WWE Monday Night Raw was live last night in Houston, Texas. With less than two weeks until the Money in the Bank pay per view, stories and concerns rise after this episode or Monday Night Raw.
Raw kicks off with Elias as he strums his guitar and declares himself as the next Intercontinental Champion. He shows his attack on Seth Rollins and mocks the Houston crowd until Seth comes out to interrupt.
Seth grabs a chair and threatens to attack Elias until Jinder comes up from behind and attacks Seth. Elias and Jinder beat down Seth until Roman Reigns comes out for the save. General Manager Kurt Angle comes out to announce a tag team match between the four to start right then and there.
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins v. Jinder Mahal and Elias
In a solid match to open Raw, the feuds within this match served their purposes to gain more attention and drama with their respective matches at Money in the Bank.
In the turning point of the contest, Roman and Jinder brawl to the outside. Seth dives outside towards Jinder, but appears to hurt his neck. Sunil Singh grabs the steel chair from earlier and tries to hit Seth. Before he could, Seth takes it and plans on attack Elias with it.
Until Elias hits a DDT on the steel chair and then the “Driftaway” for the pin and the win. Elias has now pinned the Intercontinental Champion. Can “The Drifter” do the same again with the championship up for grabs?
Curt Hawkins v James Harden (Not the basketball player)
Curt Hawkins sets his sights on ending his 199 straight loss record. He promises that if the streak ends, the Houston crowd will receive free tacos.
As he seems to be closing in on ending the streak, outcomes Baron Corbin. Corbin hits an “End of Days” on James Harden. Meaning that Harden wins by disqualification. Curt Hawkins has now lost 200 straight matches.
After the match Corbin beats down Hawkins and throws the table of tacos on him.
Corbin meets backstage with Kurt Angle and explains that Commissioner Stephanie McMahon has hired him as the constable for Monday Night Raw. Corbin will be the checks and balances for Kurt’s decisions on Raw. This will be again showed later in the night.
Nia Jax v Natalya
Nia Jax sets to portray her dominance again to Ronda Rousey. Ronda again is doing commentary, so she gets a clear picture of Nia’s power and ability.
During the contest, Natalya appears to have injured her knee. Nia takes advantage and hits a “Samoan Drop” for the pin and win.
After the contest, Nia seems concerned about the possible injury to Natalya. Ronda comes to the aid of her friend and disallows Nia any chance to check on Natalya.
In the locker room, Nia explains that accidents happen when having a match. Setting up for next week, where the two women will face off before their match at Money in the Bank for the Raw Women’s Championship.
Bobby Roode v Braun Strowman
Heading towards Money in the Bank, Braun is proving why he is the odds on favorite to win the Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
During the match, Bobby bridges a ladder on the ring apron to the barricade to separate himself from Braun. However, Braun broke the ladder in half with his fists.
Then, he chased and snagged Bobby for the powerslam for the pin and win. Who is going to be able to stop Braun from being “Mr. Monster in the Bank?”
Battle Royal to determine #1 Contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships.
The battle royal begins with the teams attacking each other while the ring announcer Jojo announced the purpose of the battle royal.
The first team eliminated was Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. However, they re-entered to attack the rest of the teams.
The next team eliminated was Titus Worldwide (Titus O’Neil and Apollo Crews) followed by The Ascension and Breezango. Leaving the final two: The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) and The B-Team (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel).
The B-Team eliminated The Revival becoming the new #1 contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships.
Bobby Lashley confronts Sami Zayn
Bobby calls out Sami for a face to face. However, Sami walks through the crowd calling Bobby a coward.
Sami continues to question Bobby’s reputation, even questioning Bobby’s involvement in the U.S. Army. For the first time since his return, Bobby finally showed true emotion.
Roman and Jinder Brawl
Cut to backstage to Jinder Mahal and Roman Reigns. They both have interviews until Roman ends his interview to search for Jinder.
Once Roman finds Jinder, the two brawl until the officials come to break it up. Their feud is heating up towards Money in the Bank.
Alexa Bliss, Ember Moon & Sasha Banks v. The Riott Squad(Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan)
At the opening of the match, Alexa seemed to faint an injury to her leg. Meaning Sasha and Ember have to battle the three members of The Riott Squad. The two fend off The Riott Squad until they get their partner. However, it was not Alexa.
Instead Bayley comes out and tags herself in. She then hits a “Bayley to Belly” for the pin and win.
After the match, backstage Baron and Kurt discuss the result of the match. Under pressure from Corbin, Kurt reverses the decision. Since Bayley was not a participant in the match, the match is ruled as a disqualification with the winners, The Riott Squad.
Finn Balor v Kevin Owens
In the main event of Raw, Kevin Owens takes on Finn Balor for the first time ever on Monday Night Raw. In a great match by two of the best on Monday Night Raw.
Kevin shows his frustration with Finn attacking him and ignoring the referee’s count. Finn wins by disqualification, but Kevin’s attack is far from done.
Kevin grabs a ladder and debates leaping off the top of the ladder but climbs down. Finn then attacks Kevin. Leading to Finn hitting the “Coupe de Gras” off the top of the ladder.
Finn then climbed back up the ladder unhooking the briefcase closing out Raw. Could the underdog win the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match?
The anticipation for Money in the Bank is growing, Who will get their chance with destiny when they win the Money in the Bank briefcase?
David Jacobus
Intern