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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Aug. 6, 2018) from the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for later this month in Brooklyn.
Advertised for tonight: Ronda Rousey wrestles her first match on Raw against Alicia Fox, Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley, 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 AUG. 6
At the end of a dream if you know where I mean, when the mist just starts to clear. In a similar way at the end of today, I can feel the sound of writing on the wall, it cries for you. It’s the least that you can do, but me, I’m just here to liveblog this pro wrestling show, folks.
The show opens with a recap of all of last week’s Brock Lesnar drama.
Live in the arena, Kurt Angle cuts a promo about how unlike certain other UFC competitors, Ronda isn’t a problem to work with, and no matter whether she wins or doesn’t, she’s a champion in his book. He wishes he could say the same about Brock, and Constable Baron Corbin tells him to watch it. Angle says he’s a man of his word, and since Paul Heyman got Lesnar down to the ring, his job is still intact.
Paul will be interviewed later tonight, but as far as Brock’s attack on him--
Enter Roman Reigns. He asks if you kick the Big Dog out, who’s gonna protect the yard? Nobody, and that’s why Brock ragdolled Kurt all over the ring last week. Corbin chuckles to himself and Reigns asks what he did when Angle was getting beat down. He stood there and then he ran like a scared... Kurt cuts him off and says nobody likes what Brock did last week, from the top down.
Roman tells him not to suspend Lesnar or postpone the match, and Angle says he made sure he won’t get suspended and that Roman will get his shot at SummerSlam, and further he hopes he kicks Brock’s ass. Baron says that’s really unprofessional of a general manager, he can’t pick sides or play favorites, and if Brock was here...
The Big Dog cuts him off and says he’d look at Corbin again and he’d run off, which Baron plays off like he was being the bigger man and worn out from beating little tiny Finn Balor, you know, the guy that actually won the Universal Championship. He says he couldn’t think of anything else to do, and Angle says he could have acted like a man.
Baron wonders what that means and reminds Kurt that Stephanie McMahon is commissioner and Angle just makes the matches, with himself here to watch over because he can’t be trusted. Kurt concedes the point and says he sees a match right here. As a matter of fact, he wants a referee out here right now, because Corbin and Reigns are wrestling!
Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns
Corbin with a cheap shot before the bell! Reigns recovers, Superman Punch... NOPE! To break!
Back from commercial, Baron’s in control with a side headlock, shot off, drop down, fireman’s carry, slip out, to the corner, pass to the floor and the Constable comes back in with a huge lariat for two! To the corner for punishment, hammer whip across, mocking claps from the Lone Wolf. The Big Dog with forearms, a wicked elbow in return gets two and Corbin locks the half nelson chinlock on.
Reigns flagging but not failing, fighting to his feet, mat slam drops him back down! Baron on him, stomps and overhead elbows and back to the half nelson chinlock to sap his energy. Roman to his feet, off the ropes with a boot, two lariats, whip reversed, duck the leaping lariat but a fourth lariat puts Corbin on the floor! Rolling out after him, circling around, Drive-By connects!
Trying to draw him up the apron, Baron cuts him off with a right and puts the Big Dog into the ringpost to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Corbin is again in control with the half nelson chinlock but Roman escapes and hits a big elbow. Leaping lariat connects, boot up on the charge, off the ropes, Samoan drop, only two! Corner lariats follow, finishing with the Mafia kick and he calls for it but Baron counters the Superman Punch with a goozle! Reigns breaks away, off the ropes... DEEP SIX CAN’T PUT THE BIG DOG DOWN!
Running low, Roman’s spent and Baron clobbers him with lariats. He manages to get an elbow to block End of Days, pass Corbin to the floor, he wipes out the cameraman and slips back in, right into a Superman Punch that can’t quite put him away! Fired up, ready to howl... and the Constable rolls out of the ring and waves him off.
Finn Balor comes down to cut Baron off! Superman Punch off the apron! Howling...
Roman Reigns wins by pinfall with the spear.
Finn gives the Big Dog a thumbs-up and gets a nod as they pass in the aisle, and the Irishman hits the ring and takes his jacket off as Baron rises to his feet. Shotgun dropkick connects, a smile plays across Balor’s face, he perches up top... COUP DE GRACE!
We see Ronda Rousey and Natalya talking backstage and are informed that Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley will be after the break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of last week’s match between Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins.
