WWE Raw – Dec 14th 2020: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have the final build before TLC. Ellen Page is now Elliot Page. I wonder how much it cost to buy the “iot”? Do you think they sold the “en” and used the money to buy the new letters? I don’t know if “en” is enough to get the money for “iot”. The letter-per-letter ratio doesn’t match-up to me. Raw starts now. Private Eyes…Are Watching You…Watching Your Every Move…Private Eyes! Take them pants off, honey, ‘cuz it’s rasslin’ time, darlin’.
Match #1: AJ Styles def. Sheamus
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
AJ Styles has been trying to put together the perfect game plan for taking the WWE Title from Drew McIntyre at WWE TLC. The Phenomenal One was happy to needle Sheamus about his Brogue Kick to the WWE Champion last week, and the fight broke out soon after. Styles had his own insurance plan for the encounter, as his associate Omos thwarted an early powerbomb attempt from Sheamus. With a hobbled ankle, Sheamus attempted to take Styles up to the top rope, but a reversal helped The Phenomenal One lock up the win in a matchup of former WWE Champions. Styles was far from finished, as Omos tangled a charging Sheamus in the ropes and allowed The Phenomenal One to tee off with a series of kicks and a brutal chair attack to the defenseless Superstar. The message to his WWE TLC opponent was sent. The Nightmare Before TLC had been delivered.
My Opinion: 4.2 out of 5 – This was not the typical WWE match, but it played the part of one very well. This was a match of selling and suspense. AJ and Jackamo Jones got into right from the start with one shot after another being thrown like a baby out of a teenage girl’s car window. Nobody puts baby in a corner… AJ took Shaky Stick’s strikes and sold it like he was getting walloped by Bing Crosby himself. Jizz-Face sold AJ’s offense like it was a methodical break-down of his defense, which is how dogs look at mail-men before they bite them in the male-box (WIENER-CRUNCH!!!!!!). Waiting for hour after hour after hour at the DMV is not my idea of a good time, but this slow, deliberate fight to the finish is my idea of fun. Thank you AJ Styles and thank you Lonnie Lobcock for the wonderful opener… P.S. – AJ Styles needs to shave the beard and cut the hair, because he’s starting to look like James Ellsworth if he went as George Of The Jungle for Halloween.
Match #2: The Hurt Business def. The New Day & Jeff Hardy
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
A rivalry with The Hurt Business brings people together during the holidays. The New Day teamed up with Jeff Hardy to take on Bobby Lashley, Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin, and Riddle aka “Bro-E” enthusiastically offered his support in their corner. Before the Raw Tag Team Title Match at WWE TLC, both sides were looking for a punishing statement, and Lashley provided the muscle for his crew early on as “The Chief Hurt Officer.” The ruthless trio targeted Kingston throughout the match, as The Hurt Business strategy seemed to center around grounding the former WWE Champion ahead of WWE TLC. Kingston finally clawed his way to the corner, and a tag to Hardy seemed to tip the scales, but a chaotic sequence allowed the United States Champion to crush The Charismatic Enigma in The Hurt Lock for the win.
My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This match was sound, smooth tag wrestling that never lost the momentum. Nothing in here ever felt second-rate or off-the-mark in any way. Both teams brought their best or relative thereof to the contest, making every move matter and every piece of the action anal beads. I was surprised that this was so snappy and swift, but when you have a bunch of wrestlers who know what they’re doing… Hey, this was fun. Also, this got a very reasonable amount of time. That’s two matches in a row that were excellent. How about a third to make it a trio?
Match #3: Lana def. Nia Jax
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Since teaming up with Asuka, Lana had been gaining confidence on the red brand but still had one tall mountain to climb. Lana went toe-to-toe with Nia Jax in the ring and pulled off the unthinkable with a shocking roll-up win. The celebration was short-lived, as Shayna Baszler came charging down to help The Irresistible Force unload on their WWE TLC opponent. The Women’s Tag Team Champions viciously attacked and injured Lana’s ankle before Asuka cleared the ring. Baszler & Jax were far from finished. Their attack carried on backstage, as they continued their assault on The Empress of Tomorrow, leaving Sunday’s title match in question.
My Opinion: 0.3 out of 5 – This was one minute of suck. Lana didn’t do much and Nia just gets worse each week. I hope Nia gets her act together, because she still has time to be a great star.
Match #4: John Morrison & The Miz def. Keith Lee – 2-on-1 Handicap Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Miz & John Morrison’s antics have wreaked havoc across the red brand, and Keith Lee was intent on reigning them in. The colossal Superstar controlled much of the match with his superior strength, but the seasoned duo responded with a flurry of attacks to ground their opponent. Miz & Morrison used all of their weight to pin down Lee and claim a win.
My Opinion: 2.9 out of 5 – There isn’t a lot of wrestling in this, but the match we got was always on the move and didn’t waste any time either. Lee shouldn’t have been in this match, because he needs to be winning right now, but M&M can’t lose a Handicap Match either, so this was the best case scenario here. Lee still looks tough coming out of this, but he won’t if they keep doing this to him.
Match #5: MACE def. Ricochet
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
A week after Ricochet teamed with Dana Brooke to topple SLAPJACK & RECKONING, a new member of RETRIBUTION stepped up to the high-flyer. Mustafa Ali is intent on showing Ricochet the light of RETRIBUTION, and MACE set out to beat it into focus for him. Ricochet fought off his powerful opponent, but Ali quickly dispatched SLAPJACK and T-BAR to slow him down. As Ricochet dispatched the oncoming horde, MACE worked back to his feet to crush the athletic Superstar.
My Opinion: 1.2 out of 5 – This was a minute or so and it wasn’t much for action.
Match #6: Dana Brooke def. Shayna Baszler by disqualification
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions were far from finished dishing out their brutality before WWE TLC. As Shayna Baszler set her sights on Dana Brooke, Nia Jax intervened and began pummeling the blonde Superstar. Asuka came rushing to push back against Baszler & Jax, but the statement was made – the champions were willing to do absolutely anything to keep the titles.
My Opinion: 1.4 out of 5 – Dana looked excellent with an equally excellent Shayna, but they got screwed over by the one minute run-time.
Match #7: (Main Event) Riddle def. MVP
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Riddle has caught the ire of The Hurt Business in recent weeks and looked to make a brutal in-ring pitch to MVP. The Hurt Business leader looked to teach The Original Bro some respect, but the newcomer to the red brand had his own intentions. Riddle struck with a Floating Bro to pin MVP, then escaped out of dodge with his Bro-Nuts in hand before Bobby Lashley could enter to attack.
My Opinion: 0.7 out of 5 – This went less than a minute and didn’t offer much.
News Of The Night:
- Randy Orton lit Bray Wyatt on fire in a box and then got choked out by Bray.
- AJ Styles attacked Sheamus and Drew McIntyre didn’t save him.
- The Miz thinks he is gonna cash in on AJ Styles at TLC.
- Lana got injured and will be replaced by a mystery person for the Women’s Tag Title Match of Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax fighting Asuka.
- AJ Styles attacked Drew McIntyre during the title raising ceremony.
Final Verdict: 3.3/5
The first hour of this show was really good, but it got weaker in the last two hours, due to short matches ending long before they could make their mark.
