‘WWE Raw’ Review (Jul 22nd 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: Bron Breakker def. Ilja Dragunov
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Bron Breakker brutalized Ilja Dragunov from the offset as both Superstars battled to become No. 1 Contender to Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn. Dragunov showed off his strength, but Breakker’s barbarity was too much as he dropped Dragunov ribs-first onto the steel ring post. Dragunov connected with a superplex and an H-Bomb, but damage to his rib cage from earlier in the match prevented The Mad Dragon from capitalizing. After Breakker hit Dragunov with a brutal Spear, Dragunov was ruled out of the contest, and Breakker was declared the winner.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Sonya Deville def. Lyra Valkyria
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Sonya Deville increased her winning streak since her return as she clipped the wings of Lyra Valkyria to secure a big win. Valkyria looked to have injured herself early in the contest but still fought to deliver a delayed gut-wrench powerbomb that left Deville reeling. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark engaged in a fracas with Kayden Carter and Katana Chance that allowed Deville to hit the Deville’s Advocate to win the match.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: The Final Testament def. Xavier Woods, Otis & Akira Tozawa
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Xavier Woods looked to new allies Otis and Akira Tozawa in his battle against The Final Testament as they collided in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. Kross enacted his punishment on Tozawa, despite it being Tozawa’s birthday. Wisconsin’s own Otis came in like a house of fire, taking out everyone as the WWE Universe became unglued in Green Bay. Despite some great offense from Woods’ team, Kross subdued Woods with the Final Prayer to gain the win.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Zelina Vega def. Zoey Stark
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Even with her right arm heavily bandaged, Zelina Vega showed no signs of quitting against Zoey Stark. As Shayna Baszler and Sonya Deville tried to get involve, they were met by Lyra Valkyria, Katana Chance and Kayden Carter, who came to the ring to aid Vega. This allowed Vega to use her arm brace to nail Stark before hitting Code Red to win the match.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: Sami Zayn & Jey Uso def. The Judgment Day
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After being attacked backstage by The Judgment Day, Jey Uso teamed with Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn to take on World Tag Team Champions Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh. Just as Zayn was about to strike McDonagh with a Helluva Kick, Carlito and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio got involved to prevent Zayn from landing the hit. Uso and Zayn threw it back, nailing McDonagh with a 1-D, but Bálor broke up the pinfall. As the match broke down, Zayn hit a Helluva Kick on McDonagh before Uso landed a huge Uso Splash to gain the big non-title win. After the match, Bron Breakker emerged to obliterate Zayn with a gory Spear.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
Well it looks like this week’s Raw took a leaf out of last week’s Smackdown – in that there was a LOT of fighting on this show but only five wrestling matches! At least this show actually advanced the Summerslam storylines and set up a couple of matches, unlike the blue brand. The opening match was the star of the show, with Dragunov managing to pull a great match out of Bron Breakker – who then reappeared at the end of the great main event to take down Sami Zayn. As for the rest of the card, it was a series of so-so matches that felt little more than filler IMHO.
