Welcome to Ringside News’ coverage of Monday Night Raw.
The marquee match for tonight’s Raw is Braun Strowman Vs. AJ Styles for the WWE United States Championship. Last week Braun came out to help Seth Rollins and Ricochet as The O.C. were beating them down. Tonight Braun gets a shot at AJ’s beloved title, however I think we all know it won’t go down clean.
Of course, the King of the Ring tournament begins tonight and we’re all very excited about that. There will be two matches from the 1st round tonight, which are Cesaro Vs. Samoa Joe, and Sami Zayn Vs. Cedric Alexander. Seeing as Zayn hasn’t won a match since returning from injury, his chances aren’t looking so hot, but don’t be surprised if McIntyre costs Alexander the match.
Also happening tonight is an episode of King’s Court with Jerry Lawler. The King brings his talk-show back and this time his guest is Sasha Banks. Last week, Banks returned and put a real beating on both Natalya and Becky Lynch. Tonight she must answer some questions as to why, but expect fireworks.
And that’s the preview for tonight’s Raw. We’ll be doing live play-by-play results and you can keep up to date via the Ringside News app but don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and enjoy the show!
Monday Night Raw
Raw opens with The Big Dog, Roman Reigns, coming to the ring. Jerry Lawler is on commentary tonight because Corey Graves is on vacation.
We see a video package of the recent attacks on Roman Reigns, and everything that has happened thus far. Ziggler makes his entrance next, and he’s going one-on-one with Roman.
Before the match, Ziggler says he wants to tell Roman face-to-face that he’s not a keyboard warrior, he’ll say this to his face; he’s glad Roman is OK. However he doesn’t understand why Roman gets attention for things almost happening to him, but he…and the fans start chanting “you suck”. Ziggler shuts them up, then says Roman almost got attacked twice, whereas he was speared three times by Goldberg. He didn’t see the spears coming, he said he assumed that Goldberg had to wait six months between spears. He says Shawn Michaels superkicked him, and last week he was beaten by Maryse’s husband. He says that Roman, like everyone else, knows it should be him. He implores Roman to agree, then superkicks him out of nowhere. Dolph takes his jacket off and begs the referee to start the match, but the official helps Roman to his feet first, while the fans chant “Goldberg”.
Roman Reigns Vs. Dolph Ziggler
The match gets underway and Roman avoids Dolph in the corner, then clocks him with an uppercut and Dolph rolls out of the ring. Reigns rolls out, runs around the ring, and looks for a Superman punch off of the steel steps but Dolph avoids it and hits a Zig-Zag on the floor!
*Commercial Break*
We’re back live and Dolph has Roman in a headlock. Dolph connects with a right hand, then runs at The Big Dog in the corner but gets tossed to the outside. Roman leaves the ring and hits DZ with a Drive-By Kick.
Back inside the ring, Reigns drops Dolph with a clothesline, then unloads lariats in the corner. Roman looks for the Superman but Dolph rolls him up for a two count, then connects with a snap DDT for a near-fall.
Ziggler looks for the Zig-Zag but Reigns shrugs him off. Reigns looks for the spear but Dolph hits a sunset flip pin attempt. Dolph looks for a Fame-Asser but Roman grabs hold of him. Ziggler escapes and shoves Roman into the ring post, then hits the Zig-Zag for an incredible near-fall – Reigns is the current master of the last second kick-out.
Dolph heads to the corner and tunes-up the band, then looks for Sweet Chin Music but Reigns catches it, spins him around and hits a Superman punch for a near-fall. Reigns gets pumped up, runs for the spear but Dolph catches him with Fame-Asser for a near-fall. Dolph gets up and talks trash to Roman, runs at him, but Reigns bursts out of the corner with a spear for the win!
Winner: Roman Reigns
Still to come King’s Court with Sasha Banks, two King of the Ring matches, and AJ Styles defending the United States Championship against Braun Strowman.
