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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Aug. 31, 2020) from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, with all the fallout from the Payback pay-per-view (PPV) that went down just last night.
Advertised for tonight: Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio, 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 31
You’re with your baby and you’re parked alone on a summer night. You’re deep in love, but you’re deeper in the woods, and me? I’m here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a memorial graphic for “Bullet” Bob Armstrong.
And thence into the intro video.
Randy Orton makes his entrance and we get a recap of him punting Drew McIntyre repeatedly last week ago before commentary lets us know about the six-man tournament that will take place tonight to crown a new #1 contender to Drew’s WWE Championship.
Orton gets on the mic and talks about McIntyre offering him a rematch out of pity, saying the only thing Drew deserves is to be in pain each and every day as he sips his meals from a straw. Drew wanted to Claymore him, but the only one handing kicks out on Raw is Randy, who lists off a bunch of the men he’s punted over the last while.
He says he is in fact entitled and he shouldn’t have to go through this tournament for his rematch at Clash of Champions, but he’ll jump through your hoops and he’ll win the title. He presents a photoshopped image of a bunch of the dudes he’s punted lying in hospital beds all lined in a row.
Enter Keith Lee.
He says Orton is so fixated on talking about the havoc he’s caused the last few months, doing his best to forget about what happened last night at Payback, to forget about the fact that he beat him. He understands that Randy might be the greatest to ever lace up the boots, but last night he had no choice to bask in his glory.
But things are different now because maybe, just maybe, a victory like his last night over a legend killer like him means that he should get the title shot. Don’t get him wrong, he’s known Drew for a long time and considers him a good friend, and he likes to talk about receipts, and he’ll make good on his word, and at some point—
DOLPH ZIGGLER ATTACKS KEITH LEE FROM BEHIND! LEE SHRUGS HIM OFF BUT DOLPH HITS THE BIG DDT AND WE GO TO BREAK!
Dolph Ziggler vs. Keith Lee (WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Tournament First Round Match)
Ziggler going for a double leg but Lee picks him up and throws him away like so much garbage! Back to the leg pick, Keith pries his arm loose, arm wringer, test of strength, wrenching him down! Dolph fights back with kicks to the knee, goes for the Fameasser but Lee counters with a catapult into the turnbuckles!
Ziggler falls to the floor, back inside, collar and elbow, the Limitless One backs him into the corner and breaks at referee John Cone’s behest, but Ziggler does him dirty with more kicks to the knee! Hangman’s neckbreaker, emphatic kickout, Dolph stay right on him, looking for a bodyscissors crossface chickenwing that he can’t quite get all the way on!
Shift to a reverse chinlock, Lee gets out... POUNCE! And so we go to break!
Back from commercial, Lee pushes Ziggler into the corner. He fights back with body blows but Keith destroys him with Grizzly Magnum! Fireman’s carry, Dolph with a rake of the eye and the Fameasser lands true! Slow to capitalize, hangman’s neckbreaker, Heartstopper elbow... NOPE! Trying to suffocate Lee with a reverse chinlock but he stands up and slings him off!
Pop-up drop, big Tour of the Islands style powerslam, no dice! Zig Zag... KEITH LEE KICKS OUT! He gets him up...
Keith Lee wins by pinfall with the Spirit Bomb.
Newly minted women’s tag champs Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax are interviewed, and they both try to take credit for the victory.
Asuka rolls up and tries to get interviewed, but Shayna berates her for butting in. She shoves Baszler aside and yells at Jax in Japanese before walking off and sending us to break.
Back from commercial, five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce is giving security a pep talk about keeping Retribution out.
Asuka is interviewed in the ring.
She lists off a bunch of the women’s division and laughs, saying it doesn’t matter who is ready for Asuka, because Asuka is ready for anything.
Enter Mickie James!
She puts Asuka over as one of the greatest champions of all time and says she figured that out of respect she should be the first to know that she’s coming for the title.
Enter Natalya and Lana.
Nattie says Mickie has had her chances and she’s being selfish, and they make their case for a match. Asuka says she’s ready for all of them to shut up, and the heels jump the babyfaces! The babyfaces fight back, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for Connor’s Cure.
Backstage, Viking Raiders, Cedric Alexander, and some lady are hanging out and stuff happens.
They disperse and Angel Garza rolls up with a single rose in hand.
Lana vs. Mickie James
Lana in control early, choking her in the ropes, grabbing a grounded crossface chickenwing. James fights out, Lou Thesz Press into mounted punches, lariats on lariats, kick to the midsection, she snaps it of...
Mickie James wins by pinfall with the Mick Kick.
We get a recap of Aleister Black laying Kevin Owens out with Black Mass on the Kevin Owens Show last week.
