WWE Raw – June 29, 2020 (Review)

Welcome to a truly crackerjack edition of Monday Night Raw, in every sense of the word.

This week’s show was set to feature everything you could possibly want in a wrestling show! There would be contract signings and non-title matches and… ninjas? Okay, maybe not the greatest lineup. But Big Show would be there!

Oh god. This is going to be another marathon three hours, isn’t it?

A DOUBLE #ExtremeRules contract signing is set for TONIGHT on #WWERaw! https://t.co/8TIAwVEmfX#MustBeMonday @DMcIntyreWWE @HEELZiggler @WWEAsuka @SashaBanksWWE pic.twitter.com/V3fH3rpK2B

— WWE (@WWE) June 29, 2020

But with the aid of caffeine, a positive outlook and that magic “grit” that Edge constantly talks about, I firmly believe we can get through this. Alternatively you could just read this review – I promise to keep it short.

Elsewhere on the card, Apollo Crews was set to take on MVP, The Viking Raiders were booked to face Andrade and Garza, and Seth Rollins teased the continuation of his “reign of terror”. You know what that means. Keep your eyeballs a safe distance from any metal steps, everybody.

Let’s get to the review.

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The Best of Raw

Ruby Needs A Friend

Ruby Riott was flying solo, when she was approached by The IIconics. They made fun of Riott for not having any friends and the former leader of the Riott Squad responded by referencing their Tag Title loss last week. Too soon, Ruby. Way too soon.

This confrontation led to a match between Riott and Peyton Royce later in the night. The performances were solid all round, with all three women coming across as very comfortable, natural promos. Which is certainly not something to ignore given all the stilted performances that permeated the rest of the show.

However, I struggle to get behind this angle seemingly designed to reunite Riott with Liv Morgan, which was teased last week. The whole narrative for the past six months has been about how much those two women despise each other – it was all Riott spoke about when she returned from injury! Now they’re just going to be friends again? Life doesn’t work that way.

Later on Raw, Lana invited Ruby to align herself with both her and Natalya. The major selling point, which seemed to entice Riott, was that Nattie is the winningest woman on the roster. Now, I haven’t done any independent research on the point, but it seems a preposterous claim on the face of it.

Now THIS is a celebration…

@PeytonRoyceWWE picks up the win over @RubyRiottWWE on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/xrCY66OKHH

— WWE (@WWE) June 30, 2020

Ruby was left to further ponder whether she needed a friend after losing to Peyton Royce by pinfall following a cool-looking twisting brainbuster. I’m intrigued to see where Ruby goes from here.

Add a Ninja, Subtract a Title

I never thought I’d find comfort in the phrase “Akira Tozawa’s group of anonymous ninjas”. But truthfully, this level of goofiness is quickly becoming a welcome distraction from the rest of the show’s turgidity.

It's time for the #247Championship to be decided!#WWERaw @TozawaAkira pic.twitter.com/7b3slkn4GI

— WWE (@WWE) June 30, 2020

Tozawa was defending his recently won 24/7 Title against former champion, R-Truth. The challenger faked an injury, lured in the Champion and then rolled him up for the win.

After the match, Truth was ambushed by another ninja, but managed to escape through the crowd with his 24/7 Title. This was utter nonsense, but at least it was streamlined and focused.

The Rampaging Titan

Ahead of his challenge for the United States Championship, MVP reiterated how offensive it was that Apollo Crews had turned down his services last week. Apollo came out to say that it was still a hard pass from him and the match got underway.

Apollo fought valiantly, but with Bobby Lashley at ringside, it was effectively two-on-one. Lashley’s distraction allowed MVP to land a big boot and then the Fisherman’s Suplex to defeat the United States Champion.

With the result in the books, Lashley locked in the Full Nelson and it took the combined efforts of Cedric Alexander and Ricochet to get the gargantuan man to release the hold. I have no idea why they’re suddenly coming to Apollo’s aid – their friendship is news to me.

Sheer dominance.#WWERaw @fightbobby pic.twitter.com/fCIDIInab9

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) June 30, 2020

For added value, Lashley absolutely obliterated Ricochet in the impromptu match which followed. And then wiped out Cedric Alexander for good measure.

