RAW REVIEW 7/22/24

- Mike Mueller, Senior Editor

The July 22nd episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from Green Bay Wisconsin. With less than 2 weeks until Summerslam, the night was largely concerned with advancing storylines more so than in-ring action. 

The show kicked off with Gunther in the ring. He compares current champion Damian Priest to the people of Green Bay: Poor losers. He tells Priest to come down and hand over the title so they don’t have to fight at Summerslam and Priest can instead stay home in his trailer park. Priest arrives but has no interest in giving up the title. He doesn’t even have any interest in talking, instead getting in a sucker punch and the men brawl for a while until security breaks them up.

Using classism is always a great way to keep heat on a heel, especially a foreign heel. Gunther is playing the part well. However, while he’s certainly not dressed poorly, it seems like it would be an obvious choice for Gunther to be wearing suits to the ring if he’s trying to project being in a better class than Priest or the audience, especially since Cody has seemed to stop wearing suits so frequently for the time being. Either way, Gunther is doing a great job and will most likely be walking out of Summerslam with the title.

ILJA DRAGUNOV VS BRON BREAKKER 

Ilja Dragunov and Bron Breakker fought each other in a re-match from a few weeks ago. This time, the winner would receive a shot at Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Title at Summerslam. These two have a long history together, dating back to their time in NXT. It is evidenced by how well the two work together in the ring. Dragunov has made a career out of having bangers with big men, and while Breakker isn't a giant, he’s still much larger than Ilja. 

After an early back-and-forth struggle for control, Dragunov hit a beautiful powerbomb that looked like it might have gotten the victory, but Breakker was able to kick out and hit a top rope Frankensteiner (or “Breakkensteiner” as Pat McAfee dubbed it) to get a near fall of his own. Ilja then hit a picture-perfect superplex and followed it up with the H Bomb (a running forearm strike) but was unable to get the cover because Breakker rolled out of the ring. Dragunov attempted a diving attempt from the ring apron to the floor, but Bron caught him with a spear that caused the referee to stop the match, due to Ilja’s inability to get up off of the mat. Bron Breakker wins by TKO and will now get a rematch with Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Title. 

While this was a very solid match, it was surprising to see it finish the way it did. It didn’t really protect Ilja, and it seems like a pinfall victory would have been more impressive. Expect the Summerslam match to have a similar result. OFFICIAL PREDICTION: Breakker becomes the new IC champ by TKO. 

BACKSTAGE SHENANIGANS 

In the Judgment Day clubhouse, Rhea Ripley is excited to be back, and even more excited that soon they’ll have all the gold again, once she regains her title from Liv Morgan. Dom is nervous because Rhea and Jey Uso have been flirting on social media. Rhea insists it’s innocent while Dom isn’t so sure. Not so fun when the shoe is on the other foot, now is it Daddy Dom?!? It’s interesting to note that the writing on Rhea’s cheek, which formerly said “D+R”, and last week simply said “RR” now says “BnB”. No idea what that means, unless Rhea is planning on opening a cute Australian bed and breakfast after her wrestling career is over.

Elsewhere, Xavier woods gives Tozawa a cake for his birthday. Tozawa eats bites of the cake in between squats, and Otis just barehands some cake while exclaiming “OH YEAH!” And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what pro wrestling is all about. It’s not quite on the level of the Roddy’s Rowdies promo at the ‘89 Survivor Series, but we’ll take it. 

LYRA VALKYRIA w/Kayden Carter and Katana Chance VS SONYA DEVILLE w/ Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler 

This matchup features a classic styles clash between the high flying babyface and the hard striking heel. Despite both women being known for a certain brand of wrestling, they did a good job of adapting to each other’s styles. There were lots of counters and reversals from both women throughout the match. Eventually, Valkyria hit an impressive delayed gut wrench powerbomb that should absolutely be one of her signature moves, but Sonya was able to kick out. On the outside of the ring, Carter and Chance start brawling with Stark and Baszler, which distracts Lyra, but Sonya stays focused and is able to hit the Deville’s Advocate (GREAT pun) for the win. 

Next, we see a quick vignette on Nikki Cross (now presumably called Abby) from the Wyatt Sick6. Unlike previous weeks, she didn’t hand Michael Cole a beat up amazon box from a smoke filled arena, which is good. That schtick has run its course. The clip didn’t go into as much depth or emotion as the previous videos featuring Bo Dallas and Erik Rowan, but Nikki doesn’t have the same ties to Bray that those two did, so it was smart to just keep it as an effective horror movie-esque glimpse at her morbid character. 

A REVOLUTIONARY REFEREE

CM Punk enters the ring to a huge ovation. He announces that he is officially medically cleared to compete which causes the audience to lose their minds. He calls out Drew McIntyre so they can finally get this fight on. Drew appears but says that “CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre is far too big for Green Bay.” He tries to goad Punk into attacking him by bringing out the bracelet that he stole from Punk a few weeks prior, but Adam Pierce comes out to say that the match will be happening at Summerslam and that neither man is allowed to lay a finger on each other before that, due to the constant chaos they have caused. He says he has a big problem, a big…referee problem. Just as he says that, Seth Rollins' music hits and Seth comes out wearing 70% of a ruffled aquamarine suit coat (the lower back must have been torn off at some point), to the chagrin of both men. This was a great way to keep Seth involved with this storyline, as he still has unfinished business with both men. 

After that, Sami Zayn is giving an interview, saying that he isn’t exactly “concerned” with Bron Breakker, but he is taking Bron seriously, and warns Bron to do the same, otherwise Zayn will be victorious, just like their last encounter at Money in the Bank. Sami is distracted though, when he hears someone getting attacked. The Judgment Day has found Jey Uso and is attacking him for the comments he was making toward Rhea Ripley. Sami helps Jey dispose of them and helps Jey to his feet. 

