This is a Judgment Day appreciation section. I know I write a lot about them, but they really run Rawso it is difficult not to use some nouns, verbs and adjectives about them.
It starts in the opening minutes. Gunther talked down Damian Priest even more, calling him, well, street trash. As I said last week, it’s a great fit for Gunther as the spoiled, cocky brat who feels like the heavyweight title of the world is his birthright. Damian, tired of his usual one-liners, rushed the ring and traded punches. They fought in the ring, they fought in the locker room, and eventually fought their way out of the show for the night. It took an element of Judgment Day out of the picture, but in a way that put more pressure on a championship match I wasn’t looking forward to three weeks ago.
Rhea took control with the champ gone, and tried to calm the troops down. This is typical Mami mode: tempers flare and she’s the calming influence and strategist. Finn Balor, all in his feelings over GUNTHER’s words and Jey Uso’s open flirting with Rhea, challenged the former to a singles match next week and suggested the team chase the latter. Rhea protested, much to Dirty Dom’s dismay. In a pretty cool character moment, Rhea further showed how Dom hurt her. He’s mad at her for flirting with Jey? Well, she hasn’t appreciated him doing anything with Liv for months.
This last part culminated in a segment that I loved. Finn caught Liv distracting Dom Againand Rhea finally had enough. She dragged Dom into the ring, called out the Women’s Heavyweight Champion of the World, and then this happened:
Dom’s words hurt me! Seriously, it was brutal. Was it a ruse? Maybe, but I really hope not. I know Rhea is a face and keeping her with Dom is a weird thing considering her alignment, but I really like them together. I know her licking Dom’s face did a lot for at least one person in the Cageside offices, and probably some of you reading this too.
But that wasn’t the end of their night. Rhea’s warnings proved true: JD and Finn challenged Jey and Sami to a tag team match and lost. This puts the tag team championships in jeopardy, which is exactly what Rhea feared.
This group continues to broadcast this show every week, but especially when Mami is home. I love it and never get tired of it.
Oh, and never do it Nothing There’s something vaguely wrong with Carlito. He’ll make you pay faster than a hiccup.
B-sides
It’s hard (a little)
Source Breakker pierced Ilja Dragunov in mid-air.
I saw a lot Bron and Ilja matches, so I usually look for something new; this was new.
And it happened during a match for a shot at Sami Zayn’s Intercontinental Championship.
I want to talk more about the spear. It’s not just that he did it, but that he knocked his opponent out. Before his rematch with Sami, Bron injured his opponent so badly that the referee stopped the fight. It’s a great way to prepare for a match with Sami. If Bron can do that to Ilja, a man the territory has turned into one of the toughest guys on the roster (and a glutton for punishment), then imagine what’s in store for the champ. It’s a great way to show rather than tell. Bron talks about being a tough guy and shows it often; this move is even tougher and in one of the most effective ways.
Marcus Smart
Sonya Deville’s comeback is off to a good start. More than her win-loss record, it’s the strength of her new stable that matters. Even when the match is numerically even, as it was this week when Sonya faced Lyra Valkyria, it doesn’t matter that Katana Chance and Kayden Carter are backing Lyra, or that the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions came to her aid when Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler interfered. Sonya took advantage of all the drama, caught Lyra slipping, and took her down with a finishing move that’s too ridiculously named to reprint.
And it got me thinking about how they build a strong stable and make its leader look smart. Sonya comes across as a good competitor, but she takes advantage of her openings. She brought this group together (who brought this group together? Who am I!) through clever moves and conversations. It’s important that her intelligence outside the ring matches her intelligence inside. Giving her these types of wins where she simply outsmarts her opponents only makes her and the group look good.
Can Lyra, Katana, and Kayden become smarter?
Opposite side
The answer to the argument I just made is that Zelina Vega beat Zoey. However, what saved Zoey was that Zelina used her bandaged arm to gain a small advantage behind the referee’s back. This keeps Sonya’s group’s momentum going while giving Zelina a win after the boost of support she recently received on Elon Musk’s hellscape.
And Sonya’s group got their moment of glory later in a backstage segment with the Women’s Tag Team Champions. Great moves all around and a fun match that showed how willing the crowd is to really support Zelina.
Simple
- Xavier Woods’ plans didn’t quite work out this week. He and what’s left of Alpha Academy lost to the Final Testament. Xavier wants a singles match against Karrion Kross, and he’s getting one next week.
- Another big moment from this match? Chad Gable introduced his old team to his new team, which is the Creed Bros. Otis appreciated the fact that the minute things went downhill last week, Chad left them in the lurch. And he was right! Otis almost got his hands on his old coach, but the Creeds intervened… right before another Wyatt Sicks attack.
- Amazing crowd response when Uncle Howdy hit Chad with the Sister Abagail. Nice culmination of all these video segments.
- Sheamus interrupted the Pete Dunne vs. Bronson Reed match before it even started. Sheamus wants both men and I hope he gets them at Summer Slam.
- Speaking of Summer SlamCM Punk is cleared for action. Which means Punk vs. Drew McIntyre at Summer Slam is official. BUT, Seth Rollins is the special guest referee. I like that because it keeps all these pieces together organically. Seth hates both men but also has to keep them apart for a few weeks because if they touch before the event, the match is off.
- I mentioned Bron earlier. Well, the big man reappeared after Sami and Jey Uso defeated Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, and sent Sami into oblivion (no thanks to Liv). It was a nice ending for Bron, my Monday MVP.
Another fun show. Bron reigned supreme, Judgment Day is so compelling, and the women’s division is building several things that interest me. I like it when my wrestling shows feel like an organic universe; Raw That’s what I felt this week. The way the segments flowed and the action continued from the ring to the backstage. And the Bron bookends will always fascinate me.
What do you say, Cagesiders? Are Dom and Liv setting a trap for Rhea? Or was her very hateful tirade honest?
Make your voice heard !