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Liv Morgan Continues to Elevate Her Game

Liv Morgan again took center stage on Raw

Noelle Perry

Here are the Top 10 highlights from last night’s Raw:

10.) The Judgment Day warns Liv Morgan to back off

After kissing Dom Mysterio last week, Liv Morgan opened Raw.

She gloated about her successful title defense–and about kissing Dominik Mysterio. He interrupted to set the record straight and warn Morgan about what Rhea Ripley would do to her once she returned from injury. Morgan told Mysterio that he should probably worry about what Ripley would do to him, too. She claimed that when Mysterio interfered in her match against Becky Lynch last week, his true intentions were not to cost Morgan the match, but to get closer to her.

She made her intention to steal Mysterio away from Ripley very clear, backing him against the ropes. That’s when Finn Balor showed up and told her to stop. Balor said no one in The Judgment Day wanted anything to do with Morgan, but she didn’t think that was the case for Mysterio. Nonetheless, Morgan left the ring, ruffling Mysterio’s mullet on her way out.

Liv Morgan and Dom Mysterio
Liv Morgan and Dom Mysterio / WWE

9.) Ludwig Kaiser takes down Sheamus

Following their backstage brawl last week, Sheamus took on Ludwig Kaiser.

Prior to making his entrance, Sheamus told Jackie Redmond that he didn’t realize Kaiser could be so physical as he mostly saw him act as Gunther’s mouthpiece. He questioned whether Gunther was actually holding Kaiser back from reaching his full potential.

Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser
Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser / WWE

Before Sheamus could even make it to the ring, his weak knee was attacked by Kaiser. Kaiser continued to exploit the vulnerable joint throughout the entirety of the match, proving just how much he learned from Gunther. This tactic of spotting a weakness and working it until the opponent could no longer continue was taken straight out of The Ring General’s playbook. It juxtaposed Sheamus’ theory that Gunther is holding Kaiser back, as it seems that spending so much time by Gunther’s side has been invaluable to Kaiser–and even led him to victory over such an established star as Sheamus.

8.) Braun Strowman aids LWO in fight against The Judgment Day

Dragon Lee of the Latino World Order took on Balor. Carlito sought help from The Judgment Day to take down the LWO, but they have yet to be successful despite weeks of conflict.

Finn Balor and Dragon Lee
Finn Balor and Dragon Lee / WWE

Balor was accompanied by JD McDonagh, who tried to distract the referee. This wasn’t quite enough to put away Lee. McDonagh tried again, this time allowing Carlito to show up and knock Lee off the ring post. Lee was able to recover, but his attention was torn away from his opponent and attacked Carlito outside the ring. Balor took advantage of this distraction, finally snatching a win for The Judgment Day.

Victory was not enough to satisfy them, however, and Carlito, Balor, and McDonagh descended on Lee to kick him while he was down. Immediately, Braun Strowman ran in. He was followed by Rey Mysterio, but the big man single handedly cleared house, chasing The Judgment Day into the crowd.

7.) Intercontinental Championship match set for Clash at the Castle

Sami Zayn attempted to talk to Chad Gable to finally put their feud to rest, but when he requested Gable’s presence in the ring, Gable did not show. Instead, his Alpha Academy students came out with a message from “Master Gable”. Maxxine Dupri read the note Gable had written to Zayn.

Chad Gable is taking his place as a top heel in WWE
Chad Gable is taking his place as a top heel in WWE / WWE

It said that Zayn did not deserve Gable’s time or respect, and that Dupri, Otis, and Akira Tozawa were tasked with delivering the message to redeem themselves. Gable wrote that the only thing that would get him to leave Zayn alone would be a one-on-one match for the Intercontinental Championship. Zayn agreed to face Gable at Clash at the Castle, then spoke directly to Alpha Academy. He tried to convince them that they did not deserve the humiliation Gable subjects them to on a weekly basis, and that is when Gable ambushed Zayn.

While Gable attacked Zayn, the members of Alpha Academy watched. Gable held Zayn up for Otis to help him with the assault, but Otis hesitated. Gable slapped Otis across the face as he’s done several times in recent weeks, but this time Tozawa stepped in. Gable then turned his attention towards telling off Tozawa, but Dupri defended him. Gable told her that if she wanted him to stop so badly, she would have to beg for it, and Gable then forced her to kneel and plead for him to stop. It was tough to watch, but effective in that Gable stopped berating his students and told them to leave the ring.

Instead of following his direction, Otis stood directly in front of Gable and stared him down, backing him towards the center of the ring where Zayn had regained composure and was ready to pounce. Otis went to comfort Dupri and Tozawa while Zayn and Gable brawled, but Gable launched Zayn into him, which sent Dupri and Tozawa tumbling off the ring apron. Gable placed the blame on Zayn for running into Otis and instructed Otis to attack, which he did by powerslamming Zayn. He carried his injured teammates to the back while Gable postured in the ring with the Intercontinental Championship.

6.) Ricochet attempts to get revenge on Bron Breakker

Ricochet faced Bron Breakker, despite his ribs still being injured from previous attacks by Breakker. Both men are explosive competitors, but in his already weakened state, Ricochet’s tenacity was no match for Breakker’s brutality.

