Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The Queen of the Ring Tournament rolls on with the Quarter Final matches after Shayna Baszler won a live event match over Maxxine Dupri (who replaced an injured Zelina Vega). So this week, Baszler faces Iyo Sky of Damage CTRL and Zoey Stark faces Lyra Valkyria. The winners will go on to the Semi Finals as the King and Queen of the Ring event approaches, so who will advance? And what’s next between Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan? Let’s get into it, and find out…
There was a recap video of the first round action for the Queen of the Ring Tournament. An ‘earlier today’ video showed a confrontation between SHAYNA BASZLER and ZOEY STARK against DAMAGE CTRL of DAKOTA KAI, KAIRI SANE and IYO SKY ahead of the clash between Baszler and Sky.
Queen of the Ring Tournament Quarter Final Match
IYO SKY defeated SHAYNA BASZLER
Kai and Sane only accompanied Sky to the entranceway. Due to that, Baszler was able to sneak attack Sky as she did her entrance pose on the ropes to haul her down to the floor. Baszler stomped away and hit a Low Knee Strike but referees blocked her from getting a running start for a second.
After a commercial break, the match was joined in progress as Sky used misdirection including a flip over Baszler’s back to trip up Baszler and set up a Basement Dropkick. Sky flexed with flips but missed a Dropkick to Baszler on the ropes when Baszler moved, so Sky landed on her feet on the floor. The announcers dropped a Stardom reference and in the match, Sky blocked a kick along the apron and swept Baszler’s leg. Baszler prevented a springboard move and yanked Sky’s arm down on the top rope, and then a Top Wristlock while on the middle rope.
Baszler tossed Sky into the crowd barricade then the ring apron a couple of times before she sent Sky back inside. Sky rolled back to the outside to try and recover, only for Baszler to yank up the skirt of the apron and put Sky’s arm into the metal work to hit a stomp. Baszler got a two count in the ring, then tried for the Arm Stomp but Sky countered with a roll through then a leg trip.
Sky fought back with strikes then a Hurricanrana takedown followed by a Buzzsaw Kick. Sky tried for a go-behind move but Baszler used the hurt arm to first let her try for the Kirifuda Clutch but when Sky escaped, Baszler hit an Eat Defeat but to the hurt arm. Baszler hit a corner Knee Strike and set Sky up top, trying for it seemed a Flashing Baszler from the top but Sky flipped out to escape. Sky shoved Baszler and she tumbled down but with her leg now caught up with the top rope to (kayfabe) hurt her knee. Sky would hit a Moonsault from the middle rope to the floor before the match went to a commercial break (the second if you count the one before the pre-match attack).
Sky used a Roll-up to counter an Arm Bar then hit a Shotei and some strikes. Baszler would send Sky to the apron to counter a charge, but when Baszler tried to kick Sky, her hurt leg was grabbed and then jolted against the middle rope. Sky hit a Springboard Dropkick that set up Baszler against the ropes to take a Meteora to the back for a near fall. Sky went for the Over the Moonsault and while Baszler got her feet up to counter, Sky landed on her feet and countered that to roll Baszler over and nail a Buzzsaw Kick.
Sky went for a European Clutch off a La Magistral but Baszler turned it into the Kirafuda Clutch but Sky was able to roll back and turn it into a Crossface. Baszler would escape that and hit a Backbreaker off a Reverse DDT position, then the Low Knee Strike but she only got a near fall. A second Knee Strike was countered by a Dragon Screw by Sky, who then hit a Running Meteora to Baszler down in a corner. The Over the Moonsault followed to get Sky the victory and into the Semi Finals.
JACKIE REDMOND interviewed Sky after the match, and Sky took the mic to cut a promo in her native tongue.
Backstage Chad Gable ran down MAXXINE DUPRI and the Alpha Acadmeny. IVY NILE tried to talk sense into Dupri but Gable bullied Dupri to head off and told Nile to mind her own business and not with “Taylor not-so Swift” Dupri, much to Nile’s outrage.
CATHY KELLEY handled interview duties.
In a nice surprise, SAMANTHA IRVIN introduced WWE ring announcing legend LILIAN GARCIA to do guest announcing for a match.
KIANA JAMES made her Raw debut in a backstage segment in Adam Pearce’s office to show off her business character.
LYRA VALKYRIA was interviewed backstage who boasted about this being the start of her rise to the top and said she’d have Lynch’s back. In timely fashion, BECKY LYNCH showed up and talked up her friend before leaving her to be interviewed. Only for LIV MORGAN to interrupt and tried to intimidate, asking if Lynch had always been a ‘Bitch’. However, Lynch appeared right behind Morgan to hear the insult, and socked Morgan with a punch before telling her rival that she wasn’t “afraid of a face-to-face fight, Bitch!”. Leaving Morgan fuming on the floor.
