RAW Report: Lesnar’s challenger for SummerSlam to be determined next week

The Big Takeaway:

Roman Reigns will face Samoa Joe next week and the winner will decide who will face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam. The mystery behind who’s been sending Kurt Angle cryptic text message will also be revealed next week. Ambrose and Rollins tease a mini-Shield reunion as they battle a common enemy in the Miztourage.

WWE Monday Night Raw Results: 

Big Show interrupts Big Cass

Big Cass came out and sarcastically asked the WWE Universe “How you doing?” and then cut a heel promo on Enzo Amore. Big Cass told the doubters that one day he will become Universal Champion and will headline WrestleMania. Big Show came out to a big reaction. Cass to Big Show something off mic and then was at a receiving end of a headbutt. Big Show then attacked Cass with strikes who then bailed to the floor and left.

Finn Balor def. Elias Sampson

Sampson took control early working on the shoulder of Balor. Balor recovered and delivered a low dropkick and a baseball slide. Balor then went for his apron mule kick but Sampson countered and planted him on the ring apron. Sampson then applied a Fujiwara armbar but Balor got to the rope. Balor recovered by delivering a pele kick, a sling blade and a running missile dropkick into the turnbuckle. Balor delivered the Coup de Grace and won.

• A good match as Balor was great as usual and Sampson did a good job. Matt and Jeff Hardy came out and celebrated with Balor on the ring entrance. 

The Hardys then cut a in-ring promo explaining how they came up one second short in the Iron Man match at Great Balls of Fire. Jeff wondered if they should “fade away and classify themselves as obsolete.” WWE Universe chanted “delete” Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson came out and said last night proved that they were the Hardys of old. Matt said they were beaten, battered and “somewhat broken” and challenged them to a match.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson def. The Hardys

Hardys took control early as Jeff delivered a Whisper in the Wind. Gallows works on Jeff until Matt got the hot tag and ran wild. Matt delivered a side effect and elbow drop from the middle rope. Gallows delivered a kick to the back of Matt’s head and made the blind tag. Anderson delivered a running knee and delivered the double team Magic Killer for the win.

After the match the Revival came out and attacked the Hardys. Dash Wilder delivered a knee to Matt from the second rope and then along with Scott Dawson delivered the Shatter Machine to Jeff.

• Good to see Anderson and Gallows get a win. Like the involvement of the Revival after the match which sets up The Hardys next feud. This feud and storyline could also lead to the “Broken Hardys”

Dean Ambrose crashes “The Mizzies”

The Miz, Maryse, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel came out for another long segment of MizTV. After retaining the lntercontinential Championship at Great Balls of Fire, Miz was in a generous mood so he handed out some Mizzies.

Miz said he was upset the Marine 5 got snubbed out an Oscar award. Miz then handed out a Mizzie to Axel and Dalas who co-won the Best Supporting Actor award. Highlight was the crowd chanting “You deserve it” at Dallas who had a smile. Maryse won the Most Beautiful, Gorgeous, Sexy Leading Lady Award. Miz won the award for “Greatest Man in WWE” Miz then cut a heel promo on Akira Tozawa, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Hardys as he labeled them as “frauds”

Ambrose came out and speared the Miz but was outnumbered by the Miztourage. Rollins came out and helped his Shield buddy as the Miztourage bailed to the back.

• This segment was long but Miz was great on the mic 

Backstage: Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins

Ambrose asked Rollins why did he save him? Rollins said he wasn’t going to let Miz talk that way about him. Ambrose told Rollins that the Shield reunion wasn’t going to happen and lost his trust in him. Ambrose said for Rollins to fight his own battles and left. Rollins said “jeez”

Sasha Banks & Bayley def. Alexa Bliss & Nia Jax

Banks and Bayley worked on the legs of Jax early on. The heels quickly got the heat back on Bayley as Jax delivered a running splash in the corner. Bliss connected with the Twisted Bliss but Banks broke the count. The action moved to the floor as Jax tried to squash Banks against the barricade but Banks moved. In the ring Bayley pinned Bliss with a schoolgirl cradle.

