WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (June 17, 2019) from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Stomping Grounds event scheduled for this coming Sunday night in Tacoma.
Advertised for tonight: the guest referee for Rollins vs. Corbin is announced, a Fatal 5-Way to determine the top contender for the U.S. title, 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 17
Oh lord, I think I deserve a little better than this. I think I’ve earned it, so I’ll just keep humming this song and hope you follow. Turn me over, roll me ‘round to find the truth that I don’t want found. Oh, don’t believe everything you hear, I’m the snake waiting for you, dear, and eventually you’ll come to me, but for now, I’ll be liveblogging this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with Elias in the ring to sing us a song.
He uses some kind of local reference to run Los Angeles down and says he was invited here tonight by Baron Corbin, and he takes his jacket off to reveal a referee shirt. He confirms that he is indeed the man Baron picked to be the special guest referee at Stomping Grounds--
SETH ROLLINS ATTACKS HIM FROM BEHIND WITH A CHAIR! Waffling the chair across the Drifter’s back again and again, Rollins then gets on the mic and says after everything he’s been through with Brock Lesnar, he’s done playing games. He gets it, Corbin has to find a referee before Sunday, but this is a message for anyone considering that position-- if you side with Baron Corbin, the chair in his hand is what awaits you on the other side, so choose wisely.
The Miz makes his entrance and gets in the ring just as Elias is recovering... SKULL-CRUSHING FINALE! Bobby Lashley is out next, again as Elias rises... SPEAR! Cesaro out third, he takes the Drifter for a swing, Ricochet adds a Codebreaker to the mix, and Braun Strowman is out last for the exclamation point... RUNNING POWERSLAM!
We go to break before their match.
Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman vs. Cesaro vs. Ricochet vs. the Miz (WWE United States Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
Strowman with a dropkick to take the other two big men out, he clubs Miz and Ricochet away, double goozle dumps Lashley and Cesaro to the floor! Miz with a sleeper, Ricochet off the ropes but Braun runs him over and shrugs the A-Lister off! A Biel for Miz, knock Lashley off the apron but Cesaro comes in with an uppercut... ALPAMARE WATERSLIDE! Neutralizer denied, springboard uppercut caught and countered and Strowman scoops Bob up and slams him on the Swiss Superman...
Braun Strowman eliminates Cesaro by pinfall with a lateral press.
Throwing the One and Only across the ring but Bob comes in with the reverse STO and catches him. Straight suplex on the monster, knock Miz off the apron, elbow knocks Ricochet down too but Strowman is ready for him...
Braun Strowman eliminates Bobby Lashley by pinfall with the running powerslam.
Posing for the crowd, Braun heads to the floor and runs Miz and Ricochet over, back inside, Stinger Splashes for the A-Lister, hoisting him up and Lashley and Cesaro come back! Gotch Neutralizer on the monster, Ricochet sees his opportunity and heads up top...
Ricochet eliminates Braun Strowman by pinfall with the 630 senton and a little help from Cesaro and Bobby Lashley holding him down.
Strowman wipes everybody out and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Ricochet with a tijeras, up and over in the corner, Miz slips out, trips him face first into the apron, off the ropes, baseball slide, nobody home, the One and Only with a tope con giro! Back inside, up top, nobody home on the 450 splash, boots up in the corner, face smash into a gamengiri in the corner, Ricochet up top again, diving lariat, full nelson reveral, reversed into a victory roll... NOPE!
Basement DDT connects... STILL NO! Chest kicks follow it up, Ricochet ducks the buzzsaw, backflip dropkick, enzuigiri misses, Miz kicks his leg out of his leg! Counter the spinning toehold, schoolboy for two, hobble into the corner, get the boot up, enzuigiri, rolling thunder dropkick countered into the spinning toehold and the figure four leglock!
The One and Only struggling through the pain, reaching, turning, trying to find his way, almost has him rolled over, then the other way, back and forth and he reverses the pressure! Miz on the verge of tapping, he grits his teeth and stretches, posting on his hands, roaring, reversing the pressure back to normal but Ricochet gets a hand on the bottom rope!
Small package, nope, Ricochet passes Miz to the apron, the A-Lister springboards... RICOCHET COUNTERS WITH A CODEBREAKER! Dragging Miz into position, hobbling up top...
Ricochet wins, last eliminating Miz by pinfall with the 630 senton to become #1 contender to the WWE United States Championship.
