WWE Raw Review – July 31, 2023
Kicking off this week’s Raw with Logan Paul welcomes fans to Raw then says he has a think about not talking in front of brain dead people for too long. He says he’s in Houston for Ricochet after attempting to introduce him to his own audience last week and says all he was trying to do was showcase Ricochet’s athleticism and build hype around this match. He says he was instead blindsided and because of what Ricochet did he will beat him at SummerSlam in the most viral match in all of WWE.
Ricochet’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring & he asks Paul what’s going on and says he’s gotten into Paul’s head. He says Paul is trying to pretend to be the good guy and while he can fool his audience he isn’t fooling WWE fans. He says their SummerSlam match will be box office and tells him he has to say something to him. He says that while he doesn’t like Paul on a personal level he respects that he is an athlete and a showman.
Paul says he appreciates Ricochet saying that and returns the sentiment. He says Ricochet was one of the greatest to do it until he showed up in WWE and says he made them go viral during the Royal Rumble match earlier this year when they both leveled one another jumping off the top rope and across the ring. He says they’re going to have one hell of a match and offers Ricochet his hand. Ricochet fist bumps it and looks to leave but Paul stops him. He tells Ricochet that his fiancée Samantha Irvin will have to announce Paul as the winner of their match.
Ricochet has had enough. He rains down right hands on Paul but Paul reverses things and sends Ricochet crashing into the mat. Ricochet nails him with an enziguri and looks for a right hand off the top rope. Paul catches him with a right hand mid air before showing off the damage he just did to his audience on his phone.
We then head backstage to Jackie Redmond is with Imperium & she asks Intercontienetal Champion Gunther about his upcoming Intercontinental Title match against Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam and Gunther says he doesn’t live in the past. He says his only concern is disappointment and expresses the disappointment he feels in Ludwig Kaiser after losing to Drew McIntyre last week. He says Kaiser has the chance to redeem himself when he faces Matt Riddle up next and adds that he will end McIntyre at SummerSlam.
Ludwig Kaiser vs. Matt Riddle
Match starts off with lock up then Matt Riddle executes a pair of mat returns before exchanging submission holds with Ludwig Kaiser before Riddle gains the upper hand and delivers a gutwrench suplex then lands a chop then Kaiser responds with one of his own and they go back & forth.
Kaiser sends Riddle crashing into the ring post shoulder first then dropkicks him to the outside and delivers an uppercut then tosses him back inside the ring and takes a second to strategize with Gunther. Kaiser slides back in the ring but Riddle sends him to the outside over the top rope then delivers Floating Bro as we go to a break.
After the break Riddle fires off forearms and chops on Kaiser then he delivers a suplex and a Broton then follows it up with a German suplex and bridges into a pinfall but Kaiser kicks out and Riddle lands a 2nd Broton. He looks for a 3rd but Kaiser gets his knees up and delivers a clothesline.
Riddle then delivers a kick to Kaiser’s head but Kaiser lands to his face then Riddle hits a ripcord knee and a suplex then Giovanni Vinci hops up on the apron allowing Kaiser to roll up Riddle but Riddle transitions into a powerbomb and follows it up with a ripcord knee then goes for a pin.
Kaiser kicks out and slaps Riddle then delivers an uppercut then Riddle catches Kaiser with a knee then ascends to the top and looks to fly but Kaiser rolls out of the way and delivers a running enziguri then delivers Deadfall for the win.
Winner: Ludwig Kaiser
After the match Gunther shakes Kaiser’s hand.
After the break we head over to a video showing everything that has led up to the SummerSlam rubber match between Brock Lesnar & Cody Rhodes.
Maxxine Dupri vs. Valhalla
Valhalla wastes no time as she delivers a knee to Maxxine Dupri then fires off right hands then Dupri fires back with a pair of arm drags but Valhalla rocks her with a knee to her jaw. Dupri lands another arm drag and a kick to Valhalla’s head then follows it up with a suplex and a splash in the corner.
Otis & Chad Gable hop up on the apron to support Dupri and Dupri delivers the Caterpillar in honor of Otis. She then ascends to the top and delivers a crossbody then goes for a pin but Erik hops in the ring distracting the referee.
Otis begins brawling with him before Ivar gets involved then Gable then takes everyone out on the outside with a moonsault allowing Valhalla to sit Dupri on the top rope and look to hit a superplex but Dupri escapes and gets Valhalla in an electric chair position then delivers an Ocean Cyclone Suplex for the win.
Winner: Maxxine Dupri
Mr Money In The Bank Damian Priest calls for all to rise for Judgment Day before Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley says Raw doesn’t start until the 4 of them says it does. She says it’s Judgment Day’s world and they have no problem putting anyone who doesn’t fall in line on the shelf. Priest lists off everyone who has crossed Judgment Day, including Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins & Liv Morgan. Priest puts Rollins & Zayn on notice ahead of his & NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio’s tag team match against them later on tonight.
