Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The Money in the Bank event is fast approaching and the likes of Iyo Sky and Chelsea Green have already qualified for the Women’s match. Who else will join them this? And what’s next for the ‘love story’ between Liv Morgan and her target Dominik Mysterio? Let’s get into it, and find out…
CATHY KELLEY and JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties.
LIV MORGAN’s attempts to say Dominik Mysterio this week included expensive gifts, a plate of chicken nuggets and ‘suggestive’ (but unseen) text messages.
Triple Threat Match – Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match
LYRA VALKYRIA defeated KAIRI SANE & SHAYNA BASZLER
Valkyria and Sane went after one another to start, but Sane jumped up while in a waistlock to kick Baszler away. Sane applied a Headlock but got shoved off and took a Hiptoss from Valkyria for a count of one. Sane was whipped into a corner but Baszler took down Valkyria with a Shoulder Knockdown and then hit a Knee Strike to Sane, before she hit the Flashing Baszler for a near fall.
Valkyria used flips to escape a charge by Baszler, then hit a Legsweep before a Northern Lights Suplex but Sane broke it up with a kick. Sane used a bounce off the ropes for a two-for-one with a Headscissors Takedown to Valkyria and a clutch of Baszler’s head to flip her over at the same time. Sane then hit a Crossbody from the top rope to both opponents on the floor.
After a commercial break, Sane countered a Suplex attempt by Baszler on the apron to hit a nice DDT onto that Hardest Part of the Ring. Valkyria hit her Dropkick through the ropes to Sane then sent her back into the ring to take a Missile Dropkick. A Fisherwoman’s Buster by Valkyria got her a near fall. Valkyria dodged the Low Knee from Baszler but a kick attempt got caught into a version of a Regal-Plex for a near fall. Sane hit a Running Blockbuster to Baszler and then went for the InSane Elbow but Baszler blocked at the last moment and locked on the Kirifuda Clutch, but Valkyria scooped Baszler with a Roll-up for a two count.
Valkyria peppered Baszler with kicks, finished with an Enzigiri. She tries for one on Sane who ducked, but ended up hitting a Deadlift style Sit-out Doctor Bomb. The pin was broken up by a Baszler Low Knee but Valkyria kicked out at two. Sane hit the Cutlass on Baszler, but Baszler cut her off going up top. A little back and forth from Baszler and Valkyria led to the Kirifuda Clutch being locked on.
Just as Valkyria rolled back for the counter pin to the Clutch, Sane hit the InSane Elbow to Baszler. Valkyria hit Nightwing on Sane for the victory to qualify for Money in the Bank.
Liv Morgan went to the ring for a promo and instantly called out Dominik and said she hoped he liked the gifts, and didn’t mind him playing ‘hard to get’. Claiming that Ripley never got him gifts or cared about him like she claims to. However, ZELINA VEGA instead came out and said her gift was shutting her up, and mocked Morgan for wanting Ripley’s ‘sloppy seconds’. Vega said that while Morgan was too bust chasing after ‘Dirty D’ she only wanted the Women’s World Championship.
Morgan bragged about how she took out Ripley and Becky Lynch to become champion, but Vega claimed that she’s starved for opportunities at titles. Vega challenged for a title match tonight, but Morgan tried to dismiss it and claimed it would happen next week. Of course, that just made Vega even more mad. Before Dominik Mysterio finally came out to ruin the party and claimed he didn’t like the gifts. Vega accused Mysterio of coming out on purpose to protect Morgan but Mysterio claimed he wanted to help Vega in this match because he’d rather have anyone but Morgan as champ.
Vega dismissed the offer and said she didn’t need any help, but Morgan used the distraction to haul Vega down to the mat for a brief brawl. Before Rey Mysterio came out to haul Morgan off and that led to Dominik shoving his father down. Dominik left the ring as Morgan gleefully followed after him to end the segment. Moments later backstage Dominik didn’t appreciate a hug, but Morgan managed to manipulate R-Truth with some sweet talk to get The Judgement Day a tag team title match later on the show.
NIKKI CROSS, as Abigail, spooked Chad Gable before she delivered a box with a Wyatt Sicks message VHS to the announce table.
Backstage Chad Gable tried and failed to get the former members of his Alpha Academy including MAXXINE DUPRI back on his side. They didn’t buy it of course but Dupri seemed somewhat sympathetic to his plight right now. Before curiously IVY NILE and The Creed Brothers showed up to ask if he was OK (there’s been a tease that these three could be Gable’s new Academy online).
Non-Title Tag Team Match
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions THE UNHOLY UNION (ALBA FYRE & ISLA DAWN) defeated KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER
Fyre and Carter started off and Frye was able to shove Carter down face-first off a lock-up, but soon after Carter hauled her into the middle rope for a Hot Shot. Carter lured Dawn in just to toss her out and hit both Champs with a Baseball Slide. A double team followed on the floor as Carter tossed Chance up to hit a Crossbody to both of the Unholy Union.
After a commercial break, Fyre got to the ropes to break a leg submission from Carter. Fyre dragged Carter into the ropes to catch a break, and Dawn got a tag but Carter countered a Double Team Suplex attempt with a Double DDT. Carter hit a Low Superkick to Dawn then tagged in Chance as they hit The Cake Stand double team but Fyre broke up the pin. Carter tossed Fyre out, but when Double KC went for The After Party Fyre at ringside hauled Carter out.
Moments later Dawn hit a Head Kick then tagged Fyre in to hit their double team of the Gory Bomb-Flatliner to get the win.
Immediately after the bell, the full force of Damage CTRL of DAKOTA KAI, Kairi Sane and IYO SKY hit the ring to attack everyone. In particular Kai hit Chance with the Running Boot in the corner. Sky hit the Over the Moonsault to both Dawn and Fyre for an apparent statement to go after the tag title again.
SCARLETT accompanied Karrion Kross as he defeated Kofi Kingston to continue the feud between The New Day and The Final Testament. Thanks to the backstage beatdown that AOP did on Woods, with Scarlett cheerleading, that acted as a distraction.
It was announced that the (presumably) last Women’s Money in the Bank qualifying match for Raw would be a Triple Threat Match with Dakota Kai versus Ivy Nile and Zoey Stark. Liv Morgan defending the Women’s World Championship against Zelina Vega was also made official for next week.
Later in the show, Liv Morgan was seen leaving the Judgement Day’s locker room but the only one who had been in there had been Finn Balor. During the main event, Morgan played a direct role to hit R-Truth with a Hot Shot and that led to The Judgement Day winning the World Tag Team Championships. And after being handed the tag titles, it seemed like McDonagh and Balor didn’t seem to hate Morgan as much as they’d claimed to earlier on.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
With rumours that the WWE is hoping Ripley will be cleared for SummerSlam, the Morgan storyline continues to drag on. At least we finally get a title match with her even if it’s on Raw rather than a PLE match. Elsewhere the Women’s MITB match is being filled with pleasantly surprising but well-deserving names. No one yet on the women’s side stands out fully as a potential winner just yet but there’s a concern that this year might be the one that whichever woman wins might be the first unsuccessful cash in against a title holder. Lastly, Damage CTRL going after the tag titles again isn’t a big surprise but the Unholy Union have been booked oddly in terms of being full tweener, heels one week and faces the next. A solid win this week certainly helped keep them firmly with attention on them but we’ll see how the story plays out next week and after the MITB event.
That’s your lot for this week! Be sure to stop by in seven days’ time for the next edition of the RAW RECAP! See you then!