Monday Night RAW - 15/06/2020
- LDR
- Jun 16, 2020
- 7 min read
After Sunday's Backlash Pay Per View, RAW had a lot to deal with. What would Randy Orton's reaction be to defeating Edge in "The Greastest Wrestling Match Ever"? Nia Jax would also get another opportunity against RAW Women's Champion Asuka after their title bout ended in a double count out. Read on to find out what on the red brand was worth a watch and what was just a waste of time...
Source: wwe.com
Randy Orton Opens the Show
Straight off the bat, we got Orton coming to the ring to gloat about his win and about injuring Edge. He claimed to have sent Edge home to be a husband and a father - something he had declared himself to be doing the whole time - before Christian interrupted to tell Orton that Edge would be back. Orton goaded Christian, claiming he was jealous and that he wanted one more match for himself, before offering that in the form of an unsanctioned match for later in the night.
This one, personally, was a winner as Christian is one of my all time favourite wrestlers and the chance of seeing him back in a ring was always going to excite me. The "unsanctioned match" approach was smart too, meaning that Christian wouldn't need medical clearance but also allowing any and all shenanigans to go down.
Source: wwe.com
Kevin Owens defeats Angel Garza
The main backstory here was still the issues between Zelina Vega's men, with Andrade at odds with Garza after what happened at Backlash. Andrade entered the ringside area after the match had already started, distracting Garza and allowing Owens to take the upper hand. As Andrade and Garza argued, Zelina stromed off, leaving them to their own devices. It looked as though Andrade was trying to interfere on Garza's behalf towards the end, but Owens hit the Stunner anyway and took the win. Zelina Vega returned to berate her guys and demanded they get on the same page.
These matches all feature very good wrestlers, so the actual action is always good, but the story is starting to become fairly one dimensional. I've said before that I think it is too soon to split this group, but if they are going to do it, just do it already and let's get to the awesome matches between Garza and Andrade.
Source: wwe.com
Bobby Lashley and MVP Talk About Losing To WWE Champion Drew McIntyre
Bobby Lashley's loss to Drew McIntyre was shrouded in controversy, with Lana's appearance directly leading to her husband losing. MVP laid this all out, blaming Lana outright and claiming that without her being there Lashley would be champion right now. Lana was having none of it, storming to the ring and claiming it was Lashley's fault for banning her from ringside in the first place and that MVP had ruined everything in her marriage. As MVP and Lana went at each other, Lashley had had enough, grabbing the mic and telling Lana he wanted a divorce.
Lana has been completely absent since MVP joined Lashley's cause and removing her from the picture is not a bad idea. She worked well alongside Rusev but there is very little chemistry with Lashley and their relationship has been little more than annoying.
Source: wwe.com
The Viking Profits defeat Akira Tozawa & His Ninjas
Following Backlash's bizarre segment in which The Viking Raiders and The Street Profits fought all around the backstage area and then teamed up to take on Akira Tozawa's crew of ninjas, Tozawa was back here for a "sequel". With The Big Ninja at ringside, Tozawa's group was dismantled in no time but Tozawa called the big man into the ring. Just as it looked to be going down, The Big Show's music hit and The World's Largest Athlete helped send the ninjas packing.
I can't believe those are actual words that I wrote, but they are and for two shows in a row! Tozawa having something to do is not a bad thing, but this is a weird route to take if it is a long term thing. Using it as an introduction for Jordan Omogbehin could backfire too, as it would take some building for people to take this character seriously - if that's where this is headed, of course.
Source: wwe.com
Seth Rollins Talks About Rey Mysterio
It had been announced earlier in the night that Rey Mysterio's son, Dominick, had taken up Seth Rollins offer of an open invite to RAW. Rollins hit the ring, claiming that he wanted to help Dominick while Rey warned Seth not to lay a hand on his son from the big screen. As Rey and Seth went back and forth, Dominick snuck into the ring from behind, taking out The Monday Night Messiah and throwing him into the steel steps before evading Murphy and Austin Theory and taking off into the night.
Seth Rollins is a fantastic in-ring talent and a good choice for Dominick's first match. He will be able to guide the rookie and make sure that everything they do is safe. Having it be a tag match with Rey on his son's side would make a lot of sense too, sharing the responsibility and protecting Dominick.
