WWE.com Drew McIntyre
The latest episode of Monday Night RAW is currently airing on the USA Network. Here’s what’s happened so far:
11:00 – Ambrose and Rollins win. They celebrate their win, but suddenly Ambrose kicks and hits the Dirty Deeds. He continues to beat Rollins up as the crowd boos him. He then grabs Rollins and hits Dirty Deeds on the exposed floor underneath the mat. The show ends with him walking away from the ring.
10:55 – A marathon match gets kicked off as McIntyre and Ziggler lay into their opponents. The duos seem evenly matched, but the former get the jump on the Shield and prepare to finish them off before Braun Strowman’s music hits. Strowman comes in and fights McIntyre into the crowd. Ambrose and Rollins take out Ziggler, making them the new tag team champions.
The Shield vs. Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler
10:30 – Moon wins. After the break, Titus O’Neil comes out to give a presentation that honors a handful of breast cancer survivors.
10:20 – After a flurry of hits from all sides, Nia Jax takes control of the match and overpowers everyone before having a standoff with Tamina. Ember Moon and Dana Brooke recover and manage to attack them before anything can happen, however. Brooke tries to steal the win with a roll-up on Moon. Tamina counters Jax’s attack with a superkick, but Moon hits the Eclipse for the pin.
Tamina vs. Dana Brooke vs. Nia Jax vs. Ember Moon
10:00 -After the break, the Bella Twins and Ronda Rousey head to the ring for their contract signing. The Bellas are concerned to be around Rousey, but she promises that she did not come to fight. Nikki rips into Rousey for all the ways she has let her mother down. Rousey warns her that she’s dead meat come their match.
9:45 – Elias wins. After the break he attempts to perform another song, but he’s promptly interrupted by Baron Corbin. The acting GM says they don’t have time for another song. Elias eventually leaves, but he comes right back out and smashes the guitar over Corbin’s back.
9:35 – After a brief musical performance from Elias, the pair scrap and Crews gets the former in a headlock. He then takes Elias out of the ring so he can hit a moonsault. He then scoops up Elias for a Samoan drop and a near fall, but Elias hits a knee to the body and a Drift Away for the pin.
Apollo Crews vs Elias
9:15 – Paul Heyman comes out to praise Roman Reigns and gives him credit for putting his healthy above his career aspirations. Heyman says he did the right thing for the title because WWE deserves a champion who can be there all the time. He starts to talk abou Braun Strowman, who comes out looking to attack. Before he can, however, Drew McIntyre hits Strowman with a Claymore to the face.
9:05 – Riott wins. Afterwards, Triple H and Shawn Michaels come out and talk about how the Undertaker accused them of being afraid of The Brothers of Destruction. They proceed to make fun of Kane’s job as the Mayor of Knox County Tennessee.
9:00 – Riott comes out swinging, but Banks starts to make a comeback when she hits a Meteora from the middle rope. She hits the backstabber, but Riott blocks the Bank Statement. The other members of the Riott Squad attempt to interfere, and Banks manages to lay them out, but the distraction gives Riott an opening to hit the Riott Kick for the pin.
Sasha Banks vs Ruby Riott
8:40 – Balor wins. Sasha Banks and Ruby Riott enter the ring to prepare for their match.
8:35 – After a brutal opening combination from Lashley, Balor breaks free and gets in a few moves to snatch the momentum. Lashley attempts a vertical suplex, but Balor counters and hits an unexpected sling blade. Lashley counters again with a clothesline, but Balor responds with a roll-up for the eventual pin.
Finn Balor vs Bobby Lashley
8:15 – Reigns explains that he has been living with leukemia for 11 years, and that it has returned. He says he has to relinquish the title because he can’t defend it. He says he is not looking for sympathy because he has been living with it since he was 22. He wipes tears from his eyes and poses with his fellow Shield members, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.
8:05 – The show opens with Roman Reigns coming out to make an announcement. He lets the crowd get their boos out before speaking. He announces that he has to relinquish the Universal Championship title.
Preview
Drew McIntyre is a crucial player tonight, as he’s coming off a brutal attack on Braun Strowman last week. McIntyre’s partner Dolph Ziggler got pinned by the Monster Among Men, but the former managed to level him with a Claymore. Even more shocking, however, is the fact that McIntyre didn’t help Ziggler to his feet after the confrontation was over, suggesting that there is a rift developing between them. Now Strowman has to contend with Ziggler, but a rogue McIntyre who’s intentions are still a mystery. Hopefully we get some more light shed on the topic during tonight’s episode.
Another WWE Superstar who appears to be on the outs with his teammates is Dean Ambrose. Ambrose has been teasing his discontent with fellow Shield members Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, to the point where he nearly laid out Rollins, the Intercontinental Champion, after a couple of accidental collisions. Fortunately, Reigns was able to break things up, but Ambrose’s frustration remains as prevalent as ever. Whether he will make peace with the rest of the Shield or continue to hint at his dissent, we can rest assured that we haven’t heard the last from the Lunatic Fringe.
Expect to See More Tension Between Elias and Apollo Crews
A less expected development over the past few weeks has been the rivalry between Elias and Apollo Crews. Crews left Elias scrambling after he cut off one of his concert and hit him with a brutal press slam. That said, Elias has a long track record of overreacting when his spotlight is stolen from him, so we can only hope that he turns it on and goes after Crews with everything he’s got. Expect a decent amount of time spent on this two over the next few weeks.
Elsewhere, Finn Balor and Bobby Lashley will continue to bump heads. Nothing has happened between the two thus far, as Lashley has preferred to take the high road, but there’s only so much disrespect that can build up between them before things get physical. According to WWE.com, Balor posted an ominous photo to a social media with the caption: “Bigger they are …” suggesting that he’s talking about Lashley’s “fall.” It’s reasonable to assume that things will be taken up a notch during tonight’s episode.
Then, of course, there’s the ongoing struggle between Ronda Rousey and the Bella Twins. The latter pair, Nikki and Brie, betrayed Rousey to set up a Raw Women’s Title Match at WWE Evolution, but they’ve wisely avoided any confrontation with Rousey before the match. If their strategy works out, then they’ll have defeated the woman that no one else has managed to overtake. If not, than Rousey is sure to lay waste to them before Evolution even comes around.