XAVIER WOODS, OTIS, & TOZAWA VS FINAL TESTAMENT

The last time the final testament was in the ring with a New Day member, they broke Kofi Kingston’s arm. Woods hasn’t forgotten that and has been looking for revenge ever since. Xavier starts the match off and is doing alright before tagging in Tazowa, who probably wishes he stayed in the back with his cake, because Akam, Razar, and Karrion Kross all take turns beating Tozawa from pillar to post. A “we want Kofi” chant starts and eventually Tozawa is able to make the hot tag to Wisconsin’s own Otis. He clears house and hits the caterpillar as the crowd goes wild. Woods gets back in and starts to unleash on Kross, but a distraction from Akam allows Kross to hit his finisher for the win. 

After the match, Chad Gable comes out, flanked by the Creed Brothers. He’s here to offer Alpha Academy a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to come back to Gable (this is at least the third time he’s tried to get them back). He tries using the same scare tactic as before, saying that there’s no rhyme or reason to who the Wyatt Sick6 are attacking. Sure they’re focused on Chad now, but Otis, Tozawa, and Maxine may very well be next. Gable’s offer is rejected and the Creed brothers immediately attack Otis and Tozawa. They’re about to deliver a con-chair-to to Otis when the lights go off and the Wyatt Sick6 appear. Bo Dallas enters the ring in a Uncle Howdy/Fiend mashup type of mask, and delivers Sister Abigail on Gable. It’s the first true attack they've done since tearing up the backstage area a month ago.  

PETE DUNNE VS BRONSON REED…KIND OF

Before the match even begins, Sheamus comes out to attack both men. He’s been feuding with Reed for a few weeks, and now Pete Dunne’s interference has caused Sheamus to have beef with him, too. Bedlam ensues and Sheamus gets the best of the situation. Backstage, Sheamus gives an interview, telling Pete Dunne if he has beef with Sheamus, it can all easily be solved over a pint at the pub…or a banger in the ring. I have a feeling Pete is going to opt for the latter. 

Back in the Judgment Day clubhouse, Finn says he’s had enough of Sami Zayn and Jey Uso, so he spoke to Adam Pierce and got a tag team match set up for tonight. Rhea wants to know where Dom was during the backstage attack, to which Carlito says “you should ask Liv”, alluding to the fact that Liv cornered Dom when he was separated from the rest of the Judgment Day when they were looking for Jey Uso. This naturally infuriates Rhea and she all but drags Dom out to the ring to hash this out. 

In the ring, She calls out Liv Morgan. Liv’s music hits, but Liv is safely up in the crowd. She tells Rhea “Gorgeous men like Daddy Dom don’t go for girls that look like you. They go for girls that look like me.” She then asks the crowd to be quiet so Dom can say the three little words that Liv has been dying to hear. FINALLY after months of paralysis, Dom confidently says that he hates Liv. She has ruined his life and he never wants to see her again. This causes Liv to break down in tears and run away, while a smiling Rhea Ripley licks Dom's face and they walk off arm in arm. I feel bad for whoever ended up in the hotel room next to theirs that night. Some poor family from Madison is about to hear some things. 

ZELINA VEGA VS ZOEY STARK w/ Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler

Zelina comes out with a bandaged arm, and a flip flop for some reason. She’s ready for revenge on this new female trio. Zoey Stark wisely spends most of the match going after Zelina’s arm, as Vega simply tries to survive and get quick pinfall opportunities where she can. Stark hits a beautiful missile drop kick and maintains her advantage through most of the match. Things are looking bleak for Zelina as Deville and Baszler utilize the numbers game by distracting the ref and getting cheap shots on Vega. However, it doesn't take long for Carter, Chance, and Valkyria to come out and neutralize the numbers advantage. Vega hits a Code Red (Canadian destroyer) out of nowhere and gets the upset victory. There’s been a large online clamoring from wrestling fans, wanting to see Zelina get a push. This may be the first step in that direction, and it’s great to see. 

Backstage, Xavier Woods approaches Adam Pierce, saying he NEEDS a one on one match with Karrion Kross next week. Pierce says he’ll see what he can do, which placates Woods. Drew McIntyre then appears, asking Pierce “you didn’t think it was important to tell me Seth Rollins was going to be the special guest referee?” to which Pierce fires back “if you have a problem with referees, you shouldn't have put your hands on them.” Well played, Adam! Looks like he might be getting control of this show after all. 

Elsewhere, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are bragging about being the women’s tag team champs, and still toying with the idea of giving Jade Cargill and Bianca Bel Air their championship rematch. Deville, Baszler, and Stark appear, declaring “Jade and Bianca aren’t your biggest issue…we are.” 

FINN BALOR AND JD MCDONAGH VS SAMI ZAYN AND JEY USO

Sami and Jey have the audience hyped up as they make their way through the arena corridor and down to the ring. JD and Finn control the early part of the match, isolating Zayn and keeping Jey from entering the ring. Zayn turns things around with a blue thunder bomb and he makes the hot tag to Jey. Uso hits some “yeet strikes” and the faces turn the match around. Sami gets back in the match, and he and Jey hit a 1-D on McDonagh, which would have gotten the win, but Balor was able to make the save. The Judgment Day then deliver their greatest hits, including a Coup de Grace from Balor onto Jey, but Sami bails out his partner at the very last moment. Sami is able to hit a Helluva Kick on JD before neutralizing Finn on the outside of the ring. Jey hits an Uso Splash and gets the victory for the good guys. After the match, Bron Breakker appears out of nowhere to hit a spear on Zayn before slipping out of the ring, and that’s how we go off the air.