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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (July 27, 2020) from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with all the latest build to the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for next month.
Advertised for tonight: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw women’s title, Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler, 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 JULY 27
Hero’s face was gaunt and tanned, his sail was set in search of land, his life-raft, solely by him manned was guided by the tide. Heroine wore fleecy white, she beckoned like some saviour bright. Shipwrecked sailors in the night were bid welcome to her side, but me, I’m just here to liveblog this pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with the intro video.
Commentary runs down the card for tonight’s show.
Randy Orton makes his entrance and we get a recap of last week’s unsanctioned match against Big Show.
He gets on the mic and talks about his storied career, saying the Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin can’t hold a candle to his longevity or accomplishments. He’s done what he wants, when he wants, to whoever he wants, his entire career and that will never change, but something’s missing. He hasn’t been able to put a finger on it, but this morning it hit him like a ton of bricks— he wants to be WWE Champion again.
So that means he has to bring Drew McIntyre into the conversation, but comparing resumes with him would be a very short conversation. Ten years ago Drew was the Chosen One, but his head was so far up his ass the only thing he chose to do was get fired. But hey, he scraped and clawed and got his way back through NXT with his ambition and hustle, and that earned him Orton’s respect.
He talks about McIntyre beating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania and then speaks directly to him, saying they’ve got a problem— he’s got what Randy wants. And he has a tendency to just take what he wants, so he puts it right on front street— he wants a title shot at SummerSlam, and when he RKOs him and puts the title over his shoulder, believe him, you’ll never see it coming.
He leaves and Nia Jax crosses his path as she makes her entrance.
She gets on the mic and says she knows exactly how Orton feels, because she woke up and felt the same way about the Raw Women’s Championship. She says she was screwed out of her victory and then Charlotte Flair butted her way in, but she’s not here anymore, and she wants to make sure, when Asuka and Sasha Banks fight later—
Enter Shayna Baszler.
She gets right in Nia’s face and tells her nobody gives a damn what she wants. Jax laughs it off and decks her with a forearm! They start brawling, Shayna with leg kicks, referees swarm the ring to break them up and we go to break.
Back from commercial, the Street Profits are in the ring to ring announce a #1 contender’s match for their tag titles in their usual colorful manner.
Andrade “Cien” Almas & Angel Garza vs. Cedric Alexander & Ricochet vs. Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) (WWE Raw Tag Team Championship)
Garza and Almas jump everybody before the bell and Angel tears his pants off, throwing them to Street Profits on commentary! They stare the champs down and we go to break before the match can get going.
Back from commercial, the match in progress, Alexander’s trying to use his speed to get past Ivar but the big man proves to be nearly as agile and they essentially stalemate! Ricochet tags, in, dropkicks jack Warbeard up but Erik tags in and all four men square up before deciding they’d be better off focusing on the heels in the match.
The match breaks down, referee Rod Zapata letting it happen, Ricky and Cedric work Garza over while the Vikings take care of Andrade on the floor! Almas goes in and gets worked over as well, Manhattan Drop into a running knee, all four babyfaces teaming up on Angel... HART ATTACK FROM THE BIG MEN! Ricochet and Erik clear their partners out and square up but Andrade attacks the Viking from behind!
Double chickenwing, inviting Ricky over for body blows and the One and Only plays opportunist. Double whip, charging strikes on the canonically less cute Viking! Cuter Ivar in, trading blows with Almas before suplexing him! Side slam, freight train crossbody, Banzai Drop! Garza in with a superkick, Erik blasts him with a shoulder block and an overhead belly-to-belly!
Whip reversed, up and over, shotgun knees put Angel in the corner and we go to break!
Back from commercial, the heels are working the Vikings over on the floor, putting boots to Ivar, throwing him into the barricade, and so forth. Back inside, nearfall on Erik, Ricochet in on Garza, hammering him in the corner, springboard lariat, moonsault... NOPE! Double whip, kicks as the match breaks down, cartwheel into the lariat!
