Raw Review 07/30/2018

Tonight we finally see the return of the WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. What will The Beast have in store for the WWE Universe and Roman Reigns tonight? Also, returning tonight after her month suspension is Ronda Rousey, now that she’s back how can Alexa Bliss run from her? Plus, scheduled tonight is a highly anticipated rematch between Finn Balor and Constable Baron Corbin, can Balor beat Corbin one more time? Finally, what will happen when Seth Rollins goes one on one with Drew Mcintyre?

Raw comes to us tonight from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

Raw kicks off with us being welcomed by Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and The Coach

In Ring Segment: Roman Reigns
Reigns give Miami a shout out and then gives a shout to Bobby Lashley saying he respects him. He says for Brock Lesnar though he has zero respect. Reigns goes over how Lesnar never shows up but has time to show up to UFC. Reigns says Lesnar is here and he will not come up in his yard and get in his face and run his mouth. Out comes Paul Heyman.
Heyman tells Reigns that his client has authorized him to give him his congratulations for his victory. Heyman says the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result which is why Reigns should be in a padded cell. Heyman tells Reigns he can go on and on about spearing Lesnar through the cage but says at SummerSlam Lesnar will put down the Big Dog and become a two-sport champion. Reigns tells him to shut up and says we’re here to see Brock Lesnar so bring him out here. Heyman says his client is here and he is sitting in the comfort of his locker room and he will come out here when he feels like it and if and only if he feels like coming out. Heyman tells Reigns not to worry because at SummerSlam Brock Lesnar will. Reigns cuts him off and asks what he’ll do actually show up. Reigns says if he shows up he’s gonna send him back to the UFC but he’s not going back as The Beast, he’s going back as Roman Reigns bitch.
My Opinion:
This was a good way to start the show, of course, people wanted to see Brock but I think it’s better to wait for later tonight. This helped make Roman Reigns look that much better and since the crowd was behind him it was good to give him that spotlight. I really believe in Reigns and although we’ve heard him say this stuff before I think at SummerSlam he’ll finally see The Beast. The question will be if Reigns gets his hands on Lesnar tonight.

Backstage Segment:
Heyman asks Lesnar if he heard what Reigns said about him. Lesnar said he didn’t, he doesn’t watch the show. Heyman goes to show him and Lesnar swats the phone out of his hand.

Match 1: Finn Balor vs Constable Baron Corbin
Corbin and Balor lock up and Corbin gets the early strength advantage. Balor hits him with big strikes but Corbin throws him out of the ring. Balor comes back in and continues to go at him but once more is sent to the outside. Balor works a side headlock on Corbin and keeps it locked in. Corbin is able to fight out and catches Balor with a big elbow. Corbin hits Balor on the top rope but Balor fights him off and hits him with a missile dropkick. Balor then goes to the outside and takes out Corbin. Corbin gets back in the ring but is met with big kicks. Corbin fights back and hits Balor with big elbows in the corner. Balor fights him off but Corbin is able to block Balor and hits him with a clothesline sending him crashing to the floor as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Corbin heaves Balor into the corner and sends him crashing to the mat. Corbin then wrenches on the neck and shoulder of Balor. Balor tries to fight out but Corbin pulls him back down to the mat. Balor is able to hit Corbin with big forearms but Corbin throws him. Corbin comes back with a huge clothesline but it’s not enough to put Balor away. Corbin brings Balor to the corner and hits him with big right hands. Balor then goes back to the neck of Balor. Balor tries to break the grip but is hit with a knee. Balor comes back with a big dropkick and sends Corbin to the outside. Corbin catches Balor with a big right hand and slams him. Balor is able to land a single leg takedown on Corbin. Balor gets Corbin in the corner and hits him with big chops. Corbin goes to the top rope but Balor catches him with an enziguri and sends him to the outside. Balor flies to the outside taking out Corbin as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Corbin continues to work on the neck and shoulder of Balor. Balor tries to fight out but again Corbin keeps him grounded. Balor is able to catch him with a kick but Corbin comes right back. Balor tries a roll-up but Corbin kicks out. Balor lands a sling blade but it doesn’t take down Corbin. Corbin hits the chokeslam backbreaker but Balor kicks out of the pin. Corbin then goes to using big right-hand shots on Balor. Balor counters Corbin and sends him face first into the mat. Balor catches him with an enziguri and sends him to the mat. Corbin is able to catch Balor with the Deep 6 but Balor kicks out of the pin. Corbin lands a big splash in the corner. Balor fights back with a big dropkick and then drives Corbin into the barricade. Corbin tries the Coupe de Grace but Corbin moves out of the way. Corbin is able to land End of Days and Corbin gets the 1 2 3.
*** After the match Corbin sends Balor to the outside and hammers on him.
Winner: Baron Corbin
My Opinion:
Wow, what a hard fought match these two had. Corbin picks up the huge victory but Balor put up a great fight. For as much as Corbin threw at Balor, he just wouldn’t give up. Both men gave everything they had and showed why they are two of the top superstars on Raw. This is a match I’d love to see again and after Corbin’s post-match attack I’m sure this isn’t over.

