Monday Night Raw gave us chaos in Calgary, as they are roaring toward the next PLE, Bad Blood, in early October. The season premiere featured the type of build one would expect to begin the storylines going into the hyped event, but also possibly setting the tone for the rest of the year. WWE delved into mayhem to start the night but also treated the crowd to the appearance of Calgary’s hometown Hall of Famer.
Monday Night Raw, Monday Night Chaos
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The show opened with the eight-person streetfight, promised last week, between American Made and the Wyatt Sicks. This was a fun match-up to watch as, surprisingly, American Made held their own and looked very strong in a contest that could have easily seen the group get squashed from beginning to end.
Julius and Brutus Creed, extra intensified, shelled out major damage to Erick Rowan and covered him in ring debris, chairs, tables, and steel stairs to try to neutralize the big man in this fight. Rowan recovered and used an actual piece of loose barricade wall as a weapon to decimate American Made! A spot rarely seen in WWE, if ever. Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, and Nikki Cross with a little help from Uncle Howdy, who was not part of this match, used their crazy athleticism amid the chaos to seal this one, finally pinning Chad Gable.
Calgary’s Favorite Son Returns, but Enter Gunther
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Bret Hart came to the ring amid much fanfare and it was evident that the hometown crowd appreciated the appearance of The Hitman. Hart started talking about how Canadian world champions would take on all comers and not dodge any challenge. Out comes Gunther.
Gunther tells Hart that he was one of his heroes growing up but that Bill Goldberg was his actual top favorite wrestler. This was done to evoke a response from Hart, whose career was shelved by Goldberg some years ago. Sami Zayn, also a Canadian, comes out to pander to the WWE crowd and praise Hart. Zayn again challenges Gunther but receives another refusal from the champion. Hart calls Gunther a gutless yellow coward.
Zayn, in trying to usher Gunther away eventually resorted to blows and sent Gunther into the steel ring post on the outside. Referees came in to break up the two men. Is this a good build for the title bout? Given the participants involved, the crowd was not as into this as one might think.
Jey Uso Survives Fatal Fourway Chaos
Jey Uso emerged victorious in this final contest to determine the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship. Uso winning is not the only story of this match-up as every combatant showcased their best game and featured the spots that they are known for. Braun Strowman, dominant early on, had his assault cut short as his taped-up ribs provided a target for Ilja Dragunov and Pete Dunne to exploit. Bronson Reed, not part of this match, attacked out of nowhere to again decimate Strowman by issuing a huge Tsunami through the announce table. Strowman was neutralized.
Dunne works his opponent’s fingers, which looks extremely painful every time, but also throws his rivals around like he has the strength of Strowman. A great spot had Uso catch Dragunov with a superkick to the face as Dragunov was flying off of the top rope toward a downed Dunne. Ilja kicked out of the near fall at two and seven eighths. Later Dragunov was dispatched by Uso after the Russian superstar had just finished a flurry against Dunne. Jey with “Yeet Yeets” from the crowd hit his splash from the top rope to put away Dunne for the victory. Uso and Bron Breakker face off in the ring to close the show.
Additional Highlights
“Dirty” Dom Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee: This match was short but interesting, in that Lee is very good and perhaps a touch better than Mysterio. Interference by Liv Morgan provided all of the difference that was needed for Dom to get the pin.
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair vs. The Unholy Union: The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship was on the line for this contest, after Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn won last week to secure the opportunity. The match, while not bad, did nothing for the storyline other than to put Cargill and Belair even more over than they are.
Drew McIntyre Segment with Adam Pearce: McIntyre came to the ring and went on his usual tirade about CM Punk and that he potentially ended his career last week. He expressed disappointment in announcer Wade Barrett for trying to step in between him and Punk while he was destroying the Second City Saint. Adam Pearce came down and told everyone that he had had enough. CM Punk is not finished but this feud is going to be, as he booked a Hell-in-a-Cell match for Bad Blood between McIntyre and Punk.
Lyra Valkyria, Zelina Vega, and Natalya vs. The Pure Fusion Collective: Natalya was used as the mystery partner in this match and to help hype up the crowd for what is otherwise a bland program. The finish saw an awesome triple submission on all three members of Pure Fusion Collective. Natalya won using the Sharpshooter, but it seems like any of the women would have tapped out in this triple victory.
Finn Balor vs. Rey Mysterio: Earlier in the night, Balor challenged Rey Mysterio backstage when the LWO ran into The Judgment Day. Balor, issued all kinds of challenges this evening, as he also called for Damian Priest to face him at Bad Blood. Priest accepted but wanted to get his hand on Balor tonight. In the match with Mysterio, Balor would not break the hold on Mysterio’s leg, which was crabbed through the ropes, and earned a disqualification. This display was done to try to bring additional heat to Balor, as Priest is now a bonafide babyface.
Monday Night Raw Review
American Made vs. The Wyatt Sicks: A
This was a brutal but fun event that featured several painful spots. It’s surprising how much athleticism was displayed by Gacy and Lumis. This streetfight was very fun, very painful looking at times, and a great way to end the feud with American Made.
“Dirty” Dom Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee: B
This short match featured the shenanigans that we typically see whenever Judgment Day is featured on Monday Night Raw. Interference is the ruling order of the group. Lee was better than Mysterio in the match…but Lee does not have Liv Morgan in his corner.
Lyra Valkyria, Zelina Vega, and Natalya vs. The Pure Fusion Collective: B-
Adding Natalya for the crowd’s sake helped this match. It had a great finish, but where does WWE go from here with these six women?
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair vs. The Unholy Union: C-
This match did nothing for either team and was almost treated as filler on this edition of Monday Night Raw.
Finn Balor vs. Rey Mysterio: B-
Balor and Mysterio are two of WWE’s best workers. The match was what you would expect from these competitors. The ending bumped our review up from a C to a B-. It was somehow refreshing to see a referee call for a DQ for not breaking the rope count.
Fatal Fourway for #1 Contender for IC Title: A-
The action in this match was constant from the beginning and had no slow periods of any kind. The timing for the wrestlers was nearly impeccable. Big spots led to big near falls. Bronson Reed attacking Strowman added a sensible element that took the Monster of All Monsters out of the finish. Uso has the crowd on his side, but will that be enough to overcome Breakker when he faces him for the Intercontinental Championship?
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