[WWE 2023] Ragnarok And Revolutionize

Monday -- Week 4 -- July 2023

LIVE! from Cincinnati, OH

- The show opens with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Cody Rhodes coming down to the ring. He admits AJ Styles took him to the limit and probably should have beaten him at Payback if not for Bray Wyatt. Cody says he intends to give AJ a rematch at SummerSlam but first -- he wants to get his belt back. He calls out Bray and demands Bray do the right thing and hand over the World Heavyweight Championship. Bray comes out and tells Cody that he's not going to just hand the belt back. Cody is going to have to earn it. Bray challenges Cody to a match at SummerSlam but Cody says Bray doesn't deserve it -- AJ does. Bray says AJ isn't going to be competing any time soon and then we get a shot of the backstage area where he thinks AJ and the Good Brothers have been attacked but instead the Wyatt Family is laying on the ground and AJ and the Good Brothers come out onto the stage with a chair, a pipe, and a crowbar. Cody says Bray is too predictable -- they all knew what was coming so they set a trap. AJ comes down to the ring and tells Bray to give the belt back to Cody. Bray drops the belt but when Cody goes to pick it up he kicks Cody in the face and then brawls with AJ. Bray hits Sister Abigail on AJ, grabs the belt and runs through the crowd. | 86

- Backstage Cathy Kelley interviews Becky Lynch and Tegan Nox. Becky says they're ready for their Women's Tag Team title match tonight. Tegan says she's never been more prepared for a match and promises to have gold around her waist by the end of the show tonight. | 75

- Dominik Mysterio defeated Rick Boogs by pinfall in 10:14. A pretty good back-and-forth match where Boogs uses his strength to toss Dom around the ring for a while. Eventually Boogs has Dom up for a gorilla press slam but Dom rakes the eyes and takes over. Dom undoes the middle turnbuckle and gets a drop toe hold that sends Boogs face-first into the exposed turnbuckle and Dom rolls Boogs up and puts his feet on the ropes for added leverage as he gets the pinfall victory. | 65

- A video recapping the Rhea Ripley/Bianca BelAir feud is shown. It finishes with Bianca winning the #1 contender match at Payback and Rhea staring her down from the entrance way. | 75

- Bianca BelAir beat Blair Davenport in 11:25. I was surprised that they gave Davenport so much offense. She was allowed to look like she belongs in the ring with Bianca but eventually BelAir's talent became too much to overcome and she won clean following the KOD. | 67

- After the match, Rhea Ripley attacks Bianca as she makes her way to the back. Rhea hits the Riptide onto the arena floor at the entrance way. | 70

- A backstage promo from Karrion Kross and Scarlett is next. Kross taunts Randy Orton, who Kross says is probably at home watching this with his arm in a sling. Kross says that when Orton comes back he'll be happy to put Orton out of his misery. | 54

- Cody Rhodes is in Mick Foley's office. He asks Foley to grant him the rematch against AJ Styles. Foley commends Cody for having principles and says that you never see a champion ask for a rematch like this. Foley then says that next week Raw returns to Long Island, NY -- Foley's home -- so Foley wants to make Raw as big as it can possibly be. Foley books Cody in a non-title match against Karrion Kross and then books AJ Styles versus Bray Wyatt in a #1 contender match where the winner will face Cody at SummerSlam. | 79

