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Top Ten Takeaways from Raw

Gunther and Sheamus stood out as the hard-hitting highlight of the night

Noelle Perry

In this story:

Here is everything you need to know from last night’s Raw:

10.) Finn Balor and surprise opponent kick off King of the Ring tournament

The Judgment Day kicked off the show, hot off Damian Priest’s successful defense of the world heavyweight championship at Backlash.

They addressed the discord within the group, made apparent by Priest’s reaction to Finn Balor and JD McDonagh interfering in his match against Jey Uso on Saturday. Balor told Priest that he and McDonagh had already apologized multiple times, but Priest was not there to press the issue. Rather, he took some of the blame for blowing up at Balor and McDonagh and apologized for his part in the conflict. The group hugged it out, then moved on to the next order of business.

The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments also began last night, and Balor was scheduled to take on Drew McIntyre. However, McIntyre was not medically cleared to compete, so Balor assumed he would get a first-round bye and automatically advancing to the second round. Balor’s gloating was interrupted by Raw General manager Adam Pearce, who informed him that no one would be getting a free pass. Rather, Balor had to earn his spot just like everyone else, and he would have the opportunity to do so against his new opponent–Jey Uso.

Unfortunately for Balor, he was unable to clinch the win. Uso’s adversary, Drew McIntyre, did show up to intimidate Uso during the last moments of the match, but the distraction was not enough to give Balor the upper hand, and Uso advanced to the next round of the tournament.

9.) CM Punk mocks Drew McIntyre

In the venue’s parking garage, Drew McIntyre complained to Pearce about Uso taking his place in the King of the Ring tournament. McIntyre felt it was a slap in the face for Uso to receive the opportunity after he gained a title opportunity by taking advantage of CM Punk’s interference that cost McIntyre the match last month. Pearce reminded him that the reason McIntyre was replaced was not because of Uso, but because McIntyre was not medically cleared to compete. The Scottish Warrior still would not hear it, and he stormed out of the garage.

CM Punk is a welcomed presence back on Raw
CM Punk is a welcomed presence back on Raw / WWE

On cue, CM Punk rolled up to the arena, narrowly missing an encounter with his rival. Punk asked Pearce where McIntyre was, but was informed that he had just left. Rather than chase after him, Punk went to the ring to air his grievances in front of the audience.

Last week, Punk made a point to deliver his promo in less time than McIntyre’s world heavyweight championship reign lasted. This week, he decided to do the opposite, staying long enough for McIntyre to return to the arena and fight him if he had the guts to do so. While McIntyre failed to show up, Punk threatened to follow him all the way to Glasgow, the location of this year’s Clash at the Castle PLE, and break his face there, taking this game of cat and mouse to a global scale.

8.) Iyo Sky and Natalya kick off Queen of the Ring tournament

In the first round of the Queen of the Ring tournament, Iyo Sky took on Natalya Neidhart. Natalya’s technical style of wrestling and Sky’s high-flying abilities made for a dynamic match. Sky was accompanied by her Damage CTRL teammates Dakota Kai and Kairi Sane, but their help was barely necessary. The only interference occurred when Kai held the rope for Sky to grab in order to force Natalya to break her submission hold, and it was immediately followed by a moonsault and pinfall victory for Sky.

When the match ended, Kai grabbed a mic and announced Damage CTRL’s plan to put the Raw roster on notice now that they were back on the red brand. The plan began with Sky’s advancement to the second round of the Queen of the Ring tournament. It would continue with Kai’s match against Lyra Valkyria, as she filled in for an injured Asuka, and culminate in the group regaining the Women’s Tag Team Championships and taking the world women’s championship from Becky Lynch.

7.) Ilja Dragunov and Ricochet steal the show

Last night, the new rosters determined by the WWE Draft officially went into effect. During the draft, Ilja Dragunov was called up to Raw from NXT, making this match against Ricochet his first as an official member of the main roster. And what a debut it was.

Ilja Dragunov and Ricochet on Raw
Ilja Dragunov and Ricochet on Raw / WWE

Ricochet is no stranger to impressive matches. His moveset is chock full of superhuman feats, and he moves at lightning speed. Dragunov is one of the most intense wrestlers in WWE, and his intensity was seemingly amplified by his desire to make a bold first impression. When the two met in the ring, the result was explosive. Both superstars left everything in the ring and came out covered in welts, but only Dragunov came out the victor and advanced to the second round of the King of the Ring tournament.

6.) Zoey Stark dominates Ivy Nile

The second Queen of the Ring match of the night saw Zoey Stark face Ivy Nile.

