21st May2019

WWE Raw – May 20th 2019: Results & Review

by Nathan Favel

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Welcome to this week’s Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have…something. Yeah, this might not go well.

Match #1: Braun Strowman def. Sami Zayn

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Seems like we can all safely say that Braun Strowman did not ambush Sami Zayn and string him up by his ankles in order to remove the former NXT Champion from the Men’s Money in the Bank Match. And yet, Zayn did steal The Monster Among Men’s place in said match, and he indirectly got Strowman kicked out of the arena last night, so a debt was owed. And rest assured, it was paid. Despite Zayn’s attempt to evade Strowman’s wrath by fleeing to the backstage area — he also tried to get Braun’s Super ShowDown opponent Bobby Lashley involved, but all Lashley did was stare down the big man — Strowman literally carried his opponent to the ring and made short work of him once the bell finally rang, putting Zayn away via Running Powerslam. With Super ShowDown in the distance, Strowman now has his eyes on The All Mighty. As far as Sami Zayn goes, consider them even.

My Opinion: 0.5 out of 5 – This was less than a minute. It sucked.

Match #2: Cesaro def. Ricochet

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

It’s been a while since Cesaro was a regular singles competitor on Raw, so it’s tempting to regard his recent run as something of a reminder of what made him such a special Superstar in the first place. The man simply does not have bad matches. He had the added benefit of a victorious performance this week, though his opponent, Ricochet, was nowhere near 100 percent after taking a painful trip through a ladder at WWE Money in the Bank last night. That was perhaps what Cesaro had in mind when he more or less goaded the former NXT North American Champion into a bout during a confrontation in the trainer’s room. Ricochet battled through his taped-up back on pure adrenaline, but his desire to beat Cesaro with his speed instead found him flying headlong into a vicious European uppercut. The Swiss Superman followed up with a gorilla press backbreaker and Neutralizer for the victory. Attach an asterisk if you must; it won’t change the outcome.

My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – This had potential, but they got cut off from having the kind of match that they were capable of.

Match #3: The Revival def. The Usos

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

It’s been all jokes for The Usos lately, especially where The Revival is concerned. But Jimmy & Jey weren’t laughing much after their bout with the former Raw Tag Team Champions — a bout the “Top Guys” requested and one that The Usos clearly thought was going to go very different. While Jimmy & Jey shimmied their way to the ring, Dash & Dawson came out swinging, throwing hands before The Usos could even get their hoodies off and forcing the twins to re-strategize almost immediately. The Revival’s aggression eventually brought The Usos down to earth, and the match soon turned from Tag Team 101 to wild high-flying and hybrid maneuvers (Dash Wilder’s got a mean tornado DDT, it turns out) and a flat-out slugfest. The Revival did what they do best by sticking to the basics, with Dash Wilder hitting the ring to cause chaos and legal man Scott Dawson earning a tights-assisted roll-up that was as decisive as it was ill-gotten. Perhaps their post-match celebration was a little excessive (let’s be honest, they cheated), but the elation was nonetheless justified: For all The Usos’ accomplishments over the last few weeks, they forgot who they were provoking until it was too late, and what could have been a riot turned into a reality check.

My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a solid tag match that had a bit of life to it, but not much other than that.

Match #4: Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross def. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics & Lacey Evans

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The dream ended for Becky Lynch at WWE Money in the Bank when she went from Two Belts to one, though that isn’t to say the reigning Raw Women’s Champion has let defeat slow her down in the slightest. Not only did she turn a sprawling confab on “A Moment of Bliss” into a Six-Woman Tag Team Match pitting herself and the unlikely combo of Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross against The IIconics and Lacey Evans, The Man scored the deciding pinfall. If there’s any disappointment for Becky, it’s that Evans, whose interference last night cost her the SmackDown Women’s Title, wasn’t the one she pinned. The Lady of WWE refused to square up with The Man and instead focused all her energy on Nikki Cross, who was a little extra motivated after Alexa passive-aggressively berated her for losing the Women’s Money in the Bank Match. (As for Alexa, she followed Becky’s pre-match instructions and didn’t get involved, sipping her coffee at ringside for the whole bout.) Evans eventually bailed on the match when things started to get sticky, and with Cross spent from fighting a three-on-one strategy, The Man handily shouldered the load and finished the fight singlehandedly with a second-rope leg drop to Billie Kay. It was as much a statement from Lynch to Evans — one title or two, she’s still The Man — as it was a lesson to The IIconics, who thought they were lording over Becky by mocking her loss, and instead became the latest to make the grave mistake of underestimating her.

My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – The parts with Nikki Cross and Becky Lynch were good, so there’s that.

