WWE Raw Results 8/28 - Falls Count Anywhere Bout, Ludwig Kaiser Collides With Chad Gable
Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s results for "WWE Raw" on August 28, 2023, coming to you live from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee!
Before she squares off with Trish Stratus in a Steel Cage at WWE Payback this coming Saturday, Becky Lynch will be going one-on-one with Stratus' ally Zoey Stark in a Falls Count Anywhere bout. Stark and Lynch each hold a win over one another in their past two televised encounters, with the former emerging victorious at July 10 and the latter picking up the win on July 24.
After scoring a count out victory over Imperium's GUNTHER last week, Chad Gable will be going head-to-head with the reigning Intercontinental Champion's teammate Ludwig Kaiser. Kaiser has a lot riding on tonight's match, as "The Ring General" has made it clear that he was not impressed with Kaiser or Giovanni Vinci.
New Day's Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston will be taking on Erik and Ivar of The Viking Raiders in a rematch from August 7. During that night, not only did Woods and Kingston make their long-awaited return, but the pair defeated The Raiders in relatively quick time. Elsewhere, Tommaso Ciampa looks to even the score with Bronson Reed as the two face off and look to settle their issues once and for all.
Additionally, the aforementioned GUNTHER, World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley, Undisputed Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, and Cody Rhodes are all advertised to be in town tonight according to WWE's event page.
We are live! Michael Cole and Wade Barrett greet audiences at home as Sami Zayn makes his way down to the ring. Damian Priest follows.
Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest
The bell rings and the two lock up. Priest delivers a knee to Zayn's midsection, then follows it up with a shoulder tackle. Zayn fires back with a few chops, but Priest lands several stomps in the corner and a right hand. Zayn then delivers an elbow drop off the middle rope before delivering a dropkick through the middle rope and a moonsault off the ropes on the outside.
The pair get back in the ring and Zayn fires off right hands on Priest in the corner. Priest lands a vicious clothesline and follows it up with several stomps, then delivers more right hands and an elbow in the corner. He executes a sit-out suplex, but Zayn manages to dump him out of the ring. He looks to go flying, but Priest stops him in his tracks. Zayn fights him off and sends him into the ring post shoulder first. He looks to go flying once more, but Priest catches him and sends him face first into the announce desk.
Back from the break, Zayn delivers a sit-out powerbomb to Priest off the middle rope. He then delivers several right hands to his head and clotheslines him out of the ring before he goes flying over the top to level him. He tosses Priest back inside the ring and ascends to the top, then looks for a splash. Priest catches him, but Zayn escapes his grasp and executes a Blue Thunder Bomb.
Priest lands a pair of kicks to Zayn's head and knee, then looks for Razor's Edge. Zayn escapes and hits an Exploder, then sets up for the Helluva Kick. JD McDonagh appears out of nowhere and grabs Zayn's ankle, opening the door for Priest to land South Of Heaven for the win.
Winner: Damian Priest
After the match, Priest shoves McDonagh and tells him to stay out of his business. He then storms up the ramp, leaving McDonagh alone in the ring. Kevin Owens shows up and beats down McDonagh along with Zayn. Owens lands a Stunner, and Zayn follows it up with a Helluva Kick as Priest watches what's happening from the top of the ramp.
Back from the break, we see Akira Tozawa tell Drew McIntyre he looks great before walking off. Matt Riddle walks in and asks McIntyre what he thinks about the picture he's holding. McIntyre reveals a photo of himself in Riddle's ring gear, and Riddle says every great team has matching gear. McIntyre says he thought they agreed to see where things go with their partnership. Riddle pleads his case as to why McIntyre should be his tag team partner, and tells him they should watch The New Day collide with The Viking Raiders at ringside so they can scout the competition in the tag team division. McIntyre agrees to do so, but only so he can see The Viking Raiders get beat up.
We then head over to a video hyping up the Women's World Championship match between Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez at Payback.
Back from the break, LA Knight's music hits, but The Miz emerges instead dressed in Knight's clothing and sharing his mannerisms.
