:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67213044/20200814_Raw_ShaunMicheals_FC_TuneIn__befb0eff03c2ab8f2b9d3ed87e4899e0.0.jpg)
WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Aug. 17, 2020) from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with all the latest build to the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for this coming Sunday night.
Advertised for tonight: Shawn Michaels returns to confront Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio may show up, 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 17
If we put our ear to the ceiling, we can hear the government breathing. We can hear the dark matter breeding. Making party, making party. If we put our ear to the ceiling, we can hear the multiverse seeding. We can hear the simulation wheezing, but me, I’m just here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with the opening signature rewinding and distortion, so Retribution is up to no good.
The intro video follows.
Drew McIntyre makes his entrance and we get a recap of the falling out between Randy Orton and Ric Flair.
McIntyre gets on the mic and says what Orton did was completely unforgivable, brutalizing a 71-year-old man. He calls Randy pure evil, but he’s not going to face an old man on Sunday, he’s facing a giant Scotsman, and he’s gonna punishin him for everyone he’s wronged. The editing goes haywire while he’s talking and selling the idea that he’s a weapon.
He continues talking and we go back to the TV truck and see that Retribution are smashing equipment.
The screen goes black.
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 where a bunch of the roster are discussing what happened.
Drew McIntyre rolls up to address the troops, so to speak.
Titus O’Neil asks if Ric Flair is okay, and Drew says he is, but he’s not sure they’re gonna make it to SummerSlam with Retribution out there. He doesn’t appreciate them crapping in his yard, and he pitches everybody on banding together to stomp them out.
Seth Rollins rolls up clapping and laughing.
He says he appreciates what he’s trying to do here, but Raw already has a Messiah to lead the locker room. Drew says he’s been doing this for five years now, and if they don’t respect Seth by now, and they don’t, they never will. Rollins says being champion doesn’t make you a teacher or a leader, and who was the first person teach McIntyre about being a leader? Seth Rollins.
They snipe at each other, Drew threatens to drop him where he stands and the rest of the roster keeps a brawl from breaking out.
The Hurt Business make their entrance.
Montel Vontavious Porter gets on the mic.
He says while Drew McIntyre is organizing a buddy system, the Hurt Business is here to make a statement— whereever Retribution may be, they’re officially open for business.
He already knows what’s going on, and while the rest of the roster is handwringing, worried about where Retribution will strike next, the Hurt Business is calling them out. They think they’re tough, terrorizing people in the shadows? That’s not tough, they’re tough. MVP has learned in life to follow the money— who benefits most from Retribution’s actions?
Think about it, if you follow that trail, you end up in catering with Apollo Crews and his band of merry pranksters, Ricochet, Mustafa Ali, and Cedric Alexander. He wants to cut to the chase— Retribution showed up about the same time that he fought Crews for the United States Championship, and that’s not a coincidence.
It was all a ploy so that Apollo could steal his title that he paid thousands of dollars for.
Enter Apollo Crews.
He says accusing him of being behind Retribution is pretty low even by Porter’s standard, and all he’s doing is trying to create distractions before their match at SummerSlam, because he knows he can’t win without help. Montel wants to talk real— before the United States Championship, Apollo’s career stopped and started and that made him bitter.
And MVP sees fear in his eyes, fear of losing the title because he knows as soon as he loses it, it’s back to catering. Crews admits he’s right, and that’s why he fights so hard for the title, and if he was anything like Montel, he’d have joined the Hurt Business when he was recruited months ago.
MVP says if he was like him, he’d be smart and he’d get that this is a business. Apollo says sure, they can do business right now, and he wants to wrestle Shelton Benjamin tonight. If he wins, Benjamin and Lashley have to chill in catering during their match. Porter accepts and we get a brawl!
We go to break before the match can begin.
Apollo Crews vs. Shelton Benjamin
Match joined in progress, Crews in control, victory roll pin for two. Benjamin with a lariat, putting boots to him in the corner, hard whip into the turnbuckles, cover for a nearfall. Paydirt blocked, spinning spinebuster from Apollo... NOPE! Back suplex lift, Shelton reverses to a DDT... STILL NO!
R-Truth comes running through, chased by Akira Tozawa and his ninjas, the distraction is enough for Crews to double leg him...
Apollo Crews wins by pinfall with a jackknife pin, banning Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley from ringside at SummerSlam.
Post-match, the Hurt Businesss attack but Ricochet, Mustafa Ali, and Cedric Alexander make the save! The two factions brawl, Bob catches Cedric in the full nelson and it takes all three other babyfaces to break the hold!
