‘WWE Raw’ Review (Dec 5th 2022)
Welcome to this review of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, right here on Nerdly… Let’s see what went down this week!
Match #1: WWE Tag Team Championship – The Usos def. Matt Riddle & Kevin Owens
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After Elias was taken out by The Bloodline before Monday Night Raw got underway, Matt Riddle was looking isolated. Luckily for him, he found someone who dislikes The Bloodline as much as he does in the form of Kevin Owens. KO and The Original Bro started off well, with The Usos being unable to thwart the offensive onslaught from the get-go. The longest reigning tag team champions turned the tide until a huge Swanton Bomb from KO nearly upset the pecking order. An attempted Pop-up Powerbomb by Owens was swiftly countered into a superkick, quelling the KO-Riddle connection. The Usos, along with the help of Sami Zayn, put Riddle away with the 1-D to seal the win. After the match, The Bloodline beat down The Original Bro until KO evened the odds with a steel chair. This left Solo Sikoa and Riddle alone in the ring, where Sikoa lived up to his moniker by taking out Riddle with the Samoan Spike followed by a brutal rear slam with Riddle’s head enveloped in a steel chair.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Triple Threat Match – Bayley def. Asuka & Rhea Ripley
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
A chance for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship needed to be earned in this one, as the victor will face the winner of the other Triple Threat Match next week. As all three competitors were former Raw Women’s Champions, each brought the fire. Rhea Ripley emerged as the biggest threat in the match, as Asuka and Bayley teamed up to put The Nightmare to bed. The Nightmare could not be put down, however, and continued to dominate the match. Asuka wore down her opponents, slapping Bayley in an ankle lock. A brief partnership between Ripley and Bayley didn’t last long after Bayley tried to boss around Ripley. Asuka took advantage of the discourse, locking Bayley into an Asuka Lock before Ripley broke up the submission attempt. A tremendous back-and-forth with the three led to Ripley being taken out at ringside before Bayley capitalized, planting Asuka with the Rose Plant for the win. After the match, The Nightmare hit Asuka with the Riptide, unleashing her anger at the result.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: United States Championship – Austin Theory def. Mustafa Ali (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Mustafa Ali once again called his shot for the United States Title, and with Austin Theory being fed up at Ali’s constant presence, he accepted his challenge. Ali took it to Theory, but the bigger story was the reemergence of Dolph Ziggler, who Superkicked the United States Champion. The interference of The Showoff meant that Theory won by disqualification, costing Ali his chance at gold.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: The O.C. def. Alpha Academy & Baron Corbin
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After the JBL Poker Invitational got heated, The O.C. squared off against Alpha Academy and Baron Corbin in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. In a bizarre moment, Chad Gable and Luke Gallows engaged in a “Shoosh-Nerd” off, much to the glee of the Washington, D.C. crowd. More impressively, Otis lifted Gallows up into an awesome suplex before the match broke down completely. The O.C. garnered the win with a Magic Killer, much to the chagrin of JBL.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Dominik Mysterio def. Akira Tozawa
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Akira Tozawa was enraged with Dominik Mysterio’s cheating at the JBL Poker Invitational, leading to this matchup. Tozawa surprised Mysterio with quick fire moves and connected with a shiny wizard. Tozawa’s attempt at a frog splash was met with nothing but mat, allowing Mysterio to execute a frog splash of his own and rack up another win. The Judgment Day attempted to put the boots to Tozawa following the match, but The Street Profits backed up the former Cruiserweight Champion, saving him from the onslaught.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #6: Triple Threat Match – Alexa Bliss def. Becky Lynch & Nikki Cross
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In a Triple Threat Match between three longstanding rivals, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch and Nikki Cross went at it for a chance to face Bayley to become No. 1 Contender. Bliss and Lynch took control from the start, disabling Cross from entering the ring. Cross eventually got the upper hand, drilling Bliss with a spinning neckbreaker on the outside. Big Time Becks had the best chance after putting away Cross and Bliss with a tower of doom, but Cross kicked out. As Lynch was about to score the victory, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY took out Lynch, planting her through a table. Before the splinters even settled, Bliss took advantage and hit Cross with Twisted Bliss, earning a match against Bayley next week and moving one win away from a Raw Women’s Title Match against Bianca Belair.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
A great episode of Raw this week that was marked by not one but TWO fantastic women’s triple threat matches! We even got a good match featuring Baron Corbin for christ’s sake… that how good this week was! The only real disappointment was seeing Akira Tozawa job to Dominic Mysterio – a complete waste of his indomitable talent!
