Monday Night Raw Review - June 14, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Nikki Cross def. Charlotte Flair by Count-Out

This was more of a match than their Beat the Clock Challenge a few weeks ago but still too short to be anything out of the ordinary. What we got from them was decent, but you had to know Rhea Ripley was going to get involved eventually and that's exactly what happened. The count-out win for Cross was weak. I'm not even saying she should have pinned Flair, but these wins aren't helping her whatsoever because of how fluky they've been. Flair and Ripley losing constantly going into Hell in a Cell is just bizarre booking.

John Morrison def. Jeff Hardy

It's crazy to think that these two were trading the Intercontinental Championship back and forth 15 years ago on Raw, and they still have quality chemistry together to this day. This was the expected good match from them. It's nice that Morrison will be branching out into singles competition while The Miz is out hurt, but I'd actually like to see Miz take time off and come back feeling fresh again. It's high time Morrison actually got used on his own as the stuff with Miz ran its course a while ago.

Jeff Hardy def. Cedric Alexander

Alexander came out during Morrison vs. Hardy, and following Hardy's loss, he cut a promo about how Hardy taunted him after beating him the week prior. Hardy challenged him to an impromptu match where he said he'd retire if he lost, which he obviously didn't. It was a random stipulation, but clearly WWE did it to hook viewers going into the commercial break. It was a brief bout but fun while it lasted. Losing to Hardy two weeks in a row doesn't exactly do Alexander any favors, but at least Hardy is finally winning again.

Piper Niven def. Naomi

There were rumors that Eva was going to have a bodyguard of sorts upon returning to Raw, and I'm happy they went with Piper Niven in the role over Mercedes Martinez. There's more Martinez can do in NXT, while Niven clearly hit a wall in NXT UK and this can be a huge opportunity for her. Eva was originally scheduled to face Naomi, but Niven filled in her for instead. Niven squashed Naomi with ease and came off dominant. Too bad for Naomi. Niven's name will be changed as the commentators pretended like they didn't know who he was (which was incredibly stupid), but I'm referring to her as Piper Niven until they come up with something officially.

Randy Orton and Riddle def. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)

This has been built up for over a month now, so I'm glad they got as much time as they did. This was great stuff. Say what you will about New Day and their tired act, but there's a reason they've managed to remain relevant for almost seven years and work well with just about everyone. As for R-K-Bro, they've been terrific together and their matches are always enjoyable. The finish was excellently executed and R-K-Bro winning was the right result as they continue their match toward the tag titles. My only complaint is that I probably would have saved this for Hell in a Cell on Sunday.

Raw Women's Champion Rhea Ripley def. Asuka (Non-Title)

This was the four singles match these two have had in two months. That's not counting the many tag team matches they've had along the way, in addition to the Triple Threat from WrestleMania Backlash. In other words, WWE has killed Ripley vs. Asuka dead, no matter how well wrestled their matches are. I'd suggest taking Asuka off TV for a bit to give her a break, but the division is so thin that I don't think that's possible right now. Thankfully, this had a clean finish, but from a storyline standpoint, why wouldn't Flair interfere when Ripley interfered in her match earlier in the evening? The build to the Raw Women's Championship matchup at Hell in a Cell has been atrocious over the last month, but their brawl here was a fine final effort to get people to care.

Alexa Bliss def. Nia Jax by Disqualification

I had no desire to see this match in the first place, simply because Jax is abysmal and Bliss' current character is getting worse by the week, but I appreciated that it was fairly straightforward for the most part. It was more competitive than I thought it would be and there weren't many (if any) supernatural shenanigans at all. Thankfully, Lily was nowhere to b seen. Reginald running in for the disqualification finish was lame, if only because it reminded me that Reginald is still a character on the show. The Lily stuff is getting to be unbearable, but if Bliss can somehow make Reginald disappear, it all would've been worthwhile.

Jaxson Ryker def. Elias by Count-Out

How anybody could give a shit about this feud, I have no idea. Elias feels like he's hit his ceiling as a character while I don't envision Ryker getting over as a babyface. The only benefit to putting them together is that it makes it easier for viewers to skip through their segments. This was total throwaway and the worst part was that it ended the exact same way their match last week did. Can Ryker please pin Elias so the rivalry can wrap up and they can go back to being regulars on Main Event?

Drew McIntyre def. AJ Styles by Disqualification; McIntyre and The Viking Raiders def. WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and Raw Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos

McIntyre vs. Styles is one of the few marquee matches Raw hasn't run into the ground yet, so that was a plus. It was going great up until the interference, which then set up the six-man tag team match. That was also entertaining. Both bouts were given plenty of time and took up the last half hour of the show, so at least it was time well spent. There's still a chance McIntyre regains the WWE Championship on Sunday, but the fact he pinned Lashley here hopefully means that won't be the case. Booking 101 tells me that McIntyre got his moment over Lashley in this matchup because he isn't getting it at the pay-per-view. Lashley retaining is the right call, anyway.

Overall Show

I didn't realize until well after the show ended that there were four women's matches sprinkled throughout the night, as well as a brief segment in the back with Natalya, Tamina, Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke. That's a big step up for the women and hopefully they can continue to get more television time going forward. The rest of Raw was perfectly solid, and as a go-home show, it managed to get me slightly more interested in Ripley vs. Flair and McIntyre vs. Lashley than I was previously. Similar to a few weeks ago, this show filled the three hours well with above-average action and it was much less of a chore to sit through than usual as a result. I honestly don't have many complaints this week.

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