Charly Caruso is hanging out in front of Aleister Black’s locker room and Randy Orton comes out of it as we go to break.
Back from commercial, the Iconic Duo are interviewed about their losing team disbands match tonight.
They talk about being best friends and all the sacrifices they’ve made to become tag team champions, and how they’re going to help the Riott Squad self-destruct and get the tag titles back.
Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Tournament First Round Match)
Aleister Black attacks Kevin Owens before the bell! Beating him down, throwing him into the apron... BLACK MASS! He slides KO in the ring and referee Darrick Moore checks on him, telling him he can’t compete tonight but Kev gets to his feet and he calls for the bell!
Desperate haymakers, chops connect but the Viper has him...
Randy Orton wins by pinfall with the RKO.
Dominik and Rey Mysterio are interviewed backstage about Dom getting a chance against Seth Rollins in the tournament tonight.
Rey says it would have meant the world to him to win tonight and get another crack at the WWE Championship, but injuries happen, and if anyone has to take his place, he’d want it to be his son. Dominik says his confidence is on another level, and he’s got a 619 with the Monday Night Messiah’s name on it.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for tonight’s Raw Underground.
Montel Vontavious Porter and Shelton Benjamin are in the ring with some slick Hurt Business t-shirts for the VIP Lounge. Tonight’s guest? Newly-minted United States Champion Bobby Lashley.
They promise Apollo Crews they’re gonna get him back for his post-match attack last night, and Shelton says specifically he’s gonna beat him like a little punk tonight on Raw Underground. Montel addresses Cedric Alexander, and speak of the devil—
Cedric Alexander makes his entrance, mic in hand.
Porter asks if he’s had a change of heart, and Cedric says hell no, and he didn’t come alone. Montel turns... AND THE VIKING RAIDERS ARE HERE! They all beat the Hurt Business down and clear the ring of the VIP Lounge set to send us to break.
Cedric Alexander & Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, Montel Vontavious Porter, & Shelton Benjamin)
Working Erik over in the early goings, but eventually he and Ivar get Benjamin isolated and the babyfaces turn the tide. It doesn’t last, back and forth, heel control segment on Alexander, I honestly get distracted and lose sight of the action but Cedric snaps one off...
Cedric Alexander & Viking Raiders win by pinfall with a pinning predicament from Alexander on Montel Vontavious Porter.
We see Titus O’Neil warming up backstage and we go to break.
Back from commercial, the Hurt Business are beating Cedric Alexander down backstage until Apollo Crews and Ricochet make the save!
Iconic Duo (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) vs. Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott) (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Losing Team Disbands Match)
Riott and Kay to start, rolling around on the mat, trading punches, Billie gets her into the corner and makes the tag. Assisted single-knee facebreaker, Royce with a reverse chinlock, Ruby up with body blows, forearms in the corner, duck the kick, tag to Morgan! Back elbow in the corner, dropkick to her back with her in the ropes gets two!
Peyton floats over, hits a mat slam, tag to Kay. Hammerfists, choke in the corner, working her over at length but Liv gets the tag! Riott in hot, Morgan takes Royce out with a spinning X-Factor when she comes in, Billie desperate for pins but she can’t get the win, Ruby has her...
Riott Squad win by pinfall with a folding press from Ruby Riott on Billie Kay, becoming #1 contenders to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship and forcing the Iconic Duo to split up.
It’s that time of the night, so Shane McMahon rolls up to the door to Raw Underground and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Seth Rollins makes his entrance, flanked by Buddy Murphy.
He gets on the mic and berates Buddy Murphy for getting him kicked in the head and getting pinned by Dominik Mysterio. With a WWE Championship opportunity on the line tonight, he can’t have any mistakes, and he can’t have Buddy screwing it up, so he wants him out of his ring until he can figure out what side of history he wants to be on.
Murphy tries to speak up but Seth tells him to shut his mouth and that he disgraces him, and he continues to berate him as he follows orders and leaves... AND DOMINIK MYSTERIO LAYS HIM OUT WITH A NORTHERN LARIAT!
Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Tournament First Round Match)
In the ring, double leg into mounted punches but Rollins lays him out with an elbow! Whip across, duck the lariat, tilt-a-whirl arm drag into a dropkick and Seth rolls to the floor! Mysterio out after him, Rollins smashes his face into the announce desk and throws him back inside. Front chancery, clubbing blows, Dominik sets him up for the 619 but nobody’s home!
