Raw Review – 05.18.26

Right on, Raw is Niz! is everyone’s worst nightmare come to horrible life!

Let’s catch up first, though: NXT | Evolve | Impact | Smackdown | AAA Lucha Libre

Raw is LIVE and IN LIVING COLOR on the Netflix airwaves from the LEGENDARY Greensboro First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Cackalacky. The announcers for tonight’s show are Michael Cole and Corey Graves on match calls and analysis, Alicia Taylor on ring introductions, and Byron Saxton and Cathy Kelley on backstage interviews and breaking news segments. Let’s watch some wrestling!

Then, Now, Forever…..TOGETHER

Michael Cole throws to a highlights package of the show-long Bloodline drama from last week, including the huge confrontation between Jacob Fatu and Roman Reigns that ended the show.

Here’s a super-pissed WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns slamming his Uber driver’s door and having his title handed to him by a PA. Raw GM Adam Pearce joins the scene and reminds the champ that if he had listened to him last week, none of the stuff at the end of the show would have happened. Reigns says he hears Pearce but he’s calling Jacob Fatu out right now. Pearce says Fatu should just be fired and…..”Samoan Werewolf” erupts in the arena as Jacob Fatu makes his entrance. Fatu gets a chant and says if Reigns wants to call him out, he can save his breath because Fatu is here and ready to dogwalk….and here’s Big Jim and Main Event Jey Uso out with Jey holding a STEEL CHAIR. Jim tries to understand Fatu’s motivation and reminds him that part of why his family is taken care of now is due to acknowledging the Tribal Chief. Jim also reminds Fatu that he put his hands on Management and they’re ready to fire his ass. Jey runs out of patience and Fatu takes him down when he rushes. Jim tries to intervene and gets dropped in a corner for his troubles. Jey waffles Fatu with the STEEL CHAIR to zero effect and then Fatu puts the TONGAN DEATH GRIP on Jey. Finally, “Head of the Table” hits and here’s Roman Reigns stalking to ringside while Fatu seethes in the ring. Reigns enters and fisticuffs ensue. Reigns boots Fatu down in a corner and lines up the Superman Punch, but Fatu springs up to put Reigns in the TONGAN DEATH GRIP. Jey comes in hits Fatu with a couple of superkicks and a spear, followed by Jim hitting Fatu with an Uso Splash. Jey and Jim hit the 1Day and then tie Fatu in the ropes so he can eat a Superman Punch from Reigns. The Bloodline take turns assaulting Fatu and then untie him for a Reigns spear. Reigns daps up the Usos while standing over a fallen Fatu, and the Bloodline leave. Here’s Adam Pearce in the aisle and Reigns says Pearce can do whatever he wants as Reigns is done with him. Pearce starts to talk but Fatu has risen and has a mic. Fatu screams “TRIBAL COMBAT!” and Reigns considers it as Pearce counsels him. Reigns takes Pearce’s microphone and says “I accept.”.

Reigns is 2-0 in Tribal Combat matches thus far, beating Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa the only two times the match has been contested. I’m assuming this will be for the Italy card, as Michael Cole suggested in the post-segment banter with Graves. This was an intense way to open the show and definitely showed the roles as defined now, with Jim decidedly in the consigliere type role trying to keep the peace through words and logic, while Jey is the capo regime who’s risen through the ranks but will still get his hands very dirty if necessary. A hell of a way to open the show.

Cole throws to some arrivals: Seth Rollins, Oba Femi, and The Judgement Day. JD McDonagh will battle Finn Balor in a Street Fight tonight and there are some pre-match pre-taped words from both. We go to commercials with Balor making his entrance.

THE CREDIT ONE FACT OF THE NIGHT is that Je’von Evans was born and raised in Greensboro!

