Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! Survivor Series is soon approaching and already the rush to hype the PPV has meant the WWE has just boring announced the Elimination Match teams on social media. With Bianca Belair, Queen Zelina, Carmella, Liv Morgan and only one half of the Women’s Tag Champions Rhea Ripley making up the Raw team. So what will happen this week since usually storylines are put on ice for the brand versus brand garbage? Let’s get into it, and find out…
SONYA DEVILLE and Adam Pierce hosted the Women’s locker room for a meeting, announcing that the five women on Team Raw for Survivor Series would compete against one another to decide Becky Lynch’s next challenger. The women not on the team, DOUDROP, DANA BROOKE and NIKKI A.S.H. all complained about not being on the team. That led to Zelina and Carmella mocking Ash for not being picked but her tag partner was, but Ripley defended her teammate.
Raw Women’s Championship Contendership Match – Fatal Five Way Match
LIV MORGAN defeated Women’s Tag Team Champion RHEA RIPLEY, BIANCA BELAIR, CARMELLA & QUEEN ZELINA
Raw Women’s Champion BECKY LYNCH joined the commentary team and laid it on thick that all Liv Morgan had was fan support. Before the match Doudrop confronted Belair but Belair mocked Doudrop saying she was only looking out for herself. Carmella and Zelina (with her questionable English accent) had cut in promos. Belair paid for mouthing off to Lynch as Carmella and Zelina dumped her to the floor, leading to an all out brawl on the outside between the women.
The match started properly after a commercial break with Belair and Ripley dumping the rest to the floor but before they could lock up Carmella and Zelina attacked from behind to pair off for scraps and taking the fight to the floor. Eventually, Belair and Ripley got back, locking up and exchanging waistlocks before Zelina and Carmella pulled Belair to the floor to send her into the barricade. The heels went after Ripley but Ripley fended them off with a Headbutt to Carmella, then booting Zelina down before hitting the Snapmare to set up the Running Dropkick to Carmella. Zelina caught Ripley with a Chop Block.
The heels worked over Ripley with stomps and strikes before Carmella got a side kick in but trying to get the pin Zelina pulled Carmella off from the cover. The heels kept Belair and Morgan out of the ring, and after Zelina hit a corner kick she went for a cover but Carmella pulled her off. Lynch on commentary laid it on thick again saying the ring was full of ‘history makers… And Liv Morgan’. Zelina held Ripley to take chops from Carmella, but Ripley broke free to Carmella struck her ‘partner’ but Ripley couldn’t take advantage, soon taking a Reverse X-Factor as a counter by Carmella.
Carmella hit a Bronco Buster to Ripley but when Zelina went for a Meteora to the corner Ripley got out of the ring. That allowed Morgan to finally get back in and went after Carmella with corner Elbow and a Knee Strike, with a Jumping Enzigri soon after. Morgan hit her Corner Springboard Stomp to Carmella but Zelina broke up the pin attempt. Zelina dumped Morgan down, but was left alone with Ripley who absorbed a Lariat then tossed Zelina across the ring. Ripley hit Knee Strikes while clutching Zelina’s head while Lynch recited the chorus from Jenny from the Block. No, really.
Ripley hit the Alicia Fox Suplex on Zelina but Belair broke it up and dumped Ripley out. Belair worked over the heels before Morgan came in and caught Belair with the Side Codebreaker, only to take Carmella’s Float-Over X-Factor as Ripley broke up the pin. Ripley wiped out Carmella with a Running Dropkick, before Zelina hit a Tilt-a-whirl DDT on Ripley but only got a two count. Belair then Press Slammed Zelina from the ring to wipe out the other women on the floor.
Back from commercial instead of a Tower of Doom spot Belair pulled out Zelina and Morgan, walking them out from the corner for a Double Powerbomb, and just taking a Missile Dropkick from Ripley for her troubles. Carmella caught a glancing blow with a Superkick to Ripley for a near fall, and screaming Carmella tried and failed to get pins on the other women as well. On the outside Belair blocked a Superkick and swung Carmella into the announce table. Back in the ring Ripley and Belair countered one another’s finishers before Ripley booted Belair’s leapfrog attempt down. Ripley hit the Riptide to Belair but Morgan broke the pin up.
Morgan took a Headbutt but answered with a Headscissors. Soon after Morgan escaped a Riptide attempt and used her feet to catapult Ripley into the ropes, setting up to hit ObLIVion but Zelina broke the cover up. Zelina went for Code Red on Morgan but Belair scooped her up from off of Morgan into the KOD position. Belair booted down Morgan and hit the KOD, but suddenly Doudrop appeared and pulled Belair out to cost her the match, sending Belair into the ringpost.
Back in the ring Carmella tried to steal the pin on Zelina, only for Morgan to grab Carmella with a Crucifix Pin to win the match! Lynch was left in shock and tried to intimidate Morgan by standing on the announce table and holding her title up, but Morgan just climbed up and got in her face, forcing Lynch to back off.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
A fair bit to unpack here this week, which is nice for a change. A nicely lengthy, well-worked match that wasn’t just the usual massive cluster as multi-woman matches sometimes end up like. They told a nice, if not rushed, story of Doudrop’s legit gripe turning into an unfair rage at being called out for being selfish. It takes Belair away from the title picture as well for a feud to keep her busy. The new heel team of Carmella and Zelina going after Ash verbally in the locker room and then Ripley physically in the match was a nice touch. Finally, Morgan is getting the long-awaited chance at a championship. It’s been a long time coming for Morgan but one has to wonder if Morgan will simply be a standard title defence to keep Lynch occupied before WrestleMania season comes around, or if this will be a legit opportunity.
That’s your lot for this week! Stop by in seven days time for the pre-Survivor Series hype with the next edition of the RAW RECAP! See you then!