Shelton clobbers Truth...
Shelton Benjamin wins the WWE 24/7 Championship by pinfall.
MVP gets on the mic and says they’re not going out like that tonight, and they will not be disrespected by clowns, ninjas, or Apollo Crews, so he wants Crews to pick two partners for an elimination trios match later tonight!
Backstage, some lady from the Bachelor is chilling out with Angel Garza.
He gives her a rose and Ivar rolls up to chat her up, offering her a spot as his +1 at Raw Underground and passing her a leg of mutton. She agrees and he says Garza didn’t poison it, so she asks if he poisoned Montez Ford’s drink. He denies it and challenges Warbeard to a match, knocking her leg out of her hands.
Fortunately, Ivar has another one, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a promo for WWE Thunderdome, because that’s the world we have to live in.
Angel Garza vs. Ivar
Ivar sidesteps, waistlock out of the corner, Garza with an elbow into a side headlock, shot off, float over, ducking and dodging, reverse roundhouse kick caught, Angel with a knee and a facebuster before tearing his pants off and throwing them at Warbeard! Tazmission applied, Angelo Dawkins chats Bachelor lady up backstage.
Knees into the corner, Ivar blasts him with big shoulder blocks, freight train crossbody, the viking is fired up! Drawing Garza up, whip into the corner for a lariat, another one, waving him in, scoop lift, Angel floats out but Ivar hits a Banzai Drop... NOPE! Pulling Garza up, back suplex lift sets him up top, Angel cuts him off but Warbeard drops him with a lariat off the top!
Horns up, off the ropes... Zelina Vega gets in the way and Ivar stops short! He heads to the floor and biels Garza between the corner of the apron and the barricade! Back inside, Angel manages to get a shot in...
Angel Garza wins by pinfall with a basement dropkick to the side of the head.
Post-match, Angelo Dawkins and Bachelor lady appear on the tron together. She congratulates Garza and tells him she can’t wait to see the title match on Sunday. Dawkins needles him and says they’re about to find out a lot about him and his squad, and with a gesture the tron goes dark and Angel runs off.
Samoa Joe talks with Zelina Vega a little about whatever Angelo knows, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of the Seth Rollins / Dominik Mysterio stuff.
Bachelor lady is backstage with Angelo Dawkins when Angel Garza rolls up to defend his honor. Zelina Vega and Andrade “Cien” Almas show up right after and Dawkins calls for whatever footage he has to get rolled by the production truck.
It appears to be footage of Zelina Vega doing something to Montez Ford’s red cup backstage, but we never see her face.
Vega says the footage doesn’t prove anything and she says that Charly Caruso is responsible for doctoring the footage because she doesn’t want Angel Garza moving on from her. Dawkins says it’s taking him every bit of restraint to keep from giving them what they deserve, but his brother? He wants the smoke— MONTEZ FORD IS BACK AND WE GOT A BRAWL!
Mickie James vs. Natalya
Lana with an early distraction from ringside, Natalya puts boots to James! Mickie gets some kicks in, Lou Thesz Press into mounted punches, side headlock, shot off, she drops Nattie with a lariat and lies in wait, Mickie-DT denied, double lariat leaves both women down and out!
Buddy Murphy and Seth Rollins make their way to ringside and Seth accosts Samoa Joe about his claim that Rey Mysterio will be here tonight. He wants sources, but Joe isn’t forthcoming. Neidhart with a powerbomb lift, Frankensteiner counter, hangman’s neckbreaker, James fired up and heading up top. Lana runs interference and Mickie collapses to the floor!
Referee Aja Perera counting...
Natalya wins by countout.
Post-match, Rollins gets on the mic and continues yelling at Samoa Joe, saying that if either Mysterio gets in his business tonight, it’ll be their last mistake, and neither man will make it to SummerSlam.
Commentary hypes up a women’s tag match and we go to break.
Bayley and Sasha Banks make their entrance and get on the mic.
Sasha says when you’re the hardest working and you’ve got all the gold, that’ll break anybody, and now they both have to wrestle Asuka at SummerSlam? Bayley says they’ve had a few days to think about it and they can’t wait to finally have a night off! Asuka thinks she’s so smart, but she’s more like the Empress of Stupidity, because there’s no chance in hell she can beat them both in one night.
So the real question is, which of them should beat her first. They do a few rounds of “No, you” before Bayley magnanimously offers to wrestle first and give Banks the easy win. Their party is gonna last all the way until Payback, when they beat whatever losers get offered up for them to defend their tag titles against.
