Tuesday Morning RAW July 30
RAW
Author: Barrett Bannon
Raw: 30/07/2024
Channel: Foxtel WWE Channel/Kayo/Binge
The Raw before Summer Slam was the perfect tease before the weekend as we would see CM Punk and Drew McIntyre in the ring together one last time and see the already raging hot feud between Gunther and Damian get even hotter. We would also get to see more Wyatt Sicks action along with seeing Sami Zayn and Jey Uso’s reunion continue to grow.
Seth announces the rules for CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre
This week Raw started with Seth Freaking Rollins coming out to set the rules for Drew McIntyre VS CM Punk at Summer Slam. Seth would tell them both that this match is going to be done in Seth’s way and that we should expect a violent masterpiece as Seth may use his discretion and the only real rule was that whatever Seth says goes. Drew would go on to look at CM Punk and call him a poison to this company to try and win over Seth while also saying he can’t wait for Summer Slam because he will be getting paid a lot of money for something he’d do for free. Punk would then go on to say that the big difference in the match is that Punk will have the crowd behind him whereas Drew McIntyre has no one. At this Drew would show Punk the Bracelet with Punk’s dog and wife’s name on it showing that he has them. This was a great way to show these two in the ring together for one last time before their long-awaited match at Summer Slam where absolutely anything could happen.
Otis and Tozawa VS The Creed Brothers
After last week’s brawl, Otis and Tozawa were prepared to fight as they showed in this match. Both Otis and Tozawa would put on a great display of their in-ring ability against the Creed brothers but unfortunately, the Creed Brothers would come out the winners of the match after they were able to pin Otis. They wouldn’t stop there though as Chad Gabel would order them to hold down Otis so he could be punished for betraying him as Maxxine Dupri would come and rescue Otis by jumping on the back of Gabel and then slapping him. Maxxine was ready to take on Gabel but luckily the Wyatt Sicks would step in and make their way to the ring where Joe Gacy, Eric Rowan and Dexter Lumis would reveal their faces for the first time and attack the Creed Brothers as Gabel would get attacked by Sister Abigail before he escaped. This segment showed us the Wyatt Sicks in ring for the first time which would lead to a match being announced for next week where the Wyatt Sicks will make their in-ring debut. While Chad Gabel VS Uncle Howdy would’ve been a perfect fit for Summer Slam given the history Bray Wyatt has at the PLE getting to see the Wyatt Sicks compete next week is still something to look forward to in a match that will be extremely interesting.
Bronson Reed VS Sheamus
Bronson Reed was looking to finish a match without any drama after having most of his matches in the last few weeks end in a no-contest due to the feud between Pete Dunne and Sheamus. Bronson Reed would face Sheamus one-on-one in a hard-hitting match where Sheamus showed just how good he is by being able to get an advantage over Reed by hitting White Noise off the top rope and then hitting Reed with the Ten Beats of the Battering. At this Bronson Reed would get stuck in the ropes distracting the referee which allowed Pete Dunne to attack Sheamus taking him out. Bronson Reed would be able to free himself to see an unconscious Sheamus who he would use the Tsunami on and get the Pin. Once again, we see the feud between Sheamus and Pete Dunne progress and we see the growth of Pete Dunne as he runs havoc on both Raw and NXT.
Karrion Kross VS Xavier Woods
Once again Karrion Kross would continue in his efforts to recruit Xavier Woods to the Final Testament. Before their match started Kross would grab a microphone and ask Woods if he really believed that Kofi Kingston had reaggravated his shoulder injury or if he just didn’t want to be out with Woods tonight. He would also ask Woods to tell Kofi that he should’ve retired after he lost the WWE Championship in six seconds. Xavier Woods was done listening and would take out Karrion Kross with a series of offence that lasted until after the break when Karrion Kross had regained control of the match. With some help from the AOP Kross was able to squash any attempts Xavier Woods made at a comeback as Kross would win the match while continuing to get in Woods’s head about leaving the New Day.
Sami Zayn Vs Dominic Mysterio
This was a strong match where Dominic Mysterio once again showed how much he is improving in the ring and that he can hang with main event talent such as Sami Zayn. Dominic would start the match fast and go after Sami Zayn gaining an advantage in the first half of the match until Sami was able to turn it around. As Sami started to gain momentum Carlito and JD McDonough would come out to help Dom and cause a disqualification by breaking up a pin. A brawl would break out as Jey Uso would run to the aid of Sami taking out the Judgement Day. As Sami was alone in the ring Bron Breakker would once again attack Sami from behind but this time Sami wouldn’t take it fighting back against both of Bron Breakker’s attempts as Sami would be the one left standing before their match this weekend at Summer Slam.
Other Highlights:
- Liv Morgan burns all of Dominic Mysterio’s things while Rhea Ripley says she’s ready to do whatever it takes to win at Summer Slam
- Jey Uso defeated Carlito as Carlito tried to prove himself to the Judgement Day
- Shayna Basler, Sonya Deville and Zoe Stark attack Zelina backstage and then defeat Lyra Valkyria, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance in a match as Damage CTRL would return to RAW
Finn Balor VS Gunther (Main Event)
Finn Balor would go after Gunther in the main event after what Gunther said about Damian Priest and the Judgement Day last week. The match was great as both Gunther and Finn would go back and forth constantly throughout the match with Gunther continuously going for a choker hold to try and slow Finn down. Finn would keep fighting his way through with multiple attempts of taking out Gunther but eventually, Gunther would lock in the choke hold causing Finn to pass out ending the match. Gunther wasn’t done there as he wanted Damian Priest so he would continue to choke Finn after the match. Damian Priest would take the bait and come to Finn Balor’s aid although Gunther wasn’t prepared for the intensity that Priest brought as he would take Gunther out as Damian would once again come out on top in a brawl between the two. This match showed that Gunther has the potential to become the next World Heavyweight Champion while also showing how dominant Priest is at the moment making the match at Summer Slam extremely unpredictable.
Raw would have some great matches tonight and storyline progression, especially with the Wyatt Sicks and the new Alpha Academy. We also had a great build into Summer Slam with Drew McIntyre seeming like he is ready to end the career of CM Punk and similarly, we see Judgement Day members Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest prepare to end the careers of their Summer Slam opponents. Summer Slam is looking like it will be a great show leading to a great Raw where all the fallout will be covered.
Barrett Bannon, lives in the ACT and a current sports media student at the University of Canberra. Trying to get a start in the world of Professional Wrestling after falling in love with it at last years Royal Rumble and never looking back. I’ll be posting the weekly Tuesday morning Raw highlights and I’m ready to talk about all things WWE.
