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A loaded episode of WWE RAW kicked off with Seth Rollins entering the ring to address the fans. Later in the night, The Visionary challenged Bobby Lashley to a United States Championship match next week.
Kevin Owens and Austin Theory also had an intense argument on the show. It led to a brawl between the two men, with officials having to separate them before they injured each other.
Damage CTRL challenged Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on the show. Plus, Bayley was looking to make her way to the RAW Women’s Championship picture.
Johnny Gargano made his triumphant return to the ring while Dexter Lumis found a way to sneak into The Miz’s house. Overall, it was a solid episode that built a lot of rivalries and characters this week.
With that said, look at the five things WWE RAW got right on this week’s episode.
#5. Sonya Deville challenged Bianca Belair on WWE RAW
Bianca Belair came out to the ring to put out an Open Challenge. Sonya Deville answered Belair and blamed The EST for getting her fired as a backstage official.
The match between the two women kicked off soon after, and Belair hit a power move for a nearfall. Deville did not stay down for long and put her opponent in a corner before unloading on her with a few kicks.
The EST powered out and hit a suplex before getting another nearfall off a moonsault. Deville dodged another moonsault and sent Belair into the announcer’s desk outside the ring. She tried to score the win with an inverted DDT, but Belair countered it and hit the KOD for the win.
It was a good performance from Deville, who came across as a threatening challenger. Hopefully, she will get a few more top matches in the coming months.
Bayley came out after the match to talk down The EST and brag about Damage CTRL.
#4. Finn Balor scored a tainted victory over Matt Riddle
As noted earlier, Seth Rollins kicked off WWE RAW to celebrate his win over Matt Riddle at Clash at the Castle. He said that The Original Bro asked for a rematch, but there was no reason for him to get one. Riddle rushed to the ring, and Rollins ran away before Judgment Day came out to get in the former’s face.
An argument led to a match between Finn Balor and Riddle to get RAW on track for a great start. Both superstars started well, and Riddle got a Broton on Balor for a near fall.
The Prince took Riddle off the ropes and strangled him with his boot. Balor looked a lot more aggressive in the contest as he continued to stomp down on the former United States Champion.
Priest got involved in the action, allowing Balor to hit the 1916. The Prince nearly pinned Riddle before Rey Mysterio came out to attack Priest at ringside and chased him away.
The Original Bro hit a few big moves off the distraction. He dodged a Coupe de Grace to hit the draping DDT before trying for the RKO, but Rollins ran a distraction.
Balor took advantage and hit 1916, followed by Coupe de Grace for the win. After the match, Rollins added insult to injury by stomping down Riddle in the middle of the ring.
It was an excellent match to get RAW started this week. Balor needed the win to get Judgment Day ahead as a top faction. Surprisingly, Riddle is a bigger star on the brand compared to the former NXT Champion. A tainted win helped the heel faction get ahead by taking down one of the top men on the brand.
#3. Johnny Gargano made a triumphant return to the ring on WWE RAW
Johnny Gargano returned to the ring for his first match since NXT WarGames 2021. He took on Chad Gable on this week’s episode of WWE RAW.
Gable worked on his opponent early and trapped him in a submission move before Gargano turned it into a headlock. The two men brawled before Gargano sent him outside the ring and hit a senton from the apron.
Gable got back in action and locked in the Ankle Lock to punish his opponent. Johnny Wrestling fought out of it, and the two superstars traded rollups. Otis tried to interfere but got kicked in the face by the veteran.
The former NXT Champion hit his signature slingshot DDT for the win. After the match, Austin Theory attacked him from behind with the Money in the Bank briefcase. He took a selfie with his former mentor before heading to the ring.
It was a decent return match for Gargano, who needed to shake off some rust. Gable continues to perform as an enhancement talent, which is not a pleasant sight. A rivalry between Gargano and Theory will likely be great for the brand.
#2. Damage CTRL became the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions
Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah defended their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships against Damage CTRL this week. IYO SKY and Dakota Kai were looking to win their first main roster titles on WWE RAW.
Kai and Raquel kicked off the match, and the latter got a beautiful vertical suplex over her former best friend early on. Aliyah came in to hit some big moves and isolated Kai for some time.
The babyfaces threw both the heels outside the ring before Raquel tossed Aliyah at them. The match continued as the champions tried to keep the pressure on for some time. Aliyah nearly pinned Dakota, but Bayley kept her foot on the rope to break the count.
Raquel went after Bayley before SKY hit her with a moonsault outside the ring. The distraction worked well as Kai hit a jaw-dropping lungblower in the ring to pin Aliyah for the three-count.
The match was fast-paced and fun for the fans. It also allowed the titles to quickly get into the hands of the team that was the favorite to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament last month.
Bayley has been incredible as a heel, and she will help IYO and Dakota get ahead as the champions. She could target Bianca Belair and take the RAW Women’s Championship off her to make Damage CTRL the most dominant female faction in the company.
#1. Dominik Mysterio got a solid match against Edge
Dominik Mysterio looked to end Edge for good as the two men competed in the main event of WWE RAW. The Rated-R Superstar was determined to put down the younger Mysterio and take control of the contest early on.
Dominik was sent into barricades and steel steps before Rhea Ripley tried to get involved. Dom fought back and hit a few big suplexes before getting caught up in the ropes. Rhea had to step in again to protect the former tag team champion from taking too much beating.
Dominik hit a splash for a near fall before he was sent head-first into the ring post. The young superstar went after Edge’s injured knee and punished him for some time. He countered a Spear and locked the veteran in a half crab to work on the injured leg.
Edge took control and mercilessly beat down the young superstar before Rey Mysterio came out and begged him to stop. The distraction allowed Judgment Day to attack both the veterans and punish them.
Rhea handed Dominik a steel chair with which he attacked the Hall of Famer’s leg. Balor hit a Coupe de Grace on the knee wrapped in a chair before the heel faction stood tall to close the show.
The storyline involving Judgment Day keeps getting better and better every week. Its members also got the first and final matches on this week’s RAW. The creative team is finally pushing the faction members to build something to look forward to in the coming weeks.