The Miz Impersonates LA Knight
Miz (acting as Knight) says he wants to talk to Memphis, then says he's so dangerous that he starts flubbing his words when he's in the ring with Miz. He says the fans need to earn their cheers, then grabs a bag from the ring steps full of Knight's t-shirts. He tells the crowd to say 'yeah' if they want a free shirt, but tosses it onto the floor instead of into the crowd. He then removes Knight's shirt, reverting back to himself in the process, and calls the fans pathetic. He says anyone can be "generic" and "vanilla" like Knight, then claims that he doesn't do catchphrases like Knight. He says the party will be over when he beats Knight and says it's his game.
The New Day then heads down to the ring. Matt Riddle, Drew McIntyre, The Viking Raiders, and Valhalla follow.
The New Day vs. The Viking Raiders (w/ Valhalla)
Riddle and McIntyre take a seat at the announce desk as Erik and Woods begin the action in the ring. The bell rings and the two lock up. Woods lands a chop, then follows it up with a shoulder tackle. Erik fires back with a forearm and a Sidewalk Slam before Ivar tags in and lands several right hands. Erik tags back in and Ivar lands a knee on Woods' midsection. Erik then pins Woods, but Woods kicks out.
Ivar tags in and delivers a right hand, but Woods fires off several of his own. Ivar responds with another knee to Woods' midsection, but Woods manages to make the tag to Kingston. Kingston lands a thrust kick on Ivar's jaw, then ascends to the top and delivers a crossbody. He follows it up with a kick to his chest and The Boom Drop, then gets the crowd (and Riddle) fired up before taking a dance break on top of the announce desk with Woods.
Back from the break, Ivar delivers a snapmare to Kingston and follows it up with several back elbows in the corner. Kingston fires back with a dropkick off the ropes before Erik tags back in and The Raiders level Kingston. Ivar tags back in and delivers a double ax handle, then tags back out to Erik. Erik does the same and tags Ivar back in. Kingston takes advantage of The Raiders staring down by Riddle and McIntyre, but Ivar catches him with a big boot and delivers a right hand to Kingston's spine. Kingston lands a jawbreaker, then tags in Woods.
Woods delivers a Side Russian Leg Sweep to Erik, then flattens Ivar. Erik tags in and delivers a knee to the back of Woods' neck. Kingston makes the blind tag and delivers a knee to Ivar's face. Woods plants him face first, and Kingston goes flying off the middle rope. He goes for a pin, but Erik breaks the fall. Woods levels Erik and sends him crashing to the outside. Kingston does the same to Ivar, then looks to go flying off the ring steps to level him. Ivar catches him and sends him into the ring steps face first, then sends him crashing on top of Riddle and McIntyre. McIntyre looks to throw his chair on Erik, but accidentally hits Woods. Ivar then levels him with a cannonball off the apron and tosses Kingston back inside the ring. Erik tags back in and Ivar lands a spinning back heel kick. The Raiders then deliver Ragnarok for the win.
Winners: The Viking Raiders
After the match, McIntyre looks to attack The Raiders, but they roll out of the ring before he can. McIntyre then checks on Woods and apologizes to him.
We then head backstage to Judgment Day. Finn Balor tells Damian Priest that they need to get it together, and Priest says they need to focus on themselves instead of people like JD McDonagh. Balor says McDonagh is the only reason Priest won his match tonight, and the pair begin to argue. Rhea Ripley intervenes and says Judgment Day is starting to fall apart because they keep arguing. She says herself and Dominik are the only ones handling Judgment Day business, then gets them on the same page ahead of Payback. She says if they don't win gold, then there will be some changes.
Back from the break, we head to a video honoring Bray Wyatt and his legacy in WWE. Over in the ringside area, fans chant "Thank You Bray" as fireflies line the stands and an empty rocking chair sits on the top of the ramp.
Back from the break, we see Kofi Kingston emerge from the medical office. Matt Riddle and Drew McIntyre approach him and ask how Xavier Woods is doing. Kingston says Woods isn't doing great, but he'll be alright. McIntyre then apologizes, and Kingston says there's no hard feelings. McIntyre and Riddle will face The Viking Raiders next week, adding that he's going to chat with Adam Pearce to make sure he won't have to tag in.
Back at ringside, Imperium heads down.
GUNTHER Has A Message For Chad Gable
GUNTHER stands on top of the announce desk as Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser flank him. GUNTHER says Chad Gable made history last week as the first man to beat him in more than 500 days by count-out in an Intercontinental Championship match. He says Gable won nothing since he is still the titleholder, although he managed to achieve one thing: angering him. He says Gable has his focus and attention, then says if Gable is the last thing between him and his legacy, then so be it. He announces that he will be defending his title once again against Gable next week, and says he won't beat Kaiser tonight.
