This week’s episode of WWE Raw emanates from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! Bayley takes on Lyra Valkyria in a number one contender’s match. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed face Sami Zayn and Penta. Sheamus battles Rusev, and more.
We break it all down in this week’s WWE Raw recap!
We Hear From Rhea Ripley
Ripley says with WWE Evolution around the corner, it is time for her to get her priorities straight. IYO SKY’s music hits. SKY says we can’t have Evolution without her. SKY says Ripley isn’t on top without the WWE Women’s World Championship. SKY says Adam Pearce gave her permission to choose her Evolution opponent. SKY wants to defend her title against the best, whom she considers to be Ripley. Ripley says she has respect for SKY, but she will stop at nothing to get the world title back. Ripley says if that’s what SKY wants, then she will get it. Ripley accepts SKY’s challenge.
Backstage, Dominik Mysterio confirms he is still not cleared to compete following a rib injury. Dominik tells AJ Styles if he lays his fingers on him before he’s cleared, he will never get his IC Title match. Styles says Dominik will get what’s coming to him. Styles vows to also take the IC Title.
WWE World Tag Titles: New Day (c) vs. Finn Balor & JD McDonagh
Kingston backs Balor up into the corner. Balor fires back with a kick. Kingston headbutts Balor. Balor responds with a dropkick to Kingston’s back. McDonagh tags in and delivers a leg drop to Kingston. McDonagh chops Kingston in the corner. McDonagh sends Kingston to the outside and boots him from the apron. Kingston stops a springboard moonsault attempt. Woods tags in and delivers a flying stomp to McDonagh on the back.
Back from break, McDonagh and Woods exchange chops. McDonagh counters a powerbomb into a facebuster on Woods. Balor tags in and stomps Woods. He then drives Kingston to the mat. Balor follows up with a chop. Kingston catches him with a kick. Balor responds with a sling blade. Kingston lands a stomp as Balor charges in. McDonagh sends Woods to the floor, then wipes him out with a springboard moonsault. Woods blocks the second one with his feet. Balor tags in. McDonagh locks Woods in a headlock. Balor leaps off the top with a Coup De Grace, but it hits McDonagh. Kingston and Woods hit Midnight Hour on Balor for a near fall.
Balor dodges a Trouble In Paradise. Woods hits Balor with the championship belt as the referee is distracted. Kingston rolls him up for a two count. Balor bounces Kingston against the ropes, knocking Woods off the top rope as well. McDonagh lands a Spanish Fly on Woods off the top. Kingston breaks up the subsequent pinfall attempt. Balor hits a sling blade on Kingston on the outside. McDonagh hits a moonsault on Woods. Balor follows up with the Coup De Grace for the win.
Winners (And New): JD McDonagh & Finn Balor
Backstage, Bayley says she is still focused on the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Lyra Valkyria interrupts. Valkyria says she doesn’t know who Bayley is anymore. Valkyria says everything is personal between her and Becky Lynch. Valkyria and Bayley argue. Adam Pearce breaks them up. He confirms they’ll face each other to determine the number one contender to the Women’s IC Title.
Elsewhere, Chad Gable tells American Made to hold down the fort while he recovers from injury.
Finn Balor suggests to Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis that Roxanne Perez replace Liv Morgan as a tag team champion. Pearce and Aldis confer and agree under one condition. Perez and Raquel Rodriguez must defend the titles against three others teams at WWE Evolution.
Rusev vs. Sheamus
Rusev and Sheamus lock up. Sheamus shoulder checks Rusev, though not with much impact. Rusev does the same. Sheamus clotheslines Rusev. Rusev fires off kicks in the corner. Sheamus responds with a flurry of hands. Rusev slams him into the mat. Sheamus hits a powerslam on the floor.
Back from break, Sheamus drives Rusev into the corner. Rusev bursts out of it with a kick. Rusev then toys with Sheamus with light kicks and slaps. Sheamus encourages Rusev to hit him. Sheamus unloads a series of punches on Rusev, then knocks him down with an axe handle. Sheamus follows up with a backbreaker. Sheamus leaps off the top with a pair of knees, then chokes Rusev with his boot. Sheamus prepares for the ten beats, but Rusev slings his arm off the rope. Rusev follows up with a fallaway slam. Rusev runs into a pair of boots from Sheamus. They go up top, with Rusev landing a superplex.
Back from another break, Rusev and Sheamus trade blows. Sheamus connects with a series of forearm strikes against the ropes. Sheamus lines up for a Brogue Kick, but misses when Rusev counters. Sheamus connects with a running knee for a near fall. Rusev plants Sheamus with a uranage and a kick. Rusev locks in the Accolade. Sheamus reaches his feet and rams Rusev into the corner and to the outside. Sheamus connects with a Brogue Kick. The referee begins counting. Rusev reenters the ring at the count of seven.
Rusev bounces Sheamus off the ring post. Rusev rams Sheamus into the exposed turnbuckle next. He follows up with a Machka Kick for the win.
Winner: Rusev
Backstage, Ivy Nile confirms she’ll enter the battle royal at WWE Evolution. Karrion Kross then attacks Sami Zayn.
