– Tonight’s WWE RAW episode opens up with the standard video package.
– We’re live on tape delay from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida as Tom Phillips welcomes us. He’s joined by Samoa Joe and Byron Saxton. The developmental trainees cheer in the crowd.
WWE United States Title Match: MVP vs. Apollo Crews
We go right to the ring for tonight’s opener as WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews makes his way out. The lights go out while he’s posing in the corner. The lights come back on and Tom says there’s been some bad weather in the area. The Hurt Business is out next – MVP with Bobby Lashley and WWE 24/7 Champion Shelton Benjamin. MVP is wearing the new United States Title belt while Crews is wearing the one WWE has used for years. We get formal ring introductions from Mike Rome.
MVP takes the mic and rants about how he’s the real champion here. He will continue representing The Hurt Business as the real champion and Crews can go back to hanging out in catering with Cedric Alexander and Ricochet. The bell hits and the lights are flickering again. They go at it and end up on the mat, trading holds. Crews with a 2 count. MVP gets up but Crews quickly kips up and stares him down for a pop. Lashley and Benjamin look on from the outside.
MVP keeps control, working Crews around as the lights flicker some more. Lashley looks around. Crews comes back with a snap suplex for three quick pin attempts. Crews mounts MVP and works him over, grounding him in the middle of the ring again.
Crews keeps MVP grounded by his arm now. MVP fights out and lands a big forearm to the face. MVP follows up with a running boot to drop Crews. Crews fights back and unloads with strikes. MVP ends up on the floor for a breather with his partners. The lights flicker again as they check on him. Crews runs the ropes and leaps out, taking down all three members of The Hurt Business. Crews stands over MVP on the outside as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and MVP has Crews grounded. Lashley was able to get a cheap shot in while the referee wasn’t looking. MVP continues to ground Crews in the middle of the ring. Crews fights and bounces off the ropes but MVP levels him with a forearm and covers for a pair of pin attempts. MVP with more offense while Crews is down for a 2 count. MVP uses the bottom rope to choke Crews and hurt his neck now, using a Camel Clutch. Lashley and Benjamin look on smiling. MVP with more offense to dominate. MVP beats Crews into the corner now.
MVP charges with the running boot but Crews moves and he gets stuck on the ring post. Crews rocks MVP and then hits the flying crossbody. Crews mounts offense and hits several shoulder trusts in the corner now. Crews gets a pop as he keeps fighting. More back and forth now. MVP with a release German on his neck but Crews gets right back up and hits the big toss powerbomb for the pin to retain.
Winner: Apollo Crews
– After the match, Lashley hits the ring to go for the Full Nelson but Crews dodges him and retreats to the ramp with the title. The music hits as Benjamin and Lashley check on MVP in the ring. Crews stands tall and raises both titles on the ramp as we go to replays. We come back to Crews with Charly Caruso in the back. Crews says he’s the rightful United States Champion. He gives praise to Lashley for being strong and comments on being stuck at him over the past few weeks because of that. Crews says it hurt for his kids to look at him and say they thought he was the United States Champion while seeing MVP on TV. Crews goes on and says he’s going to hang the old title on his kids’ bedroom wall so they can have the first title their dad ever won, and he’s going to carry this new title. Crews walks off. MVP confronts the announcers at ringside. He asks what’s up with the lights going out and this unsafe working environment. He says they should be ashamed of themselves. So should Crews. He rants some more about unsafe working conditions and how Crews stole his title tonight. MVP doesn’t care about Crews’ wife or kids, but he does care about his rematch. MVP wants the rematch. Benjamin says something in his ear. MVP says he wants the rematch at SummerSlam. The Hurt Business walks off.
– We see The Golden Role Models backstage getting ready.
– We go backstage and see a shadowy security guard standing outside of what looks to be Shane McMahon’s office. Tom says we’ve been hearing rumors on something new in WWE, something that is the brainchild of Shane. We will find out more later. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Sarah Schreiber is in the back with the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. They’re asked if any titles will be defended at SummerSlam. They mock and insult Schreiber, keeping up their new extremely annoying gimmick. They say they brought something special and it’s a video package on how dominant they are and the recent RAW Women’s Title change, voiced by someone who might do a major motion picture trailer. We cut right to Asuka backstage ranting and yelling. She says revenge is very, very sweet. We go back to Banks and Bayley. They’re upset with Asuka’s interruption of their video. They go on about how unprofessional this is. Shayna Baszler interrupts and says it looks like they’re having fun. Baszler says her problem is how Banks snaked her way to the title. Baszler says she’s been waiting for her chance to have some fun. She drops Banks with one shot. Bayley checks on Banks but looks like she wants none of Baszler. Baszler walks off.
