Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! Survivor Series is just days away with the Women’s WarGames match now having Raw’s Becky Lynch joining Team Bianca Belair for no real logical reason other than the WWE’s obsession with forcing Lynch into the spotlight. Before that, Lynch will look to ‘settle’ her issues with Xia Li in a singles match, while Nia Jax will face Raquel Rodriguez one-on-one. Who will get the last laugh ahead of Survivor Series? Let’s get into it and find out.
RHEA RIPLEY led The Judgement Day to try and provoke their rivals into a fight ahead of Survivor Series. Later on backstage, Ripley and the so-called leader of The Judgement Day Damien Priest had clear issues about decision-making and adding Drew McIntyre to the team for WarGames.
Singles Match
NIA JAX defeated RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ
A Big Boot by Rodriguez staggered Jax back into a corner for some Shoulder Thrusts. Jax used a ST-No counter to a charge then a couple of mat slams. Jax took too much time to taunt Rodriguez, allowing her to get up before the two traded blows. A wild charge sent Jax through the ropes, before Rodriguez hit a Crossbody off the apron. Jax came back with a shove to sent Rodriguez into the corner of the barricade, then hit a Samoan Drop of sorts to sent Rodriguez back-first into the ring post.
After a commercial break, Jax stretched Rodriguez’s back against the ring post. A Cobra Clutch used as a rest hold before Rodriguez tried to power up but the spot didn’t work and the two just slumped back. Jax barely sold two Clotheslines before she hit a Headbutt. Rodriguez used the Mickie James Headscissors corner counter to take Jax briefly down then hit the Rewind Clothesline to Jax’s back before a Big Boot finally dropped Jax.
Rodriguez hit the Corkscrew Vader Bomb Elbow. Moments later Jax hit a Senton. Jax went for the Annihilator, and Rodriguez tried for a Powerbomb from the corner but after a lot of Jax sandbagging Jax ended up squashing Rodriguez down with an Annihilator of sorts before hitting a second (and admittedly actually safe-looking) one for the win.
XIA LI got a hype video.
The WWE stated that the way the Women’s WarGames Match Advantage would be decided would be through an online vote.
Singles Match
BECKY LYNCH defeated XIA LI
Li had added lightning/energy graphics to her entrance similar to when she’d first debuted on the main roster years ago. NXT Women’s Champion LYRA VALKYRIA was front row ahead of her title defence against Li this week on NXT (a taped match that’s already happened).
Li had the advantage early with a kick to the gut, Headlock then a shoulder check after she’d been shoved away. Li hit a wild chop to stagger Lynch but missed a Head Kick, that allowed Lynch to trip Li up and use a Cradle for barely a two count. Lynch used a Matrix push up to escape a pin, and countered a misdirection attempt by Li with a chop of her own. Lynch hit a couple of Arm Drags but took too much time before going for a corner Splash so she hit nothing but turnbuckle. This allowed Li to hit her mounted corner Head Chop.
Li would be sent to the floor and then ate a Baseball Slide, setting things up for Lynch’s Forearm off the apron. Li got roughed up around the ring a bit but when the action went to the apron, Li managed to hold Lynch’s leg over the top rope and hit Lynch with a Head Kick.
After a commercial break, Lynch made a comeback with a Jawbreaker and avoiding a corner knee before the women traded blows just for Lynch to get the advantage and then hit the Flying Forearm. A corner Forearm would follow then a Bex-Ploder for a near fall. Li countered a Dis-Arm-Her attempt and sent Lynch into the ropes, followed up by a kick to the back. A Tornado Kick to the back got Li a near fall.
Lynch used a toss-style Double Underhook Suplex to drop Li and go right for an Arm Bar. Li countered into a pin for a two count, and moments later Li hit a version of a UFO spin to dump Lynch for a near fall. Li would use a choke at the corner, but not long after Lynch hit a middle rope Superplex to get a near fall. Li countered a Man-Handle Slam with an Arm Drag and hit Sudden Impact but it sent Lynch into the ropes before Li dumped Lynch through them and to the floor.
Li ordered the referee to check on Lynch, hoping that the match would be called off in her favor but the ref said Lynch could continue. Li tried for another Sudden Impact on the outside but Lynch ducked and then shoved Li into the ring post. Both women just beat the 10 count to get back in. After trading blows, Li missed another Sudden Impact before Lynch hit a Man-Handle Slam for the win.
After the match, the entire faction of Smackdown’s DAMAGE CTRL of ASUKA, BAYLEY, DAKOTA KAI, IYO SKY and KAIRI SANE walked through the crowd towards the ring. However, they got jumped from behind by BIANCA BELAIR, CHARLOTTE FLAIR and SHOTZI. Leading to a mass brawl between the WarGames teams before security broke it up.
ZOEY STARK had a hype video. Later on in the show, Stark and SHAYNA BASZLER had invited themselves into the Judgement Day locker room to ‘play cards’. Baszler excused herself saying she’d ‘seen enough’ before Stark taunted Rhea Ripley about being focused on everything else other than her. Ripley threatened that most people wouldn’t survive pulling a stunt like this, but let Stark leave.
