‘WWE Raw’ Review (Aug 5th 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: Sheamus def. Ludwig Kaiser
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Making his return after a month on the shelf, Ludwig Kaiser wasted no time attacking The Celtic Warrior, engaging in a fight before the bell rang. Kaiser used his cunning tactics to take down Sheamus, feigning injury to sucker him into an attack. Kaiser even tried using 10 Beats of the Bodhran, but Sheamus was able to turn it around. Just as Sheamus looked to put Kaiser away, Pete Dunne emerged to try and ambush The Celtic Warrior with a Shillelagh, but his attempt backfired. Despite Dunne’s interference, Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick to win the match.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Lyra Valkyria def. Shayna Baszler (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Lyra Valkyria, adorned in Baltimore Ravens-inspired gear, took on the submission specialist Shayna Baszler. Just as the match got going, Sonya Deville and Zoey Stark attacked Valkyria, giving Valkyria the disqualification victory. After the match, Damage CTRL confronted Deville, Stark and Baszler, holding the ring against the trio.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: The New Day def. AOP
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With Kofi Kingston back in the fold, he and Xavier Woods took on Akam and Rezar of The Final Testament. Kross made his impact felt as he knocked Woods off the top of the turnbuckle as he was about to hit an elbow drop. The New Day were assisted, however, by Odyssey Jones, as he took out Kross, which allowed Woods to win with a rollup. After the match, Jones took out all of The Final Testament.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: A-Town Down Under def. Awesome Truth
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After their altercation at SummerSlam, Awesome Truth tangled with A-Town Down Under in a special inter-brand matchup. After some miscommunication between The Miz and R-Truth, Theory hit the A-Town Down to win the match.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #5: Damian Priest def. JD McDonagh (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Damian Priest began his retribution on The Judgment Day as he took on JD McDonagh, just two nights removed from being betrayed by his friend and losing his World Heavyweight Title to Gunther. Priest punished McDonagh with Broken Arrows and vicious shots. Priest’s demolishment of McDonagh was derailed by the arrival of Finn Bálor, who attacked The Archer of Infamy to set up the disqualification win for Priest. The new Judgment Day’s attempts to beat down Priest were thwarted by Rhea Ripley, as Mami and Priest stood tall.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: IYO SKY def. Sonya Deville
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After Sonya Deville, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark took out Dakota Kai backstage, IYO SKY stepped in for the injured Kai to take on Deville. In an awesome moment, Kairi Sane and SKY hit a combo Insane Elbow/Moonsault that took out everybody. SKY then hit the Over the Monnsault to win the match for Damage CTRL.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: The Wyatt Sicks def. Chad Gable & The Creed Brothers
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Rowan, Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis made their Raw in-ring debut as The Wyatt Sicks with Uncle Howdy watching. Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers put up a good fight, as they hit three moonsaults in succession on Gacy. Rowan delivered an homage to his Wyatt Family brothers, taking out Gable, but The Creed Brothers were able to break up the pinfall. Rowan, Gacy and Lumis combined to take out Gable with a huge splash to win their debut.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
The follow-up episode to any WWE pay-per-view is usually, but not always, guaranteed to be a great watch and – unlike the Raw after Wrestlemania – this week’s episode of Raw did not disappoint. There were some low points yes, like the whole Punk/Rollins/McIntyre debacle (a feud over a bracelet, really?!), and poor Akira Tozawa doing his little dance with Xavier Woods; but the matches more than made up for that. Plus we got a continuation of the great Judgement Day break-up storyline – with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley seemingly turning babyface; and a main event that saw the Wyatt Sicks get their first official match, besting the new stable of “American Made” in solid fashion. And if you haven’t seen it yet, you DEFINITELY need to see the post-show footage fans recorded after that match. Some really, true emotion on display, adding a greater depth to the entire match! A huge improvement over last weeks show!