Backstage Segment:
Angle tells Heyman Lesnar is under contractual obligation to appear tonight. Heyman tells him he already fulfilled it when he came to the arena. Heyman tells Angle to go and tell him. Angle tells him it’s his problem and if Lesnar doesn’t go out to the ring tonight his contract is terminated

Backstage Segment:
Bliss tells Fox that she hand-picked her to face Natalya tonight. She tells her on Ronda will be in Natalya’s corner tonight but not to worry about it cause she got it. She tells Fox she is one the trailblazers of the division and this is her chance to make more history. Bliss asks if she’s with her.

Match 2: Natalya vs Alicia Fox
Natalya is able to lock up Fox but Fox is able to get out. Natalya gets around on her and tries a roll up but it’s not enough. Fox is able to get Natalya caught up in the apron and uses it to get the advantage. Fox goes for the cover but Natalya kicks out. Fox goes to a chinlock and keeps Natalya grounded. Fox hammers on the back of Natalya and then goes to work on her shoulder. Fox then turns it into a modified abdominal stretch. Natalya powers out but is then hit with a clothesline. Natalya takes Fox down to the mat and tries a cover but can’t get the 3. Fox hits a crossbody but it’s not enough to put away Natalya. Fox is able to hit a big boot after a cheap shot but Blissa and Fox gets the 3 on the cover.
*** After the match Rousey goes after Bliss. Fox breaks it up but Fox is then slammed by Rousey. Rousey then grabs Bliss but Fox comes back and slams Rousey into the barricade.
Winner: Alicia Fox
My Opinion:
Big win for Fox tonight. Natalya gave Fox everything she had but it seemed like once again Natalya couldn’t overcome Bliss and her tactics. Rousey tried getting her hands on Bliss but of course, she is able to escape once again. Rousey will have her time but Fox better watch out after doing that Rousey, she definitely won’t be happy after that.

Backstage Segment:
Heyman tells Lesnar that he thinks tonight he should go out to the ring, it’d be more money in his pocket and it’ll make his appearance at SummerSlam more valuable. He says he can also tell how he is gonna be the 2-time UFC Champion. He tells Lesnar if he goes out for even a few minutes Miami with giving him the welcome. Lesnar tells Heyman he’s getting under his skin, he says he doesn’t give a crap about the WWE Universe and he’d rather be home on his couch. He then tells Heyman to go get him a steak.

Backstage Segment:
Rousey tells Angle she’s sick of Alexa and Alicia and Mickie. Angle tells her next week she will go one on one with Alicia Fox in her first match on Raw.

