Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The Bash in Berlin event is in the history books and it saw new Women’s Tag Team Champions crowned as Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill once again became title holders at the expense of The Unholy Union? What will this mean for the tag division of Raw now that the duel-branded titles are back on Smackdown? And what’s next between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley following the victory by The Terror Twins when Ripley pinned Morgan clean? Let’s get into it, and find out…
The new Women’s Tag Team Champions BIANCA BELAIR and JADE CARGILL from SmackDown got the ‘arriving earlier’ video treatment. More importantly, it was stated that the advertised clash between Damage CTRL and The Unholy Union was now a number one contendership match for the tag titles.
RHEA RIPLEY kicked off Raw with an in-ring promo. Ripley bragged about the victory at Bash in Berlin but said that she was only getting started to punish The Judgement Day. She said that after she beat the current champ, she needed to get back the title she never lost. Dominik Mysterio would interrupt and through the usual mass of boos, he claimed that Morgan was still recovering from the Bash and would accept Ripley’s challenge because she wasn’t afraid. Ripley merely stated that she’d face Morgan any time, any place.
That predictably led to a LIV MORGAN attempt at a sneak attack that Ripley initially fought off, but when she went after Mysterio Morgan nailed her from behind to send Ripley not just through the ropes but ended up with a leg caught between the middle and bottom ones to leave Ripley suspended upside down. Prime position for Mogan to stomp away at the leg. The heels would flee the scene when Damien Priest rushed out, and Ripley was left selling the knee once she was free. Later on, Ripley would try to refuse medical attention backstage until Priest convinced her to smarten up and get to being 100%.
Six-Person Mixed Tag Team Match
American Made (IVY NILE & The Creed Brothers) w/h Chad Gable defeated Alpha Academy (MAXXINE DUPRI, Akira Tozawa & Otis)
The matched started off with a jump start brawl and American Made got the advantage as Nile tossed out Dupri, before the men legally begun the contest. Later, Nile would try to distract when she faced off against Otis, but he stepped aside as Dupri hit a Lou Thesz Press with punches. A Dropkick from Dupri sent Nile out before the men went at it again. Moments later, Durpi hit a Crossbody from the top rope to take out all of American Made on the floor.
After a commercial break, Nile prevented a tag when she hauled Durpi off the apron and then tossed Durpi into the apron. Later, after the men had wiped one another out, Dupri tagged herself in and went House on Fire with a Clothesline then a Jumping Knee to Dupri. A Fisherwoman’s Suplex with a kip up followed before a Spin Kick to the corner. Dupri went for the Reverse Catterpiller spot but Chad Gable got on the apron to distract her and ate a Heak Kick for his troubles.
Nile would capitalise with a Head Kick and then her version of a Dragon Sleeper to get the submission win.
After the match Chad Gable challenged The Wyatt Sicks to an Eight-Person Tag Team Match under Street Fight rules. The Wyatts with NIKKI CROSS would come out and accepted the challenge.
Singles Match
SHAYNA BASZLER w/h SONYA DEVILLE & ZOEY STARK defeated ZELINA VEGA
Vega started the match with a motion to the arm that PFC had ‘injured’ weeks before, and then she slapped Baszler before a little cat-and-mouse chase allowed Vega to hit a glancing blow kick when Baszler slid back in. An Arm Drag by Vega was blocked the first time before she spun around to hit one to Baszler’s other arm and then a Wheelbarrow counter one. Vega tried to hit Baszler’s own Arm Stomp onto her but she rolled out of the way before Vega hit another Arm Drag but got her momentum stopped with just a Forearm when she ran in towards a corner.
Moments later, Vega escaped from a Superplex attempt to slip down and yank Baszler’s arm to drive her head into the top buckle. Vega hit a 619 to knock Baszler down from the ropes. A Basement Dropkick sent Baszler to the floor to regroup with PFC as the show went to a commercial break.
Back to live action and Baszler was in control with a high arm lock to suspend Zelina above the apron while Baszler stood on the middle ropes inside the ring. Vega tried for a Crossbody from the middle ropes, was caught and turned into a Delayed Suplex by Baszler but Vega countered that with a Stunner. Vega went House on Fire with Velvet Sky-style Clotheslines then a Tilt-a-whirl DDT. Vega hit a Moonsault to get a near fall.
