Sports
WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from June 15
0 of 10Credit: WWE.comSunday’s Backlash pay-per-view will be the main topic of discussion on this week’s Raw as Randy Orton opened the show so he can talk about his win over Edge.We also saw a rematch from the pay-per-view when Asuka defended the Raw Women’s Championship against Nia Jax after both women were counted out…
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Credit: WWE.com
Sunday's Backlash pay-per-view will be the main topic of discussion on this week's Raw as Randy Orton opened the show so he can talk about his win over Edge.
We also saw a rematch from the pay-per-view when Asuka defended the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax after both women were counted out in their first encounter.
Drew McIntyre teamed up with R-Truth to take on MVP and Bobby Lashley in tag team action, Ric Flair made an appearance and Dominik Mysterio accepted Seth Rollins' invitation.
The next WWE PPV will be Extreme Rules on July 19, so we can also expect management to spend some time planting the seeds for feuds that will fill up the card.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's Raw.
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Credit: WWE.com
Orton opened the show and talked about how he did exactly what he said he would do at Backlash. He said it also gave Edge closure on some level.
The Viper confirmed Edge suffered a torn tricep and took credit for sending him home to be a husband and father instead of being at Raw.
Christian's music hit, and he walked to the ring to confront the man who injured his best friend at Backlash. He called Orton a few names before saying Edge will not quit.
The 13-time champion taunted Christian by saying he was jealous of Edge and just wants one more match for himself. He offered Christian his chance to get retribution with an unsanctioned match and said the offer expired at the end of the night.
Grade: B
Analysis
When Orton is a good guy, he is one of the best, but he is even better at being a heel. This promo was everything it needed to be without being longer than necessary.
If Christian has been cleared to return for even one match, a lot of fans are going to be happy. He never got a proper chance to say goodbye when he retired.
This was a solid segment with two veterans who have a long history with each other.
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Before this match began, Angel Garza and Zelina Vega were being interviewed by Charly Caruso. Andrade wished Garza luck but looked like he was still upset about how Backlash turned out for him.
El Idolo did not accompany him to the ring with Vega for his match against Kevin Owens but he showed up after about a minute.
KO used the distraction to take control and corner the young man for some stiff strikes. Owens ended up ripping Garza’s pants off before he could do it himself. It’s more innocent than it sounds.
Andrade and Garza got into an argument at ringside and Vega stormed off as the show went to a break. We returned to see Andrade still at ringside as KO took it to Garza.
The high-flyer hit a missile dropkick for a near fall. He kept The Prize Fighter down with a submission until he reached the bottom rope. El Idolo got on the apron but it didn’t stop Owens from hitting a Stunner for the win.
Vega came back out and told them they need to work together, but neither man appeared to want their union to continue.
Grade: C
Analysis
The breakup of Garza and Andrade has been coming for weeks, so none of this was surprising. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t necessary.
The match itself was relatively basic and uneventful. It was everything that surrounded it that mattered.
Garza and Andrade may still be allies for the time being, but it is just a matter of time before they become rivals. When they do, we should be in store for some incredible matches.
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Bobby Lashley and MVP were out after the break to talk about The All Mighty’s loss to Drew McIntyre at Backlash.
MVP put the blame on Lana, and Lashley did not object one bit. He said McIntyre should give Lashley a rematch if he has integrity.
The Ravishing Russian marched her way to the ring and said Lashley was stupid for banning her from ringside in the first place.
MVP and Lana argued about who was to blame. Lashley finally spoke up and said he wants a divorce before leaving with MVP.
Grade: B
Analysis
Byron Saxton said he didn’t see this one coming, but he is the only person on earth who didn’t predict this. The storyline with Lana and Lashley has gone on way too long and it looks like we won’t have to deal with it much longer.
MVP has been killing it on the mic and this segment continued that trend. Lana was good here, too. This went exactly as it should have.
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The Viking Raiders and Street Profits teamed up for an eight-man tag match against Akira Tozawa and three masked ninjas.
One of the ninjas posed for a moment before Erik destroyed him with a running dropkick. Angelo Dawkins tagged in for a double team with the Viking.
The biggest ninja stood silently at ringside. He is actually Performance Center recruit Jordan Omogbehin. The Profit Raiders scored the win in less than two minutes.
Tozawa brought the big man into the ring. The Big Show came down and stood with The Raider Profits. He helped them dispatch the entire group while Tozawa and Omogbehin left up the ramp.
Grade: C
Analysis
Sunday's weird encounter ended up being a lot of fun. This segment did not bring the same level of entertainment or give us any idea of what Tozawa is trying to do.
The appearance of The Big Show felt random and unnecessary. As entertaining as The Viking Raiders and The Street Profits are as an alliance, most fans would probably rather see them have a real tag title match instead of whatever this was.
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Rollins came to the ring to talk about Rey and Dominik Mysterio. The Master of the 619 appeared on the big screen and warned The Monday Night Messiah not to hurt his son.
Rollins claimed he wants to help Dominik, not hurt him. He said if Dominik wants to be part of the problem, he will be sacrificed. Rey promised to end Rollins if he or his goons touched his son.
As Rollins spoke to Rey, Dominik attacked him from behind. He threw The Messiah into the steel steps before Murphy and Austin Theory ran to the ring. The younger Mysterio found a way to avoid them and escape through the crowd of wrestlers.
Grade: B
Analysis
Rollins is slowly becoming one of the best heels in WWE with this gimmick. This segment was the most comfortable he has ever looked as this character.
Dominik attacking him and evading his allies was fun to watch. It remains to be seen if he is as good as his father in the ring, but this quick segment made him look good.