Almas with the back elbow on Warbeard but Erik nails him with the judo knee! Action to the floor, Ivar dives into the crush and wipes everybody out! Back inside, Garza has Cedric... WING CLIPPER! IT’S OVER!
Andrade “Cien” Almas & Angel Garza win by pinfall with Wing Clipper from Garza on Cedric Alexander to become #1 contenders to the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship.
Post-match, the new #1 contenders attack the champs before beating a hasty retreat.
We go to break on the promise of Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler, up next.
Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler
Slugging it out right out the gates and Jax dumps Baszler over the ropes and to the floor! Following after her, Shayna hits a roundhouse kick to the head but Nia shrugs it off and smashes her face into the Lexan barrier! Referee John Cone counting...
The match goes to a double count-out draw.
Post-match, they continue brawling as security comes down to break them up and they just take it to the guards! Nia dumps Shayna in the ring and she chokes a guard out with the Kirifuda Clutch! An agent tries to get involved but Jax shoves him into Baszler and tears his shirt off!
We get a recap of all the eye business of the past few months.
We go backstage with Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy.
Seth asks Buddy if he’s with him, and Murphy asks if he thinks Dominik Mysterio is gonna show up tonight. Rollins says he will because he can’t get out of his own way, but don’t worry, the Greater Good will move forward.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Mark Henry chatting with Ruby Riott and Bianca Belair.
Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy make their entrance.
Seth gets on the mic and says he beat Rey Mysterio at Extreme Rules and Aleister Black on Raw last week, but he’s not done, because Dominik Mysterio is here tonight and ready to confront him. This is a recurring theme— every time the Greater Good takes two steps forward, someone steps in his way, and he is forced to take a step back.
Someone seems to get hurt every step of the way— Kevin Owens broke his ankle, Rey Mysterio lost an eye, and last week, Aleister Black injured his arm. That’s not how Rollins wants things to be. He doesn’t want to hurt people, and tonight’s gonna be different. He doesn’t want violence, and he has a soft spot for the Mysterio family, so he wants to ask Dom to come to the ring.
Enter Dominik Mysterio.
He’s hesitant and stands on the stage for a beat but Seth calls him down like he’s trying to get some rubs from a stray cat. He orders Buddy to help him with the ropes and Mysterio climbs the steel steps and gets in the ring. He tells Dominik he just wants him to understand that he’s here for him, and if he needs any guidance, his arms are open.
DOM DOUBLE LEGS HIM AND WE GOT A BRAWL! SETH HITS BLACKOUT WHILE HE’S BEATING ON BUDDY AND THEY BEAT HIM DOWN! They beat him down at length, throwing him into the barricade and into the side of the announce table. Seth says this isn’t his fault... AND ALEISTER BLACK COMES CHARGING IN! But he gets cut off too as they target his injured arm, smashing it into the apron!
They get him down and out... BLACKOUT! Rollins yells at Murphy and tells him he knows what he has to do if he’s in this for real and he slaps him across the face! Buddy drags Al over ot the steel steps as Seth continues to shout encouragement... AND HE JAMS BLACK’S EYE INTO THE CORNER OF THE STEEL STEPS!
DOMINIK MYSTERIO’S GOT A KENDO STICK AND HE’S HAMMERING THE HELL OUT OF THE GREATER GOOD!
Mustafa Ali is hanging out backstage when R-Truth rolls up to chat with him about his appearance on the VIP Lounge and his match against Bobby Lashley coming up. Truth grills him about whether he’s coming for the 24/7 Championship, to which he says he is not.
Truth says he’s got his eyes on Mufasa, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, the Hurt Business are in the ring for the VIP Lounge.
Montel Vontavious Porter introduces us to the show and welcomes Mustafa Ali as his guest.
He says the VIP Lounge is where good decisions and good things happen, but when you make the wrong decisions, you become a dissatisfied client of the Hurt Business, as happened to Ricochet and Cedric Alexander. Ali’s not having it and points out that they beat the Hurt Business last week.