PFC tried to distract but Vega knocked Stark off the apron with a 619 then hit a Meteora off the apron to Deville. Baszler nailed the Low Knee Strike to Vega when she got back in the ring and that gave Baszler the cheap win.
After the match PFC began to beat down Vega before LYRA VALKYRIA rushed out to try and save things, but the numbers worked against her with first a Kirifuda Clutch by Baszler and then a Superkick by Stark. Valkyria took Deville’s Gambit while Vega got hit with the Alley Ooop double team. Deville then ranted on the mic and demanded respect, before she claimed everyone else was pathetic. Deville made an ironic line about how no man in the building could ‘take us home’ and said no woman would taken them on.
Backstage Ripley was selling her injury with a crutch and said she’d line up a tag partner to help Damien Priest tonight.
In a different backstage segment, Valkyria and Vega licked their wounds but Valkyria had an idea to even the odds and about being in Canada next week.
CATHY KELLEY and JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties.
Tag Team Match – Number One Contendership Match
The Unholy Union (ALBA FYRE & ISLA DAWN) defeated Damage CTRL (KAIRI SANE & IYO SKY)
The new tag champs sat at ringside for the match. Sane and Fyre started off but Fyre got a kick in and dragged Sane to the Union’s corner to hit stomps before Dawn tagged in to rake Sane’s fake across the top rope. Dawn hit a slap, just to be backed to the rope to take an open hand chop from Sane. Later, Sane would use her vault-back from the ropes to hit a Headscissors to send Dawn out before she hit a Forearm off the apron. Sane hit the Cutlass to Fyre and that set up a Moonsault from the middle ropes by Sky to take out Fyre.
After a commercial break, Dawn kept control of Sane with a snap Back Suplex. Dawn missed a corner attack but Frye quickly tagged in to prevent Sane from tagging out. Sane countered a Suplex attempt with a DDT. Sky took the tag and went House on Fire with Shoteis and a Dropkick to Fyre then blocked a kick to swing the leg and made Fyre kick Dawn in the head. Sky did her flip evasion, hit a Dropkick to both of the Union and then kipped up to flip. The Bullet Train Attack got Sky a near fall over Fyre.
The Union tried for their double team off of Fyre’s Gory Special but Sky kicked away Dawn and then hit the Double Underhook Backbreaker to Fyre. Sky hit a German Suplex with a bridge but Dawn broke up the pin hold. Sane went for the InSane Elbow off the top to Dawn but she hauled Bianca Belair in the way to take the move, and Sane hit the announce table hard to suffer a nasty cut above the eye.
Things broke down a bit as Sky seemed to be concerned about where Sane was, and on the floor Jade Cargill shoved and decked Sane down for the unintended shot to Belair. Sky went for a pin but only got a two count and off the momentum of the kick out Sky hit the bottom rope where Dawn yanked her down for a Hot Shot. Dawn got the tag and they hit the combo of the Gory Special and DDT to steal the win. As the Union gloated in the entranceway about their win, Damage CTRL mouthed off against Belair and Cargill in the ring.
Liv Morgan would interfere in the main event to crotch Jey Uso on the top rope when he went for the Uso Splash. However, even with one leg Ripley still managed to chase Morgan away when she swung her crutch as a weapon.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
More cat-and-mouse chases between Morgan and Ripley. Whether the knee injury is a lasting gimmick for the feud remains to be seen. There were solid matches all around on the show. Things slightly broke down after the Sane injury in the tag match but the Union stealing the win worked. I don’t think there will be any change of tag title holders unless the match happens on Smackdown and they go back to the numbers edge with Blair Davenport (a story that’s been ignored on Raw and on the PLEs). Valkyria has been lost in the shuffle being in the mass stable feud and I can’t say her backing up Vega helps her cause. The tease of getting help in Canada I assume means Natalya will return to back up the group. Finally, with the challenge accepted we’ll see how well Nikki Cross can wrestle as Abby the Witch. It’s been months since she’s competed at all so we’ll see if there’s any ring rust or the like, or if she’ll be held back by the Abby costume and mask.
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!