WWE Monday Night Raw 5/13/2024

WWE Monday Night Raw 5/13/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/05/wwe-monday-night-raw-562024.html

We see Gunther, Kofi, Jey, Ilja and Drew arrive. Drew heads right to the ring.

The crowd chants for Punk. Drew said he won't show up here as he only makes the big towns. He said the greatest trick Punk ever pulled was to get you to trust him no matter how many times he breaks your trust. He says it's like an abusive relationship. He says if you are a CM Punk fan, you are stupid. He said last week Punk challenged him to a fight when he knew he wasn't here and called out Adam Pearce as a stooge for him. He said he will get his hands on him and says Punk will beg him to tear his tricep. He said he won't waste his time on a guy anymore who might not be cleared for 20 years.

He said Jey Uso lost another title match, Drew's title match. He said the top goal on his list is the title and calls Priest a paper champion.

Damian Priest comes out. He says Drew has serious issues. He said since he can't shut the hole in his face, he should say what he has to say to Priest's face. He said he'd love to but Punk runs away each week. Drew said Priest paid his dues and deserves his success but doesn't deserve to be champ. He said his neighbor is the same way. He said the title makes the man and said the title needs the man to take the title. He said it needs Drew McIntyre.

Drew said Priest knew he couldn't beat him 1v1 so he needed to use the briefcase. Priest said he is blaming himself for his failures. Drew calls him a BS champ and Priest says at least he's still a champ. Priest tells him to look in the mirror and blame that @sshole. Priest said he wanted to cash in Seth Rollins but Drew stopped him from cashing in multiple times and it's Drew's fault. Priest said Drew said if he was smart, he'd wait to cash in on Drew when he beat Seth and he said that's what he did.

He said Drew made Punk more important than his wife and got his arse whooped by a one-armed man. Priest says Drew's elbow will be healed and he'll get a shot at the title. Priest says Drew will eat his words about him being a paper champ when he's done with him.

Thoughts: Drew was good here as usual. I'm not real sure what they are doing with Priest though as it seems they are trying to turn him face and I don't think that's gonna work.

Damage Ctrl, Zoey and Shayna argue in the parking lot. Shayna pushes Iyo and Damage Ctrl walk away.  

Queen of the Ring Tournament Quarterfinals - Iyo Sky vs Shayna Baszler

Iyo is on the ropes and SB snapmares her to the outside. The ref stop SB from attacking her further. We go to break and return.

Iyo flips over SB's back, sweeps her then basement dropkicks her. Iyo slides through the ropes then legsweeps SB. We saw the QR code on the screen. Iyo goes to springboard and is pulled down on the ropes.  SB hanging armlocks her then throws her into the rails and side of the ring. SB puts Iyo's hand in the ring rungs and kicks it. Iyo hits forearms then flying headscissors her. Iyo buzzsaw kicks her. SB pumping knees her. SB is pushed off the 2nd rope and hangs from the top rope by the knee. Iyo asai moonsaults her.

We go to break and return. Iyo uppercuts her and hits forearms. SB's leg is pulled over the middle rope then SB springboard dropkicks her. Iyo double knees her against the ropes for 2. Iyo buzzsaw kicks her and puts her into a pin attempt. SB turns it into a grounded choke. Iyo crossfaces her then SB knees her for 2. Iyo dragon screws her then meteoras her in the corner. Iyo hits a top rope moonsault and wins it.

Thoughts: It was a good match and much much better than the usual women's offerings. They worked pretty well together and there were no botches or screw ups here. 

Iyo is interviewed in the ring. She speaks in Japanese and that's it. She then says she will be queen into the camera after.

Judgment Day are with Carlito in the hangout. Priest comes in.  Dom says it's a good time for them to work together. Carlito said they all agree that Rey Mysterio is a selfish b@stard. He says Rhea is out, Dom is injured and says the crew could use some extra muscle. Carlito says they can all benefit from this relationship. Priest said he's not welcome here but if the boys want to work with him he's okay with it.

Carlito says he gets it. He says the most stubborn minds can be changed and said maybe one day they can all be amigos.

