Welcome to the WWE Raw Review for August 13, 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.
The Anvil
Earlier in the day, Jim Neidhart passed away. While modern fans might know him as Natalya’s father, he was part of a dynasty that included Brett and Owen Hart, and the British Bulldog. Neidhart always was one of those people who you had to watch when he was in the ring. A man who was part of one of the greatest tag teams of all time. Check out his match with Brett against Demolition at Summerslam in a two out three falls match. WWE paid tribute in a video and having Rhonda Rousey speak about Natalya and him.
Double Cross
Roman Reigns came to the ring to talk about his match with Brock Lesnar. What no one expected was Paul Heyman arriving to try and join forces. Heyman was not pleading, but rather spoke of the decades long connection to Reigns own family. He handed a document to Reigns and then suddenly pulled out pepper spray and blinded him. Lesnar appeared and proceeded to break the challenger down. Was Heyman playing us all along? Or is another twist on the horizon?
Bedlam
All night long, Seth Rollins was not in the building. When it came time for the contract signing, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre let out a little bit of anger toward the WWE Universe. Ziggler was particular impressive on the microphone. When it looked like Rollins might forefit his shot, the Architect appeared. Claiming that his travel problems were not exactly his, Rollins said that he found someone to be in his corner. Dean Ambrose appeared and they chased the heels out of the ring. It’s great to see Ambrose back and he looks in fantastic shape.
Match of the Night
Ember Moon vs. Alexia Bliss (DQ)
Alexia Bliss, flanked by Alicia Fox and a team of security, headed to the ring to fight Ember Moon with Rousey in her corner. Rousey took out the security team before the match even started. Moon and Bliss had a good back and forth match. When the referee was not looking, Fox and Bliss threw Rousey around. Moon almost had the match won, but Fox caused a disqualification. Rousey was able to send both women out of the ring. Sunday can not come soon enough
Conclusion
The B-Team held on to their titles in the Triple threat match. The Authors of Pain and Mojo fell to Bobby Roode and Titus Worldwide. Ruby Riott pinned Sasha Banks. Baron Corbin beat Tyler Breeze, while Finn Balor and Braun Strowman beat Jinder Mahl and Kevin Owens. Renee Young killed it on commentary.
