By: Keila Cash
Location: Quicken Loans Arena (The Q)
State and City: Cleveland, Ohio (AKA: LeBron James Country)
· Samoa Joe kicked off Raw by calling out Roman Reigns. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were watching Joe’s promo from backstage as Ambrose ran off to find Reigns.
· Joe continued to goad Reigns into a fight as he bragged about costing Ambrose and Rollins the Raw Tag Team Championship last week. He ruined The Shield’s chance of becoming a dominant force that holds all the gold in WWE. Reigns joined his Shield brothers backstage and told them that he would handle Joe on his own.
· Reigns came down to the ring to fight Joe as the crowd popped for the confrontation. Reigns had things under control until Cesaro and Sheamus jumped him from behind. The ambush allowed Joe to lock Reigns in the Coquina Clutch as Rollins and Ambrose ran down to make the save.
· The numbers game got the best of them as Sheamus and Cesaro laid Rollins out with the White Noise/Diving Neckbreaker before Joe dropped Ambrose with an Urnage as the opening segment came to an end with the heels standing tall in the ring.
· This was a hot way to start the show. Samoa Joe cut a great promo explaining why he wasn’t intimidated by The Shield. Joe’s confidence was valid because he injured Seth Rollins’ knee the night after the Royal Rumble while Dean Ambrose was too scared to fight him like a man.
· Joe put Roman Reigns to sleep more times than he could count which demonstrated his dominance on the main roster this year.
· Therefore. The Black Sheep didn’t need backup in order get ahead. *cough* Bullshit… *cough*
· Heels lie, but Joe still looked strong as he laid out The Shield thanks to an assist from The Bar. This was a nice way to set up the trio of matches set for later tonight featuring Joe vs. Ambrose, Rollins vs. Sheamus, and Reigns vs. Cesaro for the Intercontinental Championship.
· Paige and Mandy Rose defeated Mickie James and Bayley when Rose pinned James after Paige kicked her in the head behind the referee’s back. The match was solid as Paige’s offense was crisper versus her so-so outing against Sasha Banks last week.
· Absolution continues to dominate the women’s division, but the scripting of Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville needs to be overhauled ASAP. Paige needs to be the spokeswoman for the group. She has the charisma and presence to pull off WWE Speak than the NXT upstarts who have little experience in that department outside of their various promo classes at the Performance Center. They will get better in time, but they should stick to kicking ass instead of talking trash because it leaves the audience cold.
· WOKEN Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt are raging a war that will see Woken Matt face off against the pilot embodying the spirit of Sister Abigail. Hardy mooing like a cow while cackling at the same time made me laugh to no end. Week two of the WOKEN Experiment is a success!
· Finn Bàlor defeated Curtis Axel with the Coup De Grace in a quick match. Axel and Bo Dallas double teamed Bàlor before the bell rang, but Bàlor overcame the odds and pulled out the win. Who knew beating The Miztourage was such hard work? *Insert Sarcasm Here*
· Seth Rollins defeated Sheamus with the King’s Landing/Ripcord Knee in a gritty match. Sheamus targeted Rollins left knee which caused Rollins to work with one leg midway through the bout.
· Rollins sold the knee beautifully as he dropped Sheamus with a Superplex from the top rope followed by the Falcon’s Arrow while favoring the left knee at the same time. He tried to make the cover, but he couldn’t get the three-count because he was clutching his knee to numb the pain.
· Sheamus got back on offense and was about to win the match with the Brogue Kick when Rollins countered with a Superkick followed by the Running Knee Strike for the win.
· This was a strong match that the fans got into towards the end. Kudos to both men for a job well done.
· The Second Chance Fatal Four Way match featuring Cedric Alexander, Tony Nese, Mustafa Ali, and Ariya Daivari ended with Alexander pinning Daivari with the Lumbar Check in a good match. Alexander will face Drew Gulak next week to determine the number one contender for Enzo Amore’s Cruiserweight Championship.
· The match was fast-paced and hard-hitting throughout, but it lacked crowd heat. The audience has no reason to care about Alexander and Ali going at it unless they watch 205 Live on a regular basis. The standing Spanish Fly into a Lumber Check was the hottest spot of the match, but it still didn’t get the crowd on its feet. Until the wrestlers develop fleshed out personalities that grabs the audience’s on an emotional level, the apathy towards the Cruiserweight Division will continue which sucks considering the world-class talent involved.
· However, an honorary mention goes to Drew Gulak for deflecting Michael Cole’s questions about beating Enzo for the Cruiserweight Title. Gulak dodged the issue like Neo from The Matrix. His sharp wit is refreshing which makes him stand out from the pack. He is a star on the rise who can get over if he’s given the chance to do so.
· The burgeoning romance between Nia Jax and Enzo Amore continues. Drew Gulak being a part of the zaniness is the cherry on top.
· Roman Reigns defeated Cesaro with the Spear to retain the Intercontinental Championship in a very good match. This was another bout where the heel targeted a body part as Cesaro went after Reigns’ right arm. Cesaro locked him in various armbars in order to gain the advantage.
· Reigns powered through and got back on offense when he dropped Cesaro with a Powerbomb. He went for the Superman Punch, but Cesaro blocked him by targeting his arm. He nailed him with a sick European Uppercut for a near fall, but it wasn’t enough to put away Reigns.
