WWE Raw – August 6th 2018: Results & Review

Welcome to this week’s Monday Night RAW review, right here on Nerdly. This week, Ronda Rousey makes her wrestling debut in the main event against Alicia Fox. Be afraid potato chips… be very afraid.

Match #1: Roman Reigns def. Constable Baron Corbin

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Last week, Brock Lesnar laid waste to anything that moved (including Paul Heyman) with two notable exceptions: Roman Reigns, because he had been kicked out of the building, and Constable Baron Corbin, who hit the bricks before he could be relocated to Suplex City. Corbin wasn’t so lucky this week, as Raw General Manager Kurt Angle placed The Constable in a match against Reigns following a show-opening confrontation between the three in which The Big Dog demanded — and received — assurances he would still get his Universal Title Match with Lesnar at SummerSlam. Corbin proved to be as wily as ever in the bout, which he presaged with a hard right to Reigns before the bell rang (payback of sorts for Reigns’ surprise haymaker last week). An impressive performance by The Constable came up empty, however, when Reigns rallied so ferociously that The Constable tried to ditch the match. His attempt to take a count-out loss was thwarted by the appearance of Finn Bálor, who drove Corbin straight into the path of a Superman Punch and match-ending Spear. (The Extraordinary Man received a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Too Sweet from The Big Dog for the assist). Adding insult to injury, Bálor administered a post-match Coup de Grâce to Corbin, and he might get the chance for the last word as well: It was revealed after the match that The Extraordinary Man and The Constable will battle in a rubber match at SummerSlam.

My Take: In some ways this was a success for Roman, as he seemed to get a better crowd reaction, but the crowd was also more docile for the length of the bout, so it remains to be seen if this is to become a trend for him. This was Baron’s best match of his career, which may not be saying much, but at least he is getting better. These two guys still need a lot of work, but if they can have a solid match then any-one can.

Match #2: Bobby Roode def. Mojo Rawley

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Locker room fights are all well and good, but as any loyal Raw viewer knows, issues are settled in the ring. Hence, the long-stewing animosity between Bobby Roode and Mojo Rawley finally made its way to the squared circle, where The Glorious One handed Rawley the first roadblock of his recent high-octane run. It was a victory made all the more impressive because Rawley was firmly in the driver’s seat for the majority of the match and had even managed to aggravate the former United States Champion’s back. After Rawley charged Roode into the turnbuckle, victory seemed a formality, but The Glorious One wriggled free of a fireman’s carry and hit the Glorious DDT before Mojo could adjust.

My Take: Roode beat Rawley in a short bout that gave the victory to the right guy. Roode should be in the title picture, but since he’s not the first draw to get the short end of the stick in the WWE, I suppose you can’t be surprised this has happened.

Match #3: Rezar def. Titus O’Neil

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Last week, Apollo Crews defeated Akam of The Authors of Pain in a match that suggested the former NXT Tag Team Champions might still have some learning to do. If what Rezar did to Titus O’Neil this week is any indication, the lesson has been learned. The Big Deal had rallied from an aggressive opening by Rezar to put his massive foe on the ropes — literally, as Rezar was stranded in the corner. Luckily for Rezar, his partner Akam popped up to trash-talk Titus just long enough for Rezar to recover and administer a one-handed spinebuster that shook the ring and put Titus down for three.

My Take: This was the greatest match in the history of professional wrestling. I lied. It was the standard WWE three breathe Lamaze fight. No, you don’t have to know exactly what I mean, because… even the nights are better/when we’re making love together/because you’re all I ever wanted/now I have you.

Match #4: Jinder Mahal def. Braun Strowman via Disqualification

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Another week, another canny demonstration by Kevin Owens of how he might just use Braun Strowman’s furious tunnel vision to steal the Money in the Bank contract in two weeks. Much like last Monday, Owens did so by propelling Jinder Mahal to a win over The Monster Among Men via the kind of technicality that could cost the Monster his money at SummerSlam if he lets Owens get in his head. Owens was certainly in Strowman’s head tonight, goading him into a rematch with Mahal during a frantic, one-sided interview with The Modern Day Maharaja on the renewal of “The Kevin Owens Show.” Strowman accepted by tipping the entire set over with his bare (these) hands, and Mahal was understandably hesitant to throw down with Strowman a second time. But KO quickly distracted The Gift of Destruction by seizing the briefcase at ringside, leading him on a chase up the ramp. When Mahal pursued, Strowman plowed The Maharaja in the gut with the Halliburton, getting himself disqualified. The Monster Among Men caught up to Mahal at ringside, though Sunil Singh willingly took a big boot from Strowman to allow The Maharaja to escape. Few could doubt Strowman’s ferocity by the end of the evening, though it’s becoming clearer and clearer that his path to victory at SummerSlam will depend more and more on whether he can keep it in check.

My Take: I feel bad for Mahal, as he is one of the worst wrestlers in the world today. Mahal tries, but he just can’t get himself together without a great wrestler to carry him. Strowman is good, but he is not enough to get Mahal through the ring of fire, so to speak. Owens deserves better than the booking of this feud. Over-all, this was pretty much nothing.