Alpha Academy talk in the back. Chad mocks Maxxine for losing a Queen of the Ring match. He said she learned nothing. He said he got some matches set up - Otis vs Sami Zayn so Otis could work over Sami. He said he needs serious Otis, not the dancing Otis. He says Tozawa has a big opportunity against Bronson Reed and better not blow it. He then threatens him over doing his dance.

Ivy Nile comes in and talks to Maxxine. Max says Gable doesn't want her training outside the academy anymore. Chad walks in and tells Max to go do something, anything. Chad says Ivy has potential and to stop wasting her time with "Taylor, not so Swift".

The New Day are interviewed. He says tonight is about payback and to give Gunther what he deserves for what he did to Woods. He said he fought Rey Mysterio last night and said there is no room for failure or self doubt in the ring. He said KOTR means a lot to Woods. Woods says Gunther won't understand how being king is an honor. He said he can't defend his honor due to Gunther. He says he knows someone who can beat him up though and it's Kofi Kingston. He says he will show him why New Day rocks.

Lillian Garcia is in the ring and Samantha Irvin asks her to help announce the next match.

The Miz and R-Truth talk to Adam Pearce. Truth says he has a plan for the tag titles. Miz tells Truth to talk to him before putting the titles on the line. Pearce says there's a #1 contenders match tonight for the tag titles. Kiana James comes in. she said she is looking forward to working under Pearce. She said she wants to prove why she is the 1%. She said she never hesitates when Pearce tells her to contact her if she needs anything. Truth confuses some word Kiana says and think Pearce and Kiana are hooking up in the office.

King of the Ring Quaterfinal Match - Kofi Kingston vs Gunther

Kofi dropkicks Gunther off the apron, pounds on him and topes him. Kofi pounds on him outside then dropkicks him into the LED boards on the ring. Kofi stomps on Gun's knee. Kofi 2nd rope twisting plancha's him on the floor. Kofi bangs Gun's leg off the apron and off the post. Gun's leg is hanging off the ropes and Kofi dropkicks it.

The match then officially starts in a bogus move. Kofi flips out of a german and dropkicks then knee. Kofi top rope double legdrops Gun for 2. Kofi topes him, is caught and thrown into the apron. Kofi is backdropped on the commentary table then Gun crabs him on the commentary table.

We go to break and return. Gun stomps Kofi. Kofi hits leg kicks and forearms then Gun slams him. Kofi jawbreakers him then Gun tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him. Gunther misses an elbow drop off the ropes. Kofi leg kicks him.

Kofi top rope crossbodies him. Gun crabs him then Kofi ranhei's him for 2. Gun dropkicks him in the back then rainmakers him for 2. Gun wraps Kofi around the ring post. Kofi corkscrew kicks him on the floor.

Kofi misses a corkscrew kick and is powerbombed. Gun then turns it into a crab. Kofi then taps out.

Thoughts: Gunther was good here working the back all throughout. Kofi worked the knee early then forgot about it. I thought it was a little long though after following the longer Iyo/Shayna match.

Lyra Valkyria is interviewed. She said she kick started her time on Raw and sent a message to Damage Ctrl. She said she will back up Becky anytime she needs it. Becky comes in, thanks her and says "Fighting Irish". Liv Morgan comes in. She congratulates her and welcomes her. She says she will have fun on Raw. Liv asks if Becky has always been such a b!tch. Lyra tells her to ask her herself, Becky shows up behind her and punches her. Becky said she's not the one who is scared of a face to face fight and calls her a b!tch.

Karrion Kross talks ot Kofi. He says it was a otugh loss and says there's always more time to turn things around. Woods gives Kofi ice and Kofi said he doesn't know what Kross wants.

Bronson Reed vs Akira Tozawa

Reed misses a charge. Toz hits some shots, slides through his leg and hits kicks. Toz top rope dropkicks Reed and rips off his own shirt. Gable calls him an idiot and says he didn't teach him that. Toz flips onto Reed and is caught with a death valley driver. Reed top rope splashes Toz and gets the win.

Thoughts: It was a quick squash as expected.

Chad Gable gets in the ring after. He yells at him.

Ludwig Kaiser and Gunther talk in the back. Gun walks away from an interviewer and Kaiser berates the interviewer. Kaiser says Gunther doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. He says if Sheamus believes he lost the match with Gunther due to Kaiser last week, he must be delusional. Kaiser said Sheamus had a legendary career but never beat Gunther. He said it never happened and never will happen. Kaiser said he will put Sheamus out of his misery and embarrass him in front of the world.

