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The night after the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view brought WWE Raw to Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was quite a loaded show in terms of big developments as the build up to the Money in the Bank event began in July.
The headline from the event is Cody Rhodes written off TV after brutal attack by Seth Rollins. Rhodes sustained a legitimate rupture of a chest tendon and will require surgery to repair the injury. Therefore, it was necessary to start a story so that he could be out for an indefinite period.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Seth Rollins rolls over injured Cody Rhodes
Rhodes opened the show with an in-ring promo following a video pack covering his match with Rollins in Hell in a Cell. Rhodes then cut an emotional promo about his love for what he does and his willingness to wrestle through his torn chest tendon at the event. Rhodes said that he was “a little broken” but suggested he might try to get back to the ring in time for Money in the Bank. Rollins then interrupted Rhodes’ promo saying that while he doesn’t like Rhodes he respects him and even shook hands with Rhodes before leaving the ring, though not before telling Rhodes that Dusty Rhodes would be proud of his little boy .
Then, like a true heel, Rollins attacked Rhodes from behind as Rhodes was walking up the entry ramp. After hitting Rhodes with a sledgehammer, Rollins ripped off his rival’s shirt before stomping on his injured chest. Rhodes was offered a stretcher to the rear, but he declined and walked away.
It’s a bit odd that Rhodes was offered a stretcher after his already injured chest was attacked and had no effect on his ability to walk. But that’s wrestling for you. WWE pulled off two good dodges that day with this segment and The Judgment Day forcibly ejected Edge from their group (see below). That’s unusual coming from the WWE writers’ room. Instead of positively sending Rhodes to surgery as suggested, they allowed Rollins to gain some momentum that he can use when WWE is trying to deal with a very thin top end of their roster. For the success of this angle and the Judgment Day segment, this was a pretty strong episode of Raw in terms of pure storytelling. Grade: A-
What else happened at WWE Raw?
- 24/7 championship – Dana Brooke (c) def. Becky Lynch via Pinfall with an assist from Asuka. Lynch yelled at Reggie and Akira Tozawa before the match, saying that their matches would no longer involve outside interference. Of course, this led to Asuka eventually making her way to the ring and pinning Lynch’s foot so she couldn’t step out of a Brooke pin.
- riddle def. The Miz about Pinfall with RKO. The match came together after the pair had a fight when Riddle appeared on Miz TV and Miz refused to accept a match. After Ciampa attacked Riddle, Miz quickly agreed to the match, only to lose after Riddle stripped him of the tuxedo that Miz wore to celebrate his reality show’s season debut.
- The street profits def. The Usos via Countout in a champion’s contender match. The lengthy match came to an end after both teams jumped wide following a series of jumps, allowing the Profits to slam the Usos back in the ring for the win.
- Veer Mahan defeated. Dominik Mysterio by disqualification after interference from Rey Mysterio. Mahan dominated the action when Mysterio had seen enough and intervened to save his son from further punishment.
- Finn Balor joined The Judgment Day before the group turned on Edge. Balor said he spoke to Damian Priest after the six-person day at Hell in a Cell and saw the light. Priest agreed before saying Edge taught them to shed their weaknesses and limitations – and that their biggest limitation was Edge. Balor, Priest, and Rhea Ripley then brutally attacked Edge, using chairs, tables, and large moves to unveil the legend.
- Omos def. Cedric Alexander on Pinfall after a choke bomb just a few seconds into the game.
- Ezekiel def. Otis via pinfall with crucifix. After the match, Ezekiel challenged Owens to a rematch of their fight from Hell in a Cell. Owens agreed as long as Ezekiel admitted that he is in fact Elijah, which Ezekiel did. When Owens said the rematch was on, Ezekiel said he took a page from Owen’s playbook and told a lie. He is, he said, Ezekiel, not Elijah.
- Defeated Rhea Ripley. Doudrop, Liv Morgan and Alexa Bliss via Pinfall with Riptide on Doudrop. Victory in the main event gives Ripley a shot at Bianca Belair and the Raw Women’s Championship at Money in the Bank
