WWE Raw – Dec 28th 2020: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and this is the last Raw of 2020. Two of the great names in wrestling’s history have died: Danny Hodge and Brodie Lee (Luke Harper). Hodge was a great competitor during the heyday of the National Wrestling Alliance after he had a fantastic run as an Olympic athlete as well as one as a boxer and even made the cover of Sports Illustrated. Lee was one of the most successful wrestlers of the last decade, having been a star on the independent circuit and in major wrestling leagues (World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling). Both men in their way were icons of the sport and their legacies will live on, forever. This is the final Raw of 2020 and we have a full fight card to end the year. Well…I hope you left enough room for my fist, because I’m going to ram it into your stomach!
Match #1: Keith Lee def. Sheamus – Winner earns a WWE Title opportunity
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Sheamus delivered a brutal holiday present to Keith Lee with a parting Brogue Kick last week. The thundering kick and the opportunity for a WWE Title Match set the stage for a punishing showdown between the two titans. The Celtic Warrior put on an unbelievable show of strength to deliver White Noise to Lee, but he couldn’t put the giant away. Lee regrouped to deliver a crushing Spirit Bomb, which set the stage for a WWE Championship showdown against Drew McIntyre on Raw Legends’ Night next week.
My Opinion: 3.8 out of 5
Match #2: Gran Metalik def. The Miz
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The world is ready to turn the page on 2020, and The Miz is likely leading the charge. The A-Lister has been despondent after failing in his Money in the Bank cash-in at WWE TLC, and a loss to Gran Metalik certainly isn’t going to help. The King of The Ropes stunned Miz with his aerial attacks, and an acrobatic roll-up sealed the deal for Gran Metalik.
My Opinion: 2.9 out of 5
Match #3: Shayna Baszler def. Dana Brooke
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax have been in a foul mood since losing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles at WWE TLC. The Queen of Spades took out plenty of frustrations against Dana Brooke in their latest encounter. Brooke was out to state the case for her and Mandy Rose with impressive acrobatics, but Baszler responded with a crushing knee strike to set up a Kirifuda Clutch finale. After the match, Baszler turned her attention to Mandy Rose and locked in one more Kirifuda Clutch to further silence the competition in the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title landscape.
My Opinion: 3 out of 5
Match #4: AJ Styles def. Elias
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Elias’ backstage music rehearsal caught the ire of AJ Styles and his associate Omos earlier in the night. The Phenomenal One has been fixated on righting the alleged wrongs of his WWE Championship Match at WWE TLC, and Elias’ musical display pushed Styles even further off the handle. The musician landed the first big note by sending Styles smashing shoulder-first into the ring post. After a grueling back-and-forth, Styles landed a crushing Phenomenal Forearm to clinch the victory and close the curtain on Elias.
My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5
Match #5: Mustafa Ali def. Ricochet
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Mustafa Ali has been on a mission to show Ricochet the light and force him to fall in line with RETRIBUTION. After losses to T-BAR and MACE in recent weeks, the high-flyer came out fighting for survival against RETRIBUTION’s leader. The one-man wrecking crew couldn’t hold the army off forever, as Ricochet impressively picked off each member while trying to defy the seemingly insurmountable odds. Ricochet went to the top rope to try for a high-risk attack, but Ali got his knees up and closed in a Koji Clutch for the win. Even in defeat, Ricochet remained defiant and refused to join RETRIBUTION with one final strike to Ali.
My Opinion: 3.8 out of 5
Match #6: Charlotte Flair def. Nia Jax by disqualification
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Nia Jax set her New Year’s resolution, and taking down The Queen was first on her list. The Irresistible Force has been incensed since Charlotte Flair returned to team with Asuka and defeat Jax & Shayna Baszler for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. After an intense back-and-forth, Flair began to lock in the Figure Eight, but Baszler was waiting with a Kirifuda Clutch to bring the match to a punishing conclusion. Asuka came running in to help her teammate, but the message from Jax & Baszler had clearly been sent.
My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: (Main Event) The Hurt Business def. The New Day, Jeff Hardy & Riddle – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Red brand rivalries came together for an explosive Eight-Man Tag Team Match, as The New Day, Jeff Hardy & Riddle joined forces to battle The Hurt Business. Before the match, Bobby Lashley took a moment to declare for the Men’s Royal Rumble Match. Once the action started, Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, Riddle & Jeff Hardy all took turns attacking and angering the United States Champion. Amidst a chaotic conclusion, the Lashley brought the all too familiar feeling of the Hurt Lock to Hardy for the victory. As The Hurt Business lined up Hardy for more brutality, Riddle hit Lashley with the Final Flash to signal that there is plenty more to be written in this rivalry.
My Opinion: 3.7 out of 5
News Of The Night:
- Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are both in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match.
- Alexa Bliss tried to get Randy Orton to set her on fire after he destroyed part of the Firefly Funhouse.
- Ricochet won’t join RETRIBUTION.
- Brodie Lee was honored on Raw by the wrestlers and by Vince McMahon in a tribute at the beginning of the show.
- Keith Lee fights Drew McIntyre for the WWE World Title, next week.
- The Legends special happens, next week.
Final Verdict: 3.7 /5
Well, this show had lots of good wrestling on it. The opener was likely the best overall, with Lee and Sheamus clobbering away at each other like gypsies on a volleyball court. You spike-a me? I spike-a you! Lee blasted The Crimson Pube’s ass around the ring like it was fat-ass pin-ball. You got a nice mixture of grappling and brawling from these two and it was excellent. The Miz lost to Miley Cyrus, because her dick is bigger than his. Shayna/Dana was note-worthy for Dana’s improving skills being readily on display and Shayna for getting to show more of her grappling abilities. AJ carried Elias to a longer, solid match that wasn’t able to get to where it wanted to go, but it did get started and that’s a start. Charlotte lost through another lame DQ finish in a match where she was starting to get somewhere with Nia, but got cut short. Mustafa and Ricochet had a fabulous match that got muddled by storytelling at the end, but the action itself was exciting enough to make-up for the narrative blunder. Finally, the main event got off to a slow start, but it would soon become faster and more intense, even making the finish of the match feel far more in question than it might have otherwise. What this all led to was…ladies and gentlemen…Mr. Conway Twitty. Conway Twitty: I see the want-to in your eyes. Will you still want me when I die? How could you stand the smellllllll? Wouldn’t that be Helllllllllll? Oh darlin’…I’m just a corpse…a dead-man led by the hand back to you ‘cuz I need you…I want you…I’d die for you. Nathan: Did some chick screw Conway Twitty after his old-ass died?! EWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! By the way, this show actually ended with Alexa Bliss trying and possibly succeeding in getting Randy Orton to light here on fire. Yeah…I guess Vince just can’t help himself. In any case, this was a fun show that largely did well, so give ‘er a go if’n ya please.
