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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (May 15, 2023) from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Night of Champions Premium Live Event scheduled for later this month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Advertised for tonight: A battle royal to determine the next top contender to GUNTHER and the Intercontinental championship, though we still don’t know who exactly will be involved, Cody Rhodes will respond to Brock Lesnar’s challenge for a rematch, Becky Lynch is back to “address her adversary” Trish Stratus, and a whole lot more.
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the Raw live blog will kick off once the show starts on USA Network. It will be below this line here. Reminder: GIFs and pics allowed, but no links to illegal streams, please.
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR MAY 15
Beyond below above, a gravity that slumbers at the center of places named after numbers. Different kind of love, she was right but me? I’m just here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn making their entrance.
Sami gets on the mic excited about defending the tag titles against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at Night of Champions. On paper that’s about as big a threat to their titles as there is, but they see it as a gift, something they never thought they’d get, a chance at revenge on Roman Reigns.
Owens should have beaten Roman for the title and so should have Sami, but he cheated his way through an entire title reign, unchecked for far too long and now they’re going to check him. He’s gone unchecked for too long and they didn’t think they’d be able to do anything but sit back and watch as the Bloodline crumbles.
Reigns has pushed the Usos too hard and now he’s pushing this title thing too hard, it’s not enough to be Universal Champion, to be WWE Champion, to hold the titles for more than a thousand days, and now he wants the tag titles? Well he can’t have them!
Enter the Judgment Day.
They bicker before Finn Balor comes down to say they’re just here to wish them luck and note that after saying they were done with the Bloodline here they are getting involved with them again. And when they get back there’s gonna be a whole line of superstars waiting for them, and the line starts with the Judgment Day.
More bickering, KO is losing it and asks if he can just punch Dominik in the face already, Sami gives him permission, Rhea gets in the way, Damian punches Sami and the Judgment Day light on Kevin to beat him down! Zayn gets a chair and runs them off!
Commentary hypes up tonight’s show.
Shinsuke Nakamura makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get a hype reel for the World Heavyweight Championship tournament finals.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. the Miz
Nakamura in with strikes, taking Miz down, knee drop across the jaw and then knees to the ribs! The A-Lister on the comeback, choking Shinsuke in the corner and blasting him with a leg lariat! Throwing Miz to the floor, Nakamura with a baseball slide but soon after the A-Lister hits a neckbreaker over the middle rope and to the floor and we go to break!
Back from commercial, O’Connor roll from Miz countered into a cross armbar by Nakamura! The A-Lister stacks him up for a pin to counter and hits the basement DDT... NOPE! Chest dicks, duck the finale, enzuigiri clocks him, cover for two!
Sidestep the Awesome Clothesline, Nakamura hits the sliding German suplex, fired up, waiting, but Miz runs away from Kinshasa! Back inside, Miz gets Skull-Crushing Finale but Shinsuke gets a foot on the ropes! A quick little back and forth...
Shinsuke Nakamura wins by pinfall with Kinshasa.
Backstage, Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville are mad that Liv Morgan is hurt and can’t compete and Adam Pearce is postponing their title match.
Chelsea is skeptical of the injury, Sonya insists that they should win the titles by forfeit, and finally Raquel Rodriguez says she’s not gonna listen to them cry but she’s happy to fight Chelsea tonight. Green accepts the challenge and screams at her about it.
We see Imperium walking backstage, Akira Tozawa scurrying in the opposite direction, as we go to break.
Back from commercial we get a video package for Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes at Night of Champions.
We get a retrospective video package for Seth Rollins where he talks about his career chronologically with Corey Graves, from being the first NXT Champion, to the Shield, to turning on Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose and joining the Authority.
Ludwig Kaiser gives GUNTHER a big introduction while the Ring General stands on the announce desk before passing the big man the mic. GUNTHER gives the crowds his bonafides from his time on SmackDown and pledges to continues his mission on Raw, starting with whoever wins the battle royal to challenge him at Night of Champions.
Ricochet and Bronson Reed makes their entrances and we go to break.
WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender’s Battle Royal
Chaos at the bell, brawling at length, Baron Corbin eliminates Akira Tozawa early but Dexter Lumis is right behind him to eliminate him! Mace and Mansoor dump Lumis, they back up into Alpha Academy and Mace and Mansoor both get eliminated!
Humberto Carrillo gets eliminated with a headbutt from JD McDonagh, but JD in turn is eliminated by a superkick from Dolph Ziggler! Von Wagner eliminates Ziggler, and JD lights on Dolph, throwing him into the steps repeatedly to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Viking Raiders beating Xyon Quinn down and eliminating him! Shelton Benjamin is next on their list, they turn and face Alpha Academy down, going at it, Otis blasts Erik, Ivar takes Gable out, big men brawling and Bronson Reed eliminates Ivar and Otis!
