Monday Night Raw Review - August 26, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The LWO Confronted The Judgment Day; The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio, Carlito and World Tag Team Champions Finn Balor and JD McDonagh) def. The LWO (Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde)

The opening promos from Judgment Day were nothing new, but they did a nice job hyping up the mixed tag team match for Bash in Berlin and Dominik received mega heat from the heat per usual (I was in attendance and I honestly couldn't even hear what he was saying). The subsequent eight-man tag team match was very good and the crowd was into all of the action. Plus, Dominik pinning Rey again gives him another thing to boast about. Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley laying out McDonagh and Carlito afterward was well done.

Damage CTRL (IYO SKY and Kairi Sane) def. Pure Fusion Collective (Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler)

The difference in crowd reaction between the opener and this match was extremely noticeable. Simply put, no one cared. There was nothing technically wrong with the match, but Pure Fusion Collective aren't over and Damage CTRL never had a formal face turn, but the crowd did come alive a little bit when they won. Zelina Vega's "return" (I forgot Pure Fusion Collective took her out a few weeks ago) didn't elicit much of a reaction, either, but it did set up Vega vs. Shayna Baszler for next week.

CM Punk Attacked Drew McIntyre

This was an improvement over last week's segment with McIntyre and Punk. McIntyre cut a better promo and Punk showed excellent intensity while going after McIntyre with the strap. It was basic build for their match at the pay-per-view, but it was effective. It's obvious their feud will last at least until Bad Blood in early October, so I'm curious how they'll be able to keep it fresh and interesting for the next six weeks, regardless of the outcome on Saturday.

Jey Uso def. Karrion Kross and Kofi Kingston in a Triple Threat Match to Qualify for the Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match

Uso was easily the most over person on the entire show. That's despite him having little direction at the moment, but hey, a vast portion of the audience doesn't seem to mind apparently. This was a well-worked Triple Threat, even if the outcome was hardly in doubt. Kross was a fine foil for the two beloved babyfaces and predictably ate the pinfall. That's been his role for almost two years now, so I can't say I'm surprised or even disappointed at this point.

Randy Orton Addressed World Heavyweight Champion Gunther

Gunther was on WWE's overseas tour this past weekend, so he wasn't in the building to interact with Orton again. That didn't end up mattering because Orton cut a compelling promo on his own. He repeated some of the same material from recent weeks, but I loved how he acknowledged his history with the World Heavyweight Championship from the last two decades and why he needs to win it again. This left me looking forward to their World Heavyweight Championship clash (though I was already excited for it to begin with).

Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed Ended in a No Contest

This was the battle of behemoths I hoped it would be. It was slightly slow and plodding at certain points, but there were enough big spots to keep the crowd engaged. Speaking of big spots, that Tsunami splash Reed hit Strowman with on top of the car in the parking lot was an amazing visual. It's why I had no issue with the non-finish and why I hope they build toward a Falls Count Anywhere match soon. WWE has handled Reed's push exceptionally well so far.

Pete Dunne def. The Miz and Xavier Woods in a Triple Threat Match to Qualify for the Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match

This was the better Triple Threat of the two from an in-ring standpoint, yet the crowd was quieter because they didn't have someone as over as Uso involved. Nonetheless, this was fun and they worked a great pace. Dunne advancing made the most sense, especially with Miz and Woods teasing heel turns as of late. Dunne's rival Sheamus will be involved in a qualifier next week, so look for him to advance as well.

Uncle Howdy def. Chad Gable

It's been exactly five years to the day since Bo Dallas last wrestled on Raw. I'm sure that's not a coincidence. I'm glad Howdy didn't go the supernatural Fiend route by no-selling Gable's offense and whatnot. In fact, not only was this competitive, Gable was on offense for a majority of it and the crowd was behind Howdy. The interference at the end from American Made and The Wyatt Sicks was cool (it actually went down right in front of where I was sitting) and Howdy winning was the correct call.

Overall Show

Although Gable vs. Howdy had nothing to do with Bash in Berlin, it was a worthy main event. As a go-home show for the pay-per-view, this edition of Raw was solid stuff (and I'm not just saying that because I was there). There was an ample amount of hype for it as well as the kickoff to the Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament, so the three hours didn't drag. Additionally, props to WWE for putting together that terrific video package for Sycho Sid on such short notice following news breaking of his passing earlier in the day. May he rest in peace.

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