WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (June 18, 2018) from the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, featuring the fallout show from the Money in the Bank pay-per-view (PPV) that went down just last night in Chicago.
Advertised for tonight: Alexa Bliss is new Raw women’s champion, Braun Strowman has a briefcase, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the Raw live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JUNE 18
She’s a myth that I have to believe in; all I need to make it real is one more reason. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do when she makes me sad. But I won’t let this build up inside of me, because I’ve got to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a recap of last night’s Raw Women’s Championship match and Alexa Bliss’ cash-in of her Money in the Bank briefcase afterward.
Kurt Angle is in the ring with a table set up. The Money in the Bank briefcase and Raw Women’s Championship are both on the table and he talks about how proud he is that Raw superstars won both ladder matches last night before introducing Alexa Bliss.
He presents her the title and she holds it high. Angle says Nia Jax is doing physical therapy right now but has already demanded a rematch at Extreme Rules. Alexa asks if he’s really just gonna move onto next month and not give her a chance to talk about last night? She thanks everyone here and watching at home for the opportunity... the opportunity to rub it in all of our faces.
”We want Ronda!” chants go up and Bliss pulls a face before saying she beat one bully last night and Ronda Rousey is as much of a bully. Last night she shocked the world cashing in, but moving on there’s gonna be no talk about the irresistable force or the baddest woman on the planet, it’s just about her, the only woman that matters, the goddess and three-time Raw Women’s Champion.
Enter Ronda Rousey. Alexa tells her to calm down as Kurt gets between them. Bliss asks if she came out here to show her all the bruises and welts she left all over her body with the briefcase or if she wanted to learn a little lesson because she doesn’t understand the difference between UFC and WWE. Last night what she did was 100% legal, but it’s not all bad, because Rousey looked seconds away from making Jax tap.
She could just taste the gold... but we’ll never know now, will we? Alexa says she gets it now, she couldn’t stand the fact that the headlines weren’t about her, that ESPN and Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated were all about Bliss because she’s champion and Ronda is irrelevant. So she needs to go to the back of the line as an overhyped rookie.
Rousey pushes Angle aside and takes Bliss down into mounted punches! Kurt pulls her off but Ronda judo throws him and ducks a blindside... SHE’S BEATING ALEXA WITH THE BRIEFCASE NOW, TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY! ANGLE GETS BRIEFCASE SHOTS TOO! Referees hit the ring and Rousey beats them up, too! Ronda gets her up... THUNDER FIRE POWERBOMB PUTS ALEXA THROUGH THE TABLE!
Kurt tries to talk some sense into her after but Rousey walks off.
Referees check on Alexa Bliss.
We go backstage where Rousey is yelling at Angle saying she gets that this isn’t UFC and she’s sick of everybody telling her. Kurt says he has no choice but to suspend her for 30 days and she may have no chance at being the Raw Women’s Champion as we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of what we just saw, because Raw is three hours long. (And, to be fair, because it was pretty cool and worth seeing again.)
Ronda is walking backstage and shrugs off an interview attempt from Renee Young at first before stopping and giving in. She’s gonna come back after these 30 days and whether Alexa is champion or not she’s gonna kick her pink-haired ass.
Seth Rollins makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He says it’s heating up here tonight, saying there’s a buzz in the locker room and he wants to keep it going. Last night Elias took him to his limit and he loved every second of it, but he’s still standing and he’s still Intercontinental Champion. He’s a fighting champion and he’s all heart, so what do you say to an open challenge for the title?
The crowd is for it and Dolph Ziggler comes out... followed shortly by Drew McIntyre.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins (c) (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Ziggler with a boot to the gut at the bell, Zig Zag denied, Blackout dodged and Dolph rolls to the floor to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Rollins is in control and throwing Ziggler back in the ring. Springboard cut off with a kick, but Seth is able to recover quickly enough to trade punches once the get things back in the middle of the ring. Neckbreaker from Dolph gets two, elbow drop gets another and Ziggler grabs kind of a grounded abdominal stretch. Rollins to his feet, dropped again with a mat slam and Dolph wastes time posing for the crowd before wrenching the Architect’s neck over the ropes.
Rollins fighting back, right hands, whip reversed, Flair Flip but he ends up back in the ring and Ziggler gets a nearfall before locking the sleeper hold in! Bodyscissors applied, Seth flagging but not failing, reaching for the ropes, posting to his feet, and finally escaping with a jawbreaker. Falcon Arrow attempt, float over and Rollins catapults him into the post face-first!
