WWE RAW Results: LA Knight knocks out veteran 20-time champ; Trouble brewing for Judgment Day; Top team returns
The RAW after SummerSlam had some big moments, including Chad Gable earning an Intercontinental Title shot and LA Knight knocking out The Miz. The New Day returned, and we got some great matches tonight on the red brand.
- Chad Gable def. Matt Riddle, Ricochet & Tommaso Ciampa
- Shinsuke Nakamura def. Bronson Reed
- Shayna Baszler def. Zoey Stark
- Ludwig Kaiser def. Otis
- The New Day def. The Viking Raiders
- Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins & Shinsuke Nakamura def. The Judgment Day
Cody Rhodes kicked off the RAW after SummerSlam and said he realized after their match on Saturday that Brock Lesnar acknowledged him. Cody added that he felt like he was on top of the world and could beat anyone before World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins showed up.
Seth joined Cody in the ring and said that if he really felt like he could beat anyone in the world, he should face Rollins tonight. The Judgment Day came out to ruin the moment, and Finn Balor was not with them.
Damian Priest said that they call the shots, and Dom was about to call out Cody when Finn Balor attacked Rollins from behind. A brawl broke out, and Sami Zayn came out to even the numbers before Judgment Day were driven out of the ring. Cody called for a six-man tag match with Sami, Rollins, and him facing Judgment Day in the main event.
Rollins was not happy with the match and bickered with Cody before Sami got between them and calmed things down as RAW moved on.
Backstage, Adam Pearce offered Riddle, Chad Gable, Ciampa, and Ricochet a Fatal Four Way match where the winner will go on to face Gunther for the Intercontinental Title.
WWE RAW Results (August 7, 2023): Chad Gable vs. Matt Riddle vs. Ricochet vs. Tommaso Ciampa
The superstars traded early rollups before Ciampa and Ricochet were driven out of the ring. Ciampa came back and cleared the ring before Ricochet hit him with a standing shooting star.
Gable lifted Riddle for a big slam before Ciampa tried for a pin that was broken up by Ricochet. We got a Tower of Doom spot, with Gable getting the best of it before locking in the Ankle Lock on Ciampa.
Riddle broke up the hold before sending Gable outside and hitting a big dive. Ricochet hit a dive of his own before Ciampa got a near fall off a powerbomb backbreaker. After a big sequence of moves, Gable hit Ciampa with Chaos Theory and picked up the win.
Result: Chad Gable def. Matt Riddle, Ricochet & Tommaso Ciampa
Grade: B+
Backstage on RAW, Rollins was still not happy about the matchup and said that he didn't want to team with Cody. Sami reminded them that they all hated Judgment Day and that he wanted revenge for KO's injury.
Bronson Reed vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on RAW
Reed was in control early on and took Nakamura out with a big punch to the head. Nakamura got some kicks in before being tossed out of the ring. Back in the ring, Reed sent Nakamura into the turnbuckles and hit him with a splash.
After a break on RAW, Nakamura came back with some big strikes but was caught off a top rope dive with a suplex. Reed got a near fall off a running powerbomb before missing the Tsunami. Nakamura came back with the Kinshasa and picked up the win.
Result: Shinsuke Nakamura def. Bronson Reed
Grade: B
Ludwig Kaiser was trash-talking Alpha Academy backstage and got slapped by Maxxine Dupri before Otis challenged him to a match.
Becky Lynch was out next and said that she was finally happy to have a proper match with Trish without interference from her sidekick and newcomer Zoey Stark. Stark came out and said that Becky was afraid of her and that she was no sidekick before Shayna Baszler walked out with a black eye.
Baszler had a problem with Zoey, claiming she was the toughest and wanted to prove her wrong. Becky called for Adam Pearce to book the match, and he did so without any hesitation.
Backstage, Balor and Priest were arguing about the result of the Heavyweight Title match, and Finn blamed his teammates for the loss. JD McDonagh was there and said that the MITB briefcase was causing a rift among the group.
Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark on RAW
Baszler was in control early on and got some big strikes before Zoey caught her with a headlock. Shayna got some kicks to the head before sending Stark over the ropes and to the outside.
Back in the ring, Stark went for the injured arm and hit a missile dropkick before Shayna managed to avoid being stomped on her arm. Shayna dodged a springboard move but was sent outside for a big dive.
Back in the ring, Shayna managed to hit the World's Baddest Slam before picking up the win.
Result: Shayna Baszler def. Zoey Stark
Grade: A
Nakamura was about to be interviewed backstage when JD McDonagh attacked Sami Zayn for no apparent reason.
Otis vs. Ludwig Kaiser on RAW
Kaiser had the upper hand early in the match but went to taunt Maxxine leading to Otis hitting a big overhead slam. Giovanni Vinci came in with the distraction and was hit with a vertical suplex before Gunther came in with a big boot on Otis, and Kaiser rolled him up for the win.
Result: Ludwig Kaiser def. Otis
Kaiser and Vinci attacked Otis after the match, but Gable came in and made the save.
Grade: C
Seth and Cody were backstage and said that Sami was not cleared to compete tonight after the attack. Shinsuke Nakamura came in and said that he would like to take Sami's place, and Seth accepted the offer.
The Miz was out next and said that LA Knight disrespected him by winning the SummerSlam Battle Royal. Knight came out and wanted to shake Miz's hand, but the A-Lister refused.
The Miz told Knight that he was a 'flash in the pan' and yelled about his own accomplishments. Knight said that Miz got a 20-year headstart and still fell short. LA added that he was on his way up while The Miz was washed up.
Knight wanted a match, but Miz said that he was not on his level. After some encouragement from the crowd, Miz attacked Knight and tried for the Skull Crushing Finale, but LA turned it into Blunt Force Trauma, taking him out.
The New Day vs. The Viking Raiders on RAW
The New Day were in control early on, but a distraction from Valhalla allowed Ivar to take control with a big tackle. Ivar got a big splash on Woods for a near fall before Kingston tagged in for the Boom Drop on Ivar.
Erik took out Kofi, but Kingston recovered and got the trouble in paradise before Woods came in with the top rope elbow drop for the win.
Result: The New Day def. The Viking Raiders
Grade: B
The commentary team let us know that Sonya Deville was injured and would be indefinitely out of action.
Judgment Day were making their entrance when Raquel Rodriguez attacked Rhea Ripley. Officials and other superstars came out to stop the fight, and some of them got wiped out as well before Candice LeRae got involved and attacked Rhea as well. Rhea took off one of her sneakers and tossed it at LeRae before we headed for a break.
Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Judgment Day on RAW
There was some tension between Priest and Balor as the match began, and Dominik tagged himself in to stop the argument before Nakamura cleared the ring. Back after a break on RAW, Nakamura dodged the South of Heaven before Rollins came in with the Falcon Arrow.
Rollins was driven into the barricades by Balor before Cody got some big moves, including a Disaster Kick on the apron. Balor dodged the Cody Cutter before Cody got it on the second try, but Dominik broke up the pin.
Ripley ran distraction while Balor and Priest tried to hit their opponents with the MITB briefcase. Sami Zayn showed up and sent Priest over the announcers' desk before Seth kicked the briefcase into Balor's face. Cody came in with the Cross Rhodes and picked up the win.
Result: Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins & Shinsuke Nakamura def. The Judgment Day
After the match, Shinsuke took out Rollins with the Kinshasa and walked off.
Grade: B+