Street Fight: Finn Balor vs JD McDonagh

Balor having his old entrance music back is a fantastic development from him being exited from the Judgement Day. Balor clotheslines McDonagh to the floor and then fires him into the barricade. Balor rams McDonagh into the ring steps and finds a bunch of kendo sticks and chairs under the ring. McDonagh crawls back in and smacks Balor with a kendo stick as Balor was returning. McDonagh mounts a chair in a corner and turns into a bunch of kendo stick strikes from Balor. McDonagh snaps off a Side Russian Leg Sweep and mounts Balor in a corner. Balor slips out of it and rams McDonagh face-first into the chair McDonagh had mounted. Balor goes back to the floor and finds a table, but while he’s doing that McDonagh launches at him with a tope suicida. Balor gets tossed into the timekeeper’s area where he and McDonagh slug it out behind Alicia Taylor. McDonagh gets rammed into an equipment case but he returns the favor on Balor several times when he approaches again. McDonagh ascends onto an equipment gurney where he moonsaults Balor on the floor to a “Holy Shit!” chant. We go to commercials.

They’re slugging it out mid-ring when the show returns, with Balor getting the best of it. There’s a table set up in a corner now, and Balor is wearing out McDonagh with chair shots to the back. Balor gets caught in a uranage from McDonagh that lands him on a chair, and then McDonagh hits a standing moonsault that gets a LONG two count. McDonagh gets caught by a Balor sling blade, and Balor dropkicks McDonagh through the table in the corner. Balor pulls McDonagh into position and ascends to the top but McDonagh slips out of the way when Balor tries the Coup de Grace. McDonagh snaps off a Baisaku knee and yanks Balor up for a powerbomb that gets two. McDonagh ascends and hits a moonsault that gets two. McDonagh goes under the ring for another table and sets it up before placing Balor over it so he can punch him in the head a few times. McDonagh leaps off the table and pulls Balor onto the table for some rights. Balor ascends, and here’s AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio to keep Balor from leaping onto McDonagh. McDonagh uses this time to recover and leaps up to plant Balor through the table with a superplex. McDonagh crawls over and covers Balor for two. Mysterio is looking for plunder and finds some garbage cans. Mysterio enters and gives one can to McDonagh while he has the other one. McDonagh smashes Balor with his can a couple of times and holds him in position along the ropes. Balor slips out and holds McDonagh for Mysterio’s 619, and then Balor smashes Mysterio with the other trash can. Balor puts the trash can over McDonagh and hits him with a running shotgun dropkick. Balor ascends and hits the Coup de Grace on the trashcan. Balor yanks McDonagh out of the trashcan and covers him for three.

I liked a plunder match, somehow. I think Balor, when motivated, is in the conversation for Best in the World, and tonight really showed that. It’s nice to see him get a singles win on television, quite frankly. I’m not the biggest McDonagh fan but I thought he did well tonight, as I’m sure both guys wanted to show they deserved this kind of spotlight on THE A SHOW. Hell of an opener. 3.75*

Winner – Finn Balor (Coup de Grace)

Here’s Cole and Graves throwing to highlights of last week’s six man between Joe Hendry/The Street Profits and The Vision. Montez Ford and Seth Rollins had words post-match. Here’s Cathy Kelley with Seth Rollins who knows he’s a marked man and has zero allies. Rollins says he has to put an end to The Vision, but he’s been spinning his wheels trying to think of how to do it. Rollins says he hasn’t had a match on Raw in about nine months and Rollins wants to change that tonight here in Greensboro. Rollins has been given the main event for tonight, and he wants Bron Breakker to answer the challenge. Rollins says this is Breakker’s chance to show Rollins who he really is.

Oba Femi is getting ready for the Open Challenge as we go to commercials.

Byron Saxton is with Sol Ruca when the show returns, and Saxton wants Ruca to assess her performance so far. Ruca mentions not winning yet, but she’s happy with where she is. Here’s WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch in to remind Ruca that she hasn’t faced the best yet and doesn’t think Ruca should be around with her 0-2 record. Ruca says Lynch makes a good point and leaves, so Lynch goes on about “this generation” and….Ruca’s theme music hits in the arena.

