Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! We now look towards the Bad Blood PLE and the clash for the Women’s World Championship between Liv Mogan and Rhea Ripley. What turns will we have this week with Ripley now ‘injured’ with a bad leg? And what’s next for the tag team division after Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill squashed The Unholy Union last week and Natalya returned to get a win over PFC? Let’s get into it, and find out…
RHEA RIPLEY and LIV MORGAN and their respective groups got featured in the ‘arrived earlier today’ vids. As did KAIRI SANE and IYO SKY of DAMAGE CTRL and the Women’s Tag Champs of BIANCA BELAIR and JADE CARGILL.
There was a brief backstage bit with Rhea Ripley, Damien Priest, Jey Uso and then Xavier Woods.
Singles Match
NATALYA w/h LYRA VALKYRIA & ZELINA VEGA defeated ZOEY STARK w/h SHANYA BASZLER & SONYA DEVILLE
Natalya tried for a Roll-up straight away but didn’t even get a count of one, but the move frustrated Stark. After a quick bit of rope work and running, Natalya used a Lucha-style Cradel to get a near fall before she tried for The Sharpshooter but Stark squirmed to the ropes. Stark came back with a Hot Shot then a Lucha Kick before she Like A Sniper.
After a commercial break, Stark went for another Like A Sniper but this time Natalya swatted her down and then hit a Release German Suplex. The Discus Clothesline followed, then punches and stomps in a corner. Natalya blocked a kick, swept the leg and hit a low kick to get a two count. Stark would miss a Stinger Splash in a corner but was able to counter the Atomic Drop attempt by Natalya with an Arm Drag. A Rolling DVD by Stark was followed by a low Superkick for a near fall.
Stark went for Z-360 but Natalya blocked and went again for The Sharpshooter but when Stark blocked, Natalya flipped over for a Jacknife Pin. It led to an exchange of pin holds before Natalya countered one for another Sharpshooter attempt. Stark kicked that off, tried for another pin only for Natalya to get a Roll-up and get the flash pinfall victory. The result left Stark furious as PFC stormed the ring but the faces celebrated in the aisle.
CATHY KELLEY handled interview duties, which included one with Rhea Ripley but that was interrupted by Finn Balor who taunted his former ally Ripley. Ripley rejected Balor’s claims that all the events as of late were her and Priest’s faults, and said she’d happily be the villain in his ‘fairy tale’ story. Balor bragged that he’d been the one to encourage Dominik Mysterio to dump Ripley and get with Morgan. When Jey Uso showed off, Balor backed up but Ripley reminded Uso that he needed to be focused on his quest to become Intercontiental Champion.
Backstage a fired-up Iyo Sky confronted the Women’s Tag Team Champions and yelled in English that Belair had challenged Sane who still had a bad eye, and called Belair a coward. Belair denied it and played a blame card that she’d only ‘been booked’ and didn’t back down from a fight, but then challenged Sky to take her on, which Sky accepted.
Liv Morgan would be involved in the chaos around the World Tag Team Championship match that led to The New Day losing to The Judgement Day.
Liv Morgan taunted Damien Priest backstage but he countered back about the beating the Ripley would give her in the future.
Singles Match
IYO SKY w/h KAIRI SANE defeated Women’s Tag Team Champion BIANCA BELAIR w/h JADE CARGILL
The women traded Headlocks and flip out counters to the grounded Headscissors to start things off. Sky got a version of a Roll-up for a near fall then tried for a Crucifix but Belair’s strength blocked it, before both women tried for Dropkicks at the same time just to kip up. After taunts and flips from both women, Belair blocked an attempt at a Hurricanrana but Sky would counter that with a Cascading Sunset Flip for a near fall. Belair would do her corner taunt, backflip and then the Delayed Suplex with marches.
Belair went for the Handspring Moonsault but Sky rolled away, and Belair tried to flip out of a rope-aided Arm Drag by Sky but ended up taking the bump anyway but just no-sold it. After a commercial break, Belair powered out from a Crossface to get to her feet a use a messy version of a Snapmare to toss Sky off. More sloppiness followed as Sky threw a low kick that Belair was presumably meant to duck but she just took the kick, no-sold it and used a Roll-up for a near fall. Belair did her rally combo of Shoulder Knockdowns then the Single Leg Dropkick before she kipped up. A corner Shoulder Thrust led to 12 mounted punches and while Sky managed to slip out, Belair would backflip over her again.
Sky would hit a couple of Shoteis then a Dropkick to set up the Bullet Train Attack. Sky tried for a Double Underhook but Belair countered with a Back Body Drop just for Sky to flip out and land on her feet. A rough looking Tilt-a-whirl Gutbuster followed by Belair. Moments later Sky hit a Missile Dropkick for a near fall. After a strike exchange, Sky turned a Crucifix into a Sunset Flip for a two count. Belair countered a charge to toss Sky up into a corner and then hit a Spinebuster. The Handspring Moonsault only got Belair a near fall.
Sky would escape from the Military Press and hit a Bridging German Suplex to get a near fall. Belair tried for a Suplex from the apron but Sky counted with a Hot Shot and then hit a Suicide Dive. Impressively, Belair would use a Delayed Suplex and actually march up the ring steps to the apron with Sky still held in the air before she tossed Sky over the ropes and back inside the ring! Belair went for a 450 but Sky brought the knees up, and it was a rough landing anyway from how far out Sky was from the corner.
Sky went for Over the Moonsault, but Belair captured her from off top into the KOD position. Sky would counter that with a Small Package and got the upset win over one-half of the Tag Team Champions. While the Sky Pirates celebrated, the tag champs were clearly furious about the loss.
IVY NILE was part of an American Made hype video.
Liv Morgan along with the rest of The Judgement Day accompanied Dominik Mysterio to the ring for his match against Damien Priest, accompanied by Rhea Ripley. Morgan would interfere when she placed Mysterio’s foot on the ropes to break up a pin. Just to be tackled over the announce table by Ripley for her troubles. After Priest scored the win, the beatdown of Priest and Ripley by The Judgement Day predictably started. With Jey Uso taken out by IC title rival Bron Breakker, Ripley took an ObLIVion from Morgan and made Ripley watch as Priest got punished.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Belair and Sky put on a very sports entertainment match that was more flips than moves but the moves that were done were great. Sky getting a win was very unexpected and a tag title clash between the champs and the Sky Pirates should be a good one. Elsewhere, it was another week and another beatdown segment to put over the numbers game that Rhea Ripley has to fight against and it worked. Finally, it was another week and another loss for PFC. Is it time to finally drop this group after so many losses? The wins don’t exactly help Natalya or the random mash of faces that she’s in against a stable that keeps losing over and over again.
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!