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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Sept. 11, 2023) from the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Fastlane premium live event scheduled for early next month in Indianapolis.
Advertised for tonight: GUNTHER has officially broken the record for longest Intercontinental championship reign so Imperium will be holding a celebration to mark the occasion. Elsewhere, Cody Rhodes makes his return after a week off with something to say, Rhea Ripley defends the women’s world championship against Raquel Rodriguez with Dominik Mysterio barred from ringside, and a whole lot more.
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the Raw live blog will kick off once the show starts on USA Network. It will be below this line here. Reminder: GIFs and pics allowed, but no links to illegal streams, please.
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR SEPT. 11
Here I go again on my own, goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known. Like a hobo I was born to walk alone, and to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with the intro video.
Comentary hypes up tonight’s festivities.
“Main Event” Jey Uso makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He welcomes us to the show and says it feels good to be out of the Bloodline and be on his own, right here on Monday Night Raw.
Enter Kevin Owens.
He says he thinks he meant to say that he is now on the Kevin Owens show. He talks about trying to make up for the mistakes he committed in the past and it was hard, it took a while to earn respect and trust and some people in the locker room still don’t, and that’s fine.
So he knows and he understands, but McIntyre and Riddle are just two guys that don’t want him here. He’s got guys coming up to him saying Jey doesn’t belong in this locker room, so it’s not gonna be easy. But hey, Cody Rhodes is gonna give him a chance and Sami Zayn welcomed him back with open arms.
He tells Jey he has a long way to go to earn his trust and respect and prove he’s not just the same scumbag he was with the Bloodline.
Before Jey can answer, enter the Judgment Day.
Finn Balor doesn’t believe what he’s hearing and says nobody talks to Jey Uso like that. And why should he prove himself to Kevin Owens? He doesn’t have to prove himself to Balor, because he and the entire Judgment Day respect him. Damian Priest says he understands if Uso needs time to make up his mind, but the door is always open and he just has to walk through it.
Dominik Mysterio said no a thousand times, but at the end of the day he’s his best version and now a champion. Dom goes to speak and gets drowned out with boos. He pushes through and talks about how Judgment Day have been there for him and so on. Priest asks where Sami Zayn is, and Owens says Sami isn’t here but it doesn’t matter, he’ll fight all three of them.
Uso says he’s here and if Kev wants him to put the work into earn his respect and trust, he’ll team with him and prove it. KO considers it for a long beat before agreeing, Uso pops right off with a superkick and they go to town on the heels and send them packing as we go to break.
Jey Uso & Kevin Owens vs. Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor)
Uso and Priest to start, Damian backs him into the corner and breaks clean while talking about respect. Balor tags in, offers a handshake, Jey slaps his hand away and Finn takes him down into a headlock! Reverse to a hammerlock, side headlock of his own, in the ropes, Uso breaks dirty with a big right hand, tag to Owens!
Elbow into a senton, but Balor turns the tide with a chop block and KO gets worked over! Uso back in, crossbody for two, Priest hammers him but Jey catches him with a Samoan drop! Both men to the floor, Uso off the ropes, big dive takes them both out but Dominik Mysterio runs interference with a cheap shot to Kev on the apron and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Priest bowls Owens over for a nearfall! The pressure continues, tags made, Uso overwhelms Balor in the corner! Sidestep the Ode to Rikishi, double leg into a double stomp! Jey with a back suplex neckbreaker, distracted by Damian, but he fires off a superkick and goes up top... KNEES UP ON THE SPLASH!
Tags made, Owens hammering Priest with punches and stomps in the corner! Coming up lame in the leg, blocking South of Heaven, huge tornado DDT... NOPE! Up top and struggling... KO WITH AN AVALANCHE BRAINBUSTER! The match breaks down, malfunction at the junction, Uso accidentally plants Owens with a superkick...
Judgment Day win by pinfall with Coup de Grace from Finn Balor on Kevin Owens.
Post-match, Uso tries to apologize and Owens hobbles past him, an “I knew I couldn’t trust him” expression on his face.
