Monday Night Raw Review - July 17, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Miz-tourage Attacked Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins

My biggest criticism of Ambrose for years (and even Rollins in recent months) is that we don't know much about him other than he's been called crazy a bunch of times. He was out for revenge (coincidentally on Rollins) following the split of The Shield three years ago, but that was the last time his character was truly motivated. Here, they were able to explain why Ambrose doesn't trust Rollins and you can't blame him from a storyline standpoint. Their exchange was excellent and I like how they're not rushing into a full-blown Shield reunion. The attack put heat on the heels, though I was left wondering where Roman Reigns was to make the save. What a bad friend.

Bayley def. Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss (Non-title)

Bad promos and terrible stipulations aside, Bayley and Bliss work well together, so I was glad they had a chance to show off their good chemistry for a change. Nia Jax's presence at ringside made the outcome pretty predictable, but it was effective in building toward the rumored Fatal 4-Way for the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam, hence why Bayley beat Bliss here.

Mustafa Ali and Gentleman Jack Gallagher def. Drew Gulak and The Brian Kendrick

First and foremost, it should be noted that the ropes were not taped purple for a change, nor was the Cruiserweight logo on the ring mat. I'm not sure if that's the first time that's happened since the dawn of the division, but I just noticed it and I'm glad they're taking steps in not making them seem so isolated from the rest of the roster. The match itself was unsurprisingly flat, but it did further the two feuds involved ahead of Ali vs. Gulak 2-out-of-3 Falls match on 205 Live.

Big Cass Attacked Big Show and Enzo Amore

Breaking away from Cass might have been the best thing for Enzo considering his mic work has been significantly better lately than it has been in some time. Obviously, based off his promo and what happened afterward, his rivalry with Cass is not yet over. It looked like we would get Cass vs. Show here, but I'm happy we didn't because it can be saved for SummerSlam. Having Cass lay out both babyfaces was wise in allowing him to bounce back from last week's ambush.

Finn Balor def. Elias Samson by Disqualification

Balor beat Samson as clean as a sheet last week, so what was the point of holding a rematch? I don't think anyone was clamoring for Balor vs. Samson Part 2, even if their initial outing was decent. There was a bit more intensity in this bout and Samson held his own, but I'm ready for Balor to move onto something more meaningful. Thankfully, it appears we're headed in that direction with this Bray Wyatt program. By the way, Samson's guitar shot to the head of Balor looked nasty.

Ariya Daivari def. Akira Tozawa by Referee Stoppage

Similar to Balor vs. Samson, no one was asking for another match between Tozawa and Daivari following their short-lived affair on last week's 205 Live. Setting the bout up via a backstage segment earlier in the evening was a refreshing change of pace, but that didn't make the match any more enjoyable. Then came the finish, which saw Daivari actually emerge victorious by referee stoppage. Sure, it was better than pinning him, but having the No. 1 contender to the Cruiserweight Championship lose at all is beyond stupid.

Raw General Manager Kurt Angle Revealed Jason Jordan Is His Son

This storyline has been built up for months and months, so it was going to be tough to deliver a payoff that wasn't underwhelming. Well, I'm not exactly sure what to make of this turn of events. As soon as Angle said he had a love child, I assumed it was Chad Gable (which would make more sense), so Jason Jordan was a bit of a shock. I'm not complaining and it could lead to a big push for him, but I'm intrigued to see what happens and if it turns out to be a ruse (maybe Gable was the real son all along?).

The Revival def. The Hardy Boyz

I've been anxiously anticipating this match for a while and I'm actually slightly surprised their first-ever encounter was given away for free on Raw without being advertised in advance before the show started. Sure enough, they did not disappoint in producing an above-average match where the final few minutes were excellent. The Revival scoring the fluky victory by resorting to underhanded tactics was well done, meaning the build to the Hardys becoming "broken" continues.

Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe Fought to a No Contest in a Universal Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

Joe and Reigns have great chemistry as opponents and they once again put forth a hell of an effort in this main event matchup. The crowd was hot throughout the bout thanks to the high stakes and they popped huge when Braun Strowman's music hit. That was what needed to happen in order to set up what I want to see at SummerSlam: a Fatal 4-Way for the Universal Championship. As I've said before, Strowman attacking Reigns will never not be a treat.

Overall Show

This entire edition of Raw had been built around Angle's announcement and the main event, and thankfully, both were newsworthy for different reasons. Angle revealing Jordan as his son got people talking while the main event was awesome and ended the evening on a high note. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Revival was also entertaining, but the rest of the show was ho-hum. Then again, SummerSlam isn't for another five weeks, so there is plenty of time for the card to take shape, not to mention three big bouts are on tap for next week (Balor vs. Samson in a No Disqualification match, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks, and The Miz-tourage vs. Ambrose and Rollins).