WWE Raw – June 22, 2020 (Review)

WWE Raw – June 22, 2020 (Review)

Welcome to the “Championship Monday” edition of Raw, so named because three of the brand’s titles would be defended during the course of the show. Which is supposedly a super special, rare event worthy of the tagline. It’s not like three titles were defended last week or anything. But I digress.

Despite the seemingly random realisation that Championships carry a certain prestige, this week’s Monday offering threatened to be the best in recent memory. It’s perhaps dangerous to let one’s hopes get too high, given the red brand’s tendency to turn treasures into turds. But it’s impossible to ignore the potential this particular show holds.

Consider the card. R-Truth was set to defend the 24/7 Title against Raw’s resident ninja, Akira Tozawa. The Street Profits would finally stand across a wrestling ring from The Viking Raiders, hopefully sans turkey legs and giant trash octopus. Bayley and Banks would defend – and undoubtedly lose – their Women’s Tag Team belts against the greatest duo ever assembled, The IIconics. And Asuka was scheduled to compete against Charlotte for the Raw Women’s Title.

And that isn’t even mentioning the return of Rey Mysterio or Ric Flair’s appearance alongside Randy Orton. This threatened t0 be a good episode, on paper at least. So much to be excited about.

As a quick aside before we get into the review. I realise this deserves (and needs) a much larger discussion, but I would be remiss not to at least address the recent revelations affecting the sport. Without evaluating the validity of each individual allegation, we must acknowledge the pain this industry has caused many wrestlers, officials and trainees. It takes a lot of courage to speak out against harassment and exploitation, especially when the alleged perpetrator is someone with a high profile.

We as fans have a responsibility – just as wrestlers and promotions do – to not let things like this slide. To stand up for justice, for equality, for a workplace free from threats and intimidation. For too long we turned a blind eye. No more. To everyone who has suffered pain, embarrassment and indignity: we see you, we respect you and we stand with you.

The Best of Raw

Tag Team Fury

It was 30 minutes before the bell rang for the night’s first match, but it was worth it. The Street Profits and Viking Raiders had an action-packed, 10-minute spectacle for the Raw Tag Team Titles. They brawled both inside and around the ring, with little regard for traditional tag rules.

Eventually Dawkins speared Erik and Montez Ford hit the BEST frog splash in all of wrestling (I said it!) on Ivar for the win. Then, after the bell, Andrade and Angel Garza jumped the champions.

It would have been far better, given how long the match had been brewing, for it to have gone longer than a quick-fire 10 minutes. Also, it’s rather strange for Garza and Andrade to reconcile after weeks of dissension, veer away from the US Championship program they were in, and suddenly insert themselves in the tag title picture.

But those minor logical gripes are outweighed by the excellent match.

Edge’s Message to Orton

By way of prerecorded video, Edge acknowledged that Randy Orton had indeed beaten him at Backlash… but questioned whether he had proven himself the better natural wrestler. Randy’s desperate “accidental” low blow saved him from defeat and cost Edge the match.

Edge was furious that Orton had followed up that injustice by punting Christian – Edge’s lifelong best friend – in the head. Orton had awoken the darkest parts of Edge’s character and he wouldn’t rest until he had ruined the ‘Viper’s life. Randy had awoken the ‘Rated R Superstar’, Edge said… which struck me as a little odd, because that character wasn’t really associated with wrecking lives. He was just an opportunistic, conniving snake.

Let me get this out the way up front – this was an AWESOME promo. Edge was sitting in the corner of a ring, his face prominent against a pitch-black background. It was atmospheric and impactful. But I’m slowly beginning to question whether Edge really came out of retirement just to have five matches against Randy Orton.

When Edge first returned to Raw, he listed off the names of all the people he could possibly square off against. We’re six months into that return – and so far he’s only faced one man.

Ninja Stealth

R-Truth made his second appearance of the night for his scheduled 24/7 Title defence against Akira Tozawa. Before the match got underway though, Bobby Lashley and MVP marched out to exact revenge on Truth for his role in costing them the WWE Title last week.

They systematically destructed Tozawa’s ninja clan, before Lashley locked in the Full Nelson on Truth until he lost consciousness. Tozawa had taken refuge under the ring while the assault played out and emerged once Lashley and MVP had left.

Gleefully spotting the lifeless form of R-Truth in the middle of the ring, Tozawa pinned him to become the new 24/ Champion. This all made sense and tied neatly together. Plus the ninjas are far more palatable as this comedy goof troupe, as opposed to being in the tag team title fray.

