WWE Monday Night Raw recap: An explosive show for a July 4 week

July 1’s Monday Night Raw got off to an explosive start between Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley. Later, the Kanellises got weird and the Good Brothers play matchmaker.

WWE doesn’t have a lot of time to cover a whole lot of ground, with only three weeks separating pay-per-views. We’re now two weeks away from Extreme Rules and the card needs to start taking shape. This week’s edition of Monday Night Raw did the requisite amount of work to put over the next big event.

The July 1 iteration of the red brand’s (if you can call it that; everything seems purple, and not in a 205 Live sort of way — unfortunately) opened right into a match, with Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman’s “who really is the strongest?” feud rolling on. After arm wrestling and tug-of-war, they are now set for a falls count anywhere match.

Notable …

Before the match starts, we’re treated to this image:

Street Profits on Raw tonight?

Match No. 1: Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

The announce team wants to make it clear that Lashley and Strowman really, really could fight literally anywhere in the city of Dallas in this bout, which is always a nice put-over for the falls count anywhere stipulation but doesn’t happen nearly often enough.

Things get physical — nay, violent — quickly as the two take it outside of the ring nearly immediately.

Things head through the crowd. It’s all very on-character for two giant, strong men who want to prove they are the strongest giant men in the WWE. It also is a proper use of Lashley: all muscles and meanness, little unnecessary dialogue.

The violence escalates — everything feels much like Paul Heyman is already running the show — and then it culminates in a giant crash through the LED board replete with dozens of explosions and announcer Corey Graves, saying, uncensored “holy s–t!” The crowd absolutely erupts.

A flurry of emergency personnel reach the carnage and cameras linger before going to the first commercial break. Wow. After the break, fans are audibly chanting “Thank you Heyman!” If this really is the Heyman-Eric Bischoff era, that was certainly a sharp change in direction. How’s the rest of the night going to stack up?

Lashley and Strowman exit in ambulances. Commentary sells it with serious-voices. The Titan-Tron is out of service — for approximately five minutes.

Match No. 2: The Viking Raiders vs. The New Day

After a break, Big E and Xavier Woods of The New Day face The Viking Raiders. The Viking Raiders take control of Big E early.

As E tried to reach Woods for a tag, Samoa Joe showed up and attacked Woods. That drew out Kofi Kingston, the WWE Champion, New Day member and Joe’s opponent at Extreme Rules.

We head to a break and …

Match No. 2.5: It’s a six-man tag!

The match is restarted after the break with Joe joining The Viking Raiders and Kingston teaming up with his New Day partners. Much like Big E was isolated in the two-on-two match, Woods is treated similarly in the three-on-three contest.

At one point, Ivar launches himself. Kingston then hits him with a Trouble in Paradise. Joe sneaks in and puts Kingston in the Coquina Clutch, which chokes Kingston out (he does not tap). Joe, predictably, holds the choke a few seconds post-bell. Kingston loses for the second time (in two weeks) after being undefeated after WrestleMania 35.

Newlywed Drake Maverick brings his wife, Renee Michelle, to Raw because of Maverick’s obsession with the 24/7 Championship. Apparently, they’ll head on their honeymoon after tonight, swears Maverick.

AJ Styles and The Club

AJ Styles confronts Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows about again failing to win their match, last week’s against The Vikings Raiders. The Club point out that Styles too struggled, against Ricochet (though he did, ultimately, win). Anderson has bet his wife to Gallows that Styles won’t beat Ricochet for his United States Championship. Styles is gonna hold him to that bet — but Anderson clarifies he’s not quite serious about that. Okay. Moving on.

No Way Jose vs. Cesaro, but not really

In a strange booking decision, Cesaro is set to take on No Way Jose, but the whole conceit is just an excuse for more 24/7 Championship shenanigans. Truth is part of Jose’s conga line and Drake Maverick and Renee Michelle — who has told Maverick it’s that belt or her — are ringside.

As expected, numerous Superstars chase Truth out and Cesaro completely manhandles Jose on the outside and the bell never tolled.

Street Profits introduce themselves to WWE

Charly Caruso is backstage with the NXT Tag Team Champions, The Street Profits, who are making their first appearance on Raw. They are claiming to “bring the swag back,” to Raw. And apparently, they are willing to fight.

Backstage with The Miz

Another backstage interview comes our way after the break, this time with The Miz, who wishes his best to Lashley and Strowman. That leads to an easy segue about how he’s no stranger to injury — he was attacked by Elias a week prior. Miz reiterates that he regrets creating Shane “Best in the World” McMahon and his entourage of Drew McIntyre and Elias. See, Miz has a two-out-of-three falls match with Elias tonight. He warns McMahon that The Undertaker might also be in the house tonight.

Shane McMahon responds to The Undertaker

McMahon comes out to the ring with Drew McIntyre to address the surprise attack on him by The Undertaker in McMahon and McIntyre’s handicap match against Roman Reigns a week ago. McMahon first turns his attention to Reigns and how much he must have been intimidate in his match last Monday night. He rolls that beautiful beatdown footage on the ‘Tron.

McMahon then addresses The Undertaker. He admitted he was surprised last week, but that Extreme Rules (where McIntyre and McMahon face Reigns and ‘Taker) will be another story. McIntyre says that while The Undertaker has a legendary legacy, he’s not afraid of the Dead Man. He calls out The Undertaker.

Thunder, lightning, the lights go out and come back on …

Gong …

And slowly, through the smoke, The Undertaker arrives.