Commentary hypes up Rhea Ripley’s title defense against Raquel Rodriguez and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Jey Uso tries again to apologize to Kevin Owens backstage, but Owens is apoplectic and will not listen.
We get a recap of GUNTHER’s record-breaking Intercontinental Championship defense.
Imperium arrive at the arena.
The Miz makes his entrance.
The obligatory maudlin 9/11 “never forget” video sends us to break.
Akira Tozawa vs. the Miz
Miz in control in fairly short order, chest kicks, the buzzsaw finale, fired up, Skull-Crushing Finale connects but it’s not enough for the A-Lister so he hits a second one! Clawing at Tozawa’s face, drawing him up for a third...
The Miz wins by pinfall with Skull-Crushing Finale.
Byron Saxton interviews Raquel Rodriguez backstage.
She wants to be honest— Rhea Ripley might be the most dominant woman to ever step in the ring, and people lose to fear before the bell even rings, but not her. She’s gonna give Rhea a taste of her own medicine and we’ll see who walks out as champion.
Imperium make their entrance sans GUNTHER and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Shayna Baszler is interviewed backstage.
She’ll admit that Zoey Stark surprised her by escaping from the Kirifuda, and—
Chelsea Green rolls up looking for another amazing tag team partner and she was thinking Baszler would do. Shayna says she’ll meet her in the ring and she’ll show her, limb by limb, just how large the gap is between them being peers.
Green turns around full of bluster and sees Piper Niven, who reclaims her tag title and informs her she’s medically cleared.
In the ring, Ludwig Kaiser gives GUNTHER a big introduction for the celebration of him setting the record as longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in history.
GUNTHER makes his entrance and gets on the mic, saying in German that he’s rewritten Ringkampf history. In English he says more or less the same thing and points out his record and says the legends who came before him contributed absolutely nothing, and he elevated the title to heights never seen before, and he’s running out of competition.
Enter Chad Gable.
He says last week they had a match for the ages, a hell of a fight, and he was still feeling it this morning. Here we are, a week later and GUNTHER is celebrating and Chad congratulates him. The Ring General invites him into the ring to say his peace to his face.
Gable says he saw the look in his eyes after their match and it said out of all the great superstars he’s beaten, nobody pushed him to his limit or came as close to winning as Gable did. He also saw the look on his family’s face in the front row, the tears running down his daughter’s face, tears that GUNTHER caused.
He wouldn’t expect him to understand what that does to a person, and it’s lit a fire in Chad, a fire that won’t burn out until he makes this whole thing right. He beat GUNTHER once, and he’ll beat him again. He doesn’t know when, where, or how, but he’s getting another shot and this time, for himself, his career, and his family, he swears to god he’s winning the title.
And his daughter will walk out with a smile on her face. GUNTHER asks him what he wants, does he want his family to see him get the beating of his life again, using his children as bait for a spotlight? Yes, he pushed GUNTHER to his limit and he’s a fantastic athlete, but he’s a disgusting, terrible father!
Chad attacks, Imperium beat him down but Otis makes the save and fights valiantly until GUNTHER takes him out with a lariat! Big chop tags Gable back down, the other two Imperium lads return and put boots to him—
TOMMASO CIAMPA IS HERE, CHAIR IN HAND, TO RUN IMPERIUM OFF!
We get a recap of all the New Day/McRiddle stuff.
Drew McIntyre is shown hanging out earlier when Xavier Woods rolls up to chat.
Drew apologizes for the chair again and Woods asks why he was talking trash about Kofi Kingston. McIntyre says he meant what he said and Kofi can man up, grow a set, and talk to him himself. Xavier says he came man-to-man face-to-face and he’s really gonna turn his back and disrespect him?
Is he jealous that Kofi won the title in from of 82,000 while Drew’s greatest moment happened in an empty Performance Center? That’s gotta keep him up at night. McIntyre says he doesn’t want to hurt him, Woods asks if he’s gonna run straight through him, and Drew books a match.
