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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (July 18, 2022) from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for later this month in Nashville, Tennessee.
Advertised for tonight: Logan Paul makes his return to confront The Miz over what they’ll be doing at SummerSlam. Miz, who turned on Paul back at WrestleMania, has been claiming they’ll win the tag team titles together but Paul sure sounds like he wants a singles match against Miz. Elsewhere, Bianca Belair will once again put the Raw women’s championship on the line against Carmella, and a whole lot more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the Raw live blog will kick off once the show starts on USA Network. It will be below this line here.
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JULY 18
No Claire means no lyrics and significantly less fabulousness, but you do get a washed wrestling blogger. Let’s Raw!
The show starts with... who else? Titus O’Neil! We are in the Warrior Award winner’s hometown of Tampa, I guess.
O’Neil says he’s accomplished a lot in his career, but his proudest moment was becoming a WWE ambassador. He talked about needing goodwill now more than ever, and the importance of putting smiles on faces. He lists the company’s various philanthropic endeavors, and reminds us we’ll never hear WWE talk about politics or religion or be divisive. WWE is a safe space to ensure we could all have a good time... welcome to Raw!
Well, now we know how they’ll have Vince McMahon open shows without actually opening shows.
Next up, a recap package of Becky Lynch helping Carmella get a countout win over Raw Women’s champion Bianca Belair last Monday, and then Big Time Becks is here.
Lynch compares her recent struggles to the little engine that could, but she’s a locomotive. She runs down the list of disappointing steps the Big Time Bex Express has made, but says we’ve now arrived at Appreciation Station, where we can celebrate her winning the title back. Because she’s just learned she’ll face the winner of tonight’s Mella/Belair match at SummerSlam!
That brings out the champ. She runs down Lynch’s underhanded tactics last week. But she’s not bothered by Becky trying to take the spotlight off her, because this isn’t the Becky Lynch WrestleMania comeback story. It’s still the Bianca Belair SummerSlam comeback story from last year. She’s looked at every opportunity since then as a chance to redeem herself, and she’s done just that. And after she beats Carmella tonight, she’ll kick Becky’s caboose back to Ireland.
Her comes Mella, to say Belair is making the biggest mistake of her career by overlooking her. She’s a badass with a great ass. She beat the champ last week, and if she does it again this week, she’ll be champ (apparently the title can change hands on a countout tonight). Bianca steps to her challenger and Becky attacks from behind. Belair fights back, but ends up taking a Manhandle Slam for Lynch as we go to commercial.
Bianca Belair vs. Carmella for the Raw Women’s championship
The referee asks The EST if she can continue, and she insists he start the match. Lynch is on commentary.
Belair is wounded but starts hot, so Mella rolls out. Rather than win that way, the champ goes to get her. Lynch leaves the desk to jaw with the champ, which pays off on the other side of the ring when Carmella thwarts The EST’s KOD attempt and sends her into the post. Mella throws Bianca over the barricade as Carm is tryng to win by countout.
Belair makes the count, then Carmella throws her over the top. She loudly bounces off the ring steps, but again breaks the count as we go to commerical again.
Mella’s on the champ’s back when we return, then she makes the mistake of grabbing the braid. Bianca whips the challenger into the corner, slam and handspring springboard moonsault gets two. Carmella responds with throws of her own, and gets nearfalls, one with her feet on the ropes. They battle at the top, Belair flips to the mat and catches a crossbody attempt right into a suplex. Mella recovers and scrambles for some offense, but when that doesn’t result in a pin, she gets frustrated. That sets her up for the champ’s finisher.
Bianca Belair def. Carmella via pinfall after a KOD to retain the Raw Women’s title
Lynch has the belt, caressing it as The EST fumes. She throws the belt at Bianca’s feet as we get confirmation of the SummerSlam rematch.
A replay of the angle that led to Jeff Jarrett being named special guest referee for the Tag title match for SummerSlam is played. Sarah Schreiber interviews Street Profits backstage. Angelo Dawkins is confident Double J will take care of business. Montez Ford doesn’t sound so sure, but says they’re leaving Nashville will the belts no matter what. Before they can deliver their catchphrase, MVP & Omos interrupt. MVP reminds them his guy pinned Dawkins next week. The Profits want a tag match, but MVP isn’t dressed for it. He’s going to get Adam Pearce to book Dawkins vs. Omos for later.