Post-match, Joe blindsides Ricochet and starts beating on him but the One and Only gets the low bridge, off the ropes... CORKSCREW TOPE!
Backstage, we see Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan walking into the building.
Cut to Becky Lynch walking backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Becky Lynch makes her entrance.
She greets Los Angeles and immediately calls Lacey Evans out, saying week after week she’s watched her dopey head drone on about what she deserves but now she agrees, and next time she’s in striking distance she’ll give her exactly what she deserves. She talks about doing whatever it takes to get ahead and curry favor, well, she’ll do the crowd a favor and kick her ass all over LA.
Enter Lacey Evans.
She says nobody cares and Becky’s got it wrong, she makes her mad because she doesn’t understand. Lynch says she gets it fine, Evans would rather stand up there and talk as slow as possible than come down and get her beating. Lacey continues, saying underneath the flawless image is a tough-as-nails woman who’s been through things The Man couldn’t understand.
Lynch invites her to give a little performance and carry on, and Evans says they should make a movie about her because her entire life is quite the story. She’s not just a lady, she’s a real United States Marine, capable of boot camp in the morning and a cotillion at night, all with dignity and grace. And she brings those to the ring because they’re what the women’s division deserves.
Becky says she knows her story and that makes it hard to figure out why she does what she does, and what she is now is nothing but a steaming pile of trash. Evans says WWE needs a confident, classy woman to set an example, not some nasty like Lynch, and she IS beatable, so at Stomping Grounds--
BECKY ATTACKS HER IN THE ROPES! EXPLODER SUPLEX!
Lynch leaves, taking Lacey’s hat and punting it from the stage.
The Revival are shown in street clothes making their way to Shane McMahon’s private VIP lounge, where Shane and Drew McIntyre are hanging out and drinking champagne.
Backstage, Baron Corbin is interviewed.
He says what happened to Elias happened, but he’s got a lot of friends and he’s already got a replacement in mind. He’ll make the announcement later tonight on a very special edition of the Kevin and Sami show.
Seth Rollins blindsides him and lays him out with a chair before saying he’s still got a lot of work to do.
Viking Raiders are shown masking up backstage, they’ll be in action after the break.
Back from commercial, Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan make their entrance.
Bryan gets on the mic and says he understands why he had to be brought in as a Wild Card, because this place sucks. Not just Raw, but the entire city of Los Angeles. Full of smog as well as ignorant and impotent people, they’re here to educate and excite us. Tonight he’ll excite us by destroying Universal Champion Seth Rollins and proving that one half of the tag team champions is better than the entire Raw roster and show the tag division why they’re the greatest tag team in WWE history.
Randy & Russ Taylor vs. Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar)
Erik with a dorpkick to one guy, a biel to the other, overhead exploder, tag to Ivar. Springboard Hart Attack, other guy gets popped up...
Viking Raiders win by pinfall with the Viking Experience.
We pan across the front row and see Carmella and R-Truth in disguise. They beat a retreat as the crush of stars comes down, Truth hiding under the ring, and somehow the assembled superstars pull Titus O’Neil out instead as Carmella and Truth make their escape through the crowd.
Backstage, Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn are going over notes for their segment.
Owens and Zayn make their entrances to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get more of Shane McMahon and friends hanging out when there’s a knock on the door.
Heath Slater shows himself in and admits he’s got kids and everything’s getting tight and he wants to know if he can get a raise. Shane says it takes a lot of balls to walk in and ask for a raise and he gets it, he has kids, too, so... the answer is no. but he walked in like a man so he’ll let him walk out like one, and after he leaves he sends Drew McIntyre out after him.
Drew interrupts while Slater’s on the phone and apologizes, saying it kills him to see him like this and he has to do something for him. He goes to give him some money, Heath initially refuses but relents, and then McIntyre drops it and sucker punches Slater! Beating him down hard against some road cases, the Revival and Shane come out to stop him and the Revival surreptitiously pocket the cash.
In the ring, Kevin Owens welcomes us to the Kevin and Sami show and blames an incompetent tech for not updating the graphics to include Sami Zayn.
They welcome Baron Corbin and Sami tells him this is a safe space, which is better than he can say for WWE in general. He withdraws his own eligibility from being referee given his recent experiences as a referee, and KO also withdraws in solidarity with him. Corbin says people were lining up out the street, and he picked somebody who was born to count 1-2-3, drumroll please... EC3!
