This is the first RAW after the WWE Draft 2023 and fans were looking forward to this episode of Monday Night RAW to see how things are being planned after the draft. Are they going for a hard brand split as it was rumored or it will be the same old soft brand split where there was actually no point in having the brand split?
Before the start of the show, they presented a promo package on the 12 man World Heavyweight Championship tournament that started tonight. Six wrestlers from raw and six wrestlers from SmackDown would battle to win the new World Heavyweight Championship. It was announced that in the quarter final, WWE organized two triple threat matches on both brands. The winners of the matches from each brand would face each other at Night of Champions to determine the inaugural World Heavyweight champion.
WWE RAW 08.05.2023 Ratings & Analysis Part 1
The first segment of the night was a monologue from the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes where he talked about his hard fought victory over the Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar last night at the Backlash pay per view event. He explained how he conquered the Beast and much special the victory meant to him.
After talking about Brock Lesnar, the American Nightmare turned his attention towards the new World Heavyweight Championship and explained his desire to win the new title. He participated in the tournament tonight and he claimed that he was going to win the tournament to capture the World Heavyweight championship.
We go straight into the first match of the night which is the first triple threat match of the quarter final of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament. Seth Rollins, who is the favourite to win the World Heavyweight Championship defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and Damian Priest in this triple threat match.
The first question that comes into mind is, how Damian Priest became a contender for this match. Maybe he was given the chance just because there was no Drew McIntyre. Last night he lost to Bad Bunny which has already affected his career. Getting involved into the match would not help him much.
About the match it was really good. It might not have been the best match of the night but it was pretty entertaining. It was definitely the better match of the two triple threat matches. It was completely clean and there was no outside interferences. Nakamura got pinned by Rollins in this match and we did not understand the point of protecting Priest in this match.
Before this match, Damian Priest was interviewed backstage by Cathy Kelley where he was asked about his defeat by the hands of Bad Bunny last night on Backlash pay per view event. Priest claimed that it took a whole lot of Army to take him down in this match and Bunny could never do it on his own.