Dolph staggered, Seth punching, lariats and a back elbow, whip reversed, Sling Blade! Lariat sends Ziggler to the floor, the Architect is pumped up... SUICIDE DIVE! Back in, springboard lariat gets two and we go back to break.
Back from commercial, both men are staggering to their feet. Ziggler with a corner body avalanche, going for a neckbreaker, countered to a backslide for two! Up for the powerbomb, Dolph reverses to a sunset flip for two of his own! Seth with the ripcord knee strike... NOPE! Tuning up the band, kick to the midsection, Blackout misses, Fameasser... NOT ENOUGH!
Now it’s Ziggler tuning up the band, but Seth cuts him off with a superkick! Avada Kedavra... NO GOOD! Rollins hobbles his way up top and perches... NOBODY HOME ON THE FROG SPLASH! Now Dolph heads up top but Seth meets him and cuts him off with a haymaker. Headbutt, climbing up after him, jockeying for position and Ziggler knocks him back to the mat. The Architect charges back in but gets cut off and knocked down again!
Diving crossbody, Seth catches him, rolls through, pops him up for the powerbomb... BUCKLE BOMB! Kick to the midsection, taking time to run Drew off, Ziggler with an O’Connor roll, nope, Rollins with one of his own, Dolph reverses...
Dolph Ziggler wins by pinfall with an O’Connor roll and a handful of tights to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
McIntyre attacks Rollins from behind! Mounted punches, drawing him up, they position him... Claymore / Zig Zag combination!
Commentary hypes up Braun Strowman making an appearance later tonight and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of what we just saw because Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Backstage, Dolph Ziggler is interviewed and says Monday Night Rollins is officially canceled. You can cry online, write a blog about it (Don’t mind if I do, thanks!), but there’s no reboot coming and this is their show now. Drew McIntyre says they told everybody and this is just the beginning, the first of many titles to come, and unlike other champions, they won’t let it make them soft.
Ziggler runs down Rollins and Roman Reigns and says there’s a difference between them and everybody else-- when they say something, they mean it.
Bobby Roode vs. Curt Hawkins
Circling, Hawkins kicks his leg out and backslides Roode for two! Off the ropes, spinning spinebuster connects, kick to the midsection...
Bobby Roode wins by pinfall with the Glorious DDT.
Commentary promises us Braun Strowman after the break.
Back from commercial we get a recap of the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
(RRROOOAAARRR!)
He talks about his great feats of strength and mighty accomplishments, including playing the cello, but as great as all those are, Money in the Bank is the greatest. He got in the ring with seven other superstars and stomped, smashed, and snatched the contract, and now all Brock Lesnar has to do is show his face and he’ll cash in and become Universal Champion.
Enter Kevin Owens. Braun’s surprised to see him after knocking him off a 20-foot ladder last night. Owens says he probably shouldn’t be here-- it hurts to breathe-- but he had to come out here. Not for retribution, but because he wants to be the first guy from the locker room to be man enough to congratulate Braun. He deserves it, and KO says he knew he’d win, and that’s why he kept trying to talk guys into alliances, but nobody would listen.
But right now he hopes Strowman will listen to him, and now he has this incredible opportunity but he needs to be smart about it, to have a strategy, and that’s where he comes in. He and Braun have more in common than people think. Everybody think’s they’re angry and hot-tempered, but they’re good guys at heart, and who’s watching their back? Braun hasn’t needed anybody so far, but last night that changed when he won the briefcase.
Who can Braun count on around here? At WrestleMania when he needed a tag partner he had to go into the crowd and grab a ten-year-old. Last night Sami Zayn got injured and he doesn’t know when he’s getting back, so they’re both here alone and in need of a friend. Strowman looks contemplative and Kev says maybe friend is too strong, but maybe they can help each other, or to be honest to use each other.
And maybe after Braun wins and is Universal Champion they can have a match for it. And they can start it tonight, monster and man. He doesn’t want to get These Hands, he’s too hurt, all he wants is to shake his hand. Owens extends a hand, and Strowman shakes it... but he doesn’t let go when KO turns away! Up for the powerslam... Owens slips away!
Commentary recaps the Riott Squad drawing on Bayley and we go into the locker room with her and Sasha Banks.
Bayley apologizes about last night and says she was rooting for Sasha. Banks says she’s okay and Bayley tells her to stop. Sasha plays dumb and Bayley says she knows how she is, and she’s replaying the match over and over in her mind. The Boss admits to it and says she just wants to be the best, and the Hugger tells her it won’t do any good to sit and sulk.
