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Welcome to Bleacher Report's coverage and recap for WWE Monday Night Raw.
Seth Rollins earned a future shot at the WWE Championship following his win in a Fatal 4-Way match last week against Finn Balor, Kevin Owens and Rey Mysterio.
WWE.com's official preview for this week's show teased what plans The Messiah could have in store for Big E.
The only other segment advertised ahead of time was Bianca Belair challenging Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship in the opening segment.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Monday's episode of Raw.
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Raw started off with the main event this week when Lynch put the Raw women's title on the line against the former champion, Belair.
They locked up, and Lynch put Belair in the corner. They traded some slaps until The EST chased The Man out to the apron. She pulled the champ back in and planted her in a waistlock.
Belair hit a handspring moonsault for a two-count. Lynch rolled out of the ring to regroup and hit a jawbreaker when Belair tried to bring her back in. The No. 1 contender hit a suplex on the floor to send us to a commercial.
We returned to see The EST beginning to build up a head of steam. She hit a pair of suplexes for a near-fall. Lynch rolled her up for a two-count before the challenger hit a gutbuster for another near-fall.
The Man ducked a shot from the braid and almost won with a victory roll. She and Belair traded pinning combinations before Lynch attempted to apply the Dis-arm-her. Belair powered her up, and they went crashing over the top rope to the floor.
We returned from a second break to see Lynch trying to get Belair into an armbar. The challenger was able to lift her up for a powerbomb to break her grip. They fought in the corner, and Belair pressed the champ above her head for a big slam.
Lynch hit the Man-handle Slam, but Belair was able to get her foot on the rope to break the ref's count. Belair caught her in a baseball slide and dropped her onto the announce table. She hit Lynch with a Glam Slam for a two-count.
Lynch managed to rip the padding off the top turnbuckle and send Belair's head into it. She rolled the challenger up with a handful of tights for the win.
Grade: A-
Analysis
This was a fun match from the moment the first bell rang until the ref made the three-count. Both women looked strong, but Belair had the most standout moments.
The finish was good because it protects Belair and gives her an argument for why she still deserves to be in the hunt for the title.
Lynch did a great job playing up her new heel persona without cheating too much so when she won with a dirty trick, it was a little more surprising.
If there is one complaint to be had, it's that they felt like they were rushing a bit at times. Nothing they did looked sloppy, but they didn't spend a ton of time selling.
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After picking up a win over Dominik Mysterio last week, Austin Theory wanted to repeat his success against the legendary Rey Mysterio.
Theory backed him to the corner and made a clean break to taunt the former world champion. He knocked Rey right out of the ring with a shoulder tackle, but the Master of the 619 ran back in and started unloading on him with strikes.
He took Theory down with a headscissor takeover, but the young Superstar quickly made a comeback and hit a suplex for a two-count. Theory took a moment to taunt Dominik before he hit a somersault into a dropkick.
He picked up Rey at ringside, and Dom spun Rey around so he could hit a DDT on the floor as we went to a break. We returned to see Theory plant Mysterio with a gutbuster.
Rey countered a superplex and tripped Theory into the top turnbuckle. He climbed to the top rope for a seated senton. They ended up taking each other out with back-to-back dropkicks.
Theory hit Dom with a dropkick through the ropes. Rey got him in position for the 619, but the ref disqualified Rey after Dom slapped Theory in the face.
Grade: B
Analysis
This was a good match full of well-executed moves by both Superstars, but it felt like they were holding back just a bit for some reason. They were right on the cusp of making this great.
The DQ finish is not ideal, but it kind of makes sense for the story WWE is building with everyone. Theory gets the win to keep his streak going, while Rey and Dom will continue to develop friction because of how this played out.
They did a good job making the match competitive despite Theory's significant height, power and weight advantages. It's wild that Rey can still perform at this level after over 25 years in the business.
