WWE RAW Recap, August 14: A Universal brawl

Recapping all the action that took place on Monday night during the SummerSlam go-home edition of RAW

With WWE SummerSlam just a few days away, the go-home edition of RAW took place on Monday night in Boston. And it was certainly a night filled with some excitement before one of the biggest shows of the entire year takes place.

So let’s dive right into the August 14 go-home RAW before SummerSlam.

Bros? Bros.

Last we saw Dean Ambrose, he was made to look like a fool by Seth Rollins. Ambrose, apparently stewing over this all week, wanted Rollins to explain why he had tried getting back in Ambrose’s good graces, only to reject Ambrose’s acceptance once the good graces were open. (This is getting confusing.) Rollins, who mentioned something about being done playing games with his former best friend, basically brought Chutes & Ladders and Candy Land to the ring where he once again left Ambrose hanging on his request for the Shield fist bump thing.

This really started to tick Ambrose off, so Ambrose resorted to the only best friend he’s ever truly had — violence. Rollins and Ambrose brawled inside the ring and out, so it’s a wonder how just a few minutes later, they’d be bumping fists, much to the delight of the Boston crowd. It happened when, after Ambrose and Rollins had given each other their best for a few minutes, the RAW Tag Team Champions came out to inflict pain on both these guys, while they were easy pickings.

Actually, after seeing how Ambrose and Rollins fought back despite their handicap, maybe they weren’t that easy to pick. Once two teams became separated, Ambrose and Rollins finally decided that they could be unstoppable once again as a tag team, and DID THE SHIELD FIST BUMP THING! It was a great moment that became even better when RAW GM Kurt Angle came out to announce that the two-thirds of the Shield will be facing Sheamus and Cesaro at SummerSlam for the titles.

If you can imagine Ambrose and Rollins staying on the same page for an entire match, then you can imagine them becoming champs. The problem is, while I can foresee them winning the titles, I can equally foresee them not being able to coexist, and feuding for the next eight months until WrestleMania.

Of course there is Option C, which has Ambrose and Rollins winning the match but not the belts, because the Miztourage decided to interfere and jump the duo, setting up the 65 billionth time Miz and Ambrose have feuded, and that’s just in 2017.

Blissness is Picking Up

Alexa Bliss wanted Sasha Banks and Nia Jax to remember exactly what they were fighting for in the first match on RAW, so she sat in Boston’s finest lifeguard chair at ringside and watched the two women vying for a chance at Bliss’ title do battle. Last week, Banks and Jax both won their respective matches, setting them up for a showcase between the two this week. Last time Sasha Banks fought in Boston, it was in a Hell in a Cell match at its namesake PPV last October. She lost to Charlotte for the title that night. This time, Sasha had to get through another physical specimen, but unlike Charlotte, Nia Jax has otherworldly power.

Sasha had defeated Nia Jax previously, but that didn’t make a repeat performance any easier. Jax was in control for most of this match, but eventually Sasha’s cardio became her advantage, as she was able to force Nia Jax to submit. Sasha now gets the chance to be where she rightfully deserves: on the Summerslam card fighting Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Championship.

A King Loses His Crown

I never considered that whatever happened in the Cruiserweight Division would be something I’d need to mention outside of my Highlight Reel, but I also never thought we’d see the Cruiserweight Championship change hands on RAW. Yes, you read that correctly — Neville lost his title to Akira Tozawa, in a match that wasn’t supposed to happen until this Sunday. Neville has been an incredible force since coming to 205 Live, which coincides with Neville’s decision to become a dastardly heel.

Tozawa and Neville told a great story in the ring, but even if there was quite a bit of interest throughout the match whether Neville would win by pinfall or submission, there was never real doubt that he’d win. Until, ya know, he didn’t.

It’s moments like this that make us feel like WWE TV is mandatory to watch live, because you never know when you may see a Cruiserweight titan lose his title for the first time. Sure, sometimes there is an Old Day segment, or a Rusev/Lana wedding, but sometimes you get to see the culmination of a few brilliant months of work by an underdog like Akira Tozawa come to fruition. It’s one of those times where a “This Is Awesome” chant would have been appropriate.

On second thought, no, it wouldn’t have been.

Massive Preview

It’s such a crazy feeling, not just knowing that the main event on Sunday will feature four of the biggest, most polarizing superstars of the past decade, but having not a single clue who is going to win it. The only thing I’m semi-certain (a term that mean I really have no friggin’ idea whatsoever) that Brock will most likely lose the match, meaning he and Heyman will be quitting the company, which is something Lesnar will have to consider doing if he’s serious about pursuing a Superfight — and the paycheck that comes with it — with Jon Jones.

