WWE Raw Results (05/08) - World Heavyweight Title Tournament Kicks Off, Trish Stratus Returns
Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s results of "WWE Raw" on May 8, 2023, coming to you live from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida!
The tournament to crown a new World Heavyweight Champion kicks off tonight, with two first round Triple Threat Matches taking place. Seth "Freakin" Rollins will collide with Shinsuke Nakamura and Damian Priest while Priest's fellow Judgment Day teammate Finn Balor will square off with Cody Rhodes and The Miz. Rollins and Rhodes picked up victories over Omos and Brock Lesnar respectively this past Saturday at WWE Backlash. Meanwhile, Priest and Balor joined forces on the April 21 episode of the blue brand to defeat LWO's Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar, and Nakamura beat Karrion Kross on Friday's edition of "WWE SmackDown".
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will be appearing on "Raw" tonight for the first time since airing out her frustrations with Becky Lynch and the WWE Universe on the April 17 edition of the show. The week prior, Stratus had ambushed Lynch after they lost the Women's Tag Team Championship to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.
We are live! The show kicks off with a video hyping up the competitors in the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament. Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick then greet audiences at home as Cody Rhodes makes his way down to the ring. The Miz and Finn Balor follow.
We Hear From Cody Rhodes
Rhodes asks Jacksonville what they want to talk about, then says he appreciates the reception he received. He says Jacksonville was his home during the pandemic where lots of good memories were made before addressing WWE Backlash. He says he didn't get to celebrate all the pomp and circumstances since he was preparing for his match with Brock Lesnar. He says he discovered what Lesnar was made of because it was all over his fist. He brags about his win, then says now that Lesnar is in the rear view mirror, it's clear what's next for him: the World Heavyweight Championship. He then calls for the bracket of the tournament to be pulled up as he makes his way to where the title is sitting on the top of the ramp, and says he intends to fight tooth and nail to become the titleholder. He says he has the honor of calling for the tournament to begin.
Seth "Freakin" Rollins' music hits and he appears. He stares down Rhodes, then makes his way to the ring.
Back from the break, we head to a video recapping the match between Damian Priest and Bad Bunny at WWE Backlash.
Back at ringside, Priest heads down. Shinsuke Nakamura follows.
Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a First Round Match For The World Heavyweight Championship Tournament
The bell rings and Priest delivers a forearm to both Nakamura and Rollins. He then fires off right hands on Rollins before catching Nakamura with several stomps. Nakamura responds with an enziguri, and Rollins sends him crashing to the outside. Rollins and Nakamura then stare one another down. Nakamura delivers a knee to Rollins' midsection, and follows it up with a kick to his head. Nakamura rolls to the outside, and Priest looks for a boot. Nakamura sends Priest colliding into the apron, then executes a running knee and a knee to the back of his head.
Back from the break, Rollins and Priest go back and forth with forearms in the center of the ring. Rollins gains the upper hand and delivers a knee, then sends Nakamura face first into the middle turnbuckle. He ascends to the top and delivers a crossbody to both men. Priest and Nakamura both wind up on the outside, and Rollins delivers a tope suicida to each man. He looks for a second one on Priest, but Priest delivers a right hand. He gets back in the ring and whips Nakamura into the corner, but Nakamura drapes him on the top turnbuckle before he ascends to the top and delivers a flying knee. Rollins rolls up Nakamura, but Nakamura kicks out.
Priest delivers a right hand to Nakamura's jaw, but Rollins looks for a springboard. Priest catches him with an elevated flatliner, and looks to level Nakamura with one, but Nakamura is thinking the same thing and the pair level each other with kicks. Rollins then hits Priest with a superkick, and Nakamura then delivers a kick of his own to Rollins. Nakamura looks to plant Rollins, but Rollins lands on his feet and hits a discus lariat. He ascends to the top, but Priest knocks him up and sets up for Razor's Edge. Rollins escapes and delivers a Curb Stomp, then goes for a pin. Nakamura breaks the fall and begins exchanging right hands with Rollins. Nakamura then plants Rollins and sets up for a Kinshasa, but Priest levels him and tosses Rollins out of the ring. Nakamura locks in an Ankle Submission, but Rollins breaks the hold with a splash off the top rope. He then delivers a Pedigree to Nakamura for the win.
Winner: Seth "Freakin" Rollins
We then head backstage and see Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser parading around. Imperium runs into Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, and the two men tell Imperium they're in the middle of something. Kaiser and Vinci express their frustrations with feeling disrespected, and tell Zayn and Owens to watch their backs and their Undisputed Tag Team Championship.
