Bron Breakker Becomes Two-Time IC Champ On WWE RAW

Whenever WWE is in Philly, the pressure is on creative and segment producers to produce an entertaining show—preferably with a nod to the company that called the city ‘home.’ So, tonight’s episode of RAW at the Wells Fargo Center needed to deliver an opening worthy of such a show.

After news broke earlier today of ring announcer Samantha Irvin suddenly departing her role with the company, it was reported that Lilian Garcia was in the building. Before tonight’s show went live, returning to that format after being pre-recorded last week, WRKD Wrestling reported that Garcia would be the permanent replacement. However, contradictory reports also claim she is ‘filling in’ until a permanent replacement can be selected. Garcia received a terrific ovation, and much of the online chatter was positive.

Main Event: Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker 2

It was a rematch of Jey’s winning effort several weeks ago on RAW. It was a huge moment that seemed to be the catalyst for a Bron Breakker face turn. But, ultimately, Breakker found his way back into a rematch with Jey Uso.

The match received nearly 30 minutes of airtime, but once again, it was the final booking, and that was everything. First, Solo Sikoa came out in an attempt to cost Jey, but the crowd really popped when Jacob Fatu, shown earlier in a video recap of Jey visiting SmackDown and threatening to slap teeth out of Fatu.

Before Jacob made his way out there, Breakker was content to let Bloodline get away with whatever, so long as it didn’t cost him the title. But after Breakker made eye contact with Jacob Fatu, the two made their way face to face, and the crowd came alive, potentially foreshadowing a huge match down the line in a Roman-less WWE Universe ©. Eventually, security got The Bloodline out of there, and the IC match continued. With everything going on around him, Jey lost sight of who was where, and he got caught with a Jacob Fatu superkick, who was ‘out of nowhere.’ That left Jey a sitting duck for Breakker’s spear, which he hit for the win and to become a two-time IC champ.

R-Truth Gets Real, Kross Gets Real… Sick!!!

The renewal of the tag team division continues, and the booking reflects real efforts being made in the ‘Trips Era’ as we see real strides being achieved weekly. Off the back of last Friday, which saw the debut of Motor City Machine Guns on SmackDown, RAW came back twice as strong by utilizing a tag match between New Day and AOP (Authors of Pain) that helped to tell multiple storylines by correlating them around Wyatt Sicks’s return.

New Day vs. AOP

The match had real stakes as a contender’s eliminator of sorts, but with Karrion Kross ringside among the rest of The Final Testament — not to mention the difficulties Woods and Kofi have had vibing lately — you had every reason to favor AOP on the numbers alone. The match did not get the chance to really stretch its legs, but it was smart not to waste the banger match on a night where the only thing they’ll remember is the ending.

The Miz was ringside with Kross after weeks of Kross being in his ear. Kross appears, at least partially, responsible for Miz’s heel turn, but it is difficult to say whether he is an actual member of the faction. After a few weeks of typical naïve Truth, his hopes of saving his tag team partner are all but gone as he jumped the barrier from the crowd and started beating on Miz. New Day was able to take advantage of the distraction, secure the win, and move a step closer to potential tag team glory (again). However, after the match, The Final Testament threw a beatdown on Truth, and despite Kofi seeming eager to help out, it was once again Woods who talked him out of it.

The New Day stayed out of it, and Truth was on his own as the buzzards started to pick at his carcass—but that is when the lights went black, and the single note hit, indicating Wyatt Sicks’ presence. When the lights came back on, Wyatt Sicks were standing around the ring, ready to pounce. It was a very well-produced segment, and the booking choices for this act continue to work with near perfection. The live crowd went absolutely nuts.

WWE successfully combined two programs with complex themes and layered plots into a single segment, and they did so in a way that furthered all the storylines without muddying the waters. The Wyatt Sicks stood tall, and it will be interesting to see how much of a fight TFT will manage.

LWO (Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio) vs. American Made

The Creed Bros held their own against Rey and Lee in a match that could have a longer run if needed. Gable made his presence felt in the match before Vega put a stop to it by taking out Ivy. Neutralizing the numbers game was enough for LWO to move one step closer to the finals.

LWO vs. The War Raiders vs. New Day

This triple threat tag team match will decide the number one contenders for the red brand.

Seth Rollins Gets It Rollin’

The opening segment of RAW was chaotic and matched the tone of a show that a Philly crowd expects. Seth Rollins, already in the ring, wanted to get his hands on Bronson Reed—echoing the sentiments of Reed last week. Security quickly got between the two, and it was as if they finally learned that when Reed was near ‘Gorilla,’ they should just stay alert. Both superstars were able to beat down security to get their hands on each other.

They continue to book Reed well, and this week was no different as he threw one security member, or maybe it was a fan, into all the other security before attempting to tsunami Seth lying on a table. Reed missed Seth, but the table exploded.

The two men kept going at it and had to be broken up twice before Pearce ordered them to face off at Crown Jewel.

Other Action

Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend made a huge splash a few weeks back against the tag champs in Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. Now, Jakara and Lash are feuding with Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane—who took on Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in tag action. It was a solid match before Lash and Jakara were baited into interfering, further building to their showdown with Damage CTRL with the winner primed for another shot at the tag titles.

After Lash and Jakara got rid of Sky and Sane, Liv and Rodriguez were left standing face-to-face with the upstart tag team. Not long after that, Rhea Ripley’s music hit, and she went right through Raquel before slapping the “Prism Trap” on Morgan.