We kick WWE Raw off with a big way as Retribution appears with masks on as commentary confirms they now have official contracts.
The members are: Dominik Dijakovic, Mia Yim, Mercedes Martinez, Dio Madden, and a man who is in a full mask which appears to be Shane Thorne.
Mia Yim says to WWE management, if they think the company is safe because they got contracts, they should think again. She claims that WWE is focused on the money and they are done getting stepped on so they can get an imaginary brass ring.
Dominik Dijakovic says they will destroy WWE and building it in their own way. He tells the roster they are the sickness for the infestation of this hell hole. He says that they all do things to collect they paydays like whores. He says Retribution will make them pay for their sins.
But before they can continue, The Hurt Business makes their way out! They hit the ring but Retribution back off. MVP says that when the realness shows up, they aren’t so tough. MVP says if they want an opportunity they have one tonight and Bobby Lashley says they aren’t hiding behind any masks, and they will beat them down and look good while doing it.
However, tons more of the group then appears, outnumbering The Hurt Business and a major brawl breaks down.
Backstage the Mysterio family is shown as Rey says that family is everything and he first made his mark in WWE as a Tag Team Champion. Now he gets to watch his son follow in his footsteps.
SETH ROLLINS & MURPHY vs DOMINIK MYSTERIO & HUMBERTO CARRILLO vs ANDRADE & ANGEL GARZA
Angel Garza starts out throwing his pants at Murphy, but he then tags out for Andrade, who just gets out of the ring. Murphy and Humberto Carrillo start with a back and forth exchange with Murphy working on the arm until he gets thrown out of the ring.
Andrade then attacks Carrillo from behind and he and Garza begin to dominate. Murphy then gets back in and the two men work together against Humberto, but Murphy launches Humberto across the ring, only for him to hit a hip toss to Andrade.
Dominik Mysterio then tags in as he launches himself off the top rope to take out Andrade while Carrillo hits a suicide dive on Murphy. Andrade tries to fight back but Mysterio hits a huge sunset bomb onto Andrade, with Garza having to break up the pinfall.
Garza tries to throw him out of the ring but Dominik swings around and kicks him, only for Murphy to launch Garza into him as they both fall out. Andrade then hits the ring and connects with a spinning back elbow until Murphy provides a receipt with a huge knee strike to the face.
Murphy tries to tag Seth Rollins, but he decided to walk away, claiming he has a lot on his mind. With the distraction, Andrade tries to take advantage, hitting another massive elbow as Garza then connects with the Wing Clipper to get the victory in 5.26 minutes.
Winners: Angel Garza & Andrade
Match Rating: 2.75/5. Good match, but too short for my liking. Extremely predictable match with Seth Rollins walking out. Poor Murphy. I want to see him main event longer matches. He has got it. Happy to see Andrade and Angel Garza winning this one. The chemistry between Andrade and Murphy is infectious.
RETRIBUTION PROMO
Dominik Dijakovic (a.k.a Bane) tells The Hurt Business that they could have been part of the solution, but instead they are focused on lining their pockets. He tells them that their payment won’t come in money, it will come in a match against them.
KEVIN OWENS SHOW
Kevin Owens says his show last time was ruined when he was attacked by ‘Captain Hot Topic,’ but he claims that he sorted that next week. KO says 2020 has been pretty weird so far, so let’s keep going as he invites out his guest and former rival, Shane McMahon.
Both men say they can’t believe they are here doing this, and they discuss their history with KO pointing out he got him fired and he should technically be mad that he’s here. However, he says that is water under the bridge and Owens says Shane is a promoter at heart.
Shane then builds up the Raw Underground match between Braun Strowman and Dabba-Kato later on tonight. Shane says he appreciates Owens coming to Raw Underground and points out that he met Dabba-Kato and Shane then brings out the young wrestler.
KO says he knew Dabba would be coming out, and he remembers what Dabba did to him two weeks ago. KO says he knows that he has a match tonight, but he needs Dabba to know that they are going to fight at some point and until then, here’s something to chew on…and Owens slaps him.
Shane tries to calm Dabba down but Owens brings out his second guest…Braun Strowman! Shane orders them to wait until Raw Underground, but then Aleister Black pops up and pulls Owens into the ring post multiple times, taking him out.
BACKSTAGE SEGMENTS
Drew McIntyre is shown backstage and he says that it’s nothing personal between him and Keith Lee. He’s the WWE Champion and he knows Lee is hungry, stating that if a wrestler doesn’t want to be champion then what’s the point in being here.
