‘WWE Raw’ Review (Jun 3rd 2024)
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: Ludwig Kaiser def. Sheamus
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Ludwig Kaiser entered this match with bad intentions and carried them out during his battle with Sheamus. Despite the continued targeting of his injured knee, The Celtic Warrior persevered until his legs gave out during a White Noise attempt. Kaiser rolled up the former WWE Champion and clinched one of the biggest wins of his career.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Finn Bálor def. Dragon Lee
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Judgment Day set out to settle some scores on Monday Night Raw, and Dragon Lee was the first one on their list. The luchador was dropping jaws with his a breathtaking dive, but there were too many foes for him to drop. With Finn Bálor reeling, Carlito helped his new friend lock up the victory, only for a Monster problem to emerge as Braun Strowman ran in to send The Judgment Day scattering.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Bron Breakker def. Ricochet
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
It was a rough night to walk into the ring with injured ribs, but Ricochet was ready for a brawl with Bron Breakker, and that’s exactly what he got. It looked as if Breakker was ready to shatter the ribs of Ricochet, but a superkick counter led to a near-fall. However, it only delayed the inevitable, as the red brand’s most uncontrollable Superstar hit a mind-blowing Frankensteiner and Spear combination to secure another win. Breakker looked to cause even further damage to Ricochet, but the emergence of Ilja Dragunov redirected the chaos.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Kiana James def. Natalya
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Kiana James was all business, as the newcomer battled Natalya in her debut match on the red brand. The B.O.A.T. proved to a worthy adversary for the former NXT standout, but James delivered a 401K to make her first Raw appearance a successful one.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: Braun Strowman def. Carlito
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Big S.O.B. smashed his way through a challenge from Carlito by ending the match with an emphatic slam. However, the pin unleashed The Judgment Day, as a steel chair assault finally stopped The Monster Among Men’s rampage. As The Judgment Day dealt with their biggest foe, Liv Morgan took advantage of the chaos to try and put the moves on “Dirty Dom” once more, as she brings a whole new set of problems for the faction.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #6: WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match – Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair def. Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions were ready for everything in their first trip to Raw as champions and ended up with a title defense. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair showed out against challengers Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler, and a K.O.D. from The EST appeared to have victory secured. But Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre crashed the scene, as the match ended in disqualification, and all four challengers took out their frustrations on the champions.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: Authors of Pain def. The New Day
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Karrion Kross wants to drive a wedge between The New Day, but The Authors of Pain were the ones doing the most damage on Raw. With Kross’ distraction of Kofi Kingston leaving Xavier Woods alone in the ring, Akam and Rezar sprung into action with an impressive display of power to defeat the former champions.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #8: Damian Priest def. Rey Mysterio
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The final order of business for The Judgment Day would have to be handled by the World Heavyweight Champion. Damian Priest wrote a new chapter in his rivalry with Rey Mysterio, as he survived The Ultimate Underdog’s aerial flurry and somehow kicked out of a 619 and frog splash combo. With a brawl ignited outside the ring, Priest hit South of Heaven for the win, but one final problem remained. As Drew McIntyre wiped out The Judgment Day, Priest reached into his bag of tricks one final time to send McIntyre crashing through the announce table as the night ended.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
If there was one word to describe most of this week’s show it’s meh… We got a brilliant opening match and then the entire thing went downhill fast, so much so that we ended up with a bunch of forgettable matches and a middle-of-the-road main event. To be fair, it did feel like this episode was setting up a LOT of things for future PLEs, including Clash at the Castle, rather than focussing on making the individual show great. I’m still pining for the pre-PLE King/Queen of the Ring qualifying tournament if I’m honest…