Finn Balor says Rollins acts insane but real insanity is seeing the scars he inflicted on him. He says Rollins ruined his career 7 years ago and says while he can’t erase the scars he has he will inflict them on Rollins and feel better about himself. Mysterio says he’ll bring back some pride to the Mysterio name and Ripley says anyone who tries to get in Judgment Day’s way should take a page out of Raquel Rodriguez’s book. She tells them to run and hide.
Rodriguez’s music hits and she marches down to the ring & she wastes no time and rains down right hands on Ripley then whips her into the corner before she delivers a snapmare and clotheslines her to the outside. Rodriguez then sends her crashing into the barricade and the ring post then warns Mysterio not to get involved. Ripley takes advantage and delivers a chop block to Rodriguez and officials run down to check on Rodriguez after she clutches her knee. Ripley stomps on Rodriguez’s knee and decides to stand down afterwards.
We then head over to the 1st of a 2 part video series showcasing how the SummerSlam match between Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler came about as well as their friendship over the past several years.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Shinsuke Nakamura & Tommaso Ciampa lock up to get this match started then Nakamura delivers a shoulder tackle before Ciampa delivers a chop and a backbreaker then follows it up with a dropkick to Nakamura’s head and fires off stomps then delivers a right hand and a chop but Nakamura responds with a knee and a kick to his spine.
The action spills to the outside and Ciampa sets Nakamura up on the apron then delivers a knee that sends him crashing into the timekeepers area as we go to a break.
After the break Nakamura delivers an enziguri to Ciampa. Ciampa fires back with a DDT off the ropes then lands a chop and looks to go flying off the middle rope.
Ciampa moves out of the way and lands a knee then follows it up with a forearm then Nakamura responds with a kick to Ciampa’s midsection and rolls him up for the win.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Brock Lesnar introduces himself and lists off his accomplishments then he says it’s fight week now because the wait is over for SummerSlam. He says he will be getting paid to fight Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam while Rhodes will be getting paid to take a beating then calls Rhodes out to the ring.
Rhodes’ music hits and he circles the ring before getting inside then he offers his hand to Lesnar, and Lesnar shakes it then they stare one another down and Rhodes looks to hug Lesnar but Lesnar pushes him away and looks to leave. Rhodes stops Lesnar with a tope suicida but Lesnar sends him into the ring post spine first and hits him with one of the ring steps twice. Rhodes begins to get up but Lesnar hits him with a right hand across his spine. He then picks up the ring step again and hits Rhodes with it but Rhodes refuses to lay down. Lesnar delivers a knee to his head then tosses him into the ring and delivers an F5.
Non Title 5 Min Challenge
Intercontinental Champion Gunther vs. Chad Gable
Match starts off with a lock up then they go back & forth with submission holds before Gunther stomps on Chad Gable’s neck and follows it up with a snapmare then delivers a neck crank and a body slam before attempting a couple of pinfalls. Gable kicks out and fires off a pair of chops but Gunther delivers a series of uppercuts.
Gable fires off a few right hands and looks for a German suplex but is unable to get Gunther over his head so Gunther levels Gable with a chop and looks for a powerbomb but Gable counters into an Ankle Lock but Gunther escapes and lands a chop then locks in a Sleeper.
With 10 seconds on the lock Gunther looks for a Powerbomb but Gable escapes and sends Gunther crashing to the outside then the clock runs out.
Winner: Chad Gable (He survived the Time Limit)
After the match Gunther demands more time be added to the clock and Samantha Irvin announces the match will continue. Gable then delivers a dropkick to Gunther as we go to a break.
Non Title Match
Intercontienetal Champion Gunther vs. Chad Gable
After the break Gunther delivers a massive chop to Gable then follows it up with a 2nd one and sits Gable on the top rope but Gable fights off Gunther and delivers a knee then lands a pair of dropkicks and locks in an arm and shoulder submission but Gunther escapes and delivers a high German suplex.
Gable delivers a series of forearms and a German suplex, then goes for the pin but Gunther kicks out and lands a big boot then delivers a series of chops then plants him to the mat with a Powerbomb for the win.
Winner: Intercontienetal Champion Gunther
After the match Gunther tells fans to get used to him picking up wins and celebrating his success. He puts Drew McIntyre on notice and tells him to take a look at what he did to Gable then says the same fate awaits McIntyre at SummerSlam and he will end him once and for all.
Becky Lynch says The Man has come around to Houston then says she’s said and done everything to get her rematch with Trish Stratus. She says now there’s nothing left but to do it and says there’s no better time for them to square off than now.
