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My Thoughts on RAW (5/1/17): Words Words Words

  • We kick off the show with Alexa Bliss' championship coronation. The entire RAW women's division is in the ring as Bliss takes her place on the top of a pedestal. She thanks the roster for coming out, even though they were forced to. She calls herself the goddess of WWE before saying that she deserves a coronation for becoming the first woman to win the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships. She thanks Mickie James for inspiring her before mocking her for being old. She then goes to Sasha Banks and mocks her, reminding her that she pinned her to become the #1 contender. Nia Jax sizes her up, so she compliments her. She then turns her attention to Bayley, thanking her for losing the title to her. She hits hard, bringing up that Bayley failed in front of her friends & families, saying that they now have a real role model to look up to. That's enough to send Bayley over the edge, tipping over the pedestal and attacking Bliss. This leads to the entire roster brawling.
  • Bayley, Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Dana Brooke vs Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Emma, and Alicia Fox-Bayley & Bliss start, but Bliss quickly tags out to Emma. Bayley controls the match with an armbar before Mickie tags in. Mickie & Emma go back and forth before Mickie, hits a spin kick, a bicycle kick, and a crossbody. Dana Brooke tags in. Going from Mickie James to Dana Brooke is like going from Dean Malenko to the Great Khali. Emma tags out to Alicia Fox before Dana hits a nice handspring back elbow and a cartwheel splash before tagging in Sasha Banks. Sasha quickly tags in Bayley for a double hip toss before tagging in Mickie for a basement dropkick. The babyfaces control the match until Fox throws Sasha out of the ring. This leads to a standoff between all 8 women on the outside before the commercial break. We come back to Fox working over Sasha with a headlock before hitting a Northern Lights suplex for a near fall. Nia Jax tags in for an elbow drop to the back before splashing Sasha in the corner and tossing her across the ring. The heels control the match until Sasha dodges a double knee drop from Bliss. Bayley gets the hot tag and runs wild on Bliss, hitting a rope-hung stunner followed by a side suplex, but Nia breaks the pin up. Chaos ensues as Bayley tries to body slam Bliss, only for Bliss to rake the eyes and hit a snap DDT for the win. Fine, pretty standard 8-woman tag.
  • Enzo Amore vs Luke Gallows-There is nothing I dread more than an Enzo Amore singles match. Corey Graves makes the perfect analogy to Enzo & Cass, calling them Lonzo & Lavar Ball of the WWE. Gallows & Anderson run down and interrupt Enzo & Cass' pre-match promo to attack them, but Enzo & Cass come out on top and toss them out of the ring. Man, how bad do you have to be to unsuccessfully pull off a pre-match attack? The match starts and Gallows floors Enzo with a big boot almost immediately. Gallows dominates the match until Enzo hits the diving DDT off the top rope. Enzo hits a big kick before almost getting the win after countering a suplex with a roll up. Enzo goes for another diving DDT, but a distraction from Anderson allows Gallows to scoop him off the top rope and hit a fireman's carry flapjack for the win.
  • Backstage, TJ Perkins questions Neville on why he needed to get DQ'd against Austin Aries last night. Neville tells Perkins to watch it and he tells him not to slander him. He says Aries is their problem and tells Perkins to pull his own weight in this partnership to get a title shot.
  • Outcomes Seth Rollins. He says he's feeling good for the first time in a long time and thanks the fans for sticking with him through everything. He says he's beaten Triple H & Samoa Joe and now he wants to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. This brings out Finn Balor, who reminds Rollins that even with a bum arm he still beat Rollins to become the first Universal Champion. He says since he never lost the Universal Championship, he should be the next in line. Dean Ambrose is out next, who says that since Lesnar barely defends his title, RAW should focus on the current #1 championship on the show...his Intercontinental Championship. This brings out the Miz & Maryse. Miz says Ambrose is an embarrassment as champion and Rollins & Balor haven't earned anything. He says he deserves to be champion since he's the one who made the title relevant again before calling Balor a coward for "cheap-shotting" him. He says Ambrose wasn't even important enough to defend the title at Payback before calling himself the biggest threat on RAW. This leads to the other three men all telling him to shut up. Ambrose says he'll defend the title against anybody, anytime, any place before pulling out his phone. He calls Kurt Angle and suggests he book a #1 contenders match between Rollins, Balor, and Miz. Angle agrees and books it for tonight.
