Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION!
We’re heading towards the next Saturday Night’s Main Event special and the Clash in Italy PLE. While the SmackDown brand is giving us a big six-woman Tag Team Match for SNME, we’ve yet to get any bout from the women of Raw for that show, and any women’s match at all for the Clash event. Will that change tonight? And who will emerge the winner as Brie Bella and Paige defend their Women’s Tag Team Championships against The Judgement Day? Let’s get into it, and find out…
This week’s Arrived Earlier Today featured The Judgement Day with LIV MORGAN, RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ and LIV MORGAN.
CATHY KELLEY handled interview duties.
The video packages of Rhea Ripley’s NXT origins and the Sol Ruca hype video were both replayed during the show.
SOL RUCA was interviewed backstage, and said she was stoked to have faced some top opponents, but admitted she hasn’t won yet. BECKY LYNCH interrupted and mocked Ruca since she hadn’t faced ‘the best’ in her and was 0-2 in matches. Ruca claimed she was going to go, leaving Lynch stunned that her words had actually worked, but as Lynch started to rant again Ruca’s music was heard playing as she instead went to the ring.
Ruca called out Lynch, wondering if she was The Man she claimed to be, and it worked to lure a clearly offended Lynch out. Lynch blasted her rival for making a ‘holy show’ of herself. Ruca boasted about proving people wrong, and challenged Lynch to a match here and now. Of course, Lynch turned it down, insulting the fans and doing her Sports Illustrated line to go-away heat which only continued as she did more of the usual rants and mocking her past opponents. Lynch claimed that Ruca wasn’t ready, but would face her at SNME and called herself a star-breaker and a maker. Ruca accepted the challenged and said she’d Snatch more than her Sol, she’d snatch the title. Lynch backed down, and said she never said anything about the title being on the line and claimed facing her was the only prize. Leaving after dropping her ‘Welcome to the Big Time’ line and mouthing off as she left up the aisle.
BRIE BELLA and PAIGE were seen stretching backstage in a segment that only led to a company’s mascot appearence.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions BRIE BELLA & PAIGE defeated The Judgement Day (RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ & ROXANNE PEREZ) w/h LIV MORGAN to retain
Paige and Perez started off, and Paige immediately caught Perez with a Superkick then tossed Perez by the hair Divas era-style. The commentators announced that the winners of this match would defend against former champs Lash Legend and Nia Jax at SNME. Perez got stomped in the Champ’s corner before Bella got the tag, and Paige held Perez’s arm as Bella, of all things, hit a Knee Drop across the limb from off the top rope. Perez countered a whip with a short-range Overhead Kick for a near fall. Rodriguez got a tag but Bella ducked her first clothesline and hit a kick to the leg, and avoided a second to use a counter out of her husband’s playbook by catching the arm for a stomp/kick while on the mat.
Rodriguez used her strength to catch Bella’s Crossbody attempt, only for Bella to escape to her feet off the back. Rodriguez soon decked Bella with a Shoulder Check then tagged Perez who did her cartwheel-pose-slap spot. Perez paid for using Bella’s husband’s ‘YES’ taunt, getting slapped for it and soon after Bella did a flip into an Armbreaker. Bella hit a Running Knee Strike to Perez on the bottom rope, then tagged in Paige but Bella had to cut off Rodriguez coming in with a kick to the knee. In tandem, Bella hit Yes Kicks on Rodriguez while Paige did her classic Knee Strikes to Perez through the ropes. Rodriguez would block the last kick and pull Bella into a Clothesline, but would get sent out by a Superkick from Paige.
Paige went for a Cannonball off the apron, but Rodriguez’s strength blocked it as she swung Paige into the barricade then the ring apron before the show went to ‘commercial break’. Perez tossed Paige into the barricade then back inside, hitting stomps in the heels’ corner then tagging out. Rodriguez hit the Diesel Elbows then choked Paige on the ropes before Perez got the tag as she did the same. Perez distracted the ref so the rest of The Judgement Day could get in a cheap shot but they botched it, so Rodriguez had to hold Paige in place so Morgan could clearly get a blow in. Gifting Perez a near fall before a Chinlock resthold was applied.
