WWE Raw Recap: July 8, 2019

A.K.A. The One Where A Janitor Wrestled In The Main Event

What does Paul Heyman have in store for the new era of Raw’s second act? Last week’s show was met with generally positive reviews for the fresh feel it had. Will there be more in store with six days left until Extreme Rules? The card for Extreme Rules seems pretty set, but will more matches be added? And finally, what Firefly Funhouse characters will pop up backstage? Let’s find out together.

Results:

  • Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch def. Andrade & Zelina Vega
  • The Usos & Miz def. The Revival & Elias in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match
  • Bobby Lashley def. Rey Mysterio
  • Cesaro def. No Way Jose
  • Viking Raiders def. Local Competitors
  • Ricochet def. Luke Gallows
  • Ricochet def. Karl Anderson
  • Bayley def. Sarah Logan in 4:32
  • Nikki Cross def. Dana Brooke in 2:40 to win the Beat The Clock Challenge. Cross was allowed to select the stipulation for the SmackDown Women’s Championship match at Extreme Rules between Alexa Bliss and Bayley. She chose to make it a 2-on-1 handicap match, Bliss & Cross versus Bayley
  • Drew McIntyre & Shane McMahon def. Roman Reigns & “Gary Garbutt” who was Cedric Alexander in a mask.

Match of the Night: Ricochet def. Luke Gallows & Ricochet def. Karl Anderson. 

Technically two matches, but it was still the best segment of the night. Ricochet sold like the dickens for both Gallows and Anderson, and looked crafty in getting both wins. Fans who may have forgotten about the skills of Gallows & Anderson were also re-introduced to what they can do. The post-match beatdown of Ricochet by The Club also established them as the big bad heels on the block.

Three Thoughts:

Going Clubbing

The Club is back, and it’s an oh-so-good thing. A.J. Styles can make babyface or heel work, but his first heel run in WWE was amazing. The hopes are high for his second run as a baddie with Gallows & Anderson as his running mates. These three are hilarious together and can also do some serious damage.

This really exists as a win-win for The Club. Styles works well as the leader of a group, and makes for a great top heel. Gallows & Anderson get some direction and a ton more screen time. Everyone wins, except for maybe Ricochet on Sunday. 

Mixed Up Mixed Tag

The good about this: Raw started with a match for the second week in a row. A great switch. The bad: The stipulations of the match made no sense. It was a mixed tag match pitting Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch against Andrade & Zelina Vega. It was elimination rules, but also men could only fight men and women could only fight women. Do you follow? Good.

Lynch eliminated Vega first. That meant she was also eliminated from the match, right? Since she couldn’t fight Andrade, so she had to be out. It didn’t make sense, and just showed some gaps in the booking by WWE. These types of inconsistencies will bother fans.

24/7 Stars

The 24/7 Championship has been a great addition to programming for WWE. It gives them an area to focus their comedy chops and round out some lower card characters. R-Truth was the first star of the championship. Now, Drake Maverick has become a beloved character with his honeymoon angle. Even his wife, Renee Michelle, has become a fan favorite.

Who could be next to get an extended dance with the 24/7 Championship? Well, EC3 would make a logical choice. He isn’t doing much else, and has an existing relationship with Drake Maverick. Having EC3 surprise Maverick and pin him could make for an entertaining feud.

Latest Wrestling News

Grade: C-

The show did not have the same charm as last week. It didn’t feel overly fresh, nor was it a very exciting go-home show for Extreme Rules. The Club-Ricochet segment rocked, and the 24/7 Championship is still good. The rest felt like reruns. Some promo segments also felt awkward and stilted, like Cross-Bayley’s interview segment and every time Shane McMahon talked.

One More Thing:

Cesaro is being booked as a badass, but will it lead to a sustained push? Hopefully. WWE likes to promote Cesaro as one of the best pure wrestlers they have. They’re 100% correct, and should use him as such.

– Evan Gomes is the Managing Editor of Pro Wrestling for Full Press Coverage. Like and follow on and Facebook.

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