Mustafa says he’s happy, to be back, to be on Raw, to have the opportunity to climb the ladder and become a champion. Porter says when you hang out with the right people, good things happen, but Ali says he thinks for himself and always will. Montel says he’s not thinking very clearly, and reminds him that he’s wrestling the CEO of the Hurt Business, Bobby Lashley, tonight.
He tells him the story of Apollo Crews, who is now at home on his couch, watching this conversation. He can either join them and party like a rockstar, or he can go sit next to Crews. Be a champion, or be chum in the water for predators. Mustafa says he doesn’t care, he said no, and the more he thinks about it— R-Truth blindsides Shelton Benjamin and tries to cover him to get his title back!
No dice, he runs away, and we go to break.
Bobby Lashley vs. Mustafa Ali
Ali keeping his distance, light on his feet, Lashley shoves him to the mat but he charges right back in! Lariat turns Mustafa inside out, shoulder block in the corner, raining forearms down on him and following those up with a pop-up drop! Bob dominating, right hand, hard strikes in the corner before hooking him for the delayed vertical suplex!
Tozawa on the floor, looking for a flash pin on Shelton but he kicks out and throws Akira hard into the barricade! MVP drops a ninja with a big boot and Benjamin suplexes another one! A fourth ninja runs away and Lashley destroys him with a lariat before ramming him face-first into the barricade! ALI DIVES ON BOB TO SEND US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Lashley is in control with crossface strikes in the ropes! Throwing him to the floor, throwing him into the post, just destroying the former Freelance World Champion before taking him in for a cover and a nearfall. Overhead elbows into a trapezius claw, following it up with the reverse STO, letting Mustafa climb up his legs before grabbing him in a military press!
Ali slips out, Bob lifts him up for the Yokosuka Cutter but Mustafa lands on his feet! Boot up in the corner, tornado DDT takes Lashley off his feet! Up top, nobody home on the 450 splash, Lashley gets him in the full nelson! Swinging him around...
Bobby Lashley wins by submission with the swinging full nelson.
Dolph Ziggler is shown pacing backstage as an interview rolls up.
He has no idea what stipulation Drew McIntyre has picked and he doesn’t care. He’s waited this long, and Randy Orton will have to get behind him, because he’s winning tonight and winning the title at SummerSlam.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of the Raw Women’s Championship match from Extreme Rules and the fallout thereto.
Bayley and Sasha Banks make their entrance and Banks gets on the mic. She calls Stephanie McMahon out as jealous of her, making her defend her title tonight before moving on to talking about how they’re the show and they fight the good fight and so on.
Kabuki Warriors make their entrance and Kairi Sane runs Bayley off to the back to send us to break.
Asuka vs. Sasha Banks (WWE Raw Women’s Championship No Champion’s Advantage Match)
Circling, collar and elbow, Banks with a hard right hand, drop down, roll over, dropkick gets a dropkick in return! Asuka charging in, corner hip attack into chest kicks! Snapmare into kicks to the spine, sliding knee... NOPE! Whip across, Sasha with a boot up, charging in, Divorce Court into an armbar as Asuka keeps the pressure up!
Shift to a cross armbar, Banks rolling, desperate, and she gets a foot on the ropes to force the break! Sidestep the charge, the Boss catches a kick and dragon screws her in the ropes! Boots up, lungblower in the corner... STILL NO! Putting boots to the Empress, half-crab applied and she sits down deep into it!
Spinning toehold, Asuka kicks her to the floor and tries to squeeze some life back into her knee while Banks complains about the lack of respect and grabs her titles to go ahead and leave. Referee Chad Patton reminds her that will lose her the title and she throws the Raw title in before doing an Eddie Guerrero special with the tag title belt!