McIntyre and McMahon escape over the barricade as Undertaker hits the ring. He clarifies that Reigns never came to him for help. He’s here as the “reaper of wayward souls,” and he’s back to collect the souls of both McIntyre and McMahon. Undertaker is sending them to Hell for eternity, thus preventing them from resting in peace, as per his wont.

Backstage, Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans call into question Seth Rollins’ and Becky Lynch’s relationship as an apparent attempt at psychology. Undertaker, meanwhile, is still taking his exit.

Match No. 3: Lacey Evans vs. Natalya

Corbin has accompanied to the ring Evans for her match against Natalya.

Corbin’s interference and subsequent distraction allows Evans to hit Natalya with the Women’s Right and to win the match.

Match No. 4: Miz vs. Elias

We have yet another two-out-of-three falls match on our hands this week, with The Miz taking on Elias (also, yet again, as it’s a rematch of last week’s two-out-of-three falls affair on SmackDown Live).

Before we get to that, we have the Good Brothers egging on Styles and Ricochet and the two set up a match for Ricochet’s United States Championship for later on tonight. The two men trade slaps.

Back to the match, The Miz wastes no time attacking Elias. He gets the first fall quickly. The second fall takes perhaps 30 seconds longer than the first, with Elias coming out the victor there. This sends us to commercial break before the third, deciding fall.

The Miz picks up the third fall with a Figure Four and finally gets a clean victory.

The Boyfriend and the Girlfriend and the Husband and the Wife

Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins are in a real-life relationship and WWE cannot help but milk that fact both in referring to the Raw Women’s and Universal Champions, respectively, and in storyline with their upcoming extreme rules tag match (winners-take-all, plural) against Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin at … Extreme Rules.

Charly interviews Lynch and Rollins backstage. They warn each other not to lose the other’s title — for example, if Corbin pins Rollins, Evans also wins Lynch’s title. The two needle each other a bit until they are interrupted by Maria Kanellis, who reminds them they are not “WWE’s first couple.”

Mike and Maria Kanellis challenge Lynch and Rollins to a fight, and it’s on. Also, Maria would like to remind us that she pushed an eight-pound baby out of her uterus. Her words, not ours.

Meanwhile, Bobby Lashley is “resting comfortably,” while Braun Strowman “may have suffered a ruptured spleen.

Match No. 5: Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins vs. Mike and Maria Kanellis

What is going on?

Anyhow, Lynch and Rollins face the Kanellises in a mixed tag-team match following the backstage confrontation that felt a lot more Attitude Era (not in a good way) than a lot of content we’ve seen in a while.

Maria calls out Mike for not taking out Rollins, not mopping the floor at home and forcing her to take on Lynch. She then claims that she’s pregnant to beg off Lynch’s attack.

Mike doesn’t understand how Maria can be pregnant, Maria agrees and insults her husband’s manhood and Lynch taps out Mike with the Dis-Arm-Her.

What is going on? Everything between Mike, Maria, Lynch and Rollins over the last 20 minutes of the show or so has been … kind of garbage. It’s the wrong kind of throwback segment. Burn this all with fire.

Paul Heyman is here

Paul Heyman is here, in his Brock Lesnar advocacy role and not as a WWE creative executive. He’s threatening the possibility of Lesnar in the building and The Street Profits are pretty excited about said possibility. Heyman leaves them.

A Moment of best friends

This week, Nikki Cross is Alexa Bliss’ guest on A Moment of Bliss and even gets called Bliss’ “best friend” after Cross defeated Bayley last week, which allowed Bliss another opportunity at Bayley’s SmackDown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules.

Cross thanks Bliss for accepting her and taking her seriously and Bliss is “moved to tears.” Bliss says, though, that this is Cross’ moment. That is, until Carmella interrupts. She wonders why Bliss and not Cross is getting the title shot, given that Cross won the match and all.

Carmella is the latest to warn Cross about Bliss’ toxic friendship. Them’s fighting words, and Bliss and Carmella appear set for a fight.

Match No. 6: Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss

This match lasts approximately three seconds, and Carmella wins with a roll-up. As Cole points out, that was literally “a moment of Bliss.”

Match No. 7: Carmella vs. Nikki Cross

After the break, Cross and Carmella have a match of their own. This one lasts longer, and Cross wins with a swinging neckbreaker.

Bliss is overjoyed, but we’ve seen from miles away where things are headed between these two, perhaps post-Extreme Rules and ahead of SummerSlam.

A consummation

Drake Maverick pinned R-Truth for the 24/7 Championship and now, finally, his honeymoon can begin. That ref slide, though!

Match No. 8: AJ Styles vs. Ricochet

Thanks to the good works of the Good Brothers, Raw‘s main event pits AJ Styles against Ricochet for Ricochet’s United States Championship.

The match, at least in its first iteration, ends fairly quickly with Styles hitting a Phenomenal Forearm for the win and making him the new champion. However, Ricochet’s leg was under the bottom rope, leading to a second official to come to the ring and dispute the result.

After the break, the match has been restarted and The Club is at ringside in support for Styles.

As should be expected from Ricochet and Styles (and just like we saw last week in a non-title capacity), the two put on an excellent, entertaining match, ending with a quick combination from Ricochet that led to the champion retaining.

The two shake hands in a sign of respect after the match, something Gallows and Anderson disagree with. Styles gives The Club what they want, beating down Ricochet. The Club join in with a Magic Killer. Styles has turned heel to close out this week’s Monday Night Raw.

So, what did you think about the new tone and pace of Raw this week? What shocked you more, the exploding LED board or the airing of Mike and Maria Kanellis’ dirty laundry. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.