On September 16th, 2024 WWE aired the 1,634th episode of Raw live in Portland Oregon inside Moda Center.
Note: This review is shorter then normal as it be the last few mins of the match.
-Kicking off this week’s Raw with CM Punk says he’s at the point in his career where sometimes he’s asked how many matches he has left in him. He says when he came back to WWE, he said he didn’t come back to make friends. He says that didn’t mean he wanted to make a mortal enemy but he did in Drew McIntyre and the only way to end their issues is in Hell In A Cell. He says he feels naive to think things with McIntyre were over after their Strap Match at Bash In Berlin. He admits to having 0 matches in him and says his sisters, wife and the angel on his shoulder told him not to compete in Hell In A Cell. He says he told McIntyre if he pushed him hard enough, he would become the Devil and that’s what he’ll do at Bad Blood. He promises to make McIntyre bleed and says he’ll do whatever it takes to beat him. Punk then says he’s prepared for this Hell In A Cell match to be the end of him and his career before heading to the back.
-Sheamus was interviewed by Cathy Kelley on the Gorilla Position set. Sheamus said he was most upset with Pete Dunne for taking his chance to win the Intercontinental Title away from him because it’s the one title he has yet to win. Sheamus told the fans not to call Dunne Butch because he despises it which of course led to a Butch chant. Sheamus said Dunne will become his Butch and then asked the fans if they were ready for a banger.
Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne
Sheamus connects with 10 Beats Of The Bodhran on Pete Dunne but Dunne grabs a shillelagh from ringside. Sheamus rocks him with a knee and takes the shillelagh from him then considers using it.
The referee grabs the shillelagh from Sheamus before he disposes of it.
As he’s doing so Dunne hits Sheamus with a cricket bat he grabs from under the ring and follows it up with a big boot to him for the win.
Winner: Pete Dunne
-Terror Twins were walking backstage when Jey Uso approached them. Jey said he knew Damian Priest wouldn’t ask but he would have eyes on Priest’s match with Dominik Mysterio anyway.
-Xavier Woods shows up and said he knows he hasn’t seen eye to eye with Priest & Rhea Ripley in the past. Woods said he & Kofi Kingston have a World Tag Team Title match and they want to go it alone. Woods asked everyone to let them handle their business. Priest said he can respect that and told Woods to beat their asses and take the titles.
-After the break we go backstage where Braun Strowman was preparing for his match when The Miz approached him. Strowman showed off some bruising on his right bicep and said he wasn’t trying to make excuses. Miz asked Strowman what he meant when he said Miz was no match for Bronson Reed. Strowman said meant no disrespect and was simply saying that sometimes it takes a monster to beat a monster.
Natalya vs. Zoey Stark
Natalya fires off right hands on Stark in the corner but Stark responds with a kick to Natalya’s face and goes for a pin.
Natalya kicks out and pins Stark but Stark reverses the fall. Natalya reverses it again but Stark kicks out.
Stark pins Natalya once again but Natalya rolls her up for the win.
Winner: Natalya
-We then head backstage and see Finn Balor approach Rhea Ripley as she’s giving an interview. Balor tells Ripley that he thinks she’s just as bad as Damian Priest and blames her for doing the same thing to him that Priest did. Ripley becomes angered and says all she did was try to make opportunities for Judgment Day and keep the boys from fighting. Jey Uso walks in to make sure everything is okay and makes his way out to the ring.
-Jey Uso says he’s now in Portland, then addresses his upcoming match against Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Title next week. He says he’s excited and has been looking forward to it since he arrived on Raw.
-Breakker’s music hits and he makes his way out. He says he told Jey to stay away but he’s still pursuing the Intercontinental Title in order to prove he can do it all by himself without his family’s help. He says there’s no doubt that Jey is one of the biggest stars in WWE then says unlike Jey, he didn’t need his family’s name to become a big star of his own. He says that the Intercontinental Title is his family because it’s what he fights for then promises to expose Jey next week for being nothing without his family.