Back at ringside, Alpha Academy and Maxxine Dupri head to the ring. Mustafa Ali follows.
Otis (w/ Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri) vs. Mustafa Ali
The bell rings and Ali locks in a Sleeper. Otis quickly escapes, then delivers a shoulder tackle and sets up for a Gorilla Press. Ali escapes before Otis catches him with a clothesline that turns him inside out. He delivers a splash in the corner and sets up for the Caterpillar. Gable encourages him to land it, but Dupri tells him not to and tries talking him out of it. Otis then charges at Ali, but Ali ducks out of the way and Otis is sent crashing into the ring post shoulder. Ali then ascends to the top and delivers a 450 Splash for the win.
Winner: Mustafa Ali
The Miz then heads down to the ring. Finn Balor and Cody Rhodes follow/
Cody Rhodes vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz in a First Round Match For The World Heavyweight Championship Tournament
The bell rings and Balor is sent to the outside. Miz then rolls up Rhodes, but Rhodes kicks out. Balor then rolls up Miz, but Miz kicks out. Rhodes hits him with a Side Russian Leg Sweep, then sends Miz crashing on top of him with a delayed vertical suplex. The action spills to the outside, and Rhodes levels both men with a tope suicida.
Back from the break, Rhodes delivers a missile dropkick to Balor and Miz off the top rope. He fires off right hands and kicks on Miz and Balor, then delivers a right hand and a shoulder tackle to Balor. He then delivers a scoop powerslam to Miz before hitting a double Cody Cutter on both men. He catches Balor with a Disaster Kick, but Miz comes back with a double DDT to Rhodes and Balor. Miz looks for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Rhodes clotheslines him to the outside. Balor delivers an elbow drop and a dropkick to Rhodes, then ascends to the top and sets up for the Coup De Grace. Rhodes ducks out of the way, but Miz sends him to the outside and delivers a Skull Crushing Finale to Balor. He goes for the pin, but Rhodes breaks the fall. Rhodes then sends Balor crashing to the outside and delivers Cross Rhodes to Miz. Miz tosses him out of the ring and goes for a pin, but Rhodes prevents him from doing so. He hits Miz with three Cross Rhodes and goes for a pin, but Brock Lesnar appears out of nowhere and pulls him out of the ring. He then delivers an F5 to Rhodes on the outside, which allows Balor to win the Coup De Grace to Miz for the win.
Winner: Finn Balor
After the match, Lesnar delivers a F5 to Rhodes through the announce desk. He grabs a mic and mocks Rhodes by asking what he wants to talk about, then says he wants to talk about himself. He tells Rhodes to look into his face and tells him he wants a fight. He challenges him to a fight at Night of Champions and asks Rhodes what he has to say to that. Lesnar then leaves ringside as Adam Pearce and other officials check on Rhodes.
Back from the break, we head backstage and see Rhodes being escorted to the medical area by an official.
Back at ringside, Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysteiro head down. Dana Brooke follows.
Rhea Ripley (w/ Dominik Mysterio) vs. Dana Brooke
The bell rings and Brooke delivers a dropkick. She fires off right and left hands, but Ripley responds with a headbutt. Brooke delivers a modified bulldog and ascends to the top, but Ripley catches her and delivers a gutbuster. She follows it up with a Riptide and locks in the Prism Trap for the win.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
After the match, Ripley hits a second Riptide and locks in the Prism Trap once again. Natalya's music hits and she appears. Ripley relinquishes the hold on Brooke as Natalya heads down to the ring and hops inside. The two women then stare one another down.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn then head down to the ring. Imperium follows.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. Imperium
Zayn and Kaiser begin the action. The bell rings and the two lock up. They go back and forth with submission holds before Zayn dumps Kaiser to the outside. Vinci tags in and delivers an uppercut, but Zayn sends him face first into the middle turnbuckle. He ascends to the top, but Kaiser knocks him off. Kaiser then tags in and delivers a right hand to Zayn. He fires off several stomps and tags Vinci back in. Imperium then double teams on Zayn and gloat.
Back from the break, Zayn makes the hot tag to Owens. Owens fires off right hands and stomps on Kaiser, then delivers a right hand to his head and a back body drop. He follows it up with an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline. He ascends to the top and delivers a Swanton Bomb, then goes for a pin. Vinci breaks the fall and tags in. Vinci continues to wear down Owens, then tags Kaiser back in. Kaiser delivers an enziguri, but Owens levels him. Vinci tags in and Owens lands a superkick on. Zayn then tags in and delivers a Helluva Kick for the win.