– The IIconics approach Kevin Owens backstage and they want to be his guests tonight. He’s not interested because he already has a guest. Owens tells them to deal with it and have a bottled water. He walks off.
– We go back to the ring for another must see edition of The KO Show. Kevin Owens hits the ring and we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Owens has the mic. He says there are a lot of interesting things happening tonight, including the return of Shane McMahon. Owens has some thoughts on Shane but he has something else to talk about. He’s experiencing some microphone difficulties. He goes on and says he wants to talk about something with a friend of his. He introduces tonight’s guest and out comes Ruby Riott.
Owens brings up how she got emotional after her recent win over Peyton Royce. Riott goes on about how she hasn’t had much success since returning and how The IIconics have just put salt in that wound. She’s dealt with women like those all her life. But last week she finally got to shut up Peyton Royce. She says the only thing that could’ve made the moment better was if Liv Morgan could’ve shared it with her. Owens jumps the gun a bit and says he was excited. He says Morgan is here. The music hits and out comes Liv to the ring. Owens thanks her for coming. Liv tells Ruby she asked Liv to hear her out and Owens convinced her to come.
Owens starts talking but he’s having more mic troubles. He recalls how The Riott Squad was once special but Sarah Logan has moved on to another chapter in her life, but that doesn’t have to mean what they had is over. He believes they bring the best out in each other. Owens goes on about how he’s treated a lot of people wrong and done bad things because at the time he thought it was best for his career, but now he’s not so sure. He goes on and says it might be worth it to hear Ruby out. Riott talks about how she returned to Liv coming into her own. Liv defeated her. She realized she wasn’t needed, Sarah wasn’t here, and she took it out on Liv. Riott says she was wrong to do that. Riott is crying when she talks about the tattoo they all got, their debut date. Riott asks for one more chance, to make The Riott Squad as strong as it’s ever been. The music interrupts and out comes The IIconics to boos – Peyton Royce and Billie Kay.
Owens says he had nothing to do with them coming out. Royce goes on about how everyone is sick of hearing Liv and Riott carry on about what no one cares about. She says Liv should’ve stayed in the bathtub. Kay goes on knocking Riott’s one win and many losses. Kay is having microphone troubles as well. Royce is also having microphone issues. The IIconics are in the ring now, keeping up the trash talking. Liv says it’s true, she and Riott are not friends like The IIconics but there’s one thing they will always agree on – no one starts a riot better than them. Riott stands next to Liv and smiles now. Owens suggests The IIconics leave so they can continue their talk. The IIconics tell Liv and Riott they have nothing on them. The challenge is laid down for a match. Owens gets slapped by Royce after asking for more technical difficulties on The IIconics’ mics only. He asks if that was really necessary. Kay slaps him next. Owens turns to Liv and Riott, and asks for a little help. The Riott Squad tackles The IIconics and sends them retreating as the crowd cheers. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and the large security guard is seen outside of Shane’s room again. A man with a tray of drinks walks by but backs off when he sees the large intimidating guard, who is WWE Performance Center recruit Jordan Omogbehin. He recently played the role of one of Akira Tozawa’s ninjas.
The IIconics vs. The Riott Squad
We go back to the ring and the match is underway as Billie Kay goes at it with Ruby Riott. Kevin Owens is on commentary. Kay with a neckbreaker for a 2 count.
Peyton Royce tags in and works Riott over for a quick 2 count. Royce manhandles Riott some and keeps her grounded in the middle of the ring. Liv Morgan rallies from the apron. Riott fights up and out but gets dropped on her head. Kay tags back in for some double teaming on Riott. Billie talks some trash and levels Riott. Riott fights free and tag sin Liv as Peyton also comes in.