Sasha tells her she doesn’t get it, but Bayley counters about being ready to take the fight to the Riott Squad, and nobody would be a better partner than Banks, a new start for both of them. Sasha offers a hand and they shake on it.
The Deleters of Worlds make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial in time for our match.
Curtis Axel in a wig is cackling on the tron and talking about how they’re gonna delete them. Bo Dallas is dressed as his brother and talking about being destined to dance in the shadows and do all sorts of weird things they’re not gonna like, like, uh...
He yanks his fake beard off and says they’re coming for the tag team championships, and Axel declares it wonderful, still doing the gimmick.
Beauty and the Man-Beast (Heath Slater & Rhyno) vs. Deleters of Worlds (Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy)
Slater and Rhyno take advantage of the champs’ confusion and attack from behind! Rhyno lays Wyatt out with a short-arm lariat, gets a nearfall, charging in, boots up, tag to Hardy. In with forearms, smashing the Man-Beast’s head into the turnbuckles, Twist of Fate denied but Matt is able to clear the apron. Rhyno runs him over, tag to Heath, double whip into double back elbows, off the ropes with a knee drop for two.
Smashing Hardy’s face into the turnbuckles, right hand, tag back to Rhyno and Matt gets a jawbreaker for separation. Slater tags back in, takes a Side Effect, Hardy makes the tag! Bray in with a lariat, palm strike rush, big right hand in the corner, Stinger splash! Off the ropes, duck a lariat, freight train crossbody block connects and Wyatt’s spider-walking!
Sister Abigail clutch, Rhyno runs interference and gets the Twist of Fate for his trouble and it’s all the Deleters of Worlds. Heath with a boot up, a lariat takes his head off, and Matt tags back in for the finish...
Deleters of Worlds win by pinfall with Kiss of Deletion on Heath Slater.
We get a replay of the opening segment because Raw is three hours long. (I’m typing that a lot tonight, huh?)
Backstage, Kurt Angle’s on his phone when Constable Corbin rolls up to tell him Stephanie McMahon is very pleased with the way he’s done his job tonight. Kurt starts a tirade about how he doesn’t appreciate Steph being in his business and Baron hands him his phone with her on the line as we go to break.
Back from commercial we see the end of Angle’s phone call, with him saying he understands and this is big news he’ll announce later tonight and he’ll run all his ideas by Constable Corbin.
Jinder Mahal enters with Sunil Singh for a match, microphone in hand.
Jinder says as human beings we must be open to change, and last night he felt the winds of change. Although Roman Reigns won the match, he’s won the battle of self-improvement. Just like all of us, Roman is bitter and angry (actually I’m mostly just kinda sad and mopey these days, Jinder, the anger’s gone out), while the Maharaja has found tranquility. He runs Chad Gable down for trying to relive his past glories, to see the light and see... something in Punjabi that I’m not going to try and transcribe.
Chad Gable vs. Jinder Mahal
Forearm strikes from the jump, Gable’s able to stick to him and keep it from being a rout but Jinder gets a swinging neckbreaker and a running knee drop to the face before locking a standing armbar in. Chad gets him up... BACKDROP DRIVER! Following it up with the cross armbar in the ropes, springboard up and over, off the ropes, flying forearm connects and Gable’s fired up!
Trying an exploder, blocked by an elbow, a dropkick sends Mahal to the floor! Back in, up top, moonsault connects but can’t quite put Jinder away! Wrenching the Olympian’s arm through the ropes, following it with a big boot, cobra clutch...
Jinder Mahal wins by pinfall with Khallas.
We go backstage with the Riott Squad wreaking light havoc, smashing a crewmember’s laptop, and drawing an R on a mirror in black lipstick.
We go to break on a video package on Special Olympian Joshua Oakley.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up WWE Super Show-Down in Australia this October.
Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan)
Morgan and Bayley to start, the Hugger with a kick to the midsection and clubbing blows but Liv rams her into the corner and makes the tag. Double whip, Bayley blocks and hits a bulldog for one. Sasha wants the tag but Bayley blows her off, elbow drop, blind tag, sliding strike and Logan takes advantage. Banks’ back gives out on a suplex attempt, she hits a forearm and Bayley tags back in.
Shoulder thrust, block a face smash in the corner, short flapjack into the turnbuckles and an inverted bulldog takedown into punches on the mat! To the apron, shoulder thrust into the Stunner over the middle ropes and a suicide dive headscissors takeover! Sasha hits Meteora off the apron off an interfering Morgan and Bayley hugs her and thanks her as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Sarah blocks a tag with a spinebuster and clears Banks from the apron. Back body drop gets the Hugger her separation but nobody’s there to tag! Liv tags in, eats a boot, and here’s the Boss! Lariat, running forearm, a dropkick, she’s clutching her back but she’s fired up! Knee in the corner, Meteora off the second... NOPE!