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After a backstage confrontation, Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. challenged Carmella and Queen Zelina to a non-title match. The whole argument started over Vega insulting Nikki's mask.
Mella put on her own protective mask before the ref called for the bell. Ripley and Queen Zelina had a bit of a standoff before Ripley easily overpowered her with a shove. Carmella tagged in and slapped Ripley across the face.
The Aussie fired back with a headbutt and a few strikes. Some of the other women on the Raw roster were shown watching from backstage as Nikki tagged in and managed to keep the upper hand against both opponents. She took them out with a crossbody from the apron as we went to a commercial.
We returned to see Carmella keeping Ripley grounded in a headlock. Ripley stood up with Mella on her back, so Zelina tagged herself in. Nikki came in and beat her all around the ring.
Carmella broke up a pin with a kick to the face, so Ripley pulled her out of the ring. The Most Beautiful Woman in All of WWE pushed her into the barricade and helped Zelina hit the Code Red for the win.
Grade: C+
Analysis
All four women helped make this a decent match that established the next feud for the women's tag titles, but it left a lot of room for improvement.
Zelina and Carmella are a good match for each other. It's too bad WWE broke up all of the other teams in the division during the draft.
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Otis accompanied Chad Gable to the ring for his match against Finn Balor. They started off with a basic lockup and traded holds and takedowns as they put their technical skills on display.
Gable hit the first strike with a chop to the throat, but Balor nailed him with a dropkick a few seconds later. Gable took him down by the leg and started focusing all of his offense on the limb.
The former universal champion hit a standing double stomp followed by a sling blade. Gable avoided a running dropkick and put him in an ankle lock. Balor somehow managed to counter into an armbar, but Gable turned it right back into an ankle lock.
Balor countered out of it and hit another double stomp. Gable hit northern lights and German suplexes for a two-count. He went for a moonsault, but Balor got his knees up to block. He sent Gable into the corner with a dropkick but was slow to get to the top rope for the Coup de Grace.
Gable joined him on the top rope and hit a superplex. Balor turned it into a cradle when they landed to steal the win.
Grade: B+
Analysis
WWE has all the tools necessary to put on a great show every week. Booking matches like this is a great way to ensure your show will have some high-quality wrestling for the fans to enjoy.
Gable is one of the best technicians in WWE but rarely gets a chance to show it. Facing Balor allowed him to shine as an individual against someone else who is considered to be at the top of his game.
Otis had no involvement in the match or the outcome, which was actually a nice change of pace. This bout had a completely clean finish, and it helped make it more enjoyable.
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Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode had a quick backstage run-in with Riddle before they came out to face Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. Riddle and Randy Orton came out to watch from ringside.
Roode and Ford started for their teams with a basic exchange while the crowd chanted for Orton. Ford slammed Roode and mocked his selling before tagging in Dawkins for a double-team move to score a near-fall.
The Dirty Dawgz took control for a moment, but Dawkins was able to get the upper hand. We went to a break with the Profits having a little staredown with RK-Bro.
Roode was in firm control when we came back. He and Ziggler cut off Dawkins from his teammate by keeping him in their corner. Ford finally got the hot tag and came in with a huge crossbody from the top rope.
He hit a series of moves, and Ziggler had to interfere to break up a pin. The Showoff tagged in, and Roode sent Ford right into his arms for a brutal DDT.
The Dirty Dawgz took out Dawkins at ringside before Ford jumped right over the ring post to take out both men. Omos started to come to the ring, and the distraction allowed Ziggler to steal the win.
Grade: B+
Analysis
This match started off good and continued to pick up steam as it went. Roode and Ziggler are great opponents for Ford and Dawkins because their veteran experience allows them to work with anybody at a high level.
The distraction finish wasn't ideal, but it's not the end of the world. All of these teams are circling the tag titles, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them end up in some kind of multi-team match at Survivor Series.
WWE teased Orton and Omos fighting only to cut away to a replay followed by a backstage interview with Damian Priest. It was a bit of a downer ending to an otherwise entertaining tag team match.