Liv unloads on Peyton. Liv with a missile dropkick from the second rope. Liv goes on and covers Royce for a 2 count as Kay saves her. Liv and Kay tangle now. Liv rolls her up out of nowhere for the pin to win.
Winners: The Riott Squad
– After the match, the music hits but The IIconics immediately double team Liv. Riott runs in to make the save. Liv and Riott fight them off and hit the double team on Kay in the middle of the ring. Liv and Riott leave together as the music hits.
– Still to come, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton will meet face-to-face. Back to commercial.
– Tom says there was almost some kind of accident backstage earlier. He sends us to Charly Caruso. She’s where a bunch of production boxes and equipment fell over. She was told that these had to do with the lights glitching and everything else going on, and it was no accident. MVP walks up and he’s still not happy with the unsafe working conditions and his loss from earlier. Caruso reveals that Apollo Crews has accepted his United States Title rematch at SummerSlam. Shelton Benjamin walks up and says someone has stolen his 24/7 Title. MVP says they will find out who did this and teach them a lesson. They walk off.
– We go to the ring and out comes WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. We see how he got hit by Randy Orton’s RKO last week on RAW.
Drew takes the mic and says Orton has been preying on vulnerability for 20 years. He mentions last week’s attack and thanks Orton for the lesson learned. Drew says it will never happen again. Drew says he knows that motivated Orton last week. He knows Orton is just s motivated to take the WWE Title as he is to keep it.
Drew goes on and mentions how Vince McMahon once told them both that they would be the future of WWE. Drew says Orton had everything handed to him and spoon fed to him because of his dad. He also mentions Evolution and how they always cleaned up for Orton and his mistakes. Drew admits to his own mistakes and says he deserves to get fired years ago. He says Orton left enough of his own crap behind him and should’ve been fired long before Drew was, which sounds like a reference to Orton defecating in people’s bags. Drew keeps on until the music interrupts and out comes Orton with WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair.
Orton interrupts Drew and admits he should’ve been fired multiple times. Orton says he was given chances over and over because he is the chosen one and the best ever. Orton challenges Drew to come up with something original against him. Drew lays the title down in the middle of the ring. Drew says he thinks Orton represents everything wrong in WWE. Drew recalls how The Undertaker talked about pulling Orton to his level in The Last Ride documentary. Drew says Orton has never done the same to an up & coming wrestler in WWE, he’s never passed on the knowledge that legends passed on to Orton. Drew recalls Orton walking past him in catering years ago. Drew’s life was crumbling, professionally and personally. His mother was sick and he was far from home. Orton could’ve said something and it would’ve went a long way but he didn’t. Drew doesn’t see a leader in front of him, he sees a selfish prick. Orton is still looking on from the stage with Flair. Drew now goes on about how he’s going to have receipts from current and some former roster members at SummerSlam, and he’s going to destroy Orton, for everyone Orton has kicked in the head over the years and done wrong. Drew’s music hits as they stare each other down.
– We see Nia Jax and WWE Producer Pat Buck backstage talking. This is the same producer she was fined for assaulting last week. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Kevin Owens is with The Riott Squad in the back. WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair walks up and wants to talk with Owens. Flair says everyone on the roster loves Owens and Owens is trying to help everyone without looking out for himself. Owens defends his actions in helping The Riott Squad because they are his friends. Owens says he’s sacrificed friendships to get to the top in the past but now he wants to be a different person, one who people can look up to in the locker room. Owens wants to be what Randy Orton could be. Flair says he’s in Orton’s corner and Owens needs to listen to his advice. They go on and Flair says maybe Owens could get a title shot like Orton if he listened to Flair. Owens tells Flair to get Orton to meet him in the ring next week and he will show what he’s made of. Flair taunts him some and Owens walks off.
– We go to the ring and Nia Jax is out with a mic. WWE Producer Pat Buck is also there. Jax shows us what happened last week when she hit the Samoan Drop on Buck as she and Shayna Baszler were brawling and fighting off security.
