Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The WWE Draft is well underway and we’ve seen some shake-ups with the women’s division but both the Raw Women’s Champion Asuka and the Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are staying on Raw. But with more women up for being drafted, who will move shows? And more importantly, who will emerge from the Battle Royal and earn a future title shot at Asuka? Let’s get into it, and find out…
STEPHANIE MCMAHON again the hosted the Draft. In the first round Smackdown Women’s Champion BAYLEY stayed on the blue brand. Despite being away from WWE at the moment, CHARLOTTE FLAIR will be staying on Raw.
MANDY ROSE and DANA BROOKE were the guests on Miz TV as Miz and Morrison tried to provoke the two about the upcoming battle royal. They didn’t buy it, and eventually LANA and NATALYA came out to complain that they hadn’t been invited as guests. It led to the expected brawl when Rose taunted the two that if they spent more time training they’d win a match, before Rose and Brooke sent the heels packing.
In the third round of the Draft the group of Retirubution were drafted. Mia Yim aka Reckoning was featured in the group graphic but Mercedes Martinez was not. ALEXA BLISS was drafted to Raw, fittingly on the same brand as her freakish love interest The Fiend.
In the fourth round LACEY EVANS moves to Raw.
Women’s Tag Team Match
MANDY ROSE & DANA BROOKE defeated NATALYA & LANA
Neither of the teams got full entrances. Natalya and Brooke began as Natalya went in hot with strikes but Brooke countered with a nice Handspring bounce off the ropes into the Whirlybird Headscissors. Rose got the tag and did a nice lucha-roll over Natalya’s back, bouncing off the ropes and hitting an Arm Drag for a two count. Brooke got a tage and the women hit Double Team Stomps after doing cartwheels. Brooke got a two count off a roll-up but when she swung and missed and Lana off the kick-out Natalya took advantage hitting her Rope Bounce Atomic Drop throw.
Lana took the tag and hit her Sliding Kick for a two count, then a Suplex before tagging in Natalya as the heels hit stomps. Lana hitting Running Double Knee’s to Brooke’s back for another two count. Brooke took the rest hold but when Lana mouthed off at Rose, it allowed Brooke to sneak a roll-up for a near fall then tag Rose. Rose went to work on Lana with strikes and a Suplex before kipping up. Rose hit a Rolling Thunder Low Clothesline to Lana on the bottom rope. Sliding in under the legs Rose sent Lana rolling over, tagging out before hitting a Knee Strike. Then dragging Lana into position as she climbed up onto Rose’s shoulders to hit the Swanton Bomb for the win.
After the match Natalya looked disgusted by the loss. “Are you really that stupid?” She asked, before saying she was done and walking out on Lana.
ZELINA VEGA was on commentary as her former clients went to battle, with Angel Garza defeating Andrade but she seemed to be checking on Andrade after the match. However, Alexa Bliss, doing The Fiend’s upside down taunt appeared before both Bliss and Fiend hit Sister Abigails onto Andrade and Vega.
In the fifth round NIKKI CROSS moved to Raw, the same brand as on/off friend Bliss.
CHARLY CARUSO handled interview duties.
In the sixth round CARMELLA stays on Smackdown and PEYTON ROYCE remains on Raw.
Women’s Battle Royal for a Future Raw Women’s Championship Match
LANA won the match, lastly eliminating NATALYA.
ASUKA joined commentary, but only Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler got entrances. The other participants were Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, Tamina, Billie Kay, Lana, Bianca Belair, Natalya, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Mandy Rose and Peyton Royce. (Despite being on the match graphic, Bliss was not in the match.) Jax grabbed a mic and demanded the other women just jump out. The women pounced on Jaxbefore things shuffled to usual battle royal pairings off.
Lana hit some kicks to Jax before Tamina decked her from behind and the two relatives faced off, hitting a Double Team Headbutt on Lana. Jax faked out a hug before tossing out Tamina, and then eliminated Kay after sending over the top then clubbing her down. Asuka was cheering on Rose and Brooke the ‘Sexy Muscle Friends’. Rose and Brooke however ended up on the apron, trying to get Baszler out but Jax charged in to knock both blondes down.
Once again Jax was swarmed by the other women aside from Baszler who just laid back and watched until she came in to be the tipping point that sent Jax over and out. Furious, Jax cleared the announce table before finding Lana on the outside and then, once again, hitting her with a Samoan Drop through the table.
Back from commerical Cross hit Evans with strikes to the gut. She tried for a Tornado DDT but got sent over to the apron and a Women’s Right knocked her off. Baszler used the Clutch to put Riott over the ropes but Morganb saved her. A cut in video showed Royce being eliminated by Natalya. Belair used a Glam Slam to drop Morgan onto Riott, before Belair rolled out from a Baszler Clutch. Using the Glam Slam to drop Baszler on the top rope to eliminate her. Natalya muscled Belair on top, and while Belair fought back The Riott Squad used a double team of Riott hoisting Morgan up to Dropkick to eliminate Belair.
The final ‘four’ were Morgan, Riott, Natalya and Evans (but Lana was still on the outside). Morgan and Evans paired off while Riott and Natalya went at it. It led to the Squad members being dumped on the apron then being eliminated as Riott took a Natalya Discus Forearm and Morgan ate the Woman’s Right. Evans got sent over but vaulted back over Natalya’s back and avoided the Rope Bounce Atomic Drop hold. Asuka was shown watching now from backstage as Evans got put over the top with a Suplex hold. Both women going to the apron and being sent into the post Evans was almost sent down before a kick nearly put Natalya down.
Evans tried for a Headscissors but Natalya swung her into the post to eliminate Evans. Lana then snuck in and kicked Natalya down to steal the win as Asuka looked shocked backstage. Things instantly moved on with Randy Orton and McIntyre appearing for a brawl. It was casually announced during the match that the title match would be set for next week.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I had assumed that the battle royal would decide Asuka’s challenger for Hell in a Cell, but with the match happening next week? Either we get yet another rush job, one week feud for Asuka after squashing Lana… Or the WWE makes a really stupid, stupid move and gives Lana some sort of fluke win for a brief title reign before Hell in a Cell. With how the WWE has been burying Lana as of late I think it’s far more likely that Lana will get squashed in seconds but that still leaves the question of what, if any, match Asuka will have for Hell in a Cell. Asuka’s title reign has been booked like garbage since the end of the Golden Role Models feud, and this isn’t going to help matters.
With the other match, Rose and Brooke showed great teamwork and double teams along with new moves. Clearly they’re future tag champions and it’s just a case of when that happens. McMahon as host was surprisingly painless and she didn’t outstay her welcome too much.
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!