Winners: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
We then head backstage and see Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green getting signatures for a petition. They run into Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano, and Indi Hartwell. They explain that they're petitioning to get a rematch for the Women's Tag Team Championship as the trio pass the petition around, and Hartwell asks an unseen person next to her what they think. The camera pans over to Dexter Lumis, and Lumis gives Deville and Green a thumbs down.
Back at ringside, Nikki Cross heads down. Zoey Stark follows.
Zoey Stark vs. Nikki Cross
The bell rings and Stark slaps Cross. She delivers a knee to her midsection, then fires off several stomps and sends Cross into the top turnbuckle face first. She then delivers a clothesline, but Cross hits a kick to her knee and follows it up with a kick to her face. She delivers a splash in the corner and sets up for a Tornado DDT, but Stark gets out of the way and delivers a superkick. She follows it up with Z360 for the win.
Winner: Zoey Stark
We then head backstage to a video of a confrontation between Dominik Mysterio and Xavier Woods.
Back from the break, Trish Stratus heads down to the ring.
We Hear From Trish Stratus
Stratus points to her shirt that features a missing poster of Becky Lynch and asks if anyone has seen her. She says she's worried about her, but she will likely be found in a corner of Ireland. She says Lynch won't be coming to "Raw" because it's her show and no one will steal her spotlight.
Lynch's music hits, but the woman herself doesn't appear. Stratus starts to laugh and calls fans gullible for thinking it was Lynch. She tells a story about a doll that she bought for her daughter. She says her daughter wanted to name the doll Becky Lynch because she was pretty, but before she can continue, Lynch's music hits once again.
Lynch appears behind Straus and clocks her with a right hand. She follows it up with an uppercut and a Bexploder. Lynch then grabs a mic and tells Stratus if she wants her, then she's right here.
Xavier Woods then heads down to the ring. Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley follow.
Dominik Mysterio (w/ Rhea Ripley) vs. Xavier Woods
The bell rings and the two lock up. They go back and forth with submissions before Woods delivers a dropkick and fires off several right hands. He delivers a series of stomps and follows it up with right hands, but Dominik dumps him out of the ring as Ripley laughs at him.
Back from the break, Dominik delivers a forearm and the Three Amigos. Woods responds with a series of chops and forearms, then follows it up with a clothesline and a shoulder to his midsection. He then delivers a Tornado DDT and trips Dominik on the apron before draping him across the top rope and delivering a dropkick. He climbs up to the top and looks for an elbow drop, but Ripley pulls Dominik out of the way. Dominik then rolls up Woods for the win.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
Back from the break, we head backstage to Shinsuke Nakamura and The Miz. Miz tells Nakamura he should've listened to him last week because "Raw" is not the same as "SmackDown". He appeals to him once again and asks them to team up, and Nakamura declines his offer, opting instead to challenge him to a match next week.
We head backstage to Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville looking over the signatures on their petition. Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan walk in and tell Deville and Green that if they wanted a rematch for the Women's Tag Team Championship, all they had to do was ask. The pair then sign the petition.
Back at ringside, Finn Balor heads to the ring. Seth "Freakin" Rollins follows.
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor in a Semi-Finals Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament
The bell rings and the two lock up. They go back and forth with submission holds before Rollins delivers a shoulder to Balor's midsection. Balor fires back with a dropkick and clotheslines Rollins out of the ring, then joins him. Rollins hits a Sling Blade and tosses Balor back in the ring, but Balor executes a series of knees to his head as he goes to get back in the ring. He then powerbombs him into the barricade.
Back from the break, Rollins fires off several chops. He hits a clothesline and a superkick, then executes a second clothesline. He ascends to the top and goes flying, but Balor rolls him up. Rollins kicks out and Balor locks in an arm submission. Rollins escapes and Balor catches him with a Sling Blade. Rollins fires back with a superkick and knocks Balor out of the ring. He follows him out there, and the two men send one another face first into the ring apron. Rollins tosses Balor in the ring and delivers a rolling elbow, then follows it up with a kick. Balor ascends to the top, but Rollins meets him up there and rolls through. He looks for another suplex, but Balor escapes and plants him. He then fires off several stomps on Rollins in the corner, then delivers a dropkick and ascends to the top. He looks for a Coup De Grace, but Rollins rolls out of the way. He delivers a Pedigree and looks for a Curb Stomp, but Balor rolls out of the way. He then delivers an inverted Curb Stomp and follows it up with a Curb Stomp for the win.
Winner: Seth "Freakin" Rollins