Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! Survivor Series has passed and Team Rhea Ripley emerged victorious from the Women’s War Games match. Now we move on not just on the road towards the Royal Rumble, but the tournament to crown the first-ever Women’s Intercontinental Champion! Who will emerge victorious in this week’s first-round match? And what’s next for Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan after her loss at Survivor Series? Let’s get into it, and find out…
LIV MORGAN and RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ were part of another Judgement Day segment in their clubhouse where Finn Balor once again played leader and reprimanded the group for recent failures.
Tag Team Match
Women’s World Champion LIV MORGAN & RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ defeated Damage CTRL (IYO SKY & KAIRI SANE)
The WWE announced that the title clash between Morgan and Sky would take place at the Saturday Night’s Main Event show on Dec 14th. Sane and Rodriguez started of, and Rodriguez decked Sane with a Big Boot right from the bell. Rodriguez knocked Sky from the apron and tagged in Morgan, but just so Rodriguez could hit a Body Slam to Sane and then use a Powerbomb toss to send Morgan down onto Sane with a Senton. Sky broke up the pin attempt and was instantly tossed to the floor by Rodriguez.
Sane hit a Blockbuster to Morgan and then an Enzigiri that more hit Morgan’s side when Morgan tried to prevent a tag. Sky got the tag and hit Shotei strikes then a Dropkick before she flipped up. Moments later, Sky went to the apron and cut off Rodriguez with a Shotei then a Chinbuster soon followed by a vault-in kick that barely connected with Rodriguez hung over the middle rope. The announcers covered for the missteps saying everyone still felt the effects of WarGames as Sky hit a Release German Suplex to Morgan followed by the Bullet Train Attack. Sky went for the Over the Moonsault but Morgan swept the leg away to leave Sky in a Tree of Woe before Morgan tagged out.
Rodriguez moved Sky up to the corner and instantly gripped her for the Tejana Bomb but Sky countered with a Headscissors and tagged to Sane. Rodriguez charged the corner and hit the ring post when Sky avoided the charge, and it left Rodriguez open for an Axe Kick. Sky hit a Missile Dropkick before Sane nailed the InSane Elbow but Morgan broke up the pin attempt. Sky tossed Morgan out and then wiped her out with a Suicide Dive. In the ring, Sane hit a round of strikes with a couple of Cutlass shots but Rodriguez no-sold it all to hit a Big Boot. The Tejana Bomb out of a Pumphandle grip followed for the clean win.
After the match, just as Morgan and Rodriguez were beating down Sky, RHEA RIPLEY stormed out. Morgan bailed from the ring as Ripley got, of course, the upper hand over Rodriguez. Ripley hit a Headbutt (didn’t sell the eye injury) and tried for Riptide but Rodriguez escaped and hit a shot to the injured face (which did get sold). The brawl went to the floor as Ripley slammed Rodriguez’s head into the announce desk before Morgan finally got involved with a Back Sleeper, just to be backed into the ring post. Rodriguez would toss Ripley into the desk and Ripley hit the corner to leave her in pain from the shot to her injured face.
CATHY KELLEY handled interview duties.
Triple Threat Match – WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament First Round
DAKOTA KAI defeated KATANA CHANCE & SHAYNA BASZLER
The brackets for the rest of the tournament were also announced with other Triple Threat Matches for the first round: Stark Vs Rodriguez Vs Carter, Nile Vs Valkyria Vs Zega, and Fyre Vs Natalya Vs Sane.
Chance got a Back Sleeper on Baszler just to be tossed off, and Kai hit Baszler with a Dropkick before he hit a Big Boot to Chance. Baszler cut off a Dive by Kai with a Forearm, before she tossed Kai into the announce desk. Chance hit a Corkscrew Crossbody to Baszler before sadly the show went to in-picture to play adverts. Nothing screams making a title tournament more important than ruining the match with ads, right?
When the match finally returned to full action, Kai hit a Flying Mare on Baszler to set up for her Running Corner Kick, and that in turn led to the Springboard Stomp for a near fall. Moments later, Chance tried to make a Tower of Doom to Powerbomb Baszler as she went for a Superplex, but Baszler fought off both women and punched Chance down. Chance would end up taking advantage once Baszler was knocked down with a Frankenscreamer that made Kai hit a Senton onto Baszler, but Chance only got a two count on both opponents.
Chance stepped off of Kai’s back and locked for a Headscissors but Baszler blocked and held the grip, just for Chance to escape off the shoulders and try for a Clutch pin but Kai pounded and hit Chance with a DDT. Kai took the Low Knee Strike from Baszler but it only got a near fall. Baszler hit another Low Knee to take out Chance when she tried to get back into the ring. Kai could counter the Kirifuda Clutch with a Samson Clutch for a two count.
Kai hit the Scorpion Kick but when she tried for Go2Kick Baszler countered and locked in the Kirifuda. When the hold was grounded, Chance went up top and just after Kai had escaped the Clutch, Chance hit a 450 Splash to Baszler. Kai capitalised and hit the Go2Kick on Chance to score the win and advance to the Semi Finals. Kai will face the winner of the Stark Vs Rodriguez Vs Carter Triple Threat Match.
The WWE advertised that Rhea Ripley would face Raquel Rodriguez next week on Raw. Also, next week’s Women’s IC tournament match will be Nile Vs Valkyria Vs Vega.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
It’s a damn shame that the WWE ruined the first round match of the IC title tournament with a bunch of ads. Sure, it effected men’s matches and even the main event on the show but first impressions count and it’s not a good sign if the WWE treats a new title for the women like this. The match itself, for the little that was seen, was solid and both Kai and Chance looked great, not that Baszler wasn’t her usual prime self either. The tag team match was short and painless with a long overdue win for Rodriguez. But with Ripley yet again being involved in this never-ending feud, it makes the outcome of Sky versus Morgan very predictable. They both need to move on.
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!