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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (July 5, 2021) from the ThunderDome at Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for next month in Fort Worth, Texas.
Advertised for tonight: Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, John Morrison, and Riddle join Miz TV for a special Money in the Bank edition of the show within a show, Charlotte Flair gives an update on her “condition,” Ricochet vs. Johnny Drip Drip in a rematch from last week, MVP returns to action alongside Bobby Lashley against The New Day, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the Raw live blog will kick 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 5
It must be a conspiracy, your fiendish mind has planned. No ransom note, no blackmail letter, no evidence at hand. I can try to run, I can try to hide, but instead, I’m just gonna sit here and liveblog this pro wrestling show for these folks.
The show opens with the Miz and John Morrison in the ring for MizTV.
Miz welcomes us to the show and talks about his success with Money in the Bank to establish his bonafides for interviewing his guest, who he proclaims will be Mr. Money in the Bank, his best friend, John Morrison.
Morrison takes the mic and says he’s gonna win the briefcase at Money in the Bank, and Miz introduces his ACTUAL guest, Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre says Miz is the reason he has a love/hate relationship with the briefcase, given that Miz cashed in on him this year and all. And since Money in the Bank is in Texas, he has to talk about the Alamo, and he says he’s a distant relative of Davey Crockett, through his great great great grandma, Miriam McIntyre IV.
There are a lot of similarities between them, like how they both make legendary stories, and he’s gonna shove Morrison’s head up Miz’s ass, and just like Davey, he’d rather die in Texas than let anyone else win Money in the Bank.
Enter Ricochet.
Miz calls for a replay of Ricochet’s “reckless athleticism”, or in plain English, the springboard crossbody to the floor from last week, and demands Ricky explain himself. Ricochet admits he’s shook and he knows John is too, but that was just a little taste of what he’s willing to do to grab the Money in the Bank contract.
Enter Matt Riddle and his scooty scoot, foot taped up.
We get footage of him kicking the steps last week and he climbs the ladder in the ring. Miz asks what he’s doing and he says he’s doing what he thought he was supposed to do, and he’s really high. And also sad, because he let his bro down last week, so he’s dedicating his Money in the Bank performance to his best friend, Randy Orton.
He talks about the date he’s gonna take Randy on after he wins and Miz yells at him to shut up. Drew tells him he respects what a good friend he is. Miz rambles—
Enter AJ Styles and Omos.
Styles is here to complain that the last chance match shouldn’t have been a triple threat, it should have been a singles between him and McIntyre, and given that he wasn’t pinned in the match, he still thinks he deserves to be in Money in the Bank. Riddle mocks AJ for hopping around “all nimbly-bimbly like” and offers Omos a high five, to which the big man knocks him off the ladder!
Omos throws the ladder out of the ring, Riddle clutches his leg in agony... AND STYLES KICKS HIS INJURED ANKLE INTO THE ROPES! Ricochet rushes over to help, Morrison blindsides him but Ricky dumps him to the floor! McIntyre offers Matt a hand and helps him to his feet before clotheslining Omos to the floor! Ricochet takes Morrison out with a triangle dropkick!
Ricochet breaks a drip stick over his knee and 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.)
John Morrison vs. Ricochet
Punches out the gates, Ricochet taking the momentum and backing Morrison into the corner. Whip to the corner, Stinger Splash, pressing the attack, rear chinlock applied with a knee to the back to grind him down. John wrenches the fingers to break the hold and drops Ricky with an elbow after! Kicks in the corner, reverse chinlock with a stepover armbar, shifting gears to a cravate to try and work the neck.
Ricochet with a punch to break, Morrison counters right back with a kick and backs him into the corner. Chops for kicks, John with a hangman’s neckbreaker, whip blocked, step-up tijeras from Ricochet! Off the ropes, baseball slide, nobody home, Miz is in the middle of the brawl, Ricky flips over him, gets caught... MORRISON POWERBOMBS HIM INTO THE BARRICADE AND WE GO TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Morrison is in control, kicks in the corner, breaking at referee Eddie Orengo’s behest. Ricochet fights back with punches, John with a leg drip and he floats over into mounted punches and a double stomp! Off the ropes, Ricky ducks the knee, schoolboy for two! O’Connor roll, again just a two count, big chop, right hands, whip reversed, single-knee facebreaker!
