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- Raw Women's Championship Match: Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair
- Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. The Viking Raiders
- 24/7 Championship Match: R-Truth vs. Akira Tozawa
- Women's Tag Team Championship Match: The IIconics vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley
Championships were up for grabs, Ric Flair presented Randy Orton as the Greatest Wrestler Ever and Edge gave the WWE Universe an update on his future in the sport in a blockbuster episode of Monday Night Raw.
Already announced for the show included:
With the return of Rey Mysterio, undoubtedly to confront "Monday Night Messiah" Seth Rollins, the show promised fireworks.
What went down, were any new champions crowned and what bombshell did The Rated R Superstar drop on his fans, friends and family?
Find out now with this recap of the June 22 episode.
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On a night dedicated to championship gold, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre kicked off this week’s Raw.
Before he could make much of a point, Dolph Ziggler interrupted. The newest addition to the Raw roster by way of the AJ Styles trade with SmackDown, he expressed happiness over McIntyre’s title reign, then claimed The Scottish Psychopath owes him.
The Showoff took credit for McIntyre’s redemption story and demanded a WWE Championship match that he is “owed.”
McIntyre called Ziggler an entitled jackass, then asked if he really wants a title match at Extreme Rules knowing what he is capable of. When Ziggler confirmed McIntyre accepted the challenge and made it official.
Grade
A
Analysis
Kudos to the creative team for taking two guys with history, exploiting it and setting up a sensible pay-per-view match.
It will be interesting to see if management puts the amount of effort into rebuilding Ziggler’s star as it did Bobby Lashley’s, making him a credible threat to McIntyre. While no one really believes The Showoff will end McIntyre’s reign, the match will likely be damn good and yet another reminder of how badly WWE has botched Ziggler’s potential over the years.
For McIntyre, it represents yet another opportunity to have a fantastic match and further enhance what has already been a strong run of championship encounters in this, his first opportunity to carry the company on his shoulders.
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Nia Jax sought to stage a sitdown strike, furious over being “screwed” out of the Raw Women’s Championship twice in the last week. Before she could get to her point, 24/7 Champion R-Truth made his way to the ring. He accused her of being Akira Tozawa in disguise before taking off when Tozawa and his legion of ninjas appeared.
Charlotte Flair interrupted next and denounced Jax’s claims that she is where she because of her father. An exchange of insults gave way to a pull-apart brawl that ended with The Queen selling her left arm, perhaps as a precursor of things to come.
Grade
C-
Analysis
That was...messy.
If the goal was to set up an excuse for Flair losing later in the night, why not just have Jax interfere like most assumed she would anyway?
Sure, it’s a change of pace but this is the one situation where that old booking trope would have worked just fine.
Throw in the Truth-Tozawa nonsense that plagued it early and this segment was mostly unnecessary and existed only to eat up some television time.
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After weeks of hijinx and pretapes, the Raw Tag Team Championships were finally at stake as The Street Profits defended against The Viking Raiders in a battle of the top two tag teams on the red brand. The match followed an interesting backstage exchange that culminated with cameras catching Zelina Vega watching in the shadows.
Erik and Ivar rolled early, building considerable momentum as they bowled over Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford heading into the first commercial break of the evening.
Coming out of the break, the champions seized control, delivering the challengers’ own move against them, nearly scoring a three-count off The Viking Experience.
A big back elbow from Ivar downed Ford, who recovered and answered with an enzuigiri. Erik dropped both champions but Ivar missed with a big splash from the top rope.
Dawkins wiped out Erik with a spear and Ford uncorked a frog splash for the win and successful title defense over their competitive rivals.
A sign of respect between the teams followed until Andrade and Angel Garza hit the ring and attacked the conquering champions. Erik and Ivar returned for the save.
Result
The Street Profits defeated The Viking Raiders
Grade
C+
Analysis
The match itself was hurt significantly by the commercial break. There was this explosive start to the match and when the show returned, an action-packed final stretch. Unfortunately, there was not enough in between to really warrant a higher grade.
It just was not the epic encounter you would expect given the weeks (and weeks...and weeks) of build.
With that said, it was still a fun sprint of a bout that saw the right team go over in what was, hopefully, the last time these two teams will do business for a bit.
The introduction of Andrade and Garza as the next challengers is a perfect booking choice. Those impending matches will likely rule all and help rebuild a tag team division that became a bit too dependent on the Profits and Raiders.
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Her left arm heavily taped after the incident earlier in the show with Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair made her way to the squared circle for her title opportunity against Raw Women’s Champion Asuka.
The Empress of Tomorrow wasted little time targeting the injured joint, withstanding the strike-heavy offense of her opponent and driving Flair shoulder-first into the mat. A hard right hand slowed Asuka but she hung The Queen’s arm up on the rope, sending her to the sanctuary of the floor.
