WWE Raw Match Ratings And Podcast Notes For 6/11/18

Opening segment

• The Raw reps for the Money in the Bank matches are on the ladders awkwardly, set up in the ring. Neat.
• Kurt Angle comes out and runs down the ramifications of the Money in the Bank matches, and is joined by a newly bald Baron Corbin.
• Alexa Bliss can't remember what hurts on her, but argues with the other women.
• Kevin Owens is complaining about how high the briefcase is and compliments Corbin's new haircut.
• Alexa predicts Braun, Sasha picks Finn, Finn picks Sasha. This is totally unnatural and lame.
• WWE keeps raising the bar. Two days after Okada vs. Omega, they give us Baron Corbin with a shaved head. Impressive. Seriously, he looks way, way better.
• Kudos to WWE and Baron Corbin. He's legit reinvented int he last couple of weeks. Good for him.

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Fatal Four Way
Natalya defeated Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks and Ember Moon
8.25/10

• Ember Moon really stands out even among some great workers. There's some great trades between her, Natalya and Sasha Banks.
• Ember takes the discus clothesline as well as any woman in WWE history. 
• This match doesn't mean a thing, but they're making it seem like it does.
• Sasha flips over the turnbuckles to take out Natalya. Ember Moon hits the god damndest suicide dive on Sasha. One of the best I've ever seen in WWE. Ember then has a great sell from a punch out of Alexa.
• Alexa works Natalya's knee after the break. 
• Sasha has started using a headstand Meteora in the corner. I need a good, long Sasha vs. Ember Moon program. Ember follows with a swinging suplex out of the corner. 
• Bliss busts out the Infrared.
• This match is gonna be REAL hard to follow, and a nothing tag match has to do it. 
• We get sort of a Tower of Doom spot, another dove cries. Natalya hurt her knee on the T.O.D.
• Bliss eats knees on Twisted Bliss to Sasha. After the commercial, Sasha has Banks Statement applied but Natalya breaks it up and puts Sasha in a Sharpshooter, which is broken up.
• Eclipse on Natalya, and Ember and Alexa have a really messy spot to take Ember out. Sasha saves the match by stopping Alexa's count.
• Natalya submits Alexa Bliss. This is one of the greatest women's matches in the history of Raw. 
• I think it's time to stop putting at least one woman who can't work in all these title matches, and instead have matches like this.

 

Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre defeated Breezango
SQUASH

• This is a real ass kicking for Ziggler and McIntyre. They're really heeling it up. Tyler Breeze has a big beard that I don't remember him having.
• Ziggler berates Breeze and eats a kick. McIntyre gets in and hits an ugly looking powerbomb to Breeze onto Fandango. That was rough looking. Breeze's head may have hit the mat.
• Claymore/Zig Zag. That's it.

Roman Reigns defeated Sunil Singh (w/ Jinder Mahal)
SQUASH 

• Roman Reigns calls Jinder Mahal stupid or something.
• Mahal says he's not challenging Reigns, The Great Sunil Singh is. There was a FANTASTIC Khali tease. 
• Spear. Pin. Mahal attacks. This is harmless. Mahal hits a Khallas and drags Sunil out of the ring. Good segment all said. 

B-Team defeated Heath Slater & Rhyno

• Heath Slater gets some early offense, but this was a quick, rushed match that saw B-Team win again.
• I'm not sure what the motivation is, but I like them trying something different.
• Deleter of Worlds appear on the screen and say they're "here." They then appear in the aisle and say they're watching the B-Team
• God damn, please give me the B-Team at the Hardy Compound.

WALK WITH ELIAS

• Elias, super over per usual, gets through an actual song. This truly IS the greatest night in the history of Raw. Elias got through a song!!!
• He busts out a custom, Intercontinental title themed guitar that was a gift from John Mayer. Seth Rollins runs him off. 
• Rollins thinks he should auction it off for charity.
• Instead, he stomps the guitar. Confirmed: Seth Rollins hates charity

Ruby Riott (w/ Riott Squad) defeated Bayley
6/10

• Riott Squad are backstage tearing shit up.
• Some back and forth in the early going, and Bayley hits a belly-to-back suplex on the floor. 
• Ruby Riott drops Bayley across the apron and runs her into the buckle and works her over for several minutes.
• I love that Bayley switched up and did a knee in the corner instead of her elbow because it was injured. Her going for an elbow drop right after didn't make sense though.
• Bayley is distracted, gets ran into the ring post HARD, and gets Riot Kicked.
• The Riott squad write all over Bayley and slap her. 

Fedor and Hong Man Choi

• Natalya warns Ronda Rousey backstage to not take her eye off of Nia Jax.
• WWE let Nia Jax come out in regular human being clothes. Good. She doesn't need to walk around in her gear all the time.
• She explains the rule differences between WWE and UFC. I like that. That should have been said. She says Stephanie is a businesswoman, not a wrestler. 
• Nia says that she'll take Ronda's reputation of "Baddest Woman on the Planet."
• Rousey lists her accolades and Nia tries to punch Rousey, but her arm gets caught. She headbutts Ronda and gets stuck in an armbar. For some reason the bell rings.

No Way Jose defeated Curt Hawkins
SQUASH

• No Way Jose passes a dejected Curt Hawkins backstage.
• Hawkins doesn't come out to the ring, and when the ref tries to count him out, he runs in as a member of the conga line.
• He gets punched in the face. Pin. Harmless.

Nickelodeon GUTS

• They must have told Sami Zayn to go out there and kill some time. He runs through the rules of the obstacle course.
• Lashley comes out.
• He blows through it, but Sami Zayn attacks him.

Braun Strowman defeated Kevin Owens, Bobby Roode and Finn Balor
6.75/10

• Kevin Owens offers Finn Balor olives. He also tries to butter Bobby Roode up backstage. Braun wants to face them all.
• Braun dominates everyone through the commercial, until they all team up on him. 
• Strowman still fights back and busts out a side slam.
• They all fight up the ramp and Braun clears off the announcer's table, but he gets attacked with a ladder and frog splashed through a table!
• Roode and Balor battle it out in the ring, until Owens finally returns. A selling Strowman trucks everyone around the ring.
• Balor hits the standing Coup De Grace and eats a big shoulder trying to follow up. The crowd goes nuts when Balor hits his finish on Braun, but Roode breaks it up and posts Balor. Owens was able to give everyone the upper hand on Braun, but can't win with another frog splash. 
• Braun Strowman looks REAL SKRONG. He chokeslams KO and powerslams him on a ladder.