Despite the confusion around Ricochet and Alexander’s roles, it remains encouraging to see Apollo in a substantive storyline. It’s about time the US Title was given some purpose. Plus, Lashley continues to look like an absolute beast. He should absolutely take the belt when he eventually comes face-to-face with Crews.

The Champions Face Their Challengers

The main event of Raw saw Drew McIntyre and Asuka team up to take on the pairing of Dolph Ziggler and Sasha Banks, with Bayley on commentary.

Things were fairly even between the guys, but once Asuka got the tag, she looked like she was going to batter Sasha, much to Bayley’s dismay. Dolph had to step in to make the save and we cut to our first commercial.

Momentum ebbed and flowed from there, with each team coming close to victory. The women were the main focus throughout though, as Dolph and Drew were relegated to supporting roles.

MOMENTUM in favor of @HEELZiggler & @SashaBanksWWE after that HUGE victory over @DMcIntyreWWE & @WWEAsuka on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/0BVL9x8c8A

— WWE (@WWE) June 30, 2020

Sasha looked to have the Banks Statement locked in, only for Asuka to break free. The Raw Women’s Champion then trapped her opponent in the Asuka Lock, but Sasha vaulted backwards to place pressure on Asuka’s shoulders and secure the three-count.

Bayley was absolutely jubilant and she embraced her best friend as Raw hurriedly went off the air. For a pre-taped show, these people sure struggle with timing.

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The Worst of Raw

Two Contract Signings for the Price of None

Is there a worse trope in all of WWE than the contract signing? They simply serve as a convenient excuse to get two opponents with two microphones in a ring together, where they can exchange angry looks and cross words. And then someone inevitably gets slammed through a table.

This week though, Raw spiced proceedings up a little. Because this week, there were four people in the ring together. At the same time!

The champ's just taking in all the chaos…#WWERaw #ExtremeRules @DMcIntyreWWE pic.twitter.com/aENNKTE7Bf

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) June 30, 2020

Asuka and Sasha Banks were in the ring in anticipation of their matchup at Extreme Rules: The Horror Show, with Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler scheduled to join them.

What resulted was a ludicrous hodgepodge of cross-talk and awful pacing. An opening brawl between Banks and Asuka was interrupted by Ziggler’s entrance. Then Dolph launched a verbal barrage at McIntyre, only for a recovered Asuka to cut him off. Sasha vowed to become ‘Two Belts Banks’ and it all kicked off, leaving just the babyfaces in the ring.

This would’ve been so much better (although certainly not great) as separate segments. Literally the only worthwhile event was McIntyre granting Ziggler the power to select the stipulation for their match at the pay-per-view.

The Big Interrupter

Angel Garza was backstage flirting with Jessika Carr – now known professionally as just “an official”. Oh, main roster, never change.

She wasn’t receptive to his advances but it was enough to arouse some jealousy in Charly Caruso. The Big Show interrupted this onscreen magic to announce he was heading to the ring to address his issues with Randy Orton.

Not so fast, damas y caballeros.

@WWETheBigShow has something he wants to say to @RandyOrton, so @AndradeCienWWE & @AngelGarzaWwe's match against The #VikingRaiders will have to wait… #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/69Nz6H2sUC

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) June 30, 2020

Back from the commercial and Big Show was threatening to find and beat up Orton. Garza, Andrade and Zelina Vega cut him short, as they felt disrespected by his slight backstage. Show issued a challenge and the Vegaboys looked ready to accept, when Ric Flair walked out onto the stage. That’s right – the man who almost died last year was on Raw despite the deadly viral pandemic sweeping through the locker room. What a bunch of morons.

Flair’s supposedly indispensable role was to announce that Orton would strike at the Big Show on his timetable and not a moment sooner. Garza and Andrade looked about to attack Show, when The Viking Raiders sprinted out. When we returned from another break, things had transitioned to a tag match between the Vikings and the Vegaboys, with nary a Big Show in sight.

