WWE Raw – Aug 16th 2021: Results & Review (2nd Opinion)

Welcome to this week’s WWE Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel… Elvis Presley: …and I’m Elvis! Here comes the king! Hocha! Me: You’re the king? Elvis: Yeah man. Kapowa! Me: You’ve been accused of grooming teen girls over the years. Elvis: Hiya! Wait…what? Me: Did you? Elvis: How would I know man?! You just made me up for this review. Nepal! Me: Point taken. Do you think you did, imaginary Elvis? Elvis: Who knows baby? What I do know is simple: We’re caught in a trap! I can’t walk out, because I love you too much baby! Me: Why can’t you see what you’re doing to me when you don’t believe a word I say? Elvis and I: We can’t go on together with suspicious minds…suspicious minds…and we can’t build our dreams on suspicious miiiiiiiiiiiiiinds! Me: Raw starts now. Elvis and I: Well, don’t you know I’m caught in a trap? I can’t walk out, because I love you too much, baby! Well, don’t you know I’m caught in a trap? I can’t walk out, because I love you too much, baby! Me: This song is becoming a trap. Elvis: Oh my love, my love! I hunger for your touch! Me: Oh no you don’t! Raw! Now!

[Author’s Note: Riddle, who has been accused of rape, has not had that accusation proven guilty or innocent in a court of law and if that alarms or upsets you for any reason, then viewer discretion is advised].

Match #1: AJ Styles b. Riddle

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After Riddle questioned Randy Orton once more about the possibility of reuniting RK-Bro, AJ Styles emerged to challenge The Original Bro to a one-on-one match. Riddle was stunned to see Orton turn his back and walk away just before the bell could ring, leaving him to go it alone against The Phenomenal One. It was an omen that spelled the end for Riddle, as Styles earned the victory after connecting with a devastating Styles Clash.

The Verdict: 7 out of 10

Match #2: Rhea Ripley b. Nikki A.S.H.

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Charlotte Flair was eager to take in the action, sitting at the Raw announce table for the duration of this bout between Rhea Ripley and Raw Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. A grueling battle ensued, culminating in a Riptide that gave The Nightmare the win. The Queen continued to taunt The Almost Superhero for coming up short after the match, leading A.S.H. to jump all over Flair, sending Charlotte into the ring for more punishment at the hands of the Raw Women’s Champion and the victorious Ripley as well.

The Verdict: 5 out of 10

Match #3: Drew McIntyre b. Veer & Shanky – Handicap Match

The stakes were high for Drew McIntyre against both Veer & Shanky in a Handicap Match. With a win, McIntyre would get the duo banned from ringside for his showdown against Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam, but with a loss, he would not be able to bring his mighty sword, Angela, to the ring for said SummerSlam match. The Scottish Warrior prevailed, hitting Shanky with a wicked Claymore and subsequently sending The Modern Day Maharaja a clear message heading into SummerSlam.

The Verdict: 3 out of 10

Match #4: Damian Priest b. The Miz

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After helping to expose the truth about The Miz’s knee injury on John Morrison’s first-ever edition of “Moist TV,” Damian Priest got a chance to square off against The A-Lister. The fact that Miz used Morrison for several months, not needing a wheelchair all along, rubbed America’s Moist Wanted the wrong way, leading Morrison to walk out on Miz during the bout and sealing a win for Priest using Sheamus’ Brogue Kick. The Archer of Infamy’s use of The Celtic Warrior’s move prompted United States Champion Sheamus to sound off on Priest, vowing to defeat him at SummerSlam.

The Verdict: 4 out of 10

Match #5: Mansoor b. MACE

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

With Mustafa Ali in his corner, Mansoor aimed to bounce back against the menacing MACE. After taking some punishment from MACE, Mansoor got the assist from Ali in the form of a sneaky dropkick, leading to a quick roll-up and stunning victory for Mansoor.

The Verdict: 2 out of 10

Match #6: Randy Orton b. Omos by disqualification

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Randy Orton’s tall task of attempting to vanquish the colossal Omos ended when AJ Styles got involved, swiftly kicking Orton while he was down to cause a disqualification. An outnumbered Viper quickly saw Riddle rush to his aid and fend off the Raw Tag Team Champions, prompting Orton to delight the WWE Universe with his declaration that RK-Bro is in fact back.

The Verdict: 3 out of 10

Match #7: Karrion Kross b. Jeff Hardy

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

NXT Champion Karrion Kross got the jump before the bell as he attacked Jeff Hardy backstage before the match. A weakened Hardy gave it his all to try and defeat Kross once again, but the vicious NXT Champion proved to be too much, countering the Twist of Fate into his patented Kross Jacket submission for the win.

The Verdict: 1 out of 10

Match #8: Charlotte Flair & Nia Jax b. Nikki A.S.H. & Rhea Ripley

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Still looking to take out their frustrations on Charlotte Flair, Raw Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley joined forces to take on The Queen and a partner of her choosing, Nia Jax. An intrigued Shayna Baszler looked on at the back-and-forth tag team battle that eventually saw Flair tag herself in, much to Jax’s dismay, and get the pinfall victory over Ripley after hitting Natural Selection.

The Verdict: 3 out of 10

Final Verdict: 3/10

This show was a perfect example of booking yourself into a hole. On this three hour show, we had a half hour of wrestling and that’s about it. Hell, it might have been less. We just got repeats of promos from the past few weeks and short matches that couldn’t whet the appetite for what has morphed into a very solid SummerSlam card. Elias repeated his vignette from last week and did a day-time version of it later in the show. Jeff lost to Kross again and in a squash match no less. Nikki A.S.H. wrestled twice and looked like a chump both times. Randy got jobbed to Omos in a match that didn’t go past a few minutes and even ended with the lamest DQ finish in some time. AJ and Riddle were the best thing on the show, but their match only went a little while and it started the show. I guess a slow descent into mediocrity is what Vince had in mind. Goldberg repeated his issues with Bobby Lashley almost verbatim as they’ve been in the past few weeks. At least Goldberg has become quite good at doing the talking s–t. This whole thing was sucked dry of the juice and it left the whole show looking anemic. SummerSlam is supposed to be a big deal this year and it doesn’t feel that way based off of Raw this week. Yeesh. Yeesh? Is that a word? I know it’s a sound, but is it a word? You know what is a word? S–t! Hey! That’s what this show was…s–t! The wrestlers were not at fault here, as they tried, but their promoter didn’t. Hey. I’ll be back next week. It may have been a lousy show, but it was a fun review. Leo Sayer: I fooled around a fell in lo… Elvis: F–k off, Leo Sayer! Me: See you next time!