Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! Survivor Series and the Women’s War Games Match is fast approaching but there’s already been a twist. Jade Cargill has been written out of the storyline with a legit injury, so the unlikely allies are still down one woman. What’s next as we head towards the PLE, and who will get the Advantage for the WarGames Match itself? Let’s get into it, and find out…
NAOMI and BIANCA BELAIR got ‘arrived earlier today’ video treatment as did NIA JAX and TIFFANY STRATTON, and The Judgement Day with LIV MORGAN and RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ.
Backstage, Belair lamented about Cargill’s injuries to Naomi, but Naomi appeared rather quick to change the topic to War Games. IYO SKY entered the picture to suggest Kairi Sane as the 5th woman but Belair shot that down. Neither woman seemed to like Naomi’s pitch of Bayley and it led to a shouting match until RHEA RIPLEY stormed in. She bluntly said she didn’t care who the last member was just as long as Ripley got her hands on Morgan. That led to a stare-down between Ripley and Belair before Belair left saying she would carry the team on her back and win the Advantage match tonight.
ZELINA VEGA accompanied The LWO to the stage as they faced American Made in a Tornado Tag Team Match, and IVY NILE similarly just accompanied The Creed Brothers to the stage.
In The Judgement Day clubhouse, Finn Balor again played leader to warn the group against failure.
CATHY KELLEY handled interview duties.
MAXXINE DUPRI accompanied Alpha Academy as they defeated The New Day.
SCARLETT was part of a backstage segment with The Final Testament and The Miz, but it ended with the appearance of NIKKI CROSS behind her in the make-up mirror. The follow up saw Scarlett in distress and the locker room wrecked with an ominous message that ‘Everyone has something to lose’ written on the mirror in lipstick.
An ‘earlier tonight’ video showed an in-ring announcement of the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship, with the tournament to crown the first-ever champion beginning next week.
The heels team for Women’s WarGames, including CANDICE LERAE, laughed it up backstage before Nia Jax said she cared more about squashing Belair even before getting the Advantage victory.
Singles Match – Women’s WarGames Advantage Match
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion BIANCA BELAIR Vs WWE Women’s Champion NIA JAX
The members of the teams were banned from ringside. Jax got a cheap shot in of a wild running strike as Belair took off her jacket, before Jax clubbed Belair on the back. A toss across the ring led to a corner Splash but Belair escaped through the ropes to avoid a second in another corner. Moments later, Belair hit some mounted punches in the corner and finished off the 10 Punches even when Jax carried her out from the corner in the Powerbomb position before Belair escaped the grip. Soon after, Belair did her corner taunt and flip, then used misdirection to hit her Single Leg Dropkick to send Jax to the floor.
Belair’s Leap of Faith off the apron was easily caught as Jax drove Belair back-first into the ring post twice then a toss into the barricade. After a commercial break, Jax countered a Crossbody into a Slam and hit a Senton to get a nearfall. Belair tried for a Sunset Flip counter to a corner charge and managed to roll away when Jax dropped down for a quick Annihilator. Things got a little sloppy with mistiming and missteps before Belair avoided a corner charge that sent Jax shoulder first into the post. Belair hit a Plancha to Jax on the floor but back in the ring Jax rolled and avoided the Handspring Moonsault to then deliver an Elbow Drop.
A Jax Legdrop got a near fall. A Legdrop off the middle rope also just got a two count. Jax went for The Annihilator but Belair pushed her over the ropes to the apron. Later, Jax was caught as she was sat up top to be clutched for an impressive Press Slam toss. Belair’s handspring Moonsault got a near fall. Jax hit a Headbutt then a Samoan Drop. Belair again avoided The Annihilator when she climbed the ropes for a modified Back Suplex and in the process, the top turnbuckle pad got ripped off while Belair got yet another near fall.
Belair tried for KOD but Jax used the hair to avoid and tried to send Belair into the now exposed corner but Belair blocked. She couldn’t avoid the corner Splash into that corner or the opposite one. The action went to the floor as Nax cleared the announce table and hit a version of a Samoan Drop to plant Belair onto the desk before she used the brain to send Belair into the ring steps.
As Jax posed on the exposed corner and the referee focused on the ring out count, BAYLEY jumped the barricade (she’s technically not in the faces WarGames team yet, so isn’t banned) and yanked Jax off the corner. So it was implied that Jax hit the exposed bolt but in reality, she was nowhere close to being hit. Regardless, Belair (despite being a babyface too like Bayley) seized the moment to hit a 450 Splash and pin Jax to get her team the WarGames advantage. After the win, the former rivals shared unsure looks before both eventually smiled.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The build to WarGames has been even messier with Cargill’s unfortunate injury and this honestly doesn’t help. If they had more time to built, they could play into the uncomfortable allies situation that not only does the faces side have plenty of, but also in a way the heels. It is what it is and we can only hope the women deliver and steal the show once again. The main event match was a fine bout with not as much no selling as usual from a Jax match, although she was once again protected with a numbers game loss while the faces were more than happy to take a tainted win. It’s just been a huge mess and no one has been helped out by any of this. Next year they need to skip the WarGames matches completely and retire the concept until it is really needed like Hell in a Cell.
That all aside, the announcement of the Women’s IC title is a welcome one. Even if there’s a slightly bitter taste that it was shoved into the show with an ‘earlier tonight’ announcement video. A new singles title will freshen things up so it’s not just the same faces (hopefully!) who hog the main Women’s World title.
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!