Flair Passes the Torch

Ric Flair once again was willing to risk his life to appear on Raw this week. He knows we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, right? Also – and this can’t be stressed enough – it’s Raw! It really isn’t worth dying for.

Anyway, the ‘Nature Boy’ was there to anoint Randy Orton the “greatest wrestler ever” following his victory over Edge last Sunday. Before he got to that though, Ric addressed the injury Charlotte had suffered at the hands of Nia Jax. He vowed that when his daughter returned, Nia would be in big trouble. If you played a drinking game where you took a shot every time Charlotte’s name was mentioned, you wouldn’t make it to Raw’s third hour. Lucky you.

Both Orton and Flair spent a lot of time recapping events of recent weeks. Orton spoke about the nostalgia of taking out Edge and Christian on consecutive days and bathed in the glory of once again being the ‘Legend Killer’. And then Big Show turned up, to call Orton a parasite and warn him that Edge will be back.

At first Randy wanted no part of the giant. But then he realised that Show could be classified a legend, which placed him squarely in Orton’s firing line. He warned the big man that what happened next was his fault, before squirming out of the ring.

While Ric Flair’s purpose in this act still seems questionable, Randy Orton continues to be a force to be reckoned with. He was always at his best as the ‘Legend Killer’, and his return to that role is welcome.

Sasha Wants to Become Banks ‘Double Belts’

Finally we got the main event before the main event. The fact that The IIconics were relegated to the midpoint of the final hour is frankly a travesty.

After some confusion as to which of the champions would start things off, Billie Kay booted Sasha Banks right in the face for a two count. When Bayley managed to tag in, she was greeted with a cracking knee from Peyton Royce. And it was so on!

When we came back from the break, Sasha was in the ascendency. In a moment of inspiration though, Peyton sent Banks into Bayley, knocking the latter off the apron. It looked like The IIconics were in with a shout, but Banks dropkicked Billie Kay and locked the Banks Statement on Royce for the win.

After the match, Banks admitted that she was jealous of Bayley ‘dos straps‘ and wanted to taste that success for herself. So, at Extreme Rules, Banks wanted a title shot… against Asuka! Bayley and Banks cackled evilly, when Asuka’s music hit. She accepted the challenge, before being blindsided by the tandem of Banks and Bayley.

Banks’ performance (both in the ring and on the mic) was outstanding here. It was a wonderful bit of misdirection hinting at her challenging Bayley before ultimately pulling the rug out from under us. It’s clear that her and Bayley remain on a collision course. But the longer that inevitable confrontation can be delayed through brilliant moments like these, the better.

The Coveted United States Championship

Apollo Crews was the only champion not scheduled to compete on “Championship Monday”, but he was given something even more valuable: a guest spot on the MVP Lounge!

MVP wanted to recruit the United States Champion into his growing faction, which we were told now includes Shelton Benjamin. Much as was the case last week though, Crews was not receptive to the offer. Which makes sense, considering that he won the title without MVP’s help.

But MVP said it wasn’t about winning the belt but rather keeping it. And one way or another, the title was going to come home to him. At that point, Shelton Benjamin came out and blindsided Crews, while MVP advised him that this wouldn’t have happened if he had backup.

After the break, Benjamin and Apollo had an impromptu match. Despite suffering the early attack, Crews was able to rally to pick up the win. Then, as he made his way up the ramp, he got into another confrontation with MVP and was jumped by Bobby Lashley.

I appreciated that MVP’s plot was finally given some reasoning. And that Crews was placed in a storyline, rather than simply a string of matches. This was all-round solid stuff.

The Worst of Raw

Debut + Chit-Chat = Title Match

Drew McIntyre started the show by declaring he was ready to look towards the future. And who comes to mind when you think of WWE’s future?

If your answer is 40-year-old, 15-year veteran Dolph Ziggler, then you’re absolutely right… but also, what is wrong with you?

Dolph, of course, has recently been traded to Raw in part exchange for AJ Styles. He bafflingly took credit for Drew’s ascension to become WWE Champion and wanted a shot at the title. Drew responded by calling Dolph entitled and warned him against crossing the ‘Scottish Psychopath’. With those ominous words in mind, McIntyre asked whether Dolph really wanted to face him.

Ziggler nodded resolutely and McIntyre announced that the match was “official”. The men would face one another at Extreme Rules. And that was it. An utterly lacklustre, bare-bones, uninspired way to book what will likely be a solid match for the brand’s top Title.

