WWE Raw – Oct 1st 2018: Results & Review

Welcome to this week’s Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have Shwan Michaels! Shwan? It’s Shawn! Shwan versus Shawn… I smell money!

Match #1: Braun Strowman def. Dean Ambrose via Disqualification

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Could Dean Ambrose beat Braun Strowman? He certainly came close when he planted The Monster Among Men with a surprise Dirty Deeds after a long, grueling bout that was going Strowman’s way until The Lunatic Fringe up and dropped his foe with the double-arm DDT that once won Ambrose the WWE Championship. But it wasn’t enough: Strowman kicked out of the pinfall, rolled out of the ring and (despite a frantic follow-up from Ambrose) quickly turned the proceedings from a match into a statement beating — one so severe Roman Reigns appeared to run interference, clocking Stroman with a Superman Punch that led to a disqualification win for The Monster Among Men. It also set up the evening’s next match: After Seth Rollins joined the fight and Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre arrived to even the odds, Baron Corbin re-emerged to restore order by immediately sanctioning Reigns vs. Ziggler, as well as Rollins vs. McIntyre for later in the evening. As for Ambrose, he wasn’t crazy about the whole thing. In fact, when Rollins went to check on his brother in the trainer’s room, The Lunatic Fringe pointedly reminded The Kingslayer that he could have left Raw as Intercontinental Champion if he made a different choice.

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – This was good, but not great. Ambrose is still adjusting to being back in the thick of things, but he is getting there. Braun looked good and still reminds me of the big lunk-head from Revenge of the Nerds.

Match #2: Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. Raw Tag Team Champion Dolph Ziggler

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Dean Ambrose’s match with Braun Strowman got a little complicated at the end, but the big shocker between Roman Reigns and Dolph Ziggler came at the beginning: The Universal Title was about to be on the line, but Acting General Manager Baron Corbin quickly kyboshed that and prohibited Reigns from defending his title until WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. That said, Ziggler certainly treated his match with The Big Dog as if it was a title bout anyway. Perhaps sensing that a win would put him in line for a future opportunity, The Showoff depleted Reigns’ energy with his mat game and raked Reigns’ eyes after the champion began to rally. Ziggler made it interesting down the stretch by reversing a Spear attempt into a sunset flip roll-up for a long two, but Reigns found victory by successfully baiting him into attempting the maneuver a second time: As The Big Dog bounced off the ropes for the Spear, Ziggler leapt into the air again and Reigns stopped for a split-second, waiting until Ziggler was airborne and defenseless before plowing him into the mat for the 1-2-3.

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a good match that felt moved better than the opener and had some nice action. Ziggler continues to be one of the best and was able to help Reigns look like a champion of note here.

Match #3: Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey def. Ruby Riott

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Moments before her match with Ronda Rousey, Ruby Riott claimed that handing the Raw Women’s Champion her first loss in WWE would be her way of creating something truly beautiful. She’ll have to wait a little while longer to see it. Yes, The Baddest Woman on the Planet remains undefeated, despite Ruby exploiting Rousey’s relative inexperience by bringing every dirty trick in the WWE playbook to bear. From a fishhook where the ref couldn’t see to using The Riott Squad to her advantage, Ruby was well on her way to an underhanded win until Ronda simply decided she’d had enough: The Raw Women’s Champion scooped Ruby out of the air mid-Riott Kick attempt and ripped off a near-unanswered rally, ending with an Armbar that earned an immediate tapout. It may not have been what Ruby would describe as “beautiful,” but it sure was pretty.

My Take: 2 out of 5 – Ronda was forced to sell the whole time, which she’s good at, but it made for a boring match.

Match #4: Konnor def. Bobby Roode

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Well, well, well, we have ourselves a series. After dropping three consecutive matches to Chad Gable & Bobby Roode (two tags and a singles match between Viktor and Gable), The Ascension have now won two straight against the burgeoning tag team thanks to the prodigious power of their resident big man, Konnor. After dispatching of mighty mite Gable last week, the former NXT Tag Team Champion turned his attention to the veteran Roode and earned his second consecutive victory. He does, however, owe a hefty assist to Viktor: Roode had been systematically picking Konnor apart by targeting his knee and using the turnbuckles to his advantage until he finally had him in position for the Glorious DDT. That’s when Viktor tackled Gable clean off the steps on the outside, distracting Roode and allowing Konnor to earn the victory with his gutwrench slam.

