‘WWE Raw’ Review (Oct 10th 2022)
Welcome to this review of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, right here on Nerdly. This is the “season premiere” for Raw (though it’s never off TV), which means something of a reboot for the show… so let’s see what went down this week!
Match #1: Johnny Gargano def. Austin Theory
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the height of a hard-fought, deeply personal matchup against Austin Theory, Johnny Gargano delivered an earth-shattering kick to the youngest Mr. Money in the Bank in WWE history to knock his opponent outside the ring. Then, after charging through the ropes to to follow up with another DDT onto the ringside floor, Gargano hit one final DDT in the ring for the three-count.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Rey Mysterio def. Chad Gable
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Although Rey Mysterio reigned supreme against Alpha Academy’s Chad Gable with a 619/Splash combination, Dominik Mysterio stepped into the ring after the bell and slapped his dad. Although The Master of the 619 preceded to take to the offense against emerging Judgment Day members Finn Bálor and Damian Priest, he still refused his son’s taunting pleas to hit him. When The Legendary Luchador turned his back to leave, Dominik attacked him from behind and executed the 619 on his own father.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Candice LeRae def. Bayley
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Although Candice LeRae managed to pick up a quick pin on Bayley in their one-on-one matchup, The Poison Pixie suffered a vicious post-match sneak attack courtesy of Damage CTRL. Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair attempted to rush to her rescue, but the numbers disadvantage quickly caught up to her and the nefarious trio of Baylay, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY left their opposition reeling on the canvas.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: 2-on-1 Handicap Match – Omos def. two local athletes
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The gigantic Omos once again put his dominance on display against two outmatched local athletes before finishing them off with the double chokeslam.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: United States Title Match – Seth Rollins def. Bobby Lashley
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Moments before the United States Championship rematch pitting Bobby Lashley against his challenger Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Brock Lesnar suddenly reemerged and launched a vicious assault on The All Mighty! Surrounded by WWE officials and medical personnel, the clearly injured Lashley insisted on going thought with the subsequent title matchup after The Visionary dished out a series of personal insults. Despite fighting valiantly against Rollins, Lashley finally fell to his opponent’s unrelenting attack as Rollins hits a delivering Stomp to lay claim to the U.S. Title.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #6: Matt Riddle def. Sami Zayn
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Two nights after making Seth “Freakin” Rollins tap-out inside the Fight Pit at WWE Extreme Rules, Matt Riddle battled Sami Zayn one-on-one. In the course of the match, “Main Event” Jey Uso was all too happy to follow Zayn’s continued instructions to let him handle matters without help,. In the height of the action, he even prevented his brother Jimmy Uso from doing the same. Left to his own devices, The Bloodline’s Honorary Uce was ultimately defeated by Riddle and the RKO.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
News of the Night:
- Kevin Patrick joined the announce team.
- Luke Gallows and Kurt Anderson returned to WWE re-teaming with AJ Styles.
- Brock Lesnar returned to Raw and took out Bobby Lashley.
- Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg and X-Pac celebrated 25 years of DX.
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Well that was a disappointing “debut” episode of the new season of Raw – it felt flat compared to last Friday’s Smackdown. I’m guessing most of that was down to the fact the Bray Wyatt hype train didn’t call into Raw for too long. Plus the matches felt a little off – Bobby Lashley getting beat down THEN losing his title? Candice LeRae beating Bayley rather too fast IMHO. Only the surprise return of Brock Lesnar and the Good Brothers and the great opening match saved this one from the doldrums.
