‘WWE Raw’ Review (May 15th 2023)
Welcome to this review of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, right here on Nerdly… The WWE are still building to Night of Champions so let’s see what went down on this week’s show!
Match #1: Shinsuke Nakamura def. The Miz
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Competing in his first Raw match since being drafted by the red brand, Shinsuke Nakamura tangled with The Miz. After settling into the match, The Miz took control, blasting Nakamura with a kick on the outside of the ring. After Nakamura tried to lock up the match with the Kinshasa, The Miz slyly evaded the maneuver, poking Nakamura in the eyes while the referee’s back was turned. The A-Lister landed the Skull-Crushing Finale on The King of Strong Style, but Nakamura wisely put his foot on the ropes. Nakamura then followed up with the Kinshasa for the victory.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Intercontinental Title Number One Contender Battle Royal – Winner: Mustafa Ali
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With a chance to face Intercontinental Champion Gunther at WWE Night of Champions on the line, top Raw Superstars engaged in a high-stakes Battle Royal. Matt Riddle incited The Ring General before the match. After being eliminated by Dolph Ziggler, JD McDonagh destroyed The Showoff at ringside, throwing him into the steel steps. As The Viking Raiders and Alpha Academy were busy trying to eliminate each other, Bronson Reed eliminated Otis and Ivar. Reed was attacked by the rest of the field, but The “Aus-Zilla” was able to clear them all away. Reed kept up the brutality, clobbering Johnny Gargano and Ricochet at the same time. Gunther ordered Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser to attack Riddle, allowing Reed to eliminate The Original Bro. When the dust settled, the final three were Mustafa Ali, Ricochet and Reed. With Ricochet atop Reed’s shoulders on the ring apron, Ali swiftly eliminated both Superstars by dropkicking Reed to the outside to earn a title chance against Gunther.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Dominik Mysterio def. Xavier Woods
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In a rematch from last week, The New Day’s Xavier Woods took on The Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio, who had “Mami” at ringside. Once again, SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley proved a spoiler in the matchup, standing in front of Dominik to protect him as Woods geared up to clobber him outside the ring. Woods connected with the Honor Roll on his second attempt but could only garner a two-count. Mysterio managed to get himself back in the matchup, connecting with the Three Amigos, enraging the WWE Universe. Ripley continued to distract Woods, hitting him with a cheap shot and allowing Dominik to lock up a victory with a rollup.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Indus Sher def. Drake Thompson & Lavar Barbie
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Veer and Sanga of Indus Sher locked up a tremendous in-ring debut victory over Drake Thompson and Lavar Barbie.
My Score: 0.5 out of 5
Match #5: Raquel Rodriguez def. Chelsea Green
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville’s scheduled title matchup with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan had to be postponed due to Morgan’s shoulder injury, Rodriguez took on Green. Rodriguez lit up Green with unique offense, hitting a reverse Alabama Slam on the ring ropes. After a spirited effort from Green, Rodriguez wrapped up the victory with the Tejana Bomb. After the match, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler emerged to obliterate Raquel Rodriguez, demanding a title opportunity.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: The Judgment Day def. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After laying down the challenge earlier in the evening, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn collided with The Judgment Day’s Finn Bálor and Damian Priest. With the call for reinforcements, the rest of The Judgment Day arrived to make the contest lopsided. Even against the numbers, KO and Sami acted like champions with KO leveling Priest and Dominik on the outside. Once back inside, Owens hit a superb Cannonball on The Archer of Infamy, but Priest managed to escape the three-count. After Dominik and “Mami” continued to get involved in the action, the WWE Official threw them out. As Dominik was leaving, he was ambushed by Xavier Woods, and the two fought to the backstage area. The drama ensued as Paul Heyman arrived to the scene and watched from the entranceway. Despite the increased tension, Owens hit a stunning Swanton Bomb before tagging in Zayn, who hit Bálor with a Michinoku Driver for a close two-count. Gunther and his Imperium cohorts came down to the ringside as well. With Imperium looking, KO hit a Stunner on Priest, followed by a Helluva Kick from Zayn to Bálor, but Imperium distracted the referee. As Zayn looked to hit another Helluva Kick, Gunther grabbed the leg of Zayn, allowing Bálor to hit the Coup de Grace for the big victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
This week’s episode of Raw opened strong but then fell apart, coasting along to the end of the show with average match after average match. There were some OK promos strewn throughout the show and between the matches and the promos, the FUTURE episodes of Raw could be interesting but this show? Not so much. Even the long-running (and successful) feud involving The Bloodline & Sami/KO and Judgment Day’s regular rampant destruction of the roster couldn’t keep the excitement up this week!