Jax sounds like she’s about to apologize but she mentions fans adoring her and calls Buck a scrawny little runt who couldn’t cut it in his own career. She turns around and acts like she didn’t know Buck was there listening. She knows Buck is looking for an apology but she’s here to give him an opportunity to prove something, a match against her. Buck says he’s only in the ring because he was told an apology was coming. Jax says she will apologize after their match. They can settle it right here, she says, this is his big opportunity, one he’d never get if it weren’t for her. Jax promises to start off real slow so Buck’s little legs can keep up. Buck suggests they leave if she’s not going to apologize. Jax goes on and mocks him for being a “ginger” with his red hair. She says they don’t have to go speak in private, he can say what he needs to say. She shoves the mic in his chest.
Buck says due to her actions, Jax is now indefinitely suspended. Without pay. Jax gets angry and he tells her to relax, breathe. Jax says he has no authority to do this. Jax ends up dropping Buck to boos. The boos get louder as Jax kicks Buck out of the ring. Jax storms off as Buck sits up and recovers at ringside.
– R-Truth suddenly runs down and he’s holding Shelton Benjamin’s WWE 24/7 Title. Truth is being chased around by Benjamin and Akira Tozawa’s ninjas. We go to commercial before the Triple Threat kicks off.
Triple Threat for the WWE 24/7 Title: R-Truth vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Shelton Benjamin
Back from the break and WWE 24/7 Champion Shelton Benjamin is in the ring. MVP and Bobby Lashley are at ringside. Akira Tozawa is also in the ring. R-Truth’s music hits and he hesitates but makes his way in.
Benjamin takes control earl yon, dominating. Shelton takes Truth out and here comes Tozawa in ninja mode. Benjamin ends up fighting him off and hitting a huge powerbomb in the middle of the ring. Benjamin goes for Truth in the corner now but Truth ducks several shots and sends Shelton back with a kick. Truth goes on but misses the scissors kick. Benjamin comes right back with Paydirt for a pop.
One of Tozawa’s ninjas run in and tries to intimidate Benjamin but Benjamin levels him with a big kick. Benjamin takes out another ninja while MVP and Lashley do the same to another pair of ninjas at ringside. Tozawa takes advantage of the distraction and hits the big senton on Truth, who is still down from Paydirt, in the ring, covering for the pin to win the title.
Winner and New WWE 24/7 Champion: Akira Tozawa
– After the match, Tozawa celebrates and retreats with the title as we get replays. A disappointed Shelton regroups with MVP and Lashley in the ring.
– The camera cuts to Shane McMahon in a warehouse setting. There’s a ring with no ropes, a black apron cover. A referee is watching as two competitors go at it on the mat. The ring is surrounded by a group of competitors pounding on the mat over and over. Shane welcomes us and says he’s bringing something new to RAW. He invites everyone to join him at 10pm for RAW Underground. We go to commercial.
– Dominik Mysterio is backstage with Sarah Schreiber. We see what happened last week where Dominik snapped on Seth Rollins and Murphy with a kendo stick. Schreiber asks why he keeps showing up at RAW where there is risk. Dominik says he’s doing this because he witnessed his dad Rey Mysterio get blinded, so it’s understandable that his mind hasn’t been in the right place as of late. He says if anyone thinks he’s crazy now, they’re really going to think he’s crazy when he challenges Rollins to a match at SummerSlam. Dominik walks off.
Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler
We go back to the ring and out first comes Shayna Baszler for this non-title match. Out next comes the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as the boos get louder – RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks with SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley.
The bell rings and they meet in the middle of the ring. Banks starts talking trash about being the boss. She slaps Baszler and Baszler smiles. Banks continues running her mouth. Baszler attacks and goes to work as Bayley looks on from ringside. Baszler teases Banks with a kick but spares her, playing mind games. Baszler controls Banks and stomps on her hand. Baszler with a 2 count. Banks fights back and keeps ranting at Baszler. Baszler ends up dropping Banks into an armbar.
Bayley ends up trying to go for Bayley but Banks takes advantage and unloads on Baszler. Banks with a 2 count. Banks focuses on Baszler’s arm now. Bayley is also talking trash from ringside. Banks grounds Baszler again and works her over in the middle of the ring. The crowd rallies and Baszler fights up and out, ramming Banks into the corner with thrusts as the referee counts. Banks sends Baszler face-first into the turnbuckles. Banks drops Baszler and hits a crossbody from the second rope but Baszler rolls through and picks her up. Baszler with manhandles Banks into a nasty backbreaker. Baszler blocks two kicks and goes for the Kirifuda Clutch but Banks resists. Banks with a stomp to the back. More back and forth now.
