Welcome to another Monday Night RAW recap. There’s only one match pre-announced for tonight’s show, Seth Rollins’ rematch against Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. There’s plenty going on though. We should get developments in the storylines between Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss, and Sasha Banks and Bayley as well.

I’m Amanda, and I’m here to guide you through RAW.

The Opening Segment

Kurt Angle and Baron Corbin opened the show. Corbin insisted on being introduced as, ‘Stephanie McMahon’s personally appointed constable of RAW’.

Angle started talking about the multi-man match at Extreme Rules for the chance face Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman apparently wrote a post on Facebook about Lesnar which Angle wanted to clarify.

Roman Reigns didn’t let him get to the explanation. He said he was just there to hear it in person.

Bobby Lashley came out next. He said he was in the multi-man match as well, so he deserves to hear it too. Then he told Reigns he’s had three years of chances and proved he can’t beat Lesnar, so it’s time for him to move on.

Reigns reminded everyone that Lashley main-evented WrestleMania ten years ago but ‘moved on’ to make his name in MMA, and asked Lashley how that went. Whereas he’s been in the main event of WrestleMania four years in a row, and he plans to make it five.

Lashley said not to downplay his background because he’s the only one who has the legit tools to beat Lesnar, and he’ll prove it against however many guys Angle wants to put against him. Including Reigns.

Kurt Angle said there isn’t going to be a multi-man match at Extreme Rules. There has been ‘a snag in the contractual agreement’ with Brock Lesnar and he pulled out. So the match isn’t happening.

Lashley asked Angle what he meant, and Reigns told him Lesnar does what he wants, shows up when the money’s right, and doesn’t care. He doesn’t respect anyone.

Lashley suggested Lesnar might come back if he had a legit challenger and is staying away because he’s sick of seeing Reigns face, and so are the crowd.

Roman Reigns said it looks like neither of them has a match for Extreme Rules, so why don’t they just fight.

Kurt Angle said they could possibly have a one on one match at Extreme Rules, he’d take it under advisement.

The Revival appeared, angling for a rematch. Corbin gave it to them.

The Revival vs Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns

After taking the Revival out of the ring so they could argue about who was starting, Reigns got things going with Scott Dawson. He tagged Lashley in quickly for a double team. Reigns was attacked by Dash Wilder while he was arguing with Lashley again. Lashley dealing Wilder him gave Dawson the opportunity to get the upper hand.

The Revival dominated Lashley for a while, keeping him isolated and showing why they’re tag team specialists. Reigns eventually came in but he was more interested in showing Lashley up than finishing the job.

Reigns was setting up for the superman punch when Dash Wilder pulled Dawson out of the ring. Reigns delivered a drive-by that sent Wilder into his partner. By the time we got back from a break, The Revival were in control of Reigns and stayed that way for ages.

Eventually, Lashley came in to clean house. He was building up to a big finish when Reigns tagged himself in like Lashley did last week. Lashley tried to tag back in again and while Reigns was remonstrating with him, Scott Dawson rushed them. Lashley was knocked off the apron, Reigns speared Dawson and Dash Wilder rolled Reigns up and pinned him with a handful of clothing.

After the match, Lashley yelled at Reigns to let him finish things from now on. Reigns just stood there looking angry as Lashley walked away.

The Other Stuff

– Matt Hardy vs Curtis Axel – Before the match Hardy declared The B-Team’s parody of them ‘wonderful’. Dallas and Axel did the parody again, with Dallas choking on the smoke. The match wasn’t as much fun as the promos, and it was very brief.  Matt Hardy had Axel on the top turnbuckle and, somehow, they crashed down with Axel on top – commentary said Hardy’s foot slipped. That got Axel the pin. After the match, the Deleters of Worlds applauded their opponents.

– Sasha Banks was shown backstage, without sound, having a heated discussion with Kurt Angle.

– Titus Worldwide told Authors of Pain off backstage, for shoving a crew member. Authors of Pain said thanks for the advice, but no thanks.

– Alicia Fox appeared backstage with Bayley before Kurt Angle interrupted. He welcomed Fox back then told Bayley she would be teaming with Sasha Banks and Ember Moon against the Riott Squad. Bayley protested but the match is going ahead.

– Authors of Pain vs Rich and Rex Gibson – Squash match against ‘enhancement talent’. Titus Worldwide came to save the jobbers from the post-match beatdown.

– Finn Balor interrupted Angle and Corbin arguing. He wanted to know why Lesnar had the match cancelled. Before anyone could answer, Braun Strowman came in and said he’d been a bit hard on Kevin Owens recently and asked if he could be his tag team partner this week. Angle asked him to choose opponents and he picked Balor and Corbin.

