The final Raw before this weekend’s huge Money In The Bank show saw the debut of NXT’s Carmelo Hayes.
The , who is set to defend the gold against Baron Corbin tomorrow night on NXT Gold Rush, made his presence felt on the red brand for the first time on a busy night for The Judgment Day.
Finn Balor appeared in a strong pre-taped promo insisting he’s not the same man that beat Seth Rollins for the Undisputed Title seven years ago before having to relinquish the gold.
He wants to get revenge for that injury, while the current World Heavyweight Champion came out, hyping up Carmelo at ringside before turning his attention to Balor.
He insisted the best version of Rollins will always be better than the best version of Balor, who appeared with as the Visionary avoided a steel chair but got caught up in a brawl.
Carmelo stopped the attack, while we found out that he would face Balor later in the night.
The two stars delivered a strong match as you’d expect, with the fans getting behind the NXT champ as he and overall entertainer.
In the end, Balor picked up the win with a Coup de Gras, continued to stay on a roll before his title match at Money In The Bank in London this weekend, while Melo still looked strong in his Raw debut.
Cody Rhodes beats Damian Priest, Giovanni Vinci returns to help Imperium and more
As ever, Dominik Mysterio – flanked by Rhea Ripley – was met with a chorus of boos as he tried to kick off the show, only for Cody Rhodes to come out to an amazing ovation.
Dom immediately moved to the apron as Rhea stood up to the American Nightmare, who insulted his Money In The Bank opponent and unsuccessfully tried to tempt him into a fight.
The first match of the night was a fantastic clash which saw Ricochet beat Shinsuke Nakamura with Bronson Reed get involved early on, and all three man are delivering in spades at the moment.
Backstage, GUNTHER and Ludwig Kaiser laid out Matt Riddle and accepted his challenge for an Intercontinental Championship match at Money In The Bank, before Ronda Rousey scored a quick but competitive win over Raquel Rodriguez.
Tommaso Ciampa explained his issues with The Miz , and the A-Lister then launched a brutal attack on him as he came out for his first match back.
Dominik Mysterio won against his handpicked opponent Akira Tozawa, with the latter getting in some smooth offence before falling to a Frog Splash.
The Women’s Money In The Bank Summit saw Bayley, Zelina Vega, Trish Stratus, Zoey Stark, Iyo Sky and Becky Lynch trade verbal jabs before this weekend’s match, with a brawl breaking out and the latter standing tall on the ladder.
After the attack on Riddle earlier, Sami Zayn fought GUNTHER in a brilliant match between two talented veterans, with a returning Giovanni Vinci cracking Sami with a crutch to help the Ring General to victory.
Kevin Owens took the fight to Imperium after the bell, with Riddle running down to even the odds and build to this weekend’s IC Title match.
In the main event, Cody Rhodes – who introduced fans to his adorable dog Pharaoh earlier in the evening – battled Damian Priest in a strong main event, getting a sensible win before Dom slipped in a cheap shot before Raw went off the air.
WWE Raw airs Monday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.
WWE Raw results and grades - June 26, 2023
- Ricochet pinned Shinsuke Nakamura (B+)
- Ronda Rousey beat Raquel Rodriguez (B-)
- Dominik Mysterio pinned Akira Tozawa (C+)
- GUNTHER defeated Sami Zayn (A-)
- Finn Balor beat Carmelo Hayes (B+)
- Cody Rhodes defeated Damian Priest (B+)
