Things took a dark turn when both The Demon Kane and The Fiend emerged after Universal Champion Seth Rollins clashed with Raw Tag Team Champion Robert Roode. Also on Raw, Maria Kanellis revealed the father of her second child and Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch came out swinging.
Seth Rollins stares into the Firefly Fun House
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE — Going into Raw, the question was how Universal Champion Seth Rollins would respond to the attack from “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. And indeed, following a show-opening address where The Beastslayer gave due credit to Braun Strowman for their match the previous night, the champion seemingly acknowledged that a confrontation with Wyatt's horrifying alter-ego was inevitable. But that was about as far as Rollins got before Wyatt changed the narrative, appearing on the TitanTron to address his newfound foe from the confines of the Firefly Fun House.
Sporting his signature cardigan and an ear-to-ear grin, Wyatt implied that The Fiend might have “more to say” on the matter before the night was over. (Ramblin' Rabbit frantically urged Rollins to bail on the rivalry, only to be silenced by Bray slamming his fist on the table.) And while Wyatt vanished from sight following a genial “See you in Hell!” Rollins’ uneasy stares around the ring implied a nervousness that he had been very reluctant to show moments prior. For all the speculation about how Rollins would respond, it's starting to look like he might simply be along for the ride on this one.
Strowman bulldozes all of the new Tag Team Champions
Clash of Champions was not Braun Strowman’s best night, and The Monster Among Men didn’t mince words about how he was going to cope: By delivering These Hands to whomever was bold enough to so much as set foot in the ring. That turned out to be the new Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode and The Revival — all of whom had very good nights at Clash of Champions, all of whom had gathered for a “Tag Team Champions Summit,” and all of whom were absolutely helpless to stop the utter shellacking that Strowman put on them.
True to his word, The Monster Among Men bulldozed his way through everyone in his path. Only Roode evaded the big man’s wrath by dodging his charge at the last second; the less-lucky Ziggler took the full brunt of the attack. Apart from The Glorious One's timely escape, though, this was a car wreck — and judging by the look on Strowman’s face, it was just what the doctor ordered.
The O.C. overpower Alexander & The Viking Raiders
As he declared last night at Clash of Champions, Cedric Alexander isn’t letting a loss to AJ Styles stop him from making another run at the United States Title. He’d better buckle in for the long haul, however, as Styles and The O.C. are clearly planning on making that prospective climb as hard as humanly possible for the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
Styles, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson were all over Alexander during a Six-Man Tag Team Match that paired the 205 Live veteran with The Viking Raiders, but unlike last week’s 10-man melee in Madison Square Garden, Alexander couldn’t close. The high-flying Superstar landed on the receiving end of a Phenomenal Forearm and a post-match attack from the entire O.C. Also unlike last night, Alexander refused to take it lying down, throwing hands with Styles after Gallows & Anderson splintered off to brawl with The Viking Raiders. Styles nevertheless ended the night with the upper hand, silencing Alexander with a wicked Styles Clash off the turnbuckle.
You have to respect a man who refuses to stay down, and there’s something to the idea that respect is why Styles and his teammates have chosen to engage in these tactics. They must see Alexander as a worthy foe if they’re trying this hard to make the fight more than it’s worth for him.
Who was crowned King of the Ring?
He really did it. Baron Corbin is the King of the Ring, and not an angry tweet in the world is going to change that. He earned it, too, capping off a wildly impressive run with a truly hard-fought victory over SmackDown LIVE’s resident wrestling machine, Chad Gable — as likely a candidate as any for champion of the future, but one who’ll have to settle for second place after a last-second heartbreak at the hands of the newly-crowned king.
“Heartbreak” is an apropos word to describe Gable’s fate in this tournament. The grappler made like his unofficial motto, scratching and clawing every step of the way to the visible frustration of Corbin, whose inability to put Gable away led to a comeback wherein the Olympian connected with Chaos Theory and entwined The Lone Wolf’s legs in a grapevine Ankle Lock. Unfortunately for Gable, none of his big moves were enough to keep Corbin down, and the grappler decided to simply throw hands in the corner. Corbin shoved his opponent away, Gable countered with a sprint into a headscissors, Corbin swung him into the End of Days and that was it. Baron Corbin now sits the throne, whether you like it or not. All that remains is his coronation on SmackDown LIVE to make it official.
Is Ricochet the father of Mike and Maria's child?
Maria and Mike Kanellis are having a boy, but Raw wasn’t as much about the gender of the baby as it was the identity of the father. Right after The Street Profits helped Maria with the big reveal, the former 24/7 Champion strongly implied that Ricochet was, in fact, the father of her child, which led to a slap in the face and a call-out from poor, beleaguered Mike Kanellis. Ricochet, stunned to be in this situation, accepted the match but spent most of it trying to talk his opponent down. Kanellis’ continued intensity, however, left the former United States Champion no choice but to fight back, leading to Ricochet claiming a quick victory with the Recoil. Unfortunately, Kanellis’ woes were just beginning.
