Raw Recap 5/21/18 – Balor Battles Braun

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Kurt Angle comes out to announce the women’s MITB qualifier before Steph returns without her arm in a sling. Steph makes sure to remind everyone that Kurt is a terrible leader and says she’ll take over for Kurt as the person who presides over the women’s MITB title match. Roman comes down and Steph threatens to fire him. Roman threatens to destroy her favorite superstars and she says she has none – she does what’s best for business. Roman talks about Brock and Steph brings KO out and he puts his arm on her only to be emasculated. Roman and Owens have a match. Owens kicks out of the Superman punch and Jinder comes in to attack Roman, leading to a tag match with Seth as his partner. Seth works shockingly well with Jinder and gets 2 off a blockbuster. Seth hits the kneeling superkick and picks up a win with the curb stomp.


Jinder attacks both Seth and Roman with a chair. Lashley’s interview is replayed before Sami brings out “Lashley’s sisters”, a variety of men in drag here in 2018. We get way too much terrible WWE comedy before Lashley comes out to slap hands and then he mocks the “sisters” before Lashley gets beaten up. Lashley recovers and sends one sailing with a broomstick to the crotch. Alexa comes out to face Ember and works over the arm forever. Mickie comes into the ring and gets tossed out. Alexa gets 2 off a distraction schoolboy. The eclipse ends it. Steph meets with Balor and tries to cause problems between Finn and Braun before making a match between them and Braun does the Dan Gable apple crush.

Baron Corbin beats No Way Jose with the end of days in a match that goes way too long. Kurt tells Chad that he wishes he could’ve replaced Jinder with him, but management had other plans. Dolph and Drew call Chad lazy. Drew is shot in such a way that he looks absolutely gigantic and gives off a star aura. The B Team beats Breezango with the 3D-B and celebrates with mat swimming and hugs. Then they steal Coach’s chair and ride it down the ramp in victory!

Stephanie comes out to bury both Nia and Ronda at the same time. She points out that Ronda has never faces heavyweights and knows that Ronda hates losing. Steph calls Nia lazy, which doesn’t fit any narrative they are telling with her. Steph then says that Nia is too big for the armbar to even work. And then the contract is signed, but who can care after what Steph does. Dolph faces Gable and hits an elbow to the eye and a superkick to win. Well, Dolph’s winning again – so that’s a big step up for him.

Liv, Sarah Logan, Nattie, and Dana have a fatal 4 way for the MITB qualifier. Sarah and Liv tease dissention, but laugh off the ladder match because their goofy friendship in this team is worth more than a World title. Nattie takes out Liv with the sharpshooter and Nattie says that after MITB, Ronda will be Raw women’s champion and she’ll be Miss. MITB. Elias sings and beats Roode with Drift Away. A 7-way women’s MITB last chance qualifier is announced for next week’s Raw with the entire Riott Squad in it. Braun faces Balor and dominates with clubs and big throws. Braun goes for the chugga-chugga choo choo tackle, but Balor gets a singblade on the floor. Shotgun dropkick sends him into the crowd. The apron PK hits and we get a countout tease. Balor goes in for the shotgun dropkick, but Braun tackles him. Corner to corner charge leads to Braun eating the post and he goes up for the double stomp, but Braun goes for a slam. Balor escapes that and eats a spinning powerslam before pulling down the straps and hitting a running powerslam to win it. This was Braun’s best non-Roman match yet.