Banks drops Baszler into the Bank Statement in the middle of the ring. Baszler fights up and out but Banks takes her down with a head scissors. Banks rocks Baszler and runs her mouth but Baszler comes right back with a big kick to the head to drop Banks.
Asuka suddenly appears at ringside, attacking Bayley and beating her down against the barrier. The referee calls the match for some reason.
No Contest
– After the bell, Banks grabs both title belts and retreats as Asuka hits the ring. She joins Bayley at ringside while she’s down. Asuka taunts Banks from the ring as Banks yells “no!” over and over. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see how Bayley attacked Kairi Sane backstage last week, allowing Sasha Banks to win the RAW Women’s Title from Asuka by count out. We also see footage of Bayley and Banks celebrating in the ring.
– Asuka is in the ring with Charly Caruso now. Caruso asks how Kairi Sane is. Asuka gets hyped up and says Sane is not here right now, but she is and she wants a rematch from Banks at SummerSlam. Shayna Baszler approaches Asuka. Baszler isn’t here to fight. She’s rooting on Asuka to win the title back at SummerSlam. Baszler says she will be excited… to dismember Asuka and take the title off her. The music interrupts and out comes Sasha Banks and Bayley with all their gold. Banks brags on being champion and says she will grant Asuka the SummerSlam title shot if she can defeat Bayley next week. Bayley doesn’t look thrilled with this idea but Banks is, and Asuka is.
– Angel Garza is backstage with Demi Burnett of The Bachelor. He gets her phone number and gives her a rose. Andrade walks up and then Zelina Vega. Vega doesn’t think Burnett belongs but Andrade says she does. Vega needs to talk to him about that. Garza goes to follow them but stops to tell Burnett that he will see her soon after his match. She thanks him and looks forward to it.
– The camera cuts back to RAW Underground. Shane is at ringside with men and women as another match goes on in the rope-less squared circle. Shane hops on the apron and declares the winner. He walks over to another area of the warehouse setting and we see women dancing on a stage. Shane says wait until you see what RAW Underground has next. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Shane McMahon welcomes us to RAW Underground. We see the women dancing on the stage again. Shane says this is where there are very little rules, lots or carnage and chaos, lots of things he likes to see. Shane goes on and introduces the 7 foot tall Babatunde Aiyegbusi, who has been with WWE NXT since 2016. His new name is Dabba-Kato.
Shane hypes the big man up. Shane goes to introduce the next guy but tells him he’s on his own. Shane gets out of the way and the bell rings. The smaller guy charges but misses. Dabba-Kato unloads on him and easily wins the fight.
Shane asks who wants next. Another random, plain looking guy steps in wearing jeans. He fights but the big man Dabba-Kato slams him and beats him with forearms. The referee and Shane call the match. Shane congratulates the big man on his “impressive debut” and thanks him for tonight. Shane asks who’s next? He says RAW Underground will be back.
– The RAW announcers say Shane is onto something. Joe likes it. Tom says Shane is lining up another fight.
Angel Garza vs. Angelo Dawkins
We go to the ring and out come RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits – Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. They do some comedy and Dawkins talks about how he’s going to try and get with Garza’s new friend later tonight, Demi Burnett from The Bachelor. Ford ends up getting serious in his promo and he’s not happy with Andrade and Garza attacking his brother. This is real and will get serous at SummerSlam. All four SummerSlam opponents will be in action tonight. Angel Garza is out next with Andrade and Angel Garza.
The bell rings and Dawkins goes at it with Garza. Dawkins sends Garza into the ring post, then to the floor. Dawkins follows and runs around the ring, launching Garza into the Plexiglas barrier. Garza lands hard on the floor and we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Garza fights Dawkins off but Dawkins comes back with a big slam for a 2 count. Dawkins goes on and lands another dropkick for a 2 count. We see Demi backstage watching the match, holding her rose from Garza. Dawkins goes for a powerbomb but Garza fights out and to the corner. He loses his pants and then nails a dropkick.
