A Room with a Review: Raw 07/27/20

Where else but Raw can you get pay-per-view rematches that are only slightly changed, ninjas getting decimated, and not one but two Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler brawl segments?

• Looks like we are starting with a recap of Randy Orton vs. The Big Show from last week. I’ll admit that I started the show a couple of minutes late because I was watching baseball, which you can read all about here. Oh, Randy has a mic. He’s got his sights set on Drew McIntyre and the WWE Championship. He challenges Drew to a match at SummerSlam.

• Nia Jax to the ring and she also has a microphone. She’s taking inspiration from Randy Orton and declares her interest in the Raw Women’s Championship. Shayna Baszler doesn’t want to hear it and comes down to brawl with Jax.

• Back from commercial and the Street Profits are in the ring. They, too, have microphones, as they are the ring announcers for this Triple Threat tag team match, the winner of which will face the Profits for the Raw Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam. It will be The Viking Raiders vs. Ricochet and Cedric Alexander vs. Angel Garza and Andrade w/ Zelina Vega. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins stick around to provide color commentary. This was a fun match that included Ivar with a cannonball off the top rope to the outside. In the process, though, he took out Ric and Ced, plus his own partner. Garza takes advantage by rolling Alexander into the ring and hitting the Wing Clipper for the win. After the match, Andrade and Garza hit a couple of cheap shots on the Street Profits before scampering to the back. 

• Next up is Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler. Does this mean Shayna is a face now? Nobody will root for Nia. The match ends quickly, with both women getting counted out. They continue to brawl until they are separated by WWE officials. Why did we need to do this after they already had a brawl segment earlier?

• After a recap of the Rollins/Mysterio feud, Seth and Murphy discuss the possibility of Dominick Mysterio showing up tonight.

• Mark Henry is backstage talking to Ruby Riott and Bianca Belair.

• The Monday Night Messiah Seth Rollins heads to the ring with his disciple, Murphy. Seth says he is not in a good mood because Mysterio Jr. Jr. wants to confront him. He asks Dominick to come to the ring and face him man-to-man instead of jumping him from behind like last time. Dom slowly makes way to the ring and jumps Rollins when the Messiah offers a hug. Seth and Murphy beat the snot out of Dom on the outside, repeatedly throwing him into the barricades. Aleister Black and his injured right arm come to save the day, but the Church of Crossfit quickly regains the advantage. Seth then tells Murphy that he knows what he needs to do. Murphy grabs Black’s head and shoves him eye-first into the corner of the ring steps. Dominik re-emerges with a kendo stick and whoops the boys until they run away. 

• Mustafa Ali will be on the VIP Lounge later and R-Truth tells him to stay away from the 24/7 Championship. Ali says he’s fighting Lashley, not Shelton. Truth says he’s keeping his eyes on Mufasa.

• After the commercial break, the VIP Lounge is open. MVP is joined in the ring by the rest of the Hurt Business, Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. They welcome their guest, Mustafa Ali. MVP offers Ali a spot on the team, but the former Chicago police officer declines. R-Truth comes out of nowhere and knocks Shelton Benjamin out of the ring. He chases Shelton into another commercial break.

• Back from the break and it’s Ali vs. Lashley. Benjamin returns to ringside, but Tozawa takes a shot at the 24/7 title, too. Shelton kicks out and Tozawa’s ninjas get actual murdered by Lashley and the crew. Lashley picks up the victory with the full nelson.

• Kayla Braxton talks with Dolph Ziggler backstage.

• Next up is Sasha Banks w/ Bayley Dos Straps vs. Asuka w/ Kairi Sane for the Raw Women’s Championship. Before the match even starts, Sane chases Bayley to the back. Sasha tries the old Eddie Guerrero “bring the belt into the ring and pretend you’re opponent hit you with it” gimmick, but she did it right in front of the referee. As expected, these two have a banger, but of course, there has to be shenanigans. Bayley appears on the TitanTron, destroying Kairi backstage and sending her off to greener pastures. Asuka runs to the back to help her friend, but is counted out. Based on the rules laid out by Stephanie McMahon last week, 2Belts Banks is official. 

• Kayla is backstage outside the trainer’s room when Bayley and Sasha come by to celebrate obnoxiously. Asuka exits the trainer’s room and yells in Japanese.

• WWE pays tribute to Regis Philbin.

• Murphy is back, and this time he’s facing Humberto Carillo. Another good match won by Murphy after Murphy’s Law. 

• It’s time for the main event as Drew McIntyre faces Dolph Ziggler, with McIntyre picking the stipulation. Before the match, though, Drew tells Randy Orton that he accepts the Viper’s challenge for SummerSlam. Ziggler comes to the ring and demands to know the match stipulation. McIntyre lets him know that it’s an Extreme Rules match, except that he also gets to be extreme. Bleh. Drew lawn darts Dolph into the ringside plexiglass, breaking it in the process. McIntyre gets the win by hitting Ziggler with a Claymore, propelling Dolph through a table that had been set up in the corner. While Drew celebrates, we are all shocked by Randy Orton hitting an RKO out of nowhere. 

I don’t know what I can add. Reports are that this was another last-minute Vince McMahon rewrite and I think it definitely showed. The ratings are in the toilet and they don’t know how to fix it.

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