Trish Stratus’ music hits and she appears alongside Zoey Stark. Stratus says she thought about facing Lynch here and now but she realized she fights on her own time. She says she will name the time and place she wants to fight Lynch then assures her that she won’t cheat Lynch out of her match. Adam Pearce interrupts Stratus and announces the rematch will be happening now.
Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus
Becky Lynch takes down Trish Stratus then Zoey Stark quickly gets involved & attacks Lynch & the ref calls for the bell.
Winner By DQ: Becky Lynch
After the match Lynch then sends Stratus face first into the announce table and does the same to Stark on the ring apron then she tosses Stratus into the timekeepers area and looks to suplex her back into the ringside area but Stark intervenes and beats Lynch down. Lynch sends Stark into the ring post and Stratus hits her with the chair.
After the break we see Stratus & Stark walking around backstage. Pearce runs into them and says what just happened was unacceptable and Stratus says that was a rematch where she had no time to prepare. Pearce then announces that Stratus will be facing Lynch in 2 weeks and Stark will be barred from ringside.
We then head over to the 2nd part of the video series showcasing how the SummerSlam match between Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler came about as well as their friendship over the past several years.
Tag Team Match
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Sami Zayn & World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. Judgement Day (NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio & Mr Money In The Bank Damian Priest)
Sami Zayn & Seth Rollins waste no time and go after Judgment Day on the ramp but Judgment Day overpowers them and Damian Priest tosses Zayn inside the ring. Zayn goes flying over the top to level Priest before Finn Balor beats him down. Rollins levels him with a tope suicida and sends him to the back then meets Zayn inside the ring as we go to a break.
After the break Dominik Mysterio slides out of the ring so Rollins chases him back inside and Mysterio fires off right hands on him in the corner. Rollins gets him in an electric chair position and sends him into the top turnbuckle face first then delivers a running knee and tags in Zayn.
Zayn delivers a double ax handle off the middle rope but Mysterio shoves him into the corner and tags in Priest. Priest whips Zayn into the corner before Zayn fires off chops and delivers an elbow off the middle rope then tags in Rollins & Rollins delivers a double stomp off the top rope as Zayn holds Priest in place.
Rollins fires off chops in the corner then delivers a boot to Priest’s face and looks to go flying but Priest catches him with a right hand and tags in Mysterio & Mysterio fires off right hands on Rollins and tags in Priest. Priest delivers a boot and tags Mysterio back in.
Mysterio delivers a pair of right hands to Rollins’ head and midsection then tags out to Priest. Rollins delivers a knee to Priest’s face but Balor trips him after he lands on the apron and sends him crashing into the ring post face first as we go to a another break.
After the 2nd break Rollins delivers a rolling elbow to Mysterio before Priest & Zayn tag in and Zayn fires off right hands on Priest’s head then he follows it up with a clothesline but Priest fires back with a boot. Zayn dumps him out of the ring then goes flying over the top to level him.
He tosses him back inside the ring and delivers a tornado DDT then goes for the pin but Mysterio breaks the fall up and tags in. He dials it up for the 619 but Zayn takes him down with a clothesline before he can complete the 619.
Rollins & Priest then tag in and Rollins executes a Sling Blade then delivers 3 tope suicidas to Priest on the outside the last one sends him tumbling over the announce table then gets Priest back inside the ring and looks to go flying but Priest catches him and looks for South Of Heaven but Rollins escapes and lands a pair of superkicks.
Rhea Ripley hops up on the apron to distract the referee allowing Mysterio to deliver a jawbreaker to Rollins off the top rope. Zayn levels Mysterio but Ripley gets in his face. Balor then blindsides Zayn with a dropkick while the referee is distracted.
Priest takes advantage by hitting Razor’s Edge then looks to pin Rollins then he spots his Money In The Bank briefcase and calls for Balor to pass it to him as Priest looks to cash it in but Rollins superkicks him before he can using the briefcase.
Mysterio tries to interfere but Rollins hits him with the briefcase then Balor tries attacking Rollins but Zayn hits him with a Helluva Kick then Rollins hits Priest with Curb Stomp to get the win.
Winners: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Sami Zayn & World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins
Matches Of The Night
Ludwig Kaiser vs. Matt Riddle- 7/10
Non Title Match- 7/10 (Counting both matches into 1)
SummerSlam Card (August 5th)
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
World Heavyweight Title Match
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor
Women’s Title Triple Threat Match
Asuka (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca BelAir
Undisputed WWE Universal Title Tribal Combat Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso
Ricochet vs. Logan Paul
Intercontienetal Title Match
Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
MMA Rules Match
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
TBD Man Battle Royal
LA Knight vs. Sheamus vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Otis vs. Chad Gable vs. More TBD