Xavier makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Alpha Academy and Tommaso Ciampa are interviewed backstage.
Ciampa talks about how he just seized his moment and Chad Gable says this ain’t over. Otis pitches a trios match for them against Imperium. Tom nods slightly and walks off.
Drew McIntyre vs. Xavier Woods
McIntyre shoves him into the corner, Woods ducks under, big dropkick, corner elbow, right hands and mounted punches! Off the ropes, ducking lariats, rolling elbow, kick to the midsection, slap to the back, Xavier off the ropes and Drew takes his head off with a lariat!
Woods passes him to the floor, dropkick through the ropes, plancha caught and McIntyre throws him over the announce desk to send us to break!
Back from commercial, McIntyre with mounted punches, Woods gets under him, powerbomb out of the corner! Xavier up top, diving leg drop... NOPE! Honor Roll reversed into a belly-to-belly suplex, another one, Woods cuts him off with a superkick... STILL NO! Alabama Slam reversed into a victory roll, only two!
Senton, sliding knee, McIntyre kicks out! Back and forth, Drew catches him...
Drew McIntyre wins by pinfall with Claymore.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a hype reel for WWE’s efforts with Connor’s Cure.
Cody Rhodes makes his entrance and asks Norfolk, Virginia what to talk about, and settles on “Main Event” Jey Uso.
Enter Dominik Mysterio, flanked by JD McDonagh.
Dominik Mysterio gets in his face and taunts him, flipping his tie, Cody pops him one, fights off JD McDonagh, Cody Cutter for Dom, Cross Rhodes for JD! Another Cross Rhodes for Mysterio!
Drew McIntyre finds Jey Uso backstage and says he’s not done with him. Jey shrugs him off, Drew tells him to go join up with Judgment Day or whatever, and Uso challenges him to a match next week, which he accepts.
Chelsea Green makes her entrance, flanked by Piper Niven, and we go to break.
Chelsea Green vs. Shayna Baszler
Baszler right to work, bicep stomp, jawing at Piper Niven at ringside, leg pick, Green breaks away but gets caught, butterfly suplex lift dropped into a cross armbar, Chelsea runs away to the floor! Shayna jaws at Piper, gives her a shove, Green ducks into a victory roll pin for two!
Looking for the Killswitch, reversed...
Shayna Baszler wins by pinfall with a swinging Samoan drop, which commentary informs us she is now calling “Exterminatus.”
Post-match, Piper beats her down but Zoey Stark makes the save and she and Baszler clear the ring!
We get a Shinsuke Nakamura promo video where he’s holding a katana and calling Seth Rollins out again, listing his many flaws and saying he’ll challenge him again, when he feels like it.
Seth Rollins makes his entrance in a fine muppetfur coat and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Seth Rollins gets on the mic.
He admits he’s a manipulator, a deceiver, a liar, and all the other things Shinsuke Nakamura called him, but he’s also a fighter, a father, and a champion. For a long time, he didn’t know who he was, so he tried everything, from the Authority to what he thought everyone wanted, to a messiah, but none of that worked.
He built a facade to hide from himself and then he figured out what we always wanted him to be— himself. That’s why we love him, not for being a good guy or a bad guy, but for being Seth freakin’ Rollins. But he didn’t come here to talk, he came here to fight.
That’s not what management wants to hear, but he’s just not built that way, baby! He challenges Shinsuke Nakamura to come on down and have a title match here and now!
We see Shinsuke beating Ricochet up backstage and he turns to the camera and says he heard Seth wasn’t cleared so he found a fight already. He apologizes and says he’ll take his title, just not today.
Finn Balor is backstage egging Jey Uso on and talking about how other people in the locker room might not like him, but Judgment Day likes him.
Alpha Academy make their entrance and we go to break.
Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis Dozovic) & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci, GUNTHER, & Ludwig Kaiser)
Vinci and Ciampa to start, opposite ends of Italy at war tonight. Back and forth, Tom shoves him off and gets him isolated in the corner! Tag to Gable, pulled into the heel corner, tag from Kaiser! Chad with some fancy Dan mat grappling into an armbar, wrenching him around!