Kevin Owens is back! Seth Rollins’ new SummerSlam opponent Riddle will be the guest on The KO Show after the break.
Kev knows we missed him, but before he tells us where he’s been, he brings out his guest. Bro claims he’s here for a Mountain Dew Baja Blast, but Owens doesn’t know what he’s talking about. They deal with an errant flip flop.
KO says he went on a nature retreat to find his inner peace after his quest to prove Ezekiel & Elias are the same person almost drove him mad. He watched Raw and realized he admires Riddle’s zen approach to life (he’s not sure if he has any help achieving that state), but he’s moving on from the E-brothers. He still hopes they fail miserably, but he’s moving on. Owens wants to talk about Riddle’s SummerSlam opponent. Rollins turned on KO and left him hanging, just like Bro is alone without Randy Orton. So he proposes a team... BRO-KO!
Riddle says Owens is the biggest liar in WWE. KO promises that’s in the past, but says if Riddle could trust the Viper, he should trust him. Bro is pissed and is leaving, but “BURN IT DOWN” hits the speakers. Owens says he has nothing to do with it, then it happens again, and Seth is here. Riddle takes two stomps before Rollins poses over him to end the segment.
Recap of The Judgement Day/Mysterios stuff, then Finn Bálor and Damian Priest arrive in the arena.
Kevin Patrick catches up with Seth Freakin’ Rollins backstage. He’s targeting Riddle because he’s so stupid it offends him. Trusting Orton and turning down KO are proof of that. Ezekiel steps to him to say that’s not cool. Rollins tells Ezekiel to stay out of his business or he’ll stomp him and his brothers. That gets Zeke’s goat, and he says he’s making Rollins his business.
Back to TJD. Priest says last week they didn’t hurt Rey because they know Dominik will join them. They guarantee it will happen tonight. They’re not worried about Rey, because they know how to take care of Legends. We get another replay of their turn on Edge. Finn starts to say he could watch the video over and over, but he’s cut off by the Mysterios entrance.
Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest
During the commercial, Rey surprised Priest with a plancha. He gets a quick cover live, then eats a forearm when he tries a springboard maneuver and the beatdown is on. Mysterio gets some separation with a bulldog counter. After a hurricanrana he evades a charge as Damian hits the post shoulder-first. Rey picks up the pace, ends a flurry with a DDT that gets two. Set-up for the 6-1-9, but Finn distracts. Dom grabs Bálor, then Rey flies to take them both out. 6-1-9 connects on the third try, but seated senton follow up is caught for Razor’s Edge.
Damian Priest def. Rey Mysterio by pinfall
Priest puts the boots to Rey after the bell, and Bálor gets a mic and some chairs. They tells Dom he has to join them or dad gets a con-chair-to. And Dominik says he will if they stop, and Priest says it’s too late. Finn takes them both out with chair shots.
A recap of The KO Show is played. I believe this is where Claire says, “because Raw is three hours long.” After a break, we also get another teaser for Edge’s return our mystery person. He’s getting ready to write something from a chalice of blood. And a catch-up on Zeke & Rollins’ ketchup-based beef from the Fourth of July.
Seth Rollins vs. Ezekiel
They trade holds in the early going. Zeke controls things with headlocks until Rollins gets nasty and throws him down, going to punches. Seth takes a breather after a brief comeback from the liar, then gets caught on a dive. Ezekiel heads up top but gets crotched, so Rollins sets him up for a knee to the back of the head before more ads play.
The liar’s in control when we get back, planting Seth with a spinebuster for two. Rollins changes the momentum with an inside cradle. Superkick follow-up for a nearfall. They exchange pinning predicaments. They go toe-to-toe until Rollins hits an enziguri. He springboards into a high knee for a good nearfall for Zeke. He heads up top, but Seth catches him for a superplex. Falcon Arrow gets two. He goes for the Pedigree, but Ezekiel powers out and stacks him up for two. Scramble... Stomp!
Seth Rollins def. Ezekiel via pinfall
Reminder about last week’s six-man special referee special, then we see MVP giving Omos a pep talk when The Usos roll up. They’re confident in the seven footer tonight, and in a SummerSlam win despite Jarrett’s involvement. They head out to get a front row seat for our next match.