Adam Pearce is interviewed by Jackie. New Catch Republic comes in. Bate thanks Pearce for an opportunity tonight. Pearce welcomes them to Raw. Pearce says the tag division has a new look and he set up a fatal four way tonight for a tag title shot. Pearce is asked why Bron Breakker wasn't in King of the Ring. Pearce says he has unlimited potential. He said his guys in it deserved it and he didn't want to shove Bron in at the highest level. Bron says he wouldn't have been in the deep end with them, they would have been in it with him. He said he would have dragged them all underwater and drowned them. He said he should have been in the tournament.

Queen of the Ring Tournament Quarterfinal Match - Lyra Valkyria vs Zoey Stark

Lyra backs her up and they shove each other. Lyra goes up and over then armdrags her. Lyra back elbows her off the buckles then armdrags her. Zoey piefaces her then Lyra hurricanrana's her.

They go out and Zoey lariats her on the floor. We go to break and return. Zoey springboard dropkicks her then cravates her. Lyra hits strikes and step up enzugiri's her. Lyra dropkicks her through the ropes and top rope crossbodies her.

Lyra tornado ddt's her. Both miss kicks and Lyra is high kicked. Zoey hits a release half-nelson suplex for 2. Lyra spinning heel kicks her then Zoey suplexes her into the buckles. They slap each other and Zoey spinkicks her. Lyra cradle shocks her for the win.

Thoughts: There wasn't a lot of selling here but it was a rather athletic match and impressive for the women. The two worked well together and had a long and solid match.

Lyra is interviewed after. She says something bizarre in gaelic that I didn't understand and says she travels as the crow flies - right to the top.

Jey Uso does a promo. He says Drew McIntyre couldn't cut it and Finn Balor got the yeetdown. He welcomes Ilja Dragunov but says he's getting this work too. He says Gunther will get it next week and he will be the new King of the Ring.

Otis vs Sami Zayn

Otis backs him up in the corner then Sami hit chops and forearms. Otis does wild bolo punches and clubs him down. Otis spinning back elbows him then corner splashes him.

Otis goes for the caterpillar. Gable gets on the apron and yells at him not to do it. Otis does it and elbow drops Sami off of it. Chad gets back on the apron and yells at Otis. Otis misses a vader bomb then Sami corner face kicks him for the win.

Thoughts: It was super short and disappointing due to the length. I thought they should have had Otis miss the caterpillar drop and get pinned off of it.

Chad yells at Otis after. He piefaces him. Sami comes in and exploders Chad into the buckles. Chad then rolls out before taking more damage. Chad tells Otis this is his fault and slaps him.

Braun Strowman goes up Ivy Nile and The Creed's. He wishes them good luck in the tag match tonight. He says to look at the pythons on Ivy. JD McDonaugh goes up to Braun. He says Judgment Day doesn't appreciate him sticking his nose in their business and tells him to consider himself warned. Braun then mocks them.

Dakota Kai vs Becky Lynch

BL shoves her and punches her. BL stomps on her in the corner then bangs her head off the buckles. BL hits a hard baseball slide then jumps off the apron with a shot. BL hgh kicks her and kicks Iyo on the apron. BL goes up on the buckles, is kicked and thrown into the ring. Kai chokes her on the middle rope.

Kai boots her then gets her back and chinlocks her. BL step up enzugiri's her. BL boots her and we go to break. We return and they roll each other up. Kai stomps on her over the middle rope. Kai hits shots and BL hits some back while Kai is between the ropes. BL 2nd rope guillotine legdrops her while she's over the middle rope. 

Kai pump kicks her in the chest for 2.  BL superplexes her then armbars her. They try pins on each other and Becky armbars her. Damage Ctrl then attacks BL for the DQ.

Lyra comes out to save Becky after. She stares down with Iyo and Becky lariats Iyo. Liv Morgan then throws Becky into the post and leaves

Thoughts: This match was ugly. Nothing they did looked good and it was a super sloppy match. They did the most basic of moves too here which makes it even worse.

