With all due respect to Grayson Waller for borrowing his catchphrase, Logan Paul is someone who has quite the effect on the WWE Universe. Some fans can’t stand him. Others grudgingly admire the way he has shown unusual aptitude inside the ropes for someone so relatively inexperienced.
And, yes, we’re sure there are fans who genuinely like him as well. No matter which group you fall into, you have to admit some curiosity as to what’s next for Paul after he turned in another stellar performance at WrestleMania 39. WWE is promoting the idea that we’ll find out during tonight’s show in Cleveland.
Maybe we shouldn’t, but we’re assuming that Paul is not showing up to accept Seth Rollins‘ open challenge to defend his title on Raw. If that assumption is correct, that means a big spotlight on someone else on the roster, and it will be fun to see who might shine under it.
There’s a few things to be settled in the women’s division as well. Fighting Rhea Ripley is a tough task for any competitor who’s at 100%, but Natalya hardly would say that even about herself lately. She’ll have to make one heck of a rally not to get flattened by the Women’s World Heavyweight Champion.
And there’s still one spot up for grabs in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match in London. Raquel Rodriguez will take on Trish Stratus to fill it, and you have to figure one Becky Lynch will have a very vested interest in the outcome.
Let’s see what we’ve got, shall we?
WWE Raw results from Cleveland:
- The usual singalong greets Seth Rollins as he hits the ring, but he’s quickly attacked from behind by Finn Balor, who gets the best of the champ and even hits the Coup de Grace off the steps and the announce table just as referees and officials look like they have everything settled down; Balor hits a third for good measure just before the show breaks for commercial
What an unexpected way to kick off #WWERaw! 😲 pic.twitter.com/PM6txfjcII
— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2023
- Rollins rants about Balor backstage as officials try to get him some help, but all that gets is Finn attacking him again
- The Miz is in the ring, upset because he was going to accept Rollins’ open challenge, so he issues his own open challenge instead … and it’s answered by a returning Tommaso Ciampa
Allies no more!
Former #WWENXT Champion @CiampaWWE answered @mikethemiz's open challenge on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/gTpZYOlbkA
— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2023
- Tommaso Ciampa def. The Miz by pinfall
- The Judgment Day brags about all the winning they’re planning on doing at Money in the Bank, warns Cody Rhodes to keep Dominik Mysterio’s name out of his mouth, and taunts Cody to find “two other guys” to fight a united Judgment Day
Looks like @DomMysterio35 laid down the challenge for @CodyRhodes TONIGHT on #WWERaw!
Also, BOOOOOOOOOO! 🗣️
BOOOOOOOOOOOO! pic.twitter.com/goPd11cVOG— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2023
- A video package shows the final segment from SmackDown with the events that set up the Bloodline Civil War
- Kevin Owens chafes at Sami Zayn being asked about The Bloodline, to which Sami tells Kevin he has an anger problem; Zayn says if Owens can go the whole night without another outburst, he’ll leave the Bloodline situation alone, then apologizes to Byron Saxton for having to see it
- A selection of TikToks is shown that feature Chelsea Green raging out in a number of different ways
- Katana Chance and Kayden Carter def. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville by pinfall
- Cathy Kelley brings out Cody Rhodes, who accepts the challenge from Dom and says “two guys” shouldn’t be hard to find
- Indus Sher def. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin by pinfall
- Someone bumps into KO backstage and spills cold water on him, and KO manages not to blow up; Matt Riddle almost gets him to explode with some movie suggestions
- Logan Paul sits atop a ladder in the ring, and says the best people in the world come from Cleveland, but of course he turns it around and runs down its citizens for a bit before announcing that he’s in the Money in the Bank Ladder match; Paul is joined by Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, LA Knight and Santos Escobar, all of whom say they’re going to win MITB, whereas Butch just goes right after Paul, who ends up doing a somersault plancha before climbing the ladder and showing how he plans on grabbing the briefcase in London
Can @LoganPaul become the next Mr. #MITB?
The Social Media Megastar has officially been added to the Men's #MITB Ladder Match and we just witnessed an insane preview on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/YhjiTPcwiz
— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2023
- Matt Riddle def. Ludwig Kaiser by pinfall. but Gunther helps Kaiser get some payback after the bell, stomping on Riddle’s left ankle several times
- Riddle walks gingerly backstage with help from some officials; meanwhile, Kaiser and Gunther visit Owens and Zayn, and while KO threatens to come unglued at their threats, Sami gets a text message and says they have to leave
What was on @SamiZayn's phone?!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/2maUAqd0Yh
— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2023
- If you ever wanted to see what an Alpha Academy training session looks like, there’s a peek
- Viking Raiders def. Alpha Academy by pinfall
- Balor and Damian Priest promise Rhea Ripley they’re on the same page, and Rhea heads out for her own match
- Natalya says this is a second chance to prove to Rhea, and more importantly, to herself, that she still belongs
- Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya never happens as Ripley beats Nattie down before the bell and hits her with a Riptide before referees and officials pull her away
- Raquel Rodriguez says what Rhea did is not OK, and she doesn’t back down, even when Ripley shows up in the flesh
👀#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/4SYPSDPOw0
— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2023
- Akira Tozawa volunteers to be Cody’s partner tonight, but he gets a better offer from Owens and Zayn, and KO is especially excited that he gets to punch people in the face
- Trish Stratus def. Raquel Rodriguez by disqualification in a Money in the Bank qualifying match after Becky Lynch arrives to attack Zoey Stark at ringside, then inadvertently takes out Stratus when she goes out to the floor to intervene
- Bron Breakker is told Rollins might not be able to compete on NXT, but Breakker says surely Seth won’t use what happened to him tonight as an excuse … and also he’s going to hurt Rollins really “freakin'” bad
What did @bronbreakkerwwe have to say about World Heavyweight Champion @WWERollins ahead of their scheduled match tomorrow night on #WWENXT? pic.twitter.com/hxS12IZ8ah
— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2023
- Lynch tells Saxton says she screwed herself … or did she, because now she gets a shot at Stratus in a match at ladders, and she’s either going to win MITB or go down in a blaze of glory, taking Trish and Zoey with her
- Bronson Reed def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall, with Ricochet also getting involved in the match
- Speaking from the hospital, apparently, Rollins says he’ll be at NXT tomorrow to face Breakker with his title on the line, and he welcomes back “the guy who beat me seven years ago”
Injured or not, @WWERollins will be at @WWENXT and he will defend the #WorldHeavyWeightChampionship against @bronbreakkerwwe. @USANetwork 8/7c pic.twitter.com/XBRfJ0tnEa
— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2023
- Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes def. The Judgment Day by pinfall when Rhodes pins Priest