This week’s episode of WWE Raw emanates from Houston, Texas! We break it all down in this week’s WWE Raw recap.
We Hear From CM Punk & GUNTHER
Punk says when he came back to WWE, he had some goals, including winning another world title. Punk says he can now focus on that goal after winning the gauntlet match last week. Punk calls World Heavyweight Champion Gunther one of the best wrestlers in the world. Punk is looking forward to facing Gunther. He promises to give the people everything he has at SummerSlam. Punk says he is prepared for Gunther. He warns Gunther that he is not just any other challenger because he is the best in the world.
Gunther’s music hits. He walks to the ring to face off with Punk. Gunther says he is not here to insult Punk or create any drama. Gunther says he and Punk are both here to make money and win championships. Gunther says they both also consider themselves the best. Gunther adds that they both have a massive ego, but his is justified. Gunther says the best in the world is the man that holds that World Heavyweight Championship. Gunther promises to make Punk regret ever getting into a ring. He also promises to maul Punk at SummerSlam and make him realize he will never be the best in the world. Gunther says at least Punk will have the fans chanting him.
Backstage, Naomi introduces herself to Stephanie Vaquer. She then says she will meet Vaquer at Clash in Paris after beating IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam.
Rusev vs. Sheamus
Sheamus immediately looks for a Brogue kick, but Rusev rolls out of the ring. They brawl at ringside, with Rusev backing Sheamus into the barricade. Sheamus drives Rusev into the barricade. They return to the ring, with Rusev suplexing Sheamus. Rusev lays in elbows on Sheamus against the ropes. Sheamus hits a rolling senton and a knee drop. They trade strikes. Sheamus whips Rusev into the corner, then clotheslines him. Rusev follows up with a side slam. Sheamus responds with a clothesline. Sheamus tosses Rusev to the outside. Rusev slingslots Sheamus off the top rope. Sheamus scales the turnbuckle and leaps off with a crossbody to Rusev. Rusev sends Sheamus crashing over the announce table with a fallaway slam.
Back from break, Sheamus unloads right hands and a pair of axe handles. He follows up with an Irish Curse backbreaker. Rusev boots Sheamus. Sheamus slams Rusev to the mat. Sheamus connects with his signature forearm strikes on the apron. Sheamus lines up for a Brogue Kick. Rusev catches Sheamus and slams him to the mat for a near fall. Sheamus rocks Rusev with a running knee. They go up top, with Rusev laying in chops. Sheamus fights back with right hands, which sends Rusev to the mat. Sheamus runs into a kick from Rusev. Rusev locks in the Accolade. Sheamus breaks out of it by reaching the bottom rope.
Rusev fires off stomps at Sheamus’ request. Rusev unties the top turnbuckle. Sheamus bounces Rusev off the exposed turnbuckle. Sheamus then grabs Sheamus’ shillelagh, but eats a Brogue Kick as the referee fixes the turnbuckle. Sheamus makes the cover for the win.
Winner: Sheamus
Backstage, Dragon Lee calls El Grande Americano fake. He adds that Americano is disrespecting the luchadors. Americano shoves Lee, leading to a brawl between the two. WWE officials separate them.
Elsewhere, Bayley tells Lyra Valkyria they’re getting their WrestleMania rematch for the tag titles. Bayley says their issues are water under the bridge and now they are focusing on winning tonight.
Tag Titles #1 Contenders: The New Day vs. Creed Brothers (w/ Ivy Nile) vs. LWO (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde) (w/ Dragon Lee)
Wilde sends Kingston over the top. Brutus drops Wilde onto his knees. Julius tags in and drives Wide into the mat with a vertical suplex. Julius then suplexes Kingston and Woods. He wipes out Wilde with a clothesline then covers him for a two count. Del Toro launches Wilde onto Julius. Toro then lands a springboard moonsault. Kingston superkicks Toro. Kingston and Woods double team Toro in the corner. Woods spikes Toro with a DDT. He then connects with a chop. Woods and Kingston stomps Julius in the corner. Kingston follows up with a basement dropkick.
Back from break, Toro hits a poisonrana on Brutus. Wilde takes down Julius with forearms and a DDT. He then spikes Brutus as well. Wilde takes down Kingston and Woods too. Wilde hits a cutter on Julius. Ivy Nile pushes Wilde off the turnbuckle. Julius shoves Lee to the floor. Lee returns the favor with a superkick to Julius and Brutus. Americano yanks Lee to the floor, then rains down with right hands. Julius and Brutus argue with Americano. Toro leaps off the top and wipes out Brutuss and Julius. In the ring, Wilde rolls up Kingston for the win.