My Take: 1.5 out of 5 – Well, well, well… this match sucked! Seriously, who the #&%! did Bobby Roode piss off to lose to Konnor? Bobby… get the hell out of there. By the way, good for you Konnor.

Match #5: The B-Team def. The Revival

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre may have a firm grasp on the Raw Tag Team division, but who is the next team up? Is it The Revival, who took the champs to the limit last week in an outstanding match and looked just as crisp in their bout against The B-Team on Raw? Or, is it The B-Team, who shocked Dash & Dawson in said match when Bo Dallas thwarted a Rocket Launcher and rolled up Dash Wilder for the win? Perhaps it’s neither. Perhaps it’s AOP, who appeared out of nowhere after the bout and obliterated Dallas & Axel with the Super Collider. Perhaps, the race for the Raw Tag Team Titles is only a race until Akam & Rezar decide to jump the line.

My Take: 1.5 out of 5 – Last week, The Revival had an excellent match for the Raw tag titles. What a difference a week makes. It’s a mad house… a mad house!

Match #6: Raw Tag Team Champion Drew McIntyre def. Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Braun Strowman made it clear before Drew McIntyre battled Seth Rollins that he would not accept a weak link in his squad as WWE Super Show-Down approaches. His pointed stare at Dolph Ziggler did not go unnoticed, nor did McIntyre’s failure to defend his fellow Raw Tag Team Champion — which is probably why The Showoff made his presence known in the waning moments of McIntyre vs. Rollins, dashing into the ring to administer a pre-Stomp distraction that freed up McIntyre to blast Seth with the Claymore for the win. All hell broke loose quickly after the match, however, as Roman Reigns, Strowman and finally Dean Ambrose — axe handle in hand — threw hands in a chaotic six-way brawl. Ziggler was a key figure in the fray as well, administering the Zig Zag to Reigns and assisting with the Claymore-Zig Zag combo on Ambrose. Strowman got the last word with a Running Powerslam to Reigns, and the “pack” ended their evening with a Shield-style fist bump of their own. If there is a weak link to be found, it’s hard to see.

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a good match that was built on McIntyre getting help from Ziggler to win the match. There was a good back and forth between these two that worked pretty well in getting this match off the ground, but it never got on the road… that might not make sense.

Match #7: Kevin Owens def. Bobby Lashley

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

On Raw, Kevin Owens and Elias learned two very important lessons: First, do not, whatever you do, disrespect the Sonics in Seattle — an errant insult at the departed hoops squad led the Seattle crowd to boo the duo for six-and-a-half minutes straight —and second, the key to getting Bobby Lashley where you want him is to take out Lio Rush. Yes, after weeks of embarrassment at the hands of The Man of the Hour, Owens and Elias finally got their hands on Rush, with The Living Truth ensnaring the hype man in a full nelson right as victory was within reach for Lashley. Owens pinned a distracted Lashley with a roll-up, and with the help of Elias, handily beat down both the former ECW Champion and Rush, who attempted to even the odds to no avail. Of course, this could be a different story at Super Show-Down when Lashley has John Cena in his corner. But for now, consider the shoe on the other foot.

My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was a good bout that some nice, fluid wrestling. I hope these two guys get to work each other often at the Super Show Down match this Saturday.

Match #8: Main Event – Bayley def. Alicia Fox

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Maybe Mahalicia should change up their mantra. One week after Finn Bálor defeated Jinder Mahal, their respective Mixed Match Challenge partners Bayley and Alicia Fox battled, and the results were the same — the representatives of B’N’B prevailed, despite a timely interference from Mahal that nearly saved the matchup for Alicia. Despite The Maharaja meddling in the bout, his plan blew up in his face when Bálor took him out at ringside and The Huggable One administered a Bayley-to-Belly to the former Divas Champion to earn the win.

My Take: 2 out of 5 – This was a lousy way to get Bayley in the main event, but at least she’s there.

News Of The Night:

1. A big story of the night was that Dean Ambrose may turn on The Shield.
2. Braun Strowman wants Dean Ambrose to join his faction, as he considers Ambrose to be tough.
3. Braun Strowman thinks Dolph Ziggler is the weak link of his trio.
4. Kane and The Undertaker attacked Triple H and Shawn Michaels in the climax of the card.
5. Roman Reigns tried to put the title on the line but was denied by Baron Corbin.
6. Alexa Bliss did a boring “A Moment of Bliss” vignette on Trish Stratus.
7. The AOP attacked The B-Team.

Final Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a good Raw that sold the big Undertaker/Triple H match and also had the very fine Bobby Lashey/Kevin Owens match.