SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
WWE RAW TV REPORT
JULY 8, 2024
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
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[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with CM Punk making his way to the ring to address last night. Firstly, Punk showed his respect to John Cena after his retirement announcement. Punk moved on to Drew McIntyre and showed footage of Drew McIntyre causing a ruckus, attacking referees and Adam Pearce at the Money in the Bank post-show. Punk said that there were consequences to his actions and that Drew was now suspended. Punk said that he wanted Drew’s suspension to be lifted, so he asked Pearce to come out.
– Seth Rollins showed up to ask Punk to enter the ring, as Punk warned him to watch what he said. Rollins said that Drew was in his right to cash-in his briefcase and asked Punk why he chose to interfere in his business. Punk said that this was his business and that Drew was now wearing his bracelet. Rollins said that Punk always had an excuse, that he was the dumbest smart guy he knows and that the world doesn’t revolve around him. Rollins told Punk that he let his selfishness slide, but when he is cleared, he wouldn’t let him say Drew McIntyre’s name before he got his hands on him.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A very strong opening segment that really allowed Seth Rollins to step up his mic game and re-establish his rivalry with CM Punk. Punk did okay and him coming off as the loser in this confrontation felt deliberate.)
– Backstage, Dominik Mysterio asked Adam Pearce that he didn’t want to take part in tonight’s mixed tag match. Pearce told Dominik that after he interfered in three women’s title matches, he didn’t care how he felt. Liv Morgan showed up to tell Dominik that she got this match for him.
– Jey Uso made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Chad Gable.
[Commercial Break]
(1) CHAD GABLE vs. JEY USO
Gable immediately swept Jey off his feet and put him down with a waist lock takeover. Jey sent Gable out of the ring with a hip toss, only for Gable to counter a suicide dive with a belly-to-belly suplex, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Gable dropped Jey with a Cliffhanger DDT, followed by a diving headbutt for a two count. Jey launched Gable out of the ring and knocked him down with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Jey hit Gable with a high crossbody, a series of right hands and an enzuigiri. Gable tripped Jey off the top turnbuckle and put him in an ankle lock, until the lights started turning off. The distraction allowed Jey to knock Gable down with a Spear and get the win.
WINNER: Jey Uso at 7:17
(Pomares’s Analysis: Match was fine while it lasted, but I really do not like distraction finishes. The Wyatt Sick6 angle looked good, however it was just more of the same from them.)
– After the match, Jey Uso immediately ran away, as the lights fully turned off. Nikki Cross showed up at ringside to scare Gable away before she left another box on the announce table.
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Sheamus about his 15-year anniversary in WWE. Sheamus started talking about what young people needed to do to put on some bangers. Bronson Reed interrupted to call himself the future of WWE before Sheamus challenged him to a match. Reed declined the offer for tonight and said that he would first show him what he does to Pete Dunne.
[Commercial Break]
– Pat McAfee pulled out a VHS tape from the box and sent it to the back.
(2) PETE DUNNE vs. BRONSON REED
Reed put Dunne down with a forearm to the back, only for Dunne to surprise him with an armbar while he was standing. Dunne clocked Reed with an enzuigiri and sent him out of the ring, setting him up for a slingshot forearm. Dunne crashed into Reed with two back-to-back moonsaults, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Dunne clocked Reed with an enzuigiri, only for Reed to turn him inside out with a lariat. Reed missed a moonsault, allowing Dunne to stomp his hands and nail him with a kick to the head. Dunne attacked Reed with enzuigiris and a diving double stomp to the arm, setting him up for a jumping knee strike and a two count. Dunne stomped Reed’s elbow, but Reed shut him down with a buckle bomb and a sitout powerbomb for a two count. Reed climbed the top turnbuckle before Dunne caught him with an enzuigiri and snapped his fingers. Reed dropped Dunne onto the top rope and finished him with the Tsunami.
WINNER: Bronson Reed at 7:18
– After the match, Bronson Reed prepared to keep the assault, until Sheamus showed up to make the save. Sheamus and Dunne clobbered Reed with a pump knee and an enzuigiri, setting him up for the Brogue Kick. Sheamus tried to celebrate with Dunne, but Dunne shoved him away and left the ring.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid match to re-insert Bronson Reed back on TV and give Sheamus something to do while Ludwig Kaiser is out with injury. The post-match angle with Pete Dunne was interesting and could lead to Dunne getting something meaningful to do as a singles star while Tyler Bate is gone.)
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– Backstage, Seth Rollins confronted Damian Priest who told the rest of Judgment Day to let him handle this and leave. Rollins told Priest that he was lucky, but was also very good. Rollins said that since Priest kept his word and Judgment Day didn’t interfere, he would keep his word too. He warned Priest that he would need to be better at SummerSlam. Priest told Rollins that he still wanted to prove himself and would give him a rematch after he was done with Gunther. As Rollins walked away, Priest smiled as he got a call.
– Sami Zayn made his way to the ring to say that he was honored to represent Canada as a champion in the nation’s capital. Sami said that Bron Breakker made the mistake of thinking that he was the underdog in that match. He said that Breakker didn’t bring in the respect to actually keep him down.