-Jey says they’ll fight next week but the match will be shorter than Breakker’s career in the NFL. They then stare one another down but Breakker lands a right hand on Jey’s head. He runs the ropes looking to land a spear but Jey intercepts him with one of his own.
-We get a recap of The Unholy Union defeating Damage CTRL in a #1 Contenders match a couple weeks back.
-Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca BelAir & Jade Cargill were backstage when Iyo Sky shows up yelling. BelAir said she was booked to face Kairi Sane but if she’s not 100% then Sky could take her place. Sky accepted the challenge
World Tag Team Titles Match
Judgement Day (JD McDonagh & Finn Balor) (c) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Kofi Kingston flies off the top to take out LWO & Judgement Day as Xavier Woods lands Limit Break on JD McDonagh off the top rope.
He pins McDonagh but the referee is distracted by everyone on the outside and misses the 3 count.
Woods gets in the referee’s face and pins McDonagh but the referee misses the count again.
McDonagh takes advantage and locks in a Sleeper on Woods.
Finn Balor ascends to the top rope and connects with Coup De Grace for the win.
Winners & Still World Tag Team Champions: Judgement Day (STILL CHAMPIONS!!!)
-After the match an irate Woods chews out Kingston for what just happened.
-A Wyatt Sicks video aired and had a QR Code.
-After the break we see Woods chewing out LWO for what just happened and blames them for costing him & Kingston the World Tag Team Titles. Kingston calms down Woods and reveals he asked LWO to have their backs. Kingston says things are different between them without Big E & Woods questions why Kingston told LWO what the plan was without mentioning it to him at all.
-A Bronson Reed video promo aired. He said he’s had opportunities taken from him because he was deemed too dangerous. He said he had to show how dangerous he is by taking Seth Rollins, R Truth, The Miz & Braun Strowman. Reed took issue with his Intercontinental Title shot opportunity going to Strowman. Reed said he’s going to finish the story with Strowman by making him a victim of the true monster in WWE
Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed
Bronson Reed charges at Braun Strowman as soon as he enters the ring but Strowman sends him crashing into the corner snapping the top rope in the process.
Strowman then looks to land the Strowman Express on Reed but Reed throws a fan from the crowd at Strowman.
Strowman then sends Reed crashing through the barricade near the timekeeper’s area before officials appear to separate them and give them medical aid.
Strowman slides back in the ring to celebrate but storms up the ramp and sends Reed crashing into a road case.
He sends him crashing into a second one and shoves several of the security guards trying to separate them.
Reed then hits a Tsunami to Strowman off the road case and through the table then sends him crashing through a piece of drywall.
Winner: No One (Match Never Got Started)
-After the break we get a recapped of the brawl and the there was a bunch of commotion as way too many people checked on Reed & Strowman in the backstage area.
-Adam Pearce was on his phone asking for updates on Reed & Strowman when he was interrupted by Ludwig Kaiser. Pearce noted that he’d been working on a challenger for Gunther since he doesn’t want to face Sami Zayn. Pearce noted that Zayn made a compelling case. Pearce & Kaiser bickered then Pearce told Kaiser that Gunther should come see him if he has any issues with his decision.
-Sami Zayn says he knows he’s standing in the middle of the ring right now but he’s been thinking about standing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with Bret Hart last week. He says last week was motivation for him, and recalls hearing Hart talk about what it meant to be a true Canadian champion. He says he wants to become that and be the World Heavyweight Champion defending the title week in and week out.
-Zayn says every time he’s challenged Gunther to a World Heavyweight Title match Gunther has declined to give him one. He says he doesn’t believe Gunther when he says that he’s not on his level and neither does Gunther then says he thinks that he’s in his head and is scared.
-Ludwig Kaiser’s music hits and he makes his way out. He asks Zayn what he’s doing then questions why Zayn is asking for a World Heavyweight Title match. He reiterates that Gunther isn’t scared of Zayn given that he’s the most dominant person in WWE then says Gunther is trying to protect him and save him from embarrassment. Kaiser says that WrestleMania 40 was the highlight of Zayn’s career then says that’s the only time he’s seen his family look up to him rather than looking down on him and says it won’t happen again.
