Wrestling Lockup With Brandon 8/1/17: RAW Pittsburgh Recap

By Brandon Albright, @B_Rock1978

We're back with another exciting week in wrestling as Monday Night RAW was live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kurt Angle's hometown. Last week, we found out that WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar will defend his title against Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns in the RAW main event of WWE SummerSlam. Bayley won the right to face WWE RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss at WWE SummerSlam. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose defeated The Miztourage in a 3 on 2 Handicap Match, with Ambrose almost showing signs of trusting Rollins again.

** This Weeks Card **

- The Hardy Boys battled Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
- Akira Tozawa, Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann battled TJ Perkins, Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari in a Six Man Tag Team Match.
- WWE RAW World Tag Team Champion Sheamus battled Seth Rollins.
- Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe battled in a Triple Threat Match.
- Elias Samson battled Kalisto.
- Bayley battled Nia Jax.
- Big Cass battled Big Show.

- WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar was in the building this week, keeping a close eye on his three opponents at WWE SummerSlam.

- WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Maryse returned with another edition of Miz TV. This week's guest was Jason Jordan, who two weeks ago was announced as Kurt Angle's son.

- The Bray Wyatt/Finn Balor feud continues.

** RAW **

- Kurt Angle Promo: Angle thanks his hometown fans, says today marks his 21st Anniversary since winning a gold medal with a broken freakin' neck and hypes tonight's show. Brock Lesnar's music hits and out comes Lesnar and Paul Heyman. Heyman says that he's figured out Angle's scam, Angle wants the WWE Universal Championship off of Lesnar, that's why he signed a Fatal Four Way Match at WWE SummerSlam. Heyman praises Lesnar's three opponents and thinks that Angle was told to make Lesnar pay an ultimate price. Heyman guarantees that Lesnar will not lose at WWE SummerSlam and at the end of the night we'll hear the announcement that Brock Lesnar is still the reigning and defending WWE Universal Champion. Lesnar and Heyman leave the ring to end the segment.

- The Hardy Boys vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson: The match closes out with Anderson blocking a Twist of Fate and landing a cheap shot on Matt. Jeff breaks up a Magic Killer attempt and Matt ends up hitting a Twist of Fate on Gallows. Jeff hits the Swanton Bomb on Gallows and scores the pinfall.
Winners: The Hardy Boys, by pinfall.

- After the match, The Hardy's argue with The Revival, who were at the commentary table and then both teams begin brawling. Anderson and Gallows join in and all three teams brawl on the RAW stage. Gallows gets tossed into the LED board and Anderson gets tossed off the stage. The Hardy's hit double Twist of Fate's on Scott Dawson. Jeff leaps off the stage and takes out Anderson and Dash Wilder with Poetry in Motion, to end the segment.

- Backstage, Dean Ambrose says that he and Seth Rollins teamed up last week looked and felt good. Rollins interrupts just to agree with Ambrose. Ambrose says he still doesn't trust Rollins, but a small part of him wants to trust him. Ambrose promises that he won't let Rollins burn him again.

- Backstage, Sheamus and Cesaro mock Seth Rollins about Dean Ambrose not trusting him. Rollins challenges them to a match tonight.

- "Six Man Tag Team Match": Akira Tozawa, Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann vs. Tony Nese, TJ Perkins and Ariya Daivari: The match closes out with Swann countering the Detonation Kick and trades offense with Perkins. Swann hits a kick on Perkins as Tozawa tags in. Tozawa hits the senton on Perkins and scores the pinfall.
Winners: Akira Tozawa, Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann, by pinfall.

- Miz TV with The Miz, Maryse and The Miztourage: The Miz says there's nothing more buzzworthy right now than the revealing of Jason Jordan as Kurt Angle's son. Miz introduces Jason Jordan and out he comes. Miz says Jordan is going places and really does resemble Angle. Miz offers Jordan a spot in The Miztourage, but Jordan politely passes. Miz says that Jordan needs his guidance to help him and protect him from the vultures in the locker room. Jordan again politely passes on the offer. Miz mocks Jordan and says his dad will probably hand him all his opportunities so maybe he doesn't need Miz. Miz says this company will chew Jordan up and spit him out. Jordan says he's ok with that because he's not taking special treatment from his dad and he would rather try and fail then get special treatment. Miz starts mocking Pittsburgh and Kurt Angle, getting Jordan fired up. Jordan says he's going to knock Miz out if he says one more bad thing about his dad. Miz tries to cheap shot Jordan, but gets caught by Jordan and suplexed into Dallas and Axel. The Miztourage all escape the ring as Jordan talks trash to them to end the segment.

