Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! Hell in a Cell is in the history books, and Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley retained her title thanks to an unlikely (and weak) DQ decision after using the top of the announce table to slam into Charlotte Flair’s face. Meanwhile, Alexa Bliss used a little help from some spooky hypnosis to get a victory over Shayna Baszler. Now, we’re heading towards the Money in the Bank event and we’re already getting qualifying for the show. Two tag team matches will decide the four competitors for Raw in the high stakes match. So who will punch their ticket first and bag a place in the all important Ladder Match? Let’s get into it, and find out…
In a backstage interview EVA MARIE declaired that her partner’s name was now DOUDROP much to the former Piper Niven’s clear disgust.
Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match
ASUKA & NAOMI defeated DOUDROP & EVA MARIE
Naomi and Asuka had a cut-in promo brushing off last week’s lost, and Asuka of course said Eva Marie wasn’t ready for them. Eva Marie ‘started’ against Asuka but quickly tagged out before Asuka could get a hold of her. Doudrop easily shoved off Asuka’s attempt to grapple and managed to take some strikes before shots running in staggered her. A Clothesline staggered Doudrop but she came back with a Shoulder Knockdown. Eva Marie watched on from the floor as Doudrop missed a corner Splash and then ate a Codebreaker.
Doudrop appeared to want to tag out but Marie stayed on the floor as Naomi was tagged and she hit a Head Kick, and soon after a high Hook Kick to the head. Trying to whip the powerhouse just led Naomi to be sent to the far corner and take a Splash, setting up a wicked Cannonball by Doudrop. Asuka broke up the cover. Doudrop dragged Naomi over to her corner, looking for a move off the ropes but Eva Marie tagged herself in much to Doudrop’s annoyance. Marie only got a two count from a cocky pin, and realising she was in trouble tried to tag back out. Doudrop instead dropped off the apron to show she’d already had enough, and that left Marie open to be rolled up for Naomi to get the win for her and Asuka.
SONYA DEVILLE (who would be seen a couple other times in her role as WWE official) and Adam Pierce summoned Raw Women’s Champion RHEA RIPLEY to the ring as she came out, and as Ripley brushed off the officials complaints and pointed out how Charlotte Flair broke the same rules over and over and got away with it. CHARLOTTE FLAIR herself came out as Flair claimed that Ripley did a clever move to get DQ’d. Deville made yet another match up between the two for Money in the Bank.
SARAH SCHREIBER tried to interview NATALYA & TAMINA but the Women’s Tag Team Champions were distracted by DANA BROOKE & MANDY ROSE training in the backstage ring just like last week. Mocking the champs for comments they’d made last week, and suckering them in to try and storm the ring to brawl again. But Rose and Brooke smartly cut them off with knee strikes as they entered and mocked the champs for not working with their heads.
NIA JAX & SHAYNA BASZLER along with Reginald were interviewed, and the two admitted that there was ‘something different’ with Bliss.
Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match
ALEXA BLISS & NIKKI CROSS defeated NIA JAX & SHAYNA BASZLER w/h Reginald.
Alexa Bliss came out with new entrance music. Even stranger, Nikki Cross appeared in a backstage segment and revealled a different Super Heroine attire with mask and cape, claiming her new look was representing the inner spark and spirit. That’s gonna take some getting used to, not gonna lie. Cross and Bliss didn’t even seem to have any body language to reference their past broken friendship.
Cross and Baszler started off with Baszler roughing Cross to the corner and hitting a kick, before Cross countered being sent to a corner with a vault back then catching Baszler with an Arm Drag. Cross had a quickness edge, squirming out of a Kimura attempt and getting in strikes, including from off the apron back into the ring that set up a vault through the ropes into a cradle pin for a one count. Baszler got the arm and pulled Cross back for Jax to tag in, and Jax shut Cross down with a Headbutt.
Jax missed a corner charge, hitting the ringpost with her shoulder and tumbling to the floor. Reginald checked on her but Bliss went to the ring steps to start her hypnotic stare. Baszler ran over and snapped Reggie out of it, but the trio then got wiped out by a heroic Crossbody by Cross from the top rope to the floor. Back from commerical Cross hit a corner Splash to Baszler on her team’s corner, offering a tag and surprisingly (considering their history) Bliss happily accepted. Cross hitting a Bulldog out of the corner, setting up Baszler to take a new form of the Insult to Injury combo by Bliss of the Double Knee Drop but then a Flip Senton for a nearfall.
Jax distracted the ref to let Baszler poke the eyes to stun Bliss, then Jax tagged in and overpowered Bliss with head slams to the corner, before bringing Baszler back in for a Knee Strike in the corner. Baszler appeared to be using a deliberate gripping hold across the eyes of Bliss to prevent her stare, but Bliss eventually fought up and out. It led to Bliss being set up on top, but she fought back and showed a throwback to SHIMMER legend MsChif with a scream then hitting a Code Green. Bliss creepy crawled to tag in Cross and Jax got a tag too. Cross tried to run the ropes for a Crossbody that was caught, but managed to then chop down Jax with Dropkicks.
Baszler was tagged and almost hit her partner when Cross ducked, leading to a brief bickering. Jax stormed out of the ring, and the distraction allowed Cross to hit a Back Suplex on Baszler. Bliss applied her hypnotic stare to Reginald, and almost made him slap Jax but he snapped out of it at the last second. Jax and Reggie hugged, and took a Baseball Slide for their trouble. Cross then used a Tilt-a-whirl into a La Magistral cradle and scored the victory for herself and Alexa Bliss!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Not gonna lie, it’s gonna take a lot of getting used to seeing Cross’ new gimmick but she pitched the idea herself, and if anyone can make it work then it’s Cross. It was a little weak that the past issues and friendship between Cross and Bliss weren’t mentioned as much as they should, but with a few weeks to go before Money in the Bank I’m sure that will be brought up soon enough. Elsewhere Doudrop ditching Eva Marie already might be an early sign that someone in creative doesn’t like the pairing or perhaps Piper Niven in general (which would be such a stupid waste of a great talent in Niven). We’ll see where that goes. And I’m also gonna assume that we’ll get some sort of stipulation, possibly No DQ or a Street Fight, for the next Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair battle. This feud has gone on for long enough and could do with a final end at Money in the Bank. But will we see that at the expense of a cash-in?
That’s your lot for this week. Be sure to stop by in seven days and we’ll have the next edition of the RAW RECAP for you! See you then!