Match Ratings, Podcast Notes From 7/23/18 WWE Raw From Sean Ross Sapp

Women’s Evolution

• Vince McMahon brings out Stephanie and Triple H for a special announcement.
• Super weird that Nikki Cross, with no previous main roster intro, is just chilling on the ramp. I think Kairi Sane was there, too.
• Triple H puts over the locker room, and asks the women to step forward.
• Stephanie McMahon has that Major Announcement Tan.
• She reveals that this October will feature the first ever all-Women’s PPV event. It will also feature the Mae Young Classic finals.

WWE Raw Tag Team Championships
B-Team (c) defeated Deleter of Worlds
5/10

• Bo Dallas calls Curtis Axel the “brother he never had.” Clever.
• Matt Hardy’s entrance interrupts Elias’ performance.
• I’m interested in what Bray Wyatt does tonight. He’s not bumped since his return. He runs over Bo pretty quickly.
• Bray gets worked over, so he seems like he’s back to normal. Matt gets the hot tag and runs through his “delete” spots.
• Twist of Fate lands, but a little skirmish causes Wyatt to fall into Hardy, and Hardy gets pinned by Axel.
• Deleters fake out B-Team by clapping for them, then attack. I’m not sure what this accomplished. Was it a double turn? Deleters got a face pop after all was said and done.

Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated Jobbers
SQUASH

• Michael Cole throwing in “sister” there was strategic after assumptions last week about Sasha Banks and Bayley.
• This woman wearing leggings got some offense off on Bayley. Sasha comes in and knees the other one in the face. Banks Statement. That’s it.
• Bruh they better never let a woman in leggings get offense on Bayley again.
• They hug after the match.

GET THESE HANDS

• Braun Strowman interrupts Elias. He’s all about equality, and runs down the Bobby Lashley/Roman Reigns match tonight because he has the briefcase.
• Kevin Owens comes out and cuts a really good promo about how his son thought he could be a tag team champion after seeing Nicholas do it, and that’s part of the reason he made such an effort to be nice to Braun.
• KO says Braun took away his ability to provide for his family, and now he’ll do the same….but then says he won their match and has nothing to prove.
• Constable Corbin comes out and says he has someone to help out with Braun Strowman’s anger problem. It’s Jinder Mahal.
• Mahal and Singh try to teach Braun some breathing exercises. Braun bullies Singh into holding the mic for him and gets the crowd to chant “GET THESE HANDS.” Braun then kicks both of their asses.
• Strowman is a bit of a dick.

Mickie James (w/ Alexa Bliss) defeated Natayla

• Mickie James has some new gear. It’s better than the flappy pants. It’s pretty much Shaul Guerrero’s old gear.
• This is pretty hard hitting. Natalya flattens Mickie with a nasty Electric Chair.
• Alexa Bliss distracts Natayla, and Mickie hits a kick to get the win.
• Will Mickie James defend the vest she won from the Green Ranger at WWE Evolution?

PAINFUL

• Authors of Pain cut a really bad promo. Holy Shit give the Authors of Pain Stokely Hathaway already. Stop this fudgery.
• Titus O’Neil cuts a promo about helping AOP out. Apollo Crews follows it up.
• Man, Authors of Pain were garbage in this. They tell Titus O’Neil to retire. Titus and Apollo attack.
• Yeah, sure, man. Wow.  

Backstage Crappenings

• We see reactions throughout the night about the WWE Evolution PPV.
• Stephanie, Kurt, KO, and Corbin are backstage. Owens wants a shot at Braun Strowman at Summerslam, and if he wins, he gets the briefcase. GREAT wrinkle to the KO/Strowman story.

Mojo Rawley defeated Tyler Breeze
SQUASH

• Mojo Rawley will make an outstanding manager in about 15 years too, if they let him and if he wants it.
• Mojo pounces Breeze, and we see Roode with some comments backstage.
• Seated Alabamaslam wins it. Mojo getting a little better every week. He has yellow all over him though. 

Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor
Seth Rollins & Finn Balor defeated Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre
6/10

• HA HA HA ITS A LITTLE LOCKER ROOM. BECAUSE BALOR IS SEVERAL INCHES SHORTER THAN BARON CORBIN WOW GOOD SHIT PAL. Corbin interrupts Balor, who kept interrupting Gable. Yeesh. 
• They literally just copied the Big Cass storyline. 
• Ziggler & McIntyre (wearing a lot of makeup) cut a selfie promo. 
• Balor dives over the top onto Drew as we go to a commercial break. As we come back, he drills McIntyre with one of the best spinning DDTs you’ll see.
• Ziggler interferes, but Rollins makes the save. Angle comes out, TAG TEAM MATCH PLAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
• Rollins has some ENERGY for this match, even though this one doesn’t mean a damn thing. When he gets the hot tag, the crowd gets going. It’s a shame he’d reached almost peak levels of heat again, and WWE relegated him to a guy who has thrown together tag matches.
• Drew McIntyre with a reverse Alabamaslam, but Rollins kicks out and the crowd goes nuts for him. Rollins Curb Stomps Ziggler for the win. The crowd still LOVES Rollins.
• Rollins mentions that he has ANOTHER match with Ziggler at Summmerslam. Yeesh.

Ember Moon defeated Liv Morgan
5.25/10

• Ember Moon is still not a great promo. Sarah Logan has been banned from this.
• Corey Graves explains why Liv isn’t a juvenile delinquent. Excellent.
• This is the 200th match between Ember and Riott Squad.
• Missed body press, choke on the ropes from Liv, inverted STO from Ember.
• Front superplex and Eclipse do it for Ember.

ELIAS

• Elias has been interrupted all night long. His album legit has charted.
• Kurt Angle says the stage is Elias’ and the people really want to hear it, which gets a roar.
• DON’T YOU DARE ELIAS. CINCINNATI IS BEAUTIFUL AND THE OPPOSITE OF SAN ANTONIO.
• He does. You son of a bitch.

Top Contender Tournament Final
Roman Reigns defeated Bobby Lashley
6.75/10

• Roman says he is the most decorated superstar of this generation. Reigns says anyone who doesn’t want Roman Reigns crammed down their throats need to get over it. That’s a much better promo than saying “WWE doesn’t want me to succeed, they’re holding me back.” I can get behind this promo and not feel insulted.
• They come out hot. A lot of heavy hitting clotheslines.
• They should probably stop using the term “legit tools.” 
• Lashley does a really impressive leapfrog, then clotheslines Reigns FROM THE APRON. It looked really cool.
• Wasn’t Lashley the first guy to break the MasterLock? He uses it on Reigns.
• Bobby Lashley using a scarfhold on Roman Reigns. Neat. A powerslam nearly gets a three.
• A Superman punch can’t get it done for Reigns.
• Lashley sends Reigns back in the ring on his FACE. Spear gets a nearfall for Lashley!
• Lashley and Reigns gonna have match of the night on Raw tonight AND Extreme Rules.
• Big Superman punch countering the spear, and Reigns hits one of his own for the win.
• Outstanding match. 50/50 booking that sets up a match that few were clamoring for. Here’s to hoping that after a year and a half, we can finally move on.
• Lashley and Reigns shake hands.