Ruca has a microphone and says there’s no point in doing this backstage, and wants Lynch to come out and face her in the ring. “New Lows” hits and here’s Lynch down to the ring. Ruca knows that Lynch thinks she should run back to NXT but Ruca promises she’s damn good at proving people wrong. Ruca wants to fight Lynch RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW and Lynch, who’s in a track suit and a fur coat, says no. Lynch says she knows Greensboro could use some excitement in their lives but it’s not happening tonight. Lynch runs through her “it’s not just me saying it” routine to a chorus of boos, and Lynch mentions she’s also a locker room leader and mentor to the youth of today. Lynch says all the people that have stepped to her have fallen in the end, and points out that AJ Lee just left the business again after losing to Lynch. Lynch says she’s willing to face Ruca at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but she’s not a starmaker, she’s a star-breaker. Ruca says she’ll snatch Lynch’s soul and title, and Lynch says it’s not a title match before leaving because Ruca isn’t ready for that level yet. We go to commercials.

So like, they’re fighting at SNME but it’s just a match and not for the title? I guess I’m baffled by the actual logic being used here, but I’m also questioning why people would just want to see them fight without the title being on the line. Let’s see what happens, I guess.

Here’s WWE Men’s World Tag Team Champions Logan Paul and Austin Theory with Paul Heyman discussing the Street Profits and Theory wants to know what the plan is for SNME. Bron Breakker wanders in to make fun of Seth Rollins and orders Heyman to make the match between him and Rollins. Heyman says he’ll make the match but it will be Austin Theory in the match and not Breakker. Breakker asks for some private time with Heyman and an ebullient Theory and Paul leave. Breakker calmly questions Heyman’s decision, and Heyman mentions that since Rollins said anyone in the Vision can be in the match with him, it gives Breakker a chance to know exactly what time and where Rollins will be later tonight. Breakker realizes what Heyman is getting at and seems okay with it.

Los Hermanos Americanos and El Grande Americano Original make their entrance as we go to commercials.

Trios Tornado match: El Grande Americano Nuevo and Los Americanos (Bravo and Rayo) vs El Grande Americano Original and Los Hermanos Americanos (Julio and Bruto)

Graves puts over the Luchas de Apuestas mascara vs mascara match at Noche de los Grandes happening on May 30th. I know you’d never know this from watching THE A SHOW but this Americanos war is the hottest feud in wrestling right now. A Pier Six erupts to start and Julio dumps Rayo down before he and Bruto combine on a knee-drop backbreaker-fall away slam combo that sends Rayo to the floor. Bravo comes in and dumps Julio to the floor before going to work on Bruto with right hands. Bruto snaps off a lofted facebreaker when Bravo runs the ropes, and then Nuevo sneaks in with an enziguri that drops Bruto. Nuevo works over Bruto and here’s Original back into slap on an ankle lock. Rayo and Bravo come in to break that up and Original ends up dumping them to the floor. Rayo and Bravo yank Original down and crotch him on the post. Original shakes that off and pounds away on Bravo in a corner as Rayo and Bruto sneak in. Bravo walks over all their backs and ranas a charging Julio to the floor. Rayo and Bravo hit topes on Bruto, and Julio smashes them with a walkover top rope tackle. Nuevo hits a tope suicida on Julio, and Original hits everyone with a moonsault. Original drags Bravo back in and ascends for a superplex. Original covers Bravo and gets two. Nuevo flies in with a dropkick on Original and we go to commercials.

Rayo and Bravo eat a double clothesline from Original, and then Original tosses both of them around. Original hits an Exploder on a charging Nuevo before covering him and getting two. The Hermanos take turns with top rope moves and then Original hits a diving headbutt and covers Bravo for two. Rayo makes the save and then ducks a Julio 450 attempt. Nuevo hits a sliding dropkick on Bruto and Nuevo, Bravo and Rayo bring out the metal plates for their masks. Original bashes Rayo and Bravo’s heads together, and Original, Bruto and Julio combine for three Germans. They all ascend for a triple moonsault and all the covers get two. Rayo gets hoisted up but Nuevo and Bravo prevent more damage. Original wipes out everyone and then gets tossed into the timekeeper’s area by Nuevo. Rayo and Bravo combine headbutts on Bruto, and Nuevo finishes Bruto off with a running headbutt. Nuevo covers and gets three.

