‘WWE Raw’ Review (Sept 25th 2023)
Welcome to this review of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, right here on Nerdly… Let’s see what went down on this week’s show!
Match #1: “Big” Bronson Reed def. Otis
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With the ring reinforced, “Big” Bronson Reed took on Alpha Academy’s Otis in a clash of gargantuan Superstars. Reed was able to withstand Otis’ tree trunk girth, dispatching him with the Tsunami.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Tommaso Ciampa def. Ludwig Kaiser
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Tommaso Ciampa took the next step in facing Intercontinental Champion Gunther as he defeated Ludwig Kaiser. Kaiser nearly won the match, however, after he took advantage of Ciampa attacking Giovanni Vinci. But Kaiser could not get the win as the referee was distracted with Vinci’s injury. Kaiser then threw out his own teammate hoping to get the win. Ciampa recovered and connected with a Ripcord Knee to win the match. Ciampa is now two-for-two against Gunther’s cohorts and looks poised to face The Ring General.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Tegan Nox def. Natalya
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With NXT Women’s Champion Becky Lynch watching, Tegan Nox claimed a monumental win against Natalya. The two argued backstage before this match, as Nox took The Man’s words to heart, looking to jumpstart her way to the top. Nox took out Natalya with the World’s Shiniest Wizard for the biggest win of her career.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: NXT North American Championship – Dominik Mysterio def. Dragon Lee
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Making his Monday Night Raw in-ring debut, Dragon Lee took on “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Title. Mysterio was vicious in his defense, using Lee’s mask to tie him up in the ropes. Lee wowed in his debut as well, hitting an incredible dropkick while Dominik. Lee continued to show out, hitting a scintillating hurricanrana before connecting with a Tiger Bomb that nearly sealed the win. Mysterio’s moxie was too much, however, as he put away Lee with the frog splash.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Nia Jax def. Zoey Stark
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Looking impressive in her first match on Raw since her return, Nia Jax took out Zoey Stark. Stark put up a good fight, even lifting Jax up on her shoulders but eventually fell to an Annihilator.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #6: Drew McIntyre def. Kofi Kingston
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In a battle of former WWE Champions, Drew McIntyre took on Kofi Kingston. The tension between McIntyre and The New Day had been simmering up to this period but reached a boiling point tonight. Kingston lit up The Scottish Warrior with impressive dives, but McIntyre picked apart Kingston with Future Shock DDTs and clobbering forearms. McIntyre signaled for the Claymore Kick with the Claymore Countdown, but Kingston was able to evade before connecting with the S.O.S. Ivar of The Viking Raiders came out to crush Xavier Woods at ringside. Using the distraction to his advantage, McIntyre clattered Kingston with the Claymore.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #7: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship – The Judgment Day def. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In a rematch from WWE Payback, The Judgment Day again reigned supreme over Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, retaining their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles. Owens and Zayn looked great in the beginning, discombobulating Finn Bálor and Damian Priest with aerial dives and strikes. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio made his way down to ringside but was soon repelled by Jey Uso. Completing the party, JD McDonagh and Cody Rhodes both came down to even the scores for both teams. With the match erupting in chaos, the referee had his back turned as McDonagh blasted Zayn with the tag titles. This allowed Priest to pin Zayn to win the match.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
An improvement over last week’s show, this week’s Raw was another roller-coaster ride of action, all leading to the back-to-back final two great matches. Unfortunately, the low points of this week’s show involved the WWE women’s roster – which is never a good thing. But, honestly, when you bring back Nia Jax what do you expect? Thankfully the men managed to pull off good matches across the board, starting from the hoss-match at the opener all the way through to the Tag Team title match – though seeing these two teams battle it out over and over and over is getting repetitive. But when it’s so good, it can be forgiven somewhat.
