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Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 06.04.18

June 4, 2018 | Posted by Larry Csonka
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Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 06.04.18  

Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 06.04.18

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Elias & Jinder Mahal defeated Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns @ 17:25 via pin [**½]
– James Harden defeated Curt Hawkins @ 1:40 via DQ [NR]
Non-Title Match: Champion Nia Jax defeated Natalya @ 7:28 via pin [*]
– Braun Strowman defeated Bobby Roode @ 4:40 via pin []
#1 Contender’s Tag Team Battle Royal: The B Team won @ 9:30 [*]
– The Riott Squad defeated Bayley, Sasha Banks, & Ember Moon @ 11:22 via DQ [**]
– Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens @ 18:35 via DQ [**¾]


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– You can check out my Mae Young Classic II wish list at this link.

Walk With Elias: Elias opens the show, and starts to strum a tune. He claims to be WWE’s most valuable asset and says he’s winning the IC Title at WWE MITB. Rollins will learn that WWE stands for Walk With Elias. He brags about taking out Rollins last week, and says he was more hurt than Rollins because he ruined one of his favorite guitars, but will turn that pain into a new song. We see footage of the attack as he starts to sing about the “man falling down and the title being his trophy.” Rollins now arrives and doesn’t look pleased. He grabs a chair and enters the ring. They circle and Rollins knocks the guitar out of Elias’ hands and Jinder Mahal arrives and attacks. He and Elias beat down Rollins until Roman Reigns makes the save. He of course fights them off and clears the ring. Kurt Angle arrives and Teddy Long’s the situation. This was a perfectly solid opening segment to hype two MITB matches, and set up our opener.

– Coach is away and we get David Otunga on commentary in his place.

Elias & Jinder Mahal vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns: We get a big brawl to begin and some floor brawling. Back in and Reigns works over Mahal after some double teams. Elias and Rollins back in and Elias cuts him off, stunning him off the ropes and covering for 2. The clotheslines follows, and Elias now grounds the action. Elias misses a knee drop but Mahal tags in and gets dumped to the floor. Reigns gets the hot tag and runs wild with strikes. The clothesline follows and he then takes out Elias. They trade kicks and Elias tags in and he eats a big boot. Reigns sets, gets distracted and takes out Mahal. Elias bails to the floor and Reigns follows and Elias cuts him off as Singh moved Mahal out of the way. Post break, and Elias has Reigns grounded. Mahal tags in and covers for 2. Elias back in and hits knee drops and he covers for 2. Reigns fires up, but gets cut of by a back elbow, and Elias covers for 2. Reigns manages to cut Mahal off with the Samoan drop and we get wholesale changes to Rollins and Elias. Rollins hits sling blade and the blockbuster for 2. Rollins then does the deal with a falcon arrow for 2 as Mahal makes the save. Reigns takes him out with a superman punch. Rollins sets for blackout, Singh distracts him and Reigns looks to attack, but Mahal slams him to the steps and into the crowd. Elias rolls up Rollins for 2. Rollins hits an enziguri and hits a suicide dive on Mahal, but largely ate barricade. Singh gets a chair, Rollins takes it and chases him but as he enters the ring Elias hits a DDT basically onto the chair. Elias hits drift away and picks up the win. Elias & Jinder Mahal defeated Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns @ 17:25 via pin [**¾] This was a solid match that gave Elias a much-needed win and continued the build to the two MITB matches between the four. I found it a bit too overbooked to be honest with you, but it served it’s purpose.

– Curt Hawkins is here; sitting at 199 loses, and has tons of tacos with him at ringside. He promises when he wins tonight, everyone gets a free taco. Jobber James Harden is out as his opponent.

Curt Hawkins vs. James Harden: They lock up and Hawkins works over Harden. Hawkins hits a big slam and then misses a charge. Harden fires up but Hawkins kills him with a lariat. Baron Corbin arrives to ruin things as usual. He kills the jobber for the DQ. James Harden defeated Curt Hawkins @ 1:40 via DQ [NR] Baron Corbin make Larry sleepy…

– Corbin beats down Hawkins and spills all of the tacos on Hawkins.

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– The continued disrespect of Curt Hawkins is a crime.

– Natalya warms up backstage with Ronda Rousey.

– Kurt Angle pretends to text and Baron Corbin arrives and complains about not getting opportunities. Corbin went to Stephanie and she appointed Corbin the “new constable” of Raw to serve as her emissary.

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She’s not even here and Stephanie’s cutting balls off.

– Ronda Rousey joins commentary,

Non-Title Match: Champion Nia Jax vs. Natalya: Jax overpowers Natalya early on, Natalya tries to fire back but Jax just runs into her a few times and knocks Natalya to the floor. Post break, and Jax has things grounded. Natalya fires up and fights back. She lays in strikes and hits the rolling clothesline for 2. Natalya then awkwardly “tweaks “ her knee and Jax hits a Samoan drop for the win. Champion Nia Jax defeated Natalya @ 7:28 via pin [*] This was a nothing match, with the awkward fake injury leading to a flat finish. It wasn’t good at all, and really added nothing to the Jax vs. Rousey build.