*Commercial Break*
We see a replay of last week when Sasha Banks returned and beat the holy hell out of Natalya and Becky Lynch.
Becky Lynch appears on screen for a promo. She says last week Sasha Banks beat her stupid with a chair. Becky says people want to know why she keeps challenging the locker room but it’s because she wants the best, most aggressive version of the people challenging her. That’s what Sasha Banks is at the moment, and she has The Man to thank for that. Becky says that, a few months ago, Banks ran away from WWE with her career as cold as ever. Now she’s hot as ever. She asks what Banks did on her four month vacation that made her so hot? Absolutely nothing. Lynch did it all. A few press interviews by Lynch made Banks the top dog in 2019. Sasha Banks is the greatest woman on the roster to never be great. Lynch says Banks can swing her chair and wear the Dollar Store glasses all she likes. The bottom line is she put more work into getting Banks into WWE than Banks did. Why did it take Lynch to unleash the real Banks? The greats don’t need to be goaded, because this is a cat and mouse game. She says that when she does get her, she’ll give her something to go home and cry about.
Back live in the ring and Jerry Lawler is there, with red carpet and a throne in the ring. The King talks about the King of the Ring tournament, saying it’s one of his favourite things in WWE. He rhymes off some previous winners, from Bret Hart to Brock Lesnar, each getting a smattering of cheers. The King explains what the King of the Ring is all about, then shows the bracket on the big screen. He believes the tournament will come down to Cedric Alexander and Ricochet on the Raw side of things. Before he can finish his prediction however, some of the lights go out and we hear weird noises. The King says “oh no, I’ve seen this before”, and he leaves the ring. Lawler starts walking back up the ramp and the lights keep shutting off until the arena is dark. Weird horror noises playing and a spotlight appears on Lawler, only for The Fiend to start walking up behind him. Lawler turns around and Bray takes him down with the Mandible Claw. Wyatt chokes King out and the lights go out. When they come back up Bray is gone and King is laid out. Officials run out to tend to him as the fans chant “yowie wowie”.
*Commercial Break*
We return and see replays of The Fiend attacking Jerry Lawler. We will get an update on Lawler’s health later tonight. In the meantime, Vic Joseph from 205 Live has joined the commentary team.
Ricochet & The miz Vs. dREW mCINTYRE & bARON CORBIN
We start with The Miz and Drew McIntyre. The Scotsman kicks Miz and lifts him above his head but Miz escapes and tags Ricochet before hitting a clothesline in the corner. Miz kicks Drew and Ricochet hits a standing moonsault. Corbin runs in but Miz clotheslines him out of the ring. Ricochet Irish whips Miz who dropkicks Corbin and Drew through the ropes, followed by a moonsault off of the ring post by Ricochet.
*Commercial Break*
We come back from the break to see Miz punching Corbin. Miz bounces off the ropes, but Corbin hits him with a back elbow. Corbin punches Miz and shouts that he will be the King of the Ring – the two of them face-off next week.
McIntyre is tagged and he hits Miz with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex for a near-fall. McIntyre whips Miz into the ropes, and connects with a clothesline. Corbin is tagged again but Miz punches him back. There is something going on in the crowd that has the crowd distracted. Corbin comes back with a clothesline in the corner. McIntyre tags in and hits a spinebuster for a near-fall but Miz comes back with a DDT and both men are down.
Ricochet and Corbin tag in, and the former takes the latter down and hits an enzuigiri. Ricochet floors McIntyre and sidesteps Corbin, who looks for the out-and-in clothesline but Ricochet avoids it and hits a dropkick for a one count. Ricochet hits a running shoulder in the corner and kicks Corbin, followed by a springboard clothesline and a standing shooting star press, but McIntyre breaks it the pin attempt. Miz gets in the ring to help, but McIntyre big boots him. McIntyre then tells Ricochet this is a preview for next week and throws him across the ring.
