WWE Raw – Sept 17th 2018: Results & Review

Welcome to this week’s Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and Renee Young is still here, so Coachman is not. Ain’t you happy? Twern’t nuthin’.

Match #1: Raw Tag Team Champion Drew McIntyre def. Dean Ambrose

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Dean Ambrose has made it a point to target Drew McIntyre during almost every scrap the two have been involved in since his return. Tonight, The Lunatic Fringe got his wish — and suffered the consequences, as the former WWE Champion was defeated by The Scottish Terminator in a match that took both Superstars to the limit one night after a marathon show-stealer for the Raw Tag Team Championships. Between the lingering effects of the tag team match and their brawl atop Hell in a Cell, both Superstars were banged-up and Ambrose took advantage with a focused attack on McIntyre’s left leg. The strategy was enough to even the playing field against the mighty Scot, and a Cloverleaf to the big man left him all but hobbled. But McIntyre broke the hold by reaching the ropes and switched his style, baiting Ambrose outside the ring and dodging a frantic flying axe handle off the turnbuckle that carried Dean full-speed into the barricade. A woozy Ambrose barely managed to beat the ten count back into the ring, but he sprinted headfirst into a Claymore that earned McIntyre the win — and make no mistake, he had to earn this one.

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a solid match that gave both men enough time to make a good impression. Dean is starting to get his footing again after returning from that nasty injury of his. Drew had a hell of a night last night and is getting back to what got him his new reputation on the independent circuit. This match was not the best indicator of how great these guys can be, but it won’t put either guy in the poor house.

Match #2: Chad Gable def. Viktor

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Over the past few weeks, Chad Gable has proved a crucial component to his and Bobby Roode’s burgeoning status as a tag team. The question is, how good is he on his own? The answer is, pretty darn good. The Minnesota stretcher squared up against Viktor of The Ascension — one-half of the team he and Roode have been facing of late — and except for a brief stretch when his enthusiasm got the better of him, he was never really out of the driver’s seat. The former SmackDown Tag Team Champion battled at a million miles an hour, planting Viktor with the rolling German suplex, much to Roode’s delight at ringside. Of course, even though Gable’s got the speed, he’s still outmatched in the power department — a point Konnor made when he plowed Gable into Roode before making his way up the ramp.

My Take: 2 out of 5 – This wasn’t much of a match, but it was a terrific showing for Gable, who deserves so much better than these pitiful exhibitions. Bobby Roode was in Gable’s corner and he deserves better as well. Maybe they should pull a Jericho and picket Raw each week, to expose the conspiracy? Maybe they should go camping? I want chicken/ I want liver/ Meow Mix/ Meow Mix/ Please Deliver!

Match #3: Bayley def. Dana Brooke

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Dana Brooke may have taken her first step toward individual glory by breaking away from Titus Worldwide, but her path to the top still has yet to progress. The former statistician fell to Bayley in a bout that saw The Huggable One accompanied to the ramp by five Kid Superstars: Jacob “The Open-Heart Hound,” Kourageous Karter, Michael “Super Shadow” Maldonado, Khadance “The Diva Destroyer” and Johnny “The American Beast” Hernandez. The good news for Dana, however, is that progress was made. Dana bullied Bayley about the ring in convincing fashion — much to the consternation of Sasha Banks at ringside. But she got overzealous in her efforts, and a few canny maneuvers got The Huggable One in position for the Bayley-to-Belly that won her the match. For Dana, it’s clear the pieces are there. She just has to put them together.

My Take: 1 out of 5 – At least Bayley won.

Match #4: AOP def. Gregory James & Barrett Brown

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

New chapter, same story for AOP, who devoured their third consecutive set of local competitors in what is shaping up to be a very prolific resurgence under the eye of 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick. Akam & Rezar dispatched tattooed upstarts Gregory James & Barrett Brown in a matter of seconds, pausing briefly to unveil a particularly nasty new maneuver — a fireman’s carry charge into the corner — before closing things out with the Super Collider.

My Take: .5 out of 5 – …and then there’s Maude. What is this, 1986? This squash stuff didn’t sell tickets back then, so why should it now? AOP are a fine team, but they look like garbage when they have to work these slow, dull squash matches.

Match #5: Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins def. Raw Tag Team Champion Dolph Ziggler

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

What, you thought a little 15-foot trip off the side of Hell in a Cell would be enough to take the Intercontinental Title off of Seth Rollins? Despite an overt attempt by Dolph Ziggler and Acting General Manager Baron Corbin to swindle the title off The Kingslayer’s waist — Corbin thought Rollins was too banged-up to compete and offered to hand Ziggler the title via forfeit if he evoked his rematch clause — the champion showed up and fought through the pain, ultimately denying The Showoff’s bid for his seventh Intercontinental Championship. Neither was at 100 percent. Rollins was clutching his back at every turn and the typically spry Showoff was a step lower than usual, turning the bout into a war of attrition. Rollins was too worn down to complete the superplex-Falcon Arrow twofer, giving The Showoff a crack at a tights-assisted rollup. But Rollins had enough left to hit the Stomp seconds later, and even though it took him longer than usual to crawl over for the cover, two nights’ damage had been enough to keep Ziggler down for three. Give Dolph credit for a well-fought battle, but if anybody wants to end Seth Rollins’ Intercontinental Title reign, they’ll clearly need to throw him off a bigger cage.

