The August 27th edition of WWE RAW aired live from the ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
– WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns comes out to the ring to kick off tonight’s show. Reigns gets right to the point and says he’s here to defend his Universal Title, and then he calls out Braun Strowman. Strowman’s music hits and The Monster Among Men struts down to the ring with his Money In The Bank briefcase. Strowman confronts Reigns and calls him out for Rollins and Ambrose stepping in to gang up on him last week. Roman says his Shield brothers always have his back, and while Braun is lifting cars and stages, Reigns is lifting Championship belts. Reigns dares Braun to cash in his briefcase tonight, but Strowman says he’s not doing it tonight. Braun says if he did, his boys would come down and try to save him again. Braun says he’s going to make a deal – he won’t cash the contract in until September 16th. He says all Reigns has to do is show up to Hell In A Cell, so The Shield can’t interfere. Braun says he’ll see Reigns at HEll in a Cell and the crowd pops. Braun and Roman shake hands, but then Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre come out to interrupt. Ziggler complains about getting screwed over at SummerSlam, and then he and Drew call out Braun and Roman. They say Braun and Roman are their next challenges, because they’re at the top of the RAW roster. Baron Corbin comes out to interrupt and says he’s making the matches tonight. Corbin says he approves of Braun’s challenge to Reigns for Hell In A Cell. Corbin also books a tag match tonight: Ziggler & McIntyre vs. Strowman & Reigns. Corbin then walks down to the ring as everyone else heads to the back. Corbin gets back on the mic and says he’s going to make another match that Kurt Angle was too scared to make: Corbin vs. Finn Balor the man, not the demon.
– Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin: The opening bell sounds and Corbin takes the fight to Balor in the corner early on, then decks him with a clothesline for a two count. Balor springboards to the apron to dodge a shot, but Corbin connects with an elbow to the head that knocks Balor to the floor. Back in the ring, Corbin stomps on Balor to keep him grounded. Balor breaks free and runs the ropes, then drops Balor with the sling blade. Balor follows up with a double foot stomp, then lays into Corbin with chops to the chest. Corbin misses a shot in the corner and Balor fires back with another sling blade. Balor looks for a running dropkick, but Corbin catches him and hits the Deep Six for a two count. Balor comes back with a clothesline and knocks Corbin to the outside, and Balor follows up with a suicide dive over the top rope. Corbin reaches for a steel chair, but Balor stops him and throws him back in the ring. Balor misses the Coup De Grace, and Corbin grabs the steel chair from the apron and nails Balor with it in the midsection. The ref calls for the bell.
Winner via DQ: Finn Balor
– After the match, Corbin rolls outside and gets on the mic. Corbin says he forgot to say, this is a No Disqualification match, and then he gets back in the ring and the bell sounds again.
– Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin: Corbin rolls back in the ring, and he continues the beat-down on Balor. Corbin pins for the three count almost immediately.
Winner: Baron Corbin
– Corbin heads to the back as Balor recovers in the ring.
– Still to come: Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman & Roman Reigns
– We go to a replay of Triple H last week discussing the announcement that he’ll face The Undertaker. We then go to a promo video for the Triple H vs. Undertaker match, featuring footage from several WWE Hall of Famers discussing the match, including Ric Flair, Jeff Jarrett, and Kevin Nash.
– Shawn Michaels is scheduled to appear on RAW next week.
– We go to Apollo Crews and Dana Brooke backstage talking strategy for tonight. Apollo says if Dana wins her match tonight, she might earn a spot at the Evolution pay-per-view. Titus walks in and says he got Dana a match against Sasha Banks tonight. Dana walks off, and Crews questions Titus’ decision to put Dana against Sasha, when Dana has only had one singles match, and Sasha is a veteran. Titus says he has faith in Dana and walks off.
– Sasha Banks vs. Dana Brooke: Bayley is at ringside in Sasha’s corner, and Titus and Apollo are at rinside in Dana’s corner. The opening bell sounds and Dana and Sasha trade roll-up attempts early on. Sasha looks for the Banks Statement early on, but Dana rolls outside to consult with Titus Worldwide. Back in the ring, Dana dodges a shot in the corner and answers with an enziguri for a two count. Dana pummels on Sasha, and then hits a springboard elbow in the corner. Sasha answers with a kick and then hits a flying knee off the turnbuckle for a two count. Dana tries to come back, but Sasha shuts her down with the back stabber and then locks in the Banks Statement for the win.
Winner: Sasha Banks
– After the match, Bayley steps in the ring to celebrate with asha and hug. Titus and Apollo appear to be arguing at ringside, then Crews rolls in the ring to help Dana up.
– Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are shown backstage going over strategy.
– Back from the break, Dean Ambrose is still backstage. Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh walk in, and Jinder says he wants to start guiding Ambrose to spirituality. He tells Ambrose to close his eyes and breath, and tell him what he sees. Ambrose says he sees Jinder, and sees him beating Jinder down, and tells Jinder to get out of his face.
– Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins comes down to the ring and gets on the mic. Rollins says he had to take care of family business last week, in beating down Braun with the Shield. Rollins says tonight is IC Title business. Rollins calls out anyone in the back to come face him for his IC Title right now. It appears Kevin Owens is answering the open challenge. Owens comes out to the stage and gets on the mic, and he complains about Rollins having his friend Ambrose by his side to win, and Owens not having his friend Sami Zayn by his side. Owens says if Sami was here and not injured, he would have taken Braun’s Money In The Bank briefcase at SummerSlam. Owens says his summer has been terrible, but that ends tonight, because he’s not leaving this building without some sort of Title belt. Owens gets a cheap pop for mentioning they’re in Toronto tonight, but then he says Montreal would have been better, and he starts talking in French. Owens says he’s taking Rollin’s Title, and it’s happening right now.
– Seth Rollins (c) vs. Kevin Owens: Rollins’ IC Title is on the line in this one. The opening bell sounds and Owens starts off strong with a series of strikes. Owens pummels on Rollins in the corner until Rollins turns the tide and throws some strikes of his own. Owens looks for a clothesline, but Rollins dodges and tackles Owens then pummels on him. Rollins clotheslines Owens back down, and the challenger rolls outside for a breather. Rollins follows and they brawl around ringside now. Back in the ring, Owens turns it around with a DDT and a chin lock. The fight spills back out to ringside where Owens whips Rollins into the fan barricade, then slams his shoulder against the ring post. Back in the ring, Owens continues working over Rollins’ arm. Owens takes Rollins back outside and whips him into the fan barricade, then Owens looks for a cannonball splash but misses. Back in ther ing, Rollins hits the sling blade, then he dumps Owens back outside and hits two suicide dives back to back. Rollins goes for a third suicide dive and Owens blocks it, but Rollins knocks Owens back and successfully hits another suicide dive. Back in the ring, Rollins hits a big frogsplash off the top for a two count. Owens fights back and looks for a crossface, and he locks it on on Rollins. Rollins reaches the ropes so Owens breaks the hold and stomps on him. Rollins dodges a shot and hits a superkick, but Owens fires back with a Stone Cold Stunner for a two count. They fight up to the top turnbuckle and Rollins looks for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Owens escapes and hits a superkick for a two count. Owens comes back and looks for a moonsault, but misses, and Rollins answers with a curb stomp for the three count.
Winner & still IC Champion: Seth Rollins
– Braun Strowman confronts Baron Corbin backstage and gives him his briefcase to officially cash it in in advance for Hell In A Cell.
– Back from the break, Owens is still sitting in the ring on a chair now. He looks disappointed after his loss. Owens is about to say something on the mic, but he changes his mind and storms out of the ring and exits beside the stage.
– Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre do an interview in the back where they discuss challenging Reigns and Strowman tonight. Dolph ays tonight they make their move to the top of the food chain by beating them. Drew says Reigns is still beaten down from last week, and Strowman’s mind isn’t right because he’s distracted by his Universal Title hunt. Ziggler points out that Reigns and Strowman will never be able to coexist, knowing they have to fight at Hell in a Cell. Drew says Roman and Braun are two wounded animals ripe for the slaughter.
– The B Team vs. The Revival: The B Team trades tags early on and takes turn beating on Dash. Dawson gets the tag and starts laying into Axel. The B Team dumps both Revival members outside now and they lead the crowd in a “B Team” chant. Back in the ring, The Revival turns it around again Dallas. Axel gets the tag and cleans house, then hits a neckbreaker on Dawson. They fight into the corner and Axel looks for a roll-up pin, but Wilder breaks it up. Dallas takes out Wilder as Axel and Dawson go at it in the ring. Wilder drops Dallas at ringside then gets the tag, and they hit the Shatter Machine on Axel for the three count.
Winners: The Revival
– The Revival beats down The B Team after the match, and then they grab The B Team’s tag titles from ringside. The Revival takes the tag belts back in the ring and they get on the mic. They cut a promo about their intentions to tag the Titles, and they hit the Titles together and drop them, then leave.
– Elias is backstage giving instructions to a production assistant for his performance tonight.
– Elias is in the ring now with his guitar and the spotlight on him, and he leads the crowd in a “walk with Elias” chant. Elias starts trashing Toronto, and then WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus comes out to interrupt. Trish walks down to the ring and gets on the mic. Elias tells Trish to go back to changing diapers, and Trish calls out Elias for badmouthing Toronto. Trish tells Elias to hold his applause and shut his mouth. Elias continues to bash Toronto and says they’ll never see another Stanley Cup. Elias tells Trish no offense, but he doesn’t date women in their 60’s, and Trish slaps Elias across the face. Ronda Rousey and Natalya come out to interrupt, and we go to commercial.
