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Punk is Back, Liv is in Tears, & SummerSlam Build Is On

This week's Raw highlighted the build to SummerSlam, which has the potential to be outrageously compelling

Noelle Perry

This week’s Raw featured the return of CM Punk, allowed Rhea Ripley to gain the upper hand on Liv Morgan, and more.

Here are the Top 10 takeaways:

10.) Gunther and Damian Priest give preview of SummerSlam match

Gunther was welcomed by a chorus of boos as he entered to kick off the show. He regretted none of what he said last week about Damian Priest, and expressed that he needed to win the championship
to protect its prestige, as Priest was not worthy of holding the title. He once again invited Priest to come out and hand over the championship to save him the embarrassment of losing it at SummerSlam.

Priest marched to the ring, and the two immediately came to blows. An army of officials and producers came out to break them up, but Priest and Gunther could not be held back, and they attacked any security who got in their way. Even after the commercial break, the two
continued to fight backstage.

9.) Bron Breakker defeats Ilja Dragunov to become number-one contender for IC title

Ilja Dragunov faced Bron Breakker to determine the number-one contender for the Intercontinental Championship.

These two have a history, as evidenced by their chemistry in the ring. The two fought a battle that hardly any other opponent would have been able to endure, but both Breakker and Dragunov are freaks of nature that can dish out and take an immense amount of punishment.

The match ended when Dragunov attempted an H-Bomb from the ring apron, but Breakker speared him out of the air. The back of Dragunov’s head connected with the hardest part of the ring on his way down.

Dragunov was unable to continue, which led to Breakker being declared the winner of the match–and the new number-one contender for the Intercontinental Championship. He will challenge the reigning champion, Sami Zayn, for the title at SummerSlam.

8.) The Judgment Day hunt down Jey Uso

In The Judgment Day clubhouse, Dominik Mysterio asked Rhea Ripley about Jey Uso, worrying that Uso’s romantic advances were working. She assured him that Uso was not a threat, but Finn Balor
encouraged him to “take care” of Uso. Ripley said there was no point in starting a war with him, but Mysterio and the rest of the group seemed to disagree.

As they searched for Uso, the boys decided to split up to cover more ground. Carlito and JD McDonagh went one way, and Balor went another, leaving Mysterio all by himself. Mysterio’s search quickly turned up someone different: Liv Morgan. He tried telling Morgan to go away, but Balor returned and caught them mid-conversation. Morgan took it as her cue to leave, and Balor steered Mysterio back in the right direction.

Later on, during a backstage interview with Jackie Redmond, Sami Zayn was distracted by the sound of a fight down the hall. He rushed to see what was happening, and discovered that McDonagh and
Carlito had found Uso and were assaulting him. Zayn leapt in to help his friend and chased the assailants away.

7.) Sonya Deville picks up a dominant win

Sonya Deville, accompanied by Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, took on Lyra Valkyria, accompanied by Kayden Carter and Katana Chance. Valkyria looked to settle the score after Deville’s dirty tricks helped Baszler and Stark secure a victory over Carter and Chance in their tag team match last week.

Though there was a lot of chirping from all women on the outside of the ring, no one interfered for the first half of the match. Deville’s allies did not have much need to, as she was in control. Valkyria took the fight to Deville, but the recently-returned competitor had a slight edge over her opponent. It wasn’t until a misstep from Deville caused the tides to turn in Valkyria’s favor, and all hell started to break loose.

Baszler and Stark distracted the referee and tripped up Valkyria, but Chance and Carter fought back. Valkyria kicked Stark through the ropes to break up the fight, but Deville used the distraction to grab
Valkyria and execute the Deville’s Advocate, picking up the win. The group of Baszler, Stark, and Deville have been on a tear through the women’s division, and while Valkyria had intentions to put a stop to it last night, there does not seem to be an end in sight.

6.) VHS tape introduces another member of The Wyatt Sicks

This week’s Wyatt Sicks VHS tape formally introduced us to another member of the group. In the tape, the witch, who has been delivering the tapes to the commentary team, delivered a cryptic
monologue over eerie video clips of herself. She seemed to be another tortured soul, one who suffered in silence while everyone around her ignored her plight.

The tape was much shorter than others we have seen in the past, and unlike videos we’ve seen before, it offered very little clarity about the identity of the person behind the mask. The mysterious figure capped off the video with a piercing shriek, leaving the audience with more questions than answers.

5.) CM Punk is back at SummerSlam–with a special guest referee

CM Punk returned to Raw with exciting news. He announced he’s medically cleared to compete after being injured in the Royal Rumble back in January.

