It’s been a wild ride since the lights went up to end the June 10 episode of Monday Night Raw and I’m still giddy as a kid on Christmas morning.
As excited as I was leading up to it, the amount of pure fun I (and my fiancée – who bought the tickets) had definitely exceeded expectations.
For our inaugural live event, I can attest that the ‘biggest game in town’ knows how to put on a feast for the eyes. The sights and sounds, the lights and production value were everything and then some. Love or hate the big dog, there’s a reason why they’re still tops in the industry.
And it’s an industry, regardless of level or talent, that is most definitely not only recession-proof but continues to call out to our inner child. Three rows back from us was a 72-year-old grandmother named Becky, seated next to her two grandchildren, her son and his wife. Across the aisle to my right was a family of four with the
kids donned in Jey Uso and LA Knight t-shirts, hoisting their championship belts and screaming out their war cries of ‘YEET’ and ‘YEAH!’ Whereas at a concert, it’s a moral sin to wear the shirt of the band you’re seeing, here it was necessary to show whose side you were on – without the stake of bad blood.
I had to commend one fella who was dressed head to toe as Hulk Hogan in his
Hollywood, WCW days and carrying his NWO spray painted belt. When I asked him for his name and a comment for this review, he said his name was Terry as he grabbed his belt and muttered, “Gotta go, brother”; although I think he was ribbing me with the name drop.
Match & Segment Recap
I could fill multiple reviews in describing the labyrinth of storylines being brought to
fruition. In order to avoid any attempt to weave that web, here are the highlights from the show as we head into the next Premium Live Event known as Clash at the Castle on June 15, then onward to Money in the Bank on July 6:
- Out of the gate, fan favorite Drew McIntyre opened the show with a promo calling
out Heavyweight Champion Damien Priest before their upcoming title match at
‘Clash.’ His promo was interrupted by Priest, with his Judgment Day faction
members Finn Balor and JD McDonaugh coming to the ring in a face-off. After a
heated exchange, Priest offered up Balor for the main event with the stipulation that if McIntyre won, the faction would be banned from ringside during their match. McIntyre then had words for Balor, “I respect a man who’s willing to dig his own grave,” before calling for the back to “Hit my music!” and exiting the ring. - Women’s Champion Liv Morgan continued her ongoing seduction of Dominik
Mysterio, which is causing a severe rift in the Judgment Day; especially as Rhea
Ripley continues her rehab after an injury sustained by Morgan in a backstage
segment on the RAW after Wrestlemania XL. - Iyo Sky defeated newcomer Lyra Valkyria in a physical, high-flying rematch from
their Queen of the Ring semifinal bout. Valkyria had defeated members of Sky’s
Damage CTRL faction in recent weeks and was attacked after the pinfall before
former tag-team champions Katana Chance and Kayden Carter came to her aid. - One of the biggest crowd pops from the night came when Hall of Famer Rey
Mysterio teamed with fellow LWO member Dragon Lee and Big Braun Strowman to defeat Dominik (his son), Carlito and McDonaugh in a six-man tag match. This one particularly was a childhood dream come true as I finally got to see Rey in action. And he did not disappoint as, even nearing 50 and wrestling since before I was born, he was like poetry in motion. - This match continued Liv Morgan’s heel turn as, even after being knocked to the floor, she landed on top of Dominik in an extremely … awkward pose. I have a feeling when Rhea Ripley returns, it’s gonna get ugly for a lot of people.
- Next up was one of the better storylines in RAW where Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn faced Otis from the Alpha Academy with future challenger Chad Gable at ringside. Gable, who mentored Zayn leading up to his Wrestlemania upset, was booed mercilessly by fans as he’s been the thorn in Zayn’s side ever since; while using Otis as his muscle to disrupt and break the champion.
- It was a quick match as Sami rolled up Otis for the quick three-count. Gable hit the ring to damage the champion while psychologically pounding Otis into doing his bidding, as he’s done since that night in April. The fans were on their feet and screaming for Otis to finally turn on Gable, to no effect. We’ll have to wait and see if he does so at ‘Clash’ or if Gable will walk out still the head of the Alpha Academy, if not the new IC Champion.
- Later in the evening was the match I was most excited for: the steamroller that is Bron Breakker – son of legend Rick Steiner – against former NXT Champion Ilja Dragonuv. This match was as intense as it could get as both warriors traded blow after blow in a non-stop frenzy that had the whole of the Huntington Center chanting “This is awesome! This is awesome!” Seeing this match in person paid for the ticket. The undersized yet supremely intense Dragonuv hit Breakker with his trademark H-Bomb finisher, but Breakker did not fall, hitting Dragonuv with not one, not two, but three heavy spears to finish the match in a clean three-count.
- Capping off the evening was the main event of McIntyre against Balor. As the title of this review states, “The pyro is louder in real life,” which was exactly what I said to my fiancée after McIntyre made his entrance. The pyro sounded like cannon fire under the roof of the Huntington, making the both of us tense up when the explosion hit, even though we both knew it was coming.
- The match itself was a solid capper as Balor did everything in his power to throw McIntyre off his game, yet the challenger did not waver. Even after the interference of Carlito and McDonaugh, McIntyre easily disposed of both with his might and signature Glasgow Kiss. After hitting Balor with his Claymore finisher and covering for the three count, McIntyre stood face-to-face with Damien Priest as the show went off-air, setting the stage for their championship match.
