WWE Monday Night Raw: Asuka pins Bayley in main event

WWE Monday Night Raw results for July 6

One week remains until WWE Extreme Rules: Horror Show. This week’s edition of Monday Night Raw focused on that event, as it featured all the men and women poised for big matches on Sunday’s Pay Per View showcase. The night even brought out some interesting surprises in returning faces, Heath Slater and Kairi Sane.

The night started with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre talking to one another, but the moment was stolen by a returning Slater. Slater was one of the names released back in April, and this was a one-night only deal for the former 3MB member. He approached McIntyre to talk about their past together and challenge the current champion to a one-on-one match.

McIntyre needed less than a minute as he blasted Slater with a Claymore out the gate, pinning his former partner in the middle of the ring. Ziggler tried to berate Slater in the ring which led to them fighting. McIntyre would come back and make the save, forcing Ziggler to escape.

Asuka had a surprise of her own for Sasha Banks. Banks is set to challenge Asuka for her title on Sunday, but before she could do so, she had to face Asuka’s partner, Sane. In one of the rare situations in which Banks is the bigger competitor, she attempted to muscle Sane in the early goings of the match. However, Sane was able to use her speed and experience to even the odds. Banks had control of much of the match, but Sane came back bouncing Banks all over the ring with high-impact offense.

The finish would come when Sane rolled through with a counter into a modified Boston Crab. Before Banks could submit, Bayley ran in and attacked Sane, causing the disqualification. The four women would brawl around the ring until Sane dropped the Golden Role Models with an Insane Elbow to the outside.

As with any other interview segment in the ring, the Kevin Owens show broke down into a tag team match. Rey Mysterio and Owens teamed up to face off against Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy. Aleister Black was attacked backstage which left Mysterio without a partner.

Rollins and Murphy spent the initial parts of the match trying to escape the wraths of Owens and Murphy. Rollins would attack Dominick to catch the duo off guard and go to work on Owens. Dominick would return the favor late in the match and attack Murphy while the referee was distracted. That allowed Mysterio to hit the 619 and a Frog Splash for the victory.

Another impromptu match broke out. This time, Bobby Lashley and MVP were in the ring to unveil a new WWE United States title. Apollo Crews is out of action, but that did not stop them from showing off the new belt. This brought out Ricochet and Cedric Alexander to defend their friend’s honor in a tag team match. Ricochet and Cedric did their best to match up with MVP and Lashley, but they could not deal with their size and strength. Lashley hit a big spear to get the pin on Alexander.

Six-man tag team action was up next as the Big Show teamed with the Viking Raiders to face off against Randy Orton, Angel Garza, and Andrade. Garza was the unlucky man to start the match for his team as was passed around between Show, Rowan and Ivar, toying with him. Garza and Andrade could not get on the same page which led to Orton threatening them like they were opponents. The pep speech would work as they would get back on the same page and begin to dominate the other team. Rowan would eat and surprise RKO from Orton, giving them the pin fall victory.

Ruby Riott loses again

Ruby Riott continues to have struggles with the IIconics as she drops another match to the duo. This time, a distraction by Peyton Royce cost Riott the match against Billie Kay.

The main event of the evening was a champion versus champion match with Asuka looking to defend home turf against Bayley. Nikki Cross from SmackDown was also on hand, but it did not take her long to lose her cool and get ejected from ring side.

For much of the match, Asuka battered Bayley all around the ring, staying one step ahead of the SmackDown women’s champion. Bayley used under-handed tactics to get an advantage over Asuka. This match became very hard-hitting, including Asuka landing a nasty spinning back fist that would make Amanda Nunes blush. Cross would make another appearance in the match, scaring Bayley and giving Asuka the space to lock in the Asuka Lock. Banks tried to make the save, but Sane was there to deter her once again. Bayley got out of the lock but Asuka dropped down to pin Bayley’s shoulders to the mat, giving them a bit of revenge from last week.

The go-home show for Extreme Rules the Horror Show was packed with a lot of action from start to finish. There were some surprise returns and great matches all around. From the Monday Night Raw standpoint, the stage is set for Sunday’s Pay Per View.

July 6 Monday Night Raw results

• Drew McIntyre defeated Health Slater via pin fall
• Kairi Sane defeated Sasha Banks via disqualification
• Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens defeat Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy via pin fall
• Bobby Lashley and MVP defeat Ricochet and Cedric Alexander via pin fall
• Randy Orton, Andrade, and Angel Garza defeat the Viking Raiders and the Big Show
• Billie Kay defeated Ruby Riott via pin fall
• Asuka defeated Bayley via pin fall