As far as who is going to win, if we want to use last night as a barameter, it will be Braun Strowman. Strowman and Lesnar are two guys who the WWE Universe has been fantasy booking for a fight since we saw Strowman defeat his first jobber just after the draft, or maybe even before when he made his debut with the Wyatt Family. On RAW, Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns both happened to be in the same segment ad Lesnar and Reigns, but it was Lesnar and Strowman who caused Kurt Angle to call for all hands on deck to help separate these guys.

If this is the last time we see Lesnar and Paul Heyman on RAW, for at least a while, they both made a lasting impression.

Next: 15 WWE Superstars who could take on White Walkers

Highlight Reel

• The Miztourage demanded some retribution from last week when Kurt Angle let Brock Lesnar off his leash. Lesnar saw nothing but red meat in that ring, and decided that was his time to feed. Jason Jordan had been scheduled to fight Curt Hawkins, but because of the beating Lesnar put on him (and Miz, and Bo Dallas), Hawkins needed to cancel his fight against Kurt Angle’s son. Jordan only had to wait one week to get his hands on the frontman of the group, but the biggest match of his young career was cut short as the Miztourage jumped Jordan mid-match, resulting in a disqualification of their boss. Jordan had immediate backup in the form of the Hardy Boyz, who were able to fend off the Miztourage long enough for an impromptu Six-Man Tag Team match to begin. In the end, it was the Matt, Jeff & Jason who picked up the win, which forces the Miztourage to head into their first Summerslam as a fully formed stable riding a losing streak. This naturally affects the Miz more than it does Dallas or Hawkins, two guys who are as used to losing as the Cleveland Browns.
• Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt showed that they are both capable of human emotion as they presented each other a gift basket of punches backstage. Angle, showing why he is truly the GM we don’t deserve, but the one we need, decided that Summerslam should come a little early this year, and rescheduled the Balor/Wyatt match for later in the night, rather than Sunday. It was a great match, one that absolutely belonged on SummerSlam. The match had a clean ending with Bray Wyatt pinning Finn Balor after a textbook Sister Abigail, but what happened after the match was anything but clean. Wyatt had Balor leaned against the bottom rope when he started pouring a satin-colored, thick liquid over Finn Balor’s head, as if he was just named Prom Queen of Ewen High School. Since Wyatt won with no question, you’d think that this match would have settled the feud, but then Wyatt went ahead and poked the demon after the match. Balor requested a rematch be made, and after it was accepted, he let it be known that he will be unleashing the Demon all over Wyatt. Bray Wyatt’s win was definitive against your average Finn Balor, but when it comes to Balor’s alter ego, there’s no way to scout what is coming on Sunday for the Eater of Worlds.
• Even with Elias talking major crap about my favorite place in the world (Fenway Park) and one of my favorite foods (Clam Chowder), I’ll still walk with him for another week. R-Truth picked an unfortunate time to make his return, as he interrupted Elias’ melody, as every other rude superstar does. R-Truth almost got a guitar smashed over his head, but Elias’ sensitive side kicked in; Elias skipped the guitar solo, and decided to only beat the hell out of Truth. It’s a shame that Elias does not have a match booked for SummerSlam, but since it’s “The Biggest Party of the Summer,” don’t be surprised if we get an impromptu Elias concert, which will be a million times better than Flo Rida or Pitbull, two guys we’ve become accustomed to seeing (and getting upset about) at events like these.
• Is it just me, or is Big Cass actually a really fun heel to root against? Sure, he could be seen as the victim in this “feud” with Enzo (and vicariously, Big Show) since he’s dominated Enzo more than once, but Enzo refuses to leave Cass alone. It got so bad that Enzo will find himself dangling above the ring on Sunday in a shark cage, instead of being involved with the Big Show vs. Big Cass match in any physical capacity. Big Cass cut himself a nice promo Monday night, and eventually, beat the hell out of Enzo (again) and Big Show (ditto). The only difference this week was Cass did not find himself without allies, as Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows intervened to give Cass some backup. The group used the shark tank to inflict pain on the Big Show ahead of his match on Sunday. Where was Enzo during all this? Knocked out, outside the ring, where his mouth seems to always lead him to. The winner of this match on Sunday will be determined not by whose hand is raised when the final bell rings, but whether this is over with come next Monday. If that’s the case, then we all win.
• Emma is still trying to make an impact on the Women’s Division; sure, she fought Paige at the first ever NXT Takeover for the brand’s Women’s Championship, but that was more than three years ago. Mickie James is no slouch, and would have been be a great way for Emma to continue the momentum that she started last week, when she appeared in a televised match. (No scoffing, she should be proud!) Mickie James quickly defeated Emma, putting her back on the bench where she came from. I hope you aren’t too broken up over this. You aren’t? Me neither.