Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! After Rhea Ripley had to vacate the Women’s World Championship last week, the WWE has wasted no time in deciding that a Battle Royal with the women of Raw will determine a new Champion. So who will emerge on top? A new face to lead Raw, or more of the same? Let’s get into it, and find out…
MAXXINE DUPRI was part of a segment with Alpha Academy and the ‘changed’ Chad Gable and looked awkward as Gable tried to justify his actions from last week. Gable tore down his group calling them a bunch of losers and dared to call Dupri to call her ‘dumb as a box or rocks’. Gable bullied the group and ordered that they’d all have to work for him to get him the IC title.
NIA JAX had a brief backstage promo but nothing of importance was said.
In a long backstage segment, JACKIE REDMOND tried to interview CANDICE LERAE and INDI HARTWELL about their recent actions. Things were interrupted when backstage officials broke up a yelling match between Nia Jax and LIV MORGAN. BECKY LYNCH stormed up and took the mic from Redmond, walking backstage to cut a promo and she briefly stopped to talk-up Maxxine Dupri and told her to make sure this wouldn’t be her last World title match. Lynch would then head to the ring to do her entrance for the match.
Women’s World Championship Battle Royal
BECKY LYNCH became the NEW Women’s World Champion. Lynch defeated CANDICE LERAE, CHELSEA GREEN, INDI HARTWELL, IVY NILE, KATANA CHANCE, KAYDEN CARTER, LIV MORGAN, MAXXINE DUPRI, NATALYA, NIA JAX, PIPER NIVEN, SHAYNA BASZLER & ZOEY STARK.
Jax and Niven were targeted by the rest of the competitors but they were all shoved off before Jax and Niven went at it with strikes. Lynch got a couple of shots in on Jax before Natalya hit Lynch with a German Suplex while other Superstars tied off on one another. Natalya managed to put Lynch over the top rope but ended up put onto the apron by Jax, but Jax herself soon got caught in a Back Sleeper by Lynch who got backed into a corner to break it.
Jax would miss a corner charge and hit the ring post. Lynch hit a BexPloder to Baszler and tied to eliminate her but Baszler used a Hot Shot to get a break. LeRae attempted to toss Nile out and stood on the ropes to try and pry Nile’s fingers off, but it left her open for Dupri to toss LeRae over the ropes for the first elimination of the match. Hartwell nailed Dupri with a Big Boot and then tried to toss her out, only for Dupri to counter and then toss Hartwell over the ropes to eliminate her!
After a commercial break, Carter used a Monkey Flip toss to send Chance overhead for a Cannonball into Baszler and Stark, and then into Dupri and Nile in the opposite corner. An attempt to eliminate by Baslzer led to Carter pushing Chance back into the ring for a Flying Headscissors to Baszler. It led to Carter and Stark being on the apron, and while Carter was able to catch Chance on her shoulders, it left her open to a Superkick from Start that sent Double KC down to eliminate them both.
Nile would try to use a Triangle Choke over the ropes to wear down Jax, but Jax swung her into the ring post to send Nile down and eliminate her. That left Dupri in a rage who hit a trio of kicks but trying for a fourth she was caught and then tossed over the ropes to eliminate her. Lynch used a Low Bridge to send Niven to the apron and clubbed her down with strikes and kicks to eventually push her off the apron to eliminate her. Furious, Niven hauled Lynch out of the ring but under the ropes, sending her into the ring steps for a Cannonball.
Niven cleared the announce desk and set Lynch up on it, but turned her attention to the ring when Jax tried to eliminate Green. Niven pulled Jax down to the floor, and took a Headbutt for her troubles before Jax attempted a poor version of a ‘Chokeslam’ to dump Niven on top of Lynch on the table that didn’t break. Jax then, eventually, muscled up Niven for an attempt at a Samoan Drop-toss to send Niven onto Lynch. This all distracted the referees who didn’t see that Natalya eliminated Green, but Green saw this and hopped back onto the apron and slid back in so she cheated her way to stay in the match.
After another commercial break, we saw that during the break Jax finally broke the announce table with a Powerbomb to Lynch. Green and Natalya fought on the apron and Green got the better of it with a kick to send Natalya to the ring post. Only for Green to get Clotheslined over the ropes by Stark to eliminate her. Baslzer then used a Low Knee Strike to eliminate Natalya. That left Baszler, Stark, Morgan and Jax in the ring (and Lynch on the floor still in the match).
Baszler and Stark went to divide and conquer as Stark sent Morgan up for a Pop-up Knee by Baszler. Jax clubbed down Stark but got hooked in Baszler’s Kirifuda Clutch before Stark hit a Superkick to Jax. Jax, as usual, no sold it to catch a Crossbody attempt and dump Stark over the ropes for an elimination. Jax then countered a corner Knee Strike, tossed Baszler over the ropes and shoved her down to wipe out Stark and eliminate Baszler. Lynch returned to the ring but got knocked down by Jax, who then took a Flying Headscissors from Morgan that set up a Dropkick to the back against the ropes.
Jax blocked a Codebreaker attempt but when she held Morgan up, Lynch came up and hit a Neckbreaker to Morgan which in turn hit that Codebreaker to Jax. Jax would hit a Samoan Drop to Lynch then Morgan. Jax tried to eliminate both opponents at once but they countered for a Double Team Hot Shot. They tried for a Double Team Suplex, only for Jax to instead hit a Double Suplex of her own to Lynch and Morgan. Jax made the mistake of going for The Annihilator on both women, and that allowed them to shove her to the apron. Morgan hit a Codebreaker to Jax when she tried to get through the ropes and that set up Lynch’s Legdrop from the middle rope and the recoil sent Jax back out and down to the floor to eliminate her.
Morgan would send Lynch to the apron but got caught with a Head Kick from the apron. Morgan would be sent to the apron and stupidly pulled Lynch through the ropes instead of over them. The referee at ringside could be clearly heard telling Morgan to get back in the ring before the women teased Suplex spots and a German from the apron. Morgan hit a Codebreaker on the apron and tried for ObLIVion from the ring post but Lynch countered. Lynch hit a Man-Handle Slam on the apron and Morgan fell to the floor as Lynch won the Women’s World Championship for the first time, and what the announcers called her seventh World title win.
Lynch would celebrate with the fans in the crowd and pyro even went off to end the show.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
While the Battle Royal was a fine match that gave competitors chances to shine, the result is the old saying that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The WWE had a chance here to go with a Liv Morgan turn or even curveball of LeRae cheating her way to the win but instead went for the ‘safe bet’ of Lynch once again. Whether that’s just due to the WWE’s failure to create new stars to carry the title or just using Lynch off the success of her book can be debated, but it still feels like a cop-out especially when Lynch failed at WrestleMania only to become the champ anyway weeks later. It all feels like a missed opportunity and either leaves us with more of Jax Vs Lynch again or still having Morgan turn for a feud until Ripley returns to action.
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!