This was not the easiest match to recap, I’ll tell you that much. I think everyone just decided to throw everything they could think of doing at this match and let the chips fall where they did. Now, the crowd kind of got into it a bit at the end but this didn’t have 1/3rd of the heat it would have had in any Mexican arena. All in all, everyone did the work and Nuevo’s group got the duke. I have no idea what this means in terms of Luchas de Apuestas but I would be 100% shocked if Nuevo had to unmask. 3.25*

Winners – El Grande Americano Nuevo/Los Americanos (Nuevo headbutt on Bruto)

Here’s WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige warming up, and behind them the Whataburger Mascot shows up conveniently to deliver some grub to Otis and Tozawa. We go to commercials.

Cole informs us that Tribal Combat is now official for Clash in Italy. Highlights of the opening segment of tonight’s show play as the match graphic comes up at the end. A package on Tribal Combat then plays showing the Anoa’i family throughout the years. Cathy Kelley is with the Usos, and Jey mentions it’s sacred combat. Here’s Los Angeles Knight to interrupt, and Jim tells him not now. Knight berates the Usos for doing the same things that The Vision has been doing, and says you do dirt, you get dirt. Jim re-emphasizes “Not now” and pulls a hyper Jey away from the scene.

Here’s Michael Cole doing a sit-down with Ethan Page. Page hands Cole a list of questions that he’s pre-written and Cole laughs at Page not recognizing how long he’s been doing this. Cole asks Page’s pre-written question and Page tells “Mike” that he didn’t ask to be born this dangerous and handsome, but others have had to work very hard to get there. Cole refuses to ask the next question, and tells Page that he’s got everything someone would need to be a champion and maybe an all-time great, but his ego is getting in his way and will cost him on Saturday. Page says it’s confidence and thinks he’s the best wrestler in all of WWE while vowing to prove it on Saturday night. Cole thanks Page, and Page tells him he thinks he did a great job with a grin on his face. Page and Penta will face off at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

The Judgement Day make their entrance as we go to commercials.

WWE Women’s World Tag Team Championship: Brie Bella and Paige (C) vs The Judgement Day (Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez)

WWE Women’s Champion Liv Morgan is out with her crew. Paige boots Perez down to start and then yanks her up to toss her by the hair. Paige does a another hair snap-mare and bullies Perez in her corner before tagging in Bella. Bella ascends and drops a knee on Perez’s arm. Perez fires up with a fall-away kick that catches Bella in the face. Perez covers for two, and then tags Rodriguez in. Bella fires off a low kick and then hits a weird kick to Rodriguez’s elbow. Rodriguez catches a Bella cross-body attempt but Bella slips out and mashes Rodriguez with another low kick. Rodriguez has had enough of that and trucks Bella down. Perez tags back in to put the boots to Bella before slapping on a side headlock. Perez slaps Bella and does the Yes chant to mock Bella. Bella smashes Perez down in anger and then wallops her with a running knee. Paige tags in and Bella wipes out a charging Rodriguez with a bunch of Yes kicks before Rodriguez fires up with a clothesline. Paige, who’s been working Perez over along the ropes, charges in and dumps Rodriguez to the floor with a kick. Paige elbows Perez and then tries a rolling tackle from the apron on Rodriguez. Rodriguez catches Paige and smashes her head-first into the barricade and the ring apron a few times. We go to commercials.

