Highlights
- Logan Paul embraces his heel side, insulting the crowd and knocking out Ricochet. He’s fully committed to his bad guy role.
- Ludwig Kaiser gets a clean win over Matt Riddle, redeeming himself and proving he’s more than just an enhancement talent for Gunther.
- Maxxine Dupri wins her singles match with Valhalla and looks solid despite her lack of experience. WWE is creating the right environment for her success.
This week’s Monday Night Raw was the final Raw before Saturday’s SummerSlam premium live event. Logan Paul kicked off the show, knocking out Ricochet, and the action proceeded from there with a banger of a match between Ludwig Kaiser and Matt Riddle.
The show included well-produced interviews with Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, a 5-minute challenge between Gunther and Chad Gable, a big win for Maxxine Dupri and a main event featuring Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn versus Dominik and Damian Priest.
Here are your Raw winners and losers for Raw, July 31, 2023:
Winner: Logan Paul Knocks Ricochet Silly
Fully embracing his heel side, Paul started the show and insulted the Houston, Texas crowd. He played them perfectly. He then called out Ricochet for his “sneak attack” and sarcasitcally got emotional until The One and Only interrupted. Paul apologized in advance that Samantha Irvin (Ricochet’s fiancé) would be announcing him as the winner on Saturday, so the fight was on. Unlike last week, Paul got the better of Ricochet with a knockout punch.
Paul just gets it. He has accepted his role as a bad guy and he’s going all in. The exchange was solid and this match should be a show-stealer.
Winner: Ludwig Kaiser
Not often does it work out well for the underling heel who is admonished by his leader because of a previous failure, but that’s exactly what happened for Ludwig Kaiser who had to win against Matt Riddle to stay in Gunther’s good graces. Kaiser was likely the major underdog going in, but he got a clean win with no real outside help. Essentially, he redeemed himself.
This is big for Kaiser as it paints the picture he’s not just an enhancement talent good only for getting The Ring General the upper hand. Riddle might not be on a strong run, but he’s a credible opponent and this was a big check in the plus column for Kaiser.
Winner: Maxxine Dupri
Durpi has a singles match with Valhalla and won. And, considering her lack of experience, Durpi looked solid. There are a number of similarities between someone like Durpi and former WWE star Lana. The big difference is that WWE is creating the right environment to make Durpi a success. They’ve had her play into her weaknesses, they teamed her with Alpha Academy, and they don’t take everything too seriously.
After this match, Judgement Day cut a promo in the ring and Rhea Ripley bragged about taking out Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, and Kevin Owens. Rodriguez came down for a fight and did well until a distraction from Dominik allowed Ripley to take Rodriguez out at the knees. She then attacked, possibly injuring her leg again.
WWE then aired a very cool set of interviews with Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler to sell their SummerSlam match.
Loser: Nakamura Vs. Ciampa
This singles match wasn’t bad, but it felt underwhelming considering the pedigree of both stars. There was also a suggestion that the winner got a spot in the SummerSlam Battle Royal, but this was right after Alpha Academy announced they were entered, leaving it clear there was no rhyme or reason to who’d be in that match or how they’d get there.
Nakamura also picked up a sneaky win by using Ciampa’s trunks. Is he a heel or is he leaning that way? It wasn’t entirely clear.
Winner: Lesnar Takes Out Cody Rhodes
Lesnar came to the ring and touted his resume. He then said he would respect Cody if he came out and shook his hand as a competitor. Rhodes did so, then tried to get the upper hand with a quick attack. It didn’t work and Lesnar proceeded to destroy Rhodes with the steel steps.
Lesnar’s music hit twice and stopped twice before he was finally done attacking The American Nightmare. It was a clear message being sent ahead of SummerSlam, reminding everyone that Lesnar is a dangerous man when he wants to be.
Winner: Gable Lasts 5 Minutes But Loses to Gunther
Earlier in the evening, Gunther bragged that he could dispatch Gable in less than five minutes and challenged him to a singles match where the clock would be running. When the match took place, Gable did outlast the time clock, technically handing Gunther a loss. The Ring General demanded to match restart and after the commercial break, he picked up the win.
This segment served a few purposes. First, it allowed Gable to get a win in an interesting way. Second, it still allows Gunther to come out on top. Finally, it set the stage that it’s possible for Gunther to lose, which is important so fans believe Drew McIntyre has a chance at SummerSlam.
Winner: Trish Tries To Weasel Her Way Out of Match
A heel who uses logic to bend the rules? Who’d have thunk it? Adam Pearce forced Trish Stratus into a match with Becky Lynch on Monday Night and despite her reservations, Trish agreed. Swindling her way out of actually competing, she let the bell ring, and Zoey Stark jumped in and got Trish disqualified, technically having a match come to its completion. The heels attacked Lynch and left her laying.
Backstage, Pearce caught up with Trish and Stark and booked a match for two weeks from Monday in Winnipeg. Stark will be banned from ringside.
*Additional note: It seems odd that this match was not part of the SummerSlam card.
Winner: Balor Hesitant to Give Priest His Shot
During the tag team main event, Damian Priest actually had Seth Rollins dead to rights with a Razor’s Edge finisher. He realized it was a prime opportunity to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase so he ushered Finn Balor to get the contract. Balor did, but hesitantly handed it over. By the time Priest got the case, Rollins was up and he and Zayn hit a Helluva Kick and a Stomp for the win.
The hesitation is understandable on Balor’s part. If Priest wins the title, Baylor’s match on Saturday means nothing. He wants to fight for the championship at SummerSlam. It doesn’t mean he has issues with Priest. He was simply looking out for his best interests. Priest surely won’t see it that way.