WWE Raw – Oct 19th 2020: Results & Review

Welcome to this week’s Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and the power of Christ compels you…to read this review! Read it! We have the season premiere of Raw, even though it never had a season finale earlier in the year. We’ve got Randy Orton talking tonight, so just turn the channel away from Raw. Go ahead…you’ll be happier.

Match #1: The Hurt Business def. RETRIBUTION

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

RETRIBUTION’s night was just beginning, though, as The Hurt Business arrived for their Eight-Man Tag Team Match. United States Champion Bobby Lashley was on fire from the opening bell, as he steamrolled T-BAR and SLAPJACK. But RETRIBUTION would not be kept down, as Mustafa Ali pummeled Cedric Alexander. Lashley cinched in the Hurt Lock on T-BAR, who tapped out to give The Hurt Business the victory.

My Opinion: 3.1 out of 5 – When this was pure action, it looked really good. That being said, we got stuck with the lingering presence of Bray Wyatt, who is likely getting ready to go back on Twitter and argue with people that him cheating on his wife doesn’t actually make him an asshole. I didn’t like seeing Retribution lose, but that’s the way of the WWE. Why even book this evil faction if they are just gonna lose to the NAACP all the time? Is this an anti-racism thing? Any-way, Rosemary’s Baby smells like s—t and this match almost was s—t itself, but the hard work of the wrestlers kept this match alive.

Match #2: AJ Styles def. Matt Riddle

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Phenomenal One arrived for his battle with Matt Riddle with a surprising equalizer, as the towering individual previously seen as the bouncer for Raw Underground accompanied him to the ring. This massive human being initially refused to leave the ring as the referee begged him to, so the match could start. In a back-and-forth-battle, Riddle was looking to regroup on the arena floor, but he instead found himself staring down Styles’ humongous associate. As the giant balled up his fist, Riddle darted back into the ring, but he ran right into a kick from Styles, setting up the Styles Clash to give The Phenomenal One the win.

My Opinion: 3.7 out of 5 – When the match was all about the wrestling, it was great, but we got so much interference from AJ’s new bodyguard, that it diminished the match somewhat. Man, this was wild. Riddle sold for AJ twice as good as he did when he sold a lot of us on him not being a perv. These guys knocked the snot out of each other like it was going out of style. AJ and Matt worked hard to make this match feel dangerous and it was, to some degree. Matt took some top-notch bumps for AJ and AJ was his usual…well, he was great. All in all, this was a hell of a way to almost go nowhere, but I’d say we made it to the next town, anyway.

Match #3: Asuka def. Lana – Raw Women’s Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Ravishing Russian had a tall task ahead of her in the form of Raw Women’s Champion Asuka. And while Lana showed she was not afraid of The Empress of Tomorrow, going after the champion with a series of kicks and strikes, it was not long before she was trapped in the Asuka Lock with no choice but to submit.

My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – The only thing stopping this match from becoming a classic was the fact that it went just a few minutes. Lana was doing really well and Asuka was kicking ass. If Lana can perform like this all the time, then she might just have a shot at a real wrestling career.

Match #4: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler def. The Riott Squad, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke and Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Following their attack on Asuka and Lana, the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions called out anyone daring enough to take them on. They were taken up on the offer by Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke, The Riott Squad and the new pairing of Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans. In a fast-paced battle that could not be contained by the ring, the champions showed why they hold those titles, despite their many differences. Baszler took Ruby Riott out with the Kirifuda Clutch as Jax dropped Evans with a Samoan Drop to earn the victory.

My Opinion: 2.3 out of 5 – This was not for the title, so it felt pointless and we have a SmackDown team on the show for no reason, so what the hell is going on here? Well, when the wrestling was actually happening, it was decent, but we didn’t get enough time here to see what any-body could really do. This was just another disappointment.

Match #5: Kofi Kingston def. Sheamus

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Despite being split from Big E in the WWE Draft, Raw Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods are looking to spread seeds of positivity throughout the WWE Universe, much to the chagrin of Sheamus. Once the bell rang, The Celtic Warrior sought to beat any positivity out of Kingston. But with Big E watching among the WWE ThunderDome crowd, Kingston fought back and clobbered Sheamus with Trouble in Paradise to get the three-count.

My Opinion: 3.8 out of 5 – This got some time and really delivered in the second half. Kofi dipped into the depths of the well and pulled out a bucket…a bucket? Screw it…this match was brisk and rough in all the right spots, with Kofi tapping into the same streak of gold that made him worthy of gold at Wrestlemania. Kofi won, should have and, in a perfect world, this would lead to Kofi getting another World Title shot in the near future.

Match #6: El Gran Gordo & Tucker def. The Miz & John Morrison

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Miz & John Morrison mocked Tucker when he issued a challenge for a tag team battle. They weren’t expecting Tucker to scour the globe (digitally) to find a partner: El Gran Gordo, one of the world’s premier luchadores! While El Gran Gordo may bear a passing resemblance to Tucker’s former tag team partner, Otis, the masked man showed off his supreme lucha libre skills, including a dazzling arm drag off the ropes and a devastating splash that crushed The A-Lister and gave his team the victory.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – Apart from Gordo/Otis and Morrison’s excellent MMA body scissors clinch, this match was not much at all.

Match #7: (Main Event) Braun Strowman def. Keith Lee

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Braun Strowman was showing the effects of his Universal Championship battle with Roman Reigns, but that did not stop The Strowman Express from charging into Raw for a battle with Keith Lee. But not being at 100 percent put The Monster at a disadvantage against the Limitless One. So, Strowman went below the belt, hitting Lee with a low blow that the referee could not see, which allowed him to connect with a big boot to get the win.

My Opinion: 2.6 out of 5 – This only went a few minutes. How can this only go a few minutes? Braun won and needed to after being sacrificed to Roman Reigns on SmackDown, but not at Keith Lee’s expense.

News Of The Night:

1. Mustafa Ali revealed he was the SmackDown hacker in a fabulous promo that was the only high-light for RETRIBUTION, who were buried by the attack of Bray Wyatt, their latest enemy.
2. Keith Lee kicked Braun Strowman in the balls.
3. Drew McIntyre was about ready to brawl with Randy Orton in the Hell In A Cell cage, but the show ended just before that could happen.
4. Nia Jax put Lana through a table, again.
5. Peyton Royce and Lacey Evans appear to be a tag team now.
6. The Miz admonished Otis for being a goof.
7. The New Day cut a promo on still being a team, despite Big E being on SmackDown.
8. AJ Styles has a new bodyguard named Jordan Omogbehin.

Final Verdict: 2.9/5

There’s some good wrestling on here and Mustafa Ali got to cut a career-making promo, but the booking cut so many good things off at the wrist.