Watch out, @WWETheBigShow…

Now you got a 🐐 to deal with! WOOOOO!#WWERaw @RicFlairNatrBoy pic.twitter.com/pMPXX0BE5Q

— WWE (@WWE) June 30, 2020

I appreciate Raw attempting to “cross streams” with its feuds, but this was just another incongruent mess. It felt unrefined, bloated and ultimately, the ending was entirely unrelated to the beginning of the segment.

One Team Fights, The Other Loses

After a few tame minutes, Andrade abandoned Angel Garza during their tag match. Zelina Vega bolted after the Mexican and attempted to reconcile the situation. I feel like this team blows up at least twice a week. They’re like that dysfunctional high school couple that everyone knows is bad for one another, yet raging hormones keep bringing them back together.

It turned out that Vega is a phenomenal manager though, as she was able to convince Andrade to return to his partner’s corner. This proved to be a good decision, with Garza hitting the Angel’s Wings on Erik to pick up the win.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1277761204082159617

I’m just so tired of the discord between Andrade and Garza. Especially when they regularly abandon one another with little provocation. Also, The Viking Raiders were just in the Raw Tag Team Title picture last week. Now they can’t even beat the world’s least compatible duo.

After the match, Andrade and Garza were bickering some more, when Ric Flair waltzed up and extended a mysterious proposal.

The Reign of Tedium

Seth delivered his now customary sermon, this time asking for Rey Mysterio’s forgiveness for what he was going to do to his son. The ‘Monday Night Messiah’ has developed this frustrating cadence with his promos. Where he talks… in strict staccato… groups of three… with long pauses between. I found myself falling into a trance after a few sentences, losing track of what he was saying.

Anyway, Mysterio appeared on the titantron alongside Dominik. He announced he would take care of Seth. Rollins was poised to respond when Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo ran down and we cut to another commercial. I’m still a little confused as to what connective tissue is holding Mysterio, Black, Carrillo and Seth together.

In fairness, Rollins clearly had the some questions. When we returned from break, he was asking Black and Carrillo why they would stand up for Mysterio. The answer? Carrillo is latino and Black thinks Seth is evil. Whatever, guys.

A glimpse into @reymysterio's future?#WWERaw @WWERollins pic.twitter.com/3aTLMrHvVQ

— WWE (@WWE) June 30, 2020

This led to a tag match pitting Seth and Murphy against Black and Carrillo. A long, entertaining contest ensued, with Black and Carrillo running out the victors. But Seth and Murphy took out the babyfaces after the match. Seth put a Mysterio mask on Carrillo and stomped his head against the steel steps. Presumably more of this next week then.

He’ll Huff and He’ll Puff and He’ll Plod Through a Match

Ric Flair’s proposition presumably involved Andrade and Angel Garza facing Big Show in a two-on-one handicap match. Prior to the bout, Charly Caruso raised the possibility that the match may provide Randy Orton with an opportunity to strike. Big Show was unconcerned.

Breathe, @Zelina_VegaWWE, breathe. #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/LFWVpy32xR

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) June 30, 2020

As for the actual contest, it was a predictably tedious affair, with Big Show very slowly tossing the smaller lads about while Zelina Vega looked on concerned. When they were finally able to get a bit of a look in, the two heels almost immediately started squabbling again. Big Show capitalised and pinned Andrade after the KO Punch.

This shockingly boring match really made The Viking Raiders look even worse for losing to Andrade and Garza earlier in the night.

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Overall Rating for the Show (From best to worst: RAWsome, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and RAWful)

Much like the vile asthma medication I used to take as a child, there’s no sugar-coating this awful edition of Raw.

Undoubtedly hampered by the reduced ranks, the red brand opted to have people pull double duty throughout the night. The result was a plethora of two-on-one contests and vague, overlapping feuds. None of which served to promote what is looking to be an increasingly terrible Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

Perhaps most indicative of the awful malaise this show found itself in was the fact that Big Show was the most featured act of the night. Big Show. In 2020. Good Lord.

This week’s Raw was a low Poor.

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• review
• RAW
• June 29 2020
• wwe

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