We Hear From Gunther
Gunther says Goldberg has every right to claim he is the most feared man of his generation. Gunther isn’t afraid of what’s left of him, though. Gunther claims Goldberg wants one last ride at Gunther’s expense. Gunther says Goldberg is not capable of taking his world title. Gunther is capable of ending Goldberg in three minutes though. Gunther plans to also embarrass Goldberg in front of his family. Gunther warns Goldberg that he bumped into the biggest bully today and he will beat him at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. Gunther says he will expose that Goldberg never had it in the ring.
Gunther says after he beats Goldberg, he will ask who’s next. Seth Rollins’ music hits. He comes out with Paul Heyman and his Money in the Bank briefcase. Rollins says they came out here to congratulate Gunther on regaining the world title. Rollins says he didn’t go to WWE Night of Champions to cash in on John Cena. Rollins clarifies he went there to ensure that CM Punk didn’t become WWE Champion. Rollins says he has his eye on both titles then congratulates Gunther again.
CM Punk’s music hits. He runs down and brawls with Rollins. Rollins retreats through the crowd as Punk watches on from the turnbuckle. Punk shoves Gunther to the mat before leaving. LA Knight sneaks up behind Rollins and attacks him. They brawl further into the arena concourse. Knight bounces Rollins against the bar. Rollins throws a drink in Knight’s face then runs away.
Backstage, Finn Balor presents Perez with the Women’s Tag Team Championship. He says this will be a really long road for Liv Morgan and he wanted Raquel Rodriguez to remain champion. All members of the Judgment Day vote yes on having Perez step in for Morgan. Raquel says she better keep up her end of the deal. Perez plans to take down Kairi Sane, the person who took out Morgan.
Women’s IC Title Number One Contender: Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
Bayley and Valkyria lock up. Bayley knocks her down with a shoulder check. Valkyria takes Bayley down with an arm drag. They lock up again, with Bayley hip checking Valkyria. She follows up with a sliding lariat. Valkyria rolls Bayley into a backslide pin. Bayley kicks out. Bayley descends off the top with an elbow, then throws Valkyria into the corner. Bayley launches Valkyria into the turnbuckle again before transitioning to a crab submission. Valkyria rolls through it. The two collide with crossbodies.
Back from break, Bayley descends off the top with a superplex. She follows up with a back suplex. Valkyria rolls to the outside. Bayley rolls her back in and covers her for a two count. Valkyria lands a swinging neckbreaker. Bayley hits a sunset flip that sends Valkyria crashing into the corner. Bayley shoulder tackles Valkyria in another corner. Valkyria delivers a gut-wrench powerbomb. Bayley and Valkyria collide heads. They then trade blows.
Valkyria looks for a Knight Wing, but Bayley counters. They trade pinfall attempts. They pin each others shoulders at the same time, prompting the referee to rule it a draw.
Winner: Draw
After the match, Valkyria and Bayley brawl on the outside. Valkyria sends Bayley over the barricade. The action spills into the crowd, with Bayley slamming Valkyria into a production chest. WWE officials separate them.
Backstage, CM Punk says Seth Rollins knows Punk is not the one to mess with. Punk says he has receipts for all of Rollins’ crew. Punk tells LA Knight to get to the back of the line when it comes to dealing with Rollins. Knight tells CM Punk that he is the line for Rollins right now given their match at WWE SNME.
Sami Zayn & Penta vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman)
Breakker and Penta lock up. Breakker throws Penta to the mat, then shoulder tackles him in the corner. Penta takes him down with a hurricanrana, then tags in Zayn. Zayn leaps off the top with an axe handle. Breakker runs over Zayn with a shoulder tackle, then tags in Reed. Reed crushes Zayn in the corner. Zayn lands another axe handle, then tags in Penta. Zayn and Penta rain down with hands on Reed. Penta follows up with a flying forearm. Zayn and Penta level them with dives to the outside.
Back from break, Zayn fires off strikes on Reed in the corner. Zayn tries to clothesline him, but Reed is unfazed. Zayn sends Reed to the outside, as well as Breakker. Zayn connects with a springboard moonsault. Zayn and Reed trade strikes up top. Zayn lands a powerbomb off the top for a near fall. Reed hits a Death Valley Driver for a near fall of his own. Breakker tags in. Reed knocks Zayn to the outside. Breakker sends Zayn crashing into the announce table.
Back from another break, Zayn dodges a senton from Reed. Penta tags in and hits a sling blade on Balor. Penta then stomps Breakker in the corner. He follows up with the Sacrifice. Penta sets up for a Penta Driver, but Breakker counters. Penta spikes him with a DDT. Breakker lands a Frankensteiner off the top. Reed follows up with a spinning powerbomb. Zayn breaks up his pin attempt on Penta. Reed sends Zayn to the outside, then goes up top. Penta dodges a Tsunami.
Zayn and Breakker tag in. Zayn lands an exploder in the corner. Breakker counters a Helluva Kick with a lariat. As Breakker runs the ropes, Zayn knees him. Reed runs in to break up the pinfall attempt. He then sends Penta to the outside. Zayn tries to suplex Reed, but fails. Penta slingshots Reed of the top rope. Zayn then suplexes Reed. Breakker spears Zayn for the win.
Winner: Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
After the match, Breakker spears Penta. Breakker tosses Penta to the outside. Reed looks for a Tsunami. Jey Uso appears with a chair in hand and hits Breakker with it. Uso fires off strikes on Reed, then superkicks him. Uso throws the chair at him, causing Reed to roll to the outside. Uso stands tall with Zayn and Penta.