Seth Rollins blindsides EC3 with the steel chair and rains chairshots down across his back! He leaves EC3 lying as Baron complains about him taking away another opportunity from an up-and-coming superstar before admitting that it’s back to the drawing board.
Big E does the deal and New Day make their entrance. E lays his ring jacket across EC3’s fallen body and Zayn objects, saying that he saw the lineup and they’re not official Wild Cards, so they should leave the building now. Kofi Kingston says he’s WWE Champion and that means he goes where he wants, when he wants, and he brings his boys with him, too.
Owens says next chance he gets he’ll be champion, to which Kofi reminds him of how he didn’t beat him at Money in the Bank. Baron then says they might not want to join him in refereeing, but asks if they want to help him beat New Day to the back. New Day says that sounds like a challenge but they need a referee. They drag EC3 to his feet and Weekend at Bernie’s him to see if he’d be willing to sanction this match.
Of course, since he’s unconscious and they’re speaking for him, he agrees, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we got into a trainer’s office where AJ Styles is being cleared when Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows roll up in their doctor outfits to take over.
Styles says he feels good and doesn’t need their brand of medicine, but he’s been thinking of them. Three years ago they debuted right here, they were cool all over, and he puts them over as maybe the best tag team in the world... but they’ve gotten comfortable. When’s the last time they won a match or were even on Raw? They need to get serious, to which Gallows says they’ll take the gloves off tonight.
Anderson says they’ve got a match against the Usos later and they’ll show him how serious they are.
Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, & Sami Zayn vs. New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods) (2/3 Falls Match)
Zayn and Woods to start, arm wringer into a wristlock, Sami reverses, Xavier rolls through, reversal of his own and into the corner. Zayn with a forearm, whip across, up and over, duck a lariat, slide low, big elbow lays Sami out for two! Into the corner, tag to Owens, stomping a proverbial mudhole, tag to Corbin, jawing at New Day and probing Woods. Off the ropes, right hand, overhead elbows into the half nelson chinlock.
Woods out, enzuigiri connects, tag to KO, he gets the senton but the knees are up! Tag to Zayn, wristlock to block the tag but Xavier keeps reaching, shift gears...
New Day win the first fall by pinfall with a schoolboy pin from Xavier Woods on Sami Zayn.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, the heels are putting boots to Big E. He fights valiantly, eats a superkick from Owens... NOPE! Tag to Corbin, hard whip into the corner, back to Kev, E sidesteps and he takes the post hard. Belly-to-belly suplex connects, the path is clear, Kingston and Corbin legal! The WWE Champion runs wild but gets caught on a Lou Thesz Press and thrown into the corner!
Boot up, diving crossbody... STILL NOPE! Kick connects, Kofi wants it, off the ropes, Boom Drop! Zayn running interference, after Kingston finishes with that, Deep Six... WOODS BREAKS IT UP! Heels clear the ring, malfunction at the junction, KO and Baron get into a shoving match and Kev lays him out with a superkick! He and Sami leave together, Kofi clapping...
New Day win the second and final fall by pinfall with Trouble in Paradise from Kofi Kingston on Baron Corbin.
Backstage, Alexa Bliss has a present for Nikki Cross.
It’s a paper rolled up inside a coffee cup and Nikki unrolls it. It’s an invitation for a tag title match tonight! Alexa says after Sunday, they’ll finally have women’s champions to be proud of, and she then suggests that Cross try decaf next time since she’s so excited.
Paul Heyman is shown backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Paul Heyman makes his entrance.
He does his usual introductory spiel and says he’s not comfortable being out here what with Seth Rollins smashing people with chairs all night long. But he’s not a threat, he’s not going to be the guest referee on Sunday... and the hotel DirecTV goes down. Sorry, folks!
[TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES]
[Imagine jaunty music here]
Unfortunately, technical difficulties continue for our dear live blog expert Claire, so you’re going to have to deal with Geno jumping in here.
Heyman was there to continue teasing Brock Lesnar cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.
Also, The Usos beat Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows.
We also missed Roman Reigns beating up Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon to build to Reigns vs. McIntyre on Sunday at Stomping Grounds and, presumably, Reigns vs. McMahon in a much bigger match.
Up next, the women’s tag team titles are on the line!
Natalya, Naomi, and Bayley were backstage hanging out. Charly Caruso showed up and asked Bayley about the social media accusations going around that Bayley wouldn’t take a pic with a fan because she was wearing a Nikki Cross shirt.