McIntyre looks for a Claymore Kick, but Ricochet superkicks him. Miz then hits McIntyre with a Skull Crushing Finale but Corbin gives Miz a Chokeslam. Ricochet knocks Corbin back and goes for a springboard, but Corbin grabs him by the throat. Ricochet flips through a chokeslam, but Corbin responds with a Deep Six for a near fall.
Corbin gets angry and puts Ricochet on the top rope, but The One and Only knocks him back. Ricochet hits a missile dropkick and sets him up in the corner. Ricochet runs but Corbin sidesteps him and charges, but Miz pulls Ricochet out of the way. Corbin hits the ring post shoulder-first, and Ricochet hits him with the Recoil for the win!
Winners: Ricochet & The Miz
After the break, AJ Styles battles Braun Strowman with the United States Championship on the line.
*Commercial Break*
We’re back live and Booker T is interviewed via Skype. Cole says it clearly doesn’t pay to be a legend in WWE these days and Booker says that’s true, he says The Fiend is more like a rabid dog and he’s scary. Cole then says Booker won the King of the Ring in 2006 and became the most entertaining King we ever had, and asks him what it means to win. Booker T says that it changed his career and you only have to look at previous winners to see that. As for who he thinks will win, Booker says King Drew.
Braun Strowman makes his way to the ring, followed by The O.C.
United States Championship
(C) AJ Styles W/Anderson & Gallows Vs. Braun Strowman
The match gets underway and AJ goes toe-to-toe with Strowman, just staring him down. Styles slaps Braun, who gets mad and swings at him but AJ ducks and looks for a chop-block but Braun doesn’t flinch. Styles rolls from the ring and Braun chases after, running around the ring. Anderson and Gallows get out of the way and Styles slides back inside.
Styles attempts to attack Braun as he gets back in the ring, but Braun shrugs him off. Braun hits AJ with a nasty back body drop, then kicks Anderson off the apron. Styles looks to hit the Phenomenal Forearm but Braun swats him out of mid-air like a fly. Braun lifts AJ up and wants to hit the running powerslam but Gallows comes in and superkicks him.
Winner Via Disqualification: Braun Strowman
AJ rolls out of the ring, while Anderson and Gallows begin a beat-down on Braun. They stomp him and throw him into the ring post. They continue beating on him until Seth Rollins comes down and makes the save. Rollins knocks Anderson and Gallows from the ring, then helps Braun to his feet. Rollins says “we’re even now big guy”, then offers a hand to Strowman, who shakes it but doesn’t let go. There’s a second of tension, then Braun let’s go and Rollins poses.
Samoa Joe is seen walking backstage, he’s coming out for the King of the Ring, next!
*Commercial Break*
Braun is seen walking backstage and Rollins approaches him. Rollins says he isn’t stupid, he knows where this is going. He knows Braun has been eyeing his Universal Championship, but they’ll get to that and he thinks Braun should be his next challenger. In the meantime though, he’s thinking the two of them against Gallows and Anderson tonight, for the Tag Team Championships. Strowman doesn’t say anything and Seth says “a man of few words, I like that.”
King of the Ring
rOUND 1
Samoa Joe Vs. Cesaro
The match gets underway and Cesaro sprints across the ring and almost decapitates Joe with a European uppercut for a near-fall. Cesaro tries to lift Joe but the Samoan comes back with a few chops to the chest, followed by a shoulder tackle.
Cesaro springboards off the ropes with a spinning European uppercut but Joe kicks out at one. Cesaro grabs Joe by the legs but gets shoved back. Joe hits a chop to the chest, followed by a whip into the corner and an enziguiri. Cesaro rolls from the ring and Joe hits a suicide dive that knocks the Swiss Superman into the crowd.
*Commercial Break*
We’re back live and Joe is throwing chops to Cesaro in the corner. Cesaro fires back with chops of his own, then hits the ropes but gets caught with a clothesline. Joe applies a neck crank.
