Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! This week should see, barring another change due to injury, the clash for the NXT Women’s Championship between Becky Lynch and plucky challenger Tegan Nox. Will we have the expected outcome of Lynch retaining and how will the so-called friend to Nox in Natalya play a part? And what’s next for everyone’s enemy in Nia Jax now that the Superstars she’s attacked since her return are back and in full force? Let’s get into it, and find out…
VALHALLA interfered in Ivar’s Viking Rules Match against Kofi Kingston, leaping off the announce table for a dive to prevent a pinfall.
Backstage RHEA RIPLEY had to stop the in fighting within The Judgement Day as she got her boys a Tag Team Title rematch for next week, while ordering the prospective group member JD McDonagh into a match against Drew McIntrye to ‘prove himself’. Before Ripley left to ‘take care of business’.
Singles Match
RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ Vs NIA JAX went to a no-contest.
Jax collided into Rodriguez with a sort of lazy Lou Thesz Press before slamming Rodriguez into the mat by the head a few times. Rodriguez avoided a corner charge and then hit a few Shoulder Thrusts before Jax shoved her back. Rodriguez got another Thrust in but couldn’t lift Jax up for a Body Slam. Jax sent Rodriguez into the ring post then roughed her up on the floor with a wild (taking liberties) toss into the crowd barrier.
After a commercial break, Jax hit a Side Slam then an Elbow Drop that Rodriguez almost wasn’t in proper position to take. Rodriguez fought out of a rest hold, and hit a couple of Short-Arm Clotheslines that Jax didn’t go down to sell. Another Clothesline followed as Jax backed into the ropes, before finally selling a Big Boot to go down. Rodriguez tried for a Samoan Drop but couldn’t lift Jax up, so got clubbed down with an ugly-looking Clothesline. Jax hit a Samoan Drop and set things up for The Annihilator but Rodriguez got up, and used the position of Jax on the ropes to muscle her out and hit a huge Powerbomb.
RHEA RIPLEY ran down and tossed Rodriguez out of the ring to make the match be thrown out. Before she peppered Jax with body shots then a Head Kick to drop Jax. Rodriguez got some payback with a couple of Short-Arm Clotheslines, but Ripley used the grip to hit a Ripcord Headbutt. SHAYNA BASZLER ran out and got some blows on Jax but Ripley hauled her off, objecting to someone else getting a piece of her target. That led to a war of words before Ripley unwisely turned her back on Baszler, allowing her to hit a Release German and then a Running Knee Strike. Baszler standing tall in the ring as Jax backed away up the aisle in disgust.
JACKIE REDMOND got comments from Shayna Baszler who said she didn’t care who was in the ring, she would be the baddest woman in there.
MAXXINE DUPRI was more than a little freaked out as Chad Gable got ‘motivated’ for the upcoming Triple Threat Match by having Otis chop him repeatedly. Dupri would accompany Gable for that Intercontinental Championship contendership match against Bronson Reed and Richochet. Durpi again left disappointed with yet another loss by Gable.
Jackie Redmond interviewed BECKY LYNCH backstage. Lynch admitted she wasn’t at 100% but said that any fighting champion never truly was, before she plugged the pre-order of her upcoming book next year. However, and for the first time in months, XIA LI appeared and bluntly asked where her title opportunity was. Lynch responded that she wasn’t a hard woman to find before she left the scene as Li remarked she’d ‘find’ Lynch.
Rhea Ripley and Damien Priest didn’t look too pleased backstage as JD McDonagh (along with Dominik Mysterio) failed to deal with Drew McIntyre but Ripley remarked that she had a plan.
Jackie Redmond interviewed TEGAN NOX ahead of her title match, and Nox said this was her chance to show the world who she was. NATALYA butted in and once again heaped so-called praise on Nox.
Singles Match – NXT Women’s Championship Match
NXT Women’s Champion BECKY LYNCH defeated TEGAN NOX
Lynch went for the Dis-Arm-Her right away but Nox had a Roll-Up counter, forcing Lynch to back up to the ropes when Nox went for a kick. After a sweep of the leg, Lynch used a Matrix push up before the two traded brief pin holds, eventually leading to Nox shoving away a Man-Handle Slam attempt. A trade of Headlock on and up from the canvas before Nox was able to drop Lynch with a Shoulder Check as there was split chants for both women from the crowd.