– Breakker interrupted, only for Sami to ask him if he had anything to say. Breakker said that he came out to look at the only guy that had beaten him in the eyes. He admitted that there was no reason for him to give him a rematch before hitting Sami with a Spear. Adam Pearce, referees and agents showed up to separate them, but Breakker still caught Sami with another Spear. As Breakker was taken away, Ilja Dragunov showed up to try and start a brawl, but was quickly stopped.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A fine segment to reheat Bron Breakker after defeat. Since the Sami feud is clearly not over, I think there is a real chance Breakker wins the belt at SummerSlam, maybe with Dragunov involved in the mix.)
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Ilja Dragunov asked Adam Pearce to give him Bron Breakker and he made the match official.
– The Awesome Truth came out for their match, but Judgment Day attacked them mid-entrance. Braun Strowman showed up to chase Judgment Day around the ring and drive Carlito into the barricade. Miz and Truth dropped Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh with stereo Attitude Adjustments.
(3) JUDGMENT DAY (Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh) & CARLITO vs. BRAUN STROWMAN & AWESOME TRUTH (The Miz & Truth)
Once the match started, Truth put Carlito down with shoulder tackles, back suplexes, the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment. Finn accidentally hit Carlito with an elbow drop, allowing Truth to throw him and JD out of the ring, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, JD hit Miz with a leg drop and a forearm strike. Miz caught Finn with a rising kick before they knocked each other down with clotheslines at the same time. JD clocked Miz with an elbow drop, knocked Truth off the apron and nailed Strowman with a cheap shot. Miz reached Strowman for the hot tag, allowing him to put JD down with a shoulder tackle and a bodyslam.
Strowman launched JD across the ring and crushed Carlito with a corner splash. Strowman dropped Finn with a chokeslam and took JD and Carlito down with shoulder tackles. Truth and Strowman knocked Finn and Carlito down with double shoulder tackles. Strowman chased JD through the crowd. Truth started celebrating with the crowd, until Finn shocked him with a shotgun dropkick and the Coup de Grace for the win.
WINNERS: Judgment Day & Carlito at 8:17
(Pomares’s Analysis: Decent match with an ending I really did not like. I know that R-Truth isn’t supposed to be a smart character, but him just throwing away the match at the end felt so lazy.)
– Backstage, Adam Pearce told CM Punk that he would talk with Drew McIntyre next week, asked him to stay at home and let him handle this.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Liv Morgan tried to help Dominik Mysterio stretch his legs in a compromising position. The rest of Judgment Day entered the room and Liv quickly walked away, as Damian Priest demanded Dominik to end this.
– The commentary team showed the contents of the latest Wyatt Sicks tape. Bo Dallas talked about his family, how they were forgotten and he gave them a new purpose. Bo said that it was time for the captives to be set free and that they had no master. grief was the price to pay for love, but now they had to let him free and that they had no master. He asked Uncle Howdy if he was sick and he said that he does.
– Backstage, Chad Gable confronted Adam Pearce about the Wyatt Sicks and why he hadn’t done anything about it. Gable said that he would handle this himself and deserved after this before walking away. Pearce entered his office, only to find Bo Dallas inside.
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was probably the weakest VHS tape segment we’ve seen so far since it didn’t really add anything new. Thankfully, the following segment with Adam Pearce and Chad Gable was exactly the right step this story needed with the introduction of Bo Dallas as a live character.)
– Ilja Dragunov made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Bron Breakker.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Damage CTRL complained about being pushed to the side
(4) ILJA DRAGUNOV vs. BRON BREAKKER
Breakker immediately launched Dragunov away with a release German suplex. Dragunov dropped Breakker with a German suplex of his own, only for Breakker to shut him down with a lariat. Dragunov attacked Breakker with chops, until Breakker laid him out with a Gorilla Press Powerslam for a two count, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Breakker flattened Dragunov with a Spinebuster before they started trading chops. Breakker blocked a chop and a German suplex, only for Dragunov to crack him with an enzuigiri. Dragunov clocked Breakker with a running knee to the face and countered a superplex with a powerbomb. Dragunov crushed Breakker with a diving senton for a close two count. Breakker caught Dragunov off-guard with a body block, followed by a gutbuster for a nearfall.
Breakker sat Dragunov atop the turnbuckle, but Dragunov blocked the Frankensteiner with a slap. Dragunov missed the coast-to-coast dropkick, allowing Breakker to clothesline him out of the ring. Dragunov blocked the Spear at ringside with a jumping knee, only for Breakker to block Torpedo Moscow by throwing a chair at him.
WINNER: Ilja Dragunov at 10:30 via DQ
(Pomares’s Analysis: A good match while it lasted to once again reheat Bron Breakker, ahead of what looks to be a triple threat match at SummerSlam.)
– After the match, Bron Breakker prepared to continue the assault, but Sami Zayn ran down to clothesline him out of the ring. Breakker pulled Sami out of the ring and smashed his head into the ring post. Dragunov clobbered Breakker with forearm strikes, but Breakker threw him over the announce table.
