The July 2nd, 2018 edition of WWE RAW aired live from the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
– This week’s broadcast opens up with a video package recapping the history between Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns.
– Michael Cole welcomes us to the arena, and Roman Reigns comes out to kick off the show. Reigns steps in the ring and gets on the mic, and complains about losing to The Revival last week. He blames the loss on having the worst tag partner ever – Bobby Lashley, and he wants to fight Lashley right here and now. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre come out to interrupt. Ziggler takes issue with Reigns acting like he owns the place, and trying to make everything about him. Ziggler and McIntyre step into the ring and stand across from Reigns. Drew says since he stuck his nose in their business last week, they’re going to return the favor now. Ziggler and McIntyre beat down Reigns until Seth Rollins runs out for the save. Rollins fights off Ziggler and McIntyre and helps Reigns up to his feet in the ring. Drew and Dolph retreat up the ramp as we go to commercial.
– Reigns and Rollins approach RAW GM Kurt Angle backstage. Rollins says enough is enough, and they want Drew and Dolph. Kurt tells them it has to be next week, because Reigns and Lashley have a rematch against The Revival later. Reigns protests that both matches should be tonight, and Kurt grants them the match with Drew and Dolph later tonight.
– Matt Hardy comes out to the ring, and then Curtis Axel appears on the big screen mocking him. Bo Dallas appears next to Axel and mocks Wyatt.
– Matt Hardy vs. Curtis Axel: Bo Dallas is at ringside for this one. Hardy starts off strong and sends Axel into the corner, and he gets some advice from Dallas while he’s down. Axel fights back and connects with a dropkick. Axel beats on Matt in the corner and works on keeping the Woken one grounded. They fight out to the apron and Matt hits a Side Effect on the apron. Back in the ring, Matt beats down Axel in the corner and hits another Side Effect for a two count. Matt hits a flying elbow off the middle rope, and then another one off the middle rope for a two count. Hardy looks for the Twist of Fate, but Dallas causes a distraction. The distraction leads to Axel throwing Matt into the ring post and then hitting a face buster for the three count.
Winner: Curtis Axel
– The B Team celebrates after the match and they run up the ramp together.
– Still to come: Roman Reigns & Bobby Lashley vs. The Revival; plus Bayley and Sasha Banks “go to counseling.”
– We go backstage with Rollins and Reigns in their locker room. Lashley walks in and says Reigns is a heat magnet and a trouble starter, and nobody likes him. Lashley says he’d rather fights Reigns than team up with him, but they have to coexist tonight. Reigns says he’s going to start, finish and win the match tonight, and Lashley can just stand on the apron with his fake smile. Lashley tells Reigns if he messes it up he’s going to hold him responsible, and that’s a threat.
– We see a video package looking at the issues between Bayley and Sasha Banks, and Kurt Angle ordering Bayley to go counseling. Michael Cole introduces footage of their first counseling session, and we go to a pre-taped segment in a doctor’s office setting. Bayley is sitting in the waiting room when Sasha walks in and immediately starts arguing with Bayley. The doctor, Dr. Shelby, walks in and asks them to follow him into his office – which he likes to call the friend zone. The counselor starts advising Bayley and Sasha about friendship. We go back to the arena and Titus Worldwide is on their way out to the ring.
– Titus & Apollo vs. The Authors of Pain: The Authors start off strong with frequent tags and Rezar hits a version of The Dominator on Apollo. Rezar beats him down in the corner and tosses him down for a pin attempt. Titus runs in but The Authors send him into the ring post and then outside. Akam hits a side slam on Crews, then they hit the Last Chapter on Apollo for the win after a short match.
Winners: The Authors of Pain
– Akam and Rezar stand tall in the ring as Titus and Crews recover at ringside.
– Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are backstage getting ready for their matches. Their tag match against Dolph and Drew are up next.
– We see footage of Kevin Owens arriving to the arena and giving his rental car to the valet. Owens refuses to the give the valet his key, and he takes it with him. Owens puts his hood up and tries to keep a low profile entering the arena.
– Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler: Rollins and Ziggler start this off and Rollins wrestles him down to the mat early on. Ziggler starts to fire up but Rollins dropkicks him down. Drew tags in and locks up with Rollins, then he takes Rollins down to the mat. Reigns tags in and goes at it with Drew now. Drew backs Reigns into the corner and pummels on him. Reigns turns the tide and hits a series of right hands on Drew in the corner. Reigns hits an uppercut, but then he gets distracted by Dolph, which leads to Drew clotheslining Reigns down. Lashley is shown backstage watching on a monitor. Ziggler tags in and continues beating on Reigns. Drew tags back in and chops Reigns in the corner and then hits a neckbreaker for a two count. Ziggler tags back in and pummels on Reigns in the corner. Ziggler charges but Reigns catches him with an uppercut. Rollins gets the hot tag and hits a springboard flying clothesline on Ziggler. He follows up with the Slide Blade on Ziggler, then he kicks Drew off the apron. Rollins follows up with a suicide dive on Drew, while Reigns boots Ziggler. Back in teh ring, Rollins goes up top and hits the frogsplash for a two count. Ziggler looks for a superkick on Rollins, but Rollins blocks it and slingshots Ziggler out to ringside. Rollins goes up top and hits a suicide dive down onto Ziggler and McIntyre at ringside. Back in the ring, Ziggler applies a sleeper until Rollins drops him down. Ziggler follows up with the Fameasser for a two count. Drew tags in and continues the offense on Rollins. Rollins looks to tag in Reigns, but Drew pulls Reigns off the apron. Drew and Dolph continue beating on Rollins in the ring. Rollins comes back with a superkick on Drew and he looks for the tag, but Ziggler interrupts. Rollins powerbombs Ziggler into the corner and he looks to tag in Reigns, but The Revival comes out and beats down Reigns. The ref calls for the DQ and this one turns into a beat down of Reigns and Rollins at ringside.
Winners via DQ: Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns
– The beat-down on Reigns and Rollins continues after the match. Drew and Dolph take Rollins in the ring and double team him. The Revival then takes Reigns in the ring and continues beating him down, and they hit the Shatter Machine.
– Still to come: Roman Reigns & Bobby Lashley vs. The Revival
– We see footage from last week of Kevin Owens run-in with Braun Strowman behind the arena in the parking lot.
– Kurt Angle is backstage when Kevin Owens walks in his office and begs him to do something about Braun Strowman. Kurt says it sounds like Owens wants to settle things in the ring, but Owens says no, and says Strowman should be suspended, fired, or sent to therapy. Kurt says there’s only one way to settle this: Kevin Owens will be facing Strowman tonight.
– We see more footage from the counseling session with Sasha and Bayley, but we can’t hear what’s being said.
– Baron Corbin comes down to the ring, and he’s got a mic. Corbin cuts a promo on Finn Balor and shows footage of what happened between them last week. He calls out Balor, and Balor down to the ring. Corbin wants Balor to apologize, and Balor sarcastically apologizes and makes fun of Corbin’s clothes. Corbin gets mad and calls Balor a little twerp, and demands that Balor apologizes. Balor calls Corbin Stephanie’s stooge, and Corbin decks him with a right hand. Balor fights back and knocks Corbin outside. Corbin recovers and heads up the ramp as Balor stares him down from the ring.
– Elias is backstage warming up when Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan walk up to him and ask if he’s performing. He says not for the fans, but he will for them, and he starts playing and Liv and Sarah start destroying things backstage.
– Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan: Sarah Logan is at ringside for this one. The opening bell sounds and Ember starts off strong, and she trips Liv down for a pin attempt. Liv starts to come back but Ember springboards off the middle rope for a cross body and another pin attempt. Liv mounts a comeback after connecting with an enziguri. She works on keeping Ember grounded, but she starts wasting time talking trash, and Ember drops her. Ember follows up with the Eclipse for the three count.
Winner: Ember Moon
– We go back to Sasha and Bayley’s counseling session, where the doctor is getting frustrated. Sasha and Bayley mock each other, and then they start arguing. The doctor gets mad and yells, and the segment ends with “to be continued…”
– The Revival vs. Bobby Lashley & Roman Reigns: Reigns and Dawson start this one off. Dawson starts off with some shots to the ribs of Roman, which were apparently injured in the attack earlier tonight. Reigns comes back and punches Dawson out of the ring. Back in the ring, a distraction from Wilder leads to Dawson hitting a cheap shot on Reigns. Wilder tags in and stomps on Reigns’ ribs while he’s down. Dawson tags back in and continues the offense on Reigns. Reigns tries to fight back, but he’s still selling a rib injury and Dawson drops him. Wilder tags in and they double team Reigns. Dawson tags back in but Reigns tees off on him with right hands. Dawson comes back with a boot to the midsection, but Reigns fires back with a shot in the corner. Wilder tags in but Reigns drops him. Wilder looks for a roll-up, but Reigns hits a superman punch. Dawson breaks up the pin. Lashley runs in and hits a spinebuster on Wilder, then one on Dawson, then he goes back out to the apron. Lashley asks for the tag, but Reigns declines and looks for a superman punch. Dawson and Wilder double team Reigns now and pummel on him. The Revival ignores the ref’s warnings, and the ref calls for the bell for a DQ. Lashley is fed up, and he walks away up the ramp.
