Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! Money in the Bank is in the books and it saw not only Liv Morgan win the Women’s Ladder Match, but Morgan would go on to cash in on Ronda Rousey and become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion. That leaves the threat of the briefcase cash-in gone, so Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair can focus on new threats. Who will step up to the EST of WWE? Let’s get into it, and find out…
MEGAN MORANT handled interview duties.
The New Smackdown Women’s Champion and (I guess we say already former) Miss Money in the Bank LIV MORGAN went to the ring. Getting the ‘You Deserve It’ chants and saying that they all deserved it and how proud she was to be Champion. Playing to the crowd and saying her title win was for all the people as they’d supported her to finally win. NATALYA from Smackdown interrupted as she bragged that it was only because of the damage she’d done to Ronda Rousey’s leg that allowed Morgan to cash in. Morgan didn’t back down, stating that since she’d now be on the Smackdown roster if Natalya wanted a fight, she knew where to find her.
CARMELLA then interrupted, objecting to two Smackdown Superstars being on Raw before trying to stir things up between the two. After Morgan mocked Carmella for losing at Money in the Bank, the heels ganged up on Morgan to rough her up. BIANCA BELAIR charged out to even the odds as the faces tossed the heels out, before WWE Official Adam Pearce came out to make a tag match between the four.
Women’s Tag Team Match
Raw Women’s Champion BIANCA BELAIR & Smackdown Women’s Champion LIV MORGAN defeated CARMELLA & NATALYA
The match started in-picture as some adverts ran. Carmella and Belair started off with Belair easily controlling Headlocks and escaping one to send Carmella down with a shoulder check. Natalya tagged in and Morgan took a tag, as Morgan controlled a Headlock of her own before kipping out of a grounded Headscissors to tag Belair back in. Carmella tagged back in as the show finally went full screen as Belair controlled with another Headlock. Soon after Belair almost paid for being too cute with her flips, trying to roll back but Carmella dropped down for a pin and got a two count.
Belair did her corner taunt, flip then hit the Single Leg Dropkick before kipping up. Morgan was tagged, hitting her Jumping Back Elbow to the corner and getting a two count. Natalya got tagged in and after another Headlock spot soon did her Atomic Drop throw, leading to the run-over stomp and more of a Low Side Kick as a finish than the Dropkick she’s previously done for a near fall. A roll-through pin got Morgan a two count then a Low Dropkick could have gotten two but the shoulders weren’t down at the start of the pin. Natalya roughly sent Morgan into the ropes throat first and got a two count off of it.
Natalya locked Morgan in The Sharpshooter but Bianca slid in her braid under the ropes, allowing Morgan to use it to drag herself to the corner and tag out to escape the hold! Belair tried going house on fire, but Natalya impressively escaped a Powerbomb attempt with a Headscissors. Later, Natalya was kicked off from a Sharpshooter attempt which allowed Carmella to blind tag in. Not seeing that, Belair hit a Delayed Suplex and when scrambled after Natalya, it left Belair open to get hit with a Low Superkick by Carmella to send her head into the ring post.
After a commercial break Carmella was controlling Belair but Belair escaped a Chinlock with a Backbreaker. Morgan got the hot tag, coming in and wiping out Carmella from the apron before working over Natalya, setting up for the Running High Knee in the corner. Morgan hit the Springboard Double Knees but Carmella broke the pin up. Carmella ate the Side Codebreaker, but Natalya decked her with the Discus Clothesline leading to a pin that Belair broke up. That led to Belair just managing to catch Carmella leaping off the apron onto her, but Carmella escaped to shove Belair into the ring post. Carmella ate a High Knee from Morgan to knock her off the apron. Then Morgan shoved Natalya off into the ropes to avoid The Sharpshooter, and then hit ObLIVion to get the win.
DANA BROOKE was briefly seen fleeing the 24/7 title mob (including DOUDROP, NIKKI A.S.H. and TAMINA) at the 4th of July cook-out.
SARAH SCHREIBER interviewed ALEXA BLISS backstage as Bliss said while she was happy to see Liv Morgan succeed, it made her realise it’s been too long since she’s been champion. Declaring her interest to be Champion, ASUKA appeared and didn’t sound happy about her trying to cut in, saying she’ll beat Lynch tonight and then be the next Raw Women’s Champion.
Women’s No Holds Barred Match
BECKY LYNCH defeated ASUKA
Lynch already pulled out a table and set it up at ringside along with a pile of chairs before Asuka had made her way out. While Asuka carried out a trashcan to the ring. The match started quick as Asuka threw the can at Lynch, setting up for the Sliding Kick and a two count, before hitting Lynch in the back with a chair. Asuka went to the floor for another chair and that allowed Lynch to catch her when she came back in with it. Lynch had a hard time setting up a chair in between the top and middle ropes in the corner, and got caught with a Backfist from Asuka. Both women avoided being sent into another chair that they set up in the ring, before Asuka used it to jump from and hit a Dropkick that (barely) sent Lynch into that corner chair, before a Facebuster out the corner sent Lynch into the chair.
Asuka tried to German Suplex Lynch off the apron into the chair pile then tried a Powerbomb, only for Lynch to do the Powerbomb counter Legdrop we’ve seen recently. Lynch sent Asuka into the chair pile with a Bex-Ploder before clearing the announce table. Asuka hit a Running Hip Attack and despite Lynch holding up the chair, both women ended up crashing through the barricade at the Timekeeper’s area. The match went into in-picture as adverts played out while Lynch hit a round of Kendo Stick strikes to Asuka’s back before Asuka returned the favour. The two did a little mild brawling out in the crowd before the match went full screen as all the chairs were sent into the ring.
Asuka hit Lynch with a Superplex onto the pile of chairs but only got a two count. Asuka put the trashcan over Lynch’s head and upper body before firing off kicks and strikes, before hitting a Missile Dropkick to the can and Lynch for another near fall. Later, the two fought over setting up a table as it almost allowed Asuka to lock on the Asuka Lock but Lynch backed her into a corner to escape. Asuka went to the outside and pulled out the ceremonial umbrella she once brought to the ring for her entrance, trying to use it as a weapon but Lynch got a hold of it. Lynch able to use it to shield herself from getting sprayed with the Poison Mist before eating a Head Kick. Moments later, Lynch rolled off from being set on the table and after some jostling, Lynch hit a Super Man-Handle Slam to drive Asuka through the table and score the win.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
It was disappointing that both women’s matches were cut up with commercials being run, especially one of those being the main event of the show. Morgan got a nice moment with the fans and kicked off her reign with a win, but we’ll see if that lasts over on Smackdown with a different set of opponents to face. Lynch getting the big win in a fun, if not tame, hardcore match over her rival might bring their feud to a close, but after Alexa Bliss stated she wants in the title hunt will it be such a clear path for another Belair/Lynch match or will Bliss be in the mix as we head towards SummerSlam?
That’s your lot for this week! Be sure to stop by in seven days time with the next edition of the RAW RECAP! See you then!