Monday Night Raw Review - August 8, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Asuka Brawled with Bayley, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY

This was the second straight week that the women opened the show, and that's no coincidence with Triple H now in charge if you watched NXT when the women's division was at its peak under his watch. That isn't to say Vince McMahon completely neglected the division, but it's definitely been much more interesting since Triple H took over. We got some good mic work here and the crowd was hot for the brawl. The six-woman tag team match was also made official for Clash at the Castle. I was worried they might give that away on an upcoming episode of Raw, so I was happy to hear that.

Seth Rollins def. Angelo Dawkins

This stemmed from Rollins beating Montez Ford last week. This didn't reach the same gear that Rollins vs. Ford did, but it was another super solid effort. I thought Dawkins had a strong showing and was made to look credible in defeat. We found out later in the show that Riddle will be back next week for an "exclusive interview," so that rivalry will resume and lead to them finally facing off at Clash at the Castle.

Kevin Owens def. Ezekiel by Referee Stoppage

I loved absolutely everything about this. I was disappointed we didn't get a proper conclusion to this story when Owens had to take time off, but this was the perfect way to end it. Owens wasted no time in obliterating Ezekiel and attacking him at ringside like he would his opponents in NXT. That gives me hope he'll be pushed going forward as an aggressive badass like he was years ago. This should be how the Ezekiel character is written off as well.

Finn Balor def. Rey Mysterio

Like I said a few weeks ago when they faced off for the first time one-on-one, it's a shame this match doesn't mean more with how poorly booked Balor has been as a heel. They once again had a quality contest and Balor winning was the right call. Rhea Ripley continuing to beat the hell out of Dominik Mysterio is the best part of this angle. In the pre-match promo, Damian Priest challenged Edge to a match in Toronto in two weeks, which will be a really cool attraction.

Dakota Kai and IYO SKY def. 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke and Tamina in a WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Sadly, the 24/7 Championship is still a thing, so hopefully it isn't long before Triple H realizes it's useless and should be thrown in the trash (and stay there). This was fairly competitive with Brooke and Tamina scoring more offense than I thought they would and arguably should have. I understand they're established, but Kai and SKY should have been more dominant in their first match as a team. I have no doubt that Kai and SKY are winning the whole thing.

United States Champion Bobby Lashley def. Ciampa

I was a bit bummed this didn't close out the show considering it was what I was most excited for (in addition to all of the Johnny Gargano speculation), but I understand it had to happen this way to set up The Miz vs. AJ Styles in the main event. Ciampa and Lashley had a terrific match with a hot closing stretch. Triple H being so high on Ciampa made a lot of those nearfalls believable, but in the end, Lashley retained as he should have. The U.S. title has felt more important in the past two weeks than it has in seven years.

Omos def. Andrea Guercio and Spencer Slade in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

Interestingly, we haven't seen Omos on Raw since the Triple H era began. He's one of those guys who I don't think will be pushed as hard with Triple H in charge of creative, but I could be wrong. I mean, he did appear here, but it was for a standard squash and not to kick off any sort of a program. This was what it needed to be, but I still don't care much about Omos since he isn't very good. Honestly, I'd rather see his television time dedicated to either Veer Mahaan or T-Bar/Dominik Dijakovic.

Dolph Ziggler def. Chad Gable

Ziggler teamed up with AJ Styles two weeks ago to beat Alpha Academy and they were also involved in a Triple Threat together with Ciampa last week, so that was the reason behind this bout. Although we haven't seen any progression in the feud between Ziggler and Theory in a few weeks, I think that's because Theory was busy heading into SummerSlam and has been off TV since then due to a death in the family, so I assume they'll pick up with it when Theory returns. Ziggler scored the rare hometown win and it was a well-wrestled affair, but I can't say I blame the crowd for sitting on their hands for this seeing as how Ziggler has been so creatively damaged over the years.

AJ Styles def. The Miz in a No Disqualification Match

Obviously, both guys are stars, but this felt like an odd match to put in the main event spot. This has been a mediocre midcard feud for the past two months and I'm ready for them (specifically Styles) to move on to something more meaningful. That said, they made the most of the time they had and produced an entertaining main event. Styles winning would have been a fine ending to the episode, but Dexter Lumis attempting to rush the ring before being ejected by security was a much cooler cliffhanger and it was shot perfectly. I'm guessing it ties into the car crash backstage from earlier in the evening. Either way, they've captured my attention. 

Overall Show

This was another thumbs-up edition of Raw despite not being as hot as last week. The return of Lumis and the mysterious car crash were the highlights of the night as those will be what leave people talking and looking forward to next week, but we again got above-average wrestling and that United States Championship clash was the best bout of the night. As I said with SmackDown, this wasn't a drastically different show than what we were getting previously, but the changes are subtle and noticeable and they're making the three hours significantly more bearable. I remain optimistic about the future of the red brand and the main roster on the whole with Triple H now calling the shots.

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