‘WWE Raw’ Review (May 8th 2023)
Welcome to this review of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, right here on Nerdly… We’ve got the fallout from Backlash, the start of the World Heavyweight Title Tournament and debuts following the WWE Draft, so let’s see what went down on this week’s show!
Match #1: Seth “Freakin” Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura and Damian Priest
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the first World Heavyweight Title Tournament Triple Threat Match, Shinsuke Nakamura locked Damian Priest in an ankle submission. But as he attempted to make his opponent tap out, Seth “Freakin” Rollins suddenly descended on him with a splash off the top rope. The Visionary then followed with a Pedigree on The King of Strong Style to pick up the victory and advance to the semifinals later tonight.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Mustafa Ali def. Otis
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
During his matchup against Mustafa Ali, Otis became confused by contrasting instructions by Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri. After wasting valuable time, Otis charged at his opponent, but Ali ducked out the way and sent his befuddled foe into the ring post. Mustafa then took to the sky and hit the 450 Splash for the three-count.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: Finn Bálor def. Cody Rhodes and The Miz
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the second explosive World Heavyweight Title Tournament Triple Threat Match, Cody Rhodes’ attempt to pin The Miz was suddenly interrupted when Brock Lesnar dragged him out of the ring and hit him with the F-5 to the ringside floor. This paved the way for Finn Bálor to hit the Coup de Grace to triumph over The Miz. As a result, Bálor advanced to battle Seth “Freakin” Rollins to determine who will go to WWE Night of Champions to compete for the World Heavyweight Title. After the match, The Beast smashed Rhodes through the announce table and ruthlessly challenged him to a rematch at WWE Night of Champions.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Rhea Ripley def. Dana Brooke
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley laid waste to Dana Brooke and hit the Riptide/Prism Lock Submission combination to make her opponent tap out. When Riley hit a post-match Riptide and again locked in the Prism Lock on her fallen opponent, however, Natalya came to the ring to save Brooke and stand face-to-face with The Eradicator of the Judgment Day.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #5: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn def. Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Moments after a resilient Kevin Owens Stunned Ludwig Kaiser out of the ring, Sami Zayn hit the Helluva Kick on Giovanni Vinci to give the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions a “sacred” victory over Imperium.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: Zoey Stark def. Nikki Cross
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Zoey Stark kicked off her Raw run with by overcoming the unpredictable Nikki Cross with the impressive Z360.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #7: Dominik Mysterio def. Xavier Woods
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the final moments of Xavier Woods’ matchup against Dominik Mysterio, Rhea Ripley interfered and paved the way for Dominik to roll up Woods for the quick win.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #8: Seth “Freakin” Rollins def. Finn Bálor
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Following their respective first-round tournament victories earlier in the night, Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor battled for the opportunity to compete for the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Night of Champions. In the final moments, despite suffering an arm injury, The Visionary hit an inverted Stomp before following up with the Stomp itself to reign supreme and earn his gold opportunity.
My Score: 4 out of 5
News of the Night:
- Former NXT star Zoey Stark made her main roster debut
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Apart from the World Heavyweight Title Tournament matches this episode was pretty inconsequential. Even Zoey Starks’ debut seemed wasted in a squash match – against Nikki Cross, who seems to have been dug out of the cupboard just to get beat down by the “new” and “exciting” new talent from NXT. After the one man campaign (which made the dirt sheets more for the fact his signs kept getting confiscated) to get Dana Brooke back on TV, here she was… getting her ass kicked in quick fashion by Rhea Ripley. Almost as if to insult the very fan(s) that called for Brooke’s return. Kudos to Rollins and Balor for that main event, especially given they worked two matches each on this show!
