WWE Raw Results & Highlights 20/05/24

The WWE Raw representatives for Saturday’s King and Queen of the Ring tournament finals were decided Monday as Jey Uso battled Gunther in the men’s semifinals and Lyra Valkyria looked to continue her excellent run on the main roster against Iyo Sky in the women’s bracket.

These two matches headlined a broadcast that also featured the latest in intercontinental champion Sami Zayn’s intensely personal rivalry with Chad Gable as they battled in singles competition just five days before a Triple Threat match for the title also involving “Big” Bronson Reed.

Who built momentum on the road to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and which competitors moved one step closer to claiming the coveted crown as royalty in WWE? Find out with this recap of Monday’s show from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Match Card

• King of the Ring Semifinal: Jey Uso vs. Gunther
• Queen of the Ring Semifinal: Lyra Valkyria vs. Iyo Sky
• World Tag Team Championship: Awesome Truth (c) vs. Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh
• Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable

Sami Zayn Promo; Zayn vs. Chad Gable

Sami Zayn kicked off the evening’s broadcast by addressing his defense of the Intercontinental Championship against Chad Gable and “Big” Bronson Reed on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at King and Queen of the Ring.

Gable interrupted, berated his Alpha Academy lackeys, and the advertised match between the Olympian and the intercontinental champ got underway. Zayn and Gable had an unsurprisingly back-and-forth match that saw Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri tease interference, only to think better of it. After they were tossed from ringside by their leader, an emotionally torn Otis stayed loyal to his longtime tag team partner, blasting Zayn with a clothesline and allowing Gable to score the tainted victory.

Result: Gable defeated Zayn

Highlights:

• “Make no mistake about it, Chad: You’ve got an ass-kicking coming,” Zayn said after Gable attacked him in front of his family in Montreal a month ago.
• “I’m not just taking your title. I’m taking your soul,” Gable warned the IC champ.
• Dupri’s effective character work and the crowd’s support hint at her future potential.

Bron Breakker vs. Kale Dixon

Bron Breakker entered Raw with pent-up anger after being left out of the King of the Ring Tournament. His opponent, Kale Dixon, was the unfortunate recipient of that fury. Breakker destroyed Dixon with a Spear and added another on the arena floor. When referee Rod Zapata called the match off, Breakker escalated the attack, delivering a third Spear before placing Dixon head-first in the ring steps and blasting him with a steel chair.

Result: Breakker defeated Dixon via referee stoppage

Highlights:

• Cameras caught Breakker voicing his frustration at being left out of the King of the Ring to himself in the corner before obliterating Dixon with a Spear.
• Backstage, Breakker explained his actions to general manager Adam Pearce: “You didn’t put me in King of the Ring. That’s on you.”

Queen of the Ring Semifinal: Lyra Valkyria vs. Iyo Sky

Former NXT women’s champion Lyra Valkyria cashed her ticket to the finals of the Queen of the Ring Tournament with a win over Iyo Sky. The match was an extraordinary, hard-fought affair that saw Sky dominate for the first half, only for Valkyria to fight her way back into the match. Counters, reversals, and near-falls defined the second half, culminating with the babyface evading the Over the Moonsault and catching her with the Nightwing for the come-from-behind victory.

Result: Valkyria defeated Sky

Highlights:

• Lynch gave Valkyria a great pep talk prior to the match, further establishing their on-screen friendship.
• Sky appeared in a pre-taped video package that saw her cut a promo while submerged underwater.
• Valkyria’s in-ring skills and natural introduction to the main roster signal a bright future.

World Tag Team Championship: Awesome Truth vs. The Judgment Day

The rivalry between Awesome Truth and The Judgment Day was rekindled Monday night as The Miz and R-Truth defended their WWE World Tag Team Championship against Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh. A competitive match gave way to a noteworthy finish as Carlito interfered late, looking to get further in the good graces of The Judgment Day. Braun Strowman made his way into the arena, tossing the second-generation star aside and chasing McDonagh right into the waiting arms of Truth, who delivered an Attitude Adjustment for the win.