– Ronda arrives to check on Natalya and Rousey gets in Jax’s face, to little reaction overall.

– Bobby Roode is interviewed backstage. He’s excited about MITB, and says when he wins it will be glorious. He’s asked about tonight’s match with Strowman, and puts over Strowman, noting that he’ll have to use all of his tricks to survive.

Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Roode: Strowman overpowers Roode to begin. Roode fights back, but Strowman just tosses him aside. Strowman follows with a suplex, and Strowman then misses a charge and posts himself. Roode now grabs a ladder and makes a bridge between the ring and barricade. Strowman fires up and chases Roode. Roode slides under the ladder and Strowman smashes the ladder in half. Roode begs of and runs, Strowman catches him and slams him to the barricade. Back in and Strowman hits the powerslam for the win. Braun Strowman defeated Bobby Roode @ 4:40 via pin [*½] Braun smashed things and killed a man. That’s about it.

– Kevin Owens is interviewed and says that Braun is big, Roode has a robe, and the sky is blue. He doesn’t care about anyone else in MITB. Everyone loves Balor, and wants to be in his club. What does too sweet mean anyway? He will win MITB, and tonight will show that Balor is nothing more than a myth.

– Natalya ices down her knee and Ronda is there to tend to her. Nia arrives and apologizes to her. Ronda gets confrontational and claims she’s fiends with Natalya. Natalya tells them to stop arguing and limps away on crutches. Nia & Ronda awkwardly look on. After basically turning her heel last week, creative is back to not knowing how they want to portray Nia.

– Raw tag team champions Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt arrive. Renee asks them about the tag team battle royal to crown new contenders. Wyatt says any team that faces them will be facing woken warriors, fireflies, and Gods. Matt says they are unstoppable and have woken the WWE Universe. Matt asks if Renee considers herself woken and she says yes. Matt says that’s wonderful and claps for her. Wyatt says no matter who wins, they will suffer and then they will be deleted.

#1 Contender’s Tag Team Battle Royal: Axel & Dallas, Fandango & Breeze, Ziggler & McIntyre, Dash & Dawson, Apollo & Titus, Slater & Rhyno, Konnor & Viktor are the participants. They all brawl during the announcements, and it’s just random fighting. Once one member is tossed, both are done. This is just guys doing random things, no flow at all here. Breeze tosses Ziggler for the first elimination. McIntyre now cleans house because he’s pissed off. Ziggler joins in and they continue to dominate, even though they’re done. Hopefully McIntyre turns on Ziggler and goes on a run on his own. Post break, and we see Titus Worldwide had been eliminated. The Ascension and Fashion Police are now tossed. The Revival starts to take control, but Rhyno eliminates them. It’s down to Slater & Rhyno vs. the B Team. They brawl, Axel cuts off Rhyno and Slater makes the comeback but Slater ends up eliminating Rhyno and the B Team wins. The B Team won @ 9:30 [*] This was just a bad match with no flow, no sense of urgency and a comedy filled ending with a bunch of goofs that are presented as impossible to care about. Whatever….

Lashley Responds to Sami: Lashley tells Sami if he has anything to say, come to the ring and say it to is face. Lashley is dressed like he’s heading to a really important family BBQ. Sami’s music hits, but no Sami. Sami appears in the crowd and taunts Lashley. He refuses to come to the ring since Lashley tried to break his hand last week. Sami says he’s brilliant and has been scouting Lashley, using Instagram. Sami mocks Lashley’s use of inspirational quotes. Sami then says he logged into one of his burner/anonymous Instagram accounts and DM’d Lashley, and Lashley sent him a link to the “VIP Lashley fan club.” Lashley just stands there smiling like an idiot. Sami is really trying here, but it’s bad. Lashley says Sami should face him in the ring, but Sami calls “Bobby” a liar, if that is his real name. Lashley is offended that Sami is attacking his reputation, and Sami says everything about Lashley is a lie. Sami then questions if Lashley was really in the Army. This finally angers Lashley, wow, an actual emotion. The segment ends. It’s like they have made a dedicated effort to make Lashley into the biggest fucking geek possible. He’s a big, jacked dude with a legit MMA background that should be a killer not some smiling goof that just stands around doing nothing of note. This was really bad, Sami tried hard, LeBron carrying Cleveland style, but they have completely ruined the chance they had to make Lashley a legit ass kicker straight away.