Morgan comes back, Logan tries to peel Bayley off and she heads down to deal with her as Liv puts Sasha back-first into the turnbuckle! Double stomp dodged, Banks sets her up in the turnbuckles but she moves away from the double knee and Sarah gets a cheap shot...
Riott Squad win by pinfall with a schoolboy pin and a handful of tights from Liv Morgan on Sasha Banks.
Sasha shoves Bayley away after the match but the Hugger isn’t having it and pulls her around to talk. Banks shoves Bayley to the mat after an awkward stalemate and leaves.
We see Constable Corbin and Kurt Angle discussing something backstage and go to break.
Back from commercial, Bayley is chasing Sasha Banks down backstage.
The Boss tells her not to tell her what to do, and that she’s finished with her... WE’VE GOT A BRAWL! Sasha gets the upper hand and puts Bayley into the side of a trash can to make her point!
Kurt Angle’s in the ring complaining that he can’t get this show under control before announcing that Stephanie McMahon was telling him when Brock Lesnar will defend the title next, but the question is who against?
Enter Roman Reigns. He tells Kurt that the answer to his question is standing right in front of him. He beat Brock Lesnar at Greatest Royal Rumble and everyone knows that, so he’s the uncrowned Universal Champion. It’s no secret, Angle’s had problems running Raw, and he thinks having a champion who’s here to defend every night would help him out a great deal.
Kurt says he appreciates the confidence, but since he’s out here he’s got another announcement--
Enter Bobby Lashley. He asks if Roman is the guy and says he watched him bang his head against the wall for three years trying to beat Brock, and he doesn’t have what it takes to finish the job. This may be his yard, but Bobby’s been trying to get his hands on Lesnar since he was a little pup, so step aside and let somebody that can beat Brock beat Brock.
He can also beat Roman if needs be. Kurt says they’re both deserving but so are others, so what he’s gonna do is make a multi-person #1 contender’s match at Extreme Rules with them as the first two.
Enter the Revival. They ask whatever happened to earning things the old-fashioned way and because of guys like them always standing in their way they haven’t got the opportunities they deserve, but that changes tonight. They might be WrestleMania level superstars, but right now they’re thinking about tearing each other apart, so they’re challenging them to a match right now, two of the best singles stars in the world against the very best tag team in the world.
They’ll even give away their strategy, waiting for them to splinter before using teamwork and continuity to win the day. Roman mocks them and tells them to shut up and he’d be happy to take them to school, and maybe Bob here will learn something too.
Kurt makes the match official but we go to break before it begins.
Bobby Lashley & Roman Reigns vs. the Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)
Reigns and Dawson to start, collar and elbow, Roman shoves him across the ring and into the corner. Scott with an arm wringer into a wristlock, the Big Dog reverses to one of his own and Dawson reverses again to a side headlock. Shot off, slide under, caught with the shoulder block anyway! Block a punch, big slicing right, Roman drags Scott over and tags Lashley in.
Dawson throwing punches, staggering Bobby, kick to the midsection, tag to Wilder. Double whip to the corner, Lashley runs Scott over and hits a HUGE thrust spinebuster on Dash! Arm wringer, looking for a tag but Dawson pulls Reigns off the apron. Roman chases after, Bobby gets Scott up for a chokebomb but gets chop blocked and a tag is made. Demolition Decapitation... NOPE!
Dropkick from Dawson, chops in the corner, snapmare into a leg drop, only good for one. Reverse chinlock applied, trying to grind Walking Armageddon down. Off the ropes, boot to the chops, picking the leg in the corner but Lashley catches a lariat and turns it into a belly-to-belly suplex! Tag made, Roman in hot with lariats, the leaping lariat, big right hand, stacking the Revival up in the corner and it’s a two-for-one sale on the corner lariats!
Off the ropes, boot to the face, a knee for Dawson and then that sick rope-hung guillotine leg drop! Fired up, calling for it, Superman Punch but Dash is legal and rolls him up... NOPE! A Superman Punch for him, the Big Dog hows but Bobby tags him out...
Bobby Lashley & Roman Reigns win by pinfall with a spear from Lashley on Dash Wilder.
Baron Corbin and Kurt Angle are walking backstage when they roll up on Finn Balor, who pledges to earn another shot for the Universal Championship. Corbin tells him to consider himself lucky that somebody like him didn’t embarrass Finn and take it from him. Kevin Owens rolls up and sides with Corbin and Finn calls him stupid for not knowing when danger is behind him.