Jackie Redmond interviews Ilja Dragunov. Ilja said some people say it's a dream or destiny to be here. Ilja says it's not enough to be here. He's here to make an impact and says it starts with him becoming the Czar of the Ring. He says he brought the fight to Ricochet and will do the same to Jey Uso tonight. He said what is waiting on the other side is a different kind of animal. He says he's a different kind of animal and has beaten Gunther. He says he and Gunther have a long history together and says it is not over.

Gunther then shows up behind him and stares him down. Gunther laughs and leaves.

#1 Contenders to the Tag Titles - Judgment Day (Finn Balor and JD Mcdonaugh) vs The Creed Brothers vs The Authors of Pain vs New Catch Republic

Miz and Truth are out there watching this. Finn hits shots on Bate. JD stomps Bate in the corner. Bate uses the ropes to headscissor JD. JD takes a double back body drop. Dunne pulls on JD's fingers and stomps the arm into the mat. The Creed's hit knees and a double gutbuster on JD. AOP get in and hit lariats. Bate takes a super high spinebuster then Dunne is slammed on Bate. Bate is double hiptossed outside onto people. We go to break and return.

Finn works Brutus in the corner. Julius gets in and hits belly to belly suplexes and kip ups on Judgment Day. He then knocks AOp off the apron. Julius hits double northern lights suplex then a running ssp on Finn. Finn rolls up Julius then slingblades him.

Julius takes a john woo dropkick. Dunne and Bate moonsault off the ropes and buckles. Julius jumps up to the top and top rope superplexes Finn for 2. JD and Finn take a super collider. Bate and Dunne are pushed over the top. Brutus backdrops an AOP then Brutus hits a brutus ball off the top to the floor. Bate rebound lariats an AOP then airplane spins an AOP. Finn takes a double sitout powerbomb and Bate tope con hilos JD through the ropes. Dunne pounds on JD on the commentary table.

Carlito gets on the commentary table and backcrackers Dunne (that had to hurt Carlito more). Finn hits a top rope double stomp on Dunne and wins it.

Thoughts: It was a wild and fast paced four way as expected. It probably needed more time but was action packed and fun. Although Carlito's run-in was stupid, at least it continues the storyline.

Ilja Dragunov and Ricochet talk in the back. Ric says last week was one hell of a fight but the outcome will be different next time. He wishes him good luck and says go get the crown.

Damian Priest tals to Dom in the back. JD, Finn and Carlito come in. Carlito is thanked for his efforts by Finn and JD. Carlito goes to leave and says he's not wanted. Priest says what happened out there was cool. Priest asks if Carlito will handle his business and says the crew doesn't roll with cowards. He says "don't let us down, amigo". They get excited that Priest called Carlito "amigo".

King of the Ring Tournament Quarterfinals - Jey Uso vs Ilja Dragunov

Drag = Ilja Dragunov.

They lock up. Jey misses a spinning enzugiri and Drag spinning chops him. Drag hits a flying knee in the corner and 2nd rope kneedrops Jey. Drag is hit on the buckles then Drag is toped into the commentary table. Drag jumping front kicks him. jey is put on the table and Drag misses an h-bomb onto it. Jey then spears Drag onto and over the commentary table.

We go to break and return. Drag abdominal stretches Jey then Jey hiptosses him. They trade shots and Jey hits punches. Jey spinning enzugiri's him. Drag jumping kicks Jey as Jey goes for the spear. Drag germans him and Jey superkicks him. Jey uppercuts him then takes an enzugiri. Drag tiger feint lariats him for 2.

Drag hits chops then facewash kicks him. Jey superkicks him. Drag running knees him then throws him on a powerbomb. Drag h-bombs him for 2. Drag runs at him and is speared. Jey top rope splashes him and gets the win.

Thoughts: It was a good match here as expected. I doubt it drew great ratings and putting Drag in big matches like this is a bit brave. Jey does need to add some moves if he is going to be doing singles as he is very reliant on superkicks and it limits how good his match quality is. I think we will see where Drag really ends up from here as he will probably not be in such a big spot next week.  Jey's ear got busted open here as his ear piercing got ripped.

Gunther gets in the ring and stares down Jey after.

Overall thoughts: It was a heavy wrestling show here but the matches were good. It felt like a longer show due to having so many longer matches. I liked it overall though and would recommend it.