– After a long recap of Alexa Bliss’s run-in with Ronda Rousey, Mickie James gave Bliss a stellar introduction. They chatted about Rousey and about Bliss’ cash in. Bliss complained about having to defend her title against Jax with a whole load more of the bullying nonsense. Natalya arrived to tell Bliss it’s 23 days until Rousey is back. Bliss said scathing things about Natalya having come back from her Total Divas holiday for this and about her social media habits. When she tried to dismiss Natalya, she was told they have a match, and Natalya brought Nia Jax back with her.

– Alexa Bliss vs Natalya – Bliss did her thing of pulling the ring apron into the ring, then used the time the ref was distracted to take out Natalya’s knee. Mickie James tried to grab Natalya’s leg and Bliss attempted a roll-up off the distraction. It didn’t work. Jax grabbed Bliss leg and that distraction left her open for Natalya’s discus lariat and the sharpshooter. Alexa Bliss tapped.

– Seth Rollins backstage interview – He said he makes no excuses. He lost but he’s had seven days to let the loss drive him. The Seth Rollins Ziggler is facing tonight is like nothing he’s ever seen, and McIntyre is going to have the best seat in the house when Rollins beats him.

– The Riott Squad crashed Jinder Mahal’s photo shoot and trashed the camera. Mahal reacted with a peaceful gesture.

– The Riott Squad vs Ember Moon, Sasha Banks, and Bayley – Banks and Bayley stood silently, as far apart as they could, while they were waiting for Ember Moon. Good match, lots of fun, regular breakdowns into chaos. Ruby Riott got the pin on Sasha Banks off a distraction by Liv Morgan. Post-match, Bayley attacked Sasha Banks. Banks made a few attempts to fight back but Bayley delivered a prolonged beatdown, flinging her into the turnbuckle and the stairs before screaming at her. The crowd were 100% behind Bayley.

– Kevin Owens tried to get Kurt Angle to cancel him teaming with Strowman because he thinks Strowman will do something to him again. Angle tried to be reassuring, but no-one was convinced.

– No Way Jose vs Mojo Rawley – Rawley took exception to the conga line and the fact he had to give Jose a rematch. He picked on and humiliated one of them and refused the match. No Way Jose got out of the ring, Rawley punched him in the face and left.

– Kurt Angle yelled at Bayley in his office and told her she is going to mandatory counselling next week – I thought they settled things in the ring on RAW.

– Braun Strowman and Kevin Owens vs Finn Balor and Constable Corbin – What a weird match. Corbin and Balor don’t like each other, and Owens was terrified of his tag partner. After Strowman did his run around the ring and flattened Balor and Corbin he instructed Owens to do the same, Owens got knocked down by Corbin and Strowman came to send him into the barricade. Strowman took himself out of the match by running into the ringpost when Corbin dodged out of the way. Balor kicked Corbin in the head when Corbin tagged himself in by slapping Balor on the head. Corbin pulled him out of the ring, they brawled up the ramp and got counted out. Strowman was less than impressed by Owens’ celebrations and Owens ran away after Strowman looked at him for too long. Strowman chased him backstage. Owens hid in the coaches’ room and tried to escape the building, only to find Strowman had taken his car keys and flipped his car over. Strowman walked away laughing.

The Main Event – Dolph Ziggler vs Seth Rollins – Intercontinental Championship rematch

This started with about 40 minutes of the show remaining. Drew McIntyre accompanied Dolph Ziggler as usual.

Slow start to this one, but it was a really long match, so it could take it. It picked up just as it was starting to feel long.

Rollins took a nasty fall over the top rope to the floor, but Ziggler couldn’t capitalise.

McIntyre cheap-shotted Rollins in the back when the ref was distracted, but the ref got wise to it and ejected McIntyre. While McIntyre was arguing Rollins had Ziggler rolled up for an easy three. Ziggler took an enziguri and rolled out of the ring. Rollins took them both out with a suicide dive. Ziggler knocked him off the turnbuckle when they got back in the ring, but only got a two-count out of it.

Ziggler got his foot on the rope after Rollins tried for the most exhausted and half-hearted pin.

Ziggler fought out of an attempt at a powerbomb on the apron and managed to deliver a DDT on there. Rollins just about made it into the ring on nine.

Ziggler kicked out again when Rollins avoided a superkick and hit a buckle-bomb and superkick of his own, but only got two.

Rollins headbutted Ziggler off the turnbuckle before delivering a frog splash, but Ziggler kicked out again. Ziggler avoided the stomp, Rollins countered the Zig-Zag and they exchanged roll-ups before Ziggler got the Zig-Zag for another near fall.

Rollins hit the superplex into falcon arrow and was about to get the pin when Drew McIntyre reappeared, pulled the ref out of the ring, and attacked Rollins. Ziggler was disqualified and the beatdown of Rollins continued.

Roman Reigns made the save, spearing Ziggler and Superman punching Drew McIntyre.

Seth Rollins won by DQ, but Dolph Ziggler retained the title.

That was a very strange episode of RAW. To have three sets of tag partners fall out in one episode is just odd. It was a fun show for the most part though with lots of possibilities unfolding in the build-up to Extreme Rules.