‘WWE Raw’ Review (Jul 3rd 2023)
Welcome to this review of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, right here on Nerdly… Let’s see what went down on this week’s show!
Match #1: Damian Priest def. Shinsuke Nakamura
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Competing in first match as Mr. Money in the Bank, Damian Priest took on fellow Money in the Bank competitor Shinsuke Nakamura. The action spilled to the outside as Priest dumped Nakamura onto the barricade. Conspicuous by his absence was Finn Bálor as the rest of The Judgment Day were at ringside. Nakamura locked in an armbar to try to submit Priest. As Nakamura went for the Kinshasa, Priest evaded, hitting a gnarly clothesline followed by South of Heaven to lock up his first win as Mr. Money in the Bank.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Women’s Tag Team Titles No. 1 Contenders’ Gauntlet Match – Winners: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Making her Raw in-ring debut, Indi Hartwell teamed with Candice LeRae in a No. 1 Contender’s Tag Team Gauntlet for Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez’s WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Unfortunately for Hartwell and LeRae, they were the team first eliminated by Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville. Nikki Cross and Emma were the next team with Cross a house on fire before being distracted by LeRae on the outside. Cross’ concern for LeRae got to be too much as she spent the majority of the time outside the ring, leaving Emma to be eliminated after a brutal knee strike from Deville. Dana Brooke and Tegan Nox tried to stop Green and Deville, but Deville’s knee strike once again proved deadly as it eliminated Nox and Brooke. The match came down to Kayden Carter and Katana Chance against Green and Deville. Things were looking great for the party duo after Carter and Chance hit a huge assisted hurricanrana on Green, but Green was saved by Deville. An Unprettier from Green to Carter wrapped up the complete team sweep.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Alpha Academy & Maxxine Dupri def. The Viking Raiders & Valhalla
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Raw featured another in-ring debut as Maxxine Dupri teamed with Alpha Academy to take on The Viking Raiders. Otis destroyed his rivals right from the start, hitting a huge Caterpillar on Erik. Erik and Ivar got themselves back into the match, hitting superb spinning kicks to leave Gable laying. After tagging in Maxxine Dupri, the newest Alpha Academy member used all her training to try and hit her version of the Caterpillar, but Valhalla evaded the maneuver. Dupri, however, rolled up Valhalla with a unique pinning attempt to gain the important victory.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Women’s World Championship – Rhea Ripley def. Natalya
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Giving The Nightmare a taste of her own medicine, Natalya attacked the Women’s World Champion from behind before the bell. Despite Natalya taking the advantage, Ripley unleashed her fury on The B.O.A.T., sending her sprawling on the announce table. Natalya did not back down, however, hitting a discus lariat that nearly spelled doom for The Nightmare’s title reign. The Nightmare eventually locked in the Prism Trap, but Natalya got to the ropes. After a frog splash attempt from The Nightmare, Natalya hit a running powerslam before wrenching the Sharpshooter on her adversary. Ripley battled out of the submission, gaining the upper hand to land the Riptide to retain her Women’s World Title.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #5: Matt Riddle def. Giovanni Vinci
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Just two days after losing to Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Matt Riddle took on Imperium member Giovanni Vinci. In a quick matchup, Riddle countered an Ankle Lock from Vinci into a rollup to get the win. After the match, Drew McIntyre appeared to help Riddle fight off Imperium.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #6: Seth “Freakin” Rollins def. Dominik Mysterio (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With Mr. Money in the Bank Damian Priest and Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley at ringside, World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins battled Dominik Mysterio in a non-title match. Rollins mocked the third-generation Superstar, hitting the Three Amigos before attempting a frog splash, but Priest and Ripley got involved, distracting the referee to allow Mysterio to get back into the match. Mysterio hit a frog splash of his own, but The Visionary turned the tables, hitting a huge outside dive to Mysterio and Priest. Just as Rollins was getting on a roll, Priest interfered and hit The Visionary with South of Heaven to disqualify Mysterio, giving Rollins the disqualification win.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
This was a pretty decent follow-up to Money in the Bank, with the Judgement Day storyline(s) continuing – it will be certainly interesting to see where the Balor/Priest “in-fighting” is headed, especially after the break up of The Bloodline. Would they repeat that breakdown of the group storyline when it feels like it could be a rehash of the Usos/Reigns stuff? Speaking of Judgement Day, Rhea Ripley had easily the best match of this episode of Raw against Natalya, a match that – honestly – outshone EVERYTHING, everything, on the card this week!
