With six days to go until Extreme Rules, the WWE will use this Monday Night RAW show as the go-home show to get fans excited for the upcoming event.
Were they able to do that in front of the Boston, Massachusetts crowd?
Read the recap below to find out—analysis of each segment included!
Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley Kick Off the Show
At the beginning of the show, we see Roman Reigns walking around backstage heading to the ring.
On his way there, Lashley cuts off his path and confronts him. During the confrontation, Lashley asks where Reigns is going and Reigns responds with “wherever I want to go.”
Lashley then tells Reigns that when he is out in the ring to call him out.
Reigns exits the conversation and heads to the ring.
In the ring, Reigns wastes little time before officially calling Lashley out.
Lashley does come out and the two men stare one another down in the ring.
However, general manager Kurt Angle and Constable Baron Corbin make their way to the ramp. Angle tells the two men to “save it for Sunday” where they’ll face off at Extreme Rules.
But then, the two men go at it.
Corbin elicits some of the RAW locker room to come out and break the men up.
During that scuffle, Finn Balor attacks Corbin from behind and the group of men from the locker room continues to try and split Reigns and Lashley up.
Eventually, more superstars come up as Lashley gets most of the action in on Reigns after breaking away from the mob of people holding him back.
Lashley throws Reigns in the ring and the group comes back and thwarts Lashley from going inside.
Then, Reigns gets up and jumps over the top rope into the sea of superstars.
But the action isn’t done there—eventually Reigns makes his way to the top of the ramp before storming back down for one more shot at “Bob”.
Eventually, the segment ends with Reigns and Lashley’s music concluding it.
Analysis: I don’t get why WWE insists on having people who have a match in a pay-per-view to go after each other days before. It would build more anticipation had they not had this altercation. However, WWE wanted to get over the “we need the entire locker room” shtick. Also, is Balor a heel now for cheapshotting Corbin and Corbin not retaliating? That will assuredly set up some kind of match—probably a 6-man or something equally as ridiculous.
Mickie James and Alexa Bliss Backstage
The two women are backstage talking about what just happened to Reigns and Lashley.
They say that is was nothing compared to what they’re going to do to Natalya and Nia Jax tonight.
Analysis: Using words like “pain” and “destruction” is just terrible verbiage. Be better. Horrible.
Mickie James/Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax and Natalya
Nia Jax and Natalya win after Alexa Bliss disqualifies herself after attacking Jax and Natalya with a kendo stick.
Afterward, Jax goes after Bliss getting her comeuppance.
Analysis: This whole match was pointless. Why get heat on Bliss and have Jax take it away?
Nia Jax Backstage
Jax talks to Charly Caruso about getting payback on Sunday.
Analysis: She just doesn’t have any charisma, man. It’s so fake.
Braun Strowman and Kevin Owens Recap
WWE puts on a package of what happened last week with Strowman and Owens and knocking the porta-potty over.
Analysis: Fine.
Owens and Angle Backstage
Angle asks why Owens is in the building.
Owens says he’s showing up for work but says that Angle still has a vendetta against him and wants him to get fed to Strowman again.
Owens then presents Angle a doctors note saying he’s not medically cleared to compete, but he’s still at the building for work and that he’ll hide in Angle’s office away from Strowman.
Analysis: So Angle’s office is literally a chair with a video monitor? Damn. And a doctor’s note? You have to be seven-years-old to believe that.
Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose
Before the commercial break, the commentary team says that Rawley will actually fight No Way Jose after repeated weeks of cheap shots.
Rawley wins.
Analysis: Snoozefest. Zzzzzz. Jose is just buried at this point.
Sasha Banks and Bayley Counseling
We have a new counselor this time. No more Dr. Shelby.
Bayley says that Banks continuously stabs her in the back.
Analysis: No Shelby is a bad idea.
Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal Backstage
Rollins asks what Mahal is up to.
Mahal talks all spiritually about the “burn it down” and chants something that I cannot understand.
Analysis: So Mahal is totally castrated. OK. Moving along.
Seth Rollins In-Ring Promo
Rollins talks about all his nicknames but says that he’s most focused on being a former Intercontinental Champion.
He then talks about changing that at Extreme Rules when he takes on Dolph Ziggler.
He also educates the audience on what an Ironman Match is.
Rollins then puts over Ziggler over as a veteran but says he’s still Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
Then Ziggler and Drew McIntyre come to the ramp.
Ziggler starts off by saying that people on the show should continue to talk about how great he is.
He continues saying he’ll still be champion after Extreme Rules.
McIntyre chimes in saying that after Extreme Rules, at least he’ll still have his nicknames after his defeat. Rollins then responds by saying that Ziggler has been bleaching his hair for too long and that the peroxide must be getting to him.
Ziggler says that Rollins can’t win by doing his CrossFit stuff, but by pinfalls.