Match #5: Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre def. Seth Rollins

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Seth Rollins wanted a chance to take out both Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, so Raw General Manager Kurt Angle gave him a tag team match with a partner of his choosing. Dean Ambrose is still injured, so he was out of contention. So was Tyler Breeze, despite the fact that he had a sweet team name picked out (CrossFit Breeze-us). Roman Reigns stepped up, but Stephanie McMahon pulled rank to protect the Universal Title Match at SummerSlam, even threatening to cancel that bout if Reigns defied her. Reigns punched Constable Baron Corbin in his aching ribs as payback, but his brother received no such satisfaction: Rollins was fighting from underneath the entire time, only briefly finding daylight when he rammed McIntyre into the turnbuckle. The Scottish Terminator recovered in time to tag in and cut Rollins’ rally short, and he did so in such a ferocious manner that Rollins was forced to once again turn his focus to the former NXT Champion, leaving him vulnerable to a bullseye superkick from the Intercontinental Champion.

My Take: This was a decent match that had some nice action now and then. At least the team beat the single.

Match #6: Raw Tag Team Champions The B-Team vs. The Revival ended in a No Contest

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

The Revival’s recent victories would suggest they’re in line for a Raw Tag Team Title opportunity. Unfortunately for them, “Woken” Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt aren’t quite ready to cede their position just yet. In the midst of a match between The Revival and reigning champs The B-Team, Hardy & Wyatt appeared out of thin air on the apron in the thick of the action, pouncing with a Twist of Fate to Scott Dawson and Sister Abigail to Bo Dallas in an unmistakable message that they will not be deleted from contention quite so easily.

My Take: There wasn’t much to this match, as it was all about setting up the Deleters of Worlds as vengeful harbingers of war. That sentence sucked.

Match #7: The Riott Squad def. Sasha Banks & Bayley

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

It’s been a while since Sasha Banks & Bayley had anything worth squabbling over — they’re undefeated since their cards-on-the-table confab a couple of weeks back — but a surprise intrusion during their rematch with The Riott Squad led to a defeat that provided the former champions with the first misstep of their freshly-renewed friendship. The surprise, in this case, was the return of Ruby Riott. After weeks on the injured list, Riott made her presence known soon after Banks had entered the contest to save Bayley from an extended isolation and give “The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection” their biggest advantage of the match. When Bayley threw Liv Morgan to the outside, Riott — disguised in a black hoodie — pulled Liv out of danger and revealed herself in dramatic fashion, distracting The Boss and leaving her vulnerable to a roll-up from Sarah Logan for the 1-2-3. Judging by Bayley and Sasha’s reaction, the loss did little to test their friendship. That said, the fully reunited Riott Squad may prove a serious challenge of their mettle.

My Take: This was a decent match that had some nice mat work from Logan.

Match #8: Main Event – Ronda Rousey def. Alicia Fox

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Two things can be true: Alicia Fox can be a Survivor Series team captain, a former champion and Women’s division pioneer whose career helped pave the way for the WWE Evolution pay-per-view … and she can also be no match for Ronda Rousey. New to the game though she may be, The Baddest Woman on the Planet was more than ready for the first Raw match of her career, in which she convincingly defeated Alicia despite the latter’s attempt to thwart Ronda with a cat-and-mouse game aided by Alexa Bliss. Once Rousey got her hands on Alicia, it was almost completely one-sided; she extracted payback for last week by ramming Fox into the barricade and submitted her with the Armbar while Alexa watched. The Goddess attempted to one-up Rowdy Ronda by bum-rushing her during her post-match interview, only to be judo-thrown out of the ring and forced into retreat. As a horrified Bliss backed up the ramp with her Raw Women’s Title in her clutches, Rousey left her with a final message to stew over: “It does not matter how tight you hold onto that title. Because at SummerSlam, it’s mine.”

My Take: Fox did a great job of selling Rousey’s arm-drag, with quick, crisp bumps. Rousey looked excellent here and felt like a major attraction. This atmosphere for this bout felt just right.

News Of The Night:

1. A feud between the Riott Squad and Sasha Banks and Bayley has begun.
2. Paul Heyman did a great promo where claimed he doesn’t know what Lesnar will do next.
3. A Roman Reigns/Baron Corbin feud may be on the way.
4. Finn Balor will wrestle Baron Corbin at Summerslam.
5. The Deleters of Worlds will wrestle The Revival and The B Team for the Raw Tag Team Titles, next week.
6. The Bobby Lashley/Elias feud continued with a bad skit.
7. The Kevin Owens show returned and featured Braun Strowman flip Owens and Jinder Mahal and Sumil Singh off of the stage. The stage was low to the ground so the fall was short, but they fell on to the concrete, so I wouldn’t call that an easy day at work for the trio.

Final Verdict: This was another dull RAW that was saved by Paul Heyman and Ronda Rousey. There was far too much in the way of repeat pairings here. Perhaps they could start mixing the roster around for some fresh matches?