Joe drops Cesaro and looks for a senton but nobody’s home. Cesaro pressures Joe into the corner and delivers a flurry of European uppercuts, followed by a big boot. Cesaro looks for a suplex but he couldn’t get him up and fell – not on purpose. Cesaro then lifts Joe and hits it the second time for a two count.
Joe chops Cesaro but gets hit with a European uppercut and rolls from the ring. Cesaro goes out, runs around the ring, and hits another uppercut and puts Joe inside. Cesaro goes up top and hits a crossbody for a two count. Joe stuns Cesaro and hits a senton for a near-fall. Joe lifts Cesaro but misses a clothesline and eats some uppercuts.
Cesaro performs a short swing on Joe before applying the Sharpshooter. Joe crawls to the ropes so Cesaro transitions to an STF but Joe rolls him over for a near-fall. Cesaro ducks a clothesline and looks for a springboard uppercut but Joe dodges it and gets Cesaro in the Coquida Clutch and he taps!
Winner: Samoa Joe
Still to come, an interview with Sasha Banks, a match between The Uso’s and The Revival, and the Tag Team Championship main event.
*Commercial Break*
We see a video of Elias in the recording studio with a “producer”. Elias plays some piano, then grabs hold of the guy, who turns out to be Drake Maverick. Elias throws him, then drags him into a separate room, where we see him punch Maverick around.
Elias is in the ring and his guitar sounds poor, then his mic audio keeps screwing around. He says we need to grab hold of our loved ones because tonight is the farewell performance of Elias. He says he just has so much going on, as the 24/7 Champion and our future King of the Ring. He says he can’t risk being out here every week, but before that happens he’s going to leave us all with an emotional ballad. He begins playing but can’t find a rhythm because his guitar isn’t tuned. He asks for a better guitar and someone throws it over the ropes. He demands the person get inside the ring and hand him it. The person is clearly R-Truth in a black hoodie and he refuses to give Elias the guitar. The lights come up and Truth rolls-up Elias for a two count, then again for a two count. Truth hits a spinning kick for another two count. R-Truth gets mad, he doesn’t know what to do, then he grabs a guitar. Truth swings the guitar but Elias dodges it and rolls from the ring. Elias retreats as R-Truth yells at him to bring his baby back.
Up next, we get The New Day Vs. The Revival, as well as an announcement from Rey Mysterio.
*Commercial Break*
Rey Mysterio joins Charly Caruso backstage, and she says it’s been a struggle as of late. Rey thanks Charly for the opportunity. He says he’s a very lucky man who has a great family and has had an incredible career. He says he remembers his uncle training him and he’s been able to travel all over the world and meet fans. He says what Andrade did to him was unforgivable; he ripped his mask off. And it kills him that he wasn’t able to get revenge. He says his body hasn’t been living up to what his mind can see. He says his injuries have finally caught up to him. Rey gets emotional and says he knew this day comes for everyone but he didn’t expect it would come for him. But he knows it’s time for him to hang-up the mask and let the new generation make their way. Rey is about to take his mask off when his son pulls him aside and talks to him. Dominic tells Rey that he’s always been there, and he reminds Rey that he said he would be his partner in his debut match. Dominic says he wants to be able to tell his children and his grandchildren that he shared the ring with the great Rey Mysterio. He asks Rey to not retire. Dominic hugs Rey, who says he will do it for him.
The New Day make their way to the ring, followed by The Revival. Dash and Dawson are wearing snake skin boots, courtesy of Randy Orton.
The New Day Vs. The Revival
The match gets underway with Big E and Scott Dawson. Big E floors Dawson, then whips him into the corner and drops him with a tackle. Big E tags Woods, who splashes Dawson in the corner.
Dawson turns the tables on Woods and tags Dash Wilder, who chops Xavier in the corner, before slamming him into the turnbuckles. Woods connects with a big boot, then a rolling clothesline. Dawson runs in, so Big E does the same, and The New Day knock The Revival from the ring.
