WWE Raw Recap: July 22, 2019

A.K.A. The One With The Reunion

The Raw Reunion is here and many legends are booked for the show. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Booker T, DX, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Jerry Lawler, and more are appearing on the show. I’m sure some actual wrestling will happen too, right? Bray Wyatt debuted last week, attacking Finn Balor. Will “The Fiend” be back tonight? Seth Rollins should be gunning for Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship tonight as well. What legends shenanigans will ensue? Let’s find out together.

Results:

  • The Usos w/ Rikishi def. The Revival w/D-Von Dudley
  • Drake Maverick def. R-Truth to win the 24/7 Championship
  • Drew McIntyre vs Cedric Alexander doesn’t take place due to McIntyre attacking Alexander
  • Pat Patterson def. Drake Maverick to win the 24/7 Championship
  • Viking Raiders def. Hawkins & Ryder
  • Gerald Briscoe def. Pat Patterson to win the 24/7 Championship
  • Kelly Kelly def. Gerald Briscoe to win the 24/7 Championship
  • Roman Reigns def. Samoa Joe
  • Candice Michelle def. Kelly Kelly to win the 24/7 Championship
  • Alundra Blayze def. Candice Michelle to win the 24/7 Championship
  • Rey Mysterio def. Sami Zayn
  • Ted DiBiase buys the 24/7 Championship off of Alundra Blayze
  • Seth Rollins def. A.J. Styles by disqualification
  • Drake Maverick def. Ted DiBiase to win the 24/7 Championship
  • R-Truth def. Drake Maverick to win the 24/7 Championship
  • Braun Strowman def. Randy Row
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Match of the Night: All of the 24/7 Championship Action

I’m actually serious when I put these segments as the best matches on the show. Yes, the action between Styles & Rollins was good, and so was Samoa Joe-Reigns. The backbone of this show wasn’t any in-ring product, though. This was a show about celebrating the legends of RAW, and WWE did a great job of that. Highlight of the title’s lineage tonight: Ted DiBiase buying the title off of Alundra Blayze. She was going to put it in the garbage. We can’t have that happen again.

Three Thoughts:

Joe is Right

Samoa Joe came out on Raw Reunion and said what a lot of people were thinking. These nostalgia trips are damaging the wrestling product. All the focus goes onto the legends for one show, just for nostalgia, and leads to a show that is usually not memorable for any current stars. It’s fun in the moment, but a mistake later. It’s the show equivalent of eating an entire box of donuts. 

Joe got heat from the crowd for his comments, but he made a good point. There were definitely some fun moments on the show. However, this is in the heat of the build to Summerslam. Important rivalry building was put on the backburner to satisfy our nostalgia craving.

Legends, 24/7

The common thread of the legends appearances was the 24/7 Championship. So many legends won it, including Kelly Kelly as the first female champion. This is what the 24/7 Championship is good for: quality comedy. WWE is going to lean on legends and slapstick goofiness from now until the end of time. This title works perfectly with it and having it on people like Pat Patterson doesn’t de-value it any. It was smart of WWE to use it as a device.

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Actual Storylines?

There were some storylines that were moved forward on the show. The best combination of legends and storyline came when “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt reappeared to take out Mick Foley. He used Foley’s own Mandible Claw to take out the legend in a great segment.

Seth Rollins got to confront Brock Lesnar’s advocate Paul Heyman and sell their Summerslam matchup. It wasn’t the best segment, but it was consistent with Rollins’ babyface persona. Becky Lynch also got to confront her challenger for Summerslam, Natalya. Lynch is frustrated with Nattie for training Ronda Rousey to try and beat Lynch at Wrestlemania. It’s not the most complex feud we’ve ever seen, but does make for an exciting matchup.

Grade: C+

This show was all about the legends, just as we all expected. The in-ring product was limited, but there were still bright spots. Mick Foley getting wrecked by The Fiend was one. The 24/7 Title was the other. There were also downers, like no proper women’s matches on the whole show. If you want nostalgia consistently, check out the WWE Network. With this out of the way, hopefully the build to Summerslam can kick into high gear.

One More Thing:

John Cena came back and he had the line of the night against the Usos. 

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

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