Monday Night Raw Review - July 27, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Randy Orton Called Out WWE Champion Drew McIntyre

When it was advertised coming into the show that Orton would be announcing his next target, all signs pointed to it being McIntyre and thus I (and probably everyone else) wasn't surprised when he revealed here that he has his sights set on the WWE Championship. It's the biggest match that can be done over the WWE Championship right now, so I'm in full favor of it. There's a good chance Orton will be the one to take the title from him, too.

Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler Ended in a Double Count-Out

On paper, I didn't have any interest in seeing this match and I still don't, but I am curious what will happen with them coming out of this contest. It felt like it was being teased that they're going to join forces. I really hope that won't be the case as Baszler is better on her own. As for Jax, we oddly haven't seen her on Raw since she injured Charlotte Flair over a month ago and I honestly forgot she'd been gone.

Andrade & Angel Garza def. Ricochet & Cedric Alexander and The Viking Raiders in a Raw Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Triple Threat Tag Team Match

I held out hope that Ricochet and Alexander would pick up the upset victory since they're the only team that hasn't lost to The Street Profits yet, but no such luck. Andrade and Garza are logical contenders to the twin titles at SummerSlam, but then why have them lose to the champions last week in non-title action? Nonetheless, this was a fun Triple Threat from start to finish where there never seemed to be a dull moment. I foresee a title change happening at the pay-per-view.

Dominik Saved Aleister Black From Seth Rollins and Murphy

Rey Mysterio's contractual status with WWE remains unknown, so I was unsure whether Rollins would continue to feud with his son Dominik after Extreme Rules. Well, we found out here that he will be. This was a strong segment with Rollins and Murphy brutally assaulting both Dominik and Black before Dominik battled back with a kendo stick and looked like a total badass in the process. I could've done without Rollins and Murphy trying to blind Black, though. Keep that eye nonsense in the past.

The Hurt Business Hosted The VIP Lounge​ with Mustafa Ali; Bobby Lashley def. Ali

Ali is a much better talker than some give him credit for, so I was happy he had the chance to talk for the first time on TV since coming back last week. The match that followed was great and Ali sold wonderfully for Lashley's offense. My only issue with it was that both guys need wins right now and I hated Ali losing one week after his hot return. This would have been an ideal time for MVP or Shelton Benjamin to interfere so Ali could be protected in defeat, but it's hard to complain about Lashley winning clean.

Sasha Banks def. Asuka by count-Out to Win the Raw Women's Championship

The stipulation stated that the title could change hands via disqualification or count-out so that interference would be limited. I didn't think the match would actually end in a count-out or disqualification, so that was lame. It was the second straight awesome match these two have had that had an unsatisfying conclusion. They were given a ton of time and worked exceptionally well together once again, but I have no interest in seeing a SmackDown Superstar hold a Raw title. Asuka vs. Baszler felt like a lock for SummerSlam a week ago, but no longer. Banks and Bayley are still entertaining as an act, but I have no idea where you go with them from here seeing as how they've practically beaten everyone. This was a weak way for Sane to be written off the show if this was indeed it for her in WWE.

murphy def. Humberto Carrillo

The commentators brought up how Murphy played a hand in the ambush of Carrillo a month ago, but I was left wondering why he waited so long to get revenge. It's not like he's been out "injured," either, as he's been competing on Main Event (and losing to Riddick Moss) in the meantime. This match was perfectly fine and I'm glad Murphy won for a change, but it was a bit odd Carrillo didn't come out to save Dominik or Black earlier in the evening.

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre def. Dolph Ziggler in an Extreme Rules Match (Non-Title)

I could've sworn this was originally advertised as being for the WWE Championship. Otherwise, why would Ziggler want another match with McIntyre? It didn't help that the stipulation was the same as it was at Extreme Rules last weekend, so the fact they didn't go with something different was disappointing. That said, they once again put forth a hell of an effort and utilized the stipulation nicely. That Claymore to Ziggler through the table for the finish as well as Orton's post-match RKO on McIntyre were both super cool looking.

Overall Show

This edition of Raw was a mixed bag. Two SummerSlam matches were made official which I appreciated and most of the matchups on this show delivered. I hated what they did with the ending to the Raw Women's Championship clash, but the match itself was above-average as expected. The good outweighed the bad, but I'm time will tell as to whether the red brand can keep this up in the weeks ahead as SummerSlam approaches. On a side note, I loved the tribute video that aired for Regis Philbin, who passed away at the age of 88 over the weekend. He had a ton of wrestling personalities on his shows over the years and should have been inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame a long time ago.