priest then hits South of Heaven for the pin to win in the middle of the ring.
Winner: Damian Priest
– After the match, Priest stands tall as the music hits, raising his Money In the Bank briefcase in the air.
– Jackie Redmond stops Becky Lynch backstage and she’s in a great mood. Lynch says this thing with Trish Stratus is not over until Lynch wins.
– We go back to the ring and out comes Imperium – WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. They hit the ring and pose as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and we get a promo from The Viking Raiders. Erik and Ivar say it’s well known in the nine realms that no one likes to fight as much as The Vikings, and the Gods are pleased when The Vikings fight in their names. Valhalla addresses Maxxine Dupri and says she’s glad to accept her foolish challenge because after all, the Gods do smile to women in battle. Valhalla goes on and offers Dupri a piece of advice – consult those Gods because you’re going to need them. We go back to the ring and out comes Drew McIntyre to a pop as Imperium looks on. McIntyre poses in the corner as pyro goes off.
Drew brings up how GUNTHER was making challenges last week while he was away. Drew challenges GUNTHER to a match right now. GUNTHER goes on about how he’s brought prestige to the title while Drew is undeserving, adding that Drew fits in with the degenerates of Tampa. GUNTHER knocks Drew for being a failure and brings up how he humiliated Drew at WrestleMania 39. GUNTHER says if Drew wants to ride his coattails, he accepts the challenge but says he will humiliate Drew again at SummerSlam. Fans give GUNTHER the “What!?” chants here.
Drew addresses WrestleMania and how he and Sheamus wanted to steal the show for years with their own WrestleMania match. They did that this year but GUNTHER slid in while they were at their weakest, and picked their bones to win. Drew says things will be different at SummerSlam… he will prove why he’s called The Chosen One, The Scottish Psychopath and so on… he will beat GUNTHER’s ass to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion. Kaiser steps up to Drew and says he will not allow him to disrespect The Ring General like this. Drew actually likes Kaiser and thinks he should be the leader of Imperium because he’s fun to watch while GUNTHER is like watching paint dry. Drew says since GUNTHER won’t fight him tonight, how about Kaiser? Drew and Ludwig face off now. Drew yells for a referee as they trash talk and the music hits. We go back to commercial.
Drew McIntyre vs. Ludwig Kaiser
Back from the break and Drew McIntyre locks up with Ludwig Kaiser to start. WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER and Giovanni Vinci look on from ringside. They trade strikes and counters early on.
McIntyre with a shoulder and a scoop slam. McIntyre clotheslines Kaiser to the floor, then follows and ends up sending Kaiser into the ring post. McIntyre with more big chops now before bringing it back in. McIntyre keeps control but Kaiser goes to the floor for a breather. McIntyre follows and Kaiser fights him off but then McIntyre sends him into the barrier. McIntyre with more big chops in front of GUNTHER.
Vinci tries to interfere from the apron, allowing Kaiser to turn it around and send McIntyre into the post. More back and forth until Kaiser sends Drew back into the post, then dropkicks him while stuck in the ropes. The back & forth continues after the break.
McIntyre with a big Super Air Raid Crash from the corner. McIntyre unloads with signature offense as fans cheer him on. Kaiser avoids the Future Shock DDT, but McIntyre hits him with a Glasgow Kiss headbutt. McIntyre readies for the Claymore Kick but Kaiser kicks him for a 2 count. McIntyre comes back with the Claymore, nailing it for the pin to win.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
– After the match, McIntyre stands tall but he’s immediately attacked by GUNTHER with a big German suplex. Imperium triple teams Drew now until Matt Riddle runs down to make the save. Riddle unloads on Imperium until GUNTHER runs over him with a big boot, then a powerbomb in the middle of the ring to boos. GUNTHER goes back to the floor and drops Drew, then works him over while talking trash. Fans chant for tables now. GUNTHER takes apart the announce table and goes to powerbomb Drew through it, but Drew back-drops him to counter. Drew then powerbombs GUNTHER through the announce table to a big pop. We go to replays and come back to Drew trash talking GUNTHER while holding the title in his face.
– Jackie Redmond approaches Ronda Rousey backstage, and brings up how Shayna Baszler said she wants a fight at SummerSlam. Rousey asks, a fight? She says Baszler can’t challenge her to any fight… Rousey doesn’t get in a fight, she only fights in the fight. Rousey says challenge accepted, then she walks off.
– We go back to the ring and out comes Finn Balor for the SummerSlam contract signing to make the WWE World Heavyweight Title match official. Balor slowly marches to the ring as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break, Balor says Adam Pearce was supposed to be here, but he is currently preoccupied dealing with the havoc Judgment Day wreaked earlier. He says he thinks Seth "Freakin" Rollins and himself can handle things like gentleman and calls him out to the ring.
Rollins' music hits and he makes his way down. He signs the contract and hands it over to Balor. Balor hesitates before he signs, and Rollins says it's because Balor has figured out he has no chance of winning the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. Rollins says miracles do happen, and should he win the title, his reign will be even shorter than his Universal Championship run because Damian Priest will cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase on him. He says he would do the same thing and so would Balor, then adds that SummerSlam will be the end of Judgment Day.
Balor laughs and signs the contract, then tells Rollins he thinks he has everything figured out. He says although Rollins thinks he runs "Raw", he's wrong because Judgment Day.
Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and Rhea Ripley then surround the ring as Balor tells Rollins he's been losing for seven years. He says it's been driving him insane and asks Rollins if he knows what that feels like. Balor explains that it's like an itch you can't quite scratch, but that all ends at SummerSlam.
Rollins flips the desk and hits Priest with it. Dominik tries attacking him, but Rollins fights him off. Priest then hits Rollins with his Money In The Bank briefcase and stares down Balor before Sami Zayn runs down to the ring with a chair in hand to fight off Judgment Day. Ripley grabs the chair from him, allowing Balor to rain down right hands. Ripley dumps all the furniture out of the ring while Priest plants Zayn with South of Heaven. Balor is left alone with Rollins in the ring until Judgment Day joins him. Rollins looks to fight them all off, but is overpowered by them. Priest plants him with Razor's Edge, and Dominik follows it up with a Frog Splash. Balor then executes a Coup De Grace and Judgment Day stands tall as the show goes off the air.