Source: wwe.com
The IIconics defeat Liv Morgan & Natalya
The IIconics were looking to prove that they were still a worthy team to challenge for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship and Liv Morgan and Natalya happened to be their victims tonight. Morgan started the match but Natalya immediately tagged herself in. She was beaten down by The IIconics, taking a lot of punishment before getting the hot tag. Morgan fought well and had Billie Kay down for the count but the ref was distracted. The IIconics fought back, hitting a double team on Morgan for the win while Natalya was down at ringside. After the match, The IIconics challenged Sasha Banks and Bayley to a tag team title match.
Keeping The IIconics hot was the right call, but having Morgan take the pin was probably not. Natalya berated her backstage, saying she had no respect and was generally just not good enough. Lana was feeling sorry for herself and Natalya claimed she knew exactly how The Ravashing Russian felt, possibly hinting at a union between the two. Liv Morgan is a good prospect in the women's division, so she should have been protected here, although if the story is leading to a Nattie heel turn, then this makes more sense.
Later in the night, Bayley and Sasha Banks were out celebrating Bayley's birthday. The IIconics interrupted, going after the champs and staking their claim again for a championship opportunity.
Source: wwe.com
Apollo Crews defeats Shelton Benjamin (United States Championship Match)
As part of his ongoing "fighting champion" gimmick, Apollo Crews put his United States Championship on the line against a former champ in Shelton Benjamin. Before the match, MVP tried to recruit the US champ, but was declined. The action went back and forth, both men are very impressive workers, and Benjamin almost took the win but was caught with his feet on the ropes by the ref. Apollo used the argument to roll up Benjamin, using the ropes himself to gain leverage for the win.
Apollo defending the title on a regular basis is a very babyface move and he is one of the cleanest babyface characters on WWE television right now, but using the ropes to win shows something under the surface that could potentially lead to some character development. It wouldn't be the worst thing to see some shade of grey from Apollo, as he has basically been the same the whole way through his WWE run.
Source: wwe.com
Drew McIntyre & R-Truth defeat Bobby Lashley & MVP
This match evolved throughout the night, starting as a straight tag, then a "winner takes all" bout with the WWE and 24/7 titles on the line, before settling at just the WWE Championship. A big brawl between McIntyre and Lashley started this and the Scot was in complete control, lining up a Claymore on MVP but Truth tagged himself in. After Truth took something of a beating, McIntyre tagged back in and took down MVP while Truth threw Lashley into the steel steps. McIntyre hit the Claymore on MVP before tagging in Truth to finish the job with a top rope splash.
The ever-changing stipulation added some intrigue to this one, with a genuine feeling that R-Truth might cost Drew the WWE Championship. Having Truth get serious in the backstage segments was a good move; as much as he is a quality comedy guy, he is a good wrestler and sometimes just needs to knuckle down. Drew brought out the best in him here.
Source: wwe.com
Asuka defeats Nia Jax (RAW Women's Championship Match)
After an inconclusive finish at Backlash, Asuka looked to prove her worthiness as champion by putting Nia Jax away once and for all. The Empress had an answer for everything Jax threw at her, countering into some great submission moves. Jax was growing more and more frustrated and finally snapped after one kick out too many, attacking the ref. It looked as though Jax was about to be disqualified but Asuka rolled her up for the win.
Although Asuka has now pinned Jax, there will be a question mark over this match too, possibly meaning that this rivalry will continue. Asuka is a new champion and could have done with a few definitive wins to really put over how dominant she actually is. This weird winning by hook or by crook just doesn't fit her.
Source: wwe.com
Randy Orton defeats Christian (Unsanctioned Match)
Christian accepted Orton's challenge earlier in the night and it all went down in the main event. The Big Show and Ric Flair had both tried to talk Christian out of it ahead of time and Flair hit the ring before the match started to try one more time. He told Christian that Edge had said he didn't need to do this, but Christian disagreed. The bell rang and Flair hit a low blow on Captain Charisma and Orton followed up immediately with the punt and a pin for the win.
Orton seemed almost sorry for having to lay out Christian, although it was clear he blamed this whole thing on the Canadian. This was the best way for the match to go, allowing Christian to put himself on the line without actually putting himself at risk. Flair's involvement was a little strange, but he has got previous with Orton and it set up the punt easily.
What did you think of Monday Night RAW this week? Who do you think Randy Orton will go after next? Who should be Apollo Crew's next challenger? Will The IIconics be able to take the Women's Tag Team Championships from Sasha Banks and Bayley? Let us know what you think on this and more down below.
Thanks for reading, you've been wasting time with LDR
Comments