Raw opened with each of the teams in the tag team turmoil giving quick backstage promos about the match. When we went live in the arena, Randy Orton and Riddle came to the ring to give their thoughts.
Bobby Lashley and MVP joined them and wanted payback for the RKO that The Viper delivered last week. The All Mighty challenged Orton to a singles match, and The Legend Killer said he would accept on one condition. He wanted it to be a WWE title bout. MVP took Lashley aside and then said the match would happen at Extreme Rules. Lashley added that they were also going to get into the turmoil match.
Erik and Ivar started off against Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. The returning Kingston took control before Ivar crushed him with a seated senton. After a fun back-and-forth exchange, Woods scored the win with an inside cradle. Mahal and Veer were up next.
Kingston and Woods tried to get the upper hand right away by attacking them during their entrance. Woods hit a huge crossbody to Mahal for a close two-count. The powerhouses dominated through the commercial break, but Woods and Kingston were able to hit Midnight Hour to get another W.
Lucha House Party met them at ringside with a pair of moonsaults. Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado stayed on Woods with quick tags and double-team spots. Somehow, Woods managed to counter a move and get a third victory. He and Kingston had no time to celebrate before Mace and T-Bar came to the ring.
Mace and T-Bar took advantage of The New Day's existing wear and tear from this match. Once again, Woods managed to squeak out a win with a surprise roll-up. Mace and T-Bar took out their frustrations on both men before Mustafa Ali and Mansoor made their entrance.
Mansoor tried to help fight off Mace and T-Bar while Ali yelled at him not to. Ali eventually tried to help his partner, but he ended up getting taken out, too. Mace and T-Bar used the steps to dish out some extra punishment before finally leaving the ring.
Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce announced the two teams would be given some time to recover before they finish up with AJ Styles, Omos, Lashley and MVP. As the show approached its final half-hour, Woods and Kingston came back out to continue their quest for gold.
Ali and Kingston started off with a basic lockup into a wristlock. Ali tagged himself in when Mansoor took pity on an injured Woods. Kingston was able to tag in and give his partner a breather. He hit Ali with Trouble in Paradise before Woods hit a huge flying elbow for the win.
Styles and Omos came out as Woods and Kingston looked almost too tired to continue. Styles was firmly in control of Woods after a commercial break. Every time Woods tried to make a comeback, Styles and Omos were able to stop him. Omos helped AJ hit the Styles Clash to eliminate The New Day.
Lashley and MVP were the final participants and came out looking ready for action. The All Mighty slammed The Phenomenal One to take control right away. Once Omos tagged in, the crowd came alive. He and Lashley locked fingers for a test of strength. The WWE champion kicked Omos in the gut and backed him to the corner for some shoulders to the body.
He tried to suplex Omos, but the big man reversed it and dropped him on his face. Lashley and Orton had a confrontation that was broken up when Styles took out both men. Omos threw Riddle into the barricade while MVP was taken out by Styles. Lashley cut Styles in half with a Spear to get the win.
This means Lashley will battle Orton for the WWE title and The Hurt Business will take on RK-Bro for the tag titles. Omos hit The All Mighty with a two-handed chokeslam before he left with Styles. Orton finished Lashley off with another RKO out of nowhere.
Grade: A
Analysis
Starting off a three-hour show with almost an hour of pure pro wrestling is the best thing WWE has done in months. The quick promos before the match helped make the tag titles feel important and helped reestablish Raw's competitive tag team division.
There is a lot of talent in this division, and it was great to see it highlighted in such a strong way. Each team had their moment to shine, but The New Day clearly had the best showing.
Mace and T-Bar looked dangerous for the first time, Erik and Ivar looked great, Lucha House Party had some fun spots, and a couple of different feuds were addressed at the same time.
The final portion of this match featured more great action. The outcome was predictable, but how we got there was a fun ride. The New Day lasting so long will definitely keep the team in the conversation for a future tag title shot.
As a whole, this was a pretty solid episode of Raw. A few segments were little more than filler, but most of what we saw was entertaining.