Garza yells at Dawkins while he’s down. Dawkins blocks the Wing Clipper and rocks Garza with a big right hand. Dawkins with a splash in the corner and a bulldog. Dawkins runs wild and ford is hyped up at ringside. Ford suddenly goes down out of nowhere at ringside in front of the announce table. Ford just collapsed. Dawkins leans through the ropes and asks Ford if he’s alright. Garza takes advantage of the distraction, nailing a dropkick and a kick to the head for the pin to win.
Winner: Angel Garza
– After the bell, Garza stands tall as his music hits. Dawkins goes out to check on Ford, who seems dazed and confused, but he nods his head when Dawkins asks him if he’s good. We go to commercial.
Andrade vs. Montez Ford
Back from the break and Montez Ford is going at it with Andrade in the ring. Tom talks about how Ford collapsed before the match. The announcers play up the seriousness of the situation. Ford was checked on by medics before the match, but Ford insisted he was ready to go.
Ford keeps control with a headlock but Andrade nails a belly-to-belly suplex. Andrade with more offense as the crowd boos. Andrade fights Ford off, hitting a knee to the gut and more offense to keep him grounded. Ford looks to power up but Andrade sends him back down with a knee. Andrade tosses Ford out to the floor and the referee counts. Angel Garza approaches but Angelo Dawkins stares him down. Ford ends up fighting back on Andrade, whipping him hard into the Plexiglas. Garza checks on Andrade.
Ford brings Andrade back in but can’t put him away. Andrade drops Ford with another big shot to the face, then kicks him while he’s down. Andrade with a snap suplex for a 2 count. Ford fights up and out but Andrade decks him. Ford comes right back with a running clothesline for a pop. Ford with more big moves before dropping Andrade again. Ford ends up making a comeback but he collapses again. The referee calls the match.
No Contest
– After the bell, the referee yells for a doctor to come out as he checks on Ford. Dawkins also hits the ring. Ford is flat on his back, staring up and dazed. Andrade, Garza and Vega also look on.
– We see Murphy backstage watching a replay of last week’s attack to injure Aleister Black’s eye. Seth Rollins walks up and says Murphy made the decision. He’s proud of Murphy and Murphy should be proud of himself. The past is the past and now we focus on the future. Murphy asks if Rollins put any thought into Dominik Mysterio’s challenge for SummerSlam. Murphy thinks it’s ridiculous because he’s never been in the ring before, he’s just sacrificing himself for his old man. Murphy asks if it’s ridiculous, right? Rollins just smirks and walks off. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and Tom announces Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Dolph Ziggler for RAW Talk.
– We go back to Shane McMahon and his three dancers at RAW Underground. There appears to be some tension between the dancers. Erik of The Viking Raiders is in the next fight. Erik quickly takes his opponent down and pounds on him. Erik with another slam and strikes. Erik hits a big German suplex and knees his opponent off the ring. Shane says that was sick. Erik continues to dominate the fight and hits another knee to the face. Shane calls the fight. Erik celebrates with Ivar as we see his opponent dazed and laid out. Shane wonders who’s going to be next.
– The announcers praise Shane’s new concept some more. There will be one more fight tonight.
– Tom shows what happened to Montez Ford earlier tonight when he collapsed twice. Charly is backstage outside of the trainer’s room. Angel Garza walks up and flirts with her some. Zelina Vega and Andrade also walk up. Vega acts like they’re so concerned with Ford. She wonders what this means for the title match at SummerSlam. Angelo Dawkins comes out of the trainer’s room and it looks like Ford was poisoned before the match. Bianca Belair also appears and they have words. She wants to know who poisoned her husband. Vega says she’d never do something like that. Belair attacks her and they brawl as the others pull them apart.
– Tom shows us surveillance camera footage from earlier tonight. We see several men and women in all black, running up to a transformer and throwing fire bombs at it. They yell and cheer as the machinery catches on fire, then they run away. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Charly approaches The Hurt Business backstage. She knows this night hasn’t gone how they planned. MVP accuses her of bad journalism because she should be asking about all the bizarre happenings on RAW tonight. MVP says her questions should be about sabotage because that’s what is going on tonight. Shelton Benjamin asks if this is really a coincidence that the were sabotaged on the night RAW Underground shows up. MVP has an idea and it sounds like The Hurt Business is headed to RAW Underground.