In Ring Segment:
Elias comes out and pokes at Bobby Lashley for interrupting him last week. He then talks about his new album and all artist he’s beat out. Elias then goes to talking about The Rock and making fun of him. Out comes Bobby Lashley. Elias asks why he’s out here. Lashley says he’s a big fan and since he heard his name he wanted to come to get a front row seat to see what he had to say. Elias then says he thinks Lashley wants to sing with Elias. Lashley sings with Elias but then Elias attacks him. Lashley fights back and takes out Elias.
My Opinion:
With Lashley out of the title picture, he needs a new rivalry and Elias isn’t a bad choice for him. Elias can go in the ring and needs more high profile matches to continue to get over. Lashley can be a good opponent for him and this would be a good way to keep Lashley out there until his time comes to be back in the main event.

Backstage Segment:
Owens tells Corbin he did a great job tonight. Owens tells Corbin that he is now his son’s favorite wrestler. Corbin says he’s here to inspire. Owens tells Corbin the Brock Lesnar situation is concerning to him because he’s disrespecting Stephanie’s authority cause if Brock goes out to the ring Braun could cash in. Corbin tells Owens that Brock is Kurt’s problem and until he wins at SummerSlam that contract is Braun’s.

Match 3: Braun Strowman vs Jinder Mahal w/ Sunil Singh
The two lock up and Strowman quicky throws him to the mat. Strowman hits Mahal and then goes to the outside as Kevin Owens is out there and has the briefcase. Owens throws the briefcase to Singh and Strowman takes him out. The ref continues to count and Mahal wins via a count out.
Winner: Jinder Mahal: Via Count Out
My Opinion:
Owens poked at Braun tonight and I don’t know if it was the best idea. Obviously, Owens wants to play mind games but Braun won’t take kindly and is gonna be coming after Owens hard. If Owens wants that contract he’s gonna have to come up with some strategy cause he’s not gonna win trying to fight him.

Backstage Segment:
Rawley comes in the locker room and says look at you chumps. He says he’s been running through the roster. He says he’s calling all of them out. Roode comes in and tells him that was a fantastic speech. Roode asks him if he has a problem with him. Rawley asks what he’s gonna do about it. Roode then attacks him.

Match 4: Apollo Crews w/ Titus O’Neil vs Akam w/ Rezar
Akam gets to Crews early and lands a big throw. He then follows with another one. He hammers on Crews and then wrestles him on the mat. Akam goes to a submission but Crews is able to break the hold. Crews lands a series of big kicks and then hits a big boot. Crews takes him down and then hits an enziguri. Crews hits the standing moonsault but Akam kicks out of the cover. Akam comes back and throws him. Akam goes shoulder first into the turnbuckle and Crews lands a roll-up. Crews gets the 1 2 3.
Winner: Apollo Crews
My Opinion:
Huge win for Crews tonight. Obviously, AOP won’t take kindly to this so Titus WorldWide will have to watch out. Crews was very impressive though and really had shining moments in this match. Akam had a good showing as well but Crews stayed composed and allowed his veteran in-ring presence to overcome and picked his moment.