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Following last week's violent confrontation, Damian Priest and T-Bar met for a No Disqualification match on Monday's show.
They locked up and immediately started brawling. Priest clotheslined T-Bar out of the ring and followed him to keep the fight going. He whipped the former member of Retribution into the barricade before he brought a table in the ring.
T-Bar took the table and set it up at ringside before Priest took him down with a senton from the steps. T-Bar beat him down and tried to powerbomb him through the table. Priest avoided it, but he ended up getting shoved into the steps.
The Archer of Infamy nailed him with a kick to the face, and T-Bar responded with his own boot. He picked up Priest and hit a Samoan drop from the middle rope to send us into a commercial.
T-Bar still had control when we came back, but Priest started to show some signs of life. He hit a flurry of strikes and a broken arrow for a two-count. T-Bar grabbed him by the neck for a chokeslam neckbreaker to get a near-fall.
He tied Priest up in the ropes and got a few weapons from under the ring. He teed off on Priest's ribs with a kendo stick. The U.S. champ managed to break free and hit a clothesline. He picked up a chair and went on a rampage with shots to the back and body. He grabbed T-Bar and chokeslammed him through the table from the apron.
Priest grabbed his opponent and hit his finisher to secure the win. Apollo Crews came out with Commander Azeez to insert himself back into the hunt for the title with a promo.
Grade: A-
Analysis
This was far and away the best performance we have seen from T-Bar since he was known as Dominik Dijakovic in NXT.
He and Priest took each other to the limit in this No Disqualification match. They used tables, chairs, kendo sticks and every part of the ring to inflict punishment.
It would have been nice if T-Bar got the win and earned a future title shot, but either outcome would have been fine with a match that was this much fun.
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Rollins came out in another one of his signature loud suits to give a promo. He spoke about defeating Rey, Balor and Owens to earn a shot at the WWE Championship.
Big E came out to respond and called Rollins out for refusing his handshake last week. Rollins mocked The New Day's accomplishments until Big E got angry.
The champ suggested they have the title match tonight, but Rollins didn't like that idea one bit. He said he wasn't 100 percent after the ladder match last week and they would have the match on his terms.
Owens joined them from the stage and proceeded to insult The Messiah. He challenged Big E to a match for tonight, and the champ accepted right away.
The bout ended up in the main event slot. They began with some simple headlocks before Owens drilled Big E with a back elbow to the face. Big E almost hit his finisher, but KO turned it into a reverse DDT for a two-count.
He hit a dropkick from the middle rope before Big E grabbed him for a trio of belly-to-belly suplexes. Owens countered the third and avoided a splash on the apron. He took the WWE champion down with a senton from the apron as Rollins came out to get an up-close view of the action.
We returned from a break to see KO and Big E trading big shots to the face. Owens rolled out of the way of a running splash and hit a cannonball in the corner. Big E barely kicked out after a huge senton bomb from The Prize Fighter.
Rollins hit Big E with a cheap shot while the ref had his back turned. Owens made the cover, but Big E reversed the cover into a crucifix for the win. Big E accused Owens of being in cahoots with Rollins. KO grabbed a mic and refuted the claims. He said this was all Rollins' fault, and he challenged The Messiah to a match next week. He apologized to Big E, but the champ took him out with a Big Ending anyway.
Grade: B+
Analysis
Big meaty men slapping meat. That's all Big E wants out of his WWE career, and matches like this will help him live that dream.
Owens has been out of the main event scene for so long that it's easy to forget how good he is in big match situations. He is great at adding so many little things to make his performance better.
Big E getting the win despite Rollins' interference helps solidify him as a dangerous champion who can beat his opponents with power moves or a simple reversal.
This week's show ended up delivering on the pro wrestling while still managing to feature a lot of other segments and storyline developments. It just proves that WWE can be good if it wants to.
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