Backstage: Goldust Vignette

Goldust cut another old school promo on R-Truth and welcomed the crowd to “The Shattered Truth part 2”

Goldust def. R-Truth

Goldust got the advantage early but R-Truth battled back and delivered a scissors kick but Goldust kicked out. Goldust made a comeback by ramming R-Truth into the ring post and then delivered the Final Cut and got the win.

• You can here crickets in the crowd for this match 

Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe confront the WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar

Angle came out and said things got out of hand in the Ambulance Match between Reigns and Strowman. Angle then introduced Brock who came out with Paul Heyman. Angle said Lesnar keeps getting better and better and put over his WrestleMania 19 match with Lesnar. Angle said he had some ideas about Lesnar’s next challenger for the Universal title but Heyman didn’t think there would be a creative meeting out in public.

Reigns came out and was mostly booed. Angle said Reigns has some nerve for coming out to the ring. Reigns said back in the “Attitude Era” they blew up everything and destroyed everything. Angle said that was then and this is now. Reigns wanted a title shot. Heyman liked the idea but Lesnar took the microphone and said Reigns has to be kidding. Lesnar then said “you don’t deserve s**t”

Joe came out to pretty big reaction and said they were all living in a fantasy land and wanted to bring everyone back to reality. Lesnar told Joe reality was he kicked his ass last night. Joe said he will put Lesnar to sleep. Everyone continued to go back-and-forth on the mic. Angle made a match between Joe and Reigns next week and the winner will face Lesnar at SummerSlam. 

• This segment was the highlight of Raw. The back-and-forth dialogues in this promo was just awesome. Joe, Lesnar and Reigns all came out looking like main event superstars.

Backstage: Corey Graves and Kurt Angle

Both Angle and Graves received the same cryptic text message. Angle said he’s going to go public next week. Graves said he has all the confidence that Angle will be OK.

Akira Tozawa & Cedrick Alexander def. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville & Noam Dar

The heels got the advantage and worked on Tozawa. Alexander got the hot tag and ran wild delivered a flying clothesline to Neville. Neville went to the top turnbuckle but got crotched on the ropes. Alexander made the tag to Tozawa and then delivered a suicide dive to Dar on the floor. Tozawa kicked the roped into Neville’s “lower part of the region” and then delivered a top rope senton and got the win.

Backstage: Charly Caruso interviewed Seth Rollins

Rollins said he didn’t come to the aid of Ambrose but wanted to shut Miz up and then said after tonight he will prove that Bray Wyatt can’t hang with “Seth Freakin Rollins”.

Backstage: Bray Wyatt Spooky Promo

This week Wyatt was back in his lair and not in a desert and cut another spooky promo on Rollins.

Bray Wyatt def. Seth Rollins

Wyatt delivered a running body attack early on but Rollins made a comeback by slamming Wyatt’s hand on the steel steps. Rollins attempted a flying clothesline but Wyatt countered and delivered the uranage. Rollins made a comeback and delivered a Falcon Arrow and blockbuster but Wyatt kicked out of the both moves. Finish came with Rollins going for his Rainmaker Knee Strike but Wyatt elbowed him in the eye. Wyatt then delivered the Sister Abigail and got the win.

• A good back-and-forth match as the last closing minutes were pretty good. 

Post-Match:

After the match Wyatt said “Follow the Buzzards” as his titantron plan and disappeared. Miz and his Miztourage came out and started to attack Rollins but this time Ambrose made the same and whacked Miz with the chair. WWE continuing to tease a mini-Shield reunion which will get the crowd hyped up for.

Backstage: Kurt Angle on the phone

Angle was on the phone with a mysterious person and invited them to Raw next week.

• Is WWE bring up a past love-triangle storyline from the “Attitude Era” between Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle? Or could this lead to the on-screen WWE debut of Dixie Carter? 

Overall:

The big angle between Joe, Lesnar and Reigns was terrific. The slow build behind the Kurt Angle text message angle has been pretty good and keeps everyone guessing. Overall it was a fine episode of Raw.

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image credit – WWE