WWE Raw – Oct 8th 2018: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s review of WWE Raw… Post Super Show-Down what can we expect from this show after the events that took place down-under? Will some of the rumoured stroylines from that even t come to fruition this week on TV? Let’s just get right to it!
Match #1: Bobby Lashley def. Kevin Owens
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Over the last few weeks, the motor-mouthed Lio Rush has been relentless with his trash-talk while hyping up his stoic client, Bobby Lashley. But in Chicago, The 23-Year-Old Piece of Gold was decidedly haughtier while talking up the former ECW Champion, not to mention overtly demeaning of his opponent, Kevin Owens, in a way he had not been previously. Rush certainly did his job. Not only was Lashley energized by the Cruiserweight’s coaching from the apron, but he was decidedly more aggressive, forcing the former Universal Champion Owens to fight from underneath. KO rallied to climb the turnbuckle, only to get caught in the Tree of Woe after Rush got in his face and distracted him. Lashley unloaded on KO’s knee, pinned Owens with a slam, then doubled back after the bell to ruthlessly torque both of Owens’ knees against the ringpost. Good thing Kevin Owens has carte blanche. If he’s going to get past this new-attitude Bobby Lashley, he’s going to need it.
My Take: I get that some WWE talent aren’t great on the mic; I get that some WWE talent do well when they have a mouthpiece to talk for them (case in point Brock Lesnar) but Lio Rush crossed the line from voice of Bobby Lashley to unwanted and unwarranted commentator during this match; distracting from the action, which wasn’t that great to begin with – consider the the epitomy of a “meh” match. From what occured here it looks like Lashley has come right back into the WWE where he left off – a lumbering big man who gets to squash the rest of the roster without any excitement or dramatic tension. My question is though: given the response to Lio Rush AND Lashley from the audience, and Lashley’s post-match attack on KO… are we seeing a heel turn for Lashley? It would certainly make him [a little] more interesting.
Match #2: Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins def. The Riott Squad
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
The Bella Twins won two straight matches at Ronda Rousey’s side. And that, it appeared, was enough for them. Moments after Ronda, Nikki & Brie repeated against The Riott Squad in a WWE Super Show-Down rematch — Rousey submitted Ruby Riott with the Armbar to flip the script after the Squad’s lengthy isolation of Brie Bella — The Bellas suddenly attacked the Raw Women’s Champion during their post-match celebration. Nikki threw the first punch, dropping Rousey with a forearm to the back of the head before joining in with her sister for a 2-on-1 beatdown that spilled out of and around the ring in short order. Rousey didn’t go down without a fight, brawling to her feet and forcing The Bellas to adjust, but a combination of the numbers game and the element of surprise ultimately left the titleholder relatively helpless against the two former Divas Champions. The attack ended with Nikki and Brie standing over the downed and humiliated Rousey, completely unfazed by the torrent of boos around them. And why would they be? Their treachery paid off. Rousey was in ruins. And The Bellas looked, for all the world, like the baddest women on the planet. Of course, with Nikki Bella now set to challenge Ronda for the Raw Women’s Title at WWE Evolution, the twins will have to keep the momentum going, and they may find it’s much more difficult to take Ronda Rousey down when she can see you coming.
My Take: Despite the sh*tty post-match action, this womens match was actually a decent “rematch” betwwen the six women. Ruby Riot (as usual) stood aout in this particular bout even if she did ultimately tap out to Rousey’s arm bar. I guess, given the Bellas “botches” the only thing let to do IS turn them heel – that would at least explain the dangerous moves their making on the rest of the womens roster. But dear god, if Nikki and Ronda’s match at Evolution ends up with a Bella win I doubt there’ll be any saving the womens division, or WWE programming. The audience will surely riot (pun intended) and then stop watching Raw. If there’s any justice they should.
Match #3: Finn Bálor & Bayley def. Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
It’s the rivalry so big that WWE Mixed Match Challenge couldn’t hope to contain it: Even though Team B’N’B — that’s Finn Bálor & Bayley — and Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox, a.k.a. Mahalicia, already faced each other in the wild, Tuesday-night bracket, they got a rematch on Raw after a series of one-on-one matches between the two squad’s members. Make it a clean sweep for the huggers, though the match was anything but a rout. In fact, the bout was at a relatively even keel until Mahalicia tried one too many tricks for their own good, and Bayley hauled Fox out of the ring by her ankles. From there, Mahal found himself in the drop zone in short order, and Bálor administered a match-ending Coup de Grâce to put this one to bed.
My Take: Mahalicia can’t catch a break can they? Not only are they sh*t on Mixed Match Challenge, but they get booked in a squash match on Raw. THis one was more entrance music than match – it really was over that quickly. A waste of all involved IMHO.
Match #4: Kurt Angle won a Global Battle Royal to qualify for the WWE World Cup
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
The WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel will feature four Raw Superstars and four SmackDown Superstars in an eight-person tournament to determine the best competitor in the world. John Cena’s already in. And the next entrant from Raw is someone who knows a little something about worldwide excellence. No, it ain’t Baron Corbin, despite the Acting General Manager’s plan to finagle his way into the bracket by sanctioning a win-and-you’re-in Battle Royal between himself and a bunch of handpicked competitors from around the world. (Shout-out to El Hombre sin Nombre). And it ain’t Heath Slater, who tried to throw his name in the running and was rudely declined by The Lone Wolf. It is, however, Kurt Angle (!) who entered the bout in the guise of the masked Conquistador and ducked under the ropes the second the bell rang, biding his time until Corbin had decimated the field. After Corbin had last eliminated Luxembourgian brawler Thunder Montgomery, however, the Conquistador baited him into the ring and administered a very familiar-looking trio of German Suplexes and an Angle Slam before eliminating The Lone Wolf and revealing himself to be The Olympic Gold Medalist. He didn’t stick around, however, as technically, he’s still on vacation.
