17th Nov2020

WWE Raw – Nov 16th 2020: Results & Review

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have the big prize fight between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton for the WWE World Title. Also, did you see my tush? I lost my tush. I gotta have my tush! How’s I’mma s’post to sita down ifiya ain’t gotta no tush?! This issa buncha bull-s—t! Hey! Can I borrow yo tush? Give me yo tush! I gotta sit down and needa tush to sit down. You sunuvabich! Give me that tush! I’ll taka dat tush no matta what! Reada yo dumb review, you stupida putz…while I taka dat tush! Den, slutsas will grabba my tush and I’lla be da sexy machine! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!

Match #1: Asuka, Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose def. Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler and Lana – Six-Woman Tag Team Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After weeks of ridicule, Lana stepped up and requested the chance to put her skills on display ahead of Survivor Series. The match drove a wedge even further into the chemistry of Team Raw as the Women’s Tag Team Champions refused to tag in Lana and targeted fellow Team Raw members Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke. Baszler & Jax recklessly attacked their teammates, as both Rose & Brooke left with injuries. The final punishment was reserved for Lana after she tapped out from an Asuka Lock to lose the match. Jax kept her infamous streak alive with another Samoan Drop of Lana through the announce table for a final exclamation point before Survivor Series.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – When Asuka and Shanya were in here, this match had something good going on, but they weren’t in here very often. There really wasn’t much to this, other than Asuka/Shayna. Well…I like bacon.

Match #2: The New Day def. The Hurt Business’ Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin – Raw Tag Team Title Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Hurt Business have set their sights on a golden takeover of the red brand, but The New Day have no intentions of agreeing to that offer. Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods had a message for the “Jerk Business” before that match, but Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin had the first word in the ring with a string of near pin-falls. The Raw Tag Team Champions persevered through The Hurt Business’ hostile takeover attempt, as Kingston overcame an Angle Slam and Brainbuster to set up Woods for the win. With the win, The New Day kept their showdown with The Street Profits at Survivor Series intact, but what will the Raw Tag Team Champions have left in the tank?

My Opinion: 3.6 out of 5 – This was smart, crisp wrestling that…what is this, Autumn Leaves? Well, everybody worked hard here and they kept the action coming like a boner in a giant va…ummmmm…lots of action! You get a lovely opening sequence with Cedric and…Mortimer. Yeah! Mortimer and Cedric had a fabulous shoot-out in the beginning where they kept it on the ground and went from mount to mount like John Holmes on all those va…ummmmm…lots of action! There were several points where I thought that HB might actually get to sneak a big victory in for a surprise trip to Survivor Series, but that was not to be. Shelton broke out the Angle Slam, which is cause to Bob your Burger and watch this match. Do it!

Match #3: RETRIBUTION def. Keith Lee, Riddle, Braun Strowman & Sheamus – Eight-Man Tag Team Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Team Raw put their explosive partnership to the test in a massive Eight-Man Tag Team Match against RETRIBUTION. As the team’s self-proclaimed captain, Styles tried to focus Team Raw on a common enemy, but it was RETRIBUTION who found their desired target first. T-BAR, MACE & SLAPJACK all took their turns attacking Riddle inside the ring, while Sheamus and Braun Strowman nearly brawled outside it. Just as Team Raw seemed headed for a breakthrough, an argument broke up between all four competitors and Mustafa Ali swooped in to pick up the pieces to claim a win for RETRIBUTION.

My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – This turned out well, with Ali leading his team to victory, like Pete Nimpley in the Cripple Cross Country Bowling Boxing Baseball Basketball Championship Finals of 1979. The idea here was that Team Raw could have won, but they argued too much and RETRIBUTION took advantage of the fault in these stars…gay! I liked it when Ali did a dive onto Keith Lee…nerd. You get a consistent stream of action the whole time, which is how acting classes go in a firing line. The right team won, even in the face of OH MY GOD, TEAM RAW LOST AND THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE! THEY LOOK LIKE LOSERS! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Match #4: Bray Wyatt def. The Miz

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Miz pleaded for Bray Wyatt to rethink their match, but The A-Lister should have known there is no reasoning with “The Firefly Funhouse” host. Wyatt wore a sadistic smile early on, as he absorbed attacks from The Miz before going on the offensive. As John Morrison tried to help out his teammate, Alexa Bliss came flying into the picture to knock him over the barricade. Wyatt would turn back to the ring and smash The Miz with a Sister Abigail to claim the win.

My Opinion: 3.2 out of 5 – Wyatt and Miz smacked the Debra Winger out of each other. You aren’t getting the great fight here, but you do get a lively smack-around between two guys who collectively look like they were eaten by a shark. Hey, they both died after this was over, so there you go. Bray Wyatt – 1947 – 3000 AD – The Miz – 2000 – 2001: A Space Odyssey

Match #5: (Main Event) Drew McIntyre def. Randy Orton – No Disqualification Match For The WWE World Championship

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Drew McIntyre had been consumed with his quest to reclaim the WWE Championship since his loss to Randy Orton at WWE Hell in a Cell. The Scottish Sword brought his sword to a fistfight, and The Viper was caught off guard early on. As Orton seemed content to take a count-out loss to retain his title, Adam Pearce declared the match would continue with no disqualifications. After a grueling back-and-forth, McIntyre’s smash of The Legend Killer through a table appeared to shifty the dynamic of the match. Orton would dodge three separate Claymore Kick attempts, but the final one wouldn’t miss as McIntyre connected to reclaim the WWE Title and set a clash with Roman Reigns for Survivor Series.

My Opinion: 4.4 out of 5 – This was a very strong match that reset Drew as a top-level fighter and one who gives a damn about being a champion. The idea was that Orton was going to sneak out of defending by fleeing, but Drew was able to face Orton in a re-started No DQ match that forced Orton act like a real champion. While no technical masterpiece, this was a tremendous exercise in tension and suspense, with both wrestlers taking their time to make every thing matter. There was no wasted moment or movement here, which made this feel like essential viewing. You get Orton’s best performance in months here, with him looking as sinister as ever. Drew was the valiant hero who would not stop until he won back the strap. This went almost thirty minutes and it was a fast half hour, but never a dull half hour, to say the least. The right guy won a true slobber-knocker and got the biggest shot in the arm yet for his career by becoming the champion once again and proving that he is a champion worth remembering.

News Of The Night:

  1. Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce replace Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke in the Women’s Survivor Series Match who were injured by Nia Jax and RECKONING respectively.
  2. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross brawled to set-up the next stage of their growing feud.
  3. Drew McIntyre, now the WWE World Champion once again, will fight Roman Reigns at Survivor Series.

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

This was truly a mixed bag, with some matches being lousy and others being great, especially the main event. Too many promos and not enough about the Survivor Series build was an issue, but the main event was the ending this show deserved, so I’ll give this a decent score.

One Response to “WWE Raw – Nov 16th 2020: Results & Review”

  • Nathan Favel

    Also, Jeff Hardy threatened to whoop Elias’s ass for accusing him of running him over with that car several months ago when they were on SmackDown.