– Tom announces Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton for next week, plus Bayley vs. Asuka with Asuka getting a title shot from Sasha Banks at SummerSlam if she wins.
– Tom leads us to a video package on recent happenings between Seth Rollins and the Mysterio family.
– We go back to the ring and out comes Seth Rollins with Murphy.
Seth takes the mic and says before he addresses Dominik Mysterio’s SummerSlam challenge, he wants to address Tom Phillips. Rollins asks Tom if he thinks he’s an unbiased journalist, if he takes pride in his body of work. Seth and Murphy have exited the ring now. Rollins asks Tom what was he doing last week when Rey Mysterio’s stupid kid was assaulting him with a kendo stick. Rollins is yelling at Tom now. Seth says Tom was cheering Dominik on last week, inciting his rage. Seth goes on about how Tom’s voice matters, he is the voice of RAW and is part of the greater good, whether he likes it or not. Rollins yells at Tom some more and says it’s his job to call things down the middle so he doesn’t create bias before it goes into the little brains of the fans at home. Rollins says if he doesn’t, then Tom becomes a liability. Rollins says maybe the time has come to find a new voice of RAW. Rollins threatens Tom but Samoa Joe stands up and says that’s not going to happen, whether he brings Murphy or not.
Joe tells Rollins to go back in the ring, make the point he came to make, or Joe will smack him in the lips and beat his disciple down. They stare each other down. Murphy stares at Joe from the side. Rollins tells Joe he does not want to do this. Joe takes off his headset and says yes, he does. The crowd rallies. Rollins and Murphy head back into the ring. Rollins tells Joe to come in the ring and what happens is not his responsibility. Joe gets ready for a fight as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Joe is on the outside of the ring. Rollins and Murphy have steel chairs in the ring. Dominik suddenly attacks from behind with a kendo stick, unloading on Rollins and Murphy. Joe quickly re-joins the announce team. Dominik uses the stick and slams the heels. Dominik hits 619 on Rollins Dominik goes to the top and leaps to the floor with a big splash, taking Murphy and Rollins down at the same time. Dominik returns to the ring and grabs a steel chair, standing tall and keeping the ring clear. Rollins and Murphy retreat to the stage. Rollins takes the mic and says he’s had enough. Dominik has jumped in way over his head but if Dominik wants to fight at SummerSlam, he accepts.
– Tom looks worried as Joe and Byron talk about what just happened.
– Byron sends us back to Shane McMahon’s RAW Underground. We see Dolph Ziggler in the ring with a competitor. Shane points to how Ziggler wrestled at Kent State. Shane is calling play-by-play on the mic while Ziggler ends up making his opponent submit. The Hurt Business arrives, all wearing suits. Shane gives MVP the mic. Bobby Lashley enters the ring and walks around.
MVP says until further notice, RAW Underground is being controlled by The Hurt Business. Shelton Benjamin is with him. MVP asks who wants to fight Lashley first. A random guy steps up and gets dominated, slammed and knocked out. MVP says Lashley is having too much fun. MVP steps into the ring now. MVP has words with another competitor at ringside. Lashley picks the guy up by his neck and brings him in. MVP slams him and mounts him with strikes. MVP asks who’s next. it looks like a lot of people are walking out of the building. Shelton steps up and MVP hypes him on the mic. Former RAW announcer and current NXT Superstar Dio Maddin steps up and they go at it.
Shelton slams his opponent and ends up driving him off the platform with knee strikes. MVP asks if there’s anybody else. The Hurt Business exits the platform and just starts attacking the various male competitors in the building. Shane says that was amazing and they proved their point, but they’re welcome to hang around. Shane says that’s how it goes at RAW Underground – anything goes. We get replays of The Hurt Business destroying everyone. Shane says that was insane.
Shane says what an auspicious debut we had tonight with RAW Underground, and The Hurt Business is welcome back anytime. Shane says he can’t wait to see what RAW Underground does next week. He hurries off. MVP takes the mic and poses with Shelton and Lashley. He says they are The Hurt Business and business is booming. RAW goes off the air from inside the RAW Underground warehouse setting while The Hurt Business stands tall amid the carnage.
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