‘WWE Raw’ Review (Dec 11th 2023)
Welcome to this review of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, right here on Nerdly… Let’s see what went down on this week’s show!
Match #1: Drew McIntyre def. Jey Uso
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Following on from their intense war of words, The Scottish Warrior and “Main Event” Jey Uso reignited their rivalry in the ring. As the two battled back-and-forth, the top-rope turnbuckle got dislodged. The Scottish Warrior used this to his advantage, raking the eyes of Uso with the referees back turned. This allowed McIntyre to hit the Claymore, earning the win.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Rhea Ripley def. Maxxine Dupri
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Dupri shocked Ripley by hitting with her a hurricanrana, but this only enraged The Nightmare. Ripley soon made quick work of Dupri, hitting the Riptide before locking in the Prism Trap to earn the submission victory.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: “Big” Bronson Reed def. Ivar
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the “beef planet” division, as coined by Wade Barrett, the Jupiter of “Big” Bronson Reed took on the Saturn of Ivar. The two lit up the WWE Universe once more, causing an incursion of catastrophic proportions. With both of the gargantuan monsters perched on the top rope, Reed hit Ivar with a ring shifting Superplex, having enough wherewithal to pin Ivar.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Kayden Carter & Katana Chance def. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The women’s tag team division is continuing to heat up as Women’s Tag Team Champions Piper Niven and Chelsea Green got to be up close to see Kayden Carter and Katana Chance taking on Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. Carter and Chance continued their impressive win streak after they hit the After Party on The Poison Pixie.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #5: The Miz & #DIY def. Imperium
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With a rocky history between #DIY and The Miz, the trio needed to work together to take down Imperium. Amidst a rocking hometown crowd in Cleveland, both Miz and Gargano tapped into their reserves to put on a show. The two Clevelanders had Gunther and Kaiser locked in a Figure-Four and Gargano Escape, respectively. Giovanni Vinci was able to save his Imperium teammates, but Miz hit the Skull-Crushing Finale to cap off the Six-Man Tag Team Match.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: Cody Rhodes def. Shinsuke Nakamura (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In a first-time meeting between two former Royal Rumble winners who failed to capitalize at WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura took each other to the limit. Just as the two were engaged in a war of attrition, Rhodes looked to put Nakamura away with the Cross Rhodes. Nakamura would not allow this, however, blinding Rhodes with his poisonous red mist, leaving the referee no choice but to call the bell.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
This week’s Raw opened strong and closed just as strong but everything in the middle was decidedly average, with a couple of matches hitting terrible levels. And before anyone gets on me about not mentioning CM Punk signing with Raw, it kind of takes the wind out of things when Seth Rollins comes in to interrupt Punk and recites pretty much the same speech “Hangman” Adam Page gave him in AEW. That’s TWIST now we’ve had Punk-centric promos that are retreading what he did in AEW. Can’t wait for something original. Honestly.