More pin holds were traded before Lynch sent Nox down with a Shoulder Check. After both women got an Arm Drag on the other, Lynch took control with a boot to the gut and then roughed Nox up with the head driven into the turnbuckles. Nox was a little off step, pausing before a charge in to lead to her blocking the Lynch Springboard Kick and her follow-up kick didn’t seem to hit just right. Nox gave some payback with shots into the turnbuckles before she hit a couple of charging European Uppercuts to Lynch in a corner.
Nox used a Snapmare to set Lynch up for a Northern European Uppercut to get a two count. Lynch put Nox through the ropes and hit the trio of strikes, but Nox ducked away to avoid the Legdrop and then hit a Hot Shot on Lynch. Nox went up top but Lynch caught her with a Springboard Kick to send Nox tumbling to the floor. Lynch hit a Baseball Slide to send Nox into the barricade, only to end up jumping into the barrier herself when Nox avoided the Forearm off the apron spot. A Running Kick along the apron set things up for Nox to hit a Con Hilo off the apron, but she could only get a near fall after she’d gotten Lynch back in the ring.
After a commercial break, Lynch ran the ropes to hit the Flying Forearm, before she got a Running Forearm to Nox in the corner to set up a Bex-Ploder for a two count. Lynch tried for the trio of strikes to Nox through the ropes again but this time Nox blocked the Bang Kick and used the leg to trip Lynch up. Nox barely connected with a Cross Body off the top for a near fall. Lynch countered the Shinest Wizard with a Roll-Up for a two count. A Double Underhook Suplex of sorts used to drop Nox down as Lynch went right for an Arm Bar. Nox fought it, but eventually Lynch turned it into the Dis-Arm-Her but before she could sit down, Nox used a Roll-Up toss to send Lynch into a corner.
Nox hit her high Cannonball and got a two count from it. Moments later, the action went up top as Nox slipped down from a Superplex attempt, and while she didn’t get the Powerbomb from the corner she shoved Lynch’s legs to trap her up top. Lynch left in the Tree of Woe as Nox hit another Cannonball to get a near fall. Nox locked in an Arm Bar on the supposed ‘bad arm’ of Lynch but Lynch countered with a Roll-up for a two count.
Moments later Lynch barely hit a Missle Dropkick with Nox being slightly out of position for a near fall. Nox countered a run off the ropes by Lynch with a Bridging Fallaway Slam for a two count. A Leap of Faith off the second rope lead seconds later to a Man-Handle Slam attempt that Nox avoided. Eventually, Lynch turned a Roll-Up by Nox into the Dis-Arm-Her to end the match as Lynch retained the title. A fist bump exchanged between the two after the match.
Backstage in Adam Pearce’s office CANDICE LERAE and INDI HARTWELL looked for updates about D.I.Y. before Rhea Ripley stormed in and bullied the other women out. Demanding a match against Shayna Baszler next week.
Tegan Nox was seen backstage licking her wounds after coming up short. Natalya came up, again showering with praise but this time Nox didn’t want to hear it, frustrated by the loss. KAYDEN CARTER and KATANA CHANCE also appeared to try and perk up Nox. The Women’s Tag Team Champions CHELSEA GREEN and PIPER NIVEN showed up as Green mocked Nox for her loss and called this group a ‘pity party’. When Green threatened Natalya about getting in her business, Natalya got in her face to challenge back. That led to Niven and Natalya facing off as Niven dared Natalya to face her next week.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
If this was Tegan Nox’s major opportunity to prove her worth, then I don’t think she nailed it. She was off at points, out of place for others and ultimately the match felt like a hard slog instead of the star maker it was supposed to be. Lynch seemed frustrated by the match as well which didn’t help matters. We can only hope that the next ‘underused talent’ to step up to Lynch fairs better otherwise this experiment isn’t going to work. Elsewhere Ripley’s rivals pile up along with everyone wanting a shot at Jax. Perhaps a Fatal Four-Way might be on the cards for Crown Jewel? And alongside Double KC, Natalya and Nox might be a tag team and it’s never a bad thing to see potential teams line up for the Women’s tag titles.
That’s your lot for this week! Be sure to stop by in seven days’ time for the ‘Season Premier’ edition of the RAW RECAP! See you then!