Alpha Academy's music cuts him off. Gable, Otis, and Maxxine Dupri appear. Gable says normally he would shoosh GUNTHER, but he made some good points. He brags about being the first person to defeat GUNTHER in two years and says it won't take him ten seconds to dethrone him next week because he'll do it in three instead. He then tells Kaiser to get inside the ring, and Kaiser does just that.
Ludwig Kaiser (w/ Giovanni Vinci) vs. Chad Gable (w/ Alpha Academy)
The bell rings and the two lock up. They go back and forth with submission holds before Gable dumps Kaiser out of the ring and delivers a cannonball off the apron.
Back from the break, Gable once again dumps Kaiser out of the ring. Kaiser slides back in and the two go back and forth, locking in submission holds on one another once again. Gable executes a drop toe hold, but Kaiser fires back with a shoulder tackle. Gable lands a chop and cinches in an Ankle Lock on Kaiser. Kaiser makes it over to the ropes to break the hold, then delivers a clothesline out of the corner and sends him crashing to the outside. He then delivers an uppercut.
Back from another break, Kaiser sends Gable into the ring post shoulder first. He follows it up with a dropkick that sends Gable tumbling out of the ring, then tosses him back inside the ring and delivers a chop to his chest. He lands an enziguri, but Gable fires back with chops. Kaiser plants Gable, but Gable fires off chops and follows it up with a Dragon Screw. He looks for a German suplex, but Kaiser plants him and delivers a kick to his face.
Gable drags Kaiser over the top rope and delivers an uppercut to him when he gets back in the ring, then executes a rolling neckbreaker and looks for a moonsault off the top. Kaiser evades the maneuver, and the action spills back to the outside where Gable lands Kaiser and Vinci with a moonsault off the top rope. He gets Kaiser back in the ring and ascends to the top. He looks to go flying, and Kaiser looks to block. Gable transitions into an Ankle Lock, but Kaiser fights him off and delivers an uppercut. He gets Gable up on his shoulders, but Gable escapes and delivers a German suplex. Vinci breaks the fall, and the referee calls for the bell.
Winner: Chad Gable (as the result of disqualification)
After the match, Otis beats down Vinci. Kaiser and Vinci eventually overpower him and send him crashing into the ring post. They then go after Gable as GUNTHER makes his way into the ring. Vinci and Kaiser look to continue to beat Gable down, but GUNTHER pulls them off and delivers The Last Symphony to Gable. He then stands tall with Vinci and Kaiser, holding his Intercontinental Championship above his head.
Back from the break, we head over to a tribute video for Bob Barker.
Back at ringside, Seth "Freakin" Rollins heads down.
Seth Rollins Calls Out Shinsuke Nakamura
Rollins welcomes fans to Monday Night Rollins with a Yowie Wowie, then introduces himself and says it's been a long week. He says he's going to keep things short and sweet, then calls Shinsuke Nakamura out to the ring.
Nakamura appears on the Titan Tron, and tells Rollins he wants to dismantle him as we see him training. He says she wants Becky Lynch to know he's the reason she has to help him out of his beat and make him unable to walk his daughter down the aisle. He says he will destroy Rollins' back and put him out of his misery before adding he has no future.
Rollins asks if that's all he gets from Nakamura, then says he wants to know what happened to the Nakamura that headlined the Tokyo Dome and the one who arrived in "WWE NXT". He tells Nakamura he would've given him the shirt off his back last month, but his back won't stop him from beating him at Payback. He says he won't stop until someone pulls him off Nakamura, then says he'll make sure Nakamura will know he won't get to take anything from him.
Nakamura blindsides Rollins from behind and whispers something into his ear. He lands a kick on his face and takes a bow before heading to the back.
We then head backstage to Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, who inform Finn Balor and Damian Priest that their Undisputed Tag Team Championship match at Payback will be a Steel City Street Fight.
Back at ringside, Tommaso Ciampa heads down to the ring.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bronson Reed
Reed blindsides Ciampa on the ramp before Ciampa manages to deliver a running knee off the apron.