– Back from the break, Ronda and Natalya are in the ring talking things over with Trish Stratus. Alexa Bliss and Alicia Fox come out to the stage and Alexa reminds everyone she is the goddess, and she’s invoking her rematch for the Women’s Title not tonight, but at Hell In A Cell. Bliss trashes Canadians, and then Mickie James comes out to make her return to join her on their way to the ring for Alicia Fox’s singles match with Natalya.
– Natalya vs. Alicia Fox: Mickie, Alexa, Trish and Ronda are all still at ringside. The opening bell sounds and Fox starts off strong an chokes Natalya up against the bottom rope. When the ref’s back is turned, Alexa and Mickie hit some cheap shots on Natalya. Natalya recovers and drops Alicia, then locks in the Sharpshooter for the win after a very short match.
Winner: Natalya
– After the match, Trish and Ronda get in the ring to celebrate with Natalya.
– Natalya, Ronda and Trish are walking backstage, and they bump into the Bella Twins. The Bella Twins congratulate Natalya on the win, and then they reveal some news: next week on RAW, the Bellas are back in action in the ring. Natalya takes a selfie and then we go to the broadcast team who promote the upcoming Australia super show.
– Baron Corbin is backstage on the phone with Stephanie when Bobby Lashley walks in. Corbin says he knows Lashley likes competitioon, so his match is next. Lashley sounds excited and congratulates him on being acing GM and making matches.
– Bobby Lashley comes out to the ring and awaits his opponent, but then Corbin appears on the big screen. Corbin announces that Lashley;s match tonight is a handicap match, against The Ascension.
– Bobby Lashley vs. The Ascension: Konnor and Viktor double team Lashley early on and trade frequent tags to control the pace. Viktor comes in and applies a front face lock to Lashley, but Lashley powers him and throws him down. Lashley knocks Konnor off the apron and then hits a snake-eyes on Viktor on the corner. Lashley knocks Konnor off the apron again, and then turns his attention back to Konnor. Lashley hits a version of the Dominator on Viktor for the three count.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
– Dean Ambrose is shown backstage pacing in the hallway. He faces Jinder Mahal up next.
– Jinder Mahal vs. Dean Ambrose: Sunil Singh is at ringside for this one. The opening bell sounds and Ambrose takes Jinder down with a belly to back suplex early on, then he clotheslines Mahal down to the ringside floor. Ambrose beats on Jinder against the fan barricade, then he throws Jinder back in the ring and shoves Sunil Singh down to the floor. While Ambrose is getting back in the ring, Jinder hits him with a knee to the face. Jinder drops some knees on Ambrose on the mat and works on keeping the Lunatic grounded. They run the ropes and Jinder drops Ambrose with another knee strike. Ambrose starts coming back with some clotheslines, then he drops Jinder across the top rope. Ambrose looks for a neckbreaker, but Jinder escapes and hits a jumping knee to the face. Jinder looks for the Khallas, but Ambrose escapes and hits the Dirty Deeds for the three count.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
– Ambrose briefly celebrates in the ring before storming backstage. Jinder recovers on the floor with Sunil.
– Roman Reigns is shown in his locker room getting ready for his match tonight. Braun Strowman walks in and says after tonight, Reigns has 20 days to think about how Braun is going to destroy him at Hell In A Cell. Reigns tells Braun he won’t be able to get the job done against him, and walks off. Braun doesn’t look happy.
– Braun Strowman & Roman Reigns vs. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre: Dolph and Roman start this one off trading strikes. Reigns hits a jumping clothesline and then knocks Drew off the apron. Reigns clotheslines Ziggler outside next and follows him out. Reigns hits the drive-by kick and then gets back in the ring, but Drew causes a distraction. This leads to Ziggler hitting a DDT on Reigns for a two count. Drew tags in and pummels on Reigns, then Dolph tags back in and hits a knee drop on Reigns. McIntyre comes back in and continues the beat-down on the Big Dog. Dolph comes back in and applies a sleeper, but Reigns fights to his feet and slams Dolph in the corner. Reigns hits a big boot and both men are down. Drew gets the tag but Reigns stops his momentum with a boot to the face, but then Ziggler tags in and they double team Roman. Braun doesn’t run in and just watches them beat down Reigns. Drew and Dolph repeatedly stomp on Reigns until the ref calls it off for not breaking up the double-team.
Winners via DQ: Braun Strowman & Roman Reigns
– Braun steps in the ring after the match, and he walks past Drew and Dolph and walks over to Roman. Braun picks up Reigns and headbutts him down. Things are looking down for Reigns, but then Dean Ambrose comes out for the save. Drew and Dolph grab Ambrose and take him out, and then Seth Rollins runs in. Rollins goes after Braun but Braun drops him, then Ziggler hits the Zig Zag on him. Braun hits the running powerslam on Rollins. Drew picks up Reigns and hands him off to Braun, who hits the running powerslam on Reigns too. Braun raises Dolph and Drew’s hands in the air, and they all stand tall in the ring as RAW goes off the air.
