Monday Night Raw Review - May 30, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch and Asuka Brawled; Belair def. Asuka (Non-Title)

Lynch referenced her history with Asuka from two years ago when she practically handed her the Raw Women's Championship and attempted to tell the story that the fans turned her heel (which they didn't) before Asuka came out and cut the same rambling promo we always hear from her. It's not her fault, though. This character of hers is just so damn annoying. The subsequent match between Belair and Asuka was a vast improvement over their original encounter from a few weeks ago, which I realize isn't saying much considering that was only a few minutes long. It was very well wrestled and it was refreshing that we got a clean finish for a change.

Ezekiel and The Mysterios def. Kevin Owens and Alpha Academy

I thought we might see The Mysterios team up with Mustafa Ali to take on Veer Mahan (who they're feuding with), Austin Theory and The Miz, but maybe that made too much sense. In all seriousness, this was an entertaining six-man tag team affair. Everyone played their roles well and the crowd was especially hot for The Mysterios. Ezekiel continues to build momentum with another win.

Cody Rhodes and Seth "Freakin" Rollins Brawled

We've heard a lot from Rhodes and Rollins since they started feuding nearly two months ago, yet they still delivered new material in their respective promos here, specifically Rollins. The talk about Rhodes leaving and attempting to build an empire and it not working was an excellent line from Rollins. I was disappointed they hadn't alluded to AEW at all prior to this seeing as how it's a crucial part of Rhodes' story, so I was happy to hear that. The brawl was also well done. This is easily the most anticipated match on the entire Hell in a Cell card.

Alexa Bliss def. Doudrop

Doudrop teased taking Nikki A.S.H. in a more serious direction a few weeks ago, but there was never any follow-up, possibly due to Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out changing plans involving the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. That's a shame because Nikki in particular is long overdue for a gimmick overhaul, and Doudrop could use a name change. At any rate, Bliss just keeps winning. There wasn't much to the match, but it was fine while it lasted.

The Miz Hosted Miz TV with The Street Profits; Akira Tozawa Left as 24/7 Champion

This whole segment was very random but not entirely awful. I actually enjoyed what we got from Miz and Street Profits as I thought they played off each other well and had some funny moments, even though it was obvious it existed solely to promote next week's season premiere of Miz & Mrs. after Raw. The 24/7 Championship crap was pointless per usual and no different what we've gotten from those folks before. Trash the title, please.

Mustafa Ali def. Ciampa by Disqualification; United States Champion Theory def. Ali

Ciampa's issues with Ali have been completely overshadowed by Ali's issues with The Miz and Theory over the last month. Have we even heard from him speak on Raw aside from his first appearance in April? Ali and Ciampa were having a quality contest before the interference, and then Ali vs. Theory was short-lived. Adam Pearce announced afterward that Ali will again challenge Theory at Hell in a Cell in his hometown of Chicago, so hopefully that's more of a fair fight and they get much more time.

Riddle and Shinsuke Nakamura def. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos by Disqualification in a Championship Contender's Match

This came together last Friday on SmackDown when Riddle and Nakamura joined forces after The Bloodline took out their respective partners. This as well-wrestled as you'd expect with a great pace, but I wasn't fond of the non-finish at all, especially after we already got one in Ali vs. Ciampa right before this. I guess it's better than The Usos taking an unnecessary loss, but I wish number one contender's matches were still a thing so Riddle and Nakamura earned a title shot that way. I assume we get that championship clash at Hell in a Cell, but nothing has been made official yet.

Liv Morgan def. Rhea Ripley

Honestly, I don't hate Ripley's new entrance. Granted, there wasn't anything wrong with her previous entrance, but I can understand them wanting to change it now that she's heel. The match itself was a bit more competitive than what we got from them a few weeks ago and was mostly solid. Morgan's three count on Ripley looked off at the end, but I have no issue with her winning considering she's done nothing but lose lately. The babyfaces needed to get the better of the heels this week, and now Judgement Day can win the six-man tag team match at Hell in a Cell.

Bobby Lashley Stood Tall Over Omos and MVP After Signing the Contract for Their Handicap Match at Hell in a Cell

While not a terrible segment, this had no business going on last compared to some of the other stuff we got on this show. I assume that's because of an important sports game that was also on tonight, but either way, it made for a lackluster show-closing angle. Lashley and MVP didn't have much time to speak and the brawl was basic. I'm ready for this feud to be over and hopefully a Lashley win on Sunday will accomplish that.

Overall Show

Similar to WrestleMania Backlash earlier this month, Hell in a Cell has little to no buzz heading into Sunday, and also like WrestleMania Backlash, that's a shame because the card has potential on paper. It could end up exceeding expectations, but Raw has definitely taken a dip in quality in the meantime. People are going to make the excuse that this was a holiday show and that's why not a ton of effort was put into it. That's understandable to an extent, but for a pay-per-view go-home show, this should have been better. It started out strong I thought, but the ending was lame and a lot of what we got in the middle was pretty pedestrian stuff aside from the Rhodes and Rollins brawl.

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