Morrison returns the favor with a standing Spanish Fly... NOPE! Bit of a modified Ode to Jim Breaks, punching Ricochet’s ribs, Ricky gets out with knees! Rammed into the corner, John with elbows, enzuigiri in return, kicking him away, charging in, tornado DDT connects! Big lariats get two, Miz tries to interfere, Morrison cartwheels into a pin... NO GOOD!
Knees in the ropes, Ricochet rolls away from a slingshot elbow! A dive leaves both men down and out, Miz runs interference, Orengo counts as Morrison rolls back in...
John Morrison wins by countout.
We get footage of Jinder Mahal driving into the arena on his motorcycle(!) earlier today, and he’s greeted by Veer, Shanky, and an interview.
Mahal says he and Drew McIntyre were close friends, and Drew was with him when he picked up his beautiful custom motorcycle to celebrate one of his many successful WWE Championship defenses. A little while ago he texted McIntyre about hanging out for old times sake, and it took him three days to respond and turn him down, and he further disrespected him by typing “2” as shorthand for “too.”
He says he’s always been better than Drew, and tonight, he proves it.
Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, and Reginald are hanging out backstage.
Reginald is spooked because he thinks he sees Alexa Bliss in the darkness, Shayna criticizes him, Nia reassures him, they walk away and lo and behold, Alexa is indeed creeping in the darkness.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package recapping Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston business.
A recap of Nikki ASH’s match last week follows.
Naomi, Nikki, and Asuka are in Gorilla.
Asuka and Naomi blow her up with joy over her new character and ASH clarifies and talks about her chance to win Money in the Bank. Asuka and Naomi make their cases as well, and Nikki’s music hits so she makes her entrance. Alexa Bliss rolls up to tell them she is, in fact, going to win.
Entrances begin but we go to break before the match.
Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Naomi, & Nikki ASH vs. Doudrop, Eva Marie, Nia Jax, & Shayna Baszler
Naomi and Doudrop to start, circling, Eva tags herself in and locks up! Backing Naomi into the corner, forearm, slide out and tag out and Doudrop is legal again! Dropkick sends the erstwhile Niven to the floor, Naomi takes Jax and Baszler out, Asuka hits Doudrop with a running hip attack off the apron and ASH takes her out with a crossbody!
Eva Marie in the ring, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, ASH tags in, she and Doudrop get into it, tag to Asuka and she comes in hot with chest kicks. Nia tags in, she and Doudrop sandwich the Empress and lay her out, cover for one! Heat segment begins in earnest with a tag to Baszler, working Asuka over at length. Bliss has Reginald hypnotized, Baszler tries to stop him but instead pulls Alexa off the apron and puts her into the barricade to solve the problem!
Asuka powers up, forearms clear the apron, sidestep the charge, Eva tags in, the Empress almost gets away, Baszler with an armbar, break free, tag to Naomi! Springboard roundhouse into a German suplex, Doudrop breaks it up! The match breaks down into “everybody do something cool” territory, Nikki legal, diving crossbody, Eva Marie breaks it up!
La Casita, but Shayna isn’t legal anymore, no pin! Jax in, shoving her off, duck the lariat, crossbody caught...
Doudrop, Eva Marie, Nia Jax, & Shayna Baszler win by pinfall with a Samoan Drop from Jax on Nikki ASH.
Post-match, Eva Marie does the thing where she takes the mic and claims sole victory, much to the former tag team champions’ consternation.
Bobby Lashley and Montel Vontavious Porter are interviewed in the party room.
MVP says the next time you want to speak to the All Mighty, make an appointment. He changed Bob’s match to a tag match because Xavier Woods doesn’t belong in the same ring with him after Lashley absolutely demolished him. And further, Porter will not be disrespected. Bob takes the mic and disputes Kofi’s description of him as soft, because there isn’t a soft bone in his body.
They’re going to hurt the New Day, because they are the Hurt Business, and that’s what they do.