Hard-hitting back-and-forth gave way to Flair sending the champion face-first into the middle turnbuckle and to the floor ahead of the commercial break.
Back from the timeout, Asuka applied an armbar, looking for a submission but Flair fought her way to the ropes and forced the break.
Asuka countered the Figure Four into a pin attempt, the transitioned right into a modified triangle. Flair powered out with a powerbomb but Asuka held on and applied the Asuka Lock. Flair tried to fight but had no choice but to tap as The Empress avenged years of disappointment and frustration with her win.
Result
Asuka defeated Flair
Grade
B+
Analysis
Asuka and Flair are the two best wrestlers in the women’s division and their in-ring chemistry is wicked. Every time they share the ring, they threaten to steal the show out from underneath every other star on the card. That was almost certainly the case here as they had a badass match full of transitions, counters and reversals en route to Asuka’s successful title defense.
A match of this magnitude, with a finish that saw Asuka finally get one over on Flair clean in the center of the ring, needed to be saved for a major pay-per-view extravaganza like SummerSlam. As it was, though, the match was still a damn good one with a commercial right in the middle that prevented the “A” rating.
A post-match interview by Charly Caruso with Nia Jax insinuated The Irresistible Force is not through with Flair, suggesting The Queen may provide just enough of a distraction to keep Jax away from Asuka for the time being.
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In a pre-recorded promo, Edge updated the WWE Universe on his future in the business.
He said Orton awakened in him a side of himself in which he does not care what he has to do to get where he wants. To “make Cowboy Bob wish he was firing blanks on the night you were conceived.” Citing not being able to pick up his children on Father’s Day and the vicious assault Orton dealt his lifelong friend, Christian, he vowed to put away the “PG Superstar” that had been happy just to be back doing what he loved.
“You’ve woken up The Rated R Superstar.”
Charly Caruso interviewed Orton, still digesting Edge’s words. “What do I do when I’m backed into a corner? I strike. Sometimes blindly and wildly,” he said. “I survive. It’s Mother Nature.”
He said Edge and Christian will live long, happy, healthy lives, “as long as they do it far, far, far away from me.”
Grade
A+
Analysis
This was some extraordinary promo work from both guys.
Edge was seething, angry, downright pissed off as he relived the heartache and suffering dealt him, his friend and his loved ones at the hands of Orton. Reintroducing the Rated R Superstar is the next logical progression for the Hall of Famer.
We know about the magical comeback and the desire to get back in the ring. Now, it’s time for him to remind fans why he was once one of the most cerebral and dangerous wrestlers of his generation. To remind fans why he earned The Rated R Superstar moniker.
Equally as great was Orton, who simply warned of an impending strike whenever he is on the defensive. His was shorter, sweeter and less produced but it was every bit as good.
The question is whether the Superstars can keep fans invested all the way through Edge’s recovery so we can get to the payoff and finally bring this program to an end.
If the promos continue at that level, the answer will be a resounding “yes.”
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A week after 24/7 Champion R-Truth was instrumental in Bobby Lashley losing out on the WWE Championship, The All Mighty hit the ring and wiped out a gaggle of ninjas before laying Truth out in the center of the ring.
Satisfied, both Lashley and MVP exited the arena, leaving Akira Tozawa to slide in from underneath the ring and score the pin and title.
Result
Tozawa defeated Truth
Grade
C-
Analysis
It really is shame that Tozawa is such a talented wrestler but routinely finds his most television time as a comedic act. He has been 24/7 champion before, to some fairly entertaining results, so that may be the silver lining in this entire ordeal.
Truth is a consummate entertainer who can usually enhance any segment just by being in it.
With that said, a rivalry between him and Bobby Lashley is such an enormous step down for The All Mighty that it will not be long before fans forget that Lashley just main evented a pay-per-view.
Might the program elevate one of the great performers in Truth? Sure, but it feels almost certain to go the other way as far as diminishing the star of Lashley, thus rendering the feud a bad idea on the surface.
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Last week, Natalya and Lana commiserated following a rough night for each. This week, The Ravishing Russian accompanied The Queen of Harts for her match with Liv Morgan.
Despite a game effort from Morgan, who had the third-generation star reeling early, Natalya fought back and applied the Sharpshooter for the submission win.
Nattie embraced Lana at ringside, their bond apparently strong and ready to influence the women’s division sooner rather than later.
Result
Natalya defeated Morgan
Grade
D
Analysis
There was nothing to this.
There was no time for Natalya or Morgan to star in the ring while there was very little explanation behind Lana’s sudden partnership with the former.
This would have been the perfect time to insert a promo over Nattie’s entrance, just something quick to establish their friendship or business relationship. Instead, it just happened, with the expectation almost assuredly being that fans will just accept it and all will be ok.
That is prime lazy storytelling.
Hopefully, things improve from here because this hardly feels like the story to be wasting Morgan’s potential on otherwise.
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