The first Raw after Wrestlepalooza marked the beginning of a new era, leaving behind the flagship event and focusing on building the card for Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia, on October 11.
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins had a face-to-face encounter in front of the audience in Evansville, Indiana, intensifying their rivalry as they prepare for their championship match at Crown Jewel.
The newly crowned women’s world champion, Stephanie Vaquer, the first South American-born woman to hold a WWE title, delivered an emotional promo after her match against the winner of Friday’s triple threat between women’s champion Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, and Nia Jax at Crown Jewel was announced.
The main event of Raw, which captivated everyone, was the match between Rhea Ripley and Asuka, two renowned wrestlers who had not faced each other individually since December 2022. The match was intense and competitive, and could mark the beginning of a future power team.
Raw Results (September 22)
Penta and War Raiders defeated Grayson Waller and The New Day.
Is Asuka’s betrayal the beginning of a new super team?
The Evansville audience was enjoying the main event between Ripley and Asuka until Kairi Sane, Asuka’s The Kabuki Warriors teammate, tried to tip the scales in her favor by distracting Ripley, but Asuka accidentally collided with Sane, allowing Ripley to achieve victory. After the match, Asuka reacted with fury, spitting blue mist in Ripley’s face. Iyo Sky, an ally of The Kabuki Warriors, tried to stop the attack against her friend Ripley, but received a blow from Asuka. Asuka not only betrayed Sky, but also forced an emotional Sane to do the same.
Everything indicates that we are heading towards a confrontation between Ripley and Sky against Asuka and Sane, especially after the announcement that the winner of the women’s triple threat match between Stratton, Cargill and Jax on SmackDown will face Stephanie Vaquer at Crown Jewel.
Other Raw highlights
Rhodes and Rollins starred in a ring encounter full of tension. Rollins seemed to question Rhodes, possibly out of jealousy or insecurity. Rollins proclaimed himself the future of WWE, saying: “You can be the quarterback, Cody, but you are my quarterback.” Both will face each other at Crown Jewel for the championship.
Vaquer offered an emotional promo in the ring, the first since she became the WWE Women’s World Champion. Her father, Héctor, was present, after seeing his daughter compete live for the first time at Wrestlepalooza.
LA Knight might not get another victory. Jey Uso got revenge on Knight, who may have shown favoritism towards The Vision in their tag team match against The Usos at Wrestlepalooza. After Jey’s spear and pin on Raw, LA Knight hasn’t won a televised singles match in almost two months. A win would do him good.
Rusev is proving to be a formidable opponent for Dominik Mysterio, while The Judgment Day continues to show cracks. Rusev defeated JD McDonagh, who was reluctant to help his Judgment Day teammate. Then, when McDonagh needed help in the ring, Mysterio refused to intervene. Rusev will have his opportunity for the intercontinental title against Mysterio on Raw next week.
Bayley continues to display a dual personality in the style of Mankind from 1996, one moment cheerful and the next, violent. Lyra Valkyria tried to hug Bayley after her victory over Roxanne Perez, but Valkyria was knocked down. Bayley walked through the hallways, holding her temples.
Grayson Waller was defeated with an Avalanche Mexican Destroyer that left everyone speechless. Penta continues to show his creativity every week.