Mustafa Ali makes his entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for WWE’s return to Madison Square Garden.
Mustafa Ali vs. Mansoor
Mansoor hard out the gates, into the corner, Ali with a leg trip, jawing at him, side headlock briefly, shot off, big arm drag into a reverse chinlock and Mustafa keeps jawing at him, trying to play mentor! Mansoor to his feet, elbows, shot off, big back elbow lays Ali out! Mansoor yells at him to get up, big lariat takes him back off his feet!
Chop, whip to the corner, Manhattan Drop into a spinebuster, only two! Ali gets a foot trapped in the ropes bad and Mansoor helps referee Eddie Orengo extract him! Back inside, checking Mustafa, it was a ruse...
Mustafa Ali wins by pinfall with a victory roll.
Post-match, Ali reminds him that the high road will only get him so far and he needs to stop thinking with his heart and start thinking with his mind.
Drew McIntyre is interviewed in Gorilla.
He says he heard Jinder Mahal talking about text messages earlier but he’s just glad he’s willing to fight tonight. He talks a little about his sword, saying its true origin is that it’s made from one of the Loch Ness Monster’s teeth. His nonsense story continues at some length and somehow ends with him beating Jinder? I dunno, I kinda started tuning it out.
Drew makes his entrance and we go to break.
Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal
Grinding in the lockup, things open up, off the ropes and Mahal gets an advantage, punches and kicks in the corner. Straight suplex, action to the floor and another suplex puts McIntyre into the announce table as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Mahal has a reverse chinlock in but McIntyre gets to his feet to break free. Jinder drops him with a knee to the jaw and chokes him in the ropes. Clubbing blows in the corner, choking him some more, Drew fires up, lariats on lariats and belly-to-belly suplexes! Future Shock connects, McIntyre collects himself and gets in the corner for the countdown, Veer and Shanky hit the ring and referee Rod Zapata calls it...
Drew McIntyre wins by disqualification, presumably.
Jinder and his goons work Drew over, laying him out with a superkick and putting him shoulder first into the post... KHALLAS!
Mahal goes up to the stage and tells McIntyre that you take his opportunity, he takes your precious sword.
New Day are interviewed backstage.
They accepted the challenge for a tag match because that’s what they do and clearly what Kofi said hit home. And clearly Xavier is made of sterner stuff since Bob thought he would still be out from the Hell in a Cell match, and they intend to win tonight.
Mace & T-BAR make their entrance to send us to break.
Extinction (Mace & T-BAR) vs. Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado)
Dorado and T-BAR to start, Lince using his speed to stay one step ahead, landing a chop, a tijeras, a stomp and a few punches. Drawing him up, whip blocked, low kick, clubbing blow knocks the luchador down! A spinning slam sends Dorado to the floor, where Mace throws him into the announce table a few times! Back inside, T-BAR drops him with a boot... NOPE!
Mace legal, clearing house, laying Lince out with a kick, tag to T-BAR, going for their finish but Metalik hits a missile dropkick to block it! Whip across... BRILLO METALIK TAKES MACE OUT! Dorado thinks fast...
Lucha House Party win by pinfall with a hurricanrana from Lince Dorado on T-BAR.
We get a recap of our opening segment.
Matt Riddle is backstage checking his injured foot when Damian Priest rolls up.
Priest asks if he’s good and Riddle says he’s fallen from higher, and Damian tells him he’s gotta take it easy so as to not hurt his chances of winning Money in the Bank.
AJ Styles makes his entrance, flanked by Omos, to send us to break.
AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle
Circling, Styles going right for the leg and Riddle gets away. AJ gets ahold of him, shinbreaker, Riddle is able to reverse the follow-up to a sunset flip and lands a kick! Body blows in the corner, Styles kicks his leg out from under him! Wrenching in a toehold, assaulting the injured leg, but Riddle is able to low-bridge him to the floor!
Referee Shawn Bennett counting, Matt cuts AJ off with a kick but gets his foot wrenched over the ropes! Back inside, Riddle teasing the finish to The Karate Kid... CRANE KICK CONNECTS! NO CAN DEFEND! Hammering AJ with punches in the corner, Karelin lift... NO GOOD! Styles Rush blocked with a judo throw, a kick connects but Matt staggers!