· Cesaro let his emotions get the best of him when he drilled Reigns with a series of uppercuts in the corner. The referee had to break things up which led to the finish moments later.
· The Roman Reigns Intercontinental Championship Invitational rolls on with The Big Dog still holding the gold. For now…
· Here’s my match tracker ranking Reigns’ IC Title defenses so far:
· Reigns vs. Jordan > Reigns vs. Elias < Reigns vs. Cesaro.
· Asuka’s match against Alicia Fox never took place because Absolution attacked Fox backstage.
· After giving Asuka a pass over the past couple of weeks, Paige gave Asuka the chance to step aside or get pushed aside by Absolution. The Empress of Tomorrow stood her ground and was kicking Absolution’s ass until the numbers game caught up with her.
· Paige was about to drop Asuka with the Ram Paige when Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mickie James, Alicia Fox, Dana Brooke, Nia Jax, and Alexa Bliss ran out to make the save.
· Paige & Company are formidable as a trio, but they couldn’t withstand a seven-on-three beat down. For one night, the women’s locker room joined forces for the greater good. Don’t expect the warm and fuzzies to last long because egos will inevitably get in the way of keeping the peace long-term.
· Samoa Joe made Dean Ambrose pass out to the Coquina Clutch thanks to an unlikely assist from Jason Jordan. Jordan was watching the match from ringside and decided to get an up-close look at the action as he made his way down ringside.
· The action spilled to the outside as Jordan tossed Ambrose back in the ring to help him pick up the win via count out.
· Joe put Jordan in the Coquina Clutch, but Ambrose broke things up with a dive through the ropes which took out both men.
· Ambrose tossed Joe back in the ring and laid him out with an elbow from the top rope. Ambrose had the match won, but Jordan distracted the referee which gave Joe enough time to kick out at two (or seven).
· Ambrose rolled out of the ring to confront Jordan. Jordan was about to drop the Lunatic Fringe with a Suplex until Joe laid out both men with a dive of his own before putting Ambrose to sleep for the win.
· Samoa Joe’s plan wasn’t a total fail as he managed to save the night by taking care of Ambrose. Jordan continues to straddle the fence when it comes to his good intentions, but his true motive remains suspect as he cost Ambrose the match by “accident.”
· After last week’s shaky performance, Jordan is starting to click as a quasi-heel that gets under the crowd’s skin for all the right reasons while Kurt Angle remains oblivious to his son’s less than noble actions as of late.
· Braun Strowman vs. Kane ended via double count-out after both men failed to get back in the ring before the count of ten. Strowman and Kane were having a decent match that spilled into the crowd while the referee was counting.
· Strowman slammed Kane through the barricade which led to the disappointing finish. The fans booed, but both monsters won them over when they continued the fight at ringside.
· There was a steel steeps duel which saw Kane suffer the brunt of the hit. Strowman introduced a table to the proceedings as the crowd popped something fierce.
· He set up the table, but Kane nailed him with a chair shot to the knee before nailing him several chair shots to the back.
· Strowman fought back which resulted in both men taking a breather. Kane sat up first, but Strowman channeled his inner Undertaker by sitting up moments later as the Big Red Machine looked on in shock.
· Kane tried to chokeslam Strowman, but the Monster Among Men countered as he put Kane through the table with a Running Powerslam.
· Raw went off the air with Strowman standing tall while Corey Graves wondered who will face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble next month.
· Based on the finish, I expect Kurt Angle to book a Triple Threat Match between Kane, Strowman, and Lesnar for the Universal Title. It makes sense despite Strowman and Lesnar having a less than stellar match at the No Mercy PPV a few months ago. Kane is a wild card, but I don’t expect this match to set the world on fire outside of a few power spots.
· Finn Bàlor was sacrificed at the altar for this smorgasbord of ridiculata. Considering Joe’s dominating performance at Great Balls of Fire earlier this year, he’s more deserving of a rematch than the two resident monsters of WWE. Unless an 11th-hour decision is made next week, Monster Mash III is going down at the Royal Rumble next month. Oh, joy! *Insert Sarcasm Here*
· Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was decent at best. The in-ring action was strong throughout the night which had a better flow from start to finish versus last week’s show. Every segment had a purpose which forwarded several storylines heading into the end of the year.
· WWE is delaying Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe for the Intercontinental Championship which is smart since they have a lot of time between now and the Royal Rumble. Jason Jordan continues to stick his nose in their business which adds an extra wrinkle to their feud.
· Meanwhile, Woken Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt continue to entertain which should lead to the Great War of 2018 if everything goes according to plan.
· Sheamus and Cesaro & Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins will eventually settle their score while a certain duo waits in the wings to strike. No Flips, Just Fists…
· Absolution got a dose of their own medicine when the numbers game caught up to them, but don’t expect the rest of the women’s locker room to play nice for long because the heel to face ratio is still unbalanced.
· These moving parts are keeping Raw afloat as the march towards the 25th Anniversary special rolls on. I’m not a huge fan of Brock Lesnar defending the Universal Championship against Kane or Braun Strowman at the Royal Rumble, but it shouldn’t be too bad if it makes sense from a booking standpoint. Finn Bàlor deserves the shot more, but that ship has sailed because he’s not OVER enough. Le sigh!
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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