There’s an awkward segue from hyping Tampa pro sports to watching Rey Mysterio lose tonight to promoting Rey’s 20th Anniversary celebration next Monday at Madison Square Garden (not as awkward as Titus’ open, but pretty awkward). The Judgement Day say they didn’t let Dominik join because he shouldn’t have protected his father, he should have grabbed a chair and cracked his skull like they cracked Edge’s. They promise to end the Mysterios next week.
Omos vs. Angelo Dawkins
Bug biel from the giant at the bell, and Tez grabs Omos boot to get his partner a moment. Dawkins evades a boot and gets in some offense when Omos gets hung up. MVP grabs Angelo’s boot, which the ref sees and calls for the bell.
Angelo Dawkins def. Omos via disqualification
Adam Pearce is out to restart this as a tag match., even with MVP in street clothes.
Omos & MVP vs. Street Profits
Omos and Dawkins start again, and an Usos distraction allows the giant to smash Angelo into the ropes. The smashing continues, including on Dawkins’ hand when Omos steps on it. He tags in MVP in a suit, who puts the loafers to Dawkins while talking trash to Ford. Ballin’ elbow drop only gets a one count. He squares up but runs into a counter shot, and that brings in Tez hot... just as Omos becomes the legal man as well.
He flies but gets caught. Back drop but Ford lands on his feet. He lands a flurry but can’t ground Omos. Big boot, but Dawkins breaks up the cover. He sends MVP to the outside where they brawl, and Angelo sends MVP into the Usos. They charge the ring, which distracts the ref so the Profits can double team Omos. Huge Frog Splash from Tez, but the big man kicks out at one!
Ford goes up top again but he’s pushed from the top by one of the champs. The official again calls for the bell.
Street Profits def. Omos & MVP via disqualification
Jimmy and Jey send the Profits into Omos’ hands for a double chokeslam. They stand over the challengers with the belts.
Backstage, Schreiber is cut off from introducing a guest by Veer Mahaan, who just says “Boo” and leaves. Then she gets her guest, The Miz. He thinks Veer like Sarah, He also doesn’t want to reveal any of the surprises he has planned for Miz TV with Logan Paul tonight. He hopes Paul withdraws his SummerSlam challenge so they can become tag champs. If he doesn’t Logan is going to learn he doesn’t want to be Miz’s enemy.
Before our next match, Mr. Money in the Bank gets on the microphone to once again promise he’s leaving SummerSlam with the U.S., WWE & Universal titles. Theory kicks it to a replay of what Brock Lesnar did to Otis last week to prove the winner of Lesnar & Roman Reigns will be easy pickings next Saturday. He also addresses Dolph Ziggler showing up and getting involved in Theory’s match last week, saying he joins the list of Superstars who are jealous of him. Before he can get much farther whining about that, his opponent makes his entrance...
AJ Styles has a mic, too. He makes a promise of his own. Whatever Theory does at SummerSlam, Styles will be the first in a long line of people to take whatever he wins from him. He also clarifies the locker room isn’t jealous of Theory, they just think he’s a big jackass.
Theory lists his accomplishments and asks what AJ was doing at his age. That sets up Styles to say he’s proud of his background, and he’s the man he is today because of it. Theory asks who that is, and AJ says he’s the guy who’s gonna knock some respect into him. The Phenomenal One slugs A-Train right out of the ring just as Ziggler arrives! Commercial time.
After a break, another teaser for Edge’s return our mystery person sees him write “I AM COMING TO” on a mirror.
Theory vs. AJ Styles
The younger man in control early, overpowering Styles. AJ lands on his feet out of a backdrop attempt and gets some offense in to level the scales. A whip sends the Phenomenal One into the ring post, and Theory into a rest hold. Back and forth, in and out of the ring. On the floor, Theory gets in Dolph’s face and shoves him down. He returns to the ring to take a drop kick from AJ, and we go to break.
Both men look weary when we return. We see a replay from during the commercials that Theory thwarted a Phenomenal Forearm by hitting the ropes. Flurry of traditional forearms ground Theory, then a big vertical neckbreaker gets two. He goes for Styles Clash but the upstart slips through and sends him into the corner. Backbreakers gets two for Theory. Styles counters a follow-up into a calf crusher, but Theory makes the ropes and rolls out in front of Dolph. No interference as Ziggler watches Theory slam AJ into the table, but he does hit a superkick with the ref’s back turned after Theory rolls Styles into the ring. He can’t get back in the ring before ten.