Kurt Angle is shown watching this in his office and Rollins rolls up, saying his focus has been on getting the Intercontinental Championship back, but McIntyre keeps rearing his ugly head, and every time he gets close to taking care of Drew, Dolph Ziggler interferes, and he needs to see what he can do to take care of both of them. Kurt offers him a tag team match against them, he just needs to find a partner, and Seth thanks him and leaves to go do so.
Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley
Waistlock into a side headlock from Roode, shift to a hammerlock but Rawley breaks and fires off a headbutt. Smashing his face into the corner, Bobby fires off right hands, whip reversed but he freight trains out of the corner with a lariat! Kick to the midsection, Glorious DDT reversed, go behind, Roo blocks the O’Connor roll and dropkicks Mojo to the floor to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Rawley has an inverted bear hug locked on, keeping Roode grounded. Posting to his feet, he breaks Mojo’s grip but gets caught with a knee to the midsection and a gutwrench suplex for two! Forearms to the back, another cover comes up empty and Rawley goes back to the inverted bear hug.
Bobby to his feet, back elbows but Mojo refuses to let go, wrenching it in until he’s staggered by the force of the blows. Off the ropes, caught with a side slam, looking for the Alabama Slam but Roode slips out and gets a sunset flip for two! Big haymakers connect, Rawley gets a knee to the gut, off the ropes, back body drop telegraphed and countered with a kick and the Glorious One lands a few lariats into the swinging neckbreaker.
To the second rope, blockbuster connects, calling for it but Mojo gets him into the corner. Boots up, diving, Rawley catches him and hosses him up into a fireman’s carry, reversed...
Bobby Roode wins by pinfall with the Glorious DDT.
We cut to Elias sitting pensive in the locker room as a crewmember talks to him about shots they need to get. He tells the guy to calm down, he’s already seen it in his mind and he just needs to keep doing his job and it’ll be perfect. Elias plays a few bars for the cameras as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Elias is in the ring to sing us a song.
He introduces himself and plays a few bars before asking who wants to walk with Elias. He said he’s gotten to the top of the charts with only four songs and that’s unprecedented. Last week his documentary came out on WWE Network, but they got it wrong, so he’s gonna do it the real way with his crew tonight. This leads into his usual intro spiel and he goes to start playing but orders the camera crew around for a better view of his fingers.
He then tells them to circle him like he’s the center of the universe, and then tells them to stop before deciding it’s the audience that’s wrong. He suggests blurring their faces out or better yet, if they could just replace them with a more attractive crowd that’d be great. The crowd boos and the crew move to film them, which just serves to get Elias hot about last week.
He manages to calm himself enough to start playing--
Enter Bobby Lashley. He tells Elias he’s real funny, and once again you say his name and he appears. He saw the documentary and thought it was brilliant work and doesn’t know what he’s complaining about. Elias says the documentary was good but portrayed him as egotistical and vain, and Lashley wonders as opposed to what, exactly? The Drifter says he’s funny and he knows he’s out here to steal his spotlight and it ain’t happening.
The truth is, his entire comeback has been a joke. Bob tells him his boots, his guitar, his scarf, his documentary, his album, everything about him is a frickin’ joke. And the next time his name comes out of Elias’ mouth, what he does to him won’t be a joke. Elias backs off and tries to move the crew along to somewhere where they won’t be interrupted by a guy like this...
He throws a clipboard in Bobby’s face and puts boots to him! Kick to the ribs, off the ropes... LASHLEY COUNTERS WITH A SPINEBUSTER! Bob directs the documentary crew int othe ring to get a good look at him hitting the delayed vertical suplex!
We go backstage with Ziggler and McIntyre preparing for their match against Rollins and a mystery partner who Michael Cole says definitely will not be Dean Ambrose. Commentary hypes up Ronda Rousey vs. Alicia Fox after.
The Authors of Pain make their entrance, Rezar will wrestle Titus O’Neil after the break.
Back from commercial we see Seth Rollins stretching in the locker room when Tyler Breeze rolls up to pitch him on teaming up tonight.
He’s gorgeous and Rollins is passable if you’re into the whole CrossFit Jesus look, and they could be CrossFit Breezus. He holds out a fist for the Shield fistbump and Roman rolls up to ask if he’s serious and says he’s got Seth’s back tonight. They bump fists and Rollins gently lowers Tyler’s fist as they leave.
Rezar vs. Titus O’Neil
Collar and elbow, Rezar overpowers O’Neil and backs him into the corner, breaking dirty with a knee lift. Half nelson knee strike, club to the back, jawing and Titus comes back with a punch combination only to get laid low by a short-arm knee to the gut! Shoulder thrusts in the corner, choking him with a boot and then over the rope as referee John Cone counts.
