WWE RAW on Netflix 5/26 Recap: Seth Rollins Qualifies For MITB Then Gets Attacked By CM Punk

It was obvious logic — enlist the force that took you out now that you’ve given up on upholding any sort of ‘face-oath’ or ‘good guy traditions’ –- but Heyman was able to inject theatrics into the ‘motivation’ promo. Still, seeing Breakker and Reed dressed in all black with glasses, looking like AOP (a team that was released from WWE for the second time), made them seem like Seth’s goons as opposed to vital players in upholding WWE’s future.

The Tampa crowd was hot, and they went right after Rollins, who was geared up for this night as the ‘architect,’ plotting the exact actions according to everyone else’s reactions. He called the live audience ‘hypocrites’ for booing his efforts despite ‘singing along’ with his theme song moments before beginning a “F*** You Rollins” chant. Not only that, but he poked holes in the live crowd’s logic by chanting, “You sold out.”

By the end of the promo, the crowd was finishing his sentence and excited by his words.

Money In The Bank Qualifiers (Men’s)

Chad Gable vs. Dragon Lee vs. Penta—Triple Threat Match

We learned that Chad Gable was in an odd predicament during this qualifier, being that he would have to wrestle prior to the Money in the Bank ladder match in singles competition. You see, Gable will be competing at Worlds Collide against “Vikingo” of AAA stardom, a show that takes place on the same day as Money in the Bank.

The match was not without continuity as Gable has been beefing with lucha culture, including virtually anyone in a mask. Tonight, he would have to face the repercussions of his decisions as he pitted himself against two of the greatest luchadors on earth. Gable, already without the benefit of needing to be pinned to lose, successfully allowed his opponents to team together against him early in the match.

There were terrific spots throughout the match, possibly the best of the qualifiers this year, but the match was used to promote more than the newest qualifier for MITB. In the middle of the match, Gable turned his attention to Vikingo before Lee hit a dive to the outside and onto Penta after Gable ducked—the spot was crazy enough to invoke a spontaneous “Oh S**t” from McAfee on commentary.

After some of the most creative triple-threat spots you’ll ever see, Vikingo eventually paid Gable back from Mania and hit him with a kick that allowed Penta to take full advantage for the win, becoming the next entrant into the ladder match.

Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zane vs. Finn Balor –Triple Threat Match

The qualifiers have mainly been used to sell other feuds and create narratives for the winner, but other than the work from SmackDown’s Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, this was the first match that incorporated a potentially major storyline with show-altering dynamics.

Karrion Kross, who has been the toast of the IWC online following his (kinda) pipe bomb after Mania—a weekend that included other terrific work by him and Scarlett, but it was working off the two-night Mania extravaganza. Many have pointed to his underutilization since that powerful message seems to connect to a broader wrestling audience. So, it was significant that, following his appearance last week as a guest on the Ariel Helwani podcast, he approached Sami moments before his stake-filled main event.

Sami blew him off at first, but Kross expected the ‘face response’ by yelling, “Hey Sami, you know you’re never going to win the title.” It seems like typical heel dialogue, if not recycled, but with the environment shifting since Mania for the red-brand and Sami alike, the words carried a deeper truth with it meant to cut at the core of wrestling fans that feel represented by Sami Zane. Sami vowed to ‘take care of Kross later,’ but it is a narrative that follows Sami everywhere he goes—that since the Vince era was WWE’s only era, Sami has never been seen as ‘that guy.’ For all of his talent, many believe he has been the best wrestler in WWE since debuting in NXT. He just does not fit the ‘commercially viable’ standards of the company that has fallen under the thumb of an entertainment conglomerate.

The match was well told, and these veterans set a terrific pace, but at times, you started to see this ‘future’ that Rollins has been prophesizing. Heyman, the only one at ringside during this match (he’s earned that), underscored the need for a Rollins win to continue his ‘masterplan.’ The sequences between Sami and Rollins were in-ring metaphors for why Sami’s perspective should be the one to change, exchanging back-and-forth fists and sports ideologies that make wrestling today’s Shakespearean stage.

The final sequence of the match was as good as wrestling gets—Finn intercepts Sami’s “Helluva Kick” with a Sling Blade but misses the ‘coup de grais’ on Sami. That miscalculation allowed Seth to land a curb stomp before Sami nailed Rollins with the ‘Helluva Kick.’ The “goons” got involved as Breakker pulled out the ref to break the count, and that is when Jey Uso came out to even the odds. However, it did not take long for Breakker to neutralize Jey while Reed took out Sami.

Then, after weeks of not even being ringside for his matches, Dom Mysterio showed up with a chair to ‘help’ Finn. Dom slid the chair to the center of the ring, several feet from Finn, and as Balor crawled over to the chair, Rollins hit him with a curb stomp for the pinfall victory. Seth did not get to celebrate the qualifying win for long as CM Punk’s music hit, and as Breakker and Reed (jeez, this faction needed a name two weeks ago) attempted to cut off Punk at the entrance, he made his way through the crowd to take out Seth.