Danger in this case is Braun Strowman, who says he’s looking out for his buddy Finn and if they have a problem with that, they can have a tag match tonight.
We get a video package announcing AJ Styles as the cover star for WWE 2K19, following up on his appearance on the cover of the TNA Impact game years ago, where he was... in the background... wrestling Booker T... as a 3D model. On that note, we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get another recap of tonight’s opening segment.
Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose
Collar and elbow, Rawley rams Jose into the corner but he breaks and dances a little. Side headlock, shot off, Mojo with a shoulder block, off the ropes, drop down, leapfrog, shoulder block from No Way! Tossing Rawley to the floor, baseball slide, back in, Mojo cuts him off and mounts him for punches to the head. Three-quarter nelson applied, Jose out with a Stunner, elbow up in the corner, a forearm strike, duck a lariat and a big lariat of his own before finishing the sequence with a boot and a flapjack for two.
Big chop block from Rawley, off the ropes, running forearm in the corner...
Mojo Rawley wins by pinfall with a fireman’s carry drop.
Mojo is interviewed after his victory. He says WWE is more competitive now than ever before, so to achieve anything greater than intermittent success, you gotta bring more to the table. He used to be known for staying hyped, but now he’s about staying focused.
Sasha Banks is walking backstage to the parking lot when Bayley rolls up and says she’s not done with her. Sasha tells her she’s done helping and she’s done being her friend and gets in her car. Bayley slaps the window and throws her water at the car but Banks drives off to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Elias is in the ring to sing us a song.
He launches right into it today, putting himself over and telling us to ask what he’d do in hard times. He brings up Seth Rollins cheating and says he got what he deserved when he lost the title tonight. He’s actually singing a complete song tonight without interruption, which is kinda neat.
We go backstage with Renee Young, who’s going to interview Seth Rollins after a recap of his loss tonight. He says “former” stings a little and doesn’t want to make excuses. He laid down a challenge, Dolph answered, and he beat him. Drew McIntyre’s a problem, but he’s a problem that Seth has one week to solve, because next week he’s invoking his rematch clause and taking the championship back.
Finn Balor makes his entrance for our main event and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get some hype for Buddy Murphy vs. Hideo Itami vs. Mustafa Ali on 205 Live tomorrow night.
Baron Corbin & Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman & Finn Balor
Corbin and Balor to start, the Constable backing him into the corner and clobbering him with punches. Owens tags in, putting boots to Finn, off the ropes, he hits a back elbow and tags Baron back in. Knee to the midsection, boots in the corner, but Finn tags Strowman in! Catch a punch, knock the Constable down but when he goes to clear KO from the apron, Corbin gets a cheap shot and beats on him in the corner!
Boot, clothesline sends Baron to the floor, clear Owens again, tag back to Balor! Finn asks the monster to pick him up... AND PRESS DROP HIM ONTO THEIR OPPONENTS ON THE FLOOR! GOING TO BREAK!
Bakc from commercial, Balor puts Corbin on the floor but Owens cuts him off and puts him into the barricade before he can dive! KO legal, inside with a reverse chinlock, grinding Finn down but he’s able to get to his feet so Owens switches it up with a backbreaker for a nearfall. Tag to Baron, right hand, dumping Balor to the floor, ramming him into the barricade a few times!
Looking to slingshot back in, Corbin cuts him off with a right hand and locks him down! Escape, out of the corner... Deep Six! Only two! Tag to Owens, running senton but nobody’s home! Baron back in legal, blocking the tag, whip to the corner, lariat into boots in the corner and referee John Cone backs him off. Quick tags, working Balor over, but Braun’s had enough and comes in, bieling Finn across the ring to get the tag!
POUNCE! Whip to the corner, Stinger splash, Owens tries to leave and Strowman follows after him only to get clobbered by a dive from Baron! Back in the ring, cover comes up empty and Corbin comes off the ropes but gets dropped by the Nodowa Otoshi! Sidestep a charge, Strowman eats the post and Finn tags back in! Double leg to the double stomp, Kev breaks it up but Braun breaks him down with a pounce!
Referee John Cone admonishes the monster and he leaves to pounce KO again, blasting him through the timekeeper’s barricade! Finn gets a DDT off on Baron, shotgun dropkick, fired up headed up top but Corbin crotches him, wristlock...
Baron Corbin & Kevin Owens win by pinfall with the short-arm End of Days from Corbin on Finn Balor.
Baron celebrates on the ramp.
That’s the show, folks.