Breaking, O’Neil with boots and punches to fight back into it, short whip into shoulder thrusts, overhand chops, whip reversed, up and over, big boot and Titus is fired up! Barking, Stinger splash, Akam runs interference and Rezar hits a boot! Calling him up...
Rezar wins by pinfall with a thrust spinebuster.
Backstage, Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal, and Sunil Singh are going over some note cards ahead of the return of the Kevin Owens Show, which will be after the break.
Back from commercial, commentary confirms that Roman Reigns will be tagging with Seth Rollins against Ziggler & McIntyre.
In the arena, the Kevin Owens Show set is set up on the stage, somewhat unusually.
KO welcomes us to the Kevin Owens Show and introduces his guest, a man who he’s proud to call his personal guru, Jinder Mahal. He says he can’t thank Jinder enough, at first he was skeptical of his methods, but he has to say he’s never felt more at peace or relaxed, and that’s thanks to him. At Extreme Rules, after Braun Strowman threw him twenty feet off the cage he thought he’d live the rest of his live in pain, but thanks to Mahal’s teaching, he woke up this morning with no pain and could play with his kids.
But that’s not the only reason he’s out here, it’s because they share something special, something that not a lot of people can say they have. When most people look at Braun, they see a monster who’s impossible to beat, but he and Jinder have both done it! And sure Mahal’s was only a count-out, but that still counts, and if Owens wins that way at SummerSlam, he’ll still get the briefcase.
And that’ll make him KO in the Bank, with a title opportunity whenever and wherever he wants it, to reclaim his Universal Championship. The truth is he’s never been the same since he lost that title, but he can feel it in his grasp again and he’s so clear-headed that he has a great idea for tonight-- tonight, one more time, Jinder Mahal vs. Braun Strowman!
Jinder isn’t buying it, but Kev gives him a pep talk and calls Strowman down. Braun doesn’t come out and Owens gloats... until the stage shifts. STROWMAN WAS UNDERNEATH IT THE ENTIRE TIME AND TIPPED IT OVER ON THEM! We’re told Braun still wants his rematch and 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, it was pretty cool.)
Braun Strowman vs. Jinder Mahal
Mahal trying to make peace, repeating his mantra and stalling, and Braun goes out after KO when he steals the briefcase again! Can’t fool him twice, he slides back in before referee Rod Zapata counts him out. Jinder tries to stick and move but Strowman backs him into the corner and biels him across the ring! Owens steals the briefcase again and Braun cuts him off on the stage with a right hand!
Mahal from behind, Strowman fends him off with the briefcase in hand...
Jinder Mahal wins by disqualification.
Braun chases after Jinder and goes to wallop him with the briefcase but Sunil Singh yanks it out of his hand! Strowman runs him over with a boot and Mahal heads for the hills, so Braun heads into the ring and demands Owens come fight him, the coward.
Commentary rolls footage of Rollins and Reigns inducting an audience member as an honorary member of the Shield at a house show last night.
We cut backstage where Baron Corbin is on his phone and rolls up on Kurt Angle, giving him the phone and telling him it’s Stephanie McMahon. Angle says he understands what she’s saying and gets cut off, eventually saying he’ll take care of it.
Commentary hypes up a look at the Universal Championship match at SummerSlam and we go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary tosses to the promised video package on the feud between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
It has Corey Graves interviewing Roman as a framing device, and Reigns says there’s no shame in losing to Lesnar but he’s whooped his ass and there’s a lot of history there. Brock didn’t beat him the first time, but the second he got the best of him, and of course regardless of the official result, Roman says he beat Lesnar the third time.
He says there’s no leader when Brock is champion, and he’s tired of seeing him disrespect his lifestyle and business. He puts Lesnar’s ability over and says no matter how many times Brock knocks him down, he’ll keep getting up, because he has to win.
McIntyre & Ziggler make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Rollins & Reigns are walking backstage when they run into Kurt Angle and Baron Corbin.
Baron says it’s real admirable that he wants to go out there and help his brother or whatever, and Stephanie McMahon doesn’t want to risk the SummerSlam main event, so he’s forbidden from wrestling again. Roman says he doesn’t care, and Corbin says if he defies orders, he forfeits his match at SummerSlam. Seth says he’ll figure something out, he always does, and Baron says his match is next and it’ll be a handicap match if he can’t find a replacement.
Reigns comes back and asks Corbin if his ribs are okay before nailing him with a punch to said ribs!
Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins (Handicap Match)
McIntyre starting against Rollins, and Seth slaps him across the face! Headed out of dodge, back in, cut him off with a dropkick, sucker Ziggler in, put boots to him, roll-through superkick on Drew and a lariat sends Dolph to the floor! Headed up top, fending Ziggler off, diving, McIntyre catches him and stumbles momentarily before hitting an Emerald Flowsion backbreaker!
Mounted punches follow, smashing his face into the turnbuckles, whip into a Flair Flip, tag to Dolph. Ziggler slapping at him with disdain, Rollins fires back with punches but gets kicked low and backed into the corner for a quick tag. Big chop from Drew into a chickenwing chinlock, trying to grind the Architect down. Seth gets out but McIntyre slams him before tagging Ziggler back in.
Toying with Rollins, stomping away and yelling about how he’s gonna lose when he’s all alone. Seth with body blows, Dolph fires back in the corner, Bronco Buster comes up empty and Ziggler crotches himself hard! Rollins fighting back in it, punches and chops, off the ropes he gets passed to the floor and picks Drew off the apron to block the tag!
Sidestep the charge, McIntyre eats ringpost and Seth heads back in and hits a Sling Blade! Charging forearm, off the ropes, a lariat puts Ziggler on the floor and the suicide dive hits home! Drawing him up and throwing him back in, to the apron, springboard lariat hits the mark! Fired up, superkick, off the ropes, Blackout dodged, Fameasser countered with the buckle bomb but Drew gets the blind tag and takes Rollins’ head off with a lariat!
Tagging Dolph back in, drawing Seth up and jawing at him, off the ropes but he escapes and hits a knee, schoolboy... MCINTYRE BREAKS IT UP! Ziggler takes advantage...
Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre win by pinfall with a superkick from Ziggler.
Commentary hypes up our Paul Heyman interview as well as Ronda Rousey’s TV match debut.
The B-Team make their entrance with new music and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Ronda Rousey backstage shadowboxing to get ready for her match.
The Revival cut a promo about how the tag division is full of magicians and they’ll make the B-Team’s winning streak disappear.
The B-Team (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel) vs. the Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)
Dawson and Axel to start, collar and elbow, to the corner, tag to Wilder and Curtis backs away. Arm wringer, Dash with uppercuts, whip across, corner lariat, but Axel clips him with a lariat and tags Dallas in. Assisted knee strike gets twp and Wilder backs him into the corner for a tag. Dawson with a flurry of punches, smashing Bo’s face into the turnbuckles, big chop, uppercut, short-arm lariat is only good for two despite multiple covers.
Cobra clutch applied, Dallas gets out, they trade punches and butt heads, leaving both men down and out and reaching for tags--
(Wyatt noise.)
When the lights come back up, Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt are on the apron in place of both men’s partners! They hit the ring and attack...
The match goes to a no-contest, presumably, although no finish is announced.
The Deleters of Worlds take both men out and stand tall over them.
We see Paul Heyman getting mic’d up for his interview backstage and go to break.
Back from commercial, we jump into the interview with Paul Heyman.
Red-eyed, unshaven, and haggard, he says he doesn’t know where he and Brock stand right now-- he’s disconnected his phone and hasn’t been able to contact him through intermediaries. He says Lesnar isn’t going to like him talking in public about a private matter and Renee Young offers to shift focus, and Heyman says he considers Brock a friend of his and even their families are close.
They’ve always talked about riding off into the sunset together with the Universal and UFC Championships on either shoulder and Paul behind him proclaiming him the reigning, defending... and Heyman trails off, weeping. He doesn’t know if Brock still needs him, and asked about potential other clients he says that would have been inconceivable a couple weeks ago but this whole situation is inconceivable.
Last question, who wins at SummerSlam, and Paul says he’s known Brock for 16 years through every up and down and he’s never seen Lesnar like this, more driven or focused, and he knows it’s not a word they like to use, but he’s never seen him more violent, and against this Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns doesn’t stand a chance.
A recap of Braun Strowman’s great feat of strength from earlier plays, because Raw is three hours long.
Commentary runs down the SummerSlam card as it stands before the Riott Squad make their entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial in time for our babyface entrance.
Boss & Hug Connection (Bayley & Sasha Banks) vs. Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan)
Banks and Morgan to start, collar and elbow, into the corner and Sasha breaks when Liv goes for her hair. Back to the lockup, Morgan with a stiff right to knock the Boss down and she follows it up with boots. Sidestep the charge, smash into the turnbuckles, slingshot headscissors into the turnbuckle and a tag to Bayley. Running crossbody from Banks, cover from the Hugger gets two.