With this clean bill of health, Punk was ready to fight his nemesis, Drew McIntyre. McIntyre made his entrance, but it wasn’t to scrap. He taunted Punk, who tried to attack him but was stopped by a gaggle of referees. Raw General Manager Adam Pearce interjected and told Punk that he could not
fight McIntyre right then and there because their match was set for SummerSlam, and if they touched each other before then, the match would be canceled.

Seth Rollins, a mutual foe of both McIntyre and Punk, joined in the conversation to explain that the chaos surrounding their feud has scared away all of the referees. As such, he will act as the special guest referee in the match between McIntyre and Punk. Neither McIntyre nor Punk were too happy about this, but Rollins reveled in their ire.

4.) Alpha Academy held Xavier Woods take on The Final Testament

For the last several weeks, Karrion Kross has been trying to coax Woods to join The Final Testament, but Woods refuses time and time again. Instead, Woods befriended Alpha Academy’s Otis and
Akira Tozawa joined him in facing The Final Testament in a six-man tag match last night.

Though Woods’s feud with Kross was the reason for the bout, the star of the match was Otis. His connection with the audience was undeniable, and his strength was impressive, but neither of these
factors were enough to take down The Final Testament. Later in the night, Woods sought out Adam Pearce and asked to face Kross one-on-one next week to finally settle this beef.

3.) Uncle Howdy attacks Chad Gable

Immediately following the conclusion of their six-man tag, Otis, Akira Tozawa, and Maxxine Dupri checked on Xavier Woods. They were interrupted by their old mentor, Chad Gable, who was flanked by The Creeds.

Gable insulted Otis for assuming a leadership role in Gable’s absence and still losing, telling Otis that he was never very intelligent. He offered his former students one last opportunity to come back to him so that he could protect them, holding the threat of the Wyatt Sicks over their head. Otis held his ground and refused Gable’s offer, and Tozawa and Dupri stood by Otis’s side.

As punishment for rejecting him, Gable sent the Creeds on Otis and Tozawa. Otis fought them off and grabbed Gable, but the Creeds got back to their feet and the three of them beat down on Otis in a cruel three-on-one attack.

The Creeds pulled out some chairs to escalate the assault, but the lights in the arena began to shut down. Four members of the Wyatt 6 entered as the arena filled with fog, but Uncle Howdy was noticeably absent. That was until Gable turned around and realized he had appeared in the ring directly behind him. Howdy grabbed Gable and delivered a Sister Abigail, landing him on the top of his head.

2.) Liv leaves in tears

When she discovered that Dominik Mysterio had spoken with Liv Morgan earlier in the night, Rhea Ripley marched him to the ring and beckoned for Morgan to join them to sort this all out.

Morgan came out to talk, but stayed amongst the audience and away from Ripley and Mysterio. She claimed that there was no denying Mysterio had feelings for her because men prefer women that look like her over women that look like Ripley.

Ripley started to run towards Morgan, but Mysterio stopped her. He emphatically told Morgan that he hates her and that she ruined his life, to the delight of Ripley. Morgan left in tears as Ripley grabbed Mysterio and licked his face, pleased with his rejection of Morgan.

Liv Morgan
Liv Morgan in tears / WWE

1.) Sami Zayn and Jey Uso reunite against The Judgment Day

After defending Jey Uso against The Judgment Day, Sami Zayn joined his old friend for a non-title match against the World Tag Team Champions, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh.

Though Uso and Zayn hadn’t worked together in a good while, they still fought like a well-oiled machine. Balor and McDonagh were no slouches either, and they had the additional benefit of ringside support in the form of Carlito and Dominik Mysterio. When Zayn gained a strong upper hand in the match, Mysterio distracted him and the referee while Carlito attacked, driving Zayn into the ring post. This turned the match back in The Judgment Day’s favor, and Balor and McDonagh dominated as they worked over the IC champ.

The end of the match saw a series of back-and-forth near falls, before Uso finally sealed the deal, pinning JD McDonagh. As Uso and Zayn celebrated their victory, Bron Breakker slid into the ring. Breakker caught Zayn off guard with a spear, softening up the Intercontinental Champion before SummerSlam, reminding him of the looming threat to his reign.

Eventually, Zayn was able to tag in a fresh Uso, and he began clearing house. Balor and McDonagh were only able to recover from this with more interference from Carlito and Mysterio, but they did not stay on top for long.

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Noelle Perry

NOELLE PERRY

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