The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules received mixed reviews and many were disappointed that the in-ring action didn’t live up to the card’s “on paper” potential, especially so when WWE ruined the finishes of several of the payouts. -by-watching the best games. The follow-up edit to Raw on Monday night, however, provided some of the best ring opening and closing actions in recent memory with four outstanding matches and preparation for some big Extreme Rules rematches.
In the main event of the night, Randy Orton faced The Big Show in an unauthorized match set up a week ago on Raw. Without Ric Flair in his corner, Orton was able to overcome an early Big Show charge to win after two RKOs. Of course, Orton, who is in one of the best races of his incredible career, was not willing to accept a simple victory. Instead, the newly remembered Legend Killer delivered a post-game punt to the Big Show boss, leaving him just another victim when the show came to an end.
CBS Sports was with you all the way on Monday providing updates and highlights. Read on for a summary of all the action of the night, including great wrestling action.
WWE Raw results, ratings
Seth Rollins def. Aleister Black via pinfall: Before the game, Rollins opened the show with a promotion about drawing Rey Mysterio’s attention at Extreme Rules. After saying that there is no one left to stand in his way, Black interrupted and ran through Murphy to chase Rollins. The game started during a commercial after the initial confrontation, with Rollins in control when the show returned from halftime. Rollins cut an attempt to return Black with a sling before working on Black’s arm. Black quickly returned as he sold the injured arm, hitting Rollins with Black Mass. Before Black could go for the pin, Murphy ran to save, but ended up eating one knee and Black Mass as the fight continued after Rollins rolled from the ring to avoid pin. When Black pulled Rollins off the top rope, Rollins pulled the injured arm through the top rope, establishing a sequence that ended with Rollins hitting Black with a stomp to score the pinfall.
As Rollins and Black exited the ring, Rollins stopped and demanded that Murphy go with him to the ring to continue the attack on Black. After Murphy threw Black onto the ring barricade several times, Rollins slammed Black’s arm against the ring post and threw his shoulder to the ground. Rollins ended the assault by asking Black who was there to save him before hitting Black’s arm when he was covered over a part of the bulletin board. Rollins and Black have proven time and time again that they have good chemistry, but the initial arm work was important in the long run, allowing Rollins to use the arm damage to set up the final stomp was a simple professional fight in the better sense. And the post-game attack continued to establish Rollins as someone completely disconnected from his own humanity in search of his position as savior of Raw. Grade A-
Championship 24/7 – Shelton Benjamin def. R-Truth (c) via pinfall to win the title: Ron Simmons was behind the scenes, where he told MVP and Bobby Lashley to think about the way they are doing things and said there is a better way. MVP then called R-Truth, who told MVP that his belt was not the real title, since Apollo Crews is the true champion of the United States. MVP and Lashley invited the champion 24/7 to join them in the ring, but it was a distraction as Truth was attacked by Shelton Benjamin, who covered for him to win the title.
Mustafa Ali, Cedric Alexander and Ricochet def. Bobby Lashley, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin via pinfall: MVP again claimed that he won the United States championship at Extreme Rules because Apollo Crews proved not to be a wrestling champion as he claimed, by not showing up for pay per event. Ricochet and Cedric Alexander then interrupted and MVP told them to choose either of the two members of The Hurt Business to take over since they did not have a third party. Ricochet and Alexander then said they had a friend to team up with them and welcomed Mustafa Ali back to work to set up the six-man tag. The Hurt Business punished Alexander early, with Lashley especially hitting him and throwing him to the turnbuckles before scoring in MVP a big boot in the corner. The faces finally got back on track as Benjamin was pulled out. Ricochet was the next man to take a beating, with MVP pulling out his already injured knee before Lashley hurt him. Ali finally got things going a bit, crushed MVP before Lashley managed to save, and attempted to eliminate Ricochet and Alexander before Ali dove into suicide. Things broke for MVP and Ali before Ali hit a neck breaker and climbed to the top and hit splash 450 for victory. This was a fantastic six-man tag with lots of interesting physical dynamics and a great way to bring Ali back and potentially set up an Ali vs. show. MVP. Grade: B +
Ruby Riott def. Peyton Royce via pinfall: Riott and Bianca Belair cut a promotion before the game, mainly Belair playing her “EST” trick, which was interrupted by Royce. In the match, Royce attempted a cheap pin while holding the ropes, but was caught by the referee. Moments later, Riott hit Riott’s kick for a pinfall victory. The victory was Riott’s first individual victory televised in nearly a year and a half, but there wasn’t much in the game itself. Grade: C
The benefits of the street (c) def. Andrade and Angel Garza via pinfall in an untitled fight: Earlier in the evening, Andrade and Garza were interviewed behind the scenes when the Benefits skipped them. Zelina Vega swore again that her team was, and always had been, on the same page. Profits had a good early run, spurred by Montez Ford’s explosive offense. Andrade and Garza finally made a strong comeback by isolating Ford. Ford tagged Angelo Dawkins after an enzyguri, allowing Dawkins to clear the house with a power offensive that culminated in a bulldog on two counts. Ford hit a massive frog splash, spinning 180 degrees in midair as it crashed into Garza and scored the pin. Once again, in-ring action on the show was delivered, a theme that unfolds strong overnight. After the loss, Vega ran over to Garza and Andrade, apparently realigning them when they appeared to be on the same page again. Grade: B +
Stephanie McMahon clarified the situation with the Raw Women’s Championship after Extreme Rules: Banks said she knows people have been talking about her and claims that she stole the Raw women’s championship, but those people have short-term memory and didn’t realize she fought for her championship. Banks said Asuka made the decision to spit out her mist and blind the referee, leaving no one to officiate the match and requiring Bayley to take the referee’s shirt and make the decision for a split second to do the recount. Asuka and Sane entered with Asuka calling Banks a thief. McMahon discontinued the TitanTron and declared that the Extreme Rules match with Asuka was endless and therefore Banks and Asuka would again fight for the Raw female title next week with the title trading for pinfall, submission, disqualification, count or interference.