Rodriguez is smashing Paige around when the show returns. Perez tags in and Paige drops her with a right, but Paige is prevented from tagging by a charging Rodriguez. Paige dumps Rodriguez to the floor and crawls towards Bella to finally make the tag. Bella smashes Perez around and then drops Rodriguez back to the floor. Bella hits a neckbreaker on Perez and then sends her into Rodriguez. Bella covers Perez for two, and then starts waffling her with more Yes kicks. Bella ascends and sort of hits a dropkick on Perez that sends her to the floor. Morgan jumps on the apron to distract Jessika Carr while Rodriguez mashes Bella with a lariat. Rodriguez ascends but Paige charges down the apron to smash her with some rights. Bella and Paige combine on a powerbomb as Perez flies back in to toss Paige to the floor. Perez drops Bella along the ropes and then wallops her with a running back elbow. Perez’s springboard moonsault meets Bella’s knees. Bella ascends and Morgan springs up to knock her off the top rope as Carr checks on Perez. Carr figures out what happened and sends an irate Morgan packing. Rodriguez uses that distraction to toss Perez a title belt but Perez misses the belt shot and Bella rolls her up for three.

I uh….didn’t think this was very good. Everything here screamed “styles clash” from the opening bell. I think Rodriguez and Perez tried their best to keep this thing from falling apart but absolutely NOTHING from Bella and Paige looks like it would crack an egg at this point. I know nostalgia runs are big right now but confusing nostalgia pops for “this is good and entertaining wrestling” pops is not a good practice as those are two very different things. 2*

Winners AND STILL WWE Women’s World Tag Team Champions – Brie Bella and Paige (Bella roll up of Perez)

Post-match sees Morgan wipe out Paige and Bella from behind. The Judgement Day attack three on two and here’s Lyra Valkyria and Bayley out to even things up. Bayley and Lyra bark at the Judgement Day ladies before eyeing up Paige and Bella.

A pensive Seth Rollins is approached by LA Knight who tells him that if Rollins is feeling squirrely, they can jump. Knight says he’s glad Rollins is getting stomped out by the Vision tonight because he doesn’t like him, and Knight won’t be running out to help him either.

Oba Femi makes his way out as we go to commercials.

WWE Men’s Intercontinental Champion Penta has some words for Ethan Page prior to their SNME match when the show returns. Penta has zero fear of Page. Big, if true.

Open Challenge: Oba Femi vs ?

As Femi is posing in the ring, here’s Brock Lesnar from outta nowhere making a shocking return. Lesnar hits FOUR F5’s and leaves without a word. Femi glares at Lesnar who stares back before leaving. We go to commercials.

Highlights of the Femi-Lesnar thing are shown when the show returns. Adam Pearce is predictably apoplectic backstage and wants Lesnar and Paul Heyman brought to him. Luckily for him, he runs into Heyman and mentions that he had filed retirement paperwork on Lesnar. Heyman confirms that Lesnar is retired, and hands Pearce a contract for Clash In Italy with Lesnar’s signature on it. Heyman says if he can get Oba Femi to sign it, he’ll have the biggest rematch in history. Heyman leaves a stunned Pearce as Graves and Cole banter about the whole thing. They then run down the Saturday Night’s Main Event card. For now, Ruca-Lynch is non-title as mentioned earlier.

Cathy Kelley is with The Street Profits who are very excited for their tag title match on Saturday night with the Vision. They vow to be the NEW champions because they are up and WANT THE SMOKE. Dawkins is distracted by Seth Rollins warming up and wanders over to tell him he understands about last week. Rollins knows he isn’t friends with Ford and Dawkins and is sorry for the miscommunication from last week, but he has a match to deal with. Rollins makes his entrance as we go to commercials.

Seth Rollins vs WWE Men’s World Tag Team Champion Austin Theory

Logan Paul is out with Theory but there’s no Heyman so far. Rollins attacks prior to the bell and smashes Theory into the barricade a few times before running him in to start the match. Rollins hits a clothesline and a bunch of stomps to Theory’s chest. Rollins misses two Curb Stomp attempts but sends Theory to the floor with a lariat. Rollins goes out and enjoys the fans singing Joe Hendry’s “Fire Logan Paul” song before missing another Curb Stomp attempt. Theory has a short flurry cut off by Rollins mashing him head-first into the ring steps. Rollins throws some chops and Paul steps in between Rollins and Theory to give his partner some time to recover. Theory drops Rollins over the top rope throat-first and Rollins no-sells that before hitting Theory with a buckle bomb. Rollins stomps away and then sends Theory to the floor with a running knee. Rollins goes out and Theory catches his kick attempt to send Rollins ankle into the ring post. Theory pins Rollins ankle between the ring post and the steps and mashes the whole thing with a dropkick. Rollins rolls back in and Theory kicks away at him before clubbering away with rights. Rollins fires up but Theory cuts it off with some shoulders and a back elbow. Theory gets yanked by his elbow over the top rope and as the ref is checking on him, Paul yanks Rollins off the apron to the floor doing further damage to Rollins bad ankle. Theory goes out and crotches Rollins on the barricade before smashing him with a right. Theory mocks Rollins entrance sing-a-long as we go to commercials.