Retribution are once again shown backstage, this time attacking Titus O’Neil and Humberto Carrillo, leaving them both laying as Dijakovic continues to say they are the judge, jury, and executioner. It’s announced they will be facing The Hurt Business later.
DREW MCINTYRE vs KEITH LEE
Drew McIntyre goes for the Claymore immediately, but Keith Lee sidesteps that and takes control with a headlock. Drew then turns that around with one of his own but then the Limitless One explodes and just tackles the WWE Champion out of the ring.
The two men then start throwing hands on the outside with Keith Lee connecting with a huge chop, but McIntyre responds by picking him up and dropping him onto the announce table. Back in the ring, Keith Lee picks up the pace and connects with a splash in the corner, but he then eats a big boot from Drew.
Lee returns with a forearm smash and then looks for the spirit bomb, but Drew gets out of it and then nails a spine buster. Drew then charges in towards Lee, but he slams the WWE Champion down to the mat, gaining a near fall.
Lee nails a clothesline as he continues to work on the injured jaw, and he then goes for a Spirit Bomb, but Drew gets out and then hits a Claymore! However, Randy Orton then appears, attacking Drew with a steel chair connecting with several shots. Orton then pushes down the chair onto the injured jaw of Orton, adding further damage in 11 minutes.
With Drew out of the ring, the Viper takes the opportunity to nail Keith Lee with a Punt Kick!
Match Review: 3.25/5. Chaotic. I know why they didn’t do a clean finish. Keith Lee and Drew are both worth protecting. That Punt kick by Orton looked brutal. I would have liked a better ‘selling’ from Keith Lee though. As far as the match goes, I enjoy watching Lee in the ring. It was fun while it lasted.
RANDY ORTON PROMO
Randy Orton says shame on everyone fr doubting if he would make it this Sunday. He says the one constant over the last 20 years is him, he’s never walked away from a World Title match and he doesn’t plan on doing so anytime soon.
Orton then heads to the ambulance that’s near the entrance, saying he took a ride in it a few weeks ago and he did so because Drew gave him three Claymore’s. Orton says he could barely see straight, but he got the feeling of what it is to be taken out by the Legend Killer.
He learned what Edge, Big Show, Ric Flair etc felt like when he kicked them in the skull. That made him remember what he is capable of and what it takes to become WWE Champion. He says the ambulance represents his 14th World Championship and he’s going to make sure that Drew’s title reign flatlines, courtesy of the RKO.
BACKSTAGE SEGMENT
Asuka is shown backstage as Billie Kay pops up and talks trash until Peyton Royce, telling Asuka to give her a title shot, as she asks Billie to encourage that. They point out that they’re still friends as Asuka says she is ready for Peyton, tonight.
ZELINA VEGA vs MICKIE JAMES
Mickie James goes straight for Zelina Vega, but she has her number and takes control early on until Mickie slams Zelina down as she then swings Vega around the ring. James nails a kick to the face but then goes for a roll-up and almost catches out the WWE veteran.
Zelina then locks in the Octopus submission, which takes James down to her knee, but James gets up and runs back into the turnbuckles to break things. Vega continues to impress though with a big kick, but as she goes for a knee strike Mickie catches her.
James looks for a powerbomb but Vega reverses with a pin attempt and ends up slamming James headfirst into the mat. She then ties up James on the ropes, continuing to look for the submission victory. James finally responds with a clothesline and then a big kick, which she follows by planting Zelina face-first.
Mickie then goes to the top rope and connects with the seated senton, but it isn’t enough to get the job done. Vega responds by sending James into the ropes though and then connects with a backstabber which gets the victory!
Winner: Zelina Vega
Match Review: 1/5. I want to see Mickie back at the top. I am happy Zelina is getting a chance, and she’s younger of the two, but I wanted to see a good 16 minutes Micke Vs Asuka match.
BACKSTAGE SEGMENTS
Backstage, The Hurt Business is shown dishing out a beating to the unknown Retribution members, dishing out a taste of their own medicine.
There is then a video package for Bianca Belair in the gym, showcasing a variety of exercises she can do better than a man.
24/7 TITLE SEGMENT
We then get a 24/7 Championship segment where Akira Toazwa and his ninja sprint into the ocean. R-Truth then appears on the beach as a shark-like fin appears in the ring. He sprints away and Akira and the ninja begin swimming away.
However, Truth focuses on saving Little Jimmy and he drops the title into the water. Truth then appears with a snorkel but the shark appears again. Truth finds the title and the ripped up ninja suit. That was something.
