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The go-home episode of WWE RAW before SummerSlam was expected to be a big one. Instead, the show had some average matches and segments that loosely built towards the big matches for SummerSlam.
Goldberg and Bobby Lashley came face-to-face before their WWE Championship match on Saturday. Meanwhile, the RAW Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. did not have a good outing on Monday night as she lost two matches on the same night.
Drew McIntyre had a great night as he took out Veer and Shanky in a handicap match to prove himself before his match against Jinder Mahal. Karrion Kross also had another match on RAW before his NXT Championship defense at TakeOver 36.
Take a look at the five things WWE got right on RAW before SummerSlam.
#5 WWE built towards a split between The Miz and John Morrison on RAW
The first episode of Moist TV kicked off on WWE RAW as John Morrison made his way to the ring. He was joined by The Miz, who appeared as Morrison’s first guest.
The two started things off casually before Morrison asked The Miz if he was actually injured. The A-Lister reminded Morrison that he was not a liar and said that he wasn’t faking an injury.
As expected, Damian Priest made his way out to the middle and exchanged some hot words with The Miz. The Most Must See Superstar in WWE accidentally revealed that he had been cleared for weeks, hurting Morrison in the process.
JoMo suggested Priest take on The Miz on RAW. The two men immediately got down to business as Sheamus came down to watch from the commentary table.
The match had some big spots and was overall pretty entertaining.
Johnny Drip Drip looked to help The Miz, but walked out on his tag team partner. This allowed Priest to finish off The Miz and pick up the victory with a Brogue Kick of his own.
Priest has been busy on-and-off with The Miz and Morrison for eight months now. It finally looks like their rivalry has come to an end, and WWE could look to build one between JoMo and The Miz soon.
That could turn out to be very interesting for the fans as both superstars have had great matches against each other in the past. As for Priest, he needed this victory to gain some momentum for his United States Championship match at WWE SummerSlam.
#4 Mustafa Ali helped Mansoor pick up a big victory on WWE RAW
Mustafa Ali and Mansoor have formed a fun little tag team on WWE RAW. Even though their story is a little like the RK-Bro’s, they have managed to keep things interesting in the mid-card.
This week, Mansoor got a match against Mace. Ali accompanied him to the ring and said that he would watch Mansoor’s back and teach him a thing or two during the contest.
Mace used his power advantage well in the contest and threw Mansoor around like a ragdoll. The former 205 Live competitor started using his speed to land a few moves on the massive superstar.
Mace caught him and slammed him onto the mat before applying the camel clutch. Mansoor countered and gained some momentum before Mace put him down and went for a pin attempt.
Just then, Ali kicked Mace in the face while the referee was busy counting the pin. Mansoor reversed the pin to pick up a big victory on RAW.
The match was entertaining even though it wasn’t too long. The RAW tag team division needs some exciting teams, and Mansoor and Ali have been building well to prove that they can do the job.
#3 Karrion Kross put down Jeff Hardy once again on WWE RAW
Karrion Kross took on Jeff Hardy for the third time on WWE RAW. The NXT Champion attacked Hardy backstage to gain an unfair advantage over his opponent.
Hardy looked beat up, but still decided to compete in the match. He tried to go after Kross right from the opening bell and looked to teach the NXT Champion a lesson.
The Charismatic Enigma hit a series of signature moves in hopes of putting down The Herald of Doomsday. Kross countered the Twist of Fate attempt and locked in the Kross Jacket to pick up the win over the former WWE Champion on RAW.
The match was decent and gave Kross another big victory. Hardy’s short hiatus coupled with a victory over Keith Lee seems to have given Kross the necessary momentum heading into NXT Takeover where he will defend his NXT Championship against Samoa Joe.
#2 Goldberg speared Bobby Lashley to close out WWE RAW
Goldberg cut a promo to end WWE RAW ahead of his big match against Bobby Lashley on Saturday night. He wasn’t too happy with Lashley and MVP for bringing his son into the rivalry, so he officially introduced Gage Goldberg to the WWE Universe.
Lashley and MVP made their presence felt during the segment. MVP mocked the former Universal Champion and said that he used to be a man of action before, but now all he did was talk because he is scared of the WWE champion.
The All Mighty promised to end Goldberg’s career at SummerSlam. He tried to attack the Hall of Famer before being leveled by a spear by the 54-year-old.
RAW tried its best to do something to create hype around this rivalry, but nothing major took place. It was cool to watch Goldberg introduce his son to the WWE Universe. However, this was nowhere near the promo battle between Roman Reigns and John Cena on SmackDown.
RAW did a good job at allowing Goldberg to take down Lashley before SummerSlam. The creative team has tried hard to make him look like the babyface in this contest, and were successful.
#1 RK-Bro reunited to earn a match for SummerSlam on WWE RAW
Randy Orton came out to the ring early in the night after a video package recapped what happened on WWE RAW last week. Orton said he did not need friends, before Riddle came out to join him.
It did not take long before AJ Styles and Omos came out to the ring to taunt both men. After exchanging some words, a match between Riddle and Styles was booked. Orton did not stay to watch the contest as Styles rushed The Bro after the bell.
Riddle mounted a comeback and was doing well in the match before a distraction from Omos ruined his Floating Bro attempt. The Phenomenal One hit the Styles Clash for the pin on RAW.
Later in the night, Randy Orton took Omos on in a singles match. The Viper looked a little intimidated but went to work on the giant right away. He tried to hit the RKO a few times but failed to complete the move as Omos caught him each time.
Styles attacked Orton when he thought the referee was distracted. However, the official caught The Phenomenal One and called for the bell to declare a disqualification.
The RAW Tag Team Champions attacked The Viper and nearly took him out before Riddle made the save. He helped Orton to his feet before The Viper said that Riddle earned his respect.
Both matches were good and helped build towards the big match for WWE SummerSlam. The RAW Tag Team Championship match will be one of the most entertaining contests from the red brand at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
Watch this video to get all the details about the latest episode of WWE RAW.
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