Queen of the Ring Tournament Quarter Final Match
LYRA VALKYRIA defeated ZOEY STARK
After an opening lock-up statement and some shoving, Valkyria flipped over Stark’s back to avoid a charge and then hit an Arm Drag, followed by a Back Elbow from the middle rope then an Arm Drag into an arm lock. Moments later a Hurricanrana takedown sent Stark through the ropes, but when Valkyria went for a flying nothing off the apron Stark moved and Valkyria jolted her knee, leaving her open for a Clothesline on the floor.
After a commercial break, Stark hit the Like A Sniper Missile Dropkick for a near fall. Valkyria fought out of a Cravate just to take precision strikes from Stark but a Sliding Dropkick missed as Valkyria used a Crucifix Pin to get a two count. Valkyria then hit a round of strikes, finished with an Enzigiri. Valkyria hit a great Dropkick through the ropes to nail Stark on the outside and sent her back in to then hit a Top Rope Crossbody. Followed by a Tornado DDT as Valkyria ran up the corner for a near fall.
Valkyria was able to use a kip up to avoid a kick, but her attempt at an Enzigiri was ducked before Stark hit a Superkick and then the Overhead Half Nelson Suplex for a two count. Stark jumped from the top for a flying nothing to flip through to her feet when Valkyria moved, just to be decked by a Spinning Heel Kick by Valkyria. Stark would then counter another Tornado DDT attempt to Suplex Valkyria into the corner for a near fall.
After an exchange of slaps, Stark hit a Superkick and tried for Z-360 but Valkyria caught the leg, and then hit the Nightwing to win and advance to the Semi Finals for a match against Iyo Sky.
Valkyria was interviewed after the match and spoke in Galic, curiously saying that everyone will find out what that means later but she said she only flew “where the crow flies and that’s straight to the top”.
Non-Title Singles Match
Women’s World Champion BECKY LYNCH defeated DAKOTA KAI w/h KAIRI SANE & IYO SKY by DQ.
Sane, being unserious as ever, taunted Lynch and hyped up Kai with a King Kota sign from the crowd. When the bell rang, Lynch suckered Kai in with shoves just to duck a strike and hit Kai with a similar sharp jab that decked Morgan in the back. Leading to stomps in the corner by Lynch who then drove Kai’s head into two different corners before multiple times into the third. Lynch hit a Baseball Slide and then the Forearm off the apron. Lynch then hit Kai with a kick while Kai was through the ropes and then a Kick over the ropes to Kai inside, before she also kicked down Iyo Sky when she got up to the apron.
Becky went up top but Sane provided a distraction so Kai could strike, and then hit the Deadly Drive to bring Lynch down. Kai choked Lynch on the ropes and then drove Lynch’s head into the corner to return the favour from earlier. There was a miscommunication in the match as Irish Whip counters seemed to happen too late in a corner, and Lynch had to pause before Kai moved from a corner, just for Lynch to be out from the corner when Kai came around for her Running Corner Boot.
Later, Lynch hit an Enzigiri. Kai went for a Corner Boot but Lynch dodged and hit her Springboard Kick. After a commercial break, the Superstars exchanged clutch pins before Kai sent Lynch up through the ropes for the stomp to the back for a near fall. Lynch tried for misdirection but Kai hit a Rolling Elbow to cut it off. Lynch would counter being sent through the ropes to do it to Kai, who ended up dragging Lynch out but missed another stomp attempt. Now she got pull through and hit with the trio of strikes (and they seemed stiff to show the messiness of the match) that was the prelude to Lynch’s Legdrop to the back from the middle rope. It got Lynch a nearfall.
Kai escaped a Man-Handle Slam attempt and shoved Lynch to a corner before she hit a Pump Boot to the face for a two count. Sky went up top, but Lynch cut her off and hit a Superplex, turned into an Arm Bar attempt but Kai stacked it up for a two count pin. After an exchange of pin holds, Lynch applied the Dis-Arm-Her but Sky and Sane stormed the ring to attack Lynch and that got the match thrown out.
Lyra Valkyria ran out and took out Kai and Sane with Jumping Enzigiri Kicks, before she and Sky faced off and Lynch then decked Sky with a Clothesline. From out of the crowd, Liv Morgan grabbed Lynch from behind and drove Lynch into the ring post before she fled. Gloating about her very Heel-like sneak attack while Valkyria was outraged and tended to Lynch.
SCARLETT and The Final Testament accompanied AOP to the ring for a Four-Way Contendership Match for the men’s World Tag Team Championships.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Another edition of Raw with three great women’s matches, although Lynch and Kai disappointed with the miscommunication and the following stiffness in the match. The post-match angle was fine and the WWE seems to have gone all-in with Morgan as a Heel, and the sneak attack certainly worked for that. The Queen of the Ring matches got quite a lot of time and the bouts worked well, which was a nice surprise since Baszler and Sky was heel versus heel which usually doesn’t play out well. Next week between Sky and Valkyria should make for a great contest too.
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!