CEDRIC ALEXANDER vs RICOCHET
Before the match, MVP addresses Retribution, saying they will be in a six-man tag team match and they will learn why they are The Hurt Business. MVP says that they are the executioners. Cedric Alexander agrees with that and says he learned the hard way that when you try to send a message to the faction, you get one back 10-fold.
Alexander says this is about him getting revenge on Ricochet for trying to use him for championship success. He says that he is going to learn he doesn’t give a damn about Ricochet or his kids.
Apollo Crews comes out with Ricochet and says he never expected to see this side of him. He says all they care about now is punching him in the face and he says that he’s not forgotten about the United States Championship, and tonight he can watch as he showcases why he will be a two-time champion.
Despite WWE previously stating Alexander would wrestle Ricochet, he is actually facing Apollo Crews, who nails Alexander early with a big boot to the face. MVP takes him out of the ring and Crews launches himself under the bottom rope to send Cedric into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Cedric regains control of the match, grounding his opponent to the mat, but Crews responds with a couple of big punches, only for Cedric to respond with a dropkick to the back. Alexander starts reigning down some elbow strikes as he continues to maintain control.
Apollo tries to fight back with some elbows of his own, but Cedric quickly drops him back down with a Michinoku Driver. Cedric then charges into the corner but gets caught and Apollo then nails a crossbody from the second rope, creating some much-needed distance.
Crews then nails a splash and a Samoan drop, but Alexander manages to kick out! Apollo then goes for a moonsault to the outside but Cedric moves and then hits a suicide dive as he goes to talk trash to Ricochet. However, the decision to do that doesn’t pay-off as Apollo gets a roll-up victory as he hits the ring.
Winner: Cedric Alexander
Match Review: 1/5. I liked the finisher. I didn’t quite like anything else. Both are very talented wrestlers, but it’s hard to see them fight a 7 minutes match with no chemistry.
SETH ROLLINS HAS INFORMATION ON THE MYSTERIO FAMILY
Viva la raza
Seth Rollins makes his way down to the ring with an envelope, saying it is no secret that he’s had the Mysterio’s number for some time now. Rollins says after beating Dominik last week, he thought it was all done and the torment that they’ve been putting him through was over.
However, Seth says something has been bothering him about them for some time. Seth says he was inspired to dig deeper by an unlikely source, with WWE.com posting a series of photos of the Mysterio family. He claims the world needs to know the truth and he puts the photograph on the tron.
He says something is a miss, telling people to compare Rey and Dominik, saying it doesn’t seem possible. Seth says before he delivers the information, he would like to invite the Mysterio family to come out and find out the truth in person.
The family then come out as Rey says it must be very important, but Rey says they are all tired of his mind games, and they intend to give him a beating just like they did to Murphy. Rollins claims he’s grown to respect them and what they stand for.
Rollins says he has the results of a DNA test, and while he knows it has been done before, technology has changed and we now need an answer. Seth says the results are conclusive, and Rey Mysterio is not the father.
Rey laughs that off and asks if he brought them out for that, he says they’ve been there before. He tells Seth to stop running his families name through the mud. Seth says maybe he made a mistake, and he says maybe it’s not Dominik, perhaps it is Aliyah, who is not his daughter.
Seth then claims he has concrete evidence to back it up and Aalyah is shown being concerned for Murphy. He asks her what was going on, but Rey says he doesn’t talk to her and they’ve already spoken about that as he raised her to be caring and compassionate.
Rey says she is naive and knows nothing about her world, but Aliyah isn’t happy with those comments and she walks away with her mother following. Seth says he guesses even a family as strong as they can fallout and he says it’s probably happened to some of the WWE Universes family. He says sorry and leaves.
Segment Review: Interesting twist considering this storyline was already done 15 years ago.
SHAYNA BASZLER & NIA JAX vs LANA & NATALYA
Natalya attacks Nia Jax straight away with the duo taking advantage as Lana tags in and nails a great kick to Jax. However, Nia then responds with a headbutt and brings in her partner who immediately attacks Nattie as she follows up with a huge kick to the face of Lana. She locks in the Kirafuda Clutch and picks up a quick victory.
Winners: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax
Match Review: DUD. 50 Seconds match? It is COVID season, we have ample time to watch a good Wrasstlin match. Give us longer matches. Nia needs to get back to the drawing board. It’s hard to watch her wrestler.