Mustafa Ali running hot, trying and failing to eliminate Johnny Gargano, Ricochet saves his old WWN pal, big crossbody caught by Riddick Moss into a fallaway slam! Reed hits one of his own, Apollo Crews with a blockbuster, Elias catches him with a knee, Stinger Splash for Bronson, electric chair, Apollo slips out and sends him to the apron and eliminates him!
Bronson Reed eliminates Crews, shrugs off Ali, catches Gargano and slams him into Ricochet! Matt Riddle with the palm strikes, knee lifts, back elbow on the charge, up top and he takes Bronson out with the corkscrew moonsault! Moss attacks but Riddle eliminates him!
Gargano with a roll-through enzuigiri but Riddle Frankensteiners him to the floor! Final four, Matt Riddle, Mustafa Ali, Bronson Reed, and Ricochet, Imperium attack Riddle and Bronson eliminates him! Ricochet comes up under Reed, big knee, a dropkick puts him in the ropes and Rick and Ali works together to send him to the apron!
Clubbing away, triangle dropkick has Reed swaying, he blocks a second, fireman’s carry, Ali off the top with a missile dropkick...
Mustafa Ali wins, last eliminating Bronson Reed and Ricochet to become #1 contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
We get a video package for Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.
Becky Lynch is shown walking backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Becky Lynch makes her entrance and gets on the mic.
She says part of being The Man is admitting when you’ve been going through some stuff and she’s been going through some stuff. We all have struggles and we put on the face that we need to put on so we can do what we must to be the people we want to be.
Sometimes you have to man up and ask for help, so she asked two legends for help, Lita and Trish Stratus. Lita was great, she came back and they won the tag titles, and Trish came back and clouded her judgment so she couldn’t see the snake in the grass.
Trish never came back to help her, she came back to help herself, like the backstabbing egomaniac she is, but despite all of that she wanted to come to the ring and thank her. But not for all the bollocks reasons she gave, but because when she hit her in the back of the head she turned on a light that had been off for many months.
And because when she stood in this ring and called her daughter stupid she reminded her the only thing that matters in this lift is standing up for the people in your life and because she gave all the badness in her head a face and a name and a target.
Becky says she’ll be it until it is over and if she wants it, she’s got it, and she’ll show her how thankful she is when she kicks her head in at Night of Champions.
Rhea Ripley is interviewed backstage.
Natalya immediately rolls up to cut her off and tell her she’s the champion and she deserves nothing but respect, something she’s not allowing the women she runs through. Rhea tells her not to act like she came to the ring for Dana Brooke last week, because we all know she just wants to use her to make everyone care about her.
And if she interrupts her again, she’ll end her career. Dominik Mysterio taps her on the shoulder and they leave together.
Xavier Woods makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Mustafa Ali runs into Alpha Academy and Maxxine Dupri.
He tells them he used to be a loser like them and started thinking more positively and now he’s a winner!
He keeps walking and runs into GUNTHER, who congratulates him on being the rightful challenger, but he already feels regret for him because he’s gonna travel halfway around the world for the biggest loss of his career. GUNTHER wishes him luck and shakes his hand.
Ali says he feels bad for him too, because he’s gonna humiliate him and beat him for the title. The Ring General laughs it off and Ali reminds him to be positive.
Dominik Mysterio cuts a promo on Xavier Woods, questioning how he’s gonna win.
Woods admits he doesn’t have anyone watching his back but he’s a grown man who doesn’t need a mommy to watch his back.
Dominik Mysterio vs. Xavier Woods
Mysterio with a wristlock, reversed, side headlock, arm drag, shoulder block sets up big chops! Dropkick to the back, cover for two, Dom cuts him off and puts boots to him in the corner but spends too much time grandstanding and Xavier cuts him off with a dropkick!
Wrist clutch kicks into a test of strength, Dom back in control, Woods tries to force him to the mat, gets a suplex when he tries to pop up, cover for two! To the floor, jawing, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Mysterio in control with mounted punches, Woods lands a big missile dropkick to even the score! Off the ropes, duck a lariat, elbow connects, only two! Honor Roll denied, whip reversed, boot up, Honor Roll connects this time... SO CLOSE!
Dom going for the Three Amigos, completing them, a little shimmy, going up top, blowing a kiss to Rhea, frog splash... THE KNEES ARE UP! Only a nearfall, Woods with a military press gutbuster... NOT ENOUGH! Xavier goes up top, Limit Breaker, but Rhea pulls Mysterio out of the way!
Landing on his feet, splash to the floor, jawing at Ripley and Dominik nails him with a dropkick! Rhea with a cheap shot, Dom rolls him over...
Dominik Mysterio wins by pinfall with a Gedo Clutch.
We get a JD McDonagh hype reel.
He’s leaving the arena as an interview rolls up.