Winners via DQ: Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley
– Lashley heads up the ramp as The Revival double teams Reigns in the ring.
– Kurt Angle is backstage looking at Reigns on a monitor. Owens walks in and asks Kurt to cancel his match with Strowman tonight, but Kurt declines and says the match is still on. Owens tries to bribe Kurt with Shania Twain tickets, but Kurt says there’s no way he’s getting out of the match.
– Reigns is shown finally getting to his feet in the ring, and he’s not happy.
– Still to come: Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman
– Michael Cole introduces a special look at the new Ant Man & The Wasp movie.
– Roman Reigns walks into Kurt Angle’s office and demands a match with Lashley. Kurt says Lashley was just there asking for the same thing. Reigns says he’s going to lay Lashley down at Extreme Rules.
– Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose: Before the match, Mojo gets on the mic and cuts a brief promo on Jose for dancing. Mojo attacks Jose from behind, and then he goes out to ringside and assaults a member of the conga line. He tackles the conga dancer into the fan barricade, and then Jose comes out to ringside to fight Mojo. Mojo gets the upper hand and rams Jose into the ring apron. Mojo heads to the back while Jose is selling a rib injury on the ringside floor.
Winner: n/a
– Michael Cole introduces a video package looking at the history between Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey.
– We go to a pre-taped interview with Ronda Rousey where she mentions that she’s suspended from RAW, but she’s not suspended from Extreme Rules, and she has a front row ticket for it.
– Mickie James vs. Nia Jax: Alexa Bliss is at ringside for this one. Before the match, Nia Jax comes out to the stage with a mic. She talks about hoping she’d be done with Alexa by now, but she’s still dealing with her. Nia says their feud needs to end, and it will end at Extreme Rules with Ronda Rousey sitting at ringside. Nia says Kurt has confirmed that their Women’s Title match at Extreme Rules will be under “extreme rules.” Nia mentions Mickie, and says she brought Natalya for back up. Natalya comes out, and she’ll be at ringside in Nia’s corner for this singles match. Mickie attacks off the opening bell, but Nia shoves her down. Mickie rolls outside for a breather. Back in the ring, Mickie turns it around and kicks Nia out to ringside. Mickie kicks out Nia’s knee at ringside, then takes things back in the ring. Mickie continues working over Nia’s knee on the mat and takes her down. Nia fights back with headbutts and clotheslines. Mickie hits a big boot and kicks out Nia’s knee again. Mickie goes for a kick but Nia catches it and powerbombs her down. Natalya and Alexa get into it at ringside, and meanwhile in the ring Nia hits a Samoan Drop on Mickie for the three count.
Winner: Nia Jax
– Kevin Owens is backstage taking meditation advice from Jinder Mahal, trying to find inner peace before his match with Strowman. An interviewer walks in and asks Kevin if he’s shaken up, which he denies. Owens says most people would be scared of Strowman, but he’s not. Jinder continues meditating next to him as we go to commercial.
– Michael Cole introduces a replay of Reigns getting beat down by The Revival earlier, and refusing to tag in Lashley for help.
– Bobby Lashley does an interview backstage where he calls out Reigns for calling him an egomaniac, while Reigns tried to do the tag match by himself and got beat down for it. Lashley says if he was there for the last 10 years, he’d tbe the guy, not Reigns.
– Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman: The opening bell sounds and Strowman tosses Owens down to the mat. Owens rolls outside and appears to retreat and he runs all the way backstage. We cut to Owens who is trying to get in his car, but he doesn’t have his keys. Owens appears to be looking or a place to hide, as Strowman leaves the ring and heads to the back. Owens hides in a porta-potty, and Strowman charges outside and demands to know where Owens went. Strowman searches around the parking area as the fans chant “porta potty.” Strowman appears to smell Owens’ scent in the air, and he looks at the porta potty. Strowman hears Owens inside the porta potty, so he wraps it in duct tape to keep the door shut. Strowman pulls the Porta potty inside the area and drags it through the hallway with Owens inside. Strowman drags the porta potty deep inside the arena and back out next to the stage and entrance ramp. Strowman hauls the porta potty up a ramp on the side of the stage, and he drags it over near the entrance ramp. Strowman sets the porta potty near the edge of the stage, then charges and knocks it off the edge down to the floor. Medics and refs go to check on Owens, who is now covered in blue liquid from inside the porta potty. Owens recovers on the floor as Strowman poses on the stage and RAW goes off the air.
Winner: n/a
