Raw Deal - Raw recap for July 15, 2024

Rhea Ripley heads to the ring to start tonight's show. Rhea says it has been three months since she has been in the ring, and it is due to Liv Morgan. She says that Liv has been running around with something that is hers - not "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, who she will deal with later - but the Women's World Championship. Rhea says Liv pissed her off when she thought that she took her out, then calls her out so she can rip her apart. Instead of Liv, she gets Dominik Mysterio. Rhea turns her back on Dominik as Dominik tries to speak to her, then Liv Morgan appears on the TitanTron and apologizes for her voice, as she has been in Mexico and she is quite the screamer. Liv tells Rhea that she meant it when she said she would take everything from her, including Dominik, and while she did not see what Rhea saw in Dominik at first, but then she had a real relationship with him and had Dominik all to herself. She then says that while Rhea Ripley is back, she is the one on top. Dominik says it is not what it looks like, but Rhea is focused more on Liv, saying she knew Liv was too scared to get in the ring with her because she would end her revenge tour. Rhea then says that she has waited three months and can wait a little while longer, and challenges Liv for the Women's World Championship at SummerSlam. Liv says that she will not run, then warns Rhea that she is not the same person she faced before, and says that she will beat her just like she helped Dominik beat Rey Mysterio as she accepts Rhea's challenge. She then hopes Dominik will be there, then vanishes. Rhea tells Liv that at SummerSlam, she will not only end her revenge tour and her title reign, she will end her career.

Backstage, Rhea Ripley is not taking anything from "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio. She suddenly finds a vase of black roses in her dressing rooms, and when Dominik says she is trying to make it up to her, Rhea slams the door in his face. Dominik turns around and sees Damian Priest, then Rhea Ripley opens the door and throws the vase of roses at Dominik.

Sheamus beats "Big" Bronson Reed. After the match, Bronson Reed tries to attack Sheamus, but he is suddenly stopped by Pete Dunne, who then walks away, much to Sheamus' confusion. When Sheamus turns around, Pete Dunne gets back in the ring and attacks him. Bronson Reed then gets back in the ring and hits Sheamus with the Tsunami.

Backstage, Damian Priest welcomes Rhea Ripley back. Rhea asks Damian if he needs help with Braun Strowman, but Priest says he is all right. As Rhea asks about Carlito, Dominik shows up, and it becomes known that Dominik barely contacted Rhea Ripley at all.

Backstage, Sami Zayn is met by Ilja Dragunov. He says that he appreciates the championship opportunity, but Sami says he is getting the match because he asked for the match and that he has been watching him for a while, and says that Dragunov is "better than good." Sami says that Dragunov fights like his life depends on it and that he is the kind of person he wants to defend the Intercontinental Championship against, then warns him to bring his absolute best. Dragunov tells Sami to do the same.

In backstage footage from earlier today, Jackie Redmond interviews Zelina Vega. Zelina says she has no love for Liv Morgan or Rhea Ripley, and that when they are done, she will be at the front of the line, saying she would be champion if it were not for "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio. Sonya Deville, "The Queen of Spades" Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark show up, saying the line goes through them, but Zelina says nothing is standing in the way of her and the Women's World Champion, and if Sonya wants a match, they can go at it tonight.

Sonya Deville quickly beats Zelina Vega after "The Queen of Spades" Shayna Baszler attacks Zelina's arm behind the referee's back. After the match, Sonya, Shayna and Zoey Stark attack Zelina, but leave when Lyra Valkyria, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance run to the ring.

Backstage, Damian Priest is met by "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio. Suddenly, "Main Event" Jey Uso wants to know if Rhea Ripley is single, which irritates Dominik. Damian tells Dominik that he beat prison, and that he should show Jey Uso who Rhea really belongs to.

Backstage, General Manager Adam Pearce is meeting with some referees when Chad Gable shows up and says Uncle Howdy is none other than Bo Dallas, and wants to know why he is here and what Pearce is doing about him. Pearce says Bo Dallas is here tonight, and Gable says that he is going to call Bo Dallas out tonight.