He says he came to Raw to make a statement and who better to do that against than Dolph Ziggler, who’s done it all. He found out tonight what the rest of the roster is gonna find out pretty soon.
Indus Sher are shown walking elsewhere to send us to break.
Indus Sher (Sanga & Veer Mahaan) vs. ??? & ???
It’s a squash match against enhancement talent that can’t weigh more than about a buck fifty together, wet.
Indus Sher win by pinfall with a Demolition Decapitation.
Post-match, Jinder Mahal cuts a short promo in Punjabi before heading over to the commentary desk and putting a headset on to say they run Raw.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are hanging out when Imperium roll up.
GUNTHER says he won’t tolerate the disrespect they showed his men last week, and Kevin Owens says next week they’ll fight all three of them.
We see Cody Rhodes arriving at the arena and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Cody Rhodes makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He asks the crowd what they want to talk about and says he knows these grounds and this arena, this is the very first home of Starrcade. A wonderful memory, a great amount of mutual respect, respect not shared by Brock Lesnar, who has elected to not be here tonight.
He tells the story of the scorpion and the frog and asks Brock how his face is. He looks in the mirror and sees a black eye and staples, and when Cody looks in the mirror, he sees the man who broke Lesnar’s face and maybe his spirit and he gladly accepts the challenge.
There’s been all this talk about Brock’s ego but the fact is he’s better than 99% of the stars who’ve been through this ring, but at Backlash, Lesnar wasn’t better than Cody Rhodes. He called it a cheap win, a wrestling counter to a wrestling move in a wrestling ring.
Even if he’d beaten Brock with godlike powers in 20 seconds he still would have hunted him, because the fact is this is about who is the big thing on Monday Night Raw. Brock’s used to being the Next Big Thing, but what happens when they just say “next”?
Cody needs him to step aside, because he’s not the big thing anymore, he’s simply in Rhodes’ way!
Zoey Stark is backstage berating Nikki Storm when Candice LeRae rolls up to teach her some manners and challenge her to a match. Zoey accepts.
Raquel Rodriguez makes her entrance and we go to break.
Chelsea Green vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Rodriguez hot out the gates, setting up a powerslam but Sonya Deville runs interference and Green hits a lungblower and follows it up with a surfboard stomp into the turnbuckles! Corner lariats and elbows, grounded elbows to the back of the head set up an armbar!
Raquel turns her around, inverted Alabama Slam into the top rope! Lariats follow, whip reversed, big forearm, off the ropes, crossbody but Rodriguez catches her into a fallaway slam! Another one, fired up, a third! Getting her up...
Raquel Rodriguez wins by pinfall with the one-arm powerbomb.
Post-match, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler attack Rodriguez and tell her she’s going to defend it with or without Liv Morgan and she’ll catch the same beating every week until she does.
Baszler hammers her with a Knee Trembler!
We go to break on an ad for Fast X.
Back from commercial, we see Imperium shaking hands with Paul Heyman before walking off as Heyman calls Roman.
We get part two of Corey Graves’ sitdown with Seth Rollins, which is focused on his most recent babyface character and his connection with the crowd.
Commentary hypes up next week’s show.
Judgment Day make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get an Apollo Crews vignette.
Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Balor and Zayn to start, Finn with a quick ride, Sami grabs a top wristlock, shift to a hammerlock, wrenching it in! Balor with a side headlock, shot off, arm drags into an armbar from Zayn! Tags made, Owens landing punches on Priest, off the ropes, front kick gets an enzuigiri!
Kevin with a low bridge, passing Finn to the floor too, babyfaces standing tall in the ring but Balor has an idea and calls Rhea and Dominik down to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Zayn isolated and fighting for the tag, crawling, tags made! Owens ducks a lariat and clears the apron, body blows put Damian into the ropes, putting boots to him, KO running hot, sidestep a charge, superkick sets up the cannonball!
Referee Chad Patton has had enough and ejects Dominik and Rhea from ringside, and Xavier Woods comes screaming down to fight Mysterio to the back! Paul Heyman comes to the stage and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Judgment Day working Owens over, he and Priest brawling on top of the turnbuckles, and in the aftermath we get some tags! Sami running wild, Finn hits a Sling Blade, Zayn gets the Blue Thunder Driver... NOPE!
Imperium come to ringside, Finn with a schoolboy for two, following it with the inverted 1916... SO CLOSE! Match breaks down, Sami with the corner exploder suplex! KO breaks away to jaw at GUNTHER, Priest slams him into the apron, Zayn with a tope con giro!
Back inside, Balor gets the better of him and comes off the top...
Judgment Day win by pinfall with Coup de Grace from Finn Balor on Sami Zayn.
Commentary hypes up next week’s show while Paul Heyman stands there looking all smug.
That’s the show, folks.
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