Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION!
SummerSlam is in the history books as both Naomi and Becky Lynch retained their Championships while Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair captured the Tag Team Titles from The Judgement Day. What’s next for the Women’s Division as we head towards Clash in Paris and the title match that Stephanie Vaquer earned back at Evolution? Let’s get into it, and find out…
This week’s ‘Arrived Earlier Today’ videos featured new Women’s Tag Team Champions ALEXA BLISS and CHARLOTTE FLAIR. Women’s World Champion NAOMI was also seen walking backstage but after the show had begun. Later, in their ring gear, they’d be shown walking backstage but had to stop when a brawl between Sheamus and Rusev went on in front of them.
ROXANNE PEREZ and RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ were backstage with The Judgement but Perez in particular seemed in a foul mood after the tag title loss, and when the women left to ‘regroup’ Dominik Mysterio didn’t respond when Perez said ‘bye’ to him.
Naomi went to the staging for a promo and quickly hated on the town to shut down the cheers. She vowed to beat down favourites but as she started to talk about Stephanie Vaquer (who she called Stephanie Velcro) she was cut off as the show moved on to show a video package about a SummerSlam return. She didn’t get to finish the promo either.
Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair went to the ring for a promo. Flair gushed that it felt amazing to be champion but they took one another’s titles to pose but Flair pointed out that Bliss had hit Flair in the head. Teasing about friends and Bliss bragged that Flair was now stuck with her. Thankfully, The Judgement Day of Perez and Rodriguez interrupted as the promo continued to get awkward as Rodriguez said no-one wanted to be Flair’s friend, and Perez said the only thing that mattered was taking the titles back. Rodriguez demanded a shot at the titles, and unfazed Bliss and Flair accepted the challenge. As usual, stealing the heat GM Adam Pearce came out to boos and only confirmed the match that had already been accepted.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Women’s Tag Team Champions ALEXA BLISS & CHARLOTTE FLAIR defeated The Judgement Day (RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ & ROXANNE PEREZ)
Bliss and Rodriguez started the match and worked the crowd to get reactions from turnbuckle poses. Bliss faked out a lock up and stomped the foot before she applied a Headlock, then a Back Sleeper but Bliss was tossed off. Bliss tried for a Tilt-a-Whirl move but was slammed down by the hair. Perez was tagged and hit a Bang Kick before she choked Bliss on the ropes. Bliss came back with a Flying Headscissors then tagged Flair but Perez managed to toss Bliss into her partner for a rough collision. Only to be shut down by a Flair Clothesline but the momentum allowed Rodriguez to tag in.
Rodriguez got the better of a Shoulder Check exchange. Flair would hit a big kick in a corner then a wild Headscissors from off the ropes, followed by a Shoulder Knockdown. Flair would be sent head-first into the middle turnbuckle at the Heel’s corner as Perez tagged in to hit stomps. Flair would do the signature flip over the ropes after a whip to the corner, and hit Rodriguez on the apron with a Big Boot then one to Perez in the ring. However, Rodriguez held onto Flair’s leg as she tried to get back in and Perez took advantage with a Dropkick to knock Flair down.
Perez hit a Suicide Dive to Flair then sent her back in for more stomps. Tagging in Rodriguez but there seemed to be either misscommunication or the women had forgotten what spot was next so there was an awkward pause. Flair would escape a Fallaway Slam and hit a Chop Block on Rodriguez then one for Perez after a wild Bang Kick. Flair tagged in Bliss as she hit Rodriguez with a Blockbuster and Flair hit Natural Selection on Perez, and Bliss got a near fall. Bliss hit her kicks combo then a couple of Dropkicks, but when she tried for a Cannonball off the apron Rodriguez’s power blocked and it led to a Dominator-like blow onto the timekeeper’s barricade! Followed up by a Big Boot to Bliss over that barricade, and back in the ring Rodriguez got a near fall.
Perez was tagged and choked Bliss on the ropes and roughed her up for a bit. Rodriguez got a tag for the whip Double-Team as Perez was sent in for the European Uppercut then Rodriguez for the corner Splash. Rodriguez hit a Body Slam to Bliss then knocked Flair from the apron, and as Flair complained to the referee The Judgement Day got in cheap shots to Bliss at their corner. Bliss was yanked out the corner for a Powerbomb-like move by Rodriguez for a near fall. Bliss would come back with a Tilt-a-whirl DDT that allowed her to hot tag out to Flair.