Kairi Sane def. Bayley (c) for pinfall in an untitled fight: Sane got off to a rocky start, hitting a dropkick and chop blast at Bayley until the women’s SmackDown champion slipped off the ropes for safety. Bayley returned with a power offensive against little Sane. Sane stomped on Bayley’s back as they covered her with the top rope. In the midst of combat, Shayna Baszler was interviewed behind the scenes, saying that no one deserves more attention than herself, so she has a vested interest in combat in the same way that a shark has a vested interest when he sees prey in the water. . Sane hit another double hit later in the game, this time when Bayley was suspended on the bottom rope, leading to a count of two.
Sane slammed a huge spinning fist back and went up to land an insane elbow, but the damage sustained to his right arm throughout the match led to a delay enough for Bayley to put his foot on the bottom rope to break the eventual pin. Bayley returned with a large knee to her face and a belly to her back suplex before climbing up and landing her own elbow for a count of two. A frustrated Bayley went for Bayley-To-Belly, but Sane responded in a roll-up for the pin and the big win. I cannot speak more highly of the quality of wrestling on this show. Each game has clicked and been given time to tell a story and build something meaningful. Sane getting the win is also a great turn on the road to SummerSlam. Grade: B +
Drew McIntyre gets a solid deal for a rematch with Dolph Ziggler: McIntyre said it was time to move up and up after beating Ziggler at Extreme Rules. When he said it was time for a worthy opponent at SummerSlam, Ziggler interrupted. Ziggler said he saw something in McIntyre that he hadn’t seen in a long time: fear. McIntyre said he beat Ziggler less than 24 hours earlier, even when Ziggler chose the stipulation. McIntyre then dropped Ziggler with a head butt before starting to walk away. Ziggler told him not to leave and begged McIntyre to find another party, telling him to name the time and stipulation. McIntyre said Ziggler presented a compelling case and changed his mind, accepting the challenge as he can choose the stipulation. Ziggler asked what the stipulation would be, but McIntyre said he didn’t know yet, but was going to do exactly what Ziggler did and didn’t say the stipulation until the bell rings. You won’t get any complaints from me about a rematch between these two after their excellent game at Extreme Rules, but I’m not anticipating that it will live up to those heights with McIntyre coming to choose the stipulation. Grade B-
Randy Orton def. Big Show via pinfall (unauthorized match): Big Show quickly brought the fight to Orton with big punches and then a massive spear after throwing Orton off the ropes. As Show was firmly in control of the match, he was attacked by Andrade and Angel Garza, who threw him onto the steps of the ring. Andrade and Garza held Show for a punt, but The Viking Raiders ran to save. Back one by one, Show continued the assault, but Orton cut Show’s knee. Orton tried to capitalize on a punt, but he stumbled directly into a chokeslam by a count of two. Show attempted a Vader Bomb on Orton when he was lying on a table in the corner of the ring, but Orton rolled out of the way, causing Show to crash into the table.
Orton launched with an RKO, but Show kicked both of them, surprising Orton. Orton then grabbed a steel chair at the back of Show. After the chair assault, Orton dragged Show for a draped DDT. Orton reached another RKO for the count of three and victory. After the game, Show was struggling to stand up when Orton backed down and ran for a punt, and Orton said, “I told you. Like everyone else. One more legend.” This match was unlikely to hit the wrestling highs in the rest of the card, but the match structure did a good job of making Show a threat in a way that made Orton’s victory valuable and won. And, of course, clearance was a necessary exclamation point, as Orton continues one of the best years of his legendary career. Grade b