Back from the break, the bell has rung and Ciampa goes flying off the middle rope to level Reed. He rains down right hands, but Reed catches him with a splash. He looks for a vertical suplex, but Reed fights his way out and sends Reed into the middle turnbuckle face first. He follows it up with an Air Raid Crash, but Reed responds with a running sit-out powerbomb. The pair then exchange chops on the apron before Reed sends Ciampa into the ring steps face first and follows it up with a shoulder tackle. Ciampa then delivers Willow's Bell to Reed once the pair return to the ring and follows it up with a running knee. Ciampa fires off chops, but Reed responds with a few of his own. Ciampa then executes a Crucifix Bomb for the win.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio then make their way down to the ring as we see Tiffany Stratton in the crowd with her "NXT" Women's Championship in hand.
We Hear From Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio
Ripley takes a few shots at Raquel Rodriguez and says she doesn't blame Rodriguez for playing up her injury in order to get one up on her. She says her resume speaks for itself and it would take her too long to list off all her accomplishments. She says her Women's World Championship says it all, then says Rodriguez might be big and tough but she is not her. She says when it comes to Payback, she will still walk out as titleholder.
Rodriguez's music hits and she storms down to the ring. She wastes no time tossing Ripley into the corner and delivering a Fallaway Slam. Dominik grabs Rodriguez's attention, allowing Ripley to set her up for Riptide. Rodriguez escapes with a hip toss, then lands a clothesline.
Back from the break, we head to a tribute video in honor of Terry Funk.
Back at ringside, Becky Lynch heads down. Zoey Stark and Trish Stratus follows.
Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark (w/ Trish Stratus) in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
Both women have kendo sticks in hand as the bell rings. Lynch hist Stark in the midsection with hers, then cracks it across her spine a couple of times and gets in a shot on her side. She then uses the kendo stick for extra leverage on a Side Russian Leg Sweep and uses it to lock in a Crossface. Stark escapes on the outside, and Lynch follows her out there. Stratus takes a couple of shots at Lynch with the kendo stick, but Lynch levels both women after she goes flying off the ropes. She sends Stark tinto the barricade before Stark sends Lynch colliding with the ring steps and goes for a pin. Lynch kicks out, and Stark gets her back in the ring.
Stark delivers a missile dropkick off the top rope, and Stratus tosses a chair her way. Stratus accidentally hits Stark in the face with it before tossing several more her way. Stark creates a pile in the ring and sits Lynch on the top. Stark lands a right hand, but Lynch fights her off and delivers a leg drop. She looks to lock in Dis-Arm-Her, but Stark sends her crashing into the chairs face first to prevent her from doing so. Lynch lands a Man Handle Slam and goes for a pin. Stratus breaks the fall, and Lynch chases her around the ring. Stratus grabs one of the kendo sticks once more and looks to hit Lynch with it, but Lynch grabs it from her and cracks it across her spine all the away up the ramp. Stark then hits Lynch with a chair and goes for a pin, but Lynch kicks out.
Back from the break, Lynch delivers a right hand to Stark off the barricade and into the ringside area. She then delivers a Bexploder to her onto the barricade and gets her back inside the ring. She pulls out a table, but Stark delivers a dropkick to her through the ropes before she can set it up. She tosses Lynch back inside the ring and delivers a jawbreaker off the top rope before cracking a chair across her spine repeatedly. She places it on top of her chest and goes flying over the top rope from the apron. Stark places the chair across her chest once again and ascends to the top, but Lynch stops her from flying by hitting her with the chair. She then superplexes Stark on top of the pile of chairs previously set up.
Lynch clears the announce desk and sends Stark's head crashing into it. She gets up on the table with Stark in hand and looks for a Man Handle Slam, but Stark fights her off. Stratus reappears and trips Lynch. Stark then delivers a running knee and goes for a pin on top of the announce desk. Lynch kicks out and climbs up on the barricade near the timekeepers area. She pushes her off and levels Stratus, then gets Stark on top of another barricade. Stratus blindsides her and sends her crashing through a table with a Bulldog. She helps Stark over so she can pin her and Stark does just that. Lynch kicks out, and the three women brawl thorough the crowd. Stratus and Stark look to send Lynch crashing off a road case with a double Bulldog. Stark then looks to send Lynch crashing off it with a forearm, but accidentally hits Stratus and sends her crashing through the table. Lynch takes advantage of the chaos and delivers a Man Handle Slam to Stark off the roadcase and through a second table for the win.
Winner: Becky Lynch