Currently Qualified for MITB: Solo Sikoa, LA Knight, Penta

Smackdown Qualifier This Week : Jacbo Fatu vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

How Do I, Liv, Without You?

Liv Morgan made her return to RAW after being on location to film her part on “Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo” overseas. She returned to the States last weekend, and, according to WrestleInc, her booking was ready to regain momentum immediately upon return—no Alexa Bliss ‘benching’ or ‘off TV’ time for Liv.

However, her return was a surprise for Dom, the “F-Boy” of the WWE, who seems to involve himself with a different superstar from the female division anytime his current boo gives a window. This time, Dom was in the middle of motorboating the chicken nuggets that Roxanne Perez—the newest edition to The Judgement Day, thanks to a unilateral move by Finn Balor—had served up on a silver platter. Making things worse, Liv walked in just as Perez was ‘removing something’ from Dom’s fit.

Liv confronted Dom, who stuttered through a non-explanation before she informed him that Raquel Rodriguez had kept her updated on the “clubhouse” happenings. Liv blew the situation off, as did a formal intro from Perez, and for now, was focused on getting a qualifying match from GM Adam Pearce.

Finn was clearly happy for the opportune moment that led to Liv’s return, and you have to wonder if this was his entire plan for introducing Roxanne to the group.

Liv Morgan vs. Kairi Sane

Liv got Sane in her return match, and the co-tag team champion had her partner Raquel by her side in tonight’s match. The bout came together after Liv confronted Sane and world champ Iyo Sky. The match was really good, and while you could forgive Morgan for some ring rust, she showed none whatsoever.

It can be easy to underestimate Liv at times, but these moments where she goes above and beyond display her abilities and potential for a type of superstardom not yet seen from any individual woman on the female side of the roster.

The match’s finale was used to further the Liv-Dom-Perez storyline as Perez attempted to help Liv, but her actions directly led to Liv’s loss. The scene was chaotic as Raquel confronted Perez for shoving Sane off the top rope, accusing Perez of helping herself—the distraction directly responsible for Liv’s loss. Perhaps that is why Liv ended up coming down on Raquel later on backstage. Liv told her recruit that as the ‘veteran,’ she should have ‘known better,’

Jey Uso Done With Counting Down The Days Till He’s Done

It was a brilliant line from Jey, and even though he was facing Gunther when he said it, that was meant for every journalist, fan, content creator, and anyone else spreading the narrative that Jey’s reign as a transitional title holder with a Summer expiration date.

Other Tidbits/In-Ring Action

• Rusev squashed Tazawa after the match was booked last week. Sheamus came out to confront Rusev after the Bulgarian heel refused to release the submission on Tazawa. Sheamus and Rusev, who have circled each other for the past couple of weeks, had an intense star down before Rusev slowly retreated to the exit.
• Cody Rhodes’s new podcast, debuting on WWE’s YouTube channel this Wednesday, will premiere with his wife, Brandi Rhodes, as the show’s first guest. It was announced on RAW following Cody’s return on Saturday Night’s Main Event in the show’s finale.
• Lyra Valkyria cut a promo with the IC title wrapped around her waist, claiming she will ‘hurt her and break her ego’ in her MITB title defense against “The Man” Becky Lynch. Lynch came out to cut a promo of her own after Lyra spun the “Becky Hogan” narrative and claimed she ‘made it personal.’ Becky did not let that go easily and then decided to actually get personal when she said that Lyra was mad because Becky ‘went home with her hot husband’ while Lyra was forced to go to the hospital with her ‘weird little fiancé.’ Lyra went into savage mode following that comment, saying that her “hot husband” was the only thing ‘talented about Becky.’ Then, the master manipulator tried to gaslight Lyra into believing she was “the one making it personal, again.” It was probably the best work of this program, certainly the most interesting, but it is a shame that Lyra never received a program with this much care and creative effort against someone she would not be the underdog against. This is some of Becky’s best work since returning.
• Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer, hosts of the podcast “Two Bears,” were guests of WWE tonight on RAW—in line with the recent exposure of comedians into the WWE Universe©. Bert was a guest at RAW a few weeks ago and ended up getting physical, which was also in line with Bert’s entire gimmick. The comedians plugged in their current projects, including the recent podcast with guest Cody Rhodes, before the two best-friend comedians from the Rogan-verse met up with their ‘wrestling doppelgangers’ in War Raiders. It was minimally humorous.

New Day—A Couple of Giants In The Ring

New Day(c) vs. War Raiders vs. Creed Bros—Tag Team World Title Match

• New Day went into the triple threat tag team match, giving up the champions’ advantage in what ended up being a very physical match with some very stiff bumps. Kofi and Woods wore gear that further paid homage to Giant Gonzalez, who reemerged as an online topic after the debut of the WrestleMania IX doc streaming on Peacock. New Day successfully defended their titles after convincing Creed Bros to work together against War Raiders before turning on their fellow heels. Later, Gable orders Ivy Nile to get the Creed Bros ‘in the best shape of their lives’ as he passes on a message to Pearce, allegedly from El Grande Americano.