Damian Priest heads to the ring. Priest says that despite having a match with Braun Strowman next, he wants his face-to-face meeting right now and calls out Gunther. Gunther heads to the ring. After mentioning that Priest is still showing confidence and living his childhood dream of being World Heavyweight Champion, he tells Priest that he has paid close attention to him and that he is not living up to that dream. Gunther says Priest's reign has no prestige or contributions, but that is okay, as they are both not cut from the same cloth. He then says he is here in good spirits and wants to lift the weight off Priest's shoulders, and asks Priest to hand him the title. Priest says he wishes it was SummerSlam right now so he could knock the smirk off his face, then says that he fought for his life on the street for 20 years to get to WWE while Gunther has handed everything in Europe. He then says that if Gunther is only here for a paycheck, then he is not needed here, as he himself has earned the World Heavyweight Championship. He also says Gunther will be the last person to take the title from him. Gunther says being on the streets is a choice and blames Priest's parents for not giving him everything, while his own parents gave him everything and WWE was calling him. He also says that people like him keep people like Priest from becoming champion. Gunther says it will also be his responsibility to restore the honor and prestige of professional wrestling as well as the World Heavyweight Championship, then says the fans are just like Priest, as they will always be "street trash." Priest says that for someone with clarity, Gunther cannot see why what is coming at him or why he lost the Intercontinental Championship, and that Gunther has no heart or the knowledge of what it is like to fight for everything. He then says that he will stay champion while Gunther will have to fight from the bottom, as he will have nothing, and that they will see if Gunther is more than a "boring, conceited, privileged scumbag." Things are about to get physical between Priest and Gunther when Braun Strowman shows up for the next match.

Backstage, General Manager Adam Pearce gives "Main Event" Jey Uso his match with Dominik Mysterio, then Bron Breakker shows up irritated that Ilja Dragunov has a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Breakker says he does not care about respect and that he will destroy both Dragunov and Sami Zayn. Pearce calls for security, but Bron Breakker says he knows the way out. Pearce tells security to make sure Breakker leaves the building.

Damian Priest beats Braun Strowman after Strowman hurts his left knee during the match. After the match, Gunther shows up and chops Priest. That leads to a brawl, and Gunther soon retreats when Priest gets the upper hand.

Backstage, Maxxine Dupri tells Akira Tozawa and Otis that they should help someone out. Gable shows up and tells them that he will call out Bo Dallas, but Maxxine Dupri says they were talking about Xavier Woods, who they are helping against The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam, Rezar). Gable takes offense to this, even as Otis says they are serious about this.

"The Queen of Spades" Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark beat Katana Chance and Kayden Carter even after Lyra Valkyria knocks Sonya Deville off the ring apron.

We see footage of The Miz at the American Century Championship from the past weekend.

Backstage, when Finn Balor mentions the World Tag Team Championships, Rhea Ripley says Liv Morgan played her games, but they did not work. "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio shows up and mentions his match with Jey Uso, saying that he is going to prove that Rhea belongs to him. Rhea walks away.

General Manager Adam Pearce introduces Drew McIntyre to the ring. Pearce says that Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk can be special and that everyone, including himself and CM Punk, wants the match, then wants to know how much McIntyre wants it. McIntyre says he wants it more than anything in the world, then Pearce says that that a lot of negativity needs to be left behind and that if McIntyre can do that, he is ready to business. McIntyre takes responsibility for his actions and that the only opinion that matters is that of the fans, then asks the fans if they want the match, to which they agree. McIntyre tells Pearce to make it official, but Pearce wants McIntyre to do something for him: apologize to the referees that he roughed up at the Money In The Bank post-show. McIntyre is hesitant, but Pearce wants McIntyre to own his actions, especially when the two referees got hurt, and that this is all he is asking McIntyre to do. The crowd chants "Say you're sorry!" before McIntyre says "No." McIntyre says the referees have done nothing but screw him and that it has all happened under Pearce's watch, and that Pearce deserved that elbow and should be apologizing to him. He also makes it clear that he wants CM Punk's head on a pike. Pearce responds by maintaining McIntyre's suspension, and McIntyre responds by shoving both referees and confronting Pearce. Seth "Freakin'" Rollins heads to the ring and fights McIntyre, and McIntyre flees as Rollins goes for The Stomp. Security shows up to escort McIntyre from the arena, and McIntyre walks away.