– A video package was shown, recapping Damian Priest’s title match at Money in the Bank. Priest said that no champion had zero controversy before calling out Gunther for next week.
– Damage CTRL made their way to the ring, ahead of their six-woman tag match.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– A recap of the Final Testament assaulting New Day last week was shown.
– Backstage, the Final Testament gloated about old talent hurting this business and put over how Xavier Woods beat him, unlike Kofi. Kross warned Woods to join them or he would hospitalize him.
– A recap of the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match was shown.
(5) LYRA VALKYRIA & KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER vs. DAMAGE CTRL (Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane)
Damage CTRL immediately started a brawl all around the ring before Carter caught Sane and Kai with hip tosses. Chance crushed Kai with a slingshot senton and took her down with an arm drag. Chance nailed Kai with a running knee strike using her teammates as steps. Lyra swept Kai off her feet and knocked her down with a basement dropkick for a two count. Chance, Carter and Lyra took care of Damage CTRL with stereo dropkicks through the ropes, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Chance caught Kai with a Codebreaker, only for Sky to crush her with a double stomp to the back. Lyra got the hot tag to knock Sky down with clotheslines and an enzuigiri, followed by a gutwrench powerbomb. Sane cracked Lyra with a spinning backfist, only for Lyra, Chance and Carter to hit Damage CTRL with a triple suplex. Lyra dropped Kai with a fisherman suplex, setting her up for a diving splash from Chance.
Sky broke the pinfall before receiving a hook kick from Lyra. Sane took Lyra down with a diving forearm, only for Carter to blast her with a thrust kick. Kai smashed Carter’s head into the ring post while Sky launched Sane onto Lyra and Chance. Kai spiked Carter with a Curb Stomp, setting her up for Sky’s moonsault and the win.
WINNERS: Damage CTRL at 8:39
– After the match, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville attacked Damage CTRL from behind.
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was a pretty good match that struggled to get the crowd fully on-board, due the usual booking of the tag division. The introduction of Baszler, Stark and Deville as a faction was well-executed, but it will take some actual consistent booking and TV time to put this tag division back on track.)
– Backstage, Zelina Vega and Rey Mysterio said that they would be done with Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio tonight.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville’s assault was shown.
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville about their attack. They said that they sent a message to the rest of the locker room that they run this division. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn interrupted to tell them that as long as they held the titles, they ran the division.
– A video package was shown, featuring Gunther explaining his road to making it in WWE, going through his run in NXT UK and the main roster.
– It was announced that Gunther and Damian Priest would have a face-off; Sheamus would battle Bronson Reed; and Drew McIntyre would return next week.
– Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio made their way to the ring, ahead of their main event match.
[Commercial Break]
(6) LWO (Rey Mysterio & Zelina Vega) vs. LIV MORGAN & DOMINIK MYSTERIO
Vega caught Liv with a back elbow and a pump kick, forcing her to tag Dominik in. Dominik pummeled Rey down and swept him off the top turnbuckle. Vega sent Dominik out of the ring with an assisted hurracarrana before receiving a bunch of strikes from Liv. Vega caught Liv with shoulder thrusts and smashed her head with a facebuster. Dominik got in Vega’s way, only for Rey to trip him onto Liv. Vega crushed Liv with a Meteora while Rey took care of Dominik with a seated senton, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Dominik sat Rey atop the turnbuckle and started tearing off his mask. Dominik laid Rey out with a Michinoku Driver, only for Rey to send him out of the ring with a headscissors takeover. Vega got the hot tag to put Liv down with a series of clotheslines, followed by a running knee and a basement rana. Vega crushed Liv with a Meteora, but she managed to kick out at two. Liv blocked the Code Red and put Vega down with the Three Amigos. Vega blocked the Oblivion before she and Liv knocked each other down with clotheslines.
Rey tagged in to hit Dominik with a headscissors takeover, a diving seated senton, a kick to the head and a Lionsault. Dominik caught Rey with a thrust kick, but couldn’t follow up with the Three Amigos. Dominik blocked the 619, only for Vega to hit him with a 619 to the abdomen. Rey immediately crushed Dominik with a Frog Splash before Liv broke the pinfall. Vega nailed Liv with a 619, but Liv quickly smashed her head into the ring post. Liv distracted the referee with a chair and tripped Rey behind the referee’s back, allowing Dominik to get the win with a Frog Splash.
WINNERS: Liv Morgan & Dominik Mysterio at 11:50
– After the match, Liv Morgan pulled Dominik Mysterio to the mat for a kiss, but a returning Rhea Ripley showed up. Liv immediately ran away through the crowd while Ripley confronted Dominik in the ring.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A pretty good main event, despite the often awkward nature of mixed tag matches. I’m not a fan of this storyline, but finally having Rhea Ripley back on TV is a guaranteed net positive no matter what. I was hoping we would see Ripley do something meaningful in this spot, but they are probably saving that for SummerSlam.)
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