By: Keila Cash
Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The wrestling hotbed of the Pacific Northwest served as the backdrop for the go-home show for TLC which takes places on Sunday. For an appetizer, the never-ending rivalry between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman continued inside a steel cage. Despite both men being locked inside the ominous structure, it’s safe to assume that outside forces came into play down the stretch. Or did they? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s show in no particular order.
· Raw kicked off with Kurt Angle welcoming everyone to the show before The Shield quickly interrupted him. Angle gave the trio a chance to speak which elicited a heelish response from Roman Reigns. Reigns stated that he was going to kick his boss’ ass if he didn’t leave the ring accordingly. Seth Rollins tried to lighten the mood, but the mixed reaction to Reigns was telling.
· Things got better once Ambrose grabbed the mic and challenged Braun Strowman, The Bar, and The Miz to a fight. The heels came out and were ready to throw down, but Angle warned them not to get physical or the double main event of The Bar vs. Rollins & Ambrose for the Raw Tag Team Championship and Strowman vs. Reigns inside a steel cage would be in jeopardy. Both teams managed to keep the peace as the opening segment came to an end.
· Reigns getting a so-so reaction on the mic was a little surprising. I guess the fans are hip to WWE’s latest round of creative manipulation when it comes to getting him over as a legit babyface. It’s quite the conundrum, to say the least. Here’s hoping the popularity of Ambrose and Rollins rubs off on Reigns because he’s on the verge of becoming the dreaded third wheel during The Shield Reunion Tour.
· Jason Jordan, Apollo Crews, and Titus O’Neil defeated Elias, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows when Crews pinned Anderson with the Spin-Out Powerbomb in a solid match. They were short on time, but the six-man tag was entertaining while it lasted.
· Cedric Alexander defeated Jack Gallagher with the Lumbar Check in a solid match. The match had decent crowd heat thanks to WWE showing a video package of Alexander and Gallagher feuding on 205 Live over the past few weeks. It gave fans a reason to care about the match on an emotional level which is refreshing to see for a change. Plus, this was a good way to promote the TLC match featuring Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann vs. The Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher. All in all, this was a nice showcase for the purple division who needs some TLC (Tender, Love, and Care) due to the unconfirmed departure of Neville last week.
· The Miz tried to use Dean Ambrose’s words against him by adding Curtis Axel to the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to make it a five-on-three affair. Kurt Angle came out and shot Miz’s idea down. Miz only wanted to go by what Ambrose said about The Shield fighting four or more men at the same time.
· To maintain some semblance of fairness, Angle added a special stipulation to the Steel Cage match between Strowman and Reigns. If Strowman wins, a fifth man will be added to Miz’s team. If Reigns wins, Strowman is removed from the match and the original six-man tag is back on. Strowman agreed to the stip, but there was one more caveat that sent Miz reeling. Angle announced that everyone would be banned from ringside to keep things fair and square. A steel cage match without outside interference? Have we entered The Twilight Zone?
· In all seriousness, this was a cool way to raise the stakes for the main event later tonight. In an unexpected moment, the fans absolutely loved Curtis Axel. Portland is a wrestling hotbed that has produced Hall of Fame talent over the years. Mr. Perfect had quite the career during his run with Pacific Northwest Wrestling which explains why the crowd went crazy for Axel. It was a cool moment and Miz did a great job playing up the surprise pop. The Henning Bloodline remains strong.
· Sasha Banks defeated Alicia Fox with the Bank Statement in a quick match. After the match was over, Fox snapped in the ring and attacked Banks backstage after the commercial break. Considering the fact that both ladies had a lukewarm feud over the summer, I am not looking forward to the redux.
· Enzo Amore hired his own goon crew as Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak, Noam Dar, and Tony Nese attacked Kalisto from behind. Mustafa Ali made the save, but he got quintuple teamed as well. Enzo let his flunkies do his dirty work before nailing Kalisto with Eat Defeat. He ended the segment by asking both men how they were doing in the most sarcastic way possible.