An ‘earlier today’ video showed Women’s Tag Team Champions PIPER NIVEN and CHELSEA GREEN complaining to Adam Pearce about locker room arrangements. NATALYA and TEGAN NOX interrupted to demand a title match. But KATANA CHANCE and KAYDEN CARTER, then CANDICE LERAE and INDI HARTWELL showed up to both point out that they were real teams unlike Natalya and Nox who had never teamed before. When Pearce was handing out opportunities, MAXXINE DUPRI and IVY NILE also showed up and got put into the match as well, even though it seemed they wanted to talk about something else but Durpi ‘shoosh’ed Nile.
Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Match – Number One Contendership for the Women’s Tag Team Championships
NATALYA & TEGAN NOX defeated IVY NILE & MAXXINE DUPRI, KAYDEN CARTER & KATANA CHANCE, & CANDICE LERAE & INDI HARTWELL
Chelsea Green and Piper Niven did guest commentary. None of the tag teams got any live entrance for the match. Natalya and Nile started off as Nile managed to get a Backside for a near fall, while Chelsea on commentary mocked ‘Matthew’ (Michael Cole) for having ‘jokes’ about the tag titles not being defended. Nox was tagged in and hit a PK for a one count. Natalya was tagged back in, but Nile hit some kicks to lead to a Dropkick in her team’s corner before Dupri got tagged. Dupri tried for a Roll-up but Natalya turned it into an Arm Bar that Dupri then countered.
Dupri showed off some flip work in a wristlock leading to a Drop Toe Hold. Nile was tagged back in but soon took a Russian Leg Sweep from Natalya. Natalya went for The Sharpshooter but was pushed off and that allowed Hartwell to tag herself in. An attempt at a Bodyslam but Nile escaped, only for Hartwell to counter Nile’s Sunset Flip attempt and hit the Bodyslam. Nile was set through the ropes to take a boot to the head from Hartwell after LeRae tagged in. That allowed a double team move of Hartwell flipping LeRae into a Splash for a near fall.
Nile was held in a waistlock and backed herself and LeRae up to allow Carter to tag in off of Nile, who got sent down with a Basement Dropkick by LeRae. A blind tag by Chance led to a Wheelbarrow hold before Chance was flipped up and over by Carter for a Corkscrew Splash for a near fall (as Hartwell was late to break up the pin but got sent to the outside anyway). Carter got tagged so Double KC could do the Monkey Flip spot to send Chance with a Cannonball into LeRae to force LeRae to bail. Nox and Natalya came in but just got sent out to the floor, before Carter got an assist from Chance to run the ropes and hit a wild Crossbody onto the women on the floor. Natalya pulled Chance out, before Nile hit a Forearm from the apron to the women. That left Dupri to go to the middle rope at the corner to hit a Crossbody onto the women.
After a commercial break, Natalya was legal against Chance and hit House on Fire Clotheslines to Chance then Carter, before a Powerslam on Chance for a near fall. A MD2 by Natalya on Chance got another two count. It looked like a Tower of Doom spot would happen but instead Nile hit a Double Powerbomb on Natalya and Nox, leaving Chance still on the top rope. Carter dropped Nile with a Superkick, before Double KC did their Headstand spot to send Chance into a Twisting Splash onto both Nox and Natalya. The other teams broke up the pin.
Some women were sent out, before Nile hit a counter kick to drop Hartwell just to be stunned by a Nox Headbutt. Nox then sent Nile down onto Hartwell with a Front Suplex. Carter rolled Nox through then hit a Low Superkick, just to take a Missile Dropkick from LeRae. Chance took LeRae down with an Enzigiri but got scooped by Natalya for The Sharpshooter, just for Nile to break it up with a Bulldog to Natalya. Maxxine was able to tag in off of Chance, and hit a couple of Bodyslams on Nox before she hit her version of the Caterpillar Elbow much to Green’s shock.
A Bridging Suplex got Dupri a nearfall on Nox. A corner splash to Nox allowed Nile to tag in and hit a rather wild Corner Dropkick before another tag allowed Dupri and Nox to hit a Double Team Suplex before both women kipped up. Natalya hauled Ivy down from the apron when she tried to go up top, while Nox rolled through a Crossbody off the top rope by Dupri to steal the pin.
VALHALLA and Ivar had a warning for Bronson Reed.
Maxxine Dupri and Alpha Academy accompanied Chad Gable as he lost to Shinsuke Nakamura.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
A bland but admittedly less sloppy than usual match by Jax, but ultimately the usual amount of rare selling and undeniably go-away heat that Jax has. The match did no one any favours. In contrast, Xia Li had an outstanding performance against Lynch to show why the WWE has slept on her for too long under the old regime. However, a loss is still a loss and it will be hard to see Xia back at the forefront with so much stock still on Lynch which is a shame. Elsewhere, Nox and Natalya get the title shot but in a match where Maxxine Dupri stole the show. It’s good to see something solid in this long-running feud and now Natalya and Nox can be seen as credible challengers. Whether that translates to a tag title run is another story.
That’s your lot for this week. Be sure to stop by in seven days’ time for the post-Survivor Series edition of the RAW RECAP! See you then!