Winners: LWO
Backstage, IYO SKY says the Kabuki Warriors will be women’ s tag champs again. Asuka and Kairi Sane wish SKY good luck at SummerSlam in her match for the WWE Women’s World championship. Stephanie Vaquer says she wants her vs. SKY at Clash in Paris. SKY says she looks forward to it. She then suggests they face off tonight.
Backstage, AJ Styles is disguised as a janitor and tells Dominik Mysterio by the time he’s done mopping, Dominik Mysterio better be cleared. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods then ask what is going on, Woods says they are the greatest tag team of all time and they need to restore order. Kingston says they need an advantage. Grayson Waller enters and says Austin Theory is injured, so he is now a free agent. Waller offers to be an ace for Kingston and Woods.
We Hear From Becky Lynch
Lynch tells the crowd they better show her some appreciation. Lynch says she should be at the premiere of her new movie, Happy Gilmore 2, but she’s here because she’s a leader. Lynch says she won and held everyone down at Evolution, but at least she was honest about it, unlike Lyra Valkyria. Lynch says Valkyria is hoarding all the opportunities now. Lynch calls Valkyria greedy, then asks who needs to have two titles. Lynch says Valkyria’s intentions are purely selfish. She then calls Valkyria out to the ring.
Lynch points out that they are even in singles competition, but their trilogy ends at SummerSlam. Lynch says if Valkyria loses at SummerSlam, she wants her to never challenge for the Women’s IC Title again. Valkyria says she is learning that every problem seems to come back to haunt her. Valkyria accepts Lynch’s term for their match. Valkyria then adds the idea of no countouts and no disqualification. Lynch agrees, but says she will not let Valkyria disrespect the gravity of their match and Lynch herself. Lynch says she will once again be the bigger person. She asks Valkyria to shake her hand. Valkyria instead plants Lynch with a Manhandle Slam. Bayley’s music hits. She comes out for her women’s tag title match alongside Valkyria.
Women’s Tag Titles: Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (c) (w/ Dominik Mysterio) vs. Lyra Valkyria & Bayley
Valkyria rocks Perez with an elbow and a sliding lariat. Raquel tags in and shoves Bayley to the mat. Bayley and Raquel dodge each other’s moves. Bayley tags in Valkyria, who lays in knees to Raquel. Raquel suplexes both Bayley and Valkyria. Raquel sends Bayley crashing into the turnbuckle. Bayley sends Perez to the outside. Valkyria fires off kicks to Raquel. Raquel launches her into the corner. Valkyria rocks Raquel with a step up enziguiri. Raquel bounces Valkyria off the top rope. She then takes her down with a clothesline.
Back from break, Raquel lands a slingshot suplex. Perez follows with a springboard moonsault on Valkyria. Valkyria kicks away Perez and tags in Bayley. Bayley lands a side slam on Perez. She then elbows and knees her in the corner. Bayley adds a sunset flip bomb for a near fall. Bayley shoulders Perez in the corner next. Perez moves out of the way. Raquel runs over Bayley with a clothesline. Raquel hits another slingshot suplex. Perez goes for another springboard moonsault but Bayley gets her knees up. Bayley runs over Perez with another knee. Valkyria hits a leg drop on Perez off the top. Bayley brawls with Raquel on the outside. Perez counters a Night Wing.
Perez and Valkyria meet up top. Valkyria hits a sitout powerbomb. She tags in Bayley, who hits an elbow off the top. Raquel breaks up Bayley’s pinfall attempt. Bayley launches Valkyria into Raquel. Mysterio distracts Bayley. Perez rolls up Bayley for a two count. Raquel accidently boots Mysterio on the outside after Valkyria ducks. Valkyria dropkicks Raquel through the ropes. Bayley lands a sling blade on Perez. Doctor checks on Mysterio on the outside, one of them being AJ Styles. Mysterio runs to the back.
Becky Lynch drives Valkyria into the apron, then the steel steps. Bayley has no one to tag in. Perez and Bayley trade pinfall attempts. Bayley hits a Bayley-to-Belly on Perez. Raquel sneaks in for a Tejana Bomb for the win.
Winners (And Still): Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez
Backstage, Sami Zayn says he is back to deal with Karrion Kross tonight.
Elsewhere, Dominik Mysterio looks for AJ Styles. Adam Pearce gives him an ultimatum of either giving up his IC Title or meeting in medical to have him checked out.
Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
Zayn and Kross lock up, with the latter backing the former into the corner. Zayn fires off chops, then drops Kross with a suplex. Kross whips Zayn into the corner. Zayn unloads punches on Kross in the corner, then dumps him to the outside. Zayn lands a slingshot moonsault. Kross rolls back into the ring and distracts the referee. Scarlett kicks Zayn in the leg.
