WWE Raw 6/25/18 – Seth battles Dolph for the IC Title

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Vader gets a tribute graphic before the show and Kurt and Corbin are out. Kurt talks about Heyman’s Facebook post talking about how Brock’s contract status is iffy and then Roman comes out. Lashley says that Roman had three years to beat Brock and couln’t do it. Roman says that he wants another shot and he tells Lashley to check his resume. Yeah, Lashley did that and pointed out you lost a bunch. Lashley says he’s the only guy with LEGIT tools to beat Brock. So it’s all fake. Kurt says that there won’t be a multi-man match at Extreme Rules due to Brock’s contract being iffy. Dash and Dawson come down to seemingly become cannon fodder. Shockingly, a tag match is made for after the break between them.


Dash and Dawson actually get a surprisingly high amount of offense given that they’re a Main Event-level team now and facing two main event-level guys. Coach talks about how this could be a career-making match for The Revival – they’re fighting a makeshift team and their whole deal is that they’re tag specialists so the specialists should be the makeshift team. Lashley runs wild after Roman plays Ricky Morton, and he’s back to his whole TNA presentation with the white, black, and red gear – which works. Lashley hits Dash with the big suplex before going for the crawling spear, but Roman tags himself in and hits the Superman punch. The spear hits, but Roman gets tossed into Lashley and cradled – so Dash Wilder beats Roman and hopefully this does lead to them being in the tag title mix and those titles being presented as important.


Lashley and Roman argue for a bit. Bray and Matt cut a promo on the B Team about how they’re leading them to slaughter. The B Team cuts a wacky promo on them and now it’s time for Axel to face Matt. Matt does his usual stuff before a superplex is countered with a crossbody and Axel wins. The Sasha-Bayley sags is recapped. AOP shoved people around and Titus Worldwide talks to AOP about their bullying of the crew. AOP beats up a jobber team called the Gibson brothers – who sadly aren’t patterning themselves after Ricky and Robert Gibson. Titus Worldwide saves the jobbers. Kurt and Baron chat backstage about how Kurt makes tag teams hate each other. Balor talks about how Brock had the multi-man match cancelled and Baron calls him short. Braun comes in with his Monster in the Bank shirt and apologizes to KO about what he’s done to him and he wants to team with him. He wants to face Baron and Balor.

Alexa’s beating from Ronda is shown and Alexa comes down to talk about her facing Nia – if Nia can compete after Ronda snapped her arm. Alexa talks about how she’s overcome everything before Nattie comes down an and says she’ll face Alexa now. Alexa almost gets put in the sharpshooter right away, but avoids it and kicks the bad knee. Nattie gets the sharpshooter and earns a tapout victory. Nia cheers her on. Seth talks about how he lost the IC Title and how he’ll reclaim it. Jinder does a photoshoot backstage before the Riott Squad interrupts and smashes the camera. Sasha, Bayley, and Ember face the Squad in a match presented by some new Sonic sandwich.


The match itself is a backdrop for Sasha and Bayley stuff, with Bayley making a save for Sasha. Ruby gets a small package victory off a distraction. Bayley beats up Sasha and tosses her into the steps. Kurt is backstage gobsmacked before KO comes in and says he can’t be Braun’s partner – he runs him over constantly and threw him off a 40 foot ladder! No Way Jose comes out and Mojo buries the conga line. Braun and KO face Balor and Corbin, with KO kicking Corbin in the corner. Braun mows Baron over and slugs him. KO and Balor work briefly before Braun runs Balor over and then moves onto Baron! Baron brawls with Balor and it ends in a countout. KO is happy, but now Braun is mad and stares him down, so KO runs away. This seems like a new version of Team Hell No – and has some potential.


KO goes to leave, but the valet doesn’t have his keys – Braun does. He gives him his keys before showing him his flipped car. Well that wasn’t a very friendly thing for Braun to do. Dolph comes out in yellow zebra-print Zubaz gear. Seth and Dolph have a fine, but unspectacular match until Drew gets involved and gets tossed out. Dolph goes for the super X factor, but Seth sends him down and frog splashes him for 2. They go back and forth on tights-pulling cradles for 2, but the Zig Zag hits off a post shot and gets 2.9! Seth teases a superplex to the floor, but that doens’t hit – the superplex>falcon arrow does and Drew attacks the ref and Seth to cause a DQ. Roman comes out for a save, so I guess we’ll get Seth and Roman against them next week. Dolph and Drew are being presented as near main event-level now – which is great, but Dolph’s gear needs to go back to being less garish.