Monday Night Raw Review - June 26, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Cody Rhodes Confronted The Judgment Day

Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley were out in the ring to start the show and talk their usual trash before Rhodes interrupted. Rhodes taunted Mysterio and told him to take a shot, but Mysterio and Ripley opted to walk off instead. It was a pretty simple segment heading into their match at Money in the Bank. It wasn't significant by any means, so I don't know why this opened the show other than Mysterio and Rhodes both being very over.

Ricochet def. Shinsuke Nakamura

This was a rematch from Raw three weeks ago. Bronson Reed was at ringside, but thankfully, he didn't factor into the finish this time. For the most part, this was a straightforward singles match and it was a lot of fun. It was served as a small preview of what we can expect from both guys in the men's Money in the Bank Ladder match coming up on Saturday. Ricochet winning and picking up a momentum boost was a pleasant surprise, even though he's the least likeliest person to capture the briefcase.

WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Ronda Rousey def. Raquel Rodriguez

Rousey and Rodriguez had two above-average matches for the SmackDown Women's Championship last year, but this didn't have a chance to be anywhere near as good due to them getting so little time. It was so rushed that it was hard to care. It was designed to hype the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match at Money in the Bank and it did a fine job of that, but I wish they would have taken their time to build it up more.

World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins Thwarted Finn Balor's Attack

I loved the video package that aired for Balor beforehand featuring the footage of Rollins injuring him at SummerSlam 2016, and this was a strong promo from Rollins. Balor still doesn't feel like a genuine threat to Rollins at Money in the Bank, but I appreciate the recent attempts, nonetheless. This was an effective angle to further their feud and Carmelo Hayes' involvement from the front 

Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Miz Went to a No Contest

Ciampa beat Miz in a matter of a minutes last week, so I don't know why a rematch was necessary. Worse yet, Miz attacked Ciampa before the bell here, so the rematch didn't happen and it looks like they'll be feuding going forward. I have absolutely no desire to see that given how badly booked Miz has been this year. Why not have Ciampa move on to something more meaningful? How long before we can get him and Johnny Gargano back together?

Dominik Mysterio def. Adam Pearce

Mysterio told Pearce after the opening segment that he'd wrestle on this show against a handpicked opponent. The fact he chose Tozawa was hardly surprising. He was an easy opponent for Mysterio to beat and get more heat in doing so. I remain convinced Mysterio is beating Rhodes following a distraction/interference from Brock Lesnar to set up that rubber match for SummerSlam.

Becky Lynch Stood Tall in the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match Summit 

This was similar to last week's segment with the men's Money in the Bank combatants in that everyone had time to talk about why they want to win the briefcase. No one promo in particular stood out, but it was solid stuff. Lynch posing with the briefcase at the end should mean that she isn't winning on Saturday. IYO SKY is my personal pick, but Zoey Stark would be a logical choice as well. Trish Stratus, Lynch and Bayley don't need it and I don't see Zelina Vega on that level.

Intercontinental Champion Gunther def. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Sami Zayn (Non-Title)

I had no issue with Gunther vs. Kevin Owens happening as an impromptu match a few weeks ago, but in my opinion, Gunther vs. Zayn can be an awesome feud at some point and I would have held off on their first-ever one-on-one encounter for down the road. That said, this was a hell of a match. The crowd was hot for all of the action and there were some super suspenseful nearfalls down the stretch. Zayn, Owens and Gunther have really been the MVPs of Raw in recent weeks. Gunther vs. Matt Riddle for the Intercontinental Championship is now official for Money in the Bank and I'm looking forward to it.

Finn Balor def. NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes (Non-Title)

From his appearance in the crowd earlier to a backstage interview to profile package to this match, Hayes was all over this episode and rightfully so. The guy is great and deserves to be spotlighted on the big stage, especially since a main roster call-up is coming for him sooner rather than later. As expected, these two had a very entertaining match. I'm not fond on Hayes losing a non-title, but he had a chance to shine and look credible in defeat against the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship.

Cody Rhodes def. Damian Priest

More should have been done to hype this match up throughout the show to make it feel more important. This was basically billed as Rhodes' big homecoming in Georgia and that's a worthy hook for the audience in attendance, but what about everyone else watching from home? Without any stakes, it was a fairly standard match, but it was well wrestled and closed the show on a nice note. By the way, don't count out Priest as a potential candidate to become Mr. Money in the Bank.

Overall Show

As a go-home show, this wasn't an amazing effort as I can't say I'm any more excited for Money in the Bank than I was previously. Then again, the card essentially sells itself and Gunther vs. Riddle is a welcome addition. This would have been much better as a two-hour show, but it still ended up being an enjoyable episode on the whole thanks to the three top-notch matches in the last 90 minutes.

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