Seth pulls him out of the ring but Mysterio smashes his face into the announce table and climbs atop it... SENTON ATOMICO OFF THE TABLE SENDS US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Seth has a Cobra Clutch locked on and lets go of it to hit Sling Blade for two! Bodyscissors applied, Mysterio fights out of that and Rollins grabs a waistlock, hoisting him up into a takedown! Dominik punching away, backing Seth into the corner, mounted punches, Rollins goes for a powerbomb but Mysterio counters with a Frankensteiner!
DDT, standing moonsault... SO CLOSE! Rollins to the floor, Dom with a plancha off the top, he puts him back inside with his family watching backstage, up top, nobody’s home! Drop toehold puts Rollins into the second... 619! Up top, frog splash... NO WATER IN THE POOL! Off the ropes...
Seth Rollins wins by pinfall with Blackout.
Post-match, Rollins hits Blackout again!
We go back to Raw Underground, where we see Titus O’Neil destroy somebody in short order. Riddick Moss takes next and manages to get O’Neil down and pound on him, but Titus stays in the fight and gets to his feet and manages to throw Moss out of the ring! Following after him, brawling in the ringside area, Titus hits a Nodowa Otoshi on some dude on the floor and comes back in where Moss beats him down for the win.
Street Profits cut a promo backstage talking about their plan to beat Angel Garza and Andrade “Cien” Almas in their next match, in the form of a scouting report where they mostly make fun of them.
Back from commercial, we’re shown Akira Tozawa and his ninjas arriving at the arena earlier today and being denied entry.
He gets out and looks at the list himself while R-Truth prowls in the background. The guy’s a ref...
R-Truth wins the WWE 24/7 Championship by pinfall with a schoolboy.
Andrade “Cien” Almas & Angel Garza vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) (Tornado Tag Team Match)
Chaos to start, Ford throwing enzuigiris from the apron, he goes up top, luchadors cut him off but Dawkins gets under them... TOWER OF DOOM SENDS US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, the heels dump the babyfaces to the floor and pull Dawkins back in to isolate him and work him over. Angelo fires up, forearms, corkscrew stinger splash, one-handed bulldog! All four men trading big shots, Garza decides to bail to take care of Bachelor lady but Retribution hit the ring.
Everything breaks down into chaos.
No finish is announced, but a no-contest is pretty safe to assume.
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.)
Five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce is yelling at security for letting Retribution through.
The one-time Iconic Duo are at Raw Underground and Shane McMahon gives them a pep talk before introducing Avery Taylor vs. Jessamyn Duke.
Duke lights her up with kicks and takes her down, finishing her in short order with grounded punches.
Marina Shafir takes her turn next and chokes an unnamed woman out in seconds. Royce throws Kay into the wolves and she gets laid out with a single roundhouse kick from Duke!
We get a recap of the Hurt Business beating Cedric Alexander up earlier before going backstage where the babyface trio are chatting until an interview rolls up.
Apollo Crews says he’s more determined than ever and he’s gonna bounce back and go after Bobby Lashley until he gets his title back. Ricochet says MVP doesn’t know about friendship because all he cares about is himself and his money, and what they have is stronger than any dollar amount. They psyche themselves up and go inside Raw Underground to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for tonight’s edition of Raw Talk.
We go back to Raw Underground for our billed match.
Apollo Crews vs. Shelton Benjamin
Orton bails immediately, and Rollins follows shortly thereafter to try and pitch Orton on an alliance. LEE PALMS HIS HEAD LIKE A BASKETBALL AND DRAGS HIM BACK INSIDE! Side headlock, shot off, and a shoulder block sends Rollins spiralling! Randy with a side headlock of his own, trying to grind Keith down and he gets shoved into the corner for a Stinger Splash!
Rollins clubbing away on the Limitless One, whip reversed, heels stacked up and Keith charges in but gets back body dropped to the apron! BIG MAN SLINGSHOT CROSSBODY WIPES ‘EM OUT AND SENDS US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Lee slingshots in the ring and Rollins cuts him off with a superkick that sends him to the floor! Diving knee off the apron, Orton rushes over and back suplexes Keith into the announce table! Both men struggling to get Lee back in the ring, Randy with the hanging DDT on Seth... NOPE!
Rollins hits the Falcon Arrow... SO CLOSE! Lee back up on the apron, shoulder blocks for both heels, Stinger Splashes, outside... POUNCE SENDS ORTON FLYING! HE CATCHES A DIVE FROM ROLLINS AND THROWS HIM OVER THE ANNOUNCE TABLE! Back inside, Seth lying in wait, he charges in... SPIRIT BOMB! RANDY WITH THE RKO! He rolls over Lee...
Randy Orton wins by pinfall with a lateral press on Seth Rollins to become #1 contender to the WWE Championship.
Orton celebrates his win on the stage.
That’s the show, folks.