THE superstars of Raw were back on US soil last night, with the fallout from Roman Reigns’ attack on Jinder Mahal in London and another Money in the Bank qualifier.
Here are five important things we learnt from the show.
Reigns and Rollins are back together… but they can’t hinder Jinder
The show opened with a standard (i.e. boring) promo between Kurt Angle, Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens – setting up Reigns v KO.
The pair wrestled until Jinder Mahal attacked Reigns and caused a DQ, prompting Seth Rollins to make the save and set up yet another match – Rollins and Reigns v Jinder and KO.
Two thirds of The Shield proved too much and Rollins got the win with the Black Out, but that wasn’t the end of it.
Jinder was waiting at the top of the ramp and nailed them with a vicious chair assault, clobbering the “Big Dog” repeatedly across the back.
It was a convincing assault from the “Modern Day Maharajah” and should set up a match between the pair at Money in the Bank.
Steph is stirring it up between Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax
The story of the night was Steph returning and undermining Angle’s role as GM.
She booked the matches, flexed the famous McMahon ego, and replaced Kurt to oversee the Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax contract signing.
Steph also trampled all over the segment with an OTT promo, riling up the two women with pathetic reverse psychology and backhanded jibes.
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She called Nia Jax lazy, mocked the fact it took her 15 minutes to beat little Alexa Bliss, and said Nia has challenged Rousey just to make a name for herself.
Meanwhile, Steph reminded Ronda that she’s less deserving of a title shot than other women and might not be able to get her trademark arm bar on the much-bigger Nia.
Still, it seemed to work. Nia admitted she DOES want to make a name for herself and Ronda promised to tear her arm off in a tense stare-down.
Bobby Lashley’s sisters are fakes
Sami Zayn kept his promise from last week and brought out Bobby Lashley’s sisters – except they were men in wigs and dresses (one even had a moustache).
They each revealed how he bullied them as kids, forcing them to carry a broom, helmet, and giant tissue to protect themselves and wipe their tears.
Sami’s mic work and reactions were ace, but the segment was a dud – Lashley soon came out to chase off Sami and give his “sisters” a beating.
Lashley got a cheer at the end, but probably because fans were relieved it was over. Lashley got nowhere close to the kind of babyface response that WWE wants for him.
At this rate, we can’t see the charisma-free Lashley facing Brock Lesnar, which is rumoured to happen at SummerSlam.
Natalya has qualified for Money in the Bank
The unexpected push of Natalya on Raw continues, with a submission victory in a MITB Fatal 4-Way qualifier.
She faced Dana Brooke, Sarah Logan and Liv Tyler, eventually getting the win when she locked the Sharpshooter on Logan.
It was a fair match, hampered slightly by Natalya’s much-less-experienced opponents.
But it feels like Natalya’s finally getting some recognition for her contributions to WWE’s women’s division – since long before the “Women’s Evolution” kicked off.
Being pals with Ronda Rousey has really paid off…
Balor almost toppled Braun
After their loss to Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre last week, Braun Strowman and Finn Balor demanded a rematch – but Steph put them in a match against each other instead.
Braun predictably won – there was no way Balor would pin WWE’s prize monster – but the smaller man came surprisingly close to a victory.
Finn felled Braun’s ringside charge with a sling blade and Coup de Grace from the barricade. He almost landed a second Coup de Grace back in the ring.
Braun eventually got the win with two thunderous power slams, but it wasn’t a great loss for Balor – he looked superb against the Monster Among Men.
Strowman scooped up Finn after the match and sat him on the corner as a mark of respect.
Braun is near unbeatable in singles competition. But can he also win the Money in the Bank ladder match on June 17?
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