It is Memorial Day in the United States, so it will be a very patriotic show. The US title is on the line tonight when Andrade faces Apollo Crews. Drew McIntyre is appearing in MVP’s VIP Lounge. Ric Flair will share his thoughts on Edge versus Orton, which is being billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” And Asuka’s challenger for Backlash will be decided in a triple-threat featuring Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Natalya.
I’m Amanda and this is the RAW review.
Results
Apollo Crews def. Andrade – TITLE CHANGE
Angel Garza def. Kevin Owens
Austin Theory & Murphy def. Humberto Carrillo & Aleister Black
Nia Jax def. Charlotte Flair and Natalya
Street Profits def. Bobby Lashley & MVP (DQ)
The Show
♦ The show opened with a commemorative video package for Memorial Day. After the credits, The Kevin Owens Show got things underway. RAW had an audience this week, made up of Performance Center athletes/NXT superstars, all social distancing while they watched from behind plexiglass screens. Owens’ guest was Asuka and he brought her out quickly.
Asuka chanted Becky when she arrived, and they discussed Becky Lynch briefly before moving onto Nia Jax’ actions last week. Asuka didn’t get to give much in the way of comment because Charlotte Flair interrupted.
Flair thinks the title should have been handed to her and reminded Asuka she’s never beaten her. Natalya arrived before Asuka could respond. Kevin Owens got a dig in about her temper tantrum last week, and Natalya apologised. Flair told her not even sucking up to Kevin Owens will help her win the match. Owens tried to defend her and Asuka made Flair fake apologise with a look. Nia Jax joined them immediately. Owens excused himself from the ring before she got in the ring, and for good reason because it broke down seconds after Jax mentioned Kairi Sane.
♦ Before heading out for Andrade (C) vs Apollo Crews – United States Championship match – Apollo Crews told Kayla Braxton he believes he will leave RAW as the US Champion. Angel Garza was shown watching from backstage early in the match. It didn’t take Zelina Vega long to get involved. Andrade managed to stop short of hitting her when Crews dodged his charge, but a kick in the head sent him into her anyway and knocked her off the apron. He spent the whole ad break checking on her, the officials were with her when we came back but she wouldn’t leave. She had good reason to be concerned. Andrade struggled to contain Crews. Could have done it without the cutaway to an interview with Garza hallway through especially as it was just a slightly awkward comparison between wrestling and sex (kids watch this show, it was weird). Anyway, we have a new United States Champion. Apollo Crews pinned Andrade with two shooting star presses after a decent match.
After the match, Charly Caruso interviewed Crews. He said it’s been eleven years of sacrifice and of people telling him he couldn’t do it, but he never gave up and now he’s finally done it. He’s the new United States Champion.
The cameras cut between Crews celebrating and Andrade trashing the place backstage.
♦ Seth Rollins gave a sermon. He said tonight is a night for celebration because he is there and better than he’s ever been. And that is thanks to Rey Mysterio. After Money in the Bank, he was in a dark place, but Rey Mysterio presented himself to him in a time of need. He was chosen to be sacrificed and he fulfilled his duty for the greater good. Rollins can’t imagine the pain Mysterio went through as his eye was mangled by the steps, or for his family who couldn’t be there to support him in his finest hour. He doesn’t know what the future holds for Rey Mysterio but if that was his final act as a WWE Superstar, then it was a courageous one because it allowed Rollins and his followers to move forward into the future.
Rollins introduced Austin Theory as his newest disciple and said that much like him, Murphy and Theory know what it’s like to be underutilised and underappreciated. But under his guidance, their ceilings are limitless.
Murphy and Theory said their good disciple pieces, thanking Rollins for leading them. Rollins announced that they would be showing Rey Mysterio first-hand what good he’s brought to RAW when they make example of Humberto Carrillo and Aleister Black to show what happens when you stand in the way of the Monday Night Messiah.
♦ Charly Caruso interviewed Charlotte Flair about the possibility of becoming a double champion if she wins tonight then beats Asuka. Flair said she is the most consistent and prolific women’s champion in WWE history. It doesn’t matter how many titles and wins, that’s just maths. She raises the bar for everyone, and no one compares.
Asuka danced into shot, told Flair red isn’t her colour and left again.
♦ The IIconics came to the ring and apologised to each other, Royce for getting them disqualified and Kay for slapping her. They grew up together, signed their WWE contracts together, and won the titles at WrestleMania together. They never had the chance to defend them. They were overlooked and they should still be champions instead of ‘some crazy lady and the office’s favourite blonde’.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross had something to say about that. Bliss said The IIconics have had every opportunity and blew it. When Cross tried to talk Billie Kay told her she didn’t get to talk she should just stand there and look grateful. Cross gave them an earful they more than deserved about her background and her friendship with Alexa Bliss. The IIconics clearly didn’t have an answer, so they started a brawl instead. Cross and Bliss took a beatdown and The IIconics stood over them holding the belts.
♦ Lana approached MVP backstage and told him they needed to talk. He said no they didn’t and walked away.
♦ As soon as Drew McIntyre arrived on the VIP lounge, he overturned the furniture and asked where Lashley was. MVP assured him there would be no ambush before Backlash. Instead, he asked him to remember him offering his management services and getting a Claymore for his trouble. He promised himself that when Drew McIntyre lost the title he would be personally involved. Now Lashley has the title shot he’s been waiting 13 years for because he got it for him.