A second kick, reversed into a dragon screw! Omos with a legsweep from the floor and Riddle is in agony as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Riddle landing upkicks to deny Styles access to his leg and following them up with forearms. AJ drops him with a chop block, following it up with an ankle lock in the middle of the ring. Matt rolls through and slings him off, blocks the Calf Killer and lands a knee to the jaw for some breathing room!
High jump senton for two, Riddle back to his feet and he manages to block a springboard! Hanging DDT connects, Matt goes up top on one foot... NOBODY HOME ON THE MOONSAULT AND RIDDLE LANDS ON HIS FEET, CRUMBLING! Fireman’s carry, he buckles under AJ’s weight, but manages to kick out of the Alpamare Waterslide! Calling for it, Riddle blocks the Styles Clash, Omos distracted by Viking Raiders at ringside, Riddle steals it...
Matt Riddle wins by pinfall with a schoolboy pin.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Charlotte Flair is in the ring on crutches.
We get a recap of her victory last week and the beatdown that followed.
She gets on the mic and talks about NBA turmoil due to top stars being injured and says that her possibly missing Money in the Bank due to injury is bigger news. Rhea Ripley is so scared to lose her title that she’s resorting to using Charlotte’s own moves against her, but nobody is better than she.
Enter Rhea Ripley, mock limping on crutches and awkwardly hopping her way up the steel steps.
She gets on the mic and says Charlotte is right, she did exactly what she would have done, which is exactly what she’s doing right now. She sees right through her and she can play her game way better than she can, which is why she knows she’s just being a little drama queen. They both try to kick each other’s leg out of their leg at the same time!
They have a crutch fight, Charlotte knocks Rhea’s out of her hands, Ripley ducks under and grabs it back, knocking Flair’s away and sending her running out of the ring!
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial we get some hype for tonight’s episode of Raw Talk.
Before the match can begin, Akira Tozawa runs down and kicks out of a cover from R-Truth! The rest of the 24/7 Championship scene follows after and chases him back to the back, and Truth runs to join them!
Cedric Alexander & Elias vs. Jaxson Ryker & R-Truth
Alexander starts against Ryker, the match functionally a handicap now, and Jaxson slams him and demands he tag out! Elias walks away, Cedric is alone...
Jaxson Ryker & R-Truth win by pinfall with a Bossman Slam from Ryker on Cedric Alexander.
Bobby Lashley is backstage doing pull-ups when an interview rolls up.
No questions asked, MVP just asks if he looks like he’s lost his edge and Bob drops down and snarls at the camera.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up matches for next week and the week after, including a tag title defense, Styles and Omos vs. Viking Raiders.
Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley & Montel Vontavious Porter) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Porter and Woods to start, collar and elbow, Xavier goes behind but Montel gets an arm wringer! Reversed, punches to the shoulder and neck, wrenching it in, MVP breaks away and shoves him to the mat! Woods with a chop block to the injured knee, raining punches down, arm wringer and a tag to Kingston! Kofi off the top with a stomp to the leg, cover for two!
Kingston isolated after a beat, Hurt Business in charge and Lashley legal to work him over! Kofi floats out of a suplex from Porter eventually, putting him in the corner with a dropkick and kicking off the unicorn stampede! New Day knocks MVP to the floor and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Woods raining punches down on Lashley, waistlock, shrugged off and Bob destroys him with a lariat! Snap suplex into a kneeling armbar, seated senton, tag to MVP. Working Xavier over, eventually he tags Kofi in, MVP staggers him with a body blow, back suplex, lands on his feet, one-arm bulldog for two!
Cut the comeback off, Porter with a big boot, Lashley with a chokeslam... WOODS BREAKS IT UP! Bob dumps Xavier to the floor and tags MVP in, Trouble in Paradise takes Lashley out! MVP draws Kofi up as Woods dives on Bob to keep him down! Playmaker countered...
New Day win by pinfall with Trouble in Paradise from Kofi Kingston on MVP.
That’s the show, folks.