Rusev returns to savage Mike Kanellis
No, Ricochet is not the father of Maria Kanellis' unborn child. Maria was just trying to humiliate Mike to the point that he’d be motivated to defend her (operative word, her) unborn child’s honor. But an unexpected Superstar made his return to add insult to injury when Maria brought a returning, shredded Rusev to the stage, heavily implying that he, in fact, was the father of the child. At this point, Kanellis was too beaten down to even care, let alone fight back, which isn’t to say The Bulgarian Brute was about to let up. Rusev downed Mike with a Machka Kick the second the bell rang, then locked in the Accolade to secure an immediate tapout. Whether Rusev is actually the father remains to be determined. Maria has been known to lie, after all. But Mike is definitely somebody's metaphorical son — if not Rusev's, then at the very least, Maria's.
R-Truth loses the 24/7 Title to ... Mayor Glenn Jacobs?
Raw is in Tennessee tonight, so who better to pay a visit than the Mayor of Knox County, Tenn., Glenn Jacobs? The strangely familiar elected official was even happy to take 24/7 Champion R-Truth on a tour of the town, despite what turned out to be some well-founded suspicion from Carmella. As it turned out, Mayor Glenn used his clout to ordain a local policeman as a referee and was therefore able to pin Truth after the champ inadvertently KO’d himself while trying to flee. With Truth knocked loopy by his collision with the goalposts of Neyland Stadium, Mayor Glenn quickly covered his now-opponent to win the 24/7 Championship.
Yep. He’s still got it, but he didn’t keep it for long. Truth followed Mayor Glenn back to the arena by clinging to the roof of his limo and ambushing him with a surprise rollup to reclaim the title. And while Mayor Glenn — or, "Mr. President," as Truth called him — seemingly let his inner demons get the best of him when he grabbed Truth for an evident Chokeslam, the champ calmed him down with an oddly poetic defense of the title: As is the case with being a mayor, holding that title is a 24/7 job. And at the end of the day, the two are more similar than they are different. It did the trick, too, calming Jacobs down enough for him to walk side-by-side with Truth to Raw. After all, as far as he’s concerned, Raw is home.
Rey Mysterio outlasts Cesaro as winning streak builds
If there was any doubt Rey Mysterio was back in the swing of things — so to speak — his victory over Cesaro should have set the record straight. Fueled by The Swiss Cyborg’s fighting words before the bout, The Ultimate Underdog put on a clinic and grinded out a victory against his recent rival.
It was a much-needed win. The only Superstar with more to prove than Mysterio is Cesaro, who is still on the hunt for a signature victory since returning to singles action. Cesaro was out to make a statement, too, working his way through the Three Amigos down the stretch in an attempt to wear Rey down mentally. But Cesaro miscalculated, revving his foe up into a 619 that hit its mark. And even though The King of Swing snatched Mysterio out of the air during the follow-up, the luchador countered with a sunset flip that put the powerhouse down for three.
Textbook. And, when you consider this victory comes on the heels of an equally impressive win over Gran Metalik last week, it’s safe to say Mysterio’s feel-good comeback tour is shaping up to be anything but ceremonial.
Becky and Banks size each other up with Hell in a Cell challenge
With Sasha Banks falling short of the Raw Women’s Championship and Bayley narrowly holding on to the SmackDown Women’s Title, it’s safe to say The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection had a mixed night at Clash of Champions. Never ones to wallow, however, they seemingly turned things around on Raw with an impressive win over Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross. (That’s the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions beating the current ones, for those keeping score.)
After Bliss was sent to the locker room to receive medical attention, Sasha and Bayley claimed victory when The Boss cranked back on the Bank Statement to force Cross to tap out, but their victory was quickly overshadowed by the reemergence of their rivals. Charlotte Flair laid out Bayley with a chair in the ensuing post-match confrontation among the Four Horsewomen, seemingly implying The Queen has unfinished business with The Hugger. And Becky Lynch was clearly happy to mix it up again with Sasha even beyond a chair-swinging confrontation: In fact, The Man upped the ante of The Boss’ post-brawl challenge for a Raw Women's Championship rematch at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, challenging Sasha to a bout inside the Cell itself. Clearly, there’s a world in which Boss and Hug each end up with titles around their waists, but judging by tonight’s events, it’s going to get a whole lot harder before they do.