Kick to the knee, Liv gets the tag and Bayley takes Logan over and hits the sliding lariat after. Elbow drop, cover gets two and she locks a kneeling armbar in. Pivoting to take Sarah’s back while keeping the armbar, Logan posts to her feet, arm wringer and an elbow, to the corner, the Hugger with a crossbody, arm wringer, Sarah with a mat slam, whips reversed, hard into the corner and Morgan comes in with a double stomp!
Bayley rolls to the floor and we go to break.
Back from commercial and Logan is in control with a grounded cobra clutch. Bayley posts to her feet and Sarah takes her right back down, but a second try gets a Stunner and does the trick, only for Logan to draw her right back into the hold with a wristlock. Struggling to her feet, backbreaker into a short cobra clutch slam and Sarah maintains control!
The Hugger manages to throw her off and out of the ring and of course Sarah just yanks Sasha to the floor! Double-teaming Bayley while referee Rod Zapata is occupied with the Boss, tag made, throwing her face-first into Liv’s knees for a nearfall! Short whip, up and over, Bayley’s knee gives out and Morgan puts her hard into the corner! Hot Shot on a charge, the Hugger reaching, crawling... TAGS MADE!
Banks in hot with double chops, a dropkick, catch the boot, front kick, charging in, up and over, knee from the apron, setting Logan up top, quick tags, avalanche Frankensteiner into Meteora... MORGAN MAKES THE SAVE! Bayley throws Liv to the floor and comes off the apron but a person dressed all in black pulls Morgan aside... She pulls her hood off and RUBY RIOTT IS BACK!
The Boss tries to go out after her, Logan is ready...
Riott Squad wins by pinfall with a schoolboy pin from Sarah Logan on Sasha Banks.
Commentary tosses to a video package covering Ronda Rousey’s WWE career to date and we see her and Natalya leaving her locker room as we go to break.
Back from commercial, we’re informed the Deleters of Worlds, the B-Team, and the Revival will have a three-way for the tag titles next week.
Alexa Bliss makes her entrance in Alicia Fox’s corner for our main event.
Alicia Fox is interviewed in the ring but Bliss takes charge, taking issue with asking questions about Ronda, scolding Charly Caruso for not coming up with a question worthy of a pioneer like Foxy. Alicia says she’s pretty sure Rousey’s still banged up after her attack last week, and even if you talk about her accomplishments in the UFC and the Olympics and in Sports Illustrated, was she captain of the Raw Survivor Series team? No.
Alexa dismisses Charly and concurs with that answer before getting serious for a second and saying they wouldn’t be holding Evolution if it weren’t for women like Fox paving the way for all of them, and before the biggest match of her career, she wants to thank her for her contribution. Ronda, on the other hand, isn’t thankful for anything and isn’t fit to challenge for the title, but Bliss will deal with what’s left of her in Brooklyn.
She asks Alicia if she’s gonna let some rookie steal her thunder and Foxy says absolutely not, which brings Rousey and Natalya out.
Alicia Fox vs. Ronda Rousey
Fox hanging back in the corner, saying this is her house, not Rousey’s house. Right hand, Ronda catches it and shoves her to the mat! Alicia heads to the floor for a breather and skips her way back in the ring before rolling right back out. Bliss runs interference, Natalya counters her and Alexa throws her face-first into the post! Fox tries to run over, referee Chad Patton pulls her off and Bliss trips Rousey up!
Alicia putting boots to her in the corner, Ronda’s face hardens and fills with resolve and she stalks over to Foxy and unleashes with a series of jabs! Body blows in the corner, hard whip into a judo throw, another one, a third, and Alicia rolls to the floor to save herself! Out after her, Rousey throws her into the barricade, fireman’s carry to put he back in the ring, Alexa comes around but Ronda catches Fox on the charge and hits a leg-hook exploder suplex!
Grabbing her arm, dragging over, kneeling and falling back...
Ronda Rousey wins by submission with the cross armbar.
Ronda is interviewed after her win and she thanks everyone for watching and says it feels great to be able to focus on SummerSlam when Bliss comes from behind and eats a judo throw that sends her to the floor! Rousey grabs the mic and calls her out, saying it doesn’t matter how tight she holds the title, because at SummerSlam it’s hers, and she spikes the mic into the mat!
Rousey and Neidhart celebrate.
That’s the show, folks.