Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION!
We’re on the Road to SummerSlam and stakes are high after The Judgement Day put a beatdown on Iyo Sky ahead of Liv Morgan’s World title defence at SummerSlam. This week, however, Raquel Rodriguez looks to bring gold to the club as she faces Sol Ruca for the Women’s IC title. Who will leave as Champion? And what’s next between former tag partners-turned-rivals Bayley and Lyra Valkyria? Let’s get into it, and find out…
This week’s ‘Arrived Earlier Today’ videos included The Judgement Day with LIV MORGAN, RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ and a clearly far from happy ROXANNE PEREZ.
JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties.
After months of teases, MAXXINE DUPRI finally made a full Heel turn and aligned with The Vision during the World Tag Team Championship Match of The Street Profits versus Austin Theory and Bron Breakker. In the closing stretch, Angelo Dawkins stopped Theory from using brass knuckles but with the referee distracted by Logan Paul, Dupri appeared and slid into the ring. Delivering a low blow to Dawkins that immediately led to Theory picking up the win and The Vision becoming Tag Team Champions. Making the on-screen relationship certified ringside when Dupri jumped into Theory’s arms and gave him a big old kiss!
Later in the show, Dupri was fawning all over Theory as The Vision walked backstage. Paul Heyman confronted his group, calling the win a first step and praising Dupri for having ‘accomplished something’ tonight. The Vision left in a car, and that left Dupri’s apparent now former guys of Alpha Academy dumped as they watched the car leave.
In the Clubhouse of The Judgment Day, Morgan was hyping up Rodriguez ahead of the IC title match. Bragging about how they took out Iyo Sky last week, and said they’d do everything in their power to make sure Rodriguez won. Rodriguez vowed to rip the title from Ruca.
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match
Women’s Intercontinental Champion SOL RUCA defeated RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ to retain
Despite Morgan’s claim of doing everything to help Rodriguez, she came out alone to the ring for her entrance. Rodriguez easily won a test of strength, backing Ruca into a corner but gave a clean break. A second test saw Ruca backed to the ropes, but Ruca ducked a cheap shot attempt and applied a Headlock. Trying for a Bulldog after running the ropes but Ruca got shoved off. Rodriguez would counter a waistlock, eventually leading to flipping Ruca to the mat with an arm wringer, getting a couple of one counts by forcing Ruca’s arms down. Ruca would bridge out of a two count, able to move herself upward from the canvas with a Monkey Flip and staying high, cascading with a Sunset Flip but not holding on for a pin.
Ruca would try for a Monkey Flip out of a corner, but instead got turned around and shoved over the ropes by Rodriguez. Ruca used her legs to hold in, arching back up to strike Rodriguez and stun her. Ruca caught Rodriguez with a Lucha Kick, but botched a springboard move coming back in with a slip on the bottom rope that even the commentators had to acknowledge. Rodriguez caught Ruca on her shoulders and hit Snake Eyes, followed by the Diesel Elbows. Ruca escaped off the shoulders then used a Low Bridge to send Rodriguez to the floor. Ruca tried for a Moonsault off the ringpost to the floor, but rolled to her feet when Rodriguez moved out of the way. Ruca would use a cartwheel on the apron to counter her leg being swept, and hit a kick running along the apron. That set up a Springboard Corkscrew Crossbody off the bottom rope, getting a near fall back inside the ring.
Ruca tried for another spinning springboard move but Rodriguez blocked with a goozle, and while Ruca flipped to her feet to counter she ended up flattened by the Rewind Clothesline that gave Rodriguez barely a two count as the show went to a ‘commercial break’. Ruca was choked on the ropes, then took a corner Splash followed by a Bodyslam, then a second after Rodriguez had taunted the fans. Another round of Diesel Elbows was hit in a corner before Rodriguez locked in a rest hold of an Abdominal Stretch. Ruca Elbowed her way free, just to be decked with a Shoulder Check before an Elbow Drop got Rodriguez a two count. Rodriguez applied a Canadian Backbreaker, using it to drive Ruca into the corner and then hitting some Shoulder Thrusts with Ruca draped over the corner before the show went back to ‘live action’.
Ruca hit a couple of slaps while still in the corner, and used a Sunset Flip to finally escaped by rolled Rodriguez too far over onto her head so there was no pin. A Springboard Crossbody got Ruca a near fall. Ruca hit a round of strikes, ducking the attempts by Rodriguez to hit back, and tried taking Rodriguez off her feet with Shoulder Tackles. Ruca hit a Missile Dropkick from the middle rope then a Running Knee Strike to a kneeling Rodriguez for a near fall. Ruca went for a wild Springboard Frog Splash, and almost landed across Rodriguez’s feet when she rolled out of the way. Roxanne Perez came down to ringside just as Rodriguez hit a Big Boot and got a nearfall from it.
Ruca messily countered a Tijana Bomb with a one-legged sort of Headscissors Takedown, sending Rodriguez into a corner. Perez distracted the referee, and it allowed Liv Morgan to suddenly appear at the other side of the ring, grabbing Ruca at the corner to prevent a Sol Snatcher. Rodriguez hauled Ruca off the ropes, then hit a Victoria-style spin-out Side Slam for a near fall.
IYO SKY‘s music hit, but Sky appeared out of the crowd and hit a Crossbody off the barricade to take out Perez, then hit a misdirection kick to Morgan. Making another statement with a Moonsault off the ropes to wipe out Perez and Morgan. That all distracted Rodriguez enough for Ruca to land the Sol Snatcher cleanly and pin Rodriguez to retain the IC Title. Ruca posed with her title to celebrate and Sky was gleefully encouraging her as The Judgement Day seethed on the floor.
The furious women of The Judgement Day were interviewed, and Morgan ranted that her group was still the greatest of all time. She complained that what Sky did was a disgrace, Rodriguez said it wasn’t over between them, Ruca and Sky until she said it was. Perez challenged Sky to a match and vowed that Sky wouldn’t make it to SummerSlam.
BAYLEY had a promo video, recapping her past with Lyra Valkyria, getting emotional about the betrayal saying that Valkyria brought her back up after one of the worst years of her career. Bayley objected to Valkyria taking the ‘easy way out’ of the attack, and challenged Valkyria to talk to her face-to-face next week.
The match between Roxanne Perez and Iyo Sky was made official for next week’s edition of Raw.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
There were a couple of missteps between Rodriguez and Ruca, but the two were able to quickly move past them and put on a fine match. An expected outcome, and it also allowed Sky to get some heat back in the run-up to the World title match. We’ll wait and see if Ruca is gonna get any title defence at SummerSlam with only a few weeks to go before the two-night PLE. The WWE finally pulled the trigger of Dupri’s full Heel turn after so many teases, and it’s off to a good start. Here’s hoping it leads to success for her and not just leaving her relegated to a manager, and we’ll see if there’s any counter valet or ally added by The Street Profits if the tag title feud continues.
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!
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