6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (21 Sept - Results & Review)

1. Straight Fire Main Event

The original Money in the Bank triple threat qualifier scheduled for Raw Monday night was a classic “one of these things is not like the other,” but a backstage attack changed it drastically – for the better.

Solo Sikoa was set to face Dragon Lee and Dominik Mysterio, but 946 jumped the Samoan just before the match and drove off with him, with the Bloodline chasing on foot. Seconds before the opening bell, though, Raw GM Adam Pearce made sure to deliver on an advertised triple threat, adding Penta to the mix.

The resulting luchador triple threat instantly became the hottest thing on the show, with fans into everything from the opening bell, and Dragon, Dirty Dom, and Penta slamming on the gas and going a kilometer a minute, countering each other, breaking up pinfalls, diving to the floor, and exchanging pinfalls throughout the entire bout.

Perhaps the best spot came when Dragon went for his cannonball dive to the floor, only for Mysterio to anticipate it and strike him down with a perfectly timed 619. Later, Penta dropped Lee with a Mexican Destroyer on the apron, only for Dominik to hit a 619 and frog splash – for two. A frustrated Dirty Dom exposed a turnbuckle, then ate it himself before succumbing to a Mexican Destroyer.

Penta needed something to do for Money in the Bank (the PLE, not the match per se) after that outstanding showing last week against Roman Reigns, and being added to the show’s eponymous match pretty much qualifies.

Unfortunately for Dragon Lee, this was yet another fantastic TV match where he fell short, becoming a theme that is both frustrating and heartening; WWE clearly trust and like him enough to stick him in these spots to get over on his own, but at some point, he needs to win something.