Flair hit a Crossbody on both challengers then chops to both, then a front flip Clothesline to Rodriguez. Perez took a Fallaway Slam before Flair hit a Moonsault to both opponents for a near fall on Rodriguez. A blind tag by Perez set things up for the Russian Leg Sweep-Big Boot combo by The Judgement Day to get Perez a two count. Perez tried for PopRox but Flair shoved her off and soon hit the Backbreaker into a corner Complete Shot como. Flair decked Rodriguez along the apron with a Clothesline but trying to grab Perez over the ropes she got hit with a Hot Shot which set up for a Frankscreamer. Rodriguez hit her Vader Bomb Elbow but Bliss broke up the pin.
Perez was tagged but got sent to the floor and Flair took out Rodriguez with a Big Boot before Bliss got a tag, only to be yanked off the apron by Perez before she got into the ring. Perez seemingly didn’t see the tag as when she went for a Dive on Flair on the floor, she was intercepted by Bliss who nailed the Sister Abigail DDT to win and retain the titles.
Backstage ASUKA and KAIRI SANE offered help to former Damage CTRL member IYO SKY who politely turned them down. RHEA RIPLEY interrupted and Asuka mocked that Sky had to talk to her friend. Ripley wasn’t pleased that Sky went and got a title match, but Sky pointed out that she never got pinned. Ripley tried to threaten and said she looked forward to Sky winning so she could finally beat her. Sky just grinned and said Ripley would never beat her. Later in the show it would be confirmed that Naomi would defend the Women’s World Championship against Iyo Sky next week.
Backstage LYRA VALKYRIA confronted BAYLEY and a furious Valkyria ranted about no longer getting a title shot and said she needed to get out of the ‘Bayley Vortex’ and told Bayley to stay out of her life.
JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties.
Women’s Intercontinental Champion BECKY LYNCH went to the ring for a promo. Bragging about Valkyria no longer getting title shots and said that would go on for a long time, and demanded a new competitor to face ‘the greatest’ but claimed it wouldn’t be tonight. WWE Hall of Famer NIKKI BELLA instead interrupted much to Lynch’s fury. Bella was condensening about Lynch, buttering her up and then called her a dissapointment and said Lynch had handcuffed the division. She questioned why Lynch came back and called her out for her movie work, saying maybe Hollywood didn’t turn out like she hoped.
Lynch claimed she got Bella cut from a movie, and Bella called Lynch a liar just like her husband but no one buys Lynch’s story. Lynch got personal about Lynch’s ex, saying Bella can’t ‘see him’ anymore and did the Cena hand taunt. Bella made a challenge for the IC title and claimed Lynch was ‘too scared’ to face her back in the day. Lynch hit a cheap shot punch to deck Bella then fled the ring to leave Bella seething to end the segment.
Naomi was interviewed backstage (perhaps to make up for being cut off earlier on) and she bragged about retaining the title. She vowed to retain against Sky next week. STEPHANIE VAQUER interrupted and said it didn’t matter who won next week, she’d take the title at Clash in Paris. Naomi wasn’t fazed and warned that she’d shove Vaquer’s horns where the sun doesn’t shine.
Backstage, NATALYA and MAXXINE DUPRI along with Akira Tozawa confronted Becky Lynch about her actions in the ring. Natalya challenged for a match but instead, Lynch said she’d face Dupri in a match much to her horror.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
It was so odd to send Naomi out for a promo during an ‘ad break’ just to cut her off, only to give a short nothing interview later on. It was completely disrespectful. Lynch versus Bella as a feud might be somewhat of a dream match but can Bella manage to deliver in a singles match after she hasn’t been fully on the ball in her outings so far since her return? Lastly, the loss by The Judgement Day will likely take them out of the tag title conversation in a division that isn’t exactly filled with competitors. One has to wonder what’s next for Bliss and Flair or will it be a case with The Big Three of giving them gold just so they don’t mix in with the singles titles?
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!