After two weeks on the shelf, dealing with both tragedy and tornadoes, it’s great to be back covering tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
Tonight’s broadcast comes to you live from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO, on 5/27/19.
The show needs to run hard here on this Memorial Day, as we all witnessed a very special AEW: Double Or Nothing broadcast this weekend, which once again has set the bar for wrestling, something that despite what they might tell you, isn’t a dirty word.
Yes, tonight is a day where we celebrate those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and while many will be out spending time with friends and family, the WWE has to hit tonight’s broadcast out of the park to remind their fans why they tune in each and every week to watch a three hour television program.
Having said that, here we go.
They begin with a brilliant Memorial Day package which those in attendance truly enjoy, shortly after that, we get the arrival of both Kofi Kingston, the world champion, and Seth Rollins, the Universal Champion.
They are both tired of waiting and they call out the Money In The Bank winner, Brock Lesnar, for his decision. Heyman and “The Beast” are headed to the ring.
Okay, this is different. Lesnar’s music hits and he’s sporting a new “Brock Party” shirt and he’s made the MITB briefcase out to look like a boombox and there’s a remix of his music to reflect such. He’s actually grinning from ear to ear and dancing a little, that was pretty great.
Rollins rains on the parade and takes his leave, he’s seen enough already apparently.
Kingston asks if Lesnar is cashing in on him, but Heyman says that since Rollins spoiled the party, they’ll wait longer.
Dolph Ziggler takes this opportunity to leap over the guard rail and he attacks Kingston again. Xavier Woods, one third of the New Days, appears on the broadcast to help Kingston out. Lesnar and Woods engage one another in brawl as Kingston is helped from the ringside area.
Ziggler works over Woods, the aggression we saw last Tuesday out in full force. The fans rally for Woods, as Woods takes a beating with a brief comeback that’s quickly thwarted once the two are back at the ringside area.
Ziggler grabs a steel chair and drives it down across the back of Woods with malice not once, but twice. He rolls Woods into the ring and continues the assault. Ziggler is bleeding as well from the scrum outside the ring. Woods is in a bad way as Ziggler places his neck in the chair, but Kingston is back with a chair in hand and he saves his friend. They cut to a commercial.
We come back and Ziggler cuts one heck of a promo like he did last Tuesday and it gets everyone excited for what should be a fantastic match. That one should be terrific, it’s had a great build in such a short time.
The Usos are hosting a Memorial Day block party with the forgotten talents of the WWE, complete with a DJ. Poor Ec#, he literally looks so dejected and he appears to be drinking his pain away. The Revival are apparently not invited to this shindig.
Well, the main event is quickly killed as AJ Styles, apparently “injured”, in actuality on a stint of vacation, is replaced in a fatal four way main event by Baron Corbin. That’ll draw the big money for sure. He’ll probably win at that. It’s The Miz, Lashley and Strowman as his opponents.
After the break, we’ll be treated to our first match of the evening and it’s Shane McMahon in a “tune up” match for his confrontation with Roman Reigns at Super Showdown. He’s flanked by the “Scottish Psychopath” Drew McIntyre.
We get a promo for the forthcoming Triple H/Randy Orton match at Super Showdown and then we get to the ring finally. We are forty minutes into the show and we haven’t had a single match yet.
Shane McMahon cuts a promo about the history of the Reigns family to a resounding “This Is Boring” chant.
They cut to another commercial and so far, this show is dying a slow and painful death when they needed a strong broadcast. This is the slow, eating poison to turn a phrase from the “benevolent” Vince McMahon himself. Are we calling in the nWo to kill it or can we get some actual wrestling with this litany of top hands on this stacked roster?
Shane O’Mac is taking on Roman’s cousin, Lance Anoai. Before Shane even throws a right hand, McIntyre takes him out of the ring and destroys him.
Shane McMahon defeats Lance Anoai via submission with a triangle submission.
McIntyre runs him repeatedly into the barricade and chops away at him before hitting an overhead throw. Drew rolls him back into the ring and Shane calls for the bell.
Rapid fire rights and knee strikes continue to wear down the young star. Wow, here comes the “AEW” chant. They better get used to these. These fans paid good money to see this tragedy. A “this is awful” chant breaks out and I can’t disagree with them.
Lance mounts a comeback, but Shane thwarts it with a crossface and a triangle submission that mercifully ends this one for the youngster and us fans having to see this as our opening contest.