Shayna Baszler comes down and says a few words, Asuka joins her, and they run the role models out of the ring to set up a match.
Asuka & Shayna Baszler vs. Boss and Hug Connection (Bayley & Sasha Banks)
Asuka and Bayley to start, champ takes her into the corner for the quick tag to keep her isolated. Asuka gets a Codebreaker for some separation after being worked over a long beat, but Nia Jax punches through the Lexan barrier and knocks Baszler over! Pat buck and some referees back Nia off but Shayna isn’t taking it lying down and we’ve got a brawl in the crowd!
Asuka throws Banks to the apron, double hip attack knocks both heels down and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Bayley is in control on Asuka and Shayna Baszler is nowhere to be seen. Asuka with leg kicks, but Banks tags in and maintains control. Short Meteora... NOPE! Heels keep the Empress on the back foot at length, Bayley off the top with a diving elbow but Asuka gets a foot up! Bayley gets the tag, Asuka lays her out with an Uraken but Sasha gets the Bank Statement locked on!
SHAYNA BASZLER RETURNS AND MAKES THE SAVE! SHE TAGS IN! Taking it to Sasha, huge knee in the corner, sliding knee against the ropes, the Boss with a schoolboy for two and a tag to Bayley in desperatio. Kirifuda Clutch applied, Sasha with the lungblower, Bayley is on her, Bayley-to-Belly... BASZLER KICKS OUT!
Shayna with the Karelin lift on Bayley, hard knee to the face, Kirifuda Clutch locked on but Banks breaks it up! Asuka comes in, she takes Sasha out with the Asuka Lock on the floor! Bayley with a drop toehold, Bus Driver blocked, Kirifuda Clutch... IT’S OVER!
Asuka & Shayna Baszler win by submission with the Kirifuda Clutch from Baszler on Bayley.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we’re appraised of some kind of award that Titus O’Neil has won.
A video package recapping all the Rollins/Mysterio business follows.
Backstage, Mustafa Ali, Cedric Alexander, and Ricochet are chatting when Apollo Crews rolls up.
He thanks them for having his back, and picks Ricochet and Ali as his partners. Cedric says he wants to be in the match but Apollo says he knows what it’s like to be in Bob’s full nelson and he wants to give him a chance to recover.
They leave and Randy Orton walks into frame to brood and send us to break.
Back from commercial, Drew McIntyre is hanging out backstage when Shawn Michaels rolls up.
He says he understands how upset Drew is, but he’s gotta understand, Randy Orton’s gonna use that against him, but he’s traveled too rough of a road to give up now. Drew says HBK has been a big part of his career path, mentoring him during his comeback and saying he believed he’d become WWE Champion.
And now Randy is running roughshod and McIntyre can’t help but feel he’s let Shawn down. HBK calls him a stud and says yeah, it’s been tough, but he can do it. He wants Drew to go to SummerSlam, show everyone who he is, but he wants a favor tonight— he’s gonna go out there and face Randy, and he wants Drew to give him some space.
The Riott Squad are hanging out backstage when the Iconics roll up to make fun of them. Billie Kay’s shoulder is acting up, so Peyton Royce will have to take her spot against Ruby Riott tonight. Insults fly and we cut to see Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke chatting with Shayna Baszler as we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package covering Retribution’s activities to date.
Peyton Royce vs. Ruby Riott
Riott in hard with grounded punches, duck the kick, standing STO into headlock punches! Leg pick, Royce kicks her off but Ruby blasts her with a sliding lariat! Smashing her face into the apron, whipping her into the barricade, Riott breaks the count and Peyton takes advantage with a hard whip into the barricade of her own!
Back inside, waistlock applied, standing switch, Royce hammers her with a knee to the face, cover... NOPE! Strikes in the corner, lariats, Ruby slips away and hammers her with forearms of her own. Charging elbow, short whip into the corner, back elbow knocks her down! Riott with a runningboot in the corner, diving crossbody when Peyton goes to the floor!
Back inside, Billie Kay runs interference, Liv Morgan blocks but Royce shoves Ruby into Liv! Back inside...
Peyton Royce wins by pinfall with Deja Vu.
The bouncer is waiting outside the door to Raw Underground when Shane McMahon rolls up to remind him it’s time.
They fistbump and Shane goes in to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Raw Underground kicks off with Erik beating up Colby Corino!
Inevitably the viking takes him down and knocks him out with knees.
