A big night was scheduled much before we even got to Raw last night. Seth Rollins would have an opponent prior to the Hell in a Cell PPV as five been went to battle to decide who would face Rollins next week for the Universal Championship. With that excitement plus a promised Firefly Fun House to entertain the masses, it was a good week of Raw before the biggest week in a while for the WWE. Here are the Raw highlights.
Sasha Banks Stands Tall
Ever since “The Boss” returned to the WWE, the women’s division has been elevated to another level on Monday Nights. Sasha Banks is set to head into Hell in a Cell to face Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship, but in the meantime, the team of her and Bayley have found another rival. That rival comes in the form of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. Banks and Cross went one-on-one last night in a match that was really back and forth. Cross almost captured the biggest singles victory of her career multiple times, but ultimately came up short when “The Boss” spun a crossbody by Cross into a Bank Statement to capture the victory. She then put the Bank Statement on Bliss to walk out dominant. They will take each other on next week.
Corbin and Gable Classic Cut Short
All hail King Corbin. The official “King of the Ring” had his brand new crown and mantle on as he was set to face the man he beat a week ago to become King, Chad Gable. These two have chemistry that is unexpected but a joy to watch. The “David vs Goliath” theme went over big here as the crowd was on their feet for much of the closing minutes. Gable had kick out after kick out, leaving Corbin lost and confused. Gable would hit a stunning moonsault for a near fall before locking on the Ankle Lock. It looked as if there was no escape for the King, but Corbin grabbed his scepter, hitting Gable and leading to a disqualification. He would beat down the former Olympian before he walked away on top of the world. This is clearly not over, as Gable will continue to fight.
The Fiend puts down Strowman
Earlier in the night, Bray Wyatt held another special Firefly Fun House that had Huskus and Rambling Rabbit fighting over a Seth Rollins action figure. They said that they were both such big fans of him and didn’t want “The Fiend” to hurt him. Bray got noticeably angry as he discussed sharing is something they need to learn. They couldn’t like something too much or they would become weak. Bray would then split the action figure in two before sending us away another week. What may have been lost in all of this was that Bray put up another frame to the wall which was blacked out. He added, “there is always room for more!” Firefly Fun House was done for the night, but “The Fiend” was just getting started.
Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman faced off in a rematch of their Universal Championship bout at Clash of Champions. Rollins was on the brink of losing as Strowman hit a massive powerslam on the outside of the ring. He rolled the champion in the ring before attempting for another powerslam. Then, the lights began to shut off. “The Fiend” appeared with the Mandible Claw already placed on Strowman who attempted to fight it but could not. “The Fiend” began to stare at Rollins before Strowman began to stir. He seemingly attempted to take down “The Fiend” but would instead be met with the claw again, going to sleep. “The Fiend” and his warpath seem to be protecting Seth Rollins until it is time for Hell in a Cell. The best thing in wrestling stays that way.
Raw MVP: Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio almost retired a month ago. His son, Dominic, willed him to keep going so that he will team with him the day he is ready. Now, Mysterio has found that magic once again. A Fatal 5-Way Elimination match occurred last night to determine a contender for Rollins’ Universal Championship on the season premiere of Monday Night Raw next week. The competitors were Mysterio, Ricochet, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Robert Roode. As the match went on, opportunity seized to pop up which led to the eliminations. Ricochet would hit the Recoil on Roode, but Nakamura would sneak in to hit a Kinshasa on him to make him the first eliminated. The elimination of Nakamura followed as Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm for the elimination. Next, Roode would hit the Glorious DDT on Styles after Styles hit Mysterio with a brainbuster on the apron.
It was down to Mysterio vs Roode, with Mysterio attempting to battle back. Roode would have two shots at the Glorious DDT but “The Ultimate Underdog” would survive. He would dial Roode up for the 619, hitting that then a springboard splash to capture the victory and his opportunity at the Universal Championship next week. Rollins vs Mysterio, should be a blast. Of course, “The Fiend” will be lurking.
With the season premiere of Monday Night Raw taking place next week, it is sure going to be a big show with Brock Lesnar already confirmed. Tonight will be the final SmackDown before heading to Fox, so be sure to check out the Rundown tomorrow.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. Subscribe to the WWE Network to see all of WWE’s content and to see these Raw highlights in full.
