On Monday night, WWE held the final pre-SummerSlam edition of Raw. In addition to pushing the last bits of storylines ahead of the massive pay-per-view event, multiple matches were added to the card.
Chief among those additions was the announcement that Randy Orton and Riddle — officially reunited as RK-Bro — would face off with Raw tag team champions AJ Styles and Omos. Also, a singles match between Alexa Bliss and Eva Marie was made official for the event.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from AT&T Center in San Antonio.
RK-Bro officially reunite, score SummerSlam title match
AJ Styles def. Riddle via pinfall after a Styles Clash. Riddle was again appealing Randy Orton to reform RK-Bro when he was interrupted by Styles and Omos. With Omos already set to face Orton, Styles and Riddle agreed to face off in their own one-on-one match. Omos provided distraction outside the ring to set up Styles hitting the Styles Clash for the win. Orton left Riddle and was not ringside for the match.
Randy Orton def. Omos via disqualification after interference from AJ Styles. Omos mostly dominated the match, using his size and strength to shove off RKO attempts from Orton. Styles tried to attack Orton outside the ring, but the referee saw and called for the disqualification. Styles and Omos continued to attack Orton after the bell, with Omos taking Orton outside the ring and throwing him over the ringside barricade. As Styles was setting up for a Phenomenal Forearm, Riddle ran in to make the save, taking out both Styles and Omos. After the match, Orton told Riddle that respect is earned, not given — but Riddle had finally earned his respect before saying that “RK-Bro is back.” Riddle then announced they would team to face Styles and Omos for the tag titles at SummerSlam.
Orton and Riddle continue to have solid chemistry as an odd couple pairing. The reunion moment was one of the most well-received things on the show by the live crowd, which is always a good thing. Plus, we’re done playing will they, won’t they and finally have the SummerSlam title match set. It will be interesting to see how the crowd reacts at such a major event as RK-Bro seems like one of the most over acts in the company. Grade: B
Goldberg spears Bobby Lashley
Goldberg cut a promo to end the show, introducing his son in the front row and explaining that he didn’t want his son to watch video to see who Goldberg was, but rather to be ringside to see who Goldberg is. Bobby Lashley and MVP then interrupted and began making their way toward the ring. MVP said that Goldberg’s talking showed that he knew he had run into someone more dominant and explosive in Lashley. Lashley again promised to end Goldberg’s career, leading Goldberg to say Lashley’s words were “bulls—.” Lashley tried to attack but ate a spear for his trouble before Goldberg and his son walked away, leaving a furious Lashley in the ring.
Goldberg has never been much of a talker and every time WWE tries to force the issue, it leaves the crowd flat. That continued on Monday with this segment. Getting a rise with a rarely used curse word isn’t the same as the fans truly caring what a wrestler is saying, and it seemed the crowd just didn’t care about the exchange. Still, this is the match fans will be forced to watch on Saturday and the segment needed to happen. Grade: C-
What else happened on WWE Raw?
- Rhea Ripley def. Nikki A.S.H. via pinfall after hitting Riptide. Charlotte Flair was on commentary to watch her SummerSlam competitors face off. After the match, Nikki, Ripley and Flair brawled until Flair was tossed from the ring.
- Drew McIntyre def. Veer & Shanky via pinfall in a handicap match when McIntyre pinned Shanky with a Claymore. The result means Veer and Shanky are barred from ringside at SummerSlam.
- Damian Priest def. The Miz via pinfall after hitting a Brogue Kick. The match came about when Miz was John Morrison’s guest on “Moist TV” and accidentally revealed to Morrison that he’d been cleared to wrestle for weeks, leading Morrison to suggest Priest vs. Miz despite Miz protesting the idea. Sheamus was on commentary, forced to watch his SummerSlam opponent steal his move to score the win. Miz and Morrison patched up their relationship later in the show.
- Alexa Bliss and Lilly the doll scared off Doudrop. Doudrop tried to confront Bliss and her doll on Alexa’s Playground but when she took the doll from Bliss, Doudrop looked at it with a concerned expression before handing it back and leaving.
- Mansoor def. Mace via pinfall after interference from Mustafa Ali. Mace had Mansoor pinned when Ali hit a dropkick to allow Mansoor to reverse the pin.
- Karrion Kross def. Jeff Hardy via submission with a Kross Jacket. Kross attacked Hardy backstage before the match, leading to a very short match once Hardy came to the ring.
- Charlotte Flair & Nia Jax def. Rhea Ripley & Nikki A.S.H. via pinfall after Flair hit Ripley with Natural Selection. Flair was given an opportunity to have a tag match after being upset with the post-match attack earlier in the night. Jax had the match won when Flair tagged herself in to steal the pin.