The assault continues as McMahon runs down Roman’s father and Reigns finally comes out to end this charade, hitting McIntyre with a superman punch. He gives chase as Shane O’Mac tries to escape, but he eats a superman punch and gets tossed into the ring.
Reigns gears up for a spear, but McIntyre drags Shane out of harms way as Reigns checks on his cousin. They make their way out of the arena before we head to commercial once again.
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman are back out to reveal who they are challenging with the MITB contract. Seth Rollins interrupts the segment, saying that Lesnar isn’t feared any longer and he’s a joke. Heyman is about to announce who he is challenging, but Lesnar didn’t realize he had a year to cash in. He slaps Heyman with the contract and takes his leave, laughing maniacally.
A frustrated Rollins doesn’t have time to reflect as the 24/7 Champion, R-Truth and Carmella, are chased throughout the arena by a litany of talent, ranging from Eric Young, the Good Brothers and Ec3. They manage to escape again this week as everyone gives chase.
AJ Styles is backstage with Charly Caruso and she informs him that he’s been replaced by Baron Corbin. He says at MITB he felt a pop in his lower back and he wanted to compete tonight, but he can’t, at least not tonight. He’s got to run through a few more tests and before he can continue, Baron Corbin lays him out.
Corbin stands over Styles laughing as he is tended too by medical technicians.
The music of “The Man” hits and Becky Lynch is out to compete in a tag team affair. It’s a non-title match pitting her and Nikki Cross against The Iiconics.
We’ll see the latest edition of “Firefly Fun House” later tonight as well and that draws a reaction from the crowd.
Becky Lynch/Nikki Cross defeat The Iiconics in a non-title by pin fall with the Manhandle Slam by Lynch on Royce.
This wasn’t bad. Cross played the face in peril where eventually, Lynch got the hot tag and cleaned house. After Kay broke up a submission attempt, Cross cleared the ring and Lynch got the victory with her new finish, a modified Rock Bottom.
Does a non-title victory mean that Lynch and Cross are due a title match now?
Lacey Evans is out at the end of the contest and she’s back to doing her walk down the ramp, walk back up the ramp spot.
Back to the Uso block party, we tease a Tamina/Naomi interaction, but they hug in a family reunion of sorts. The Revival have broken up the party and are eaten chips and we find out that Naomi invited them. It’s time to squash the beef.
The tension is there, but they shake hands and Naomi says let bygones be bygones. Hopefully that’s the end of them embarrassing the Revival and instead, focusing on their in-ring abilities.
Speaking of in-ring ability, Ricochet is out next after a great match, but a tough loss to the great Cesaro last week. He’s set to compete tonight against Cesaro once again and the “Swiss Cyborg” has an incredible new entrance package.
Ricochet defeats Cesaro via pin fall with a spiked rana.
The two men get after it early, exchanging top tier offense before an early commercial break. We come back with Ricochet as the man in peril, and these two put on a clinic after the break.
These two need a best of seven series for a major title. We saw counter after counter, a near fall where Ricochet caught Cesaro with a picture-perfect sunset flip and the end came where Ricochet came from the outside and he hit Cesaro with a spiked rana for the victory. Wow.
The US Title situation is addressed as Rey Mysterio is allegedly going to relinquish the title next week, as we’re informed by the former champ, Samoa Joe.
He addresses the controversy with his shoulders not being down and he says next week, he’ll reclaim what is rightfully his.
Later tonight, the “Electric Chair” experience, a new in-ring feature where Corey Graves will interview Sami Zayn.
The fatal fourway match is apparently not the main event tonight as Braun Strowman cuts a promo backstage which the sound guy ruins by playing his music too quickly. He runs down his opponents, but he then hits the ring and is joined by his other opponents.
Baron Corbin defeats The Miz/Bobby Lashley/Braun Strowman in a fatal fourway match to become the number one contender the Universal Title.
Strowman faces Bobby Lashley at Super Showdown, but either man might take a Universal Title shot with them. Corbin seems the likely foil for a short schedule in my opinion. We’ll see.
This will be elimination style we come to find out.
Strowman is dumped from the ring early and Corbin and Lashley go back to teaming up as they work over the Miz, looking to eliminate him quickly.
They continue their double team efforts, but Strowman comes in for a tower of doom spot, getting a two count on Lashley. Strowman is favoring his shoulder after being driven into the ringpost, but he rebounds with a double dropkick on the heels.