Shane McMahon has a chat with Dolph Ziggler, asking him to rate Erik’s performance. 4/10 at best, he says, and Shane says he’d go a little higher. The vikings try and cajole Ziggler to getting in the ring with Erik and he’s up for it!
Erik vs. Dolph Ziggler
Probing punches, Erik with a takedown, Dolph goes for a single leg, can’t get it but he keeps Erik on one foot until he hits a hard right hand! Front chancery, Ziggler staying in it, huge takedown from the viking! Back to the front chancery, Erik turns it into cravate knees, a leg pick of his own but Dolph gets back on his feet and grabs the sleeper hold!
Erik tries to throw him off but Ziggler keeps it on, thumb in the eye...
Dolph Ziggler wins by referee stoppage with a sleeper hold.
IVAR POUNCES DOLPH INTO THE CROWD AROUND THE RING!
Rey and Dominik Mysterio make their entrance together and get in the ring.
Rey gets on the mic and says there’s one word to describe how he’s felt since Extreme Rules, and that word is pain. At first because of what Seth Rollins did to his eye, but an even worse pain because of what Seth did to Dominik. Having to see his own flesh and blood in agony and not being able to do anything about it made him feel a rage that he’s never felt before.
He needed to be there to protect Dom, to stop the beating, to take that beating himself if need be. He’s not fully recovered from the beating he took at Rollins’ hands, but no doctor on this planet will stop him from protecting his son. So Seth isn’t going to repeat what he did, because at SummerSlam, Mysterio will be in his son’s corner!
Dominik thanks his dad and says he knew what he was in for when he signed his contract, and he knows what he has to do to defend their family, and he’ll be ready. Father and son embrace, and Rey says he has no idea how proud he is, how much he admires his fight and determination, and he knows he’ll be ready at SummerSlam.
Rollins and Murphy show up on the tron.
Seth says he didn’t take Rey for an idiot, and yet here he stands in the ring less than a week away from the most important moment in his son’s life, putting him in more danger, and why? For his own personal glory, because it’s always been about him. What kind of father is he? Rollins can’t understand why he continues to put himself and his son in these situations.
He could have prevented this from the get-go, and everyone has a role to play in the greater good. This all could have been avoided if he would have just accepted his role, but he and his son got hurt, and the tragic thing is it’s not just going to be him and his son, it’s the Mysterio name and legacy that will end up being the ultimate sacrifice.
Rey says if he’s got such big words, why doesn’t he come down right now and back them up? Rollins laughs it off and asks what’s wrong with him, one-eyed and with a kid that can’t stand up straight. He tells Rey he asked for this and warns him not to move an inch.
Indeed, Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy make their entrance, but Rey and Dom play it safe, ceding the ring to them.
A lot of posturing ensues, and Rey distracts them so his son can get kendo sticks and get his licks in! Mysterio the elder joins the brawl and they give him a taste of his own medicine!
Cedric Alexander is hanging out backstage when Montel Vontavious Porter rolls up.
MVP says he knows his frustration, and he’s been there, the only difference was it wasn’t his friends that kept him stuck backstage. Cedric tells him he’s stirring the pot and Apollo Crews is just looking out for his best interest. Porter says maybe he saw him in the full nelson and gave him the night off out of compassion, or maybe he saw the weakest link.
MVP says the offer he made Cedric a while ago still stands, and he should think it over while he’s stuck in catering.
He leaves, and Alexander throws a water bottle in frustration as we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get hype for tonight’s edition of Raw Talk.
Back to Raw Underground, Arturo Ruas and Riddick Moss go at it.
Ruas lights him up with early strikes but Moss gets a takedown into ground and pound. A kick lays Riddick out, but he fires back up and grabs the beard and they clobber each other. Arturo with a slam, mounted punches, reverse chinlock, sleeper hold applied, Moss breaks it by slamming him back-first into the mat!
Wristlock stomps, Ruas counters to a heel hook attempt, fighting, wrenching it in but Riddick rolls to the floor! Both men end up fighting in the crowd and Shane asks who’s next, so that’s it for that fight.
Apollo Crews, Mustafa Ali, & Ricochet vs. the Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, Montel Vontavious Porter, & Shelton Benjamin) (Elimination Match)
Benjamin and Ali to start, collar and elbow, Shelton into the corner and out with a dirty break with a knee strike. Whip across, up and over, Mustafa with a pair of arm drags into an armbar. Tag to Ricochet, elbow off the top, arm wringer into an armbar, grinding Benjamin down before hitting dropkicks for a one count.
Shelton gets the tag, Bob clears the apron...
Mustafa Ali is eliminated by pinfall with the Yokosuka Street Cutter from Bobby Lashley.