AJ Styles def. Theory via countout
When Theory does stumble into the ring, AJ hits Styles Clash as Dolph watches with a smile.
Did You Know WWE’s YouTube channels has 70 billion views, which is a whole lot? Well, now you do.
The Belair/Lynch feud gets a whole video package, and this is definitely where Claire would “because Raw is three hours long.” We get a video for Titus’ Tampa-based Bullard Family Foundation and their annual back to school event. Least they could do in exchange for that opening.
We’ll also kill some time before Logan Paul shows up with a six-woman tag.
Alexa Bliss, Dana Brooke & Asuka vs. Doudrop, Tamina & Nikki A.S.H.
Asuka gets caught in the ring apron and worked over by all the heels, then the 24/7 champ comes off the top to flatten all of them. Reggie is in the crowd, which distracts Dana and allows Akira Tozawa to pin her for the title.
Akira Tozawa def. Dana Brooke via pinfall to win the 24/7 championship
He celebrates in the ring, and that lets Nikki win the belt.
Nikki A.S.H. def. Akira Tozawa via pinfall to win the 24/7 championship
Alexa catches her with a kick and gets the pin.
Alexa Bliss def. Nikki A.S.H. via pinfall to win the 24/7 championship
Doudrop with a cross body, and...
Doudrop def. Alexa Bliss via pinfall to win the 24/7 championship
Tamina with a kick, so...
Tamina def. Doudrop via pinfall to win the 24/7 championship
Brooke back in to roll her up and alls well that ends well.
Dana Brooke def. Tamina via pinfall to win the 24/7 championship
She runs off with the belt, and the trios match is still ongoing. Asuka grabs Nikki in a Asuka Lock.
Alexa Bliss, Dana Brooke & Asuka def. Doudrop, Tamina & Nikki A.S.H. via submission
Backstage, Dominik Mysterio is proud he failed Judgement Day’s test. Rey says they really think they’re the first to come for the family, or to break up him and his son. He promises to cap off his anniversary celebration by showing TJD what it means to be a Mysterio.
Miz enters to a video of his winning MVP in the All-Star weekend celebrity softball game. What a man. His balls must be pretty big, right?
Welcome to Miz TV, and your main event. The A-Lister wastes no time introducing Logan Paul, who is out to what sounds like a mixed reaction. He grabs a mic to quickly ask if Miz accepts his SummerSlam challenge. Miz wants to talk about the good times at WrestleMania, showing highlights of their win over the Mysterios in Texas... which doesn’t include Miz attacking Paul.
Logan demands they let it roll, so we do get to see the Skull Crushing Finale to the influencer. Miz explains he was teaching Paul, who says the only thing Miz taught him was that he had to come back to WWE, sign a contract and beat Miz’s ass at SummerSlam. The host takes over to gas up Paul’s career and put him over as a unique Superstar who needs his tutelage. Paul can do anything he wants out in the world, but in a WWE ring, he’s a rookie who has to earn the right to face Miz. He can’t host Miz TV. Challenge denied.
Getting rid of his jacket, Paul asks if Miz doesn’t think he’s ready, or tough enough. He lists all the things he’s been told he can’t do that he’s succeeded at. Being told he can’t do something only motivates him. So he’ll be back next Monday to host his own show, he’ll call it ImPaulsive TV.
Miz says he can do that, but it doesn’t change the fact the challenge is denied. Paul says he knows why, because Miz has tiny blueberries in his pants. He starts a “TINY BALLS” chant, which angers Miz. He shows off his big balls shirt, and accepts the match for SummerSlam!
A brawl breaks out and Paul sends Miz to the outside, which is when Tommaso Ciampa strikes. The numbers get him, but he elbows out of Ciampa’s grasp and exits up the ramp while Miz & his henchman glare.
Sarah’s in the ring to get Miz’s thoughts on all that. He angrily declares Raw and WWE to be his house. Because he’s The Miz and he’s awesome.
We see that match has been made official, and that’s the show, folks.
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