Breakker wiped the floor with Ricochet, and still went back to deal more punishment. Officials ran out to stop Breakker before he could decapitate Ricochet with the steel steps, and Ilja Dragunov ran out to attack Breakker in Ricochet’s defense.

Bron Breakker
Bron Breakker / WWE

5.) Kiana James makes her main roster debut

Kiana James made her Raw debut against Natalya.

James was called up to Raw from NXT in the fourth round of the draft this year, but she had yet to compete on the main roster in the month since. The businesswoman has been seen trying to grab the ear of Raw General manager Adam Pearce for weeks now, likely discussing and strategically planning her debut. In NXT, James was cold and calculating, and while she did not frequently need to resort to them, she wasn’t afraid to use dirty tactics to secure victories.

Kiana James
Kiana James / WWE

The bout did not last too long, and James secured a clean victory with her finishing move, the 401k. James’ performance was solid, but she wasn’t able to showcase everything she has to offer. If her work on NXT is any indication, James’s future on Raw is certainly something to look forward to.

4.) Liv Morgan helps The Judgment Day against Braun Strowman

After Strowman chased The Judgment Day out of the ring earlier in the night, Carlito was tasked with taking care of the problem. Carlito made a valiant effort, but inevitably got squashed. McDonagh and Balor came to Carlito’s aid, but Strowman quickly knocked them down before they could even get in the ring. They tried to attack Strowman again after the match ended, but he fought back easily. Even when Dominik Mysterio came out to boost The Judgment Day’s numbers, he hardly made a dent in the fight against Strowman.

Strowman tried to chase Mysterio up the ramp, but Liv Morgan came out and stood between them, shielding her prospective paramour from danger. This distraction allowed the rest of The Judgment Day to recover and finally gain the upper hand against Strowman. Mysterio and Morgan locked eyes, but Balor intercepted again before Morgan could get too close.

Liv Morgan and Dom Mysterio
Liv Morgan and Dom Mysterio / WWE

3.) Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn interrupt championship match

Last week, the number-one contenders for the Women’s Tag Team Championships, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, extended an invitation to the current champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.

The purpose of Belair and Cargill’s visit was just to become properly acquainted with Baszler and Stark ahead of their upcoming match, but the introduction got heated and they decided to simply have the match right then and there.

More attention is being place upon the women’s tag title division
More attention is being place upon the women’s tag title division / WWE

Just as Belair hit Stark with a picture-perfect KOD and rolled her over to pin her for the victory, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn slid in to attack Belair, causing the match to end in disqualification. Fyre and Dawn rained hell on all of the competitors in the ring, resulting in a six-woman brawl.

Jackie Redmond tracked down Fyre and Dawn to ask why they attacked the champions, and they explained that they have not been afforded the same opportunities as the other teams in the division. Baszler and Stark became number-one contenders without defeating Fyre and Dawn, and the Scottish team was sick of being overlooked and rarely booked, especially with Clash at the Castle in Glasgow right around the corner. They decided to grab the bull by the horns and start demanding opportunities, rather than sitting and waiting for them.

2.) First Money in the Bank competitors declared

Jey Uso made an electric entrance, standing among the crowd to make an announcement.

Uso reflected on the time since last year’s Money in the Bank, where he fought beside his twin brother Jimmy in a tag match against Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns. Since then, he fell out with Jimmy and moved from SmackDown to Raw, away from the rest of his family, but found great success on the red brand. He thanked the fans for coming with him on his journey so far and announced his next step: competing in this year’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

Jey Uso
Jey Uso / WWE

After Uso’s announcement, Lyra Valkyria was inspired to declare herself for the women’s Money in the Bank match during a backstage interview. However, while Uso’s announcement was followed by celebration and dancing with his adoring fans, Valkyria’s was followed by a surprise attack from Iyo Sky, still bitter about being eliminated from the Queen of the Ring tournament by Valkyria.

1.) Damian Priest defeats longtime Judgment Day rival Rey Mysterio

After over two years of conflict between The Judgment Day and Rey Mysterio, World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest decided to settle things once and for all.

While Mysterio and the LWO were separated from The Judgment Day for about a year due to being drafted to separate brands, they were reunited on Raw this year and the feud almost immediately started back up. Carlito knew that he and The Judgment Day share a common enemy in Mysterio, and he sought their help in taking him and the rest of LWO down. However, The Judgment Day came up short time and time again, forcing Priest to clean up after them.

In the main event of Raw, Priest and Rey settled the score. Without the title on the line, it was clear the stakes in this match were solely personal. Neither man had any teammates accompany them to ringside when they entered, but that was not the case by the end of the match.

Carlito, who reignited the beef, ran to interfere in the match, but Dragon Lee followed just behind him and stopped him from entering the ring. McDonagh and Balor came out to fight Lee off of Carlito, but Mysterio dove over the ropes to break it up. Mysterio quickly shifted his focus back to the match, but Priest had already gotten back to his feet, and it wasn’t long before El Campeón had the match won

Drew McIntyre took a beating on Raw
Drew McIntyre took a beating on Raw / WWE

Priest, however, had no time to celebrate. Drew McIntyre appeared out of nowhere to attack him from behind. With help from Judgement Day, Priest laid out McIntyre. While he was victorious last night, it might be a different story when he faces McIntyre at Clash at the Castle in two weeks.

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Noelle Perry
NOELLE PERRY

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