My Take: Something of a throwaway match saved only by the actions of Kurt Angle – who looked like a wrestler on top form, jumping and moving around like a man who has never been away from the ring. OK, so he looked a little gassed leaving the ring but that didn’t detract from his actions at all. Plus, that was a nice sell from Corbin – especialy his face at the end!
Match #5: Ember Moon def. Nia Jax via Count-out
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Four months ago, Nia Jax lost her Raw Women’s Championship in Chicago. Her return to The Windy City did not go much better. The Irresistible Force’s opponent for the evening was Ember Moon, and given their partnership over the last few weeks, the match began with the air of a friendly. But the intensity picked up as the match wore on, especially after a pair of suicide dives from Ember sent the action spilling to the outside. The Shenom got the win by the narrowest of margins, barely beating the count of 10 after Jax collided with the ring apron. Luckily, there were no hard feelings, as Nia embraced Ember after the match and raised her hand in respect. You win some, you lose some.
My Take: Another ridiculously quick match, this felt like a first round Mae Young Classic match – with the scrappy underdog beating the huge monster and then they all hug it out and everything is better again… Awww… Yawn. Poor Ember Moon, reduced to this after all she’s done in NXT. Hmmm, remind you of anyone else? COUGH. Asuka. COUGH.
Match #6: Bobby Roode & Chad Gable def. The Ascension
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
It’s been a roller-coaster few weeks for Bobby Roode & Chad Gable, and while they might have finally put The Wasteland in the rearview, it doesn’t look like things are about to get any easier now that AOP have gotten involved. Indeed, what started as a strong night for the fledgling tag team — they rallied to defeat The Ascension, though Roode looked a little miffed that Gable pre-empted the Glorious DDT to steal the glory — turned into a nightmare real quick when Akam & Rezar thundered down the ramp. Both teams were slim pickings for the twin behemoths, who bulldozed their way through anything that moved and put an exclamation point on the evening with a Super Collider to Gable and Viktor.
My Take: Hours later I don’t know how I feel about this match… Maybe its because the WWE are wasting Booby Roode in a crappy tag team with Chad “I should give up on my career now” Gable and maybe its because The Ascension brief winning streak is over and they’ll be back to p*ssing about backstage, or making more comedy skits with Fandango in no time. For shame WWE. For shame.
Match #7: Braun Strowman & Raw Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre def. The Shield
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Braun Strowman wasn’t thrilled that he, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler lost to The Shield at WWE Super Show-Down. He even went so far to demand that his pack learn to pull their weight. In short, they did, and The Shield are left with more questions than answers just days after they seemed to quash any rumors of turmoil within their camp. Ziggler & McIntyre — McInytre especially — didn’t just close out the “pack’s” rematch against The Hounds of Justice; they were key players in every sense of the word, keeping their squad in the game each time Strowman’s aggression got the better of him. Which, given Braun’s single-minded pursuit of Roman Reigns’ Universal Title, was often. In fact, Strowman seemed like he might actually throw down with his own team after he berated Ziggler on the apron before coming face-to-face with a furious-looking McIntyre.
Sensing victory, The Shield moved to put the match away, kicking off a wild brawl in and around the ring that ended with Strowman being leveled by a vicious Spear from Reigns on the outside. Dean Ambrose, The Shield’s closer from Australia, was in the ring. But McIntyre stayed patient through the scramble and sprang at the perfect moment, catching Ambrose with a lights-out Claymore that put the match away. Ambrose did not seem to take the defeat well. While Reigns and Seth Rollins recuperated in the ring, The Lunatic Fringe — who reaffirmed his commitment to The Shield just days prior — rolled out from under the ropes and made his exit without so much as a glance toward his brothers, leaving them to wonder what they were seeing: Disappointment? Dissent? Or just dejection from a Superstar who felt he hadn’t pulled his weight? Only one man knows, and he isn’t talking.
My Take: Now that’s how you do a main event. It’s obvious that, at least right now, these six men are the only ones capable of putting on a decent match on Raw. I get that its probably more to do with WWE pushing all those involved here, giving them the opportunity to steal the show but you can’t deny that everyone in this match seemed to be giving it their all rather than going through the motions. Plus, how many weeks has it been now where McIntyre/Ziggler/Rollins have seemingly been keeping Raw afloat? God help the show if one of them gets injured.
News of the Night:
- D-Generation X reformed, will take on the Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker & Kane) at Crown Jewel PPV
- The Bellas attacked Ronda Rousey after their match together
- Lita to return to in-ring competition after Alexa Bliss & Mickie James challenged Trish Stratus to a tag team match at WWE Evolution
- AOP attacked Roode & Gable after their match, setting up a feud perhaps?
Final Verdict: 2/5
This week’s Raw felt like a series of quick matches designed to get the audience to the lengthy promos as quickly as possible. I get that the WWE are building to not one, but two, pay per views but try to put on a decent weekly show too maybe?! One question I do have though: was Mickie’s line “Nothing good ever happens in Chicago” a dig at All In? Felt like it. Everyone knows Chicago is a hot wrestling city – just because its not going the WWE’s way they’re going to antagonise some of the most hardcore fans out there? Idiots.