We see footage from earlier today on The Pat McAfee Show where Pat McAfee gets another package, which contains another VHS cassette. We then see the contents of that cassette. In it, we see Erick Rowan, who admits that the last few years have been very hard. He says he used to have a family and that they were unstoppable and inseparable, but one day, the whole world changed. Erick says that he lost a brother who believed in him more than anyone else, and in those situations, one gets up, wipes the dust off and keeps moving. He then says that just when he had everything going, another brother was gone, and he no longer had a family. He says he fell down a well and did not even want to get out, as he was numb to the world and nobody would miss him. He is handed a white sheep mask as he is asked how it makes him feel, and that the mask gives him hope, for when he was at his lowest, Bray Wyatt pulled him out and he accepted, as he knew he needed help. He says that he had a purpose in life to help those like himself and that the white sheep mask reminds him of that beacon of hope, and that he will "take those broken hearts and make a beautiful world."

"Main Event" Jey Uso beats "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio. During the match, Liv Morgan pulls Dominik out of the way of an Uso Splash, and when Jey baseball slide kicks Dominik in the back of the head, Dom falls on top of Liv. Liv takes advantage of the situation before Rhea Ripley runs out and chases Liv into the crowd. When Dominik apologizes to Rhea, Rhea tells Dominik to get back into the rng and finish the match. Dominik is soon hit with a Spear by Jey Uso followed by an Uso Splash.

We see a video package for Ilja Dragunov.

Backstage, "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio is met by Damian Priest, who mentions Dominik's rough loss before seeing Rhea Ripley and leaving. Rhea says she does not belong to anyone and that she is not his; instead, Dominik is hers. She then hands Dominik a black rose.

Chad Gable heads to the ring to call out Bo Dallas. After the commercial break, Chad Gable announces that Uncle Howdy is none other than Bo Dallas, then calls Bo out so they can "solve their little problem." Bo Dallas then heads to the ring, but he is attacked from behind by The Creed Brothers (Julius and Brutus Creed). Gable then raises The Creed Brothers' hands, and Bo Dallas is laughing as he lays in the ring just like when he was being attacked. Gable and The Creeds gang up on Bo Dallas again, and Bo Dallas is still laughing. Bo Dallas still laughs as he laughs in the corner and says "Yeah, yeah, yeah," and Gable wants to know what he is laughing about. Bo says "There you are," then the lights go out in the usual Bray Wyatt fashion. The crowd chants "You fucked up!" before fog floods the ring, then The Wyatt Sicks shows up. "Abbie" raises the lantern as they approach the ring, and Gable leaves the ring, leaving The Creeds alone until they too leave. Bo Dallas gets back up and gets on his knees in the middle of the ring, and The Wyatt Sicks surround him before Bo laughs and outstretches his arms.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Sami Zayn for the WWE Intercontinental Championship ends with Bron Breakker suddenly showing up and hitting Dragunov with a Spear on the outside after Sami dodges. After the match, Sami Zaynand Bron Breakker brawl in the ring, and Breakker gets the upper hand before hitting Sami with a Spear. Sami Zayn retains the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Here are the highlights for tonight's show!

This week on Raw Talk: Pete Dunne! Sonya Deville, "The Queen of Spades" Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark! Xavier Woods and Alpha Academy (Otis, Akira Tozawa, Maxxine Dupri)!

Here are the top ten moments from tonight's show!