Monday Night Raw Review - May 6, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jey Uso def. Finn Balor in a King of the Ring First-Round Match

The entire Judgment Day (sans Rhea Ripley, of course) started the show to patch up their differences from Backlash, but I think it's only a matter of time before tensions boil over. It was announced shortly before Raw went live that Drew McIntyre wasn't cleared to compete (which was probably always the plan if I had to guess), leading to Uso taking his place. They had a good match, but they very much worked a WWE style where they didn't really do anything yet the crowd was hot enough that it didn't matter.

CM Punk Addressed Drew McIntyre

I'd call this a pleasant surprise, but Punk getting "locked in" at WWE Headquarters over the weekend made it pretty clear he was showing up. It was a treat, nonetheless. Granted, he didn't say much we haven't already heard from him, and he didn't end up holding the show hostage as he promised, but the crowd ate up his appearance. It is worth noting that he did tease being at Clash at the Castle, but the question is if he'll be ready to wrestle by then.

IYO SKY def. Natalya in a Queen of the Ring First-Round Match

This was the best of the three women's matches on this show, but I can't blame the crowd for not being overly invested. Yes, I'm biased because I was in attendance, but for as good as this was, it's virtually impossible to care about Natalya in 2024. To her credit, she proved she still has it/never lost it. Both she and SKY had strong showings and had immediate chemistry despite never going one-on-one before.

Ilja Dragunov def. Ricochet in a King of the Ring First-Round Match

Dragunov faced Shinsuke Nakamura on the post-WrestleMania Raw, but this was his first match on Raw as a member of the Raw roster. His official debut couldn't have gone better. He and Ricochet killed it. This was an awesome, awesome matchup that accomplished two things: introduce Dragunov as a force to be reckoned with from the get-go and remind viewers what Ricochet is capable of. Give me Dragunov vs. Gunther in the semifinals!

Zoey Stark def. Ivy Nile in a Queen of the Ring First-Round Match

I was intrigued by this match coming into the show because of their respective styles. They did some impressive stuff, but ultimately, the crowd did not care because neither of them are over. Stark's biggest issue has always been that she lacks personality, but I do think Nile has potential and can get fans behind her if she works with women are actually over. This was perfectly fine, but you could hear a pin drop in the arena.

Chad Gable vs. Bronson Reed Ended in a No Contest

I was worried this would fall flat because both guys are heels, but they made the most of their time and had a fun little match before Sami Zayn interfered and attacked both of them. Keeping it brief was smart, but Zayn looked like an idiot for getting involved and not letting them settle their score. Now he has to defend his Intercontinental Championship against both of them in a Triple Threat at King and Queen of the Ring! I'm not complaining because that should be great.

Liv Morgan and Damage CTRL Interrupted Michael Cole's Interview with Women's World Champion Becky Lynch

Lynch's interview with Cole was solid and I appreciated that she rattled off all the newcomers to the Raw roster. Hopefully she'll work with all of them eventually. Meanwhile, Morgan is basically a heel at this point and she played her role well. I thought we might get Morgan and Lynch vs. Damage CTRL before King and Queen of the Ring, but Morgan bailing on Lynch seems to imply that won't be happening. I'm glad we're getting Lynch vs. Morgan at the pay-per-view.

Lyra Valkyria def. Dakota Kai in a Queen of the Ring First-Round Match

The last segment segued nicely into this match. Having Valkyria make the save for Lynch was smart given their history and it gives Valkyria direction right away. She and Kai had a very well-wrestled match. The crowd was largely quiet, mind you, but Kai did what she could to get a reaction and Valkyira's obviously brand new. Valkyria advancing was the right call. She'll take on Zoey Stark in the quarterfinals next week.

Gunther def. Sheamus in a King of the Ring First-Round Match

They saved the best for last. I loved how they showed highlights of their previous matches from 2022 to make this feel like an even bigger deal. It was every bit as excellent as those other encounters. They beat the holy hell out of each other and had a tremendous main event. There was a small part of me that thought Sheamus might finally get his elusive win over Gunther, but no such luck. Gunther remains the favorite to win the whole thing, especially now that McIntyre's been pulled. Gunther tapping out Sheamus was a cool touch.

Overall Show

Being in the building, I can tell you that the crowd was up and down throughout the night and was nowhere near as electric as Lyon, France at Backlash (I'm not sure any crowd can be, to be fair), but Hartford was loud for the matches that mattered most. Both tournaments are off to a stellar start and I hope the action continues to deliver. There wasn't much to the rest of the show, but stuff progressed and we already have two matches announced for King and Queen of the Ring, so I'd definitely chalk it up to an enjoyable, thumbs-up episode on the whole.

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