Jax Moans, R-Truth Confuses and Charlotte Meddles

Nia Jax was seconds into a boring rant about how she had been cheated out of the Raw Women’s Title, when R-Truth’s music hit. He immediately became the biggest babyface in company history.

Truth revealed he was there to defend is 24/7 Championship against the leader of an evil ninja clan, Akira Tozawa. Truth’s delivery of this line perfectly matched the inherent silliness of the group. Tozawa then emerged from behind the announce desk and R-Truth chased him off, leaving Jax alone in the ring.

Nia was about to continue her recitation of grievances, when Charlotte intervened. I was less excited by this than I was Truth’s appearance. The two women bickered over the extent to which Ric Flair had benefitted Charlotte’s career and then Jax mentioned that she had won the pair’s only meeting three years ago. Things got heated and the women brawled until referees broke them apart seconds later.

Jax has never been a captivating speaker and having her whine about decisions which have gone against her undermines her “monster” status. If the intention is to establish her as a legitimate threat on Raw, then she should be doing way less talking and far more (safe) battering. She should be paired with a manager and allowed to be a big, scary bruiser.

Also – and this can’t be emphasised enough – CAN WE GET LESS CHARLOTTE? For the love of God.

Tainted Victory

Charlotte’s brawl with Nia Jax, we were told, left her with a significant shoulder injury. I rolled my eyes as soon as this little nugget of information was revealed. Because it created an obvious match dynamic and also provided Charlotte with a convenient excuse for losing to Asuka.

And that’s exactly how things went down. Asuka targeted the shoulder, Charlotte rallied desperately, but ultimately tapped out to a modified chicken wing. I don’t know why Asuka couldn’t just beat Charlotte without outside factors mitigating the result.

To ensure that the very obvious point didn’t pass by unnoticed, Charly Caruso asked Jax after the match whether she believed her prior attack had a bearing on the bout’s outcome. She waffled incoherently and suggested it had. Later on, she attacked Charlotte again.

Natalya’s Big Announcement

Natalya ran into Sarah Schreiber backstage. She said that with Becky Lynch on “diaper duty” and Charlotte seemingly injured at the hands of Nia Jax, Raw needed leadership. And she was prepared to step up to fill the void.

Nattie then revealed that she had a big announcement but that they had sadly run out of time. So, she would simply have to make it in the ring after her match.

Returning from commercial break, Natalya made her way to the ring with Lana by her side, for a match against Liv Morgan. She easily beat Morgan (remember when she was being pushed?) and then left with Lana. So apparently they’re heels and aligned now. Was this Natalya’s major announcement? What a colossal waste of time.

A Hodgepodge of Confusion

Rey Mysterio took to the ring with his massive son to close the night. He expressed how terrified he and Mrs Mysterio had been last week at the prospect of Dominik’s possible destruction at the hands of Seth Rollins. I’m not sure why this family discussion couldn’t have been held in private.

But then Rey said that while his son had stood up for him last week, he was prepared to defend his boy this week. That brought out Seth Rollins, with his disciples by his side, who seemed about to attack the Mysterios. But Humberto Carrillo and Aleister Black came to the luchadors’ aid, taking out Murphy and Austin Theory.

The babyfaces isolated Rollins and seemed primed to gauge out his eye on the ring steps, much to the approval of the commentators. But when Muphy and Theory turned the tables and Seth threatened to blind Dominik, suddenly it became an unconscionable act again. Talk about moral relativism.

Thankfully, Humberto showed up with a steel chair to send the heels packing. This segment was just so overblown. It was like someone had thrown a week’s worth of leftovers into a pot and tried to pass it off as fine dining. I still have no clue who’s actually feuding here – unless the answer is simply “everybody”.

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

For a show so heavily premised on title defences, Raw certainly didn’t give them a whole lot of time. All told, the four championship matches accounted for maybe half an hour of total TV time.

But those purposeful bouts, combined with some impressive supporting performances, were enough to carry a decent show. Sure, outside of Bayley and Sasha Banks, the women’s division remains noticeably fragile. And the Rey Mysterio / Seth Rollins storyline grows increasingly unfocused by the week. But it’s easy to excuse those minor hiccups when everything else feels consequential.

If Raw can maintain this level of quality, then the future may finally look brighter. Because, for this week, the show was Cor.

Share your thoughts on Raw with us on Twitter and visit Wrestletalk to always stay up-to-date on all the latest wrestling news.

4 years ago by Nicholas Holicki

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