The first Raw after Wrestlepalooza marked the beginning of a new chapter, leaving the event behind and focusing on building the card for Crown Jewel, which will be held on October 11 in Perth, Australia.
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Rhodes and Rollins: Face to Face
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins had a tense encounter in front of the audience in Evansville, Indiana, in the ongoing fight for dominance at the top of WWE, prior to their championship match at Crown Jewel. In addition, the newly crowned women’s world champion, Stephanie Vaquer, the first South American woman to hold the WWE title, offered an emotional promo after her match against the winner of the triple threat between Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill and Nia Jax on SmackDown, also at Crown Jewel, was announced.Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka: The Main Event
The highlight of Raw was the main event between Rhea Ripley and Asuka, two elite competitors who hadn’t faced each other individually since December 2022. The match, full of intensity, could be the start of a new dominant duo.Raw Results (September 22)
- Penta and War Raiders defeated Grayson Waller and The New Day
- Bayley defeated Roxanne Perez
- Rusev defeated JD McDonagh
- Jey Uso defeated LA Knight
- Rhea Ripley defeated Asuka
Asuka’s Betrayal, the Beginning of a New Team?
The Evansville crowd was enjoying the main event between Ripley and Asuka until Kairi Sane, Asuka’s teammate in The Kabuki Warriors, tried to interfere. However, Asuka accidentally collided with Sane, allowing Ripley to achieve a surprise victory. After the match, Asuka reacted violently, spitting blue mist in Ripley’s face. Iyo Sky, an ally of The Kabuki Warriors, tried to stop the attack, but was hit by Asuka, who also forced an emotional Sane to join the aggression. Everything indicates that we are heading towards a confrontation between Ripley and Sky against Asuka and Sane, especially after the announcement of the women’s championship match between the winner of the triple threat match on SmackDown and Stephanie Vaquer at Crown Jewel.Other Raw Highlights
- Rhodes and Rollins starred in an encounter where sincerity was key. Rollins, showing jealousy or insecurity, proclaimed himself the future of WWE, stating: “Cody, you can be the quarterback, but you are my quarterback.” Both will face each other at Crown Jewel for the championship.
- Vaquer offered an emotional promo, her first since she was crowned women’s world champion. Her father, Héctor, was present at the event, after seeing her compete live for the first time at Wrestlepalooza.
- LA Knight could be on a losing streak. Jey Uso took revenge on Knight, who may have been partial towards The Vision in their tag team match against The Usos at Wrestlepalooza. Knight hasn’t won a televised singles match in almost two months.
- Rusev proves to be a strong opponent for Dominik Mysterio, while The Judgment Day shows cracks. Rusev defeated JD McDonagh, who was reluctant to help his teammate. Mysterio refused to intervene when McDonagh needed help in the ring. Rusev will have his opportunity for the intercontinental title against Mysterio on the next Raw.
- Bayley continues to show a duality similar to that of Mankind in 1996, going from joy to violence. Lyra Valkyria tried to hug Bayley after her victory, but was pushed away. Bayley walked through the hallways, touching her temples.
- Grayson Waller was defeated after an Avalanche Mexican Destroyer. Penta continues to demonstrate his creativity week after week.