· The fans are starting to boo Enzo more and more which is good to see. The “We Want Neville” chant wasn’t lost on me either. If WWE is smart, they will make a peace offering to Neville because he can get over as the conquering babyface who saves 205 Live from annoying pest known as Enzo Amore. Only time will tell…
· Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose defeated Cesaro and Sheamus when Ambrose nailed Cesaro with Dirty Deeds for the win. The match was good while it lasted, but it got sloppy down the stretch which hampered the finishing sequence. Minor quibble aside, this was another strong outing from both teams that featured hard-hitting and fast-paced action throughout.
· Bálor plans to unleash his inner Demon at TLC which will hopefully end his feud with Bray Wyatt once and for all. One would think that it should’ve happened at SummerSlam or No Mercy, but I digress…
· Mickie James and Bayley defeated Emma and Alexa Bliss when James nailed Bliss with the Mick Kick for the win. The tag match was solid as Bayley received a warm reception for a change. However, WWE booking suggests that Bliss will retain the Raw Women’s Championship at TLC because she ate the pin six days before a PPV. It’s a tradition that continues to stand the test of time.
· It’s safe to say that The Shield kicked Curtis Axel’s ass from pillar to post because he was hanging upside down backstage with his midsection bruised and battered. Poor thing…
· The Miz dropped quite the truth bomb when he told Renee Young that Axel was never going to be the fifth man if Braun Strowman defeated Roman Reigns inside the steel cage. Let the speculation begin!
· In a moment straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, KANE shocked the world when he appeared from underneath the ring during the Steel Cage Match between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns. Reigns was shocked as he stared down the Big Red Machine. Kane proceeded to chokeslam him twice before Strowman laid Reigns out with a Running Powerslam. To add insult to injury, Kane dropped The Big Dog with another chokeslam followed by the Tombstone Piledriver which popped the crowd something fierce. Strowman defeated Reigns by laying him out with a second Running Powerslam as the announcers freaked out over Kane’s shocking return.
· Miz announced that Kane was the fifth man added to his team at TLC as Raw went off the air with the heels standing tall in the ring.
· Before the jaw-dropping finish, Strowman and Reigns had another good match. There was an impromptu intermission when Sheamus, Cesaro, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins ran interference at ringside before taking their fight backstage. Miz was watching the action unfold on guest commentary and disappeared for a moment to close the parking garage door as both teams continued to throw hail makers at each other.
· Strowman delivered a crazy Superplex to Reigns from the top of the cage in a great spot. Reigns went for the Spear, but Strowman caught him only for Reigns to counter with a Superman Punch for a near fall. Reigns went for his finisher again only for Kane’s music to hit which led to the aforementioned finish.
· I guess Kane hasn’t forgotten about being on the losing end of those six-man tag team matches against The Shield in 2013. Storyline Continuity For The Win!
· The Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match is now a 5-on-3 affair which raises the stakes in terms of batshit craziness. There will be carnage, chaos, and chicanery throughout. Here’s hoping no one seriously gets hurt. Fingers crossed!
· Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was solid. The in-ring action was stronger than usual which made the show easier to watch. The promos hyping TLC were hit or miss, but it thought WWE did a nice job making the final brand exclusive PPV before Survivor Series a must-see event.
· Each match on the card got television time and the announcers previewed the show from top to bottom which was refreshing to see for a change. The lack of title defenses is a little jarring, but WWE has given each nontitle bout a sense of purpose with varying degrees of success. TLC should be a good show if it’s laid out properly in terms of timing and match placement.
· Most importantly, the creative team didn’t add a tables, ladders, chairs, or STAIRS match to water down the main event. The fact that they showed this much restraint is pretty damn remarkable. Kudos to them for a job well done.
On
that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed
it and I will be back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The
SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!
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