Ricochet in, he makes a valiant effort but...
Ricochet is eliminated by pinfall with Paydirt from Shelton Benjamin.
Crews in a handicap situation now, but he’s game and throwing hands. Whip into the corner, sidestep, back suplex lift...
Shelton Benjamin is eliminated by pinfall with the delayed Blue Thunder Driver from Apollo Crews.
On the floor, Cedric Alexander rushes in on Shelton...
Cedric Alexander wins the WWE 24/7 Championship by pinfall with a schoolboy.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Porter is putting boots to Crews in the corner. Apollo firing back with strikes, but MVP cuts him off and beats him down! Sending Crews to the floor, Montel following out after him, drawing him up and smashing his face into the apron for a nearfall. Tag to Lashley, the Hurt Business working Apollo over at length.
But Crews gets Porter up...
Montel Vontavious Porter is eliminated by pinfall with the delayed Blue Thunder Driver from Apollo Crews.
Lashley is right on Crews with an armbar, whip across, flying forearm, enzuigiri, Apollo’s putting a comeback together, a second enzuigiri, a third, no cover but he’s still in it! Bob looking for the full nelson, Crews dodges with a back elbow, off the ropes...
The Hurt Business win, last eliminating Apollo Crews by pinfall with a spear from Bobby Lashley.
Commentary shills for the WWE Network.
Backstage, Shane McMahon is chatting with Shayna Baszler and her pals Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke as we go to break,
Akira Tozawa vs. Cedric Alexander (c) (WWE 24/7 Championship)
Alexander with a dropkick as the feeling out settles, Tozawa summons his ninja power but Cedric knocks the poor guy off the apron. Solebutt, crawl under, enzuigiri, Alexander staggered as Akira heads up top, nobody home on the senton! Neuralyzer connects...
Cedric Alexander wins by pinfall with the Lumbar Check to retain the WWE 24/7 Championship.
Post-match, Shelton Benjamin from outta nowhere...
Shelton Benjamin wins the WWE 24/7 Championship by pinfall with Paydirt.
Back to Raw Underground, Marina Shafir beats Brandi Lauren down, finishing her with a can opener transitioned into a wicked looking heel hook.
Nia Jax blindsides her afterward and knocks Jessamyn Duke out, too! Shayna Baszler gets in the ring and we’re off!
Except Nia bails as soon as the bell rings! Shane tells her the only rule is you gotta fight, but Jax appears unmoved as we go to break.
Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Montez Ford
Circling, Ford ducks a lariat and lights Almas up with punches! Whip across, Andrade with a front kick, Montez with a dropkick that sends Cien to the floor. TOPE CON GIRO! Back inside, headed up top, Almas cuts him off and rocks him with forearms and chops. Climbing up after him, thinking superplex, jockeying for position... SUPERPLEX CONNECTS!
Cover for two, reverse chinlock applied, Ford fights out with elbows, whip reversed, lariat drops him, whip reversed, a leaping lariat follows it up, standing moonsault... STILL NO! AVALANCHE FRANKENSTEINER! Montez fired up and shaking the ropes, back up top, Zelina Vega on the apron running interference but Bianca Belair slams her on the floor!
Ford thinks face...
Montez Ford wins by pinfall with a schoolboy pin.
We see Shawn Michaels making his way backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Shawn Michaels makes his entrance.
He rolls footage of last week and says he watched it with everybody else last week, tears rolling down his face.
He says you have to understand how much Ric Flair loved performing inside of this ring for the WWE Universe, and without him there’d be no Shawn Michaels, no Batista, no Edge, no Christian, no Drew McIntyre, and no Randy Orton. But Orton doesn’t have the same gratitude and appreciation, despite Ric mentoring him on a daily basis for years.
No, Randy feels like he was owed that mentorship, and he doesn’t know how, but HBK says he’s gonna meet his justice by the end of SummerSlam, whether by Sweet Chin Music or a Claymore, and he will see it coming.
RKO OUTTA NOWHERE! HE PUNTS MICHAELS TO FOLLOW IT UP! DREW MCINTYRE MAKES THE SAVE BUT IT’S TOO LATE!
Drew tends to Shawn, calling for medics as referee John Cone comes down to help.
Orton’s back but McIntyre saw him coming! Clothesline to the floor, throwing Randy into the ringpost and the Lexan barrier! The Viper goes over the announce table!
BUT HE COMES BACK IN THE RING ONE LAST TIME AND HITS THE RKO ON DREW!
That’s the show, folks.