Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The Crown Jewel event is in the history books, and it saw Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defy the odds to escape a Fatal Five-Way Match still as the title holder. But there’s no rest for the wicked with Survivor Series on the horizon, and this week a new challenger will be crowned with a packed Battle Royal to decide a new Number One Contender. Who will emerge as the next to face the unstoppable Ripley? Let’s get into it, and find out…
Women’s World Champion RHEA RIPLEY was backstage with The Judgement Day to brag about events at Crown Jewel, until Damien Priest barged in to complain about their rival Sami Zayn getting a title match tonight.
JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties. That included one with BECKY LYNCH who said she was looking for a fight and didn’t care if it was against the entire roster as long as it led her back to the top. Things were interrupted by NIA JAX who bragged that she would win and she’d be the happiest since she broke Lynch’s face. Lynch countered with a grin that after that happened, Lynch went on to win the WrestleMania main event while Jax got fired. Something that clearly ticked Jax off.
NATALYA got a hype video.
MAXXINE DUPRI gushed backstage to the Alpha Academy about her opportunity in the Battle Royal later on.
An ‘Earlier Today’ video showed IVY NILE and The Creed Brothers signing their official contracts to be a part of Monday Night Raw.
Women’s Tag Team Champions CHELSEA GREEN and PIPER NIVEN were interviewed. Green taunted that she and Niven had a chance to win as they were Champions and accused others of being ‘charity’ cases. In particular, she mocked Nox and Natalya and reminded everyone that she humiliated Natalya last week. She wasn’t so cocky when SHAYNA BASZLER and ZOEY STARK showed up, as Baszler threatened to go after Green first. Matters not helped when Niven remarked that the match was every woman for themselves, something that Green unconvincingly claimed was just an ‘inside joke’.
Battle Royal – Number One Contendership for the Women’s World Championship
ZOEY STARK defeated CHELSEA GREEN, INDI HARTWELL, IVY NILE, KAYDEN CARTER, KATANA CHANCE, NATALYA, NIA JAX, NIKKI CROSS, MAXXINE DUPRI, PIPER NIVEN, RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ, SHAYNA BASZlER and TEGAN NOX.
While Becky Lynch made her way down to the ring for the match, XIA LI decked her from behind then hit her Sudden Impact kick. Adam Pearce and referees came out and Li got ejected from even competing in the match, while Lynch was ruled unable to compete. Lynch would be shown being checked by a trainer.
When the match officially began, Stark managed to go after Niven which left Green squashed and backed up in a corner, while the rest of the women went after Rodriguez and Jax, only to be shoved away. All while Cross just stood statue-like in the middle of the ring, even Rodriguez and Jax faced off with Cross left in the middle of it. Until Jax and Rodriguez both tossed Cross over the top for the first elimination, just for Cross to return to that catatonic state on the outside.
The action went on with various strikes and stomps thrown with attempts at haul over and out eliminations, and in particular Jax and Rodriguez solely went after one another. The second elimination came when Dupri applied a Hanging Armbar onto Niven, and this allowed Nox to scoop up Niven from behind to dump her over for an elimination. Dupri celebrated a little too long on the apron for her part in that, and got dumped after a Vertical Splash by Jax.
The action went on, and Double KC managed to double team Nia Jax to eventually chip her down and do spot where Carter used a Monkey Flip to sent Chance into a Cannonball on Jax. That would continue when the tag team put Zoey Stark up top, before Carter flipped Chance to hit a Frankenscreamer on Stark, which made Stark hit a Senton on a downed Rodriguez. However, Ivy Nile would later manage to get both Double KCs over the top and onto the apron (as they did to her), before a pump kick into the ring post sent Carter down to eliminate her. A Gorilla Press Slam by Nile tossed Chance down onto her partner for a second elimination for the newcomer.
After a commercial break, the action continued with soon Natalaya and Rodriguez going to the apron. Green tried to take advantage, but ended up on the apron herself and unwisely slapped Rodriguez. Only to get yanked by the hair and basically dropped from the apron for her elimination. Not long after, Natalya used a Low Bridge to get Hartwell to the apron, and got pulled onto there herself. Natalya yelled out an audible to tell other wrestlers to get out of the way, before Hartwell missed a Big Boot to hit the ring post and then get shoved down by Natalya. But Nile managed to hit a Dropkick through the ropes to knock Natalya down and score a third elimination.
Jax began to impose her will, and put Nox up top with a choke lift, and basically did a pie-face shove to sent Nox down to the floor. Nile tried to life Jax, only to get put on Jax’s shoulders but wisely the other women took open shots. Head kicks from Baslzer and Stark then a Big Boot from Rodriguez to stagger Jax to the ropes. Allowing Nile to escape to the apron before the other women triple-teamed to dump Jax over and out of the match. As a sore loser, Jax yanked Nile off the apron for an elimination despite not being in the match.
That left Baszler, Rodriguez and Stark in the match. The on /off tag partners tried to double team but Rodriguez fought the numbers. Scooping up Baszler on her shoulder and catching Stark in her arms. An attempt to bump both at once but Stark clung on with a front choke to force Rodriguez down and over. Rodriguez tried to stop an elimination with a skin-the-cat grip but both Stark and Baszler clubbed the arms to break the grip and eliminate Rodriguez .
Baszler and Stark would fight on the apron. Baszler had the upper hand with a German Suplex attempt and then The Kirifuda Clutch but had to break both because of the risk she might hit the floor first and lose. Stark managed to land a trio of Superkicks and then a DDT on the apron to send Baszler tumbling to the floor to win the match.
Jackie Redmond interviewed Rhea Ripley who seemed to dismiss the threat of her new challenger. Zoey Stark was right there to interrupt and warmed Ripley that her focus should be on her. Claiming she almost beat Ripley in the match at Crown Jewel. To which Ripley countered that she’s beaten Stark, along with four others, at that match. Stark vowed to take the title from Ripley at Survivor Series, leaving Ripley furious.
It was announced that next week Tegan Nox would face Piper Niven to resume the tag title feud between their teams.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
After Zoey Stark impressed greatly at Crown Jewel, a well deserved singles opportunity comes her way at Survivor Series in what should be a great match. A nice fresh challenger (well, fresh as in a singles bout) is what Ripley needs to move away from Jax and Rodriguez. The Battle Royal itself was dare I say perhaps the most entertaining once in probably WWE history with the women and a far cry from the mess of ‘any through the ropes’ eliminations from the Divas era. Ivy Nile had a great showing too but we’ll if her elimination by Jax leads to anything. And the spot with Xia Li taking out Lynch was nicely done to keep their issues going.
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!