She’s just a bit late and Patton sees her and tells her he’s not standing for it. A wicked roundhouse kick lays Banks out as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Asuka with strikes but Banks reverses a whip into a basement dropkick! DDT the leg, into a stepover toehold, wrenching it in with vigor. Wrenching her leg over the bottom rope in the corner, Asuka with desperate upkicks but Sasha stays on her! Chops to the throat, Alarm Clock connects, the Empress starting to fire back up and grit through the pain!
Hip attack misses, caught in the ropes, the Boss with a sliding leg pick and overhead elbows to the knee on the apron! Posting her knee into the corner of the ring, lateral press back inside... ONLY TWO! Off the ropes... Meteora! Back and forth, sliding knee into a kneebar in the middle of the ring and Banks rolls to try for a break!
Shifting to an ankle lock, Sasha gets out and heads up top... CODEBREAKER COUNTERS THE DIVE! Both women down and out, slow to rise, Asuka hammering her with strikes but Banks ducks the Uraken and gets an O’Connor Roll for two! Up top, the Empress kicks her leg out from under her and rolls her through into an ankle lock... LEG-TRAP GERMAN SUPLEX!
Running hip attack connects... NOT ENOUGH! Setting Banks up top, slapping life into her own knee as she climbs to join her. Jockeying for position, Sasha gets the Frog Splash... NOPE! Right into the crossface, Asuka crawling, reaching, she reverses to the Asuka Lock but Banks throws her over the ropes and to the floor!
Referee Chad Patton counting, Asuka draws herself up the apron and sidesteps the baseball slide! Forearms, Banks reverses... SHINBREAKER INTO THE ANNOUNCE TABLE! Back inside, looking to take the count-out, Patton at eight, Asuka crawling... SHE BEATS THE COUNT! The Boss apoplectic in her disbelief, refocusing, declaring herself the champion... SCHOOLBOY FROM ASUKA NEARLY DOES IT!
Banks back to the crossface, Asuka crawling, stretching, desperate, Sasha switches sides to keep her from the ropes! Asuka reverses into an ankle lock! Sasha rolls through but the Empress runs up the turnbuckles and hits a dropkick! We see Bayley and Kairi Sane brawling backstage on the tron as Asuka snaps off a German suplex!
Bayley just mugging Sane while the Empress gets the Asuka Lock in the ring! She breaks the hold as she considers what to do and Kairi calling out for her makes the decision! Asuka runs to the back, Patton counts while Banks is down and out in the middle of the ring...
Sasha Banks wins by countout, winning the WWE Raw Women’s Championship.
We see Asuka save Kairi as Bayley runs to the ring to celebrate with her pal!
And so 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.)
We go backstage to right outside the doctor’s room and we’re informed we’re gonna be updated on Kairi Sane’s status as soon as possible.
Bayley and Sasha Banks roll up to celebrate and then Asuka comes out after they leave. She’s not doing so great and she lets it all out, yelling vigorously in Japanese.
We get a video package in tribute to the late Regis Philbin.
Buddy Murphy vs. Humberto Carrillo
Murphy charging in, strikes in the corner, taking Carrillo to the next corner and smashing his face into the turnbuckles. Humberto turns him around, leg kicks and forearms, whip reversed, duck the lariat, springboard back elbow wipes Buddy out! Smashing his face into the turnbuckles, putting boots to him, to the apron, shoulder thrust, slingshot back in, springboard roundhouse sends Murphy to the floor!
Humberto dives on him! Smashing his face into the apron, rolling him back inside, headed up top but Buddy meets him and cuts him off, shoving him off the top and into the barricade! Following after him, shoving him into the barricade again before rolling him back inside, running kick to the spine, cover for two!
Rear chinlock applied, Carrillo posts to his feet and rams him into the corner to break the hold but Buddy cuts him off with a kick. Back elbow in the corner, Humberto still in it, headed up top but Murphy crotches him! Slipping back out, a superkick finds its target on Buddy’s jaw! Slugging it out forearm for forearm, solebutt from Murphy, stomp to the foot, Humberto gets an enzuigiri in return!
