Raw Recap 7/30/18
Brock Lesnar Returns
The number one contender was once again standing in the middle of the ring to call out none other than the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Reigns came out firing, but Paul Heyman came out to stop him, cutting his same old promo that he usually does. He then claimed Brock would come out when he wanted and if he wanted, and Reigns proceeded to tell us all that when Brock shows up at SummerSlam, he’ll go back to UFC as Roman’s b—h. Later in the show, Paul was seen backstage with Brock Lesnar talking to him about what Roman had said and Lesnar had no interest. General Manager Kurt Angle proceeded to inform Hayman that Brock needed to make an appearance or else Heyman’s contract would be terminated. The rest of the show, Heyman was seen begging Lesnar to come to the ring while backstage in his dressing room. Lesnar responded unkindly to his advances, and verbally abused his manager, leaving him to be fired by Angle at the end of the show. As the show was closing, Lesnar came out to deliver an F-5 to Angle, followed by a physical beating to Paul Heyman.
Corbin/Balor Rivalry Continues
Baron Corbin and Finn Balor had another great match in this recent saga. This one was no different. Corbin dominated much of the match, although Balor found himself in a few great positions to hit counters in an effort to thwart Corbin’s momentum. Balor failed to hit Coup to Grace on two different occasions, and it ultimately led to his loss to Corbin.
Braun Strowman Shows Weakness
Braun Strowman once again found himself in the ring with Jinder Mahal. The Modern Day Maharaja was not in for much of a fight, as Kevin Owens came to the ring immediately and attempted to steal the Money in the Bank briefcase from Strowman. He distracted the Monster in the Bank, causing Strowman to lose by count out. The incident displayed Strowman’s vulnerability and how KO’s intelligence could factor into their match at SummerSlam.
McIntyre Saved by Ziggler
Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins had one hell of a match on a Monday Night Raw that exceeded expectations. In a match that lived up to the billing, McIntyre controlled a lot of the early going due to his pure power and size advantage over Rollins. However, the Architect began to take control and had the match won until an interference from Dolph Ziggler caused a disqualification. This creates a very interesting dynamic heading into SummerSlam, as McIntyre is still left without a match and could be worked into the Intercontinental Championship match.
The Rowdy One Makes Her Return
Ronda Rousey returned to Monday Night Raw after an extended suspension following a vicious attack on Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. She returned to accompany her friend Natalya to the ring with a match against Alicia Fox. Bliss stood in the corner of Fox, cheering her on and trying to goad the champion into getting suspended once again. Eventually, The Rowdy One got her hands on Bliss, only to be attacked by Fox.
Other Stories
The Revivial re-entered themselves into the tag team championship picture, which will make for an interesting buildup to SummerSlam and the title picture. Titus Worldwide finally picked up a victory for themselves in their brutal battle with Authors of Pain. Apollo Crews, after weeks of receiving punishment at the hands of AOP, gained a minor victory over Akam. The victory is fairly meaningless, as the group has been and will continue to be dominated by AOP. Elias and Bobby Lashley may now have a feud brewing. After Elias began his song, Lshley interrupted him only to join him in singing “Rockin Robin.” During the song, Elias then attacked Lashley saying his performance was embarrassing. New storylines are being introduced this week, and for the first time we saw Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar come to blows, with Lesnar landing all of them. Without a doubt this Raw was more memorable than those in the previous months, but could still use some work.