It will be interesting to see how far this goes. Will Rey and Dominik team up for a tag match or will Dominik have a singles bout against Rollins at some point? Either option works for the storyline but the tag match would probably produce a better performance.
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The IIconics were looking to score a win after coming up short at Backlash, but Liv Morgan and Natalya were standing in their way.
Peyton Royce and Morgan kicked things off but Nattie immediately tagged herself in for some reason. Royce took advantage with a huge forearm smash.
Billie Kay tagged in for a quick double team move to get a two-count. Morgan got the tag and came in hot with a flurry of strikes for both of her opponents. Royce had to save Kay from being pinned after a missile dropkick took her out.
The IIconics hit their finisher on Morgan for a quick win while Natalya was down at ringside. Kay and Royce issued a challenge to Bayley and Sasha Banks for the women's tag titles.
Grade: C-
Analysis
This match was too short to be anything special. All four Superstars tried their best but when you only have a couple of minutes, there is not much you can do.
Natalya tagging herself in was a strange way to start the contest. She is a veteran who made a rookie mistake, so it didn't make a lot of sense.
Pairing Nattie and Morgan together felt random, especially if there are no plans to keep them together or use it to start a feud between them. There are other people who could have been jobbed out.
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MVP was shown trying to recruit Apollo Crews backstage, but the U.S. champion refused his offer. Shelton Benjamin gave a quick promo about how Crews should have listened to MVP.
Benjamin took control early with a running knee in the corner. He grounded the champ with a headlock until Crews fought his way out of it with a few strikes.
They traded punches before Crews hit a jumping kick and a standing moonsault for a near fall. The Gold Standard was caught cheating by the ref and Crews rolled him up for the win.
Grade: C
Analysis
This match was quick, but Crews and Benjamin didn't slow down for a second. Everything they did looked smooth and their strikes hit hard. If they had a few more minutes, this would have been incredible.
It would have made more sense for Benjamin to get the win to set up a future title shot. He has been underused for a long time but it was still nice to see him get some time on a show other than Main Event.
MVP was shown scouting Crews from backstage, so he will likely continue pursuing him as a new client in the coming weeks. If that alliance does happen, it will elevate the United States champion to a new level.
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After a backstage segment, this match ended up being for the WWE Championship. If Truth lost, McIntyre would lose the title. Needless to say, the champ was not happy about this development.
The All Mighty and The Scottish Psychopath started for their teams. They locked up and began brawling in the corner. Lashley ended up hitting him in the throat to take control.
After McIntyre began to make a comeback, Truth tagged himself in. He ran right into a suplex from MVP before Lashley threw him into the barricade. After a commercial break, McIntyre was back in control.
He drilled MVP with a Future Shock DDT but Lashley broke up the pin. Truth sent Lashley into the steel steps while McIntyre hit the Claymore on MVP. He decided to tag in Truth so he could finish off MVP with a splash from the top rope.
Grade: C
Analysis
This match was fine from an in-ring perspective, but it did nothing to further the storyline. Lana did not cost her husband the match, Truth did not cost McIntyre the title and MVP failed his client.
There were a lot of better options for how to end this match but management went with the safest outcome, which was having McIntyre retain the title he already retained on Sunday.
If WWE wants Lashley to eventually unseat McIntyre as the WWE champion, it is building him up in a weird way.
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Asuka and Jax met for a rematch so we could have a definitive winner after both women were counted out during their bout at Backlash.
Jax got in the first few shots before The Empress took her down with an armbar. The challenger broke free but the champ stayed on her.
One hard right hand put Asuka on the mat. We went to a break after Jax hit a powerbomb at ringside. We returned to see Asuka beginning to show signs of a comeback.
She countered a Samoan drop from the middle rope and hit a double stomp for a two-count. While Jax was arguing with the ref about something, Asuka rolled her up for the pin.
Grade: B-
Analysis
This wasn't quite as physical as their encounter from Backlash but it was still a solid showing. Jax looked dominant and Asuka looked like a resilient fighter.
The referee making a fast count after he was shoved by Jax was an intriguing way to end this match because it opens up the possibility of Jax being able to lobby for another rematch.
It wouldn't be surprising if they ended up in some sort of gimmick match at Extreme Rules on July 19. A steel cage would be the best setting for these two to settle their feud once and for all.
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Earlier in the evening, Christian accepted Orton's challenge for an unsanctioned match. Big Show and Ric Flair were both shown trying to talk Captain Charisma out of doing this.
He didn't show up in tights and boots. He was wearing his street clothes with some athletic tape around his hands for protection. Samoa Joe called him a fool for even considering facing The Viper.
As the introductions were being made, The Nature Boy came to the ring to make one last plea to Christian. He said he talked to Edge and he didn't need to do this, but Christian said he needed to.
As soon as the bell rang, Flair hit Christian with a low blow and walked away. Orton immediately hit the Punt but almost looked remorseful after doing it. He carefully rolled Christian over so he could cover him for the pin.
Grade: B
Analysis
As the end of the show drew near, it became more and more clear that this was not going to be the epic fight a lot of fans were hoping for. There were only five minutes left when they made their entrances.
Honestly, this was the best way to do this. Christian was not going to have a full match, but having him used as a sacrifice adds a new layer to the story.
The fact that Orton apologized to Christian after it was over while saying he never wanted to hurt him was unexpected. He still blamed Christian for what happened, but the way he did it was surprising.
With Edge being injured and Christian unable to do anything about it, Orton is going to need a new rival for the coming months.
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