  • Tony Nese, The Brian Kendrick, and Noam Dar vs Rich Swann, Akira Tozawa, and Gentleman Jack Gallagher-Tozawa & Kendrick start by trading blows and going back and forth before Tozawa hits a running knee. However, Tony Nese made a blind tag and takes down Tozawa with a forearm shot. Nese follows up with a hip toss for a near fall before putting Tozawa in the Torture Rack. Tozawa breaks free and tags in Swann for a double dropkick. Dar tags in and he fights with Swann before Gallagher tags in for a body scissor takedown. Tozawa takes out Kendrick with a bicycle kick before the babyfaces back body drop Nese onto Dar & Kendrick on the outside before the commercial break. We come back to Kendrick working over Tozawa with a front facelock before hitting a snap suplex for a near fall. The heels control the match until Tozawa creates space and tags in Swann. Swann runs wild on Kendrick, hitting a rolling thunder splash, but Dar breaks up the fall. Chaos ensues, everyone gets their spots in before Kendrick locks in the Captain's Hook on Gallagher, only for Tozawa to break it up with a Shining Wizard. Tozawa & Dar take out Nese & Dar with tandem suicide dives as Gallagher hits the Gentleman's Dropkick in the corner on Kendrick for the win. Pretty good, entertaining match.
  • Outcome Cesaro & Sheamus. No more tearaway suits for these two, now that they're bad guys they've got field coats & aviators. Also, fun fact, Sheamus was only a babyface for 153 days, a little over 5 months. Sheamus says he's been living in a fog of delusion and he's never liked the fans. He says he's been treated like a red-headed step child every since he got to WWE before talking about how the Hardy Boyz stole his & Cesaro's WrestleMania moment. Cesaro says the fans would rather cheer the past stars & future stars than current stars like him & Sheamus. Cesaro calls the Hardyz a novelty act and Sheamus says this isn't the WWE the Hardy Boyz left behind, it's the WWE that belongs to them. They say they'll regain the RAW Tag Team Championships before the Hardy Boyz come out. They charge the ring, but Cesaro & Sheamus quickly leave the ring.
  • Charly Caruso interviews Miz & Maryse. Miz starts to talk about his strategy before Charly suddenly turns into Dean Ambrose. He asks him a question about his hair before Miz & Maryse walk off.
  • Heath Slater with Rhyno vs Apollo Crew with Titus O'Neil-The two go back and forth for a long time before the two trade arm drags and Crews hits a dropkick. Slater almost gets the win off a roll up before tossing Crews out of the ring. Back in the ring, Slater slaps on a headlock, but Crews fights out, hits a few kicks before hitting a jumping clothesline. Slater dodges a jumping roundhouse kick, but Crews dodges a leg lariat and hits the jumping roundhouse kick before hitting the spin-out powerbomb for the win. This was a nothing match. Afterward, O'Neil takes a selfie with Crews, which Rhyno photobombs because Rhyno is pretty great.
  • Outcomes Kurt Angle. He says the match between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns was the most physical match he's ever seen, and because of it, Reigns re-injured his ribs and Strowman tore his rotator cuff. Angle says he spoke to both men and they're not done with eachother. He is interrupted by Bray Wyatt, fresh off of the worst match WWE has put on in years. Like, probably the worst thing since Kaitlyn vs Maxine..which you can read about if you click here #cheapplug. He says closed the chapter on his feud with Randy Orton, who will forever be trapped in his house of horrors. Or, you know, until SmackDown tomorrow. He says he's been reborn, rising from the ashes of his own creation and says he can fix us. Wyatt says he can cure the infection and what the f*ck is he talking about? Seriously, what does any of this mean? It's just...words. Words that happen to form a sentence. He could come out  Wyatt asks Angle is he's going to allow him to do his work or will he stand in his way. Angle says this is his show, but Wyatt says this is his world.
  • Dean Ambrose goes up to Seth Rollins to try to interview him. Ambrose points out that there was already a cameraman in the locker room, so they must have an interview set up right now. Somebody finally brought up the fact that there just happen to be a camera man around when something is happening. Ambrose & Rollins go back and forth pretty much saying they are better than eachother.
  • Austin Aries vs TJ Perkins-Aries starts off with an arm drag before beating down Perkins in the corner. Aries throws Perkins around the ring hitting the loudest bell clap I've ever seen, followed by a middle rope neckbreaker and a missile dropkick for a near fall. Aries goes for the Last Chancery, but Perkins blocks it and hits a jawbreaker. Perkins hangs Aries up in the Tree of Woe and targets the left leg of Aries. Perkins continues to target that leg with a butterfly lock, but Aries fights out and hits an inverted atomic drop. Perkins keeps control with a springboard forearm before going back to work on the leg. Aries tries to fight back, but the knee has taken too much damage and he crumbles from the pain. At one point, Perkins sets up Aries in the middle rope and applies a single leg Boston Crab from the top rope. That was a really nice spot. Perkins tries to ram Aries' leg into the ring post from the outside, but Aries kicks him off and hits a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Aries hits a gutbuster, an STO, and the Pendulum Elbow before hitting a diving elbow for a near fall. Aries tries for a shin breaker, but Aries' knee gives out and Perkins is able to kick Aries down. Perkins goes for a roundhouse kick, but Aries dodges it and hits the shin breaker followed by an overhead suplex. Aries goes for the Discus Five-arm (that's actually what it's called), but Perkins kicks his knee and hits a jumping spin kick. Perkins goes for the Detonation Kick, but Aries turns it into a front facelock, which leads to the Last Chancery for the submission win. Really good match. Afterward, Perkins attacks Aries and applies the kneebar.