Result: Awesome Truth defeated The Judgment Day to retain the titles

Highlights:

• Backstage, Bron Breakker interrupted an interaction between Ricochet and Ilja Dragunov as he continued his path of rage.
• Gunther cut a promo in an empty Greensboro Coliseum ahead of his King of the Ring semifinal match against Jey Uso.
• Sonya Deville made her long-awaited return, introducing herself to Zoey Stark and greeting former tag team partner Shayna Baszler ahead of the tag team contenders match later in the show.

Liv Morgan Interrupts Becky Lynch

Ahead of Saturday’s Women’s World Championship match between Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan, The Man hit the ring for a promo. She put over the upcoming showdown but was quickly interrupted by her forthcoming opponent. Morgan hurled insults and accusations at Lynch, including that she only cares about herself, before appearing to accept a challenge for a fight right then and there. Instead, she backed down, drawing heat and telling her rival to “cry about it.”

Highlights:

• Backstage, Liv Morgan confronted Lyra Valkyria and slapped her, continuing her not-so-subtle heel turn.
• Bronson Reed approached Sami Zayn and vowed to win the intercontinental title. Otis entered the scene next and apologized to Zayn. Sami urged the big man to stop listening to Gable and start listening to the fans.
• “Of all the times we have fought each other, not once has she ever beaten me,” Lynch said of Morgan, laying the groundwork for another story thread beyond the obvious.

Tag Team No. 1 Contenders Match

Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark earned a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with a victory in a Fatal 4-Way that also featured Katana Chance and Kayden Carter, Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile, and Damage CTRL’s Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai. The star of the bout was Dupri, who had fans chanting her name at one point, eager to see the underdog finally succeed. However, the victors struck, with Stark hoisting her up in the powerbomb position and sending her into the knee of Baszler.

Result: Baszler and Stark defeated Dupri and Nile, Damage CTRL, and Chance and Carter to become No. 1 contenders

Highlights: 

• The Dupri character work is effective, with the crowd chanting “Maxxine” in support.
• Carter and Chance have an uber-athletic move set, but some of it takes so long to set up that it ultimately loses its effect.

King of the Ring Tournament Semifinal: Jey Uso vs. Gunther

Gunther is headed to Jeddah to compete in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament following his victory over Jey Uso in the main event of Raw. The Ring General battered Uso with a barrage of chops, strikes, and power moves that drove the fight away from the popular babyface. Uso fought back and appeared to have momentum on his side more than once, but Gunther, as he has throughout his main roster run, proved the ability to cut him down with a single chop. Ultimately, Uso failed to capitalize on his last-gasp attempt to put his opponent away, thanks to damage done to his right arm throughout the match, and found himself choked out in the closing seconds of the show.

Result: Gunther defeated Uso

Highlights:

• The discourse surrounding Uso online has not spilled into the arenas, where he remains the most over guy on the Raw roster.
• Gunther targeted Uso’s shoulder, capitalizing on a missed bling charge by his opponent.
• Uso delivered a big Samoan Drop from the top rope to turn the tide in his favor.
• Uso delivered a Spear that flattened The Ring General and the referee. An Uso splash from the top rope failed to put Gunther away, with the momentary hesitation caused by the injured arm enough to prevent the victory.

Overall:

WWE introduced a bevy of new stories on this week’s show while continuing others. We saw the emergence of Bron Breakker as the most dangerous man on the roster, evidenced by his brutal assault of his enhancement opponent and the backstage attack on Ricochet. We saw the return of Sonya Deville, who looks like a potential candidate to manage the team of Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark.

There was the plight of Otis, who will inevitably have to choose between staying loyal to Chad Gable or standing up for himself. Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan continued their rivalry, Braun Strowman remained a headache for The Judgment Day, and Lyra Valkyria’s meteoric rise reached new heights with her win over Iyo Sky in the semifinals of the Queen of the Ring tournament.

Following what appeared to be a lackluster WWE draft, Raw has maximized the talent at its disposal and crafted some intriguing stories to track moving forward.