- A video of Roman Reigns plays with Reigns stating that he's walking out of WWE SummerSlam the new WWE Universal Champion because he's the only one that can bring it to Brock Lesnar and beat him.

- Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins: The match closes out with Rollins hitting a suicide dive on Sheamus. Back in the ring, Rollins hits a springboard clothesline and a Slingblade. Cesaro tries to distract Rollins, but gets knocked off the apron. Rollins rolls up Sheamus and scores the pinfall.
Winner: Seth Rollins, by pinfall.

- After the match, Sheamus and Cesaro attack Rollins. Sheamus hits White Noise on Rollins and continue beating him down. Dean Ambrose hits the ring, but gets attacked as well. Cesaro lays out Ambrose with The Neutralizer, but Ambrose gets up and tells them to bring more. Sheamus hits Ambrose with the Brogue Kick and lays Ambrose out.

- A video of Samoa Joe plays with Joe stating that he's putting Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman both to sleep tonight and will make history at WWE SummerSlam.

- Bray Wyatt Promo: Bray wonders how we felt when he took Finn Balor and turned him into a twisted mangled heap of broken promises. The lights go out in the arena and when they pop back on Finn Balor is in the ring. Balor lands an overhead kick on Bray, sending him outside. Balor hits a dropkick on Bray, sending him over the barricade. Bray escapes as Balor poses. 

- A video of Braun Strowman plays with him stating that he'll reduce Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns to a pile of broken bones.

- "Triple Threat Match": Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman: The match closes out with Joe going for the Coquina Clutch submission on Reigns, but Strowman lays both of them out. Strowman hits the running powerslam on Joe, but Reigns breaks up the pinfall. Strowman sends Reigns into the corner and then sends him head first into the turnbuckle repeatedly. Strowman picks up the steel steps, but eats a Superman Punch from Reigns, sending Strowman and the steps outside. Reigns hits the spear on Joe and scores the pinfall.
Winner: Roman Reigns, by pinfall.

- Backstage, Enzo tells Big Show he respects him and he's sorry for getting him into this mess with Big Cass. Show says that Cass needs a lesson in respect and he likes Enzo because he keeps it real.

- Elias Samson vs. Kalisto: The match closes out with Kalisto landing a series of kicks and then gets a near fall springboard senton on Samson. Kalisto sends Samson face first into the mat, but Samson comes back and hits a knee to the jaw on Kalisto. Samson hits Drift Away on Kalisto and scores the pinfall.
Winner: Elias Samson, by pinfall.

- Backstage, Alexa Bliss is glad she's facing Bayley at WWE SummerSlam because she's already beaten her in the past twice. Alexa then mocks Sasha Banks because she's not here tonight to help Bayley against Nia Jax.

- Backstage, Seth Rollins thanks Dean Ambrose for helping him earlier. Ambrose says he didn't come out to help Rollins, he came out because he didn't want to look like the bad guy if he didn't help. Ambrose says he's not doing it again because he knows Rollins wouldn't help him.

- Bayley vs. Nia Jax: The match closes out with Bayley sending Nia into the ropes and hits a running knee, sending her outside. Bayley takes down Nia on the floor as Alexa Bliss charges at Bayley. Nia uses the distraction to toss Bayley into the barricade. Nia charges, but Bayley dodges her, causing Nia to crash into the steel steps. Bayley slides into the ring and beats the 10 count for the win.
Winner: Bayley, by count out.

- After the match, Bayley escapes as Alexa and Nia try to attack her from behind.

- Backstage, Big Cass mocks Enzo and Big Show and promises to leave Show laid out.

- Big Cass vs. Big Show: The match closes out with Cass countering the choke slam and takes down Show, injuring Show's leg. Cass unloads on the injured leg and traps Show in a leg lock submission. Show escapes, but is still favoring the injured leg. Cass charges and drops Show with a Big Boot to the face. Cass leaps off the second rope, but Show counters and chops Cass to the mat from mid air. Show hits a clothesline and a splash in the corner on Cass. Cass lands another Big Boot on Show to put him down again. Enzo suddenly hits the ring and attacks Cass from behind, getting Show DQ'ed.
Winner: Big Cass, by DQ.

- After the match, Cass lays out Enzo and trash talks him about disrespect. Cass turns around and walks right into a Big Show Knockout Punch, putting Cass down. Show helps Enzo up as Cass if left laid out to end the show.