McIntyre said he waited 19 years for his title shot, where he beat Brock Lesnar in five minutes at WrestleMania. He doesn’t need anyone thinking for him of talking for him and he doesn’t want someone like MVP kissing his ass. Something Lashley said last week that caught his attention. The only way he will ever take his title is by prying it from his cold dead hands. MVP said that could be arranged. Lashley came out then but MVP took a Claymore while introducing him so Lashley settled for picking him up and dragging him to safety.
♦ Natalya interrupted her own interview with Charly Caruso to take a phone call from her husband where he was clearly giving her a hard time about her temper tantrum. She got off the phone just in time for Caruso to tell her they were out of time.
♦ Angel Garza attacked Kevin Owens’ knee during Owens’ entrance for their match. Despite Owens being in obvious pain, Angel Garza vs Kevin Owens started after a break. Garza had full control of the early parts of the match. He very nearly lost it after taking a Kevin Owens senton from the top, but Owens’ knee gave out when he went for the pop-up powerbomb and Garza delivered a Wing Clipper for the win. To add insult to injury, or injury to injury, Garza attacked Owens’ knee again post-match.
♦ In the third of their “Anything you can do we can do Better” challenges, The Viking Raiders and Street Profits played golf. They got thrown off the real golf course, so they played Adventure Golf instead. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins won putting the Street Profits 2-1 in the series.
Backstage at RAW, Erik and Ivar tried to convince the Street Profits they let them win, but it didn’t work. The next challenge, as set by The Viking Raiders, is bowling. MVP approached Ford and Dawkins once the Vikings left and accused them of being clowns and said he doesn’t respect them. Somehow, he ended up challenging them to a match against him and Lashley.
♦ Lana brought MVP some ice and offered her “sincere” sympathies. They get into an argument and Lashley left with MVP.
♦ Murphy & Austin Theory vs Humberto Carrillo & Aleister Black was a fun match. Austin Theory got the win with an ATL on Humberto Carrillo. Rollins directed Theory and Murphy to throw Black into the timekeeper’s area after the match, then hold Carrillo with his eye over the steps. Black got back up with a chair but Rollins threatened Carrillo would lose an eye if he didn’t drop it. He said he understands what they’re trying to do but Rey Mysterio was sacrificed for the greater good and if they continue to stand in his way then everything he sacrificed for would be in vain. He warned them if they didn’t back off then he would sacrifice them too.
♦ Edge said he finds himself doubting his ability after letting Randy Orton bait him into a match. He wonders if he can hang. He was retired for 3212 days, and in that time Orton wrestled 1126 matches. Now he realises he has to prove himself to himself so he wants to thank Orton for making him contemplate things he’d buried very deep. Orton wants to doubt his wrestling ability, but he’s hung with the best of the best and helped bring other guys up a level. He was a workhorse for WWE. Was. Past tense. He doesn’t know if he can do any of it anymore, but at Backlash he’s going to dig to the very depths of his soul to try. That’s all a man can do.
♦ Asuka joined commentary for Charlotte Flair vs Nia Jax vs Natalya. I really enjoyed this match. Flair and Natalya joined forces to put Nia Jax through the table and Asuka’s reaction might have been the best thing about RAW. After a break, Asuka helped Jax back into the ring and went back to cheering on Natalya Charlotte Flair came within moments of tapping Nia Jax out. She had the Figure Eight locked in but Natalya broke it up. Jax returned the favour by breaking Natalya’s Sharpshooter on Flair. Natalya was sent sprawling from the ring by Charlotte Flair and knocked back down when she tried to get back in. Natalya created the tower of doom spot, with Flair being flung halfway across the ring, but couldn’t get a pin. It was Nia Jax who got the win, with a Samoan Drop on Natalya.
♦ Drew McIntyre said he didn’t plan to Claymore MVP but he was asking for it. He wandered off to “look for something in the locker room” when Kayla Braxton told him about Lashley and MVP’s match.
♦ R-Truth has discovered that Rob Gronkowski is the 24/7 Champion and he’s coming for him. Gronkowski said bring it on. He’s the present and the future and he’s ready to fight any time.
♦ Ric Flair thinks Randy Orton will beat Edge at Backlash. That’s not a huge surprise considering their history.
♦ Liv Morgan said her self-worth has always been her stumbling block. She’s never felt good enough. WWE showed her where she was meant to be. She doesn’t have all the answers because life keeps changing the questions, but she’s living her best life.
♦ Street Profits vs MVP & Bobby Lashley was the main event. Montez Ford got thrown around a lot in the early parts of the match and got hurled into the ringpost going into a break. By the time we came back, he was in real trouble and unable to get back to Dawkins for the tag. Eventually, he made it and Dawkins had the measure of MVP from the off. After Dawkins knocked Lashley off the apron and Ford ran him into the barricade MVP was as good as pinned, except Lashley took out Dawkins on the outside then came back in time to break it up. He got himself and MVP disqualified by refusing to let Ford out of the full nelson.
When he still wouldn’t let go post-DQ, Drew McIntyre arrived to help. Lashley was ready for him and the brawl was vicious. Two of the trainees ran out to help Lashley. McIntyre headbutted them both but it was a long enough distraction to allow Lashley to deliver a spear. More of the trainees arrived to separate them and there were far too many people in the ring when the show went off-air.
Everyone had a lot to say on tonight’s RAW. The audience made a huge difference during matches, but they were oddly distracting during the first segment. I think it’s because you could hear the individual noises rather than the wall of noise of a full crowd. Next week Seth Rollins faces Aleister Black, and Rey Mysterio will have his retirement ceremony. It seems a little suspect that the two things were announced at the same time…