  • Dean Ambrose interviews Finn Balor. Balor says he's not nervous and he'll win tonight and eventually the Intercontinental Championship. Ambrose hands him a donut and tells him to eat a carb. Balor laughs it off and walks away. Also, the Drifter shows up.
  • Backstage, The Golden Truth pitches "The Golden Quest" to Kurt Angle. Truth clarifies that they want a shot at the Tag Team Championships, but Angle says their win-loss record isn't good enough. Goldust says they just need a shot and they need this, so Angle books a Tag Team Turmoil match next week, with the winners becoming #1 contenders for the Tag Team Championships.
  • Finn Balor vs The Miz with Maryse vs Seth Rollins-Miz leaves the ring immediately, leaving Rollins & Balor to square off. The two go back and forth, with Miz only getting in the ring to potentially break up a fall. Balor & Rollins opt to get Miz into the ring, where Miz tries to form an alliance with either of the two men. Balor & Rollins double team Miz before tossing him out of the ring. The two go back and forth, taking Miz out at every opportunity before Balor hits a basement dropkick on Rollins. Balor ends up on the apron, where Miz yanks him down, only to get dropkicked off the apron by Rollins. Rollins tries for a suicide dive, but Miz pulls Maryse in the way. Miz uses Maryse as a shield again to block Balor, leaving him open to the suicide dive. Back in the ring, the three go back and forth before Rollins goes to the top rope, only for Miz to shove him off the top rope to the outside before the commercial break. We come back to Miz applying a sleeper hold to Balor. Miz follows up with a running knee lift before Balor goes to work, hitting a few running forearms and a basement dropkick. Rollins pops up and jumps so high on a springboard crossbody that he flies up to Balor's head and lands right on his own head. Miz gets a near fall on a rollup on Rollins before tossing him into the post through the turnbuckles. Miz sends Balor out of the ring with a basement dropkick before hitting a few running corner dropkicks. Miz follows up with an Awesome Clothesline before hitting a diving double axe handle for a near fall. Miz starts doing the Daniel Bryan kicks on both Rollins and Balor but misses on the final kick on Balor. Balor throws Miz into a front facelock by Rollins and dropkicks Rollins, effectively DDTing Miz. Balor chops both men in the corners before kicking Miz to the outside and clotheslining Rollins out of the ring. Balor gives Miz a soccer kick from the apron before dropkicking Rollins into the barricade. Back in the ring, Balor hits 1916 on Rollins, but Miz breaks up the fall. Balor goes for an inverted 1916 on Miz, but Miz blocks it, prompting him to just toss Miz out of the ring. Balor hits the Sling Blade on Rollins and calls for the dropkick into the corner, but Miz yanks him down and pulls him balls first into the ring post. Miz goes for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Rollins pulls off a victory roll and gets a near fall before Miz takes out Rollins' bad knee with a basement dropkick and hits a snap DDT for a near fall. Miz goes for the figure four, but Rollins blocks it, only for Miz to hit a knee breaker and lock it in. Balor breaks up the hold with a soccer kick for a near fall. The three men trade blows before Rollins gets a near fall off a superkick on Balor. Rollins takes out Miz with an STO into the turnbuckle before hitting a double blockbuster on Balor and Miz. Rollins goes to the top and hits a frog splash on Balor, but only gets two. Rollins catches Miz on the top rope and hits a superplex followed by a Falcon Arrow, but only gets a two. Rollin hits two suicide dives on both Balor and Miz, only for Samoa Joe to show up and plant Rollins with an Uranage on the outside. Miz gets back in the ring, only to take a Sling Blade and a corner dropkick from Balor. Balor goes to the top rope for the Coup de Grace, but Bray Wyatt appears and tosses him down to the mat. Wyatt hits Sister Abigail on Balor before disappearing via screen effect. This leaves Balor prone for Miz to pick up the scraps, making the cover for the win, making him the #1 contender to the Intercontinental Championship. This. Was. Great. Overbooked? Probably, but everything prior to that was fantastic. 

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