Monday Night RAW - 22/06/2020
- LDR
- Jun 23, 2020
- 7 min read
With four championship matches announced before the show even began, this week’s RAW looked to be stacked. We were also promised some returning legends, with Ric Flair announcing Randy Orton as “The Greatest Wrestler Ever” - which is just dripping in irony - and Rey Mysterio making his return to confront Seth Rollins. Let’s see what hit the mark for the red brand and what was just a waste of time..
Source: wwe.com
Drew McIntyre Starts the Show
In a night where a lot of championship golf would be on the line, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre headed to the ring first. Before he could say much of anything, he was interrupted by the newest member of the RAW roster, Dolph Ziggler. The Showoff claimed to be the force behind Drew’s success, pointing to their former team as his launching point. McIntyre asked Ziggler if he really wanted to challenge him, knowing what he is capable of first hand, and Ziggler said that he did, seemingly setting up an Extreme Rules main event.
Ziggler is a talent that should have been in the main event for the last several years but, for one reason or another, has never been able to maintain that momentum. He is believable as a challenger but I doubt anyone truly thinks he will actually beat Drew. If the booking is as consistent as it was with Bobby Lashley as challenger though, this could raise Ziggler’s profile and bring him back into the higher end of the rankings.
Source: wwe.com
Nia Jax Holds a Protest
Angry at being “screwed” out of the RAW Women’s Championship twice in a week, Jax wanted some form of retribution. Before it could go much further, R-Truth interrupted with the kind of goofy comedy only he can bring. He accused Nia of being Akira Tozawa in disguise, trying to gain an advantage ahead of their 24/7 Championship match booked for later in the night.
Truth was then chased off by the real Tozawa and his group of ninjas before Charlotte Flair hit the ring to put paid to Nia’s claims that she had only gotten to where she was because of her dad. The two brawled and Charlotte was left with an injured arm, setting up a target for Asuka in their RAW Women’s title match, also later in the night.
Source: wwe.com
The Street Profts defeat The Viking Raiders (RAW Tag Team Championship Match)
After months of the awful “Anything You Can Do...” skits, we finally got an official match for the RAW tag belts. The challengers were dominant early on, using their clear size and strength advantage to keep the Profits on their toes. The champs managed to hit The Viking Raiders’ own move - The Viking Experience - for a near fall and managed to take control.
As the match swung back and forth, Angelo Dawkins hit a spear on Erik, allowing Montez Ford to finish off Ivar with a frog splash. After the bell, each team showed respect to the other before Angel Garza and Andrade jumped the champs in the ring. The Raiders, continuing that show of respect, returned to make the save. Andrade and Garza have been falling out recently, but clearly Zelina Vega has found something that can bring the pair together and give them focus - the RAW Tag Team Championships.
Source: wwe.com
Asuka defeats Charlotte Flair (RAW Women’s Championship Match)
Flair came out with her left arm heavily taped after her brawl with Nia Jax earlier on. Asuka went straight after the injured limb and managed to use it to stop Charlotte from gaining the advantage. The Queen kept trying to put the champ down, managing to lock in the Figure Eight, but Asuka countered into a roll up and then into a triangle arm bar, but Charlotte pushed back and managed to get Asuka up for a power bomb. The Empress was not giving up though, locking in the Asuka Lock and taking the submission win.
Asuka and Charlotte are fantastic together and this was very good once again. Asuka has now claimed a clean win over her long time rival, which is a huge notch for her. The injury going in also allows some degree of protection for The Queen. Nia Jax claimed after the match that she wasn’t done with Charlotte, so it looks like it is time for someone fresh to step up to the championship plate.
Edge Gives an Update on His Future
Edge claimed that Randy Orton had awoken something in him, meaning he no longer cares what he needs to do to get what he wants. He was unable to lift his children on Father’s Day due to the injuries inflicted by The Viper and his best friend was also hurt at Orton’s hands and for this, he wants revenge. Orton had create the return of the Rated R Superstar.
Orton have a return interview, claiming that when he was backed into a corner he strikes “blindly and wildly” and that he would allow Edge and Christian to live long, happy lives as long as they do it away from him. It seems that Edge and Orton may never be done with each other, but Orton’s words seem to imply some distance for a while. Their Backlash match was incredible, but they could each use something new to sink their teeth into.
