0 out of 6
Photo credit: WWE.com
Welcome to the Bleacher Report coverage and recap of WWE Raw on June 20th.
The build-up continued this week for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view with more qualifiers to see who would compete in the title ladder matches at the event.
We also saw Elias return to Raw for the first time in several months to reunite with his brother Ezekiel for a special concert.
Let’s take a look at everything that happened on Monday’s Raw.
1 out of 6
Raw opened with Bianca Belair coming to the ring to tell us Rhea Ripley couldn’t challenge her for the Raw Women’s Title at MITB. She announced the five contestants who will take part in a Fatal 5-Way to find a new challenger.
This resulted in Liv Morgan, Carmella, Asuka, Lynch, and Alexa Bliss coming out to say a few words before the game started. Asuka and Lynch took each other out of the ring while the other three women stayed inside.
This fight was basically a series of different combinations of opponents with the occasional multi-woman spot featuring three or more competitors. It was the usual setup for this type of match. Most of the time there were only two people in the ring at a time.
We’ve seen some good athletic and creative spots, but something about it kept it from going from good to great. Maybe they played it too safe. Maybe there were too many moving parts. It’s difficult to say.
Carmella eventually achieved the win with a superkick against Morgan to earn a title shot.
Class: B-
Notable moments and observations
- It was nice to see referee Tim White receive a commemorative graphic. He was part of some big games and moments during his career.
- The sunglasses Lynch wore this week were surprisingly normal. They were a little big but not as outlandish as some of her other recent fashion choices.
- The spot where two people roll around the ring trying to reverse an inner cradle only works in some situations. Here it felt unnecessary.
- This could be one of the first times Belair has sat ringside for a match and not been tackled or someone thrown into her.
- Carmella has a decent super kick.
2 out of 6
After we got a recap of Riddle vs. Roman Reigns from SmackDown, The Bro came to the ring to do a promo and face off against Omos for a spot in the men’s MITB match.
For once, it felt like Riddle was trying to do a semi-serious promo. The stoner humor was kept to a minimum, making it more focused than ever.
As the match began, Riddle ran straight for the giant to catch him off guard. It worked for a few moments, but a big punch from Omos knocked him out.
After a decent fight, Omos achieved the win to secure a place at MITB. Putting Omos in the ring with guys like Riddle is a good move. They can make a few of their big spots, and the giant can catch them and throw them around. Giants just work better with guys who aren’t powerhouses on their own.
Class: C+
Notable moments and observations
- Riddle isn’t a little guy, so when someone like Omos makes him look tiny, you really get an idea of how big Omos is.
- Riddle basically met Jeff Hardy’s Whisper in the Wind at one point. Omos barely stumbled backwards.
- Seth Rollins and Riddle as a feud looks like a good next step for both men. No matter who comes out on top, fans will get some good games out of it.
3 out of 6
US Champion Theory came into the ring for a promo. Despite last week’s losing posedown with Bobby Lashley, Theory spoke a big game about being the future. He posed a bit more before realizing Lashley was standing behind him.
The All Mighty sprayed baby oil on his face and sent him out of the ring. This was just a small revenge for Lashley, but it added nothing new to their blossoming feud.
In the nest match, Jey Uso fought Angelo Dawkins. Jimmy Uso and Montez Ford were ringside to support their partners as usual.
Ford is the high-flying member of his team, so many people always consider him the most exciting. However, no one should sleep on Dawkins. He’s great when it’s time for him to hit a bunch of big moves.
Dawkins was able to pull off the win to give his team some momentum leading to their title showdown at MITB.
Class: B-
Notable moments and observations
- If Theory can focus on being a great athlete and putting some of the other things behind him, he has a bright future in this business. Unfortunately, he’s just not as funny without The Way by his side.
- The Usos and Profits is one of those combinations that, although we’ve all seen them a million times and want something new, are fun every time. It’s hard to get upset about it when it’s a really good game.
