WWE.com Ronda Rousey and Roman Reigns
The latest episode of Monday Night RAW is currently airing on the USA Network. Here’s what’s happened so far:
10:55 – Reigns wins. Braun Strowman comes out to cash his Money In the Bank contract, but The Shield come out and brutalize Strowman before he gets to Reigns. The show ends with Strowman recovering from his injuries as Reigns remains the champ.
10:50 – A spirited contest from start to finish. Balor has an aggressive edge out the gate, but Reigns gains the upper hand with a couple of brutal Superman Punches. He nearly pins Balor. He eventually spears Balor for the win.
Roman Reigns vs Finn Balor
10:35 – Wilder wins. Backstage, Stephanie McMahon has her arm in a cast. Angle apologizes to her for not being there when Ronda Rousey attacked her and she places Kurt on leave. She appoints Baron Corbin as acting general manager.
10:30 – Wilder starts off strong but Axel recovers. The latter hits a running neckbreaker and some devastating right jabs. Amazingly, Wilder hits a Gory Bomb and gets the three-count.
10:25 – Dawson wins. Afterwards, Curtis Axel challenges Dash Wilder to a match.
10:20 – Dawson launches an early attack, but Dallas makes a strong recovery. Dawson counters with hits a superb finisher and ultimately pins his opponent.
Scott Dawson vs Bo Dallas
10:15 – McMahon brings out Rousey onstage, but begins to criticize her. She says that Rousey isn’t Brock Lesnar and reprimands her for nearly breaking Alexa Bliss’ arm at SummerSlam. Rousey then hits McMahon with a Judo Throw and locks in the arm bar until she relents. Rousey celebrates as McMahon writhes around in pain.
10:00 – Authors of Pain win. Backstage, Stephanie McMahon arrives to coronate RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey.
9:55 – Authors of Pain dominate the opening exchanges, but Titus Worldwide turn the tables on them and put up a brutal fight. Their efforts ultimately prove to be in vain, however, as the AOP hit the Last Chapter on Apollo for the pin.
Authors of Pain vs Titus Worldwide
9:42 – Elias wins. He pins Hawkins for an exciting victory.
9:40 – Curt Hawkins rolls Elias up for the nearfall but can’t pin him. Elias responds with a knee strike and hits the Drift Away for the win.
Elias vs. Curt Hawkins
9:25 – Ambrose wins. Backstage, Braun Strowman confronts Finn Balor and tells him that if he wins in the main event, he can expect him to cash his MITB contract.
9:21 – Drew McIntyre tries to get involved early on but Seth Rollins manages to drag him away. Ziggler sneaks in a cheap shot, but Ambrose recovers and hits him with a Dirty Deeds for the win.
Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler
9:00 – Triple H comes out next to promote his match with the Undertaker at the Super Show. He says he wants to be The Game again and when Vince McMahon told him about the opportunity he was ready.
8:54 – Riott Squad wins. Ruby Riott hits the Riott Kick for the win, and they celebrate their victory as we head to commercial.
8:50 – The Riott Squad isolate Bayley early on and take turns wearing her down. Fortunately, her compatriots are able to come to her aid. Sasha Banks lays a ruthless beating on the Riott Squad. Unfortunately, she isn’t able to overcome them single-handedly, and the Riott Squad come out on top.
Bayley, Sasha Banks & Ember Moon vs Riott Squad
8:35 – Lashley wins. We cut backstage to see Paul Heyman with Kurt Angle. Heyman asks Angle to invoke the rematch clause for Lesnar at Hell In A Cell, but the RAW general manager Angle says no.
8:30 – Lashley takes command early on, but Corbin manages to take over when he catches Lashley with a chokeslam-backbreaker. A disoriented Lashley goes outside of the ring, but Corbin follows and takes Lashley down with a clothesline. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Lashley debuts a new finisher and pins Corbin.
Constable Corbin vs. Bobby Lashley
8:10 – RAW general manager Kurt Angle comes out next and confirms that Reigns vs Balor is official. Angle also sets up a match between Corbin and Bobby Lashley.
8:05 – Roman Reigns open the show. He tells the audience that he’s ready to defend his title tonight against the man who won the title in Brooklyn but never lost it: Finn Balor. Balor comes out to accept the challenge but Constable Corbin comes out to ridicule Balor for sending the Demon out in his place to face him at SummerSlam.
Preview
The results of SummerSlam 2018 will linger over the event’s of tonight’s episode. Roman Reigns bested Brock Lesnar to become the new Universal Champion, but one can only imagine what (and who) will be waiting for him in his return to Monday Night RAW.
While Lesnar is known for his extended WWE absences, it is reasonable to assume that he will set his sights on battering Reigns sooner or later. There is also the matter of Braun Strowman, who attempted cash in his Money In the Bank contract at SummerSlam and wound up with a beating for his troubles. Its likely that Strowman has a chip on his shoulder, and Reigns will be just the man he’s looking to target.
There is also the ongoing rivalry between Ronda Rousey and Alexa Bliss. Rousey added absolutely dominated Bliss during their SummerSlam match, making the latter submit out of desperation. Now that Rousey is the RAW Woman’s Champion, however, will she have a target painted on her back? Will Bliss do some scheming behind-the-scenes to reclaim her title? Whatever the plan, we’ll probably see it come into play tonight.
Another major rivalry that culminated at SummerSlam was between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins. Rollins’ pal Dean Ambrose completely neutralized Drew McIntyre, allowing him to regain the Intercontinental Championship from Ziggler. With a victorious Rollins, however, the question arises as to whether Ambrose will continue to support him or turn heel and set him up.
We’ve been leaning towards the latter (check out a deep dive on the matter below) but its unlikely that Ambrose will orchestrate his betrayal so soon. Be sure to keep an eye on the WWE Superstar over the next few weeks. Another thing to consider is whether Ziggler will be able to maintain his partnership with McIntyre now that he’s no longer the champ.
To a lesser extent, tonight will probably explore the fallout of Constable Corbin’s SummerSlam beating at the hands of Finn Balor. Or, given that he resurrected his old alias, Demon Balor. If Corbin makes any snide remarks or conniving plans, there’s a good chance that Demon Balor will return to give him another beating.
Be sure to tune back in at 8 p.m. EST to get all the live updates and spoilers!