Ziggler then puts over his own college wrestling career at Kent State where he had 121 wins. Rollins then says that McIntyre must have helped Ziggler win those, too.
McIntyre says he’ll be heading straight to the top. Rollins says that McIntyre will go wherever Ziggler tells him to. Rollins tries to figure out why he takes orders from Ziggler and then allude to potentially nude photos Ziggler must have of him.
McIntyre then tries to storm the ring but is stopped by Ziggler.
McIntyre then challenges Rollins to a match. Rollins agrees and says he’s a bad man. McIntyre storms the ring and Rollins escapes.
Analysis: Grade D comedy from Rollins, but it was better than most they try. McIntyre does deserve to be at the top. Ziggler also cuts an excellent promo.
B-Team Parody Backstage
The team continues to be a parody of Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy, copying their mannerisms.
We learn Bo Dallas will take on Matt Hardy after the commercial break.
Analysis: They’re going to beat this to a pulp, huh?
Bo Dallas vs. Matt Hardy
Before the match, the parody continues until Hardy and Wyatt appear on the jumbotron.
Hardy says that enough is enough.
Wyatt asks why to bother wait for Sunday when “they’re here”.
They then appear behind Axel and Dallas.
The B-Team leaves the ring and then Hardy and Dallas come back in to start the match.
Dallas pins Hardy after Hardy is distracted by Wyatt attacking Axel.
After the match, Wyatt’s screen montage appears and they come back to staring at the B-Team from outside the ring. Wyatt and Hardy charge into the ring and attack them.
Analysis: How they can make segments will talent so boring is beyond me.
Lashley Backstage with Renee Young
Lashley says he has zero respect for Reigns and doesn’t like anything about him.
He says he’s had enough of Reigns bringing up what happened to Lashley 10 years ago.
Lashley says Reigns won’t walk out of Extreme Rules.
Analysis: OK then.
Tyler Breeze Backstage with Riott Squad
Breeze offers them a shirt.
The Riott Squad says they don’t deal with fashion. They only riot and tear the shirt up.
Analysis: Can I swear on here about how dumb some of this stuff is?
Bayley and Banks Counseling Act 2
Briefly see them conversing more. Commentators say we’ll see more of it later.
Analysis: At least they’re trying to hook viewers to stick around. Too bad the segment is horrid.
Alexa Bliss Selfie Promo
Bliss talks about how she enjoyed beating up Jax with the kendo stick. She also says she’s excited for Rousey to be there to see it on display.
Analysis: OK.
Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan
Moon wins.
Analysis: Filler, filler, filler.
Finn Balor Backstage with Young
Young asks Balor about his tag team match tonight against Corbin and Elias. Before he can answer, Bobby Roode comes from nowhere and interjects himself into the conversation.
Roode says they will win.
Balor says that he is twice as good as Corbin.
He says he and Roode will do their talking in the ring.
Analysis: So Roode is just randomly here in a match after being off TV for weeks. Balor is a terrible promo. Elias is all of a sudden back on TV too after time away. Match makes no sense.
Angle Backstage with Owens Again
Owens sprays some Lysol and Angle says it’s probably because he smells after his porta-potty incident.
Ziggler and McIntyre enter the frame. Angle says that is McInytre loses, he’s barred from ringside at Extreme Rules during Ziggler and Rollins’ match.
Analysis: At least they’re trying to add stakes.
Elias/Corbin vs. Roode/Balor
Before the match, Elias comes out to the ring to perform after weeks away.
Elias says he’s been away recording his debut album.
During his song, Elias says he wants to punch the Boston crowd in the face because of their accents. Boston responds by saying “you suck!”
Elias then says his friend, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, says he should do what he does and pretend to like them.
Elias then introduces Corbin and he comes to the ring.
Corbin then says they should sing a lullaby for Balor.
They hit the lights and start “itsy, bitsy spider”.
However, they change it up and add “Balor”.
Then Balor comes out and interrupts the two men.
Corbin pins Roode clean; Corbin and Elias win.
Analysis: This ate up a ton of time and made no sense. Roode and Elias return to TV after a random hiatus. Elias must have had heat backstage for getting over organically.
Angle, Owens and Strowman Backstage
Strowman comes into Angle’s office and Owens cowers behind Angle.
Angle says he invited Strowman to come by because Owens will face Strowman in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules.
Analysis: OK. At least something has been added/changed on the card on the go-home show.
Young Interviews Reigns
Reigns says that, contrary to Lashley, he does respect Lashley after their confrontation earlier in the night.
Reigns says he’s going to beat Lashley and move on to bigger and better things.
Analysis: Actually surprised they used these guys in more than one segment.
Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre
McIntyre wins.
Analysis: Will the babyface overcome the odds?! Find out on Extreme Rules! In other news, RAW needs to be just two hours.
