Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The Survivor Series event is on the horizon and with Rhea Ripley on the injured list, we have a new number one contender for the Women’s World Championship in Iyo Sky. However, Liv Morgan’s enemies are racking up as she and Raquel Rodriguez now have big issues with The Big Two in Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. How will this unfold as we head towards one of the biggest events in the calender year? Let’s get into it, and find out…
Both the teams of BIANCA BELAIR and JADE CARGILL, and LIV MORGAN and RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ (along with the rest of The Judgement Day) all got the ‘arrived earlier today’ video treatment.
CATHY KELLEY interviewed Damage CTRL of KAIRI SANE and IYO SKY. Sky said she hoped Belair and Cargill left a piece of Morgan for her. As Kelley stated that Damage CTRL would be in a six-woman tag team match DAKOTA KAI made her return when she walked in all smiles. Kai vowed payback on PFC for taking months off her career.
Six-Woman Tag Team Match
Damage CTRL (DAKOTA KAI, KAIRI SANE & IYO SKY) Vs Pure Fusion Collective (SHAYNA BASZLER, SONYA DEVILLE & ZOEY STARK)
Sky started off against Stark. Sky did her misdirection spots and then flip evasions, before Stark did one of her own and finally got a Back Body Drop. Deville took a tag, as Stark hit a Backbreaker and held Sky in place as Deville ran in to hit a nice Neckbreaker for a near fall. Deville hit a Suplex then some Knee Strikes, but when she went for a second Suplex Sky escaped and shoved Deville into CTRL’s corner and hit a Shotei. Sane took a tag before the Sky Pirates did their double team of Sky’s legsweep to set up Sane’s Axe Kick. Sane used a Snapmare to get Deville ready for Double Dropkicks from her and Sky.
Stark tried to come in but Sane hit her Rebound Headscissors counter, which stacked Stark against Deville in a corner so Sane could (barely) hit a Dropkick. Before Sane hit the Sliding D to Deville in the corner, and then a Flying Forearm off the apron to Deville on the floor. Sane went back in but Baszler pulled her back to the outside and hit a Clothesline.
After a commercial break, Sane fought out of PFC’s corner and despite Baszler’s attempts to block, Kai got the hot tag. Misdirection led to a Single Leg Dropkick by Kai before she hit a Flying Mare variation of a Cutter followed by the Scorpion Kick. Baszler answered with strikes and a Head Kick, but Kai would use a low bridge to send Baszler to the apron before she soon hit the Rope-aided Stomp to Baszler’s back to get a near fall. Kai hit a Facewash and went for her Running Kick but Baszler avoided the shot which instead hit Deville off the apron. Baszler capitalised with a Back Suplex and then targetted Kai’s knee with a Single Leg Crab. Stark tried to keep Sky at bay but when she went for a Plancha Sky slid in to avoid it and broke up the hold.
Deville hit a Low Knee Strike to Sky, and then got hit with a Flying Forearm from Sane. Stark hit Like A Sniper to Sane before she took a Superkick from Kai who then missed the Running Boot to Baszler who locked in the Kirifuda Clutch. Kai managed to back into CTRL’s corner so Sky could tag in. Baszler locked in the Clutch to Sky but it left her open to take the Running Boot from Kai, which in turn set up the Over The Moonsault as Sky got the win.
There were clear issues within The Judgement Day backstage as Liv Morgan had to step in to separate a shouting match.
Belair and Cargill had a promo video about their issues with Morgan and Rodriguez.
SCARLETT and The Final Testament laid a trap with The Miz that allowed them to beatdown The Wyatt Sicks. During the brawl, Scarlett tossed Nikki Cross from the apron to the floor.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Women’s Tag Team Champions BIANCA BELAIR & JADE CARGILL defeated Women’s World Champion LIV MORGAN & RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ to retain
The match was the main event. Morgan and Belair started off as Belair countered a wild jump by Morgan into a Spinebuster followed by punches as the two traded the mount position. Belair would hit her Single Led Dropkick followed by a kip up then wild Shoulder Thrusts into a corner. She missed a charge into the opposite one and hit the corner post. Morgan hit a big forearm and seemed to return the favour of the Shoulder Thrusts with some rough stomps to Belair. Belair would toss up Morgan into the corner for a Snake Eyes, and then hit mount punches. Things were awkward when Rodriguez moved up to distract but Belair ignored her to keep punching, and then decided to be distracted so Morgan could yank her down by the braid.
Angered, Cargill went around the ring and pulled Rodriguez off the apron, but ate a Baseball Slide from Morgan for her trouble. Belair charged around ringside for a Clothesline meant for Morgan, but she almost hit Cargill but the breaks were put on just in time. Rodriguez charged Cargill into the apron before she took a Forearm from Belair, who was then wiped out by a Missile Dropkick off the ring steps by Morgan (who of course hit the ringside mats hard off the shot).
After a commercial break, tags on both sides made Morgan and Cargill legal as Cargill went House on Fire with running Forearms and a Spinebuster, then a corner Elbow. Cargill gave Rodriguez a Body Slam when she came in, and it served enough of a distraction for Morgan to hit a Chop Block. Cargill would hit a version a Jaded, spun out from an Argentine Backbreaker position, but Rodriguez broke up the pin. Rodriguez then got a tag before both she and Cargill took each other out with Big Boots.
NIA JAX and TIFFANY STRATTON from Smackdown ran out, as Stratton distracted the ref so Jax could pull Cargill out and hit a version of a Samoan Drop to plant Cargill on the apron. Rodriguez hit her Vader Bomb Elbow on Cargill but Belair broke up the pin. NAOMI then rushed down to pull Stratton down and tossed her to the barricade and managed to hit a charging Jax to stun her. But Morgan hit a Backstabber to Naomi on the floor before she tagged herself in, but her Leap of Faith from the ropes at a Superkick from Cargill. Belair was then tagged in to hit the KOD and pinned Morgan, the Women’s World Champion and Crown Jewel Champion, clean.
After the match, Jax decked the tag champs from behind and then Naomi. She set Cargill up for The Annihalator but Iyo Sky for whatever reason ran down and hit Jax with a Lucha Kick that set up for a Springboard Missile Dropkick. Before Sky took out Stratton with a Shotei then the Wheelbarrow into a Double Stomp. Belair and Cargill would dump Rodriguez out (eventually) with a Double Team Clothesline before Naomi saved Sky from a Jax Samoan Drop with a Knee Strike. Sky hit a Buzzsaw Kick to Jax before the tag champs hit a Double Team Suplex. The show went off the air with the faces celebrating as Morgan looked furious at ringside.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
If you didn’t know that a Women’s WarGames match was once again set for this year’s Survivor Series, then the booking of the main event and the aftermath would have made no sense at all. It felt extremely out of place and rushed with not just the mass of Smackdown involvement but Iyo Sky getting involved in business that doesn’t concern herself or Damage CTRL. Especially since Dakota Kai just returned tonight but now Sky is going to team with others. Even worse that Liv Morgan, the Women’s World Champion, was pinned clean by another Champion and one from the other brand on a random Raw. That’s just a burial after her success at Crown Jewel. If this is the build to Women’s WarGames, then it’s high time for the WWE to retire the concept like they retired the yearly Hell in a Cell PPVs. The match means nothing if it’s just toss anyone in for the Hell of it and it distracts from proper World title matches as Morgan and Jax should be involved in.
The main event match wasn’t anything spectacular either, but noted with Belair being stiff as usual when she has to sell in a match. The six-woman tag was solid but it’s another week, another PFC loss for an experiment that has failed and does no one any favours.
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!