WWEfollowed up this weekend’sBash In Berlin 2024with an explosive edition of Monday Night Raw.Rhea Ripley sustained an injury while issuing a challenge to Liv Morganfor her WWE Women’s Championship. Mami would have the last laugh, convincing Jey Uso to tag with Damien Priest in a victory over The Judgment Day in the night’s Main Event. Elsewhere,Drew McIntyre issued his most violent beating to CM Punk to date, beating Punk until he was stretchered out of the arena and beaten again while waiting for an ambulance.
Gunther then turned down a World Heavyweight Championship challenge from Sami Zayn, The Unholy Union will face Jade Carghill and Bianca Belair next week after beating Damage CTRL and a resurgent Shayna Baszler scored another victory. Finally,next week’s Fatal Four Way to decide the Number One Contender for the Intercontinental Championship will include Braun Strowman and Ilja Dragunov.
Jey Uso
An Electric Week For Main Event Jey Uso
This episode ofMonday Night Raw proved exactly why Jey Uso is one of the hottest stars in WWE. Being one half of one of the greatest tag teams of all time, he gelled naturally with Damien Priest in their first-ever tag team match. Priest’s Razor’s Edge into Uso’s splash looked like they’d been doing it for years.Jey Uso’s puppy dog love for Rhea Ripley is wildly endearing, as is Priest’s brotherly role in the situation. Things are all coming up Main Event Jey Uso.
A word of caution for Uso ahead of next week’s Fatal Four Wayto determine the Number One Contender for the Intercontinental Championship. His backstage altercation with Bron Breakker felt worthy of his Main Event nickname, butnobody crosses The Judgment Day without retribution. If he wants that IC title, he may have just made that task much harder.
Gunther
Everybody Wants A Shot At The World Heavyweight Champion
Following victory over Randy Orton at Bash In Berlin,Gunther was called out by CM Punk and turned down the advances of a returning Sami Zayn on Monday Night Raw. The World Heavyweight Champion being a marked man is nothing new, but it is rare that there are this many elite level opponents available at one time. It’s easy to forget that there might be a legacy-defining match with John Cena in Gunther’s future too.
Sami Zayn being the only man on the main roster to have Gunther’s number makes a rematch from WrestleMania 40 a tantalizing proposition. The term has been enormously overused butCM Punk vs Gunther is a legitimate dream match. No matter what is next for Gunther, the World Heavyweight Championship has one hell of a future.
Shayna Bayzler
Put Some Respect On The Name Of The Queen Of Spades
Pro Wrestling doesn’t care about what a performer did yesterday, but this is a quick reminder that the NXT system failed a lot of performers who reached the main roster and the creative clutches of Vince McMahon.Shayna Baszler held the NXT Women’s Championship for a combined 459 days across two separate reigns. When she chokes her opponent out, it looks merciless. She walks to the ring like she’s on her way to take your lunch money. In an industry where everybody thinks they are a badass, Baszler is the real deal.
A win against the returning Zelina Vega won’t put her in the world title picture, butSonya Deville demanded everyone’s attention when grabbing the microphone after the match. If every wrestler on the roster is getting a chance in this new era, Shayna Baszler is a name to keep an eye on in the coming months.
Zeline Vega has now faced each of Pure Fusion Collective, defeating Zoe Stark but losing to Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler.
American Made
Gable’s Stable Score Their First Victory As A Team
Finally, a victory! American Made won a six-person tag team match against the Alpha Academy. The Creed Brothers claimed only their second victory on Monday Night Raw in 2024.Ivy Nile’s new look is phenomenal and her dragon sleeper finisher looked incredibleon the ever-improving Maxxine Dupree. Chad Gable was made to lead a group like this. All the pieces are in place for American Made to have a real impact on WWE.
Evencalling out The Wyatt Six for an eight-person tag match shows courage beyond most of the WWE roster. This group has the potential to be a real favorite with every chin-stroking wrestling aficionado in the months ahead. It will be easier said than done, but a win over the Wyatts would be enormous for Gable and his cohorts.
Ilja Dragunov
The Highlight Of The Russian’s Rookie Year On The Main Roster
Ilja Dragunov defeated Dragon Lee and Dirty Dominik Mysterioto advance to next week’s Intercontinental Championship Number One Contender matchalongside Braun Strowman. Mysterio was the runaway favorite to qualify for next week’s Fatal Four Way, even more so when Carlito interfered in the match, but it was the hard-hitting Russian who scored the victory with a pinfall over Dragon Lee. Dragunov has impressed every time he’s been on Raw and this victory is a deserved reward for his progress.
Perhaps most impressive of all,Ilja Dragunov is a very believable opponent for Bron Breakker at Bad Blood. They have history both on Raw and from NXT. Their matches this year have been intensely physical and memorable, and Breakker doesn’t feel like he’ll be dropping the IC title any time soon. Dragunov vs Breakker in Atlanta, GA on October 5th feels as though it benefits all parties.
The Unholy Union
Alba Fyre And Isla Dawn Earn Their Rematch For Women’s Tag Team Gold
Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre were magnificent at Bash In Berlin despite losing their Women’s Tag Team Championship. To get over that disappointment so quickly anddefeat Damage CTRL to earn a rematch with Jade Carghill and Bianca Belairon next week’s Monday Night Rawis impressive. The Scottish delinquents refuse to go quietly, and next week’s match should be sensational.
Jade Carghill making Kairi Sane bleed for accidentally landing on Bianca Belair is a development worth paying attention to. The frenetic verbal exchanges by the trio and Iyo Sky suggests that this isn’t over between the charismatic tag teams.
RIP CM Punk’s Friendship Bracelet
Forever In Our Hearts - 2024-2024
Just when you thought it was safe,CM Punk had his friendship bracelet destroyed by Drew McIntyre before being stretchered out of the arena in a neck brace. Not content to just reclaim it, McIntyre broke the bracelet before trying to feed it to Punk. In an act of extreme violence, an unhingedMcIntyre destroyed Punk again while the Chicago native was outside a waiting ambulance while still on a stretcher.
CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre in a rubber match at Bad Blood seems a certainty after this latest attack. The rumored Hell In A Cell stipulation also seems more plausible after the brutality of this latest meeting of the pair. Curiously,this entire situation came in the aftermath of CM Punk calling out Guntherin a bid to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion for the first time since his 434 day reign from 2011 to 2013.
Liv Morgan And The Judgment Day
To look at the glass half full,Liv Morgan might be the best pure heel working in WWE today. Mocking the injury Rhea Ripley sustained earlier in the evening by mimicking a limp and fake crying felt evil, but the sequence ultimately ended with Liv being chased out of the Ball Arena by The Eradicator.Bad Blood is likely Morgan’s day of reckoning with Rhea Ripley.Does she have what it takes to overcome Rhea and finally feel undisputed as WWE Women’s Champion?
For The Judgment Day,Finn Balor and JD McDonagh’s defeat to Uso and Priest was another loss, to go alongside Liv and Dominik being beaten in Germany this past weekend.Dominik Mysterio failed to qualify for next week’s Intercontinental Championship Number One Contender’s match.This incarnation of The Judgment Day insists on having no leaders, but their chief problem might be that they have no direction either.
