Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! SummerSlam is in the history books and while it saw Bianca Belair retain the Raw Women’s Championship over Becky Lynch? It also saw a game-changer in not just the return of Bayley to the WWE, but the call up from NXT of the renamed Iyo Sky (aka Io Shirai) and the return to WWE as a whole of Dakota Kai. What will this new trio have to say about targeting Belair as they look to ‘control’ the WWE? Let’s get into it, and find out…
BECKY LYNCH kicked off Raw to come out for a promo, but showing off her arm in a sling after suffering a legit separated shoulder at SummerSlam. Lynch cut a babyface promo, claiming that she’d forgotten who she was until the Premium Live Event match and had given it her all, but her best wasn’t good enough that night. She called out BIANCA BELAIR who came out, and the two had a brief moment of respect before Lynch left.
Belair cut a promo, dropping her catchphrases before the camera backstage rushed to show BAYLEY, DAKOTA KAI and IYO SKY attacking Lynch, with Bayley using a chair on Lynch’s injured arm. Belair rushed backstage but the trio was already long gone as Belair was left frustrated as she checked over Lynch. Later, SARAH SCHREIBER would try and get an explanation out of the heels but Bayley claimed they weren’t merely targeting Lynch without giving a real answer.
Women’s Singles Match
ALEXA BLISS Vs ASUKA ended in a no-contest
The women started off trading wristlocks and counters, before Asuka hit a strike and tried for a Pop-up Knee but Bliss countered into her Lucha Cradle pin for a two count before hitting a Low Dropkick. Bliss taunted to lure Asuka in but couldn’t get the pin off of scooping Asuka over, allowing Asuka to shoulder check Bliss moments later to send her down. Asuka would miss a second rope Dropkick attempt which set up Bliss hitting a Kneeling Knee Strike for a near fall. Bliss hit a series of strikes, mixing up forearms with Knee Strikes but again could only get a two count.
Bliss hit a STO to set up the first part of Insult to Injury but (as we’ve seen regularly these days) she couldn’t hit the second part, as Asuka rolled to avoid the Double Knee Moonsault and hit her Sliding Kick. Asuka hit her rapid flurry of strikes before hitting the German Suplex then a corner Hip Attack. Bliss looked like she wanted the Goddess DDT but Asuka quickly countered into the Pop-up Knee. Asuka hit the second rope Dropkick but as she flew, Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky hit the ring. The match thrown out as the trio attacked both Bliss and Asuka with stomps and blows. Sky and Kai held Bliss to take a Running Knee from Bayley, before Kai hit a Running Boot to Asuka in the corner.
Sky was going up top to hit a Moonsault on both Bliss and Asuka and being handed a chair to do it, but the heels left the ring when Bianca Belair charged down. Fleeing through the crowd before Belair grabbed a mic and demanded a match against one of the three. Sky appearing to motion to herself to accept the challenge.
Non-Title Women’s Singles Match
Raw Women’s Champion BIANCA BELAIR versus IYO SKY ended in a no-contest.
Sky came out alone to the ring. Belair controlled early with a charge to the corner, hitting stomps and Shoulder Thrusts before taking Sky to another corner to do the same. Belair did a corner flip and hit a Single Leg Dropkick, but was soon sent over the top to the apron to take a Hot Shot. That set up Sky to hit a Moonsault from the second rope to Belair on the floor.
After a commercial break Belair rallied back but her House on Fire mode was shut down when a Glam Slam attempt was countered, a roll-through sending Belair into the middle rope. That set up Sky to hit Double Knees to Belair’s back and then hitting the move to Belair’s chest in the corner. Sky ducked a swinging shot, taking Belair down for a version of a Crossface as Belair tried to power up, but Sky switched to a Russian Leg Sweep for a two count. Sky went for a Crossbody off the ropes but Belair rolled through, eventually muscling Sky up and hitting a Fallaway Slam.
Belair hit the Glam Slam then the Handspring Moonsault but only got a two count. Belair went up top but Bayley and Dakota Kai appeared at ringside as a distraction. Allowing Sky to hit a Frankenscreamer to get a near fall. Belair came back with a Suplex, and even hit it after Sky tried to counter with a Small Package before Belair muscled through it. Sky avoided the KOD, leading to the women fighting on the far apron before Belair was knocked down. Sky tried for a Headscissors off the apron but Belair caught her, and swung Sky into the crown barricade.
Kai and Bayley distracted again, sitting on the apron to Belair couldn’t send Sky back in but this brought out Alexa Bliss and Asuka to storm down and even the odds. The match going into in-picture as adverts played. When the action came back, Belair hit an outstanding Spider-style release Superplex before rolling back down to hit a Standing Moonsault but only getting a two count. Sky countered a German Suplex attempt, rolling through and hitting a Double Stomp when Belair was on the canvas. Sky hit Running Knees into Belair down in the corner but trying for the Springboard Double Knees she’d hit earlier on Belair countered into a Spinebuster. Only for Sky to bring her knees up to counter Belair trying for another Handspring Moonsault.
Sky distracted the ref for a second to allow Bayley to reach in and grab Belair’s leg. Moments later Alexa Bliss pushed Sky’s feet off the ropes as Sky tried to steal the win off a roll-up. This then led to a mass brawl between the two sets of three, as Asuka hit a Pop-up Knee to Bayley before Bliss hit a KO Punch to Kai. Referees and officials coming out to separate things and despite the heels leaving the ring neither side looked like they’d gained the edge.
RHEA RIPLEY continued along with the rest of The Judgement Day to torment The Mysterios and returning rival Edge. Attacking Dominic and Rey as Ripley choked Dominic with a legscissors. Before Ripley would shove Dom into the path of a Spear that was intended for Finn Balor.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
A good way to establish the trio of Bayley, Kai and Sky by creating chaos as they ruined matches and attacked Lynch, writing her off of TV. With the long feud between Lynch and Belair over, Belair needs a fresh challenge like this and it’s classic WWE to do a stacked deck storyline to put Belair in peril. We will see if the new WWE era sticks with it and gives them a shot, or if this will merely end up like the Riott Squad or any other WWE female tag team to just be job fodder. Sky and Belair had a fine match that was a little slow at times, perhaps just due to unfamiliarity between opponents, and as always Bliss and Asuka delivered nicely.
That’s your lot for this week! Be sure to stop by in seven days time for the next edition of the RAW RECAP! See you then!