‘WWE Raw’ Review (Dec 12th 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: Alexa Bliss def. Bayley
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Prior to Alexa Bliss’ high-stakes match against Bayley, Becky Lynch suddenly emerged to unleash a surprise attack on IYO SKY and Dakota Kai and sent the Role Model’s Damage CTRL cohorts heading for the hills. As a result, Bayley was left alone to face The Goddess of WWE without backup to determine Bianca Belair’s next challenger for the Raw Women’s Championship. In the final moments, The EST of WWE grabbed an untied turnbuckle to prevent Bayley from cheating. In the commotion that followed, Bliss took control and hit Twisted Bliss for the huge victory. In the aftermath, The EST of WWE entered the ring to congratulate Bliss. However, out of nowhere, the smiling victor suddenly changed her attitude and set up to execute a post-match attack on unsuspecting titleholder. Before she carried it out, though, she stopped herself and looked puzzled as to what was going on.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: AJ Styles def. Chad Gable
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With issues ongoing between The O.C. and Alpha Academy, AJ Styles overcame Chad Gable in a hard-fought matchup with the Styles Clash.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: The Judgment Day def. The Street Profits & Akira Tozawa
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
One week after jumping in to defend an outnumbered Akira Tozawa, The Street Profits joined forces with Tozawa to even the odds against The Judgment Day in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. In the height of the fast-paced chaos, a sudden distraction from Rhea Ripley on one side of the ring allowed Damian Priest to grab Tozawa off the ropes on the other side and and send him crashing the the canvas. This paved the way for Dominik to pick off the win.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: IYO SKY def. Candice LeRae
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The road to Candice LeRae’s continued quest to get retribution on Damage CTRL hit a detour when one half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions IYO SKY won a battle on the top turnbuckle and dropped in on The Poison Pixie with a thunderous moonsault for the three-count.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: Solo Sikoa def. Elias
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After his tag team partner Matt Riddle was injured by Solo Sikoa last week, Elias looks for payback when he faces the Enforcer of the Bloodline one-on-one. After defeating his opponent with the devastating Spinning Solo, Sikoa continue his attack on Elias after the bell. In response, Kevin Owens made a surprise emergence to rescue the strumming Superstar with a Stunner on Solo. After Sami Zayn pulled Solo out of dodge, though, KO also hit a Stunner on Elias for good measure.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #6: Rhea Ripley def. Asuka
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After suffering an attack last week by a frustrated Rhea Ripley, Asuka was out for payback. In the height of the action, Asuka had finally had enough of interference from Dominik Mysterio and opted to hit him with a sudden burst of green mist. With The Empress of Tomorrow’s back turned, though, Rhea took advantage of the disruption and hit Riptide for the victory.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #7: Seth “Freakin” Rollins def. Bobby Lashley
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the final moments of the explosive main event showdown pitting Bobby Lashley against Seth “Freakin” Rollins, the official was forced out of position in a critical moment and, at least in part, cost The All Mighty the match to The Visionary and gave Rollins the future opportunity at Austin Theory’s United States Title. Completely furious, Lashley confronted the referee after the match. Before long, things soon descended into all-out bedlam with the irate Superstar putting hands on two officials as well as WWE Official Adam Pearce. As a result, Pearce screamed at the former World Champion was fired.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
This week’s Raw was something of a mixed bag. We got some great matches – the main event, the tag match between Judgement Day and The Street Profits/Tozowa, and the women’s match between Asuka and Rhea Ripley. All GREAT matches. But at the same time some of this show felt like Vince-era shenanigans again – especially the BS with Elias and his “song” and all of the Miz/Gargano stuff. It just pulled down what was a decent night’s wrestling. Yes, wrestling. Forget the promos, angles etc., there was some decent wrestling in this week’s Raw.