*Commercial Break*
We come back from the break to see Woods hit Dawson with a dropkick. Big E and Wilder tag in and the big man hits Wilder with a belly-to-belly overhead suplex before hitting Dawson with one.
Big E hits Wilder with a belly-to-belly side suplex and hits a big splash. The New Day goes for the Midnight, but Dawson knocks Woods off the apron. Big E goes to spear Wilder off the apron, but Randy Orton runs in and hits him with an RKO!
Winners Via Disqualification: The New Day
Orton stands with The Revival and talks trash to Big E. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston runs down to make the save. Kofi clotheslines Orton and attacks The Revival. Kingston hits them with a double axe handle from the top rope before turning into an RKO from Orton.
Orton picks Kingston up and looks him in the eye. Woods runs in and attacks Orton. Woods hits the ropes, but The Revival lifts him with a flapjack while Orton hits the RKO! Orton instructs Dash and Dawson to break Woods’ leg! They set up, and Orton drags Kingston over to watch. The Revival jumps onto Woods’ leg, seemingly breaking it. Kingston yells out as Woods screams in pain. Orton and The Revival pose in the ring while the crowd boos. What an awesome beatdown.
Michael Cole introduces Sasha Banks for a sit-down interview. Cole says her return last week was one of the most controversial in the history of WWE and asks if she would like to explain her actions. Sasha thanks Cole for the chance and says it’s been a crazy week. She says last week she looked in the mirror and told herself to lose her colour. She pulls her blue hair and says it’s been the talk of social media. She says she looks good and feels better. Cole says that, with all due respect, nobody is talking about her hair. He says her attack on Natalya and Becky Lynch is what people are talking about, and asks why. Banks leans forward and says “you’re welcome” before walking off.
Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss come out, and they’ll be in action, next!
*Commercial Break*
Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross Vs. Fire & Desire
Sonya and Nikki start for their teams. They lock-up and Deville takes Cross down and puts her in a front facelock. Cross fights up and tags Bliss in but Sonya immediately takes her down with a bodyscissor. Rose tags in and they double team Bliss for a two count.
Rose cartwheels over Alexa and laughs in her face. She hits a dropkick and a running knee for a two count. Alexa pushes her to the corner so she can tag Cross. Mandy hits Nikki with a forearm but Bliss nails Mandy with a low dropkick. Bliss and Cross work over Rose in the corner for a minute.
Bliss gets cocky and Rose connects with a knee to the face. Both women crawl to their corners and make tags. Sonya takes over with a series of punches and kicks. Nikki whips Mandy into the ring post but Deville hits her with a spinebuster. Deville taunts but then Cross hits her finisher out of nowhere for the win.
Winners: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
We see Seth and Braun sitting backstage, taping their wrists. Seth asks Braun a question but Strowman is staring at the Universal Championship. Seth says he gets it but tonight, if they follow his lead, they might walk out as Tag Team Champions. Braun stands up and says that, Seth needs to follow his lead and they will walk out Champions.
*Commercial Break*
King of the Ring
Round 1
Cedric Alexander Vs. Sami Zayn
The bell rings and Zayn drops Alexander with some right hands. Zayn kicks Alexander before whipping him off the ropes and connecting with a lariat. Sami looks for the pin but Alexander kicks out. Zayn chokes Cedric against the ropes with his knees.
Cedric fires back with a chop but Sami catches him with a backbreaker for a two count. Sami punches the head of Alexander before applying a sleeper. Alexander fights to his feet and delivers some chops, followed by a big back elbow. Alexander ducks Sami and lands a forearm. He leaps over Zayn and looks for a headscissor but Sami just fell over, then got back up and took the headscissor.
Zayn rolled from the ring and Cedric followed up with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Alexander hits a springboard kick, followed by the Lumbar Check for the win.