– Jinder Mahal is interviewed backstage. He calls Reigns a jealous and bitter man, and claims superiority over Reigns. Mahal says the winds are changing in his favor. Renee interviews Reigns elsewhere in the arena. Reigns says he’s the man and Mahal wants everything handed to him. They bitch back and forth and Reigns promises to go and find him. Reigns finds him and they brawl.

Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, & Ember Moon vs. Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, & Sarah Logan: Moon and Ruby start us off. Moon takes early control, using her speed, but Ruby hits a shoulder tackle. Moon cuts her of and hits a slingshot splash for 2. Bliss tags in and she takes control, working the arm of Ruby, but Bliss tags out after faking an injury. Bliss heads to he back. Post break, and Liv has the heat on Moon. Moon fights to her feet, but Ruby tags in and they work double teams on Moon. Logan hits a head butt for 2. The Riott Squad keeps working quick tags, but Moon fights off Ruby but Ruby cuts off the tag. We get wholesale changes to Liv and Banks. Banks runs wild, but Liv cuts her off ands stomps away at her, covering for 2. Ruby back in and then Logan as they lay the boots to Banks. Liv grounds Banks, Banks fights up and hits a boot but Liv cuts her off before she can get the tag. Logan takes out Moon, and Logan dropkicks her to the barricade. Liv dropkicks Banks for 2. Banks dumps Liv and hits meteora on Ruby & Logan. Bayley now arrives and gets the hot tag. She runs wild and the Bayley to belly finishes it. The Riott Squad defeated Bayley, Sasha Banks, & Ember Moon @ 11:22 via DQ [**] This was ok, just sort of there, but the work was solid. Although they still seemingly have no clue what to do with the Bayley vs. Banks feud they started.

– Baron Corbin is upset with Angle about this development. He tells Angle to tell Bayley, Sasha Banks, & Ember Moon that the win doesn’t count, or he’ll tell Stephanie on him.

– Bayley, Sasha Banks, & Ember Moon celebrate, and mock Bliss for faking an injury. Moon says Bayley saved them and Banks makes nice with her. Moon tells them to hug it out and Angle arrives and tells them that the win doesn’t count and awards the Riott Squad the match. Banks walks away, upset with Bayley. The somewhat drama continues.

– Corbin bitches out the ref from the women’s tag match.

– Big Show arrives with competitors from the Special Olympics.

– Finn Balor arrives.

Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens: Balor connects with chops and Owens backs off. Owens now powders to the floor. Back in and Owens attacks, grounding things with a side headlock. The shoulder block follows and Owens is back to the headlock. Balor escapes and hits an arm drag. Owens cuts him off and starts yelling a lot. Balor hits a basement dropkick and covers for 2. He now grounds things; Owens takes him to the corner and lays in elbows. He lays the boots to him, and then whips Balor to the buckles and covers for 2. Balor avoids a charge and hits an enziguri, Owens powders to the floor. Post break, and Owens has things grounded with another exciting headlock on the mat. Balor slowly fights back, takes Owens down and heads up top but Owens rolls to the floor. Balor wipes him out with a tope. Back in and Owens attacks the arm of Balor, and then lays the boots to him. Owens starts to focus on the arm, grounding Balor. Owens then misses the senton, but cuts off Balor again. Balor manages to fight off a powerbomb and hits a standing double stomp. Balor lays in strikes and kicks, follows with chops and then hits the final cut for 2. Owens gets a roll up for 2 and follows with a superkick for 2 again. Owens looks for the pop up powerbomb but Balor hits sling blade. The John Woooooooo sends Owens to the buckles. Balor up top but Owens crotches him. Owens now gets him in the tree of WHOA and lays the boots to him and then gets DQ’d for kicking too much ass. Owens then hits a frog splash to lay out Balor. Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens @ 18:35 via DQ [**¾] This was pretty good, but had way too much down time and I absolutely loathe being asked to invest nearly 20-minutes only to get a DQ finish. The post match was fun, but didn’t save the match from largely being mediocre and disappointing.

– Owens brings in a ladder, climbs, and teases a frog splash off of the ladder, but gets scared and that allows Balor to attack and he climbs the ladder and hits the double stomp off the ladder. Balor then climbs and grabs the briefcase.

– Next week the Raw women MITB competitors (Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya vs. Sasha Banks vs. Ember Moon) face off and the male MITB competitors (Bobby Roode vs. Finn Balor vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens) also face off. Also, Rousey & Jax go face to face.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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~GLORIOUS~


4.0
The final score: review Poor
The 411
We accept the reality of the world with which we're presented. It's as simple as that. WWE can talk about making movies, telling stories, and creating moments, but their weekly TV is a complete chore to watch and rarely has any real consequences because it’s just content. The stories only exist in a loose form, there is no emotional attachment, and worst of all, this week’s show wasn’t even average, it was actively bad most of the time. Of all the show’s they’ve done, this was certainly one of them…
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RAW, Tremendous Tirades, WWE, Larry Csonka