‘WWE Raw’ Review (Oct 23rd 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: The New Day def. Alpha Academy
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the final moments of a tremendous tag team matchup pitting The New Day against The Alpha Academy, Kofi Kingston took advantage of Chad Gable being down and out at ringside to hit Trouble in Paradise on Otis. This set up Xavier Woods to finish him with the elbow off the top rope.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: NXT Women’s Title Match – Becky Lynch def. Indi Hartwell
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Despite the determination of Indi Hartwell, who was never defeated in her NXT Title reign, NXT Women’s Champion Becky Lynch triumphed by making her opponent tap out to the Dis-arm-her. Although Hartwell did not walk away with the title, she did earn the respect of The Man, as the two shared an honorable post-match handshake.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Johnny Gargano def. Giovanni Vinci
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
When Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser interfered in Johnny Gargano’s match against Giovanni Vinci, Tommaso Ciampa suddenly made his return to neutralize Kaiser and paved the way for Johnny Wrestling to overcome Vinci with the One Final Beat DDT.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #4: Piper Niven & Chelsea Green def. Natalya & Nikki Cross
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Although an immobile, noticeably entranced Nikki Cross showed up as Natalya’s surprise partner against WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green & Piper Niven, she walked out and left The Queen of Hearts alone at the most crucial time. This allowed Green to hit the Unprettier before Niven hit the Basement Crossbody for the victory,
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: Drew McIntyre def. Sami Zayn
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley suddenly emerged during a hard-fought bout between Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn. When it looked as if Zayn could be getting close to a win, The Eradicator climbed on the ring apron and distracted Sami long enough for the The Scottish Warrior to hit the Claymore Kick for the three-count. Although McIntyre didn’t seem to be in league with Ripley, he nevertheless picked up a huge victory heading into his World Heavyweight Championship Match against Seth “Freakin” Rollins at WWE Crown Jewel.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: Bronson Reed def. Akira Tozawa
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Although the new Junior Member of The Alpha Academy Akira Tozawa was hellbent on proving to Master Gable that he is ready for the Alpha Academy, “Big” Bronson Reed dismantled him before crushing the eager Superstar with the Tsunami.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #7: Damian Priest def. Jey Uso
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Just when it looked as if “Main Event” Jey Uso might be getting the best of Damian Priest, sudden interference by Finn Bálor allowed Señor Money in the Bank to triumph with South of Heaven en route to his showdown against Cody Rhodes at WWE Crown Jewel.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
This was a decent episode of Raw, not quite as good as last week but still there was some good action amongst the talking heads and quasi-squash matches. Becky Lynch delivered another great match – and yes, I said Becky Lynch delivered… because apparently, if reports about her match with Tiffany Stratton are to be believed, she’s laying out all of these matches herself and in turn putting over all these opponents. Kudos to her for trying to [re]build the WWE women’s division to something more than just a shadow of the “Women’s Revolution” that it, honestly, is today. I would have preferred seeing Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn get a clean match but I’ll take what I can get and what we did get was decent enough. The same goes for the main event – another case of interference “ruining” the match we were getting. But hey, that’s storytelling in sports entertainment for you!
