Monday Night Raw was live two nights ago in Jacksonville, Florida. With SummerSlam drawing near, what will happen with the relationship between Paul Heyman and his client, Universal Champion Brock Lesnar? Will that tension play a role in Brock’s title defense against Roman Reigns?

   Raw kicks off with Constable Baron Corbin and General Manager Kurt Angle. He supports Ronda Rousey as she makes her Raw debut later in the night. He also states that he whether she wins or loses at SummerSlam, he appreciates that she competes, unlike Brock Lesnar.

   Kurt gets interrupted by the number one contender for the Universal Championship, Roman Reigns. Roman states that since he was not in the arena, it allowed Brock to destroy everything in his path. Kurt hopes that Roman kicks Brock’s ass at SummerSlam.

   Corbin interjects because Kurt is picking sides. Even though while Brock destroyed everything in his path, Corbin ran away. This gave Kurt an idea. He set up Roman versus Corbin right then and there.

Roman Reigns v. Baron Corbin

   In this impromptu match up, Roman attempted to build momentum towards SummerSlam.  Each man tried to gain an advantage over each other. As Roman gained the advantage Corbin looked to walk away.

   However, Finn Balor stopped Corbin from leaving. As Corbin walked down the ramp, he was met with a superman punch and then a spear. Roman picks up a big win heading closer to SummerSlam.

   After the match, to make matter worse for Corbin, Finn hit the Coupe de Gras on Corbin. Finn gets the last laugh.

Bobby Roode v. Mojo Rawley

   Bobby was able to pick up a massive victory over the up-and-comer Mojo Rawley. However, it is a win without any substance behind it. Hopefully, this is something that gets some sort of momentum boost to the glorious one.

Elias and Bobby Lashley Round 2

   Elias with production crew alongside promotes his recently released album and documentary on the WWE (Walk With Elias) Network. The production crew is for his own personal documentary because he feels the WWE Network did not do him justice.

   Before he could start his performance, Bobby Lashley interrupted. They throw jabs at each other. Until Elias hit Lashley with a cheap shot to gain an advantage. However, Lashley was able to gain the upper hand and beat down Elias. He used Elias’s crew to film the beat down.

Rezar v. Titus O’Neil

   In a short matchup, Rezar was able to beat Titus pretty handily. This will most likely lead to the teams facing off in a pre-show match at SummerSlam. 

The Kevin Owens Show with Special Guest: Jinder Mahal

   This was the return of The Kevin Owens Show with special guest Jinder Mahal. The set has moved to the top of the stage on its own platform. Kevin thanks Jinder for helping him live again after Kevin got thrown off the top of a cage by Braun Strowman.  

   He thanks him for helping him find positivity and releasing his stress of Braun Strowman. Kevin explains that he will take everything from Braun including the Money in the Bank briefcase at SummerSlam. Kevin wanted Jinder to fight Braun one more time, but Braun was nowhere to be found. However, something is lifting the stage. The stage gets toppled over and it is Braun.

Braun Strowman v. Jinder Mahal

   Braun gets his rematch against Jinder Mahal. In a short matchup, Kevin once again stole the briefcase but Braun did not allow him to get far. However, Braun accidentally hit Jinder with the briefcase meaning Jinder won the match by disqualification. Another way Braun could lose the Money in the Bank briefcase. After the match, Braun wanted to get his hands on Jinder, but he was able to get away unscathed.

Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler v. Seth Rollins

   General Manager Kurt Angle allowed Seth Rollins the opportunity to face the two men who have been a thorn to his side later in the night if he found a partner. Which he did in former Shield-brother Roman Reigns.

   However, while going to the ring, Constable Corbin got a call from Commissioner Stephanie McMahon who barred Roman Reigns from the match to protect the main event of SummerSlam. If he defied her order, he will forfeit his match at SummerSlam.

   For being a handicap match, Seth held his own against Dolph and Drew. However, the numbers game was too much for Seth. Dolph hit a superkick on Seth after a Drew distraction giving his team the win. Will this a precursor of what’s to come at SummerSlam? Can Seth conquer the numbers game?

B-Team (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel) v. The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder)

   With their win last week over the Deleter of Worlds (Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt), The Revival is well deserving to be in the conversation of a Raw Tag Team Championship shot. During their match, Bo Dallas and Scott Dawson looked to tag their partners, however, Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt appeared out of nowhere. Then they took out the Bo and Scott sending a message to the champs and the possible challengers. Could we be building to a triple threat at SummerSlam?

Paul Heyman Discusses Brock Lesnar

   Heyman enters this interview looking visibly shook with red eyes and scruffy facial hair. He looks lost of thought and in no control of his emotion. Heyman states that he has lost all connection with Brock Lesnar. Heyman is afraid of Brock’s every move. He discusses that he and Brock had a plan of winning the Universal and UFC Championships.

   Now, Heyman has no vision of the future. Even though he is scared of Brock Lesnar’s violent actions, he still believes that Brock will leave SummerSlam as champion. He believes Roman does not stand a chance.

Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan) v. The Boss and Hug Connection (Bayley & Sasha Banks)

   In a rematch from last week, Bayley and Sasha look to continue their momentum since reuniting their friendship.

   The tag team match was the normal tag team match we see almost 5 times a week. However, it showed the growth of the two teams. The chemistry of the two teams has grown tremendously over the past few months.

   Towards the end of the matchup, Bayley and Sasha seemed to have the match in control until Liv was pulled out of the way as Bayley attempted a dive. The person who pulled Liv was the third member of the Riott Squad, Ruby Riott. She had been out of action with an injury but made an impact right away in her return. While distracted, Sasha was rolled up by Sarah for the win.

Ronda Rousey v. Alicia Fox

   Ronda Rousey finally makes her anticipated debut on Monday Night Raw against Alicia Fox. Yes, Alicia Fox main evented Monday Night Raw.

   Before the match, Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss leads Alicia to the ring. She states that Ronda is all talk and nothing to back it up. Leading to Ronda to come down to the ring.

   Ronda has Natalya by her side to even the playing field. However, Alexa took out Natalya. With the distraction, Alexa was able to sneak attack Ronda. It understandably made her angry and she decided to take her anger out on Alica Fox.

   With constant throws, she sent a strong message to the Raw Women’s Champion who got a front-row view of the match. Ronda hit the armbar on Fox for the submission victory. After the match, Alexa attempted to sneak attack Ronda, to no success. Ronda has her eyes set on the Raw Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.

Conclusion

   Raw is getting much better. The Paul Heyman dynamic to the Universal Championship match is really compelling. Ronda Rousey is set to lead the Raw Women’s Division. The tag team scene is steady but growing slowly. The Kevin and Braun match hasn’t had the best build but it will be a solid match. Raw is growing and showing potential.

David Jacobus
Reporter