Match #5: Titus O’Neil won the inaugural 24/7 Championship

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

New title, new rules, new Raw? Seeking to bring the rawness back to the third hour of Raw, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley introduced the 24/7 Championship, a new title that can be won or lost at any time, in any place, as long as there’s a referee present, with competition open to all brands, including 205 Live, NXT and NXT UK, as well as Legends and WWE Hall of Famers. The idea, Foley said, was to reinforce the notion that a champion must eat, sleep and breathe the title if he wants to be worthy of it, and fittingly enough, the title’s history got off to the most frantic possible start when Foley’s announcement instigated a wild scrum that ended in not one but two titleholders within the span of a few minutes. Titus O’Neil grabbed the title to become the inaugural 24/7 Champion.

My Opinion: 0 out of 5 – This was one of the worst matches in wrestling history.

Match #6: Robert Roode def. Titus O’Neal – 24/7 Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Robert Roode ran out like a bat out of hell and rolled up The Big Deal near the entranceway to win the championship. The savvy Roode hit the bricks the second he captured the championship, with several other contenders giving chase behind the curtain. He didn’t even have time to grab the title when he made his escape, but Roode certainly got Foley’s message: Everyone is coming for him, and he’ll need to be at his best to hold them off.

My Opinion: 0 out of 5 – This was one of the worst matches in wrestling history.

Match #7: Drew McIntyre def. The Miz

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Miz isn’t quite ready to put Shane McMahon in his rearview, but Drew McIntyre seems to be making that decision for him: The Scottish Psychopath is already paying dividends for “The Best in the World,” who forced The A-Lister to face his towering enforcer when he made it known he wanted to square up with Shane once again. Unfortunately, the mountain proved to be too steep a climb for even this gritty version of the former WWE Champion. Of course, McIntyre didn’t exactly steamroll through Miz, whose matches with Shane have brought out an inner brawler that shows no signs of fading away anytime soon. The Awesome One even got McIntyre down to his back by chopping out his knees, setting up a Figure-Four Leglock and forcing Shane to run interference. But there was no doubt who Miz was really out there for, and The A-Lister’s attempt to chase down Shane gave McIntyre time to recover from a Figure-Four and occupy the ref’s attention. Shane took advantage, ambushing Miz from behind to set him up for a match-ending Claymore. Adding insult to injury, Shane offered one last “parting gift” before he finally moved on from Miz, ordering McIntyre to set The Awesome One up in the corner for a Coast-to-Coast. Before Shane could take flight, however, Roman Reigns darted to the ring and fought them both off. For Miz, the moment was bittersweet at best. For all his fire, Miz finds himself at a loss. Redemption evades his grasp, and Shane threatens to fade farther into the distance.

My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was a good match that was slower than it should have been, but it was wrestled quite well and made for a fine match.

Match #8: R-Truth def. Robert Roode to become the new 24/7 Champion

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

When the history books look back on Robert Roode’s reign as 24/7 Champion, they will note his outstanding cardio and shocking gullibility above all. After leading several Raw Superstars on a merry chase through the arena, Roode seemed to finally find safe harbor when R-Truth hid him in the trunk of his car and directed the mob elsewhere. The assist turned out to be a ruse, however, as Truth had a referee stowed away in the passenger seat who was ready and willing to count the pinfall when he slammed Roode headfirst into the side of the vehicle and covered him right there in the parking lot. Given that Truth is the final Wild Card of the night, that means the 24/7 Title is going with him to SmackDown LIVE, where competitors would do well to put some respect on his name: For all the times he’s seemed unsure of where or even when he is, when it comes to this title, the new champion seems to know exactly what’s up.

My Opinion: 0 out of 5 – This was one of the worst matches in wrestling history.

Match #9: (Main Event) Universal Champion Seth Rollins & WWE Champion Kofi Kingston def. Bobby Lashley & Baron Corbin (No Disqualification)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

It wasn’t hard to see where things were going when Raw’s main event — a tag team match pitting Universal Champion Seth Rollins & WWE Champion Kofi Kingston against Bobby Lashley & Baron Corbin — was reconfigured on the spot into a No Disqualification Match. For all the chaos that unfolded in the wild free-for-all that comprised the main event (there were barely any tags and Rollins got caught so unawares he wrestled most of the match in his T-shirt), Kingston pinned Corbin with a Trouble in Paradise to win the match.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This was a lousy main event. What else can be said?

News Of The Night:

  1. The fate of the US Title will be decided, next week.
  2. The 24/7 Title was introduced and it’s just the Hardcore Title with a different name.
  3. Mick Foley looked to be in great shape.
  4. The Lucha House Party/Lars Sullivan feud continues.
  5. Brock Lesnar will likely decide which title he’ll challenge for, next week.

Final Verdict: 0/5

This was one of the worst wrestling shows ever promoted.

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