Super Show-Down is on Saturday so we’re back in go home show territory. Ruby Riott faces Ronda Rousey ahead of their six-woman tag in Melbourne. Shawn Michaels is set to make an appearance to talk about being in Triple H’s corner for the Undertaker match. Bobby Lashley will go one on one with Kevin Owens before they face each other in tag action at Super Show-Down. And there will be more from the ongoing feud between The Shield and Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, and Braun Strowman.

I’m Amanda, and I’m here make sure you know what’s what on RAW.

Match Results

Braun Strowman def. Dean Ambrose via disqualification

Roman Reigns def. Dolph Ziggler via pinfall

Ronda Rousey def. Ruby Riott via submission

Konnor def. Bobby Roode via pinfall

The B-Team def. The Revival via pinfall

Drew McIntyre def. Seth Rollins via pinfall

Kevin Owens def. Bobby Lashley via pinfall

Bayley def. Alicia Fox via pinfall

The Best Bits

– RAW started with a Dean Ambrose in-ring interview with Charly Caruso. She asked whether there was any truth in Dolph Ziggler and friends’ claims and accusations.

Ambrose said yes. Seth and Roman are champions and he has nothing. He was a champion all on his own before. And when he was out injured, Rollins replaced him pretty quickly.

Caruso asked if he’d thought about leaving The Shield. He said, sure, he thinks about a lot of things Maybe he’s handed in his notice, turned in his black uniform. Maybe he doesn’t need the tags and they don’t mean as much to him as they used to. Maybe he ran Roman’s car off the road on the way here. There’s a lot of possibilities.

Caruso said she wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic and started to say people have been asking a lot of questions, but Ambrose cut her off.

He asked what kind of questions people are asking. Are people asking why after all this time he still in The Shield? Is he going to abandon them, turn his back on them? When is he going to snap? Maybe people are thinking that he’s waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect time to slip the knife in their backs.

She said she was actually asking about the moment at the end of last week’s match when he made the choice to re-join Rollins and Reigns in the ring, then asked what was going through his mind.

He wanted to know what answer she was looking for. He bet she was thinking he was thinking why did he even come back to RAW. He could be on SmackDown doing his own thing, or somewhere else entirely. From the moment he came back he’s done nothing but clean up his brothers’ messes. Or maybe she was wondering if he’s a little bit sick and a little bit tired and a little bit just plain over The Shield. She can stop trying to understand and the whole world can stop trying to analyse him and get inside his head. Just judge him by his actions. He did what he always does. He stood up and stood by his brothers, stood by his family. The Shield is not a business. The Shield is not a brand. The Shield is a brotherhood, and they will always ride into battle together.

Baron Corbin came out as he was about to leave and said it was a really good story about brotherhood but all he heard was whining.

Ambrose asked if Corbin is a therapist now on top of his other day job as the world’s largest substitute teacher. Or was he just salty because he’s spent the last two weeks trying to put The Shield down, and he just can’t do it?

Corbin admitted his team fell short. But they weren’t running around causing chaos and no cops were called so he considers it a win. Then he gave him three options. Face Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship. Face Reigns for the Universal Championship. Or face Braun Strowman one on one.

Ambrose asked for secret option number four. Him versus Corbin. Baron Corbin didn’t fancy it, so he made the decision for him and sent out Braun Strowman.

Dean Ambrose vs Braun Strowman – Ambrose started well, by trying to take out one of Strowman’s legs. That didn’t work, and it was all Strowman and all power for most of the match. Ambrose kept coming back with odd bits of offence, but Strowman kept closing him down. He managed to hit Dirty Deeds, but only got a two count. A suicide dive didn’t quite take Strowman off his feet, but sending him into the steps worked. Strowman was still first back into the ring though and powerslammed Ambrose, who rolled out of the ring. Strowman followed him and ran through him before chucking him into the barricade then back into the ring.

Strowman delivered another powerslam but didn’t try to cover. As he pulled Ambrose up for a third, Roman Reigns appeared to stop him. Reigns got in a Superman punch, getting Ambrose disqualified, but Strowman caught him on the second one. Reigns escaped the powerslam and hit Strowman with a big boot, then Rollins launched himself off the turnbuckle and he and Reigns tipped Strowman out of the ring.

Ziggler and McIntyre appeared on the ramp with Strowman. Corbin arrived and put Rollins in a match with McIntyre and Reigns in a match with Ziggler.

Seth Rollins checked on an agitated Ambrose in the trainer’s room. Rollins said Roman came out when he had to because it’s about the war, not the battle. Ambrose said, ‘you know what’s funny, I could be Intercontinental Champion right now’, then walked away.

Roman Reigns vs Dolph Ziggler happened immediately after. Both Reigns and Rollins wanted to put their titles on the line, but Corbin said that wasn’t their decision. Neither match would be for the title and Reigns won’t defend the Universal Championship until Crown Jewel. The match was great. After dodging Reigns charge into the corner so Reigns hit the post and fell out of the ring, Ziggler delivered a huge DDT on the outside and a Famouser after he dragged Reigns back into the ring. It was close, but not enough. A sleeper didn’t work out for Ziggler. A Zigzag didn’t work. A Superman punch failed for Reigns. Roman Reigns’ first spear attempt was thwarted but he hit the second one and Ziggler stayed down.

