VIP Lounge
- Big things poppin'. Little things stoppin.'
- They're using hyperbole about Drew McIntyre's pre-Ziggler career, which is insulting to our intelligence by design.
- Ziggler lost a three-match WWE Title feud last year. He lost a six-man title match in 2018. In 2017 he lost two top contender matches. In 2016, he lost a title match on Smackdown. Altogether, this is his sixth WWE Title match since December 27, 2016. These were really his first shots since hig big 2013 push.
- Drew interrupts and drops Dolph with a punch. He fakes out MVP, too. Well, I get the feeling the guy left laying isn't winning this Sunday.
- Later, Dolph interrupts a Drew interview by attacking him. A pull apart brawl ensues.
Elimination Match
Angel Garza & Andrade (w/ Zelina) defeated Viking Raiders
6/10
- Zelina, Andrade and Angel Garza are being interviewed. Angel flirts with Charly Caruso, and Zelina takes a shot at her.
- How are we supposed to take the Viking Raiders seriously? WWE has made me not want to see them at all. Ivar gives Charly a rose that Garza is holding cause she thinks he's hot.
- Andrade and Garza go after Ivar and take him out, then Garza takes his pants off. Ivar ducks Garza's pants and makes a tag.
- Andrade and Garza overpower Erick and Andrade pins him with a Hammerlock DDT.
- Andrade saves Garza an sacrifices himself, which is a cool quality to see out of a heel team.
- Ivar's wheel kick was a WHOPPER. Andrade puts Garza's foot on the ropes, though.
- Garza counters the corner senton and powerbombs Ivar for the win.
- That was an oddly booked WWE tag team match in the best of ways.
Bianca Belair & Ruby Riott defeated The IIconics
5/10
- The IIconics are trolling Ruby Riott for not having any friends.
- Finally, Bianca Belair is back on Raw to help out Ruby Riott. Bianca doing promos with the IIconics is something I'm here to see.
- The IIconics have gotten so much better.
- Billie Kay is freaking hilarious. She can't bump and feed too quick though. Easy for me to say.
- Belair takes out Peyton on the apron with a handspring, and finishes off Billie Kay with the KOD.
- This is Ruby Riott's first win on WWE TV since the build for her Ronda Rousey match.
Shayna Baszler returns
- R-Truth is very confused about who he's facing tonight. Ricochet and Cedric Alexander help him fight off ninjas.
- He challenges R-Truth to a match.
- Shayna Baszler comes out and kicks the shit out of the ninjas. I love the shredded shirt on Shayna. Cool look.
- Tozawa runs away. Shayna focuses on R-Truth, who leaves.
- I really wish Shayna Baszler would have won the 24/7 Title there and spent each TV walking around choking out people backstage who didn't even want to fight for the title under the guise of defending it.
Aleister Black (w/ Kevin Owens) defeated Buddy Murphy (w/ Seth Rollins) via DQ
5.25/10
- Seth Rollins is making chicken salad out of chicken shit. He tells Murphy sometimes he has to make sacrifices.
- He thought Rey Mysterio was speaking in metaphors, but now he's being forced to give Rey Mysterio a new beginning. One without sunsets, seeing his wife, seeing his son. He did great in this promo.
- PCO name drop by Kevin Owens!! He says he has an eyepatch he can borrow for Rollins to use after his match.
- Rollins calls on Murphy to help him. Aleister Black makes the save.
- I love watching Aleister Black. I love watching Buddy Murphy. I love watching them wrestle each other. They've wrestled each other too much since December.
- It's good, as you'd expect. It's their ninth time working together on TV since December 15.
- Black Mass on Murphy. Seth Rollins causes a DQ.
- Why are we protecting Murphy? He's lost to Aleister 8 times.
- Rey and Dom make the save, even though the faces were already at an advantage.
Kevin Owens (w/ Aleister Black, Dom & Rey Mysterio) defeated Seth Rollins
5.75/10
- Seth Rollins begs for mercy. It doesn't work.
- Rollins is surrounded and can't escape. He's getting his ass kicked by Owens with a lot of environmental offense.
- Rollins fights back with a nice suicide dive.
- We go through a second commercial, and a match of this profile and caliber deserves it.
- Owens superkicks Rollins out of a back body drop attempt and does a great DDT.
- Rollins returns the favor with kicks out of a Pop Up Powerbomb attempt.
- Stunner attempts, Stomp attempts!
- I miss the Super Fisherman's Buster! DO IT!!!!!!!!! Instead, Owens gets his eyes raked.
- Rollins is a dumb distracted heel, and eats a Stunner for the loss.
- I really don't think Seth Rollins needs to win in this role. Then when it becomes apparent to his "followers" that he's not winning or helping them win, it crumbles around him.
Randy Orton (w/ Ric Flair) defeated R-Truth
SQUASH
- Ric Flair tries to talk some sense into Big Show backstage.
- Randy Orton video plays, and he runs down his friends in the business, and why Edge, Christian and Big Show all failed him as a friend. He has a very threatening proposal if Ric Flair compromises their friendship.
- Orton says R-Truth has his respect for entertaining fans, but he's just going to be another chapter in the Legend Killer.
- Ric Flair comes out and says Orton will be generous and just RKO Truth instead of punting him.
- Truth baits Randy Orton, but misses a Scissors Kick and eats an RKO.
- That'll do it.
- Orton sets up to punt Truth, but Big Show comes out.
- Orton says the punt wasn't meant for Truth, it was meant for Big Show. They set up an unsanctioned match for next week.
Bobby Lashley (w/ MVP) defeated Ricochet (w/ Cedric Alexander)
SQUASH
- MVP talks some trash to Ricochet and implies he sent something to Cedric last week.
- Lashley is really excelling against these smaller wrestlers.
- He catches Ricochet midair with a Yokosuka Cutter.
- Lashley catches Ricochet mid-handspring and Full Nelsons him.
- That's a wrap. Cedric and MVP fight. Where is Apollo Crews during this? Cedric and Ricochet helped him.
- Full Nelson slam on Cedric.
WWE Women's Tag Team Championships
Golden Role Models (c) defeated Kabuki Warriors to retain the titles
6.5/10
- Bayley and Sasha jump Asuka at the start of the match.
- It's refreshing to see Kairi get the hot tag. She hits a double arm drag and slugs the shit out of Bayley in the corner.
- There's an amazing double catapult on Kairi into the plexiglass.
- Bayley taunts Asuka and Kairi by hitting the latter with her ass.
- Asuka gets a really goot hot tag. This match is outstanding, which most would expect.
- Sasha hits a flying body press, but gets trapped in an Asuka Lock.
- Mistimed save attempt with Bayley and Kairi, but Sasha gets to the ropes.
- Kairi lands an amazing elbow on Sasha, but Bayley saves the match.
- Banks applies the Banks Statement on Kairi for the win.
Rating Guide
10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor
Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a "star rating," which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive "TV match" lands at a 5. The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.
These are opinions, and incredibly inconsistent ones that may change upon a second viewing, or sitting on the match for a period of time. Don't take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!
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