Charging in, back body drop to the apron, another enzuigiri lands flush on Buddy’s ear! Up top, missile dropkick, crisp as can be! Cover for a tight two, back up top, Murphy goes to the apron and Humberto climbs down to join him. Pump kick, fireman’s carry, Buddy slips out and nails him in the kidney with a knee strike!
Carrillo up top... KNEE STRIKE COUNTERS THE DIVE! Pumphandle...
Buddy Murphy wins by pinfall with Murphy’s Law.
We get a recap of Ziggler/McIntyre from Extreme Rules.
Backstage, Mark Henry is chatting with Drew McIntyre to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for tonight’s edition of Raw Talk.
Drew McIntyre makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He wants to address Randy Orton’s comments, and says it’s official— he’s defending the title against Randy at SummerSlam! But he’s not gonna stand here and pretend he’s got the pedigree or the number of title reigns Orton does, because realistically, nobody does. And he’s on fire right now, the biggest threat to Drew’s title.
He knows what everybody’s thinking, that he’s the underdog, but here’s the thing— Randy’s gonna see the Claymore coming and still go down. Onto the stipulation for tonight’s match—
Enter Dolph Ziggler.
He comes down ranting about having waited long enough to hear this stipulation and he wants to know. Drew says he was so inspired by his selection at Extreme Rules that he’s gonna do the same thing. Chairs, tables, have all the fun you want, just one difference— this time, he can too. He decks him with the mic and we go to break!
Dolph Ziggler vs. Drew McIntyre (Extreme Rules Match)
Back at the bell, Ziggler pokes McIntyre in the eye and goes under the ring for plunder but Drew is right there with him and takes the chair from him! Dolph superkicks the chair and puts McIntyre into the ringpost! Smashing him between ringpost and barricade, Drew with a back elbow for separation! McIntyre puts a beating on him before hoisting him up... LAWN DART PUTS ZIGGLER THROUGH THE LEXAN BARRIER!
Kendo stick in hand, Drew stalks after him and wallops him with the stick! White Russian Legsweep! More kendo stick shots, jamming it in his mouth, and a fireman’s carry dumps him back in the ring. McIntyre throws chairs into the ring, nearly busting referee Eddie Orengo in the mouth with one of them!
Drew gets a table out and slides it into the ring before chopping Dolph to stagger him. Leaning the table in the corner, McIntyre gets a chair in hand and waffles him with it! ZIGGLER WITH AN UPPERCUT TO THE GENTLEMAN’S AREA! Dolph gets a kendo stick from under the ring and hits Drew with it, choking him to return the favor.
Hammering him in the leg with it, grinding the bamboo into his eye socket, just brutalizing the large Scot with the kendo stick before going for a White Russian Legsweep into the barricade of his own. Drew blocks a shot and turns the stick on Ziggler only to get his knee kicked out from under him!
He throws Dolph onto the apron but he lands on his feet and dives... ZIGGLER IS CAUGHT AND SPEARED THROUGH THE BARRICADE TO SEND US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, McIntyre throws Ziggler into the ring but Dolph is able to cut him off. Front kick gets a lariat, Drew going blow for blow, belly-to-belly suplexes all over the place! Headed up top, the Scot perches for a diving lariat! Kip-up, Future Shock blocked with a kick to the knee, Fameasser connects but Dolph can’t capitalize!
Ziggler heads up top, McIntyre cuts him off, mounted punches in the corner set up a superplex! Charging in for the Claymore... ZIG ZAG COUNTERS BUT CAN’T KEEP DREW DOWN! Back on his feet... CLAYMORE PUTS DOLPH THROUGH THE TABLE!
Drew McIntyre wins by pinfall with a Claymore through a table.
Post-match, Drew celebrates... RANDY ORTON WITH THE RKO OUTTA NOWHERE!
He stands over McIntyre before kneeling down and caressing the WWE Championship.
That’s the show, folks.