WWE Raw – Sept 24th 2018: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and if you’ve read my recent Raw reviews, you can expect the grea… absolutely nothing good.
Match #1: Finn Bálor def. Jinder Mahal
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Next week, Finn Bálor & Bayley (aka Team B&B) will make their Mixed Match Challenge debut, while Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox (aka Mahalicia) will suit up tomorrow. If what happened on Raw is any indication, the latter duo might have their work cut out for them, as a remarkable combination of events left Mahal defeated in both body and mind, briefly shattering The Maharaja’s hard-won serenity before he pulled himself together. To begin, there was the tension between Alicia and Sunil Singh in Mahal’s corner, which threw off the delicate balance that The Modern Day Maharaja works so hard to maintain. Then, there was Bayley tripping up Mahal as turnabout for some earlier interference from Sunil. And finally, there was the beating The Huggable One administered to Jinder’s entire crew, as she decked Alicia and pancaked Singh with a Bayley-to-Belly, which left Mahal vulnerable to a match-ending rollup … and also left him so flustered that he briefly roughed up Sunil before he remembered his mantra and sat cross-legged in the ring with Alicia to reclaim a state of (tentative) peace.
My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – Mahal was good, but Balor was better, much better. Once again, Finn Balor saved the day and made this match a good time.
Match #2: The Riott Squad def. The Bella Twins & Natalya
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Ruby Riott had been scheduled to battle Brie Bella on Raw tonight, but Ruby Riott & Co. are never content to have just one enemy at a time: The match was reconfigured into a Six-Woman Tag that roped in Nikki Bella (who’ll team with Brie and Ronda Rousey against the Squad at WWE Super Show-Down) and Natalya (who got bushwhacked by Ruby & Co. when she attempted to answer Rousey’s Open Challenge last week), and The Riott Squad survived the trio of veterans to walk away with a big-time win. And “survive” is a very appropriate term: Brie came out swinging so hard that Liv Morgan had to exit the match after being incapacitated by a “Yes!” Kick to the face, handing the Squad a 3-on-2 disadvantage. Ruby and Sarah Logan hung tough, however, and they took advantage of Natalya’s overzealousness to secure the victory: The Queen of Harts locked Logan in the Sharpshooter, but she didn’t notice a tag to Ruby seconds earlier, which left her vulnerable to a quick-strike Riott Kick that put the match away.
My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – Liv Morgan got injured in this decent match. Liv got a kick to the head that came a little too close. I get that Brie Bella wants to wrestle again, which I’m happy about, but she was never good at this kind of stuff when she was a regular. Bryan is the one who knows how to do these swift kicks and Brie needs to stick to just doing one, rather than a succession of these attacks, because her body isn’t used to it like her husband’s is. It wasn’t Brie’s intention, but it was her fault. As long as Brie learns her lesson, then the only thing to worry about is Liv’s recovery. Get well soon, Liv.
Match #3: Konnor def. Chad Gable
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
The lesson of the last two weeks has been that Chad Gable most certainly has the goods to anchor a newly-formed tag team. The lesson of this week, however, was that he still has a thing or two to learn. In Gable’s first defeat since linking up with Bobby Roode, the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion fell to Konnor of The Ascension, who was looking for a statement victory of his own after Gable put up three straight victories against his own tandem — two tag team wins and a singles triumph over Viktor. The powerhouse got what he was searching for, doubly so since Gable had been on something of a roll before Konnor decided he’d had enough. The big man snuffed out Gable’s athletic, stick-and-move strategy by using his size to literally stop Gable in his tracks before using his strength to hoist Gable in the air and plant him with a gutwrench slam that rattled the ring and secured the win.
My Take: 2 out of 5 – Gable looked good here, but this match was not much outside of Gable’s work. Bobby Roode was in Gable’s corner, because that’s what he’s always wanted for his career, which is to watch other people get the opportunities that he should be afforded. Party on Wayne! Party on Garth! [FYI: This was Konnor’s first win since 2015, talk about wasting talent! – Phil]
Match #4: Raw Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre def. The Revival
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
If not for Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre, The Revival might be Raw Tag Team Champions. That was true three weeks ago when they jumped Dash & Dawson in the backstage area and took their opportunity to challenge The B-Team, and it was true tonight when the “Top Guys” got the title match that had been stolen from them, as they came up short despite an inspiring effort that may well cement them as champions-in-waiting. Alas, they’ll have to wait. Dash & Dawson planned every move perfectly, isolating Ziggler from McIntyre and dissecting him bit by bit. But they ended up getting a taste of their own medicine when Dash, riding high after torqueing Ziggler with an agonizing Rings of Saturn, found himself olé’d into the steel steps. Now, both teams were effectively a member down, and despite a gritty rally from the two-time NXT Tag Team Champions that saw them briefly incapacitate McIntyre, The Scottish Terminator essentially ended the match when he tagged in and dispatched both challengers singlehandedly. With Dawson downed by a big boot and legal man Wilder dazed by a Glasgow Kiss, Dash was helpless to stop the Claymore-Zig Zag. A noble effort, but the coronation will have to wait: Ziggler & McIntyre clearly still run this show.