- Edge makes a surprise return and comes to the ring to make a big announcement. He reminds us that SummerSlam this year will emanate from his hometown of Toronto, Ontario. Edge says he doesn't know how many more times he's going to get to wrestle in front of his hometown crowd and he doesn't know how many more times he'll get to be a major attraction in a big main event match at SummerSlam. So he's announcing tonight that he will be in action at SummerSlam. But he needs an opponent. Edge says there is a ton of amazing young talent on both Raw and SmackDown and that he probably can't go wrong in picking someone. But Edge says this is a great opportunity for someone to make their name by competing against a WWE Hall Of Famer at one of the biggest events of the year. Austin Theory interrupts. He comes to the ring by himself with the US Title around his waist. Theory gets in the ring and walks right up to Edge. Theory says that if anyone should get this match, it's him. He's young, he's amazingly talented, and yet for some reason he is often overlooked by the guys in charge and by the fans. Theory says if he beats Edge, he'll never be overlooked again. Suddenly Drew McIntyre comes out and he makes fun of Theory. Drew tells Edge that he wants the match. Edge is excited about the idea of getting his ass kicked by Drew McIntyre. Theory again interrupts and trio bring it back to him until LA Knight interrupts. LA wants the match with Edge. He rightfully points out that he doesn't have the resume of either Theory or McIntyre but if Edge wants an opponent who can help talk people into the building LA's his guy. Edge says he's very torn. Theory has the youth and the hunger he's looking for, McIntyre is the big bad ass who would be so much fun to wrestle, and Knight is the guy who Edge is confident can rise up to the moment and make the match bigger than it would be otherwise. Theory yells at Edge to snap out of it and pick someone. But Edge has another idea. He says Raw GM Mick Foley told him earlier that he will support any decision Edge makes "...so what the hell, let's do it..." Edge says before booking a triple threat match next week on Raw where Edge promises to face the winner at SummerSlam. | 82

- Chelsea Green pinned Liv Morgan at 12:13 after hitting Morgan with an implant ddt after pulling the referee in front of Morgan when she attempted a move. Morgan stopped to avoid hitting the referee and Chelsea took advantage by kicking her in the midsection. | 71

- WWE World Tag Team Champions Seth Freakin' Rollins & Logan Paul are entering the arena when Byron Saxton approaches them for an interview. Before the interview can begin the champs walk right into Judgment Day who were seemingly waiting for them. Finn Balor and Damian Priest confront the champs and we get an argument and the two teams agree to meet tonight in a non-title match. | 82

- Matt Cardona beat Drew Gulak by pinfall in 12:58. | 70

- Tommaso Ciampa cuts a backstage promo showing that he now has both shoulders wrapped up. He addresses his injury history and says that this is a setback for him but far from the end. When his rehab is over he'll be back in the ring kicking ass. Until then -- you just never known where he'll turn up. | 72

- Next is a replay of footage first shown on WWE.COM where Maxxine Dupri was seen flirting with Tyler Breeze. Breeze, against his better judgment, follow Maxxine around the corner where he gets jumped by Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo until Mace and Mansoor make the save. | 50

- Becky Lynch & Tegan Nox defeated Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai by pinfall to win the WWE World Women's Tag Team Championship in 23:09 when Nox pinned Kai following a tremendous back-and-forth match. The finish came when Nox hit Dakota Kai with a Shining Wizard and covered her but Bayley had the official distracted. Iyo Sky went up to the top rope and went to hit a moonsault on Nox when Becky shoved Sky off the top rope. Becky then grabbed Bayley's legs and pulled her off the apron. Becky hit Bayley with a Manhandle Slam on the outside. Inside the ring, Tegan Nox hit running knee on Dakota and then covered her for the pinfall. | 77

- Bray Wyatt cuts a spooky backstage promo on AJ Styles. He promises to not only beat AJ but to take his spirit. He says that when he's done with AJ, AJ will just be a shell of himself and won't have the desire to even compete anymore. | 74

- WWE World Tag Team Champions Seth "Freakin'" Rollins & Logan Paul beat Finn Balor & Damian Priest by pinfall to retain the titles at 18:24. The match ends after Rollins hits a superplex on Balor and Paul hits a big splash from the top, allowing Seth to pin Balor. Priest was taken out moments earlier by a chairshot from Logan Paul. | 67

- After the match is over, Rollins and Paul are celebrating as they head up the ramp. They're jumped from behind by the Street Profits. The show goes off the air with the Profits chasing Rollins and Paul into the crowd. | 78