What did WWE Raw on July 4 serve up for the fans?
In the latest episode of WWE, Money in the Bank on Saturday had some different results that changed the landscape of WWE.
With Theory and Liv Morgan’s MITB wins, the SmackDown women’s title changed hands.
Bobby Lashley managed to defeat Theory for the U.S. belt at last Monday’s Raw, which dealt with all of the aftermaths from their pay-per-view. At the same time, it began teasing its next big show, SummerSlam.
Raw opened with Lashley coming out wearing his brand new United States Championship. The crowd began to chant his name, and it looked like he got a little emotional before talking about Independence Day.
In a new interview, Theory tried to claim he was richer than Tom Brady and Michael Jordan. He brags about being a millionaire and winning lottery tickets without ever feeling poor.
By announcing a cash-in, Theory is essentially pulling the rug out from under Lashley and leaving him no choice other than to put him over. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a well-coordinated attack, however.
With these two men, their individual heat levels were increased, helping them both in the thick of this feud.
Notable Moments and Observations
Lashley’s comment about an opportunity for some of the WWE is a fun little reference to the Forbidden Door in “The Adventure,” but it ultimately means nothing because WWE will never open that door.
The MJ-compared Theory would be a mess in Illinois.
Kevin Patrick joined the commentary table, to be with Corey Graves and Byron Saxton. Jimmy Smith was not there, but they did talk about his absence.
The Mysterios vs Judgment Day
Before Rey and Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor and Damian Priest could begin, Judgment Day attacked the Mysterios to gain an early advantage.
Despite making a comeback towards the end of the match, Rey and Dom were controlled by Priest and Balor.
That match seemed a bit random, and it was, but the excitement that followed gave that bout more entertainment than other bouts. Especially because he did the famous Eddie Guerrero chair trick.
As Balor was preparing to hit Rey with a chair while Priest had the referee distracted, Rey suddenly dropped to the mat like he was already struck. The referee saw this and called for a disqualification.
With his daring move, Rey got the crowd on his side which is a rarity at DQ.
Winners: The Mysterios
The Miz vs. AJ Styles
Last week’s singles match continued their feud with no distracting title shot on the line. Their beef just builds up and keeps both men relevant. It’s a simple but effective way to keep a feud going.
The A-Lister took control of the fight and ended it with a kick out of nowhere.
Styles’ pace was more controlled, but it was a highly competitive match. Both men came close to winning several different times and used just about every move in their repertoires.
Styles won the match, but their story is far from over. As he was celebrating his victory, Styles was attacked by Ciampa and The Miz got the final shot with the Skull Crushing Finale.
Winner: AJ Styles
Carmella and Natalya vs. Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair
Liv Morgan celebrated her MITB win and title with a rally in her corner, but Natalya didn’t want to enjoy it alone and came in demanding the first shot. Carmella also came out and said that they should move on to SmackDown where they would continue their feud with the Raw Women’s division.
After a fight broke out, Bianca Belair came to the rescue. This led to Adam Pearce booking a tag team match that started during the commercial break.
With a lot of action, Morgan was able to pin for her team in this match. This match had little importance but was fun, giving the women time to work.
Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, and the winners of WWE Evolution
Ezekiel vs Seth Rollins
They’d accompany each other to events, like a Fourth of July party, and engage in belligerent behaviour.
The reason for the match kind of made no sense, but the match itself was so good that it really wasn’t too bad. Seth Rollins is one of the best wrestlers in the game and had a great performance, so there isn’t anything too surprising about it.
What might be shocking is that Zeke kept up with Rollins and turned in one of his strongest performances yet. When it comes to this match, it isn’t a Match of the Year Candidate, but it could end up being remembered for being one of the best matches we’ve seen all season.
Ezekiel came in close several times and Rollins nailed him with the stomp to score the pin.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Bobby Lashley and Street Profits vs. Theory and Alpha Academy
Together, Theory and Alpha Academy challenged Lashley and The Street Profits to a six-man tag match. Although these participants have all been in previous matches, this was a different combination of participants and therefore it was a pleasant change from what we have been used to.
The time efficient AI had the usual setup for six-man contests, with the heels controlling most of the action while the babyfaces would make occasional comebacks before the heels took over again.
We haven’t seen Otis much lately, so it was great to hear about what an athlete he is. For a man his size, he has a lot of versatility.
Lashley lasted in the match little until he got the hot tag from Ford and started to clean the house. Lashley was able to take out Gable with a Spear to get the pin for his team.
Due to the team’s constant performance, The Lashley and Profits were able to team up and produce a solid game.
Winners: Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits
Gunther vs. R-Truth
It was revealed during the WWE‘s Royal Rumble that Shawn Michaels and Gunther had a lot in common.
Although the match was over in roughly two minutes, there wasn’t much to it. In the aftermath of that, Gunther hit a powerbomb for the Intercontinental Championship victory.
Winner: Gunther