Rodriguez got a tag for a wind-up punch then a delayed Slam before the show came back to ‘live action’. Rodriguez hit a corner splash before Perez got a tag, but Paige blocked the Russian Leg Sweep with a Back Elbow shot, and ducked Rodriguez’s Big Boot, managing to cascade though being carried to use a Roll-up grip to toss Rodriguez through the ropes and to the floor. Bella got the Hot Tag, hitting Clotheslines to Perez and taking Rodriguez off the apron with a Dropkick. Perez took a Swinging Neckbreaker and was then tossed into Rodriguez when she came in, leading to a two-for-one spot as Bella hit a Neckbreaker on Rodriguez that made Rodriguez hit a DDT on Perez. Bella got a two count on Perez.
Bella hit Yes Kicks in a corner then hit a wild Kick off the ropes. Morgan distracted the ref as Rodriguez hit a Clothesline along the apron, but Paige cut her off going for the Vader Bomb Elbow. That allowed the Champs to hit a Double Team Powerbomb out of the corner, before Perez sent Paige out of the ring and tossed Bella into the ropes, setting up the Running European Uppercut to the back. Perez went for the Double-bounce Lionsault but Bella got the knees up.
Perez distracted the ref again, allowing Morgan to shove Bella off the top rope but this time, the referee easily put two-and-two together to figure out what happened, and ejected Morgan from ringside! Rodriguez tossed in one of the tag titles and Perez tried to use it as a weapon but Bella ducked it. One ROLL UP OF DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM right out of the Divas Era by Bella won it for the tag champs.
The Champs celebrated at ringside, only for Morgan to deck them both from behind. Sending them in for a three-on-two beatdown by The Judgement Day. That was, until BAYLEY and LYRA VALKYRIA ran down as Bayley decked Perez on the floor, and Valkyria used a Low Bridge to send Rodriguez charging down to the outside. Morgan tried to catch Bayley with ObLIVion but Bayley caught her and hit a Bayley-to-Belly, before Valkyria hit her Dropkick through the ropes to Rodriguez and Perez. The segment ended with Bayley and Valkyria holding the ring, and the Champs held up their titles but not exactly clear if it was just in celebration or as a potential warning to Bayley and Valkyria.
The women of The Judgement Day interrupted a Byron Saxton segment, as Rodriguez ranted about Bayley and Valkyria in Spanish. Perez said they’d stuck their noses into their business for the last time, and claimed the Champs’ luck would run out. Saxton pointed out that ‘mistimed interference’ cost them the match just like the men similarly lost earlier in the night, but Morgan cut him off to snatch the mic. Boasting about herself, but could only brag about her teammates being ‘hot’ and all during it, Perez seemed to stare off into the distance in a fury and turned that same gaze towards Morgan as she did her ‘Greatest of All Time’ line. But she ended up cut off as the segment cut to black as the show moved on.
It was confirmed that the Women’s Tag Team Championships would be defended at SNME, with Brie Bella and Paige facing The Irrestable Forces. Also confirmed was Becky Lynch against Sol Ruca, but in a non-title match.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
We got a fine Tag Team Match where all the women looked got, even if a few of Bella’s aerial moves were a little wild in their connection. There isn’t any clear direction for the tag division though aside from Brie Bella and Paige just running through the rest of the division so far. A rematch against The Irrestable Forces could go either way but that again depends on if there’s a proper plan for the titles going forward, rather than just title matches for the sake of them on any show. Not that another round of Judgement Day against Bayley and Valkyria helps either of them unless there’s some title shot or otherwise for the winners. There’s also no title challenger for Liv Morgan, with rumours are things are on ice until Stephanie Vaquer is cleared, which in itself is bad if there’s such a lack of depth in the main event scene that they can’t elevate someone else to be in that contender position.
Lastly, Ruca versus Lynch is the expected feud and going non-title isn’t that bad a choice, but might put the WWE in the same position as they did giving Lynch against AJ Lee at Elimination Chamber instead of only at WrestleMania. It will no doubt be a fine match, but can the two deliver a better contest, or even one just as good, with the title on the line later on if they already give a great match the first time? The Mania match was hurt by having seen the same contest before, and I fear the same might happen all over again this time.
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!
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