Bayley left to deal with it while Nattie and Naomi wondered aloud if she really would do such a thing.
The IIconics make their entrance.
They’re really excited about making it to Los Angeles, the city of A-listers. They belong there, you see. They lament having to defend the titles against Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross, wondering if there were any other teams available.
Billie Kay then made a joke about Alexa reminding her of the Lakers — they were champions, and then LeBron James showed up and now they aren’t.
WWE is going really hard with the cheap heat lines tonight, huh.
Even Corey Graves mentioned being tired of hearing the LeBron jokes — none of which have been all that good — while Renee Young just wanted some love for the NBA Champion Toronto Raptors. Canada, baby!
Anyway, time for the aforementioned title match.
The IIconics vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Before the match can even get underway, Bayley made her entrance. Michael Cole made it known she was out here to watch, and then they went to a commercial break.
Nikki had control to start the match but Billie & Peyton quickly took control and got the heat on. At one point, Billie knocked Alexa off the apron and she pushed Bayley, who was outside the ring hanging out. Back in the ring, the IIconics took advantage, and when Alexa tried to get in to help, Bayley knocked her off the apron and pushed her down.
Naturally, Cross was pinned.
The IIconics def. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Alexa jumped into the ring quickly to explain to Nikki what happened. Cross, for her part, looked really upset by all this.
After a commercial break, Alexa was trying to console Cross backstage, who said Bliss is right about Bayley not being who she claims to be. Nikki wants to be in Alexa’s corner at Stomping Grounds to watch her stomp out Bayley’s dreams the way Bayley did to Nikki tonight.
Firefly Fun House time.
Wyatt is watering some plants. “You know, our minds, they’re just like gardens. All yours needs is a little bit of water, a little bit of sunshine, and it will make your ideas grow. Some ideas are full of worms, and that’s no good. People throughout your life will always lie to you.”
In a roundabout way he then claimed the Earth is flat, and dinosaurs aren’t extinct.
He says he knows what it’s like to not belong, which is why he created this place, where the fun never has to end.
“People worship what they fear. Fear is power. Follow the leader.”
It turned into a music video, with various artists singing and rapping about doing the muscle man dance. This is probably the creepiest the segment has been just yet.
“Let me in.”
Charly Caruso interviewing Daniel Bryan and Big Flannel backstage.
She wonders if Bryan will be ready for Seth Rollins’ aggression tonight. Bryan wondered why no one had the common sense to take that chair out of his hands tonight. But it’s okay, because when it comes to actually getting in a ring and wrestling, sans chair, he’s not as good as Bryan. He might be a badass with the chair, but he’s never beaten Bryan.
Cut to Rollins walking through the back. He comes across Becky Lynch, and they remind us that, hey, these two are a couple.
Main event up next.
Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan
Cole called this a “big opportunity” for Bryan tonight. Not entirely sure how, all things considered, but we’ll go with it. Young and Graves, meanwhile, are sure to remind us that Brock Lesnar looms large. He could actually be here, after all!
Rollins’ entrance included a recap of the fact that he’s beat the trash out of multiple people this evening who he thought might end up as special guest referee for his match this coming weekend. We’re reminded Baron Corbin is running out of time to name said special guest referee.
The match had barely any time to get going when Big Flannel interrupted from the outside. That caused a disqualification.
Bryan and Rowan attacked Rollins again, and then the locker room just started to empty, as The New Day, The Revival, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and The Usos all came running out to get involved. Officials made their way out to break things up.
In the ring, we’re told the match would restart, one-on-one, with no one allowed to be ringside.
Alright!
They had a really fun, back-and-forth match. They only had 10 minutes to work with, so they got the big spots in where they could, like Rollins countering the running knee with the buckle bomb into a superkick. A follow up frog splash failed when Bryan got his knees up, which he followed with the LeBell Lock. Seth was able to turn him over into a pinfall attempt, but Bryan got out. Rollins got the Curb Stomp just after, however, and that was enough for the three count.
Seth Rollins def. Daniel Bryan
“Talk about building momentum,” Cole said.
Indeed.
Rollins went up the ramp and when he turned back to the ring, Corbin showed up with a chair and blasted him multiple times with it. He put Rollins in the ring and hit him with the End of Days. Then he held up the Universal championship.
They never did announce a special guest referee.
End.