Match 5: Seth Rollins vs Drew Mcintyre w/ Dolph Ziggler
Mcintyre backs Rollins into the corner and unloads on him. He then takes him to the next corner and unloads on him as well. Rollins hits a chop and unloads with shots him own. Mcintyre comes back with a huge suplex. Rollins is able to push Mcintyre into the barricade. Rollins flies and tries to hit a suicide dive but is caught and driven into the barricade. Mcintyre drives Rollins neck into the exposed steel of the ring as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Rollins lands a dropkick and sends Mcintyre to the outside. Rollins then hits the suicide dive twice taking out Mcintyre. Rollins throws Mcintyre into the ring and brings him back in. Rollins lands a forearm in the corner and tries for a suplex. Mcintyre doesn’t allow it but Rollins comes back with a falcon arrow. Rollins goes for the cover but gets a 2 count. Rollins land a kick but then Mcintyre caches him and hits a spinebuster. Mcintyre goes for the cover but Rollins kicks out. Mcintyre is able to counter Rollins but Rollins fights back and sends him flying. Rollins takes him down and goes to the top but Mcintyre gets up and stops him. Mcintyre hits him with a knife edge chop an then meets him up there. Mcintyre hits white noise from the second turnbuckle but Rollins is able to kick out of the cover. Mcintyre lands an elbow but Rollins is able to counter him and rolls him threw. Rollins hits the stomp and then Dolph Ziggler gets involved. Rollins is able to take him down but Ziggler hits him with an elbow. Rollins fights him off and sends him to the floor. Rollins flies thru the ropes and takes out Ziggler.
Winner: Seth Rollins: Via DQ
My Opinion:
Rollins had this match won but of course, Ziggler couldn’t allow him that satisfaction. Mcintyre gave Rollins all he had but Rollins showed his heart and determination and wouldn’t stay down. The good part is Rollins was able to get one up on Ziggler which is huge with SummerSlam coming so close. Rollins needs to continue to get in their heads and hopefully when SummerSlam comes Rollins will figure out how to beat the numbers games. Mcintyre what stands in his way.

Backstage Segment:
Angle tells Reigns that Stephanie called him and asked him to remove him from the building. Reigns says he doesn’t care. Angle says he’s gonna lose his match. Reigns asks how long this is gonna go one for. He tells Angle he understands the pressure but he’s not a yes man. Corbin brings in the officers to escort him out. Reigns hits Corbin with a right hand before he leaves.

In Ring Segment: The B Team
Charly asks The B Team what’s the secret to their new success. Dallas says the B stands for dream and they wake up every morning and have to pinch themselves to make sure this real. Charly then asks about Hardy and Wyatt. Axel said he didn’t understand why they did what they did and they could beat them any day. Hardy and Wyatt tell the B Team they’re their nightmare and their masters. They say they will haunt them until they are finally deleted. Out comes The Revival. They tell Wyatt and Hardy to step aside and let a real team handle business. Dallas says they will step aside cause they’re obviously talking to Matt and Bray. Hardy and Wyatt take out The Revival while The B Team gets out of harm’s way.
My Opinion:
I like Dallas and Axel but the Raw division needs something more exciting. This use to be a hard hitting division with so much action happening and now it’s gone back to the gimmick tag teams that just aren’t that great. I think they need to work in AOP and make things more interesting.

Match 6: The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) vs Delter of Worlds (Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt)
Hardy takes it to Wilder and then tags Wyatt. Wyat lands a big tackle and then tags Hardy back in. Hardy tries a cover but gets a near fall. Wilder backs him in the corner and tags Dawson. They double team Hardy and Dawson takes advantage. Dawson tries a cover but can’t get the 3. Wilder tags in and goes to a side headlock. Wilder tries a cover but Hardy kicks out. Dawson tags in but Hardy is able to hit him with the side effect. Wyatt and Wilder get the tags. Wyatt takes it to him and then hits a big splash in the corner. Wyatt then collides with him and takes him down hard. Dawson gets caught but Wilder takes advantage. Wilder gets caught but Dawson gets involved and takes him down. Hardy goes after Dawson but Dawson drives him into the barricade. Wyatt tries for Sister Abigail but Wilder counters. Dawson gets the tag and they hit The Shatter Machine on Wyatt. Dawson goes for the cover and gets the 1 2 3.
Winners: The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder)
My Opinion:
Big win for The Revival tonight, they’ve been a roll as of late and I think they definitely in line for a title shot at some point soon. Wyatt and Hardy just couldn’t overcome them and it showed tonight how well The Revival work as a team. It’ll be interesting to see how long Wyatt and Hardy last as a team or if they will eventually break up.

Backstage Segment:
Renee tells Rollins is must be taxing to constantly fight the numbers game. Rollins says there is no quit in him and he will stop at nothing to take back his Intercontinental Championship. Ziggler and Mcintyre then comes out of nowhere and attack Rollins.

