Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The Crown Jewel event has finally passed and now that the champion versus champion match is done with, things can finally focus to proper storylines in the women’s division. However, this past week it was revealed that Rhea Ripley suffered an orbital bone injury and that will take her out of action for a significant amount of time. So who will step up and be the new challenger to Liv Morgan and the Women’s World Championship? Let’s get into it, and find out…
LIV MORGAN and RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ along with The Judgement Day (and a kitten that Morgan ‘adopted’ while across in Saudi Arabia) got the ‘arrived earlier today’ treatment.
Morgan, along with Rodriguez and Dominik Mysterio, would kick off Raw properly as she flaunted her Crown Jewel winner’s ring (It’s like a Superbowl ring, I don’t know if that’s been mentioned enough about it). Morgan bragged that her Revenge Tour was finally over and she was now in her World Tour, and gloated that she took out Rhea Ripley for a third time.
Women’s Tag Team Champions BIANCA BELAIR and JADE CARGILL interrupted. Belair bragged about still being champion and said she hadn’t forgotten about the confrontation between the two teams recently. Cargill demanded that Morgan and Rodriguez challenge them, something that Morgan dodged and tried to cause some drama. Pointing out how both Belair and Cargill believe themselves to be the better half of their team. The segment got overbooked when Adam Pearce came out to steal the heat, before Belair slapped Morgan after more taunts. Pearce then made a Number One Contendership Battle Royal to determine Morgan’s next challenger.
Women’s World Championship Number One Contendership Battle Royal
IYO SKY defeated ALBA FYRE, BIANCA BELAIR, ISLA DAWN, IVY NILE, JADE CARGILL, KAIRI SANE, KATANA CHANCE, KAYDEN CARTER, LYRA VALKYRIA, MAXXINE DUPRI, NATALYA, SHAYNA BASZLER, SONYA DEVILLE, & ZELINA VEGA
Morgan and Rodriguez would stay at ringside for the match. Several of the women didn’t even get televised entrances. Considering the country Raw was in this week we’re lucky that women were allowed to compete! After the usual mass brawl to start, Carter and Chance (still in her face mask) hit Crossbody dives to take out some of the competition. Double KC did the Monkey Flip Cannonball spot to sent Chance into Natalya then to Nile in opposite corners. Unholy Union knocked them down before Alba used a Gordbuster to drop Chance onto Carter and Dawn hit a Meteora to Chance.
Dawn would be the first elimination when she was dragged over the top by Chance who then hit a Legsweep that set up a Carter kick to knock Dawn from the apron.
Natalya tried to dump Double KC out but Chance did the rebound back in spot from off of Carter. Baszler locked on the Kirifuda Clutch to Carter while she was on the apron and while Chance broke it up with a Back Sleeper to Baszler, Deville pounced with a Knee Strike to dump Carter off the apron.
Durpi would hit a Headkick to Baszler but she barely hung onto the ropes to avoid elimination, while Dupri hit her Worm spot on Deville. Moments later, Nile eliminated Dupri with a Running Kick after Fyre had dumped Dupri over the ropes.
Right after, Nile would dump Vega to the apron but she used a Headscissors grip to haul Nile over too, before she used a 619 to knock Nile down to the floor.
After a commercial break, replays were shown of eliminations as Sane hit a Cutlass to knock out Vega from the apron, Natalya tossed Fyre over the top rope, and Sky dropkicked Chance after she’d done a handstand walk to briefly avoid elimination. Back to live action, and Natalya dumped Sane over to the apron and while Sane fought back, when she attempted a Sunset Flip over Belair struck with an oppertunistic Forearm to knock Sane down.
Natalya was the next out, sent over to the apron by Deville before Baszler hit a Knee Strike as Natalya tried to climb back in.
Baszler and Deville paid for gloating as both Belair and Cargill dumped them over the top and to the floor. The left the final four as the tag champs, Sky and Valkyria.
Belair against Valkyria and Sky versus Cargill were the pairings briefly before the tag champs hit a Double Team Slam on Valkyria. Sky tried for a counter Headscissors but Cargill with the help of Belair swung Sky into the corner instead. They tried to toss the others out but they hung onto the ropes before the tag champs had a face-off. Of course, before they came to blows the other Superstars came back in. Sky took Jaded from Cargrill and Valkyria took a KOD from Belair for their troubles.
However, when Belair tried to eliminate Valkyria, Raquel Rodriguez got involved to grab Belair’s braid. Cargill tried to save her tag partner but then Morgan got onto the apron and helped to yank her down to so both Cargill and Belair were eliminated. That led to the tag champs chasing Morgan and Rodriguez out of the arena.
Back to the ring and Sky hit the Corner Meteora. The fight would go to the apron as Valkyria tried to use Legsweeps to knock Sky down, and Sky tried to stomp Valkyria down and break the grip on the ropes. Valkyria managed to knock Sky back into the ring post with a kick and attempted perhaps for Nightwing on the apron. Sky escaped, hit a Shotei and then a Bridging German Suplex on the apron that sent Valkyria down to win the match.
CATHY KELLEY and JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties.
Zelina Vega accompanied Dragon Lee as he faced Chad Gable, accompanied by Ivy Nile. Gable would try and steal the win with feet on the ropes but Vega shoved him off. Nile would lock on her Dragon Sleeper to Vega but backed off when Rey Mysterio appeared and Nile’s distraction backfired as the numbers against Gable allowed Lee to win.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
WWE had done a rush job with writing Rhea Ripley off of TV on NXT with her injury, but with how badly the feud with Morgan had gone on this might have been a blessing in disguise. It’s never a good thing to be injured of course but the storyline had done no one any favours. Now Morgan has some fresh competition and with Sane able to back up Sky, the numbers are even which should make things fun. The battle royal was solid enough with little moments to continue the ongoing feuds so no complaints there.
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!