Monday Night Raw Review - July 10, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins Interrupted The Judgment Day

Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio attempted to calm down Finn Balor after he complained about Damian Priest to start the segment, so the Judgment Day dissension continues. Rollins played his role well as the instigator, even though I'd like to see him more serious at some point. His current character has become incredibly obnoxious. This was a fairly standard segment on the whole, but it did hype Rollins vs. Mysterio for later on in the show.

Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle def. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci)

The outcome was never in doubt, but this was a fun tag team match, regardless. Imperium are obviously a quality team and McIntyre and Riddle worked well together as partners. It was nice return to the ring for McIntyre as he heads into SummerSlam to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. Gunther and Kaiser teasing tension with Vinci afterward was interesting, though. Hopefully the idea isn't to break up Imperium again.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens Saved World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins From The Judgment Day

This is where Rollins vs. Mysterio was supposed to happen, but all of Judgment Day jumped Rollins before the bell. Owens and Zayn making the save set up the six-man tag team main event for later in the night. This followed the predictable WWE formula (especially after they teased Zayn and Owens having an issue with Judgment Day right beforehand backstage), but it accomplished what it needed to. Plus, the crowd was into the babyfaces.

Ricochet Saved Logan Paul

This may have been the most we've ever heard from Ricochet in one segment, probably ever. And to be honest, I thought he did really well. Obviously, he's never been known as the greatest talker, but he didn't sound overly scripted in this segment and he and Paul fed off of each other nicely. Paul's logic for not wanting to wrestle Ricochet made sense, but Ricochet getting the better of him at ringside might be enough to change his mind. This feud is an excellent use of both guys at SummerSlam and I'm looking forward to the match.

Zoey Stark def. Becky Lynch

WWE has done everything right with Stark so far, and although she still needs to develop as a character (though the pairing with Trish Stratus helps with that), this was a big step in the right direction. She and Lynch had a really good, competitive match and she won on top of that. I was worried she'd lose and look credible in defeat, but she had way more to gain from winning than Lynch did, so that was the right outcome. Will Lynch recruit Lita to even the odds?

The Viking Raiders Crashed Maxxine Dupri's Alpha Academy Graduation Ceremony

Crowds have been hot for the Alpha Academy and Dupri stuff, which has been encouraging. It's made an otherwise average feud with Viking Raiders marginally more interesting. This was fun for what it was. Viking Raiders actually got booed for interrupting it, and I assume the payoff will be Dupri finally putting on the letterman jacket at some point. The two teams will have a Viking Rules match next week.

Shayna Baszler def. Emma

Based on the video package that aired beforehand explaining how this match came to be, it appears Baszler is going back to her Queen of Spades persona, which is a plus. She was at her best in NXT and while I'm hoping we get that Baszler on the main roster going forward, WWE really needs to clearly define who's the babyface and who's the heel in this Baszler vs. Ronda Rousey feud. The crowd was quiet for this squash because they don't have an incentive to cheer for Baszler unless she's in there with Rousey.

Cody Rhodes Challenged Brock Lesnar to a Match at SummerSlam

We've known since Night of Champions that the Lesnar vs. Rhodes rivalry would culminate at SummerSlam, but I haven't had much interest in the rubber match because of how repetitive the program has become. Maybe I'm in the minority, but Rhodes sold me on the rubber match with this promo. He delivered it exceptionally well, connected with the crowd, and stated his reasons for why he needs to beat Lesnar. Now we just need to know what stipulation it's going to have.

The Miz def. Tommaso Ciampa in a No Disqualification Match

I didn't have any desire to see this feud continue beyond Ciampa beating Miz in his return match last week, but this was well worked and the crowd enjoyed it. I figured Ciampa would win to put their rivalry to rest, but Bronson Reed getting involved to aid Miz victory was an unexpected twist. I don't hate it because Miz needed a victory and he previously hired Reed to help him beat Dexter Lumis back in December, not to mention that this could be what leads to a DIY reunion.

Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter

Putting this match late in the third hour was basically a death sentence for these four. Mind you, it was never going to be a barn burner, but the crowd was extra tepid as a result of its positioning on the show. It was a brief bout and not all that great, either. This was designed to give Green and Deville a minor momentum boost before they challenge for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship next Monday on Raw.

The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio) def. World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens

The bell rang so close to the end of the show that it was apparent this wasn't going to get much time, which is a shame because this had a ton of talent involved. They made the most of their time and it was entertaining while it lasted, though, even with the various botches and messy moments. Judgment Day getting back on the same page with the win was the right call as WWE can now go in a number of different directions. Do Balor and Priest set their sights on the tag titles? Does that leave Mysterio to face Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam? That's what I would do, even though Dominik is fresh off a loss to Rhodes at Money in the Bank. It's more preferable than Rollins vs. Balor again or Rollins vs. Balor vs. Priest in a Triple Threat.

Overall Show

Despite the tough crowd in Buffalo, I actually liked this show. Keep in mind that I didn't watch live, so the three hours didn't drag too terribly for me. There was more storyline progression toward SummerSlam and some quality in-ring action throughout. I appreciate when they advertise multiple matches and segments in advance and actually follow through on them. This was far from an exciting episode on the whole, but it was solid enough and featured enough stuff that was worthwhile to keep this viewer engaged.

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