Lacey Evans steals the Sharpshooter in message to Natalya
Is Lacey Evans over losing to Natalya last week? It would appear not! The Sassy Southern Belle got back to her winning ways on Raw with a victory against Dana Brooke, but the manner in which Evans triumphed suggested that her current split series with The Queen of Harts is weighing heavily on her impeccable shoulders. Even though Lacey connected with her signature Woman’s Right, she ended the match with a variation of Natalya’s Sharpshooter.
The excruciating hold forced Brooke — who looked excellent even in defeat — to submit. But Lacey’s mind was clearly on the opponent who wasn’t there, as she screamed “This is for you, Nattie!” into the camera while applying the maneuver. So, tiebreaker?
The Fiend mauls Kane and terrorizes Rollins in eerie Raw finale
From the minute Bray Wyatt hinted at adding Seth Rollins to his “Wall of Friendship,” it was only a matter of time before The Fiend made another appearance on Raw — especially given that the two are set to battle at Hell in a Cell in three weeks. And true to form, The Fiend made his presence known when The Beastslayer was at his most vulnerable. Strangely, however, he left Rollins intact for the evening, opting to add a different name to his collection of “Friends” for the time being.
That name? Kane, who came to Rollins’ aid after The Beastslayer’s main-event match against Robert Roode — decided by a disqualification when Roode’s partner Dolph Ziggler interfered to prevent a three-count after a Stomp — led to a five-on-one attack from Roode, Ziggler and The O.C. The Devil’s Favorite Demon cleaned house, only for the lights to go out and The Fiend to emerge and incapacitate the former WWE Champion with the Mandible Claw. Wyatt didn’t inflict the same punishment on Rollins, however, crawling over to the shuddering champion and going face-to-face with him as Raw dissolved into a distorted version of the Firefly Fun House theme song. They’re not friends yet, apparently. But there’s plenty of time for that.
The King approaches
After weeks of breathless action and speculation, the time has come to crown the 2019 King of the Ring. And the contestants are truly the cream of the crop: Raw powerhouse Baron Corbin has proven to be an unlikely, yet deserving contender for the throne, outlasting his foes in epic matches, including the first-ever King of the Ring Triple Threat Match in last week’s semifinals. He’ll be facing a worthy foe, however, in SmackDown LIVE wunderkind Chad Gable, whose run is conjuring up memories of prime Kurt Angle and hinting at a magnificent legacy of his own. Of course, there’s only room on the throne for one, and come Monday night, we’ll either be kneeling before King Corbin or toasting Chad Gable, First of His Name. Prepare accordingly.
How will Becky Lynch respond to her $10,000 fine in the wake of her match against Sasha Banks?
In the wake of WWE Clash of Champions, Becky Lynch was fined $10,000 for inadvertently striking a referee during her Raw Women’s Championship Match against Sasha Banks.
At the same time, although Banks didn’t win the title in their brutal contest, she did beat Becky Lynch, earning a disqualification victory over The Man. All this thanks in part to Lynch’s errant attack on a referee with the same instrument that The Boss has made such effective use of, both in the weeks up to the pay-per-view showdown and during the match itself.
With unfinished business clearly existing between the two bitter adversaries, will The Man seek her own form of payback for her fine directly from Banks? Will Banks make another play for The Man and the spotlight?
What will be the fallout from The Fiend’s ruthless assault on Rollins?
It was revealed a few weeks ago that Bray Wyatt had challenged either Seth Rollins or Braun Strowman for the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view — seemingly, whichever Superstar ended Clash of Champions with the Universal Title. And he didn’t wait too long to reiterate his intentions: The Fiend appeared in the final moments of Clash of Champions to maul Rollins with Sister Abigail and the Mandible Claw minutes after The Beastslayer retained his prize. Although a match between the two has, of course, not been made official, The Fiend seems to have picked his next target. How will Rollins respond to this menacing new threat to his reign?
The Street Profits to host Maria Kanellis’ Gender Reveal Party live tonight on Raw
RSVP now because you do not want to miss it when Maria Kanellis reveals her child’s gender at a special Gender Reveal party tonight, hosted by The Street Profits. Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford invite you to be a part of the festivities live tonight on Raw.
Alexander the second?
Cedric Alexander pinned AJ Styles last week, but he fell short of The Phenomenal One’s United States Championship on Sunday thanks to a quick, ruthless rally that stopped the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion in his tracks. But even though Styles wanted to teach Alexander a lesson, he might want to hope the lesson wasn’t learned too well. As Cedric made clear after the match, he has no intention of stopping his pursuit of the U.S. Title, and he has one thing going for him now that he didn’t before: He’s fought AJ Styles, and he knows what to expect. There’s a chance his next play for the title will look and end very different from the last.
Raw airs tonight, live at 8/7 C on USA Network!