Nile put up a fight, but the more she fought back, the more it just made Stark angry. Stark picked up the pace as the match went on, and looked dominant as she picked up the win and moved on to round two.

5.) Carlito attempts to deal with The Judgment Day

Damian Priest and JD McDonagh consoled Finn Balor backstage after his loss against Jey Uso. When Dominik Mysterio approached the rest of The Judgment Day beside Carlito, the group was not too pleased with his presence.

One year ago, Carlito assisted Bad Bunny in his street fight against Priest and Backlash in San Juan, and no one in the group besides Mysterio seems to have forgiven him. More recently, Carlito betrayed his LWO allies, including Dirty Dom’s father, Rey Mysterio, and sought help from The Judgment Day to take down his former friends.

The younger Mysterio seemed eager to help an enemy of his “deadbeat” father, especially since he offered to help The Judgment Day with their business, but the rest of the group still held a grudge and rejected his offer.

4.) Intercontinental Championship match set for King and Queen of the Ring

After scrapping with each other and Sami Zayn last week, Chad Gable and Bronson Reed faced off in a one-on-one match.

Though the two were not vying for the title of King of the Ring, their disdain for each other and desire for an Intercontinental title opportunity was motivation enough to fight like hell. The match did not last long, as the IC champ Sami Zayn interfered by attacking Gable. Reed was not out of the woods, as Zayn went after him once Gable was down. The three men continued to attack each other until only Reed was standing.

Later in the night, Jackie Redmond talked to Zayn about the rivalry, and Zayn decided that the best way to settle the matter was to give both Gable and Reed what they want: a shot at the Intercontinental title in a triple threat match at King and Queen of the Ring.

3.) Becky Lynch interview devolves into chaos

Michael Cole interviewed Becky Lynch two weeks after her becoming the Women’s World Champion. They discussed new possible challengers after the Raw roster was shaken up by the draft, bringing up names like Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn, Kiana James, and Lyra Valkyria, who dethroned Lynch for the NXT Women’s Championship and was recently called up to Raw from the developmental brand.

The interview was interrupted by Liv Morgan, who was none too pleased that her name had not been brought up. Morgan demanded respect from Lynch, which she believed she deserved due to her accomplishments, including injuring Rhea Ripley and forcing her to vacate the title that Lynch now holds. Lynch told Morgan that she has not been brushing her off, but rather had not been given the chance to announce that she would get the title opportunity she so desired at King and Queen of the Ring.

Lynch was interrupted once again, this time by Damage CTRL, who circled the ring like sharks to send a message that they run Monday Night Raw. Morgan ducked out of the ring, leaving Lynch to fend for herself. Lynch was severely outnumbered, but Lyra Valkyria rushed to her aid, chasing Damage CTRL out of the ring just before her Queen of the Ring tournament match against Dakota Kai.

2.) Lyra Valkyria makes impressive main roster debut

The pressure was on Lyra Valkyria when she faced Dakota Kai. This was not only a first round Queen of the Ring tournament match, but also her first match on the main roster.

Valkyria was drafted to Raw from NXT during the WWE draft, and last night she proved why she belongs there. After chasing away Kai’s Damage CTRL teammates despite being outnumbered, Valkyria put away the more experienced competitor in a surprisingly short match. She came out of the gate strong, and successfully established herself as a credible threat.

1.) Gunther and Sheamus reignite rivalry

Two years after their iconic match at Clash at the Castle, Gunther and Sheamus met in the ring once again.

This time, rather than competing for the Intercontinental Championship, the two competed to advance in the King of the Ring tournament.

Both men have iron wills and neither held anything back, making for a hard-hitting and evenly-matched bout. Though Ludwig Kaiser supported Gunther from ringside, he was barely noticeable for the first half of the match. Gunther rarely requires assistance in his matches, but Sheamus was a threat on another level, and Gunther’s confidence must have been shaken. Kaiser assisted by wrapping up Sheamus’s knee in the ropes and drop kicking it with full force while Gunther distracted the referee.

Gunther continued to target Sheamus’ weakened knee, but Sheamus would not go down easily. Each man fought through the pain they’d dealt unto each other and made several pinfall attempts, to no avail. Though Sheamus came incredibly close to avenging his Clash at the Castle loss, it was not meant to be. Sheamus was forced to tap out after Gunther placed his bad knee in a half crab, too far from the ropes for any chance of relief.

With this victory, the Ring General took a significant step forward in his quest to become the King of the Ring.

Published |Modified
Noelle Perry

NOELLE PERRY