Back from break, Zayn runs over Kross with a clothesline. He then spikes him with a tornado DDT. Kross shoulder checks Zayn in the corner. Zayn hits a sunset flip. Scarlett grabs the steel pipe and looks to hand it off. The referee faces her, so she hides it. Zayn lands an exploder in the corner. Scarlett hands the pipe to Kross, then grabs Zayn’s leg. Kross strikes Zayn in the ribs with the pipe. Kross covers Zayn for the win.
Winner: Karrion Kross
Backstage, Dominik Mysterio attacks AJ Styles from behind. Mysterio confirms he is cleared to face Styles at SummerSlam.
IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer
SKY and Vaquer lock up. Vaquer ties SKY up in a straight jacket hold. SKY breaks it up, then sweeps Vaquer off her feet. Vaquer rolls up SKY for a two count. SKY returns the favor. SKY dropkicks Vaquer to the outside. She follows up with a dive through the ropes. Vaquer dodges a springboard moonsault from SKY and kicks her in the head. Vaquer launches herself onto SKY with a crossbody.
Back from break, Vaquer connects with knees to SKY’s face. Vaquer fires off elbows. SKY locks in a crossface. SKY hits a 619 into a head scissors. SKY follows up with a springboard moonsault and a missile dropkick. SKY charges toward Vaquer, but Vaquer moves out of the way and hits a German suplex. SKY lands one of her own. SKY looks for a sunset flip off the apron, but Vaquer blocks and lands a knee to SKY’s throat. She follows up with Devil’s Kiss on the apron. She rolls to the center of the ring for more. Vaquer runs in with double knees to SKY in the corner. SKY hits a backbreaker for a near fall.
SKY connects with a pair of knees in the corner. She looks for an Over the Moonsault, but Vaquer sweeps her off her feet. Vaquer hits a superplex off the top. Both women are down. Alba Fyre and Piper Niven come down to the ring. Vaquer knocks them both off the apron. Chelsea Green attacks Vaquer from behind, causing the referee to call for the bell.
Winner: No Contest
Post-match, SKY dropkicks Green across the ring. SKY takes out Fyre with an uppercut. Vaquer and SKY double dropkick Niven out of the ring. Naomi sneaks up behind and pushes SKY into the Vaquer. Fyre and Niven stomp away at Vaquer on the outside, while Naomi lays in punches on SKY in the ring. Rhea Ripley runs down and takes out Fyre and Niven. Ripley then slams Naomi into the mat. SKY, Vaquer, and Ripley triple team Green, with Ripley finishing her off with a Riptide.
We Hear From Roman Reigns & Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed, and Bron Breakker walk out to the ring. Heyman says he stands here with the future of the business. Heyman adds that he has a lot of things to get off his chest. Roman Reigns’ music hits. He meets Heyman and crew in the ring. Heyman says he doesn’t want it to seem like he is disrespectful or rude to Reigns. He adds that Seth Rollins is going to be out of action for a long time. Heyman points out that means his group has been left without a leader. Heyman says Reigns knows that they are better together then apart. Heyman says Reigns will always be family because he loves his Tribal Chief.
Reigns asks the crowd what Heyman was talking about. Reigns says he would have said those were wise words from a WiseMan, but Heyman is now a dumb ass. Heyman and Reed hold back Breakker. Reigns warns Breakker that Heyman will turn on him too in the future in order to take all the credit. Reigns says Heyman didn’t create the Tribal Chief. Reigns says he is still the OTC because the crowd still acknowledges him. Reigns says he was once a world champion. Heyman once had a part in that, but he didn’t have any part in Reigns keeping the title. Reigns says the Usos, Sami Zayn, and Solo Sikoa helped him. Reigns says after he lost it, he went home to take care of his family and raise the future Bloodline. Reigns says Heyman thought they were just another faction, but they were God’s work. Reigns warns Breakker to back up.
Reigns says Heyman was just a friend and business partner in the Bloodline at first, but he later became chosen family. Heyman later threw it away though for Rollins. Reigns says he didn’t ruin the Bloodline; Heyman did. Breakker grabs a mic. He tells Reigns that we don’t want him here anymore as he is yesterday’s news. Breakker says he is glad that Reigns didn’t accept Heyman’s offer. Breakker says he has value in this place, whereas Reigns is worthless. Breakker says he is the top dog now in WWE. Breakker tells Reigns to do what he does best, which is leave. Reigns says he didn’t hear anything of what Breakker just said. He lands a Superman Punch on Breakker. He then lays in strikes on Reed. Reigns turns around and eats a spear from Breakker. Reed and Breakker continue to beat down Reigns. Jey Uso runs down and superkicks Reed and Breakker. Uso fires off punches on Breakker. He and Reigns double spear Breakker and Reed.