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a good little match that had some nice psychology. These guys have definitely had better matches together, but this was meant to sell the beating they got from last night, so at least the subdued nature of the match had some sort of purpose.

Match #6: Elias def. Bobby Lashley via Disqualification

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Lio Rush has been Bobby Lashley’s manager for all of five seconds, but he might have just entered himself into the managerial pantheon: Not only did 205 Live’s “Man of the Hour” give Lashley a big-time intro by interrupting Elias, he proved to be instrumental in helping to turn away Kevin Owens, who still has contractual carte blanche and sinister designs on punishing Lashley himself. What KO didn’t account for was Rush, who leapt over the former Universal Champion from his perch at commentary and led him on a chase down the ramp. The 23-Year-Old Piece of Gold nailed Elias with an enziguir when The Living Truth tried to ensnare him, handing Lashley a DQ loss. But Rush made it up to his client when he allowed Lashley to use him as a projectile: The former ECW Champion scooped Rush up and gorilla-pressed him over the top rope and onto Owens and Elias. Like the old saying goes, this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

My Take: 2 out of 5 – There wasn’t much here, but Lio Rush looked great jumping over all of the wrestlers when the match ended in a melee.

Match #7: Nia Jax & Ember Moon vs. def. Mickie James & Alicia Fox

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

About the only solace Alexa Bliss could take Monday night is that she wasn’t actually in the ring in a Women’s Tag Team Match, which pitted her allies Mickie James & Alicia Fox against Ember Moon and a returning Nia Jax, whose very presence has spelled doom for The Goddess for most of 2018. Well aware of what The Irresistible Force was capable of, Alicia & Mickie worked hard to focus their efforts on Moon and kept the Dallas native away from her partner as long as they could. Alas, they couldn’t keep her away long enough: Nia entered the match and single-handedly swung it her way, holding an interfering Mickie in place for the Eclipse and dispatching Alicia with a Samoan Drop.

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – This might have been the match of the night, with all four wrestlers looking excellent, especially Ember and Mickie. This match moved at the right pace and had the finesse to match the talent. Jax looked good in her return and may not be the best fighter in the sport, but she can still be a big deal.

Match #8: Main Event – Roman Reigns def. Baron Corbin to retain the Universal Championship

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

As Acting General Manager, Baron Corbin has many powers. He could make himself a Universal Championship Match at a moment’s notice to pick on beat-up champion Roman Reigns. He could even, say, re-start that match as a No Disqualification if he ends up in too deep of a hole and decides to break out a chair to even the odds. What he couldn’t do, no matter how he stacked the deck, was close out. Yes, Corbin missed out on the Universal Title despite a massive managerial advantage over The Big Dog that he didn’t hesitate to exploit, not to mention some help — Braun Strowman showed up to attack Reigns after the restart, instigating a brawl that ended up roping in Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre and the rest of The Shield. But even with all conceivable odds stacked in his favor, Corbin fell to a quick-strike Spear when he attempted to make his move. Strowman, Ziggler & McIntyre opted not to make a move on The Shield, seemingly preferring to save their energy for WWE Super Show-Down. So while it’ll take more than shenanigans to topple Roman Reigns as champion, that doesn’t mean a big fight isn’t on the way all the same.

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – Logically, Corbin should have been able to scheme his way to the title, so not getting it makes him look stupid. The match was a bunch of throat thrusts and rest holds, so it wasn’t a great Lou Thesz masterpiece, but it got the job done. Seeing Reigns with Corbin did confirm to me (not that I needed it) that Reigns can wrestle, because he looked much better than Corbin. Over-all, it would have been nice for this match to be a bit more exciting, but at least it served its purpose to spice up the finale of the card.

News Of The Night:

1. The Undertaker cut a dull promo about taking Triple H’s soul.
2. Kane will be in The Undertaker’s corner at the Super Show-Down match.
3. Shawn Michaels will be in Triple H’s corner for the Super Show-Down match.
4. Lio Rush is, officially, Bobby Lashley’s manager.
5. The Kevin Owens/Bobby Lashley feud will continue.
6. Elias gets a very strong, positive reaction during his concert tonight.
7. The Riott Squad attacked Ronda Rousey (and Natalya) during Rousey’s open challenge.
8. The Bellas and Ronda Rousey will be working together, most likely, against The Riott Squad.
9. At the next Saudi Arabia card, called Crown Jewel, Roman Reigns will defend the Universal Title against Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar in a Triple Threat Match.
10. Braun Strowman got over by saying every-thing sucked. People really liked to hear him say things suck.

Final Verdict: 2 out of 5 – A news-worthy event didn’t deliver the goods on action, but didn’t kill the league either. I like having multiple events being promoted at the same time, but since Vince has such trouble with just one a month, it’s hard to have faith that he can make three appear interesting