Monday Night Raw is only six days away from its next Pay-Per-View, Extreme Rules. Tonight is the last chance Raw has to get the WWE Universe interested in the hardcore event, and two huge matches are advertised. Finn Balor will take on Samoa Joe and Bray Wyatt in a triple threat match, while Roman Reigns faces Seth Rollins in the main event.
MizTV (w/Maryse) feat. Sheamus & Cesaro
After sitting on the sidelines last week, The Miz kicks off Monday Night Raw with the most must-see talk show in WWE history. At Extreme Rules, Miz challenges Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship. Miz goes on about how he is going to become a 7-time Intercontinental Champion before introducing his guests, Sheamus and Cesaro.
All three men relate to each other because they believe the fans turned on them. Sheamus says that the fans are only interested in the new thing, and the WWE Universe starts interrupting with chants. The Miz has none of it and goes one about him being great again. This leads to Dean Ambrose coming down to the ring, and he starts a brawl with some backup in the form of the Hardy Boyz.
The Hardy Boyz & Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz, Sheamus, & Cesaro (w/Maryse)
If you have watched WWE programming for a couple weeks, you probably saw this coming. Kurt Angle remembered his SmackDown experience to channel his inner Teddy Long, making a tag team match out of a brawl. At this point, it’s WWE General Manager 101.
After disposing of Sheamus and Cesaro, Matt and Jeff Hardy take out The Miz with their signature Twist of Fate and Swanton Bomb combination. Winners: The Hardy Boyz & Dean Ambrose
The commentators start talking to the camera about Extreme Rules when Corey Graves, who is distracted by his phone, puts down his headset and apologized before walking away. After the commercial break, he is seen in Kurt Angle’s office. Apparently, whatever message Graves received could potentially ruin Angle’s status as Raw General Manager.
Elias Samson vs. Zac Evans
Before Elias Samson starts his squash match, he sings a song about how he defeated Dean Ambrose last week. This is true, but it was only because The Miz intentionally got Ambrose disqualified. Tonight, his match against the unknown Zac Evans can give The Drifter a legitimate win.
Needless to say, Samson dominates to pick up an easy win. Winner: Elias Samson
Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe vs. Bray Wyatt
This is the first of two matches tonight previewing the main event of Extreme Rules. While all three men will get a good feeling of how to compete against the other two, whoever picks up the victory in this match will carry a lot of much-needed momentum towards a potential championship opportunity against Brock Lesnar.
Finn Balor lands the Coup de Grace on Bray Wyatt, but he can’t take advantage with a pinfall. Samoa Joe throws Balor out of the ring and pins Wyatt to steal the win. Winner: Samoa Joe
Noam Dar (w/Alicia Fox) vs. Rich Swann (w/Sasha Banks)
Right before Monday Night Raw started, another match was announced for Extreme Rules: Noam Dar and his girlfriend, Alicia Fox, taking on Rich Swann and Sasha Banks. Swann has been interfering in the relationship between Dar and Fox for over a month, and Banks had a series of matches against Fox over the past three weeks.
Fox tries to distract Swann on the ring apron, but Banks attacks her to keep the match going. Swann executes the Phoenix Splash on Dar for the impressive win. After the match, Swann and Banks dance in the middle of the ring. Winner: Rich Swann
Interview
After being away from a few weeks, The Revival return to Raw in the form of an interview. Last week, Enzo Amore was found unconscious in the backstage area, so Charlie Caruso asks Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder if they know anything about it. The deny that it was even possible for them to attack Amore, but there is footage of them being at Raw last week, meaning it’s plausible. Either way, Wilder can’t compete for a little while longer since he is suffering from a broken jaw.
Kalisto vs. Titus O’Neil (w/Apollo Crews)
Last week, Kalisto defeated Apollo Crews after Titus O’Neil distracted him by barking orders. O’Neil has a chance to make up for that by defeating Kalisto. Before the match, O’Neil tells Crews to learn from his charisma and athleticism.
Kalisto goes for a roll-up, but O’Neil uses his weight advantage to counter it into a pin of his own. It seems like the only reason O’Neil gets the three count is because he grabs Kalisto’s tights for leverage (which Crews doesn’t ignore). Winner: Titus O’Neil
Bayley, This is Your Life
Back in the Attitude Era, Mick Foley put on a segment called “This is Your Life,” taking the Rock on a trip through memory lane in one of the highest-rated segments in Raw history. Alexa Bliss, who faces Bayley in a Kendo Stick on a Pole match this Sunday, decides to revive that segment for her challenger.
The segment isn’t really entertaining, but Bliss sure tries her hardest. Bayley rushes the ring, which might have been Bliss’ plan all along. Bayley tries to go for the kendo stick on the pole near the ring post, but Bliss pulls out a secret one from under the table in the middle of the ring. What matters for Bliss is that she has momentum going into her title defense.
Backstage Segment
For the second week in a row, Enzo Amore is found unconscious. Big Cass is sure that the Revival attacked Amore, but Kurt Angle doesn’t want to assume anything until he has all of the facts.
Austin Aries & Jack Gallagher vs. Neville & TJP
Before Neville defends his Cruiserweight Championship in a Submission Match against Austin Aries, both men face each other along with their respective allies. Jack Gallagher has helped Aries over the past several weeks to prevent Neville and TJP from always having the numbers game on Aries. TJP was supposed to injure Aries to earn a Cruiserweight Championship shot of his own, but he never succeeded.
Aries dodges Neville’s attempt at the Phoenix Splash, then immediately locks in the Last Chancery. The King of the Cruiserweights has no chance but to tap out, and if that happens on Sunday, he loses his crown. Winners: Austin Aries & Jack Gallagher
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Tonight’s main event is the second preview for the #1 Contender’s Fatal Five-Way match. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have a storied past, and they know each other so well that this could go either way. They debuted together as part of The Shield, then Rollins would end up turning on Reigns and Dean Ambrose to align with The Authority (thank God that’s over). Both men would end up capturing the WWE Championship, but neither has held the Universal Championship.
Reigns barely dodges Rollins’ knee attempt and immediately hits the ropes to put the Kingslayer away with the spear. Winner: Roman Reigns