4 out of 6
For the first time in several months, Elias appeared in a WWE ring, guitar in hand, for a concert. It wasn’t long before Kevin Owens broke up the party.
We saw a video of Ezekiel backstage to make it look like he was really just Elias’ brother, but KO never bought it for a second. The segment still ended with Elias slamming a guitar down his back. That was funny, but nothing really surprising happened. That’s probably how many people predicted this would play out.
The next match was a special handicap gauntlet match. If Lashley could defeat Chad Gable, Otis and Theory he would earn a US title opportunity at MITB.
Gable was up first and tried to use his technical skills, but Lashley is just as technically sound and twice as strong, so Gable was the underdog in several ways. The All Mighty obviously defeated and moved on to face Otis, whom he defeated as well.
Alpha Academy made sure Lashley stayed as injured as possible before Theory went down as the last opponent. After surviving a brief onslaught, Lashley used an impromptu roll-up to achieve the win and earn himself a title shot.
Class: B-
Notable moments and observations
- The beard they gave Elias only looks convincing if you don’t have HD on your TV.
- Whenever Gable meets someone even remotely close to his technical level, it’s always entertaining. WWE should just use him in 15 minute matches every week.
- The fact that Otis was two completely different versions of himself and could endure both versions is impressive. He was so popular before the pandemic that changing his gimmick was a huge risk.
- Being able to face many finishers should be a bigger part of Otis’ character. Orton almost never got the RKO on him and Lashley couldn’t use the hurt lock. Avoiding finishers should be his thing.
5 out of 6
On this week’s episode of Miz TV, AJ Styles was his special guest. The same thing that always happens on this show happened again.
At first, The Miz was cordial, but the conversation quickly turned hostile when he insulted his guest. The Phenomenal saw through his game and told him he wouldn’t let himself be pushed into a fight. Then he slapped The A-Lister in the face, so he must have lied.
This was about as normal as a talk show segment. It was ok but no better. The best part was the match between Ciampa and Styles that followed.
For a lot of people who’ve followed Ciampa in NXT and before, seeing him versus Styles is something of a dream match, so getting it as a chance encounter on Raw will likely result in some mixed reactions from fans.
Even without setup, this was still a fun encounter. Ciampa wasn’t presented as strongly as some would like, but at least we saw him in the ring, that’s it.
The Phenomenal One pulled off a quick win, but he also got the last laugh when he hit The Miz with the Styles Clash. Let’s hope Ciampa and Styles get more time next time they meet.
Class: C+
Notable moments and observations
- The fact that The Miz is one of the few who can claim to have picked up the MITB briefcase twice, he should brag more often. It’s a rare statistic to claim.
- Styles making fun of The Miz and his tiny balls are not meant to be funny. It’s sophomoric and immature, to say the least. But sometimes those are the best jokes. The Miz and Styles nailed it, although this joke has absolutely no right to be funny.
6 out of 6
In the main event of the night, Lynch and Asuka fought again after competing in the opening bout, but this time it was a one-on-one fight for a spot in the women’s MITB match.
These two always put on a good show together, so there’s no need to go into detail. Everything they did looked good and they made it feel like both women could win multiple times.
Trying to steal each other’s finishing move was a fun sequence, but when the dust settled, Asuka used a brutal roundhouse kick to the head to take down Big Time Becks and earn her spot in the PPV.
We’ve seen this match several times over the past few months, but it hasn’t exhausted its welcome. It might not take much more to get to this point, but for now this has been a strong Main Event.
Class: A-
Notable moments and observations
- Lynch does so many little things in the ring that are funny. Facial expressions, small body movements and other parts of her performance make her so much fun to watch.
- It might be time for Asuka to do something to freshen up her character a bit. Maybe she should get more serious again, or maybe she should really lean into the comedy stuff. It’s hard to say, but it feels like she’s running in place and needs a nudge in any direction to get going again.
- The spinning backfist is one of those moves that you can easily hit too hard if you’re not looking in the right place at the right time. Asuka always hits it clean and sure, but still makes it look stiff.