My Take: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a good night for the Revival, who have needed a big performance to keep their careers alive. This was a title match that didn’t get the pomp and circumstance of the one at Hell in a Cell, but it did bring excellent action.
Match #5: Bobby Lashley def. Elias via Disqualification
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
What good is carte blanche if you can’t get your hands on the one guy you want to fight? Kevin Owens might be asking himself that same question right about now, as his two-week quest to annihilate Bobby Lashley has come up against the surprisingly difficult obstacle of Lio Rush, the motor-mouthed Cruiserweight who is carving out a nice little side hustle as Lashley’s manager apart from his weekly duties on 205 Live. Last week, Rush got Owens all turned around during Lashley’s match with Elias. This week, The 23-Year-Old Piece of Gold provoked KO again by refusing to walk into an apparent ambush on “The Kevin Owens Show” and later leading Owens on a second chase around the ring during Lashley and Elias’ rematch that ended in a repeat embarrassment for The Living Truth and the former Universal Champion. First, Owens accidentally ran into Lashley, handing Elias a disqualification loss, and then, when he finally got his hands on The Man of the Hour, Lashley came to the rescue, freeing Lio from KO’s clutches and decking Owens right out of the ring. KO will get his chance against Lashley next week, but there are more questions than answers for Owens and Elias as WWE Super Show-Down approaches … and John Cena hasn’t even gotten involved yet.
My Take: 2 out of 5 – This was pretty boring, but had its meat and potatoes on the plate, at least.
Match #6: Nia Jax def. Alicia Fox
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Nia Jax returned last week in a tag team match and didn’t miss a beat, helping Ember Moon power past Alicia Fox & Mickie James in tag-team action. This week, The Irresistible Force was back to business as usual in singles competition, defeating Alicia in Nia’s first one-on-one match since her return. The former Divas Champion had a few moments of brilliance, taking Nia down to her knees after a brief fracas on the outside, but Nia quickly put the bout to rest when she hoisted Alicia into the air and drilled her into the mat with an emphatic Samoan Drop.
My Take: 1.5 out of 5 – There wasn’t much in this match, so there’s not much to review. Jax is definitely popular, though.
Match #7: Main Event – The Shield def. Acting General Manager Baron Corbin & AOP
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
True, Dean Ambrose is the only member of The Shield without a title. Sure, Seth Rollins needed his help to become Intercontinental Champion. And maybe Rollins and Roman Reigns didn’t text him every day during his recovery. But that doesn’t mean The Shield’s about to break up. In fact, they looked as good as ever in their first match together in nearly a year despite overwhelming odds both within the ring — Acting General Manager Baron Corbin picked AOP as his partners — and outside, as Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre sat in chairs while watching from atop the ramp. Not only that, but The Lunatic Fringe himself turned the tide. After targeting Reigns for the entire match (Rezar went punch-for-punch in an early slugfest with the Universal Champion), AOP dispatched The Big Dog with the Last Chapter on the outside, and Rollins was stranded in the ring when Ambrose finally managed to tag back in. The former WWE Champion briefly found himself overwhelmed when AOP re-entered the fray, but thanks to interference from Reigns and Rollins, he planted Corbin with Dirty Deeds and teed him up for a Spear. And despite what appeared to be a moment of hesitation on his part, Ambrose rejoined his brothers for the customary fist bump at the end of the match. Turn on The Shield? Please. If tonight was any indication, they’re just getting started.
My Take: 3.5 out of 5 – This was an excellent main event that broke the streak of bad matches that the AOP were booked in for quite some time. Rezar got to have a moment where was made to look more powerful than Roman Reigns, which might be an indicator that Vince has an interest in the guy. The action was fast and fierce, with every-body getting a chance to shine. Corbin didn’t add much in terms of wrestling, but he played his part well and doesn’t appear to be a greedy wrestler, so that should bode well for him if improves his skills. Over-all, this was the right way to end the card.
News Of The Night:
- Triple H claimed he can’t lose his soul to the Undertaker, because he sold it already.
- The McMahon family did a Connor’s Cure award in the ring. The recipient seemed very nice and it was a happy moment for some-one who needed it. Why can’t Vince treat his wrestlers this well?
- A story ran through the night where Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler tried to turn Dean Ambrose to their side while Seth Rollins tried to turn McIntyre against his compatriots, but neither were successful.
Final Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 – This was the best Raw in a while, even if the score says otherwise. Many of the matches felt secondary to the booking, which is weird, but accurate, to say. We had a couple of excellent matches to keep our faith alive, so there you go.