Corbin rolls out of harm’s way, but Strowman does his outside the ring spot where he looks for a shoulderblock, but Lashley destroys him with a brilliant counter.
The action continues after the break and it’s a pretty great match. Lashley with a delayed vertical suplex on Miz for a near fall and eventually, Strowman counts the comeback and runs the ringside area once again, but Lashley leaps up over him onto the apron with a clothesline counter! Wow!
Lashley and Strowman fight out into the crowd and towards the backstage area, eliminating them from the contest, leaving Corbin and the Miz alone.
We see the final elimination as Miz fights hard, but as I predicted, the End Of Days spells the end for the Miz and Corbin goes on to Super Showdown to be fodder for Rollins. Corbin will be a proper foil for Rollins on a short schedule, but it’ll be a quick end for him surely.
We pan backstage and see Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman still hanging out. Firefly Funhouse is next!
We go back to the Usos Block Party where Dash and Dawson ruin a perfectly clean game of cornhole which R-Truth promptly breaks up. They realize he’s there and he takes his leave.
We’re really glad that you’re our friend and this is a friendship that’ll never ever end!
Bray Wyatt is holding up a paper plate with the “fiend” and he’s here to protect us. He finds it hard to be brave and to find his confidence, but when he does this, holding the plate up again, he can be anything he wants to be.
Abby The Witch tells him that he’s a “sicko” and asks if he’s a doctor. Actually, he is. He transforms into a doctor and informs Abby she’s a bully and she asks why he won’t let her rest. He’ll never let her rest and she doesn’t wanna be stuck in this limbo anymore.
Did somebody say limbo? The limbo stick is up and Bray does the creepy exorcist walk underneath it as the disenfranchised kids hold it up. That was perfect.
Almost as perfect, here comes Sami Zayn!
Graves explains this new segment. Basically, whichever superstar sits in the electric chair will be asked questions via the audience that he will administer and Charly Caruso grabs a fan to ask the first question.
When is his retirement date? Ouch. Zayn asks the man if his father and mother are related? Kansas City, right?
Kayla Braxton asks if he misses teaming with Becky Lynch during mixed match challenge? The kid says “duh”. Zayn says her parents are disgusting, and she has no manners. He then asks if they wanna know about Becky or Seth Rollins? Zing!
Some jabronie asks Sarah Shreiber how it felt to have Braun Strowman beat him up weekly? He says if not for litigation, he’d beat the dude down. He calls the questions disappointing. Why not ask about his love life? Is he a good kisser?
“Thomas” asks why Sami hasn’t won the Universal Title yet? Zayn wants to hold these people accountable for their crap. Why not ask him about “AEW”?! Oh crap!
Seth Rollins hits the ring to end the segment. Zayn took a few subtle shots at him and this is then announced as our main event. I wonder if Vinnie Mac and Buckly Beaver himself, Kevin Dunn, shut that down prematurely, but even so, that was brilliant. Kudos to Zayn for railing on that hogwash they called a segment and those classic 80’s filtered questions.
Graves and he could have made magic, but it was anything but with two of the best. A quality main event comes out of it, so that’ll end the third hour on a high note.
Seth Rollins defeats Sami Zayn via pin fall with the Blackout Stomp.
I always appreciate when fifty/fifty booking doesn’t rear it’s ugly end, and it didn’t here tonight, but they need to protect Zayn and have him start winning some meaningful matches. He is one of the brightest bulbs in the company hallway and don’t let the “Vin-Man” dim that light, it’s too good to do that.
That aside, these two certainly did “burn it down” and considering we didn’t see true action until about an hour into a broadcast, you give us a classic with Ricochet/Cesaro, a fine fatal four way and then this?
I won’t complain. This show would be worthy of a solid B- based on the end of the show alone and Zayn and Rollins put on a PPV quality match for the Kansas City fans.
Brock Lesnar didn’t tease a cash in, Corbin didn’t interfere, they let wrestlers wrestle, it’s the damnedest thing, if you give them a chance, they’ll knock it out of the park.
Zayn hit a blue thunder bomb and many of his signature spots and Rollins tweaked his knee early on a suicide dive and sold it the whole match. That is wrestling.
Sami paid the price after toying with Rollins and one stomp put him down as Rollins yelled out “this is my life!”. A second got the victory. A tremendous main event and a solid finish after a horrid start.
