Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The Night of Champions event is in the books, and Raw’s Rhea Ripley retained the Smackdown Women’s Championship in a squash over Natalya. While there’s actually a new Raw Women’s Champion in Asuka as she used mist-coated fingers to blind Bianca Belair and steal the title, ending the over year-long reign. This week however, the Women’s Tag Team Championships will be crowned in a Fatal Four Way match. Will we get the expected result of Rousey and Baszler winning the titles, or a pleasant surprise of different champions? Let’s get into it, and find out…
Smackdown Women’s Champion RHEA RIPLEY accompanied the rest of The Judgement Day as they confronted AJ Styles and new World Champion Seth Rollins in the ring. Leading to a challenge of a tag match main event between the men.
TRISH STRATUS went to the ring for a bragging promo. Saying “I told you so” and said she fulfilled her promise to beat Becky Lynch, and mocked Lynch for going through ‘her stuff’ and said real Superstars thrived. Like the one who helped her in Zoey Stark and put over her being ruthless. Bringing out ZOEY STARK, who said she didn’t want to take the long road Becky did and instead wanted to be smart. Showering Stratus with compliments but as Stratus was threatening her rival BECKY LYNCH interrupted. Vowing payback and demanding a rematch right now. Lynch managed to get the upper hand for a moment, before the numbers game took over. Lynch taking Z-360 before Stratus hit a ‘loaded’ punch with her Hall of Fame ring. Leaving Lynch slumped in a corner with a ‘Thank You Trish’ over her.
MAXXINE DUPRI appeared to be all-in with Alpha Academy, even wearing a ‘Shoosh’ T-shirt as she accompanied them as they interrupted the insult slinging between Imperium, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. But in the following match between Academy and Imperium, VALHALLA appeared at ringside to go after Dupri. Dupri managing to duck but actually threw a head kick to briefly stun Valhalla, just to be chased all the way to the back.
CATHY KELLEY interviewed SHOTZI and RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ backstage but BAYLEY and IYO SKY interrupted, mocking them for not being a real tag team and vowing to make them like their injured friend Dakota Kai. Rodriguez mocking Bayley back, pointing out that she’s never been a champion yet during the Damage CTRL era.
CANDICE LERAE had a hype video.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships – Fatal Four Way Match
RONDA ROUSEY & SHAYNA BASZLER defeated DAMAGE CTRL (BAYLEY & IYO SKY), CHELSEA GREEN & SONYA DEVILLE, & RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ & SHOTZI to become the NEW Women’s Tag Team Champions.
The match was contested with only two women legal so two teams had both members illegal and on the apron. Rodriguez started off against Green, until Green saw who was in and quickly forced a tag to Bayley. Bayley getting knocked down and made quite a forceful tag to Sky, but still set up things with a Forearm Smash. Iyo tried to snap off a Headscissors but Rodriguez’s power blocked it. Sky using quickness and flips to hit a Dropkick, then strikes in her team’s corner. Bayley tagging in, but eventually being over powered and slammed down. Bayley forcing a tag out to Green before taking a Poweslam as Green clearly didn’t want in.
Green was brought in with a Hip Toss over the ropes, and Green tried to tag out to the Horsewomen but neither wanted in. Rodriguez sent Green through the ropes and it took Baszler tumbling down too, before decking Deville with a Big Boot and knocking Sky off the apron. Shotzi got tagged as Rodriguez held the ropes for the EVOLVE Dive to take out Bayley, Green and Baszler.
After a commercial break, Rousey was tagged in against Shotzi and getting showered with boos as Rousey seemed to botch hitting a Knee Strike in the corner before applying a Triangle Choke over the ropes. Baszler had tagged back in and hit the Arm Stomp. Shotzi managed to fight back with a Neckbreaker, and Damage CTRL couldn’t haul Rodriguez off the apron as she got the tag. Bulldozing Green and Deville from the apron and hitting the Rewind Clothesline on Baszler. Two Fallaway Slams followed and the second sent Baszler to her corner as Rousey got a tag to a chorus of boos.
Rousey tried for strikes but got shoved back and ate a Rewind Clothesline. Rodriguez tried for the One-Arm Powerbomb but Baszler saved Rousey from it, just to end up taking one herself. That allowed Rousey to leap up, rolling Rodriguez over into an Arm Bar but before the hold could be locked in, Bayley managed to hit a Top Rope Elbow Drop to hit Rousey much to the crowd’s delight. Green managed to get a tag off of Rousey, before sending her into the ring post to set up Deville hit a Knee Strike to send Rousey into the post again. Deville was tagged, as Green hit I’m Prettier to set up a Deville Knee Strike but Rodriguez managed to kick out at two!
Green was tagged but she went up at Damage CTRL’s corner so Sky was able to tag herself in. Shoving Green off and almost colliding with Deville, before a Springboard Dropkick wiped them both out. A Shotei set up a Running Meteora in the corner, and Rodriguez had to kick out at two as Shozti missed the timing to break up the pin so a Senton actually ended up hitting her own partner. Bayley was tossed out by Shotzi to take an EVOLVE Dive, before Shotzi got to the apron to take a tag from Rodriguez.
Shotzi hit a TKO-Facebuster then a Release Tiger Suplex, but Sky hit a Flapjack. Going for the Moonsault but making the mistake of going up at the Horsewomen corner as Rousey tagged in. Leading to a Tower of Doom as Rousey took a Superplex from Sky as Shotzi hit the Powerbomb to Sky. Shotzi went up top but Baszler managed to block, proving enough time for Rousey to recover and counter the Senton off the top into an Armbar to force the quick tap. Winning Baszler and Rousey the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Backstage Baszler and Rousey demanded respect, claiming that ‘Deez Nuts’ proved it as they held the tag titles up.
Elsewhere backstage Rhea Ripley grabbed about destroying Natalya at Night of Champions.
Women’s Qualifying Matches for Money in the Bank were announced for next week, with Becky Lynch facing Sonya Deville while Natalya will take on Zoey Stark.
Rhea Ripley accompanied The Judgement Day for the match against AJ Styles and Seth Rollins. But for once Ripley and Mysterio were outsmarted as Rollins cut off an attempt to interfere, rendering Mysterio into the ring and with the ref seeing that and Ripley facing off with Rollins, the official tossed both of them out from ringside.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Another week, and once again nothing was made about the Women’s Championships being on the wrong brand. It makes the titles feel devalued like it’s pointless whatever brand any title is on, which isn’t good for the women’s division. We had a short and to-the-point segment with Lynch, Stratus and new ally Stark which will work for when Stratus isn’t on the shows to leave Stark and Lynch going at it. Meanwhile, a messy Fatal Four Way saw the predictable result of Baszler and Rousey being tag champs. I should be mad about that, but with the tag division having only a limited number of duos (and likely less once the Damage CTRL breakup storyline goes through) is it so bad a rarely-seen Superstar in Rousey is now champ? It could be a lot worse.
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!