‘WWE Raw’ Review (Oct 3rd 2022)
Welcome to this review of this week’s Monday Night Raw, right here on Nerdly. So let’s get into it and see what went down this week…
Match #1: Finn Bálor & Damian Priest def. AJ Styles & Rey Mysterio
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Judgment Day kicked off Raw with some strong words for Edge heading into Finn Bálor’s “I Quit” Match against The Rated-R Superstar at WWE Extreme Rules. When they switched gears to mock Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles, Rhea Ripley promoted Dominik Mysterio to lay some harsh works at his father. Before long, The Phenomenal One and The Legendary Luchador emerged and cleared the ring of their dark adversaries, Bálor and Priest. In the height of the subsequent tag team contest, Rey became distracted by Dominik outside the ring. This opened up The Master of the 619 to suffer a wicked clothesline at the hands Rhea Ripley. As a result, Styles had no one to tag, and Bálor hit him with the Coup de Grace for the three-count. In the aftermath, a frustrated Styles engaged Rey to place the blame at his feet. The altercation quickly intensified, and eventually Mysterio opted to take his leave. This left The Phenomenal One vulnerable to a sudden Judgment Day onslaught.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Bobby Lashley def. Mustafa Ali
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Despite his bold attempt to step up to United States Champion Bobby Lashley backstage, the tough Mustafa Ali made the mistake of disrespecting the fierce titleholder during their match. As a result, he suffered the vicious assault of The All Mighty outside the ring. This culminated with an earth-shattering Spear into the Hurt Lock. Although the determined Ali refused to submit, he soon passed out to end the match.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Dakota Kai def. Candice LeRae
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The recently returning Candice LeRae came up short against Dakota Kai thanks to the interference of Damage CTRL. IYO SKY distracted the official and allowed Bayley to interfere with The Poison Pixie’s attack off the ropes. This allowed Kai to roll up her opponent for the win.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Otis def. Johnny Gargano
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the final moments of Johnny Gargano’s match against Otis, Johnny Wrestling jumped at Austin Theory at the Raw announce table. After a distraction by Chad Gable, however, Theory rebounded to strike Gargano with the Money in the Bank briefcase and allowed Otis to hurl his opponent to the canvas with extreme force for the victory. When Theory and The Alpha Academy launched a three-on-one attack on Johnny Wrestling after the bell, however, Braun Strowman charged in to kick off his match against Gable by laying waste to both members of The Alpha Academy.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Braun Strowman def. Chad Gable
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After Otis engaged Braun Strowman outside the ring, the referee ejected him from ringside for the remainder of Chad Gable’s match against The Monster of All Monsters. The fierce Strowman destroyed Gable with an earth-shattering Powerbomb
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #6: Solo Sikoa def. Angelo Dawkins
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Although The Bloodline came to Raw to herald the return of Roman Reigns for the Raw season premiere in one week, The Street Profits’ unwillingness to step aside led to a matchup pitting Angelo Dawkins against Solo Sikoa. Despite oblivious issues between Sami Zayn and Jey Uso during the action, The Street Champion overcame Dawkins with the Spinning Solo.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: IYO SKY def. Alexa Bliss
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the wake of Damage CTRL’s ambush that injured Asuka earlier in the evening, Bayley emerged to interfere in Alexa Bliss’ main event showdown against IYO SKY. Although this brought Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair to the rescue, SKY and The Role Model initiated a two-on-one assault on the titleholder. After hurling her into the steel steps, SKY returned to the ring and overcame Bliss with the Over the Moonsault.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
What a decidedly average episode of Raw this week and one that didn’t feel like any kind of build towards Extreme Rules really. Which is a shame because it felt like the WWE’s next pay-per-view was going to be huge but suddenly the brakes feel like they’ve been slammed on and the hype has been halted.
