WWE Raw opened up this week with an eight-person mixed tag team street fight between American Made and Wyatt Sicks. The fight would ensue right away, including kendo sticks and garbage cans in the first minute. American Made would gain control with the aid of a fire extinguisher, a table, steel chairs, and more. Wyatt Sicks would, of course, mount a comeback, including Rowan literally ripping out a section of the barrier wall and using it as a battering ram. This match had too many great spots to mention in this article. Dexter Lumis would ultimately pin Chad Gable in a great street fight.
AND STAIRS!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/mVgIf14QIs
— WWE (@WWE) September 10, 2024
Finn Bálor would challenge Damian Priest to a match in the next segment, which quickly turned into a brawl between The Terror Twins and Judgment Day. The Judgment Day would get the better of the exchange in the 5-on-2 situation. Jey Uso would run to the ring with a steel chair as Judgment Day would powder.
The Judgment Day wins the numbers game again on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/LrLGUKrPHl
— WWE (@WWE) September 10, 2024
Unholy Union would get a rematch for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship they lost to Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. This match was good, especially for Jade Cargill and her progress as a tag team wrestler, but it lacked the intensity to follow the last couple of segments. Belair and Cargill retain and show off some tandem offense they have been working on.
#WomensTagTitles on the line on #WWERaw!
Who ya got?! pic.twitter.com/RHDjMgXGKo
— WWE (@WWE) September 10, 2024
Bret Hart would come to the ring for a special guest segment. Bret would be interrupted by the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther. Gunther would state that while Bret may be the best there was, Gunther is the best there ever will be. Gunther would then tell Bret he was his second favorite wrestler, behind Bill Goldberg. This brought out the Canadian, Sami Zayn. Zayn would stick up for Bret before challenging him at the upcoming PLE. Gunther would reply, stating the answer is still no, and that he is out of Zayn’s league. It would take Bret Hart calling him a coward to get Gunther riled up, resulting in a brawl at ringside.
"You will always be a close second to my actual favorite. And my all-time favorite is none other than Bill Goldberg!" 😅😳🫢#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/JadM5NkGrp
— WWE (@WWE) September 10, 2024
The next match would be Dragon Lee versus Dominik Mysterio. During the match, Liv Morgan would grab Dragon Lee’s leg to aid Dominik in securing the victory.
WATCH HER.#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/1OKww5Wd0l
— WWE (@WWE) September 10, 2024
Pure Fusion Collective would take on Zelina Vega, Lyra Valkyria, and mystery partner, Natalya. Natalya would win via Sharpshooter in a fairly short match.
And the mystery partner is……… pic.twitter.com/fUSNPts1zO
— WWE (@WWE) September 10, 2024
Next up, we would get a promo segment from Drew McIntyre. He was sure to plug his new movie before directing his next words at Wade Barrett. He would ask why Barrett tried to get between him and CM Punk and state that if Barrett did it again, he would have to do something about it. Wade would not back down, but the GM quickly interrupted the two. The GM’s announcement would be McIntyre versus Punk in a Hell in a Cell match to cap off this trilogy.
HELL IN A CELL!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/DoJ5WXTZZ5
— WWE (@WWE) September 10, 2024
Finn Bálor versus Rey Mysterio would be the next matchup. They put on a good show, but it felt hard to get invested in yet another match in the Judgment Day/LWO storyline. Finn Bálor would use the ropes to aid a submission to get himself purposely disqualified, likely to send a message to Damian Priest. Bálor would inflict further damage after the match until the officials got between the two.
#WWEBadBlood is heating up! 🔥🔥🔥@ArcherOfInfamy vs. @FinnBalor – Former Allies turned Bitter Enemies collide@YaOnlyLivvOnce vs. @RheaRipley_WWE – Women's World Championship
📍 ATLANTA
🎟️ https://t.co/UBqv4C4DWt pic.twitter.com/ms9C3e7OyU— WWE (@WWE) September 10, 2024
The main event of Raw would be a fatal four-way match to determine the number one contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. All four participants won tournament matches to qualify: Jey Uso, Ilja Dragunov, Braun Strowman, and Pete Dunne. They did a great job involving all four in multiple segments, leading to many fantastic false finishes. Nearing the end of Raw, Bronson Reed would put Strowman through the announce table, seemingly costing him the opportunity. The camera would pan to Jey Uso and Ilja Dragunov in the ring. Jey Uso would hit a spear and appear to have it won, only for Pete Dunne to run in and try to steal the pinfall, leading to yet another believable false finish. Dragunov would fight back to have Dunne in a near fall position. This time, it was Jey Uso running in to break the pin. Uso would go on to hit a frog splash to win and become the number one contender.
TSUNAMI OUTTA NOWHERE!!!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/ON8g0a9j3V
— WWE (@WWE) September 10, 2024
That wraps up WWE Raw for this week. Stay tuned to Greenville Sports Media for more of my regular wrestling articles.
Howe Fresh
for Greenville Sports Media
and check out my weekly opinionated podcast “The Wrasslin Corner”