-Zayn questions why Kaiser is in the ring speaking for Gunther rather than Gunther coming to the ring himself then says Gunther doesn’t need Kaiser nor does Kaiser need Gunther. He says he sees that Kaiser has a desire to show the world what he’s capable of then tells him that if he’s going to come to the ring, he should be able to speak for himself.
-Gunther’s music hits and he makes his way out. He says he’ll answer Zayn’s challenge in a bit then asks Kaiser if he has anything to tell him. Kaiser, looking ashamed & tells Gunther that there’s something he’s been wanting to get off his chest then clocks Zayn and hits a variation of a DDT to him. He then holds Zayn in place for Gunther to look at him then says he still won’t give Zayn a shot at the World Heavyweight Champion. Gunther leaves the ring and Kaiser looks to follow but Zayn grabs his ankle in an effort to stop him. Kaiser looks to send Zayn crashing into the mat but Zayn reverses into a German suplex and follows it up with a Helluva Kick.
-Damian Priest was interviewed in the backstage area by Cathy Kelley before Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan showed up and dismissed Kelley. Morgan it was said that the former champion doesn’t realize he’s a has been. Morgan said she wished that Priest could hear the boys talk about how he’s a loser.
-Priest said he couldn’t believe that somebody in Judgment Day actually had a set. Priest said Rhea Ripley would tear Morgan apart and he would take out her boyfriend later in the show.
Women’s Tag Team Champion Bianca BelAir vs. Iyo Sky
Bianca BelAir then ascends to the top rope and looks to connect with a 450 Splash but Iyo Sky gets her knees up and ascends to the top rope.
BelAir pulls her down and looks to hit KOD but Sky escapes and rolls up BelAir for the win.
Winner: Iyo Sky
-Backstage Rhea Ripley approached Damian Priest and asked him to tell her that he was going to brutalize Dominik Mysterio. Priest said he would rip him apart and they would continue to tear the lame ass Judgment Day apart.
-After the break an American Made video package aired on Chad Gable, Julius Creed, Brutus Creed & Ivy Nile. Gable spoke about how you can’t kill him, the American Spirit or American Made.
-Ludwig Kaiser was interviewed by Cathy Kelley in the backstage area. Kaiser said he spoke to Adam Pearce and would expose Sami Zayn to the entire world next week. Kaiser took issue with Zayn talking about his loyalty to Gunther and his past. Kaiser said they should talk about Zayn’s past and how Zayn and Kevin Owens are best friends who turned on each other repeatedly.
-Jey Uso was walking backstage when Ilja Dragunov approached him and said congratulated him for winning the Fatal 4 Way and wished him good luck in his title match next week. After Jey left Judgment Day surrounded Dragunov. Balor took issue with Dragunov showing respect to Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley & Jey Uso.
-Balor told Dragunov to be smarter when he comes to choosing his friends. Dragunov said he respects Priest, Ripley & Jey which is more than he can say for Balor. Balor held off the rest of the group and said they needed to go take care of one of Dragunov’s friends.
Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio
Damian Priest then hits a right hand to Carlito off the ring steps but Dominik Mysterio is waiting with a superkick when he gets back in the ring.
He dropkicks Priest into the ropes and dials it up for a 619 then ascends to the top and looks to hit a Frog Splash. Priest levels him and lands South Of Heaven for the win.
Winner: Damian Priest
-After the match Judgment Day attacks Priest. Ripley hops up on the apron and grabs hold of Mysterio but Morgan pulls her down and sends her crashing into the ring steps. Jey Uso’s music hits and he makes his way out but Bron Breakker surprises him with a spear on the outside. Finn Balor then ascends to the top rope and Morgan hits ObLIVion to Ripley. Balor then lands a trio of Coup De Graces on Priest and stands tall with the rest of Judgment Day.
Next Week’s Raw
Intercontinental Title Match
Bron Breakker (c) vs. Jey Uso
Sami Zayn vs. Ludwig Kaiser
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