Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION!
Backlash has come and gone, with Iyo Sky winning the long-running feud over Asuka and a curious post-match embrace that’s left rumours swirling about Asuka’s WWE future. The show must go on, however, and now we look ahead to events like Clash in Italy, the next Saturday Night’s Main Event, and Night of Champions. Who will step up to make a claim for a title? And what will happen when Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige make an appearance on Raw? Let’s get into it, and find out…
This week’s ‘Arrived Earlier Today’ videos featured Women’s Tag Team Champions BRIE BELLA and PAIGE, and IYO SKY (being advertised as facing Sol Ruca tonight).
LIV MORGAN was with Dominik Mysterio backstage, interrupting a conversation between GM Adam Pearce and the Original El Grande Americano with his ‘Americanos’. Their arrogance ended up getting Mysterio defending his AAA Mega Championship against OG Americano.
Iyo Sky and ASUKA shared a hug backstage, with Asuka putting over Sky saying she was proud of her. Sky wished her goodbye before Asuka pulled her luggage case and walked out the arena door, leaving more questions than answers about Asuka’s WWE status.
Brie Bella and Paige went to the ring. Bella recalled being called out by The Judgement Day, and Paige said she was ready for a fight. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ and ROXANNE PEREZ answered, with Rodriguez mocking them for showing up and calling it a nostalgia act. Perez mocking the duo with cheap shots about their age, and claimed that the bar had been set ‘too low’ for her to match up to the Bella Twins’ legacy. Bella mocked back that Perez wasn’t her own woman and was a footnote in The Judgement Day. Perez was almost goaded into fighting when Bella said that her mother must be disappointed in her.
Rodriguez turned the insults towards Paige, saying Paige had been given a million chances and fumbled them all. Rodriguez demanded that the titles be handed over before Paige’s next ‘scandal’ happened. Paige kicked off the brawl, rocking Rodriguez with Forearms while Brie easily roughed up Perez in a corner. However, Liv Morgan snuck in and hit a Codebreaker on Paige before getting in punches, and the numbers game allowed the trio of heels to attack Bella. Perez hit the Satomura Special on Bella, before she and Rodriguez hit their Russian Leg Sweep-Big Boot combo on Paige. The segment ended with Morgan holding up her World gold while Perez and Rodriguez held up the tag belts.
There was a Rhea Ripley video package putting over her NXT start helping mould her.
Singles Match
IYO SKY defeated SOL RUCA
Before the match, they recapped the segment between Ruca and Becky Lynch last week, but edited out the Sol Snatcher botch. Ruca got a Waistlock Takedown, but Sky soon escaped with a Wristlock, turned into a Hammerlock which Ruca then countered with a Wristlock of her own. The announcers offered nothing about Asuka’s status, while in the ring Sky flipped out of the Wristlock, before Ruca did a handstand walk evasion, using it to flip back to snap off a Headscissors. After some switches of a go-behind, Ruca hit a spin-out Kingdom Falls before doing her surfboard pose. Sky blocked a Superkick, used misdirection then did her flips before trying for her leg trip but Ruca did another handstand evasion. This time Sky was ready for the Headscissors attempt, shoving Ruca back and hitting a Dropkick to the gut.
Sky controlled with a Side Headlock, eventually being shoved off as she vaulted to the apron and tried for a Shoulder Thrust through the ropes, but Ruca dodged and hit a glancing blow of a boot to the head, sending Sky down. Ruca went for a Moonsault off the corner but Sky rolled back into the ring so Ruca had to roll through to her feet, just to get hit with a Headscissors off the apron by Sky. Sky went to send Ruca back inside but she spun herself, hitting a counter kick while on the apron. That set up a Corkscrew Crossbody off the ropes before the show went to ‘commercial break’.
Ruca hit a Running Knee to Sky in the ring for a two count. Ruca applied the Surfboard Stretch but broke the hold with a kick to the back. Sky held onto the ropes after being whipped and caught Ruca coming in with a Flapjack then hit the Double Underhook Backbreaker for a near fall. The women would exchange shots while Ruca was on the apron and Sky was still inside, but Ruca hit a Headbutt that would send Sky out to the apron along the other ring edge at a corner. That led, as the show came back to ‘live action’, to Sky escaping from a Super Gordbuster to land on her feet, hitting a Shotei before she hit a Spanish Fly for a near fall.
The women exchanged strikes with Sky getting the better of it with a Back Elbow and a Shotei, but Ruca ducked the Buzzsaw kick and would shove Sky to the ropes, hitting a pop-up into a spin-out, sit-out Powerbomb from a shoulders grip. Soon after, Sky hit the Missile Dropkick, kipped up and DID THE THING, but the Bullet Train Attack only hit the corner as Ruca dodged, hitting a Running Meteora to Sky’s back. Sky would hit her Wheelbarrow into a Double Stomp for a near fall. Sky went up top but Ruca pushed her off balance, only for Sky to grab Ruca’s leg as she went for a boot through the ropes, yanking the limb down over the middle rope.
Later, Ruca did a cartwheel along the top rope, snapping off a DDT for a two count. Ruca went for a Sol Snatcher, was shoved into the corner to be hung up a bit and Sky hit a short-range Bullet Train Attack then a full-run version. Sky went for Over the Moonsault but Ruca brought up the knees. Ruca went for another Sol Snatcher but Sky stepped back enough to avoid the move, scooping Ruca with a Crucifix Pin to win the match off the counter pin.
After the match, Sky put over her opponent, shaking hands, giving a hug then raising Ruca’s arm.
JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties.
The women of The Judgement Day were interviewed. Morgan took over and proclaimed herself as the Greatest World Champ while Rodriguez hilariously was counting the seconds Morgan yelled ‘ALL’ with her fingers. Morgan called her allies the next Tag Team Champions before Morgan boasted about what they did to Bella and Paige, saying they were coming for the gold. Perez said they trusted each other, and said next week they would become the next Tag Team Champions before the interview was quickly cut off.
Backstage, Sky put over Ruca as the future but once she left, BECKY LYNCH showed up, mocking Ruca for her loss and saying the ‘lights must be too bright’. Leaving Ruca fuming as Lynch laughed it up while walking away.
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match was made official for next week with Brie Bella and Paige defending against Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez.
Continuing the ongoing ‘in the background’ story as of late, MAXXINE DUPRI was briefly seen already being in the car that The Vision’s Logan Paul and Austin Theory (who has been taking to Dupri in scenes over the past few months) went into.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Ruca versus Sky was a great match, nicely showcasing both women. Ruca won’t be hurt with a loss here and can bounce back, especially with the feud with Lynch getting properly established. Sky now has two straight wins but it’s a little early to tell if she’s going to get the next title shot against Liv Morgan with Stephanie Vaquer’s apparent injury. The beat-down segment with the tag titles worked fine, but we’ll see if they pull a surprise switch of new champs next week or perhaps use the match to set up Morgan’s next title match if someone comes to even the odds. Lastly, we didn’t get any straight answer about Asuka’s WWE status and there’s lots of rumours about her being everything from semi-retired to leaving for good. One has to imagine it’s still on good terms to get even a send-off segment unlike when Kairi Sane got released and the WWE acted like she never existed. Time will tell if we’ve seen the very last of Asuka around WWE.
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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