Giovanni tags in, working Gable over, Imperium in control and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Ciampa with the hot tag, hammering Vinci, taking the knee pad down, Kaiser runs interference and Giovanni blasts Tom with a lariat! Dozer with the tag, working Ludwig over, huge back elbow, scoop and a slam! Caterpillar connects! Fired up, fireman’s carry, Kaiser slips out and posts him shoulder-first!
GUNTHER tags in, Gable tags in, the Ring General lands a German suplex! Powerbomb reversed, sunset flip into an ankle lock and GUNTHER’s got nowhere to go! Crawling, desperate, tag to Vinci! Big crossbody, Chad rolls through into an ankle lock! Upkick breaks, duck a lariat... CHAOS THEORY! GUNTHER BREAKS IT UP!
Ring General with boots on the floor, Vinci with a schoolboy, reversed, nowhere to go, Tom cuts GUNTHER off with the Sicilian Stretch...
Alpha Academy & Tommaso Ciampa win by submission with an ankle lock from Chad Gable on Giovanni Vinci.
Backstage, Judgment Day are talking their recruitment strategy with Jey Uso. Dominik changes gears and says he wishes he could be ringside tonight, but Rhea Ripley says she’ll take care of business and, after all... Mami’s always on top.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of Shinsuke Nakamura beating Ricochet down to get at Seth Rollins and we’re informed they have a match next week.
Tiffany Stratton is in Adam Pearce’s office berating him as to where Becky Lynch is.
Lynch rolls up, Pearce says he talked to “Heartbreak Man” Shawn Michaels and he’s just about got their match for tomorrow lined up. Stratton whines at Becky as to what she did wrong, Lynch tells her showing up on Raw and demanding attention was her mistake.
Becky says she’s a fine athlete but dumb as a box of rocks who’s just concerned with being famous, and she’ll make her famous tomorrow night.
We get main event entrances and go to break.
Raquel Rodriguez vs. Rhea Ripley (c) (WWE Women’s World Championship)
Rodriguez out the gates with a western lariat, powerbomb reversed, block the sunset flip, another lariat! Stampede into the turnbuckles, repeatedly putting her into the corner, whip reversed, front kick, whip blocked, scoop and a powerslam for two! Raquel with a bear hug, I can hardly bear it!
Break away, missile dropkick, action to the floor and Rhea hits a cannonball senton off the steel steps! Back inside, running knee and a cocky pin get the champion a nearfall! Mounted punches, headbutt, dropkick keeps the challenger off-balance. Lining her up, charging in, back body drop sends Ripley crashing to the floor!
Rodriguez with a big boot on the floor and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Rhea working a stepover toehold, turning it into kiind of an inverted Indian deathlock, working her over in the turnbuckles, electric chair facebuster into the top turnbuckle! Rodriguez on her feet and throwing jabs, whip across, short forearm, Ripley returns the favor! Duck a lariat, double boot, both women are down and out!
Back and forth, bridging northern lights suplex from Rhea... NOPE! Big elbow, pumphandle, Raquel blocks with elbows and and a knee, scoop and Snake Eyes! Back body drop, big boot... NOT ENOUGH! Vader Bomb countered with a boot and Ripley sees her opportunity! Up top, a little shimmy, frog splash... STILL NO!
Baseball slide sends Rodriguez to the floor, she catches the cannonball senton and swings Rhea into the announce desk! APRON POWERBOMB! Back inside... NIA JAX IS HERE! SHE HITS A SAMOAN DROP ON THE FLOOR! Raquel pulls herself up, back in the ring...
Rhea Ripley wins by pinfall with Riptide, retaining the WWE Women’s World Championship.
Post-match, Nia blasts Rhea with a headbutt! Hanging her over the bottom rope, she drops a leg across Ripley’s neck! BANZAI DROP OFF THE SECOND ROPE!
That’s the show, folks.
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