After the match, the champions look to attack The Riott Squad who was on commentary, but they manage to escape. Instead, Nia grabs Lana and puts her through the announce table for a second week with the Samoan Drop.
BACKSTAGE SEGMENT
Drew McIntyre is shown in the medical room where he confirms he will be at WWE Clash Of Champions. But for tonight, he’s going to go pick a fight.
Backstage the Mysterio family are arguing, Aalyah says that she came originally to support Dom and that she can speak for herself. Rey has been injured, Dom has been hurt and she questions what could happen to her or mum. She says, after all, she’s just a 19-year-old girl, and she walks out.
ASUKA vs PEYTON ROYCE
Peyton Royce starts out well, taking Asuka to the corner, but she responds with a superkick and then a huge knee strike to the face. Asuka then goes for a hip attack in the corner and follows it with a German suplex. Royce then catches a kick attempt but isn’t able to follow-up with it.
However, after they bounce off the ropes, Peyton grabs hold of Asuka and drops her knee-first onto the mat. Royce then nails a spin kick but the champion is able to kick out. The women then brawl to the top rope where Asuka nails her with a kick to the face and she then sets in the Asuka Lock, but Zelina Vega appears.
The new number one contender attacks Asuka and gets some shots in ahead of their title match. However, the champion responds with a kick of her own and she forces Vega to run away.
Match Review: 1/5. It was a quick match which was more about building the rivalry between Asuka and Vega. Asuka is the best women wrestler of 2020 until now.
BACKSTAGE SEGMENT
Aalyah is shown backstage and Murphy turns up to say sorry, saying things have gone out of hand. He says if he’s done anything to hurt her, then he’s sorry.
BRAUN STROWMAN vs DABBA-KATO
It’s finally the main event time on Raw Underground as the two big men collide. They both throw shots early on, but Braun Strowman manages to take down his opponent locking in a submission as they spill to the outside. They then begin throwing an audience member at each other and then they get back to the ring.
Braun Strowman lands several big shots which takes Dabba down and he follows up on that with several more punches to win this match.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Match Review: 1/5. Hope the fight club ends with this. Braun looked dominating atleast.
RETRIBUTION vs THE HURT BUSINESS
Before the match, each member of The Hurt Business got a new name, but I have no idea which is which as they neglected that information. The names they were given were horrendous – Slapjack, T-Bar, and Mase.
Retribution’s entrance is all of the screens changing to Retribution logos and the wrestlers coming through the crowd like jobbers- spirit squad reboot anyone?.
The match beings as Shelton Benjamin launches the unknown masked man (Shane Thorne?) and he tags in Dio Maddin who is known as Mase who fights back with Benjamin. T-Bar (Dijakovic) then gets involved, but Bobby Lashley dominates him into their corner as Cedric Alexander then continues the attack.
T-Bar then starts throwing big hands to Alexander, taking him down to the mat where he takes him into their corner. Slapjack (masked man) then comes in and continues the beatdown of Alexander. T-Bar then returns and hits another heavy shot to Alexander who he then just launches across the ring.
T-Bar sends Alexander into the ropes, but he responds with a neurolizer and then brings in Shelton Benjamin. He takes the fight to T-Bar and the two men trade blows until Benjamin hits a knee to the chest. But the distraction by Mase works out for them and allows T-Bar to flatten him with a big boot.
The two big men the connect with a double suplex, but Benjamin manages a back body drop to Mase as Benjamin looks for a tag. They begin going back and forth with big shots but it is Mase who comes out on top here.
Slapjack then gets involved again and isolates Benjamin in his corner. However, Benjamin manages to tag Bobby Lashley and he begins dominating, levelling Slapjack with a Flatliner. Lashley then launches him into the air, driving him down into the canvas and he sets in the Hurt Lock.
However, T-Bar attacks Lashley and all of Retribution arrives and a major brawl takes place yet again. Drew McIntyre then hits the ring with a bunch of WWE’s babyfaces and they manage to clear the ring of Retribution.
However amongst all the chaos, Randy Orton nails an RKO and ends the show standing tall.
Match Review: 1.5/5. Segment review 2/5. If this is the main event of WWE Raw, I don’t know how to rate them.
WWE Monday Night Raw Rating for September 21, 2020: 5/10
Nothing special in the show, and it was missable. I hated the main event. I disliked short matches. However, Orton was amazing as usual, Asuka is GOAT, Keith Lee is money and Drew McIntyre is gold.
Three Stars of the show:
- Randy Orton
- Keith Lee
- Drew McIntyre