Reigns spoke to Ambrose backstage. Reigns said it was funny last week but now they don’t know if he’s serious. He just wants to know if Ambrose is ok. Ambrose said he’s fine it’s all good. He had him out there, he could have put Strowman away. Reigns said he might have, but he might have gotten hurt, and then what would they do in Australia. Ambrose responded by saying if he wasn’t such a nice guy he might be Universal champion right now.

Strowman, Ziggler, and McIntyre chatted backstage before McIntyre’s match. Ziggler said he saw the look in Ambrose’s eyes and this could be the last night of The Shield. Strowman called Ambrose a ‘tough bastard’ and said he would fit in perfectly around there because when Ambrose isn’t fighting him he’s a winner. They need winners. They need McIntyre to beat Rollins, and they don’t need any weak links (pointed look at Ziggler).

Seth Rollins vs Drew McIntyre was at the end of hour two. Excellent match. McIntyre derailed Rollins’ early momentum by kicking him in the solar plexus as Rollins used the corner to leap over him. He couldn’t establish any kind of extended dominance though, Rollins fought everything off. McIntyre followed Rollins up onto the turnbuckle. Rollins flipped over him and delivered a buckle bomb in the opposite corner, followed by a superkick. Before he could hit the Stomp, Dolph Ziggler ran down and through the ring. He never touched Rollins but distracted him and when he turned around he took a Claymore kick and got pinned. Ziggler and McIntyre started to beat Rollins up, Reigns arrived to rescue him. Strowman came out next. Ambrose appeared with an axe handle in hand just as Strowman got to the ring. He cleared the ring but Strowman ran through him on the outside and tossed him into the ring. Rollins and Ambrose tried to fight back, but Ambrose took the Claymore/Zigzag combo, Reigns took a powerslam, and Strowman and his dogs of war did the Shield pose over their fallen bodies.

– Ronda Rousey vs Ruby Riott – The Bella Twins accompanied Rousey to the ring to neutralise the threat of Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. Hopefully, that’s a sign Morgan is ok. After a good start from Rousey, Ruby Riott used her experience – and the barricades, ropes, and ringpost – to get the upper hand on Rousey. It was a dominant performance from Riott, right up until Rousey caught her when she went for the Riott kick and threw her across the ring. Rousey dropkicked Sarah Logan through the ropes and almost got pinned with a roll up. One throw later, Ronda Rousey got the armbar locked in and Riott tapped.

– Shawn Michaels closed the show. He talked for a while about the ‘Last Time Ever’ match. The Undertaker made it personal by wanting to know who he favoured. Michaels will pick his best friend over anyone. Undertaker has his brother in his corner, Triple H has his brother in his. He sent a warning to Kane that if he tried to get in the ring he would brush him back with sweet chin music.

Kane’s music hit and Kane appeared behind him while he was waiting for him to come down the ramp. When Michaels turned around, Kane slapped him to the mat. The Undertaker’s music hit and he was suddenly in the ring with Kane. Undertaker got Michaels up on his shoulder before Triple H appeared, still in his suit.

Chaos broke out for a bit then Michaels and Triple H took a double chokeslam. Triple H started to get up as Undertaker and Kane left the ring, so ‘Taker got back in and gave him a tombstone.

Some Other Bits

– Bobby Roode vs Konnor was fine. Chad Gable fanboyed Roode to the ring, Viktor accompanied his partner. Viktor charged round and took out Gable while he was posing. Roode paused to punch Viktor and got slammed and pinned by Konnor.

– The B-Team vs The Revival was short. The Revival were in control for the majority of the match. Scott Dawson launched Dash Wilder onto Bo Dallas. Dallas got his knees up, rolled through, and pinned him while Axel stopped Wilder breaking it up. As Dallas and Axel left they were attacked by AOP, dragged back into the ring and given a Super-Collider.

– Elias had his segment with Kevin Owens before Owens’ match. When Elias said Cena teaming with Lashley was like having a basketball team in Seattle, the crowd started booing and refused to stop. It was hilarious watching Owens and Elias trying to trash talk while the crowd tried to drown them out. They didn’t stop until Lio Rush appeared. Kevin Owens vs Bobby Lashley was good. It just felt a bit slow in places. Elias distracted Lashley by grabbing Rush and shaking him about. Owens rolled Lashley up and pinned him. Lio Rush tried to stop the post-match beatdown, but Elias swatted him out of the air as he came off the top rope and Rush rolled out of the ring clutching his face.

– Bayley vs Alicia Fox was fun. They had their Mixed Match Challenge partners with them, returning the favour from last week. Mahal tried to grab Bayley’s leg and got a dropkick from Bayley and a Slingblade from Balor. Bayley won with a Bayley to Belly, after Fox missed with a big boot.

Another heavily Shield focused RAW, but it’s the best storyline they have going right now. It will be interesting to see where everyone stands next Monday after Super Show-Down is over. There was some Evolution build though, in the form of a ‘Moment of Bliss’ segment with Alexa Bliss pretending Trish Stratus had been vile to her as a child.