Winner: Cedric Alexander
We see the Street Profits watching backstage, they’re comparing their predictions for King of the Ring. Ford says his brackets are looking good, while Dawkins screws up his paper and tosses it. They rhyme off the rest of the matches before Dawkins asks why they don’t have a Kings of the Ring tournament for tag teams. Ford says that’s because Street Profits are already the kings around here. He says he’s already got the crown and the chain. Dawkins then mentions that we still have the Raw Tag Team Championship match tonight, and Ford says it’s going to be show-stopping, heart-dropping, and it’s next.
*Commercial Break*
We see Gallows and Anderson backstage, arguing about having to defend their titles tonight. Styles walks -up and says this is a good thing because it allows them to prove their dominance. And that’s because they are the original and the only club that matters.
We see Natalya backstage, with her arm in a sling. She looks at the camera and says she just came from the WWE doctor. It’s been one week since she bared her soul on Raw, and between that and losing to Becky Lynch and the year anniversary of her father’s passing, she expected it to be emotional. But she didn’t expect Sasha Banks. She says Sasha was one of her closest friends but that’s why she can’t wrap her head around why she would do what she did. Sasha then attacks Nattie out of nowhere. Sasha shoves her into some production boxes and kicks her arm. Banks then says “go to hell Nattie, and tell your daddy I said hi.”
The WWE Universal Champion, Seth Rollins, makes his way to the ring. His partner, Braun Strowman, comes second. This will be Braun’s second title shot of the night, after the break!
*Commercial Break*
Raw Tag Team ChampionshipS
(C) The O.C. W/AJ Styles Vs. Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman
The match gets underway and we start with Strowman and Gallows, the former of which pushes the latter. They lock-up and Braun forces Luke to the corner and unloads on him. Strowman hits the ropes and connects with a shoulder tackle before tagging Seth.
The Universal Champion comes in with a punch from the top rope to Gallows. The big man hits Rollins injured ribs and tags Anderson, who continues the attack on the ribs. Rollins starts to fire back but Anderson tags Gallows, who Seth knocks out of the ring. Rollins runs off the apron with a knee to Gallows, then drops Anderson with a right hand. Gallows lifts Seth and drops him gut-first on the barricade twice.
*Commercial Break*
Back live and Rollins breaks free from Anderson, only to be caught by a big spinebuster. Anderson puts Seth on the top rope bu Rollins kicks him back and hits a blockbuster. Seth and Karl crawl but it’s Gallows who gets the tag and he attacks the ribs of Seth.
On the outside, Braun stalks AJ Styles, prompting Gallows to come out and attacks the big man, tossing him into the barricade. Gallows gets back inside and eats a superkick from Seth. Anderson comes in but gets caught with a slingblade from Rollins. The Champion then hits splashes to Anderson and Gallows, before knocking Luke from the ring and hitting a suicide dive.
Seth gets back inside and hits Anderson with a falcon arrow for a near-fall. Seth goes up top but AJ shoves him off when the referee isn’t looking. Anderson and Gallows hit a double-team back suplex/neckbreaker for a near-fall. Anderson is the legal man, and he and Gallows look for The Magic Killer but Seth kicks Anderson. Gallows and Anderson beat Rollins down, the Anderson tosses him from the ring.
Gallows lifts Seth on the outside and AJ looks to attack him behind the referee’s back but Strowman comes back with a huge shoulder tackle to AJ, then one to Gallows. Braun gets on the apron as Seth ducks Anderson and makes the tag. Strowman floors Anderson with shoulder tackles, then does the same to the returning Gallows. He hits Anderson with the running powerslam, while Seth hits an interfering Styles with The Stomp. Brock pins Anderson for the win!
Winners and NEW RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: SETH ROLLINS & BRAUN STROWMAN
Seth Rollins is now a dual Champion. The two of them pose on the ring posts with their newly won tag team titles.
We see replays from the match as the new Champions make their way up the ramp. They hold each others hand up on the ramp but Braun turns and eyeballs the Universal Championship and Seth stares at him as Raw goes off the air.
And that’s it for tonight’s Raw. Let us know what you thought and be sure to come back tomorrow night for SmackDown Live. Until then, safe travels!