Source: wwe.com
Akira Tozawa defeats R-Truth (24/7 Championship Match)
R-Truth was instrumental in stopping Bobby Lashley from getting his hands on the WWE Championship and The All Mighty was out for revenge, wiping out most of the ninjas before dropping Truth in the ring. Akira Tozawa came from under the ring to pin Truth and take the 24/7 title.
Tozawa is clearly a comedy act now, so the 24/7 belt is the right kind of area for him, while Truth has raised his profile somewhat over the last couple of months, so moving him away from the belt is probably a good idea for now.
Source: wwe.com
Natalya defeats Liv Morgan
After last week’s tag team match went very wrong for Liv Morgan and Natalya, they faced off this week. Lana and Natalya had found they had much in common and so Lana accompanied Natalya to the ring. There wasn’t a lot to this one, with Morgan starting strong but being put down with the Sharpshooter as Nattie took the win.
The pairing with Lana gives The Ravishing Russian something to do away from Bobby Lashley and a heel turn may be a refreshing change of pace for Natalya, who is criminally boring as a baby face.
Source: wwe.com
Ric Flair Presents Randy Orton as “The Greatest Wrestler Ever”
The Nature Boy hit the ring to announce Orton as “The Greatest Wrestler Ever” while also sending a warning shot to Nia Jax after her altercations with his daughter. As Orton told Flair that he was relishing in being The Legend Killer again, The Big Show interrupted to stop the glorification of the heinous acts Orton had committed.
Orton complimented Show, calling him a legend before telling him that anything that happened to him from here on out was Show’s own fault. Randy Orton as a vicious, relentless heel is the best version of Orton, but him facing off against Big Show? Yawn.
Source: wwe.com
Sasha Banks & Bayley defeat The IIconics (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match)
This match had been building for a few weeks and The IIconics had been in hot form heading into it. They hit the champs hard to start, gaining a few near falls before Sasha and Bayley managed to take control. Banks managed to eventually put Peyton Royce out with the Banks Statement submission for the win.
After the bell, Sasha admitted to being jealous of Bayley Dos Straps. It seemed as though the implosion of the champs was coming but Sasha turned the tables and challenged Asuka to a match at Extreme Rules, which the champion quickly accepted. The idea of Sasha and Bayley holding all of the women’s gold is an excellent premise, which could lead to some fantastic moments.
Source: wwe.com
The VIP Lounge with Apollo Crews
MVP used the VIP Lounge to try and recruit United States Champion Apollo Crews once again but was denied by the champ. MVP had clearly expected this response, with Shelton Benjamin jumping Crews from behind. Benjamin and Crews faced off in a rematch from last week, with Benjamin taking control early but Crews took the win with a sit out powerbomb.
After the match, Crews got in MVP’s face but was dropped again, this time by Bobby Lashley. Lashley locked in the Full Nelson and left Crews down and out. It looks as though Crews and Lashley could be heading into a rivalry and it would be a good one for both men. They are both strong, athletic men and would compliment each other well in the ring.
Source: wwe.com
Rey Mysterio Make His RAW Return
Rey Mysterio was both proud of and angry with his son Dominick for what went down last week. Dominick accompanied his dad to the ring and told Rey that he wasn’t going anywhere because they were family. Seth Rollins appeared with his disciples, threatening to take out both Mysterios but before anything could happen, Humberto Carrillo and Aleister Black hit the ring to defend their friends. They fought of Rollins, Murphy and Austin Theory and the baby face quartet stood stall as the show went off the air.
This is a good way to introduce Dominick as a wrestler, as a multi-man match would hide any deficiencies in the ring. Carrillo backing Mysterio makes a lot of sense, as does Black opposing Rollins, but Black is a potential main event talent and should not just be playing sidekick here. Hopefully he gets a strong rub from the end of this programme and manages to push on towards the championship.
What did you think of this week’s RAW? Do you think The Big Show is a good opponent for Randy Orton? Will Sasha Banks take the RAW Women’s Championship from Asuka? Can Apollo Crews push back against Bobby Lashley and MVP? Let us know what you think on this and more down below...
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