Match 7: Bayley & Sasha Banks vs The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan)
Logan quickly takes down Bayley and works her arm. Bayley is able to fight back and tags in Banks. They double team Logan and Banks then hits the medeora. Banks tries the cover but can’t get the 3. Banks then works her arm but Logan is able to land an arm drag and then hits a dropkick. Banks fights back and tags in Bayley. Bayley lands a roll-up but Logan kicks out. Banks tags in as Bayley land a big knee. Banks hits the medeora as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Logan is in control of Banks. Logan buries Banks into the corner and tags Morgan. Morgan takes it to Banks and tries a cover but Banks kicks out. Nks fights out and tries a cover but Morgan kicks out. Banks is able to get the tag and Bayley takes down Morgan. Bayley lands a huge knee and then takes out Logan. Bayley catches Morgan on the second rope and then hits the hurricanranna. Banks hits the medeora from the top rope but Logan breaks up the cover. Bayley comes in nd hits Bayley to Belly and gets the 1 2 3.
Winners: Bayley & Sasha Banks
My Opinion:
Great match but still wondering if this is going to lead to anything or all the build up for the Sasha Banks and Bayley feud was pointless.

Backstage Segment:
Heyman tells Lesnar to hear him out, he tells Lesnar to go out and take a bow and in 25 minutes they’ll be in a steakhouse. He says Reigns is gone so nothing can go wrong. Lesnar asks if he got his money. Heyman says yes and tells him thank you for allowing him to be with him but if he doesn’t go out to the ring he will be fired. Heyman asks him to go out to the ring for a minute because he’s his friend. Lesnar says they’re not friends he works for him not the other way around. Lesnar tells him to march his ass out there and do his job.

In Ring Segment: Kurt Angle
Angle tells that he has given Heyman until the end of the night to produce Lesnar and he has even had Reigns removed from the building. He tells Heyman that Lesnar either comes out now or this is Heyman’s last night on Raw.
Out comes Heyman. Heyman says his client Brock Lesnar isn’t coming out here tonight. Angle says enough, a real champion shows up and defends the title at all cost. He says a champion goes above and beyond for the WWE Universe and helps with charities and things like that. He says Lesnar has to be the worst Universal Champion of all time. Heyman agrees and says he tried to change Lesnar and says he tried to mold him into someone like Kurt Angle but he wouldn’t listen to him. Heyman pleads that he does something to Lesnar and not to him. He tells Angle that Lesnar respects no one. He tells Angle he respects him and wants a better working relationship. Angle says his contract is terminated. Out comes Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar asks Angle if he’s got a problem with him and then asks Corbin the same thing. He then hits Angle with an F5. Corbin then gets out of the ring. Lesnar then grabs Heyman and holds him down to the mat.
My Opinion:
Lesnar made a statement tonight but there have to be repercussions after doing that to Angle. It’s dumb that Reigns couldn’t be out there. I think after all the time we’ve waited to see Lesnar we all wanted to see the brawl between those two. We will see if Lesnar shows up next week and how well they build up this match for SummerSlam.

Final Thoughts:
This wasn’t a bad Raw but I don’t think it went exactly how everyone would’ve liked. Lesnar and Reigns should’ve been able to go at it tonight. With only 3 weeks until SummerSlam this is the time to hype this up and let them show what we are all gonna see between them. I was happy to finally have Ronda Rousey back tonight, although she didn’t get one over on Bliss it’s gonna be awesome to see her have her first match on Raw next week. I think Seth Rollins had a great showing tonight. Rollins has to overcome the numbers games but he showed tonight he can. Although Ziggler and Mcintyre attacked him later on Rollins still proved his point. Finally, Raw didn’t end on the best note, I think it could’ve been much better but the point was made that Lesnar just doesn’t care and hopefully, this means Reigns will win and finally bring the Universal Championship back to Raw.
Overall Rating: 6/10