Theory is smashing Rollins ankle when the show returns. Theory yanks up Rollins but Rollins fires up with a Falcon Arrow. Rollins tries to will the ankle into not hurting and then starts slugging away at Theory. Theory eats a couple of clotheslines, but he fires off a back elbow to stop it. Rollins gets a quick sit-out powerbomb and covers Theory for two. Rollins pulls Theory into the Pedigree position but Theory escapes and fires Rollins down with a helicopter bomb that gets two. Theory slaps on a half crab and Rollins rolls through. Theory grabs a quick jackknife roll up for two and Rollins then walks right into a Theory superkick. Theory hits another kick to Rollins face and takes too long while figuring out what he wants to do next. Rollins mashes Theory with a clothesline when he charges. Rollins wants the Curb Stomp and ascends to the second rope. Theory ducks into the ref’s area and Paul sprints around to knock Rollins down to the mat. Theory hits the Curb Stomp and covers Rollins for two. An irate Theory starts pounding away at Rollins head and then gets the brass knucks from Paul. Theory slips the knucks on and walks into a Rollins superkick. Rollins grabs the knucks and Paul points it out to the ref, who confiscates them. Rollins blasts Paul off the apron and Theory grabs a roll up for two. Rollins rolls through and yanks Theory into a Pedigree that gets three.

Rollins didn’t want to give Theory too much tonight, at least in my view. Rollins kept cutting off every Theory rally in the early going and I hate when guys wrestle that way. It’s a main event, it’s supposed to be competitive, but Rollins just wrestles so instinctively like a dickhead heel he just can’t break out of it when he has to. There was nothing wrong with this functionally but you knew the only way Theory was winning was through shenanigans and even that didn’t work. I guess we’ll see how this all plays out but man, The Vision is just kind of boring now. 3*

Winner – Seth Rollins (Pedigree)

Post-match sees Paul charge in to assault Rollins directly after the final bell. Here’s Angelo Dawkins out to smash Paul around but Theory springs up to go to work on Dawkins. Here’s Montez Ford out to send both Vision members to the floor. Ford flies over the ring post and wallops Paul and Theory. Ford comes back in the ring to berate Dawkins, and here’s Bron Breakker out to crush Ford with a spear before hitting Dawkins with a gutbuster. A recovered Rollins flies in and gets tripped up by Paul. Rollins turns right into a Breakker spear. The Vision reunite in the ring and decide it’s three on one time in terms of Rollins. Breakker grabs the top part of the ring steps as Paul and Theory stretch Rollins over the bottom part. Security pours out to break that up and then Breakker spears Rollins again in frustration. Adam Pearce barks at The Vision who finally gather in the aisle to leave. The credits roll as Rollins makes crazy eyes in their direction. Finally, Paul Heyman joins the Vision at the entrance way as we fade to black.

The talking points will be the Lesnar return and the big segment that set up Tribal Combat for the Italy show. Everything else was just there in one form or another, and while I really wanted to love the trios tornado match, it got confusing and kind of stupid at points. They have a LOT of irons in the fire right now with the SNME and Italy shows on back to back weekends, and then only a short time to build to the Saudi show in June (assuming that happens). Everything feels rushed but not really consequential, I guess is the best way I can put it.

Thanks for reading and commenting. I will never ever fill Kat’s gigantic shoes, but I appreciate the reading and commenting you might do in her absence. Have a good Tuesday.