Welcome to the WWE Raw Review for July 30 2018. For both this and Smackdown, I will go over what the big talking points were, pick the match of the night, and look ahead to the next show.
Big Dog Country
Roman Reigns got a lot more cheers then boos as he kicked off Raw. Talking about how he would beat Brock Lesnar at Summerslam, Reigns was interrupted by Paul Heyman. Heyman had his usual fantastic promo, but the main point was that Lesnar did not feel he had to come out. Reigns questioned if Lesnar would show up for Summerslam, before promising to send Lesnar back to UFC as “Roman Reign’s Bitch”. Stephanie apparently did not like these words as she ordered Kurt Angle to escort Reigns out of the building. Reigns left, but not before popping Baron Corbin before he left.
B-Eginings
The B-Team got some television time to talk about their 7-0 run. Calling Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy sore losers, Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas were joined in the ring by the Deleters of Worlds. Before a punch could be thrown, The Revival stepped in and threw down with Wyatt and Hardy. This led to a match that the Revival won and possible earned a title shot at Summerslam.
The Beast Snaps
Angle gave Heyman until the end of the show to produce Lesnar. Heyman, who was being treated like garbage by Lesner all night, came to the ring without his usual swagger. Heyman always gives a great promo, but nobody does begging to keep their job like him. He sided with Angle and tried to say that Lesnar was the worst Universal Champion of all time. Lesnar did make an appearance and proceeded to F-5 Angle. It seemed to be a setup until Lesnar choked Heyman to the ground. If the purpose was to put heat on Lesnar, it worked. He looked like a complete scumbag
Match of the Night
Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin (Corbin wins by pinfall)
The storyline between Corbin and Finn Balor has been an interesting one. They have some great matches in the ring and the authority figure bulling an employee is as old as time itself. The big question is what is the payoff? Does Balor get to Corbin so much he is removed as constable? Or will Balor join Corbin to get a bigger push? I don’t have the answer, but this is growing on me ever week.
Conclusion
Natalya lost to Alicia Fox even with Rhonda Rousey in her corner, thanks to Alexia Bliss. Apollo Crews scored a major upset over Akam. Jinder Mahl scored the count out victory over Braun Strowman when Kevin Owens took the briefcase. Seth Rollins won by DQ against Drew McIntyre. The Riott Squad fell to Bayley and Sasha Banks. Bobby Roode and Mojo Rawley brawled in the back. Next week, Rousey makes her Raw debut against Alicia Fox.
