By: Keila Cash
Location: The FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee
Date: 1/8/2017
Sad Refrain: Welcome to the Heartbreak Hotel (Leave the light on for the Georgia Bulldogs L)
Happier Refrain: The Miz is back, baby!
· Raw kicked off with Roman Reigns putting his feud with Samoa Joe behind him. Reigns was greeted with a mixed reaction that verged on more boos and cheers until Jason Jordan came out to congratulate him.
· Jordan tried to make it a “we” moment, but Seth Rollins was having none of it as he made his way down to the ring. Rollins admonished his tag team partner for stealing Reigns’ spotlight, but Jordan still wanted to celebrate the win as a team while being oblivious to the fact that he is the dreaded third wheel.
· Jordan claimed that their championship pedigree automatically made them the most dominant team in WWE. Rollins and Reigns gave him the side eye for making such a delusional statement.
· Finn Bàlor, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows came out to assert themselves as the most dominant group in WWE as Bàlor touted his ten-year friendship with Gallows and Anderson while taking a dig at Jordan’s daddy issues. Anderson bragged about his crew’s respective resumes which allowed them to do their own thing before joining forces to take on what’s left of The Shield.
· Gallows called Jordan a nerd which almost led to a brawl until Kurt Angle booked a six-man tag team match featuring Rollins, Reigns, and Jordan vs. The Bàlor Club which will take place later tonight.
· This was an okay way to start the show. It was rough in spots because the crowd didn’t care about Reigns or Jordan early on. Jordan is trying to maneuver his way into Dean Ambrose’s spot, but Rollins and Reigns are not here for it. It’s an interesting storyline that should make Jordan a hated heel sooner or later, but he’s generating go away heat at the moment. Here’s hoping he can actively get the crowd to hate him for all the right reasons because he has potential to get over as an oblivious heel that overestimates his worth.
· Sasha Banks and Bayley defeated Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville when Banks made Rose tap out to the Bank Statement. The match was decent as Rose and Deville worked over Banks until Bayley made the save towards the end. This was the babyfaces’ first win over Absolution which should’ve been hammered home by the commentary team, but they dropped the ball. Storyline continuity, be damned!
· Woken Matt Hardy defeated Curt Hawkins with the Twist of Fate in a quick match. Hawkins losing streak has carried over into 2018. At least he’s consistent…
· After the match was over, Bray Wyatt appeared in the ring to have a laugh off with Hardy. To say this was weird would be an understatement.
· The Miz put Roman Reigns on notice when it comes to regaining the Intercontinental Championship. Miz vowed to become the longest reigning IC Champion of all-time in 2018 while etching his name in the history books alongside the likes of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. It’s a ballsy goal, but Rolling Stone Magazine’s Superstar of the Year is willing to go for broke while proving the naysayers wrong at the same time. Good for Miz!
· Cedric Alexander defeated Enzo Amore via count out, but Enzo retained the Cruiserweight Championship because the title can’t change hands unless the match is contested under no DQ rules. Enzo got busted open with a sick kick by Alexander before getting laid out with a flip dive moments later. Alexander landed on Enzo’s ankle which led to the count out finish. It appeared to be a legit injury, but we shall see if WWE releases a medical update later this week to legitimize or downplay the situation.
· I had an issue with Alexander smiling after the ring announcer informed the crowd that Enzo was still the Cruiserweight Champion. He didn’t sell frustration or anger. Alexander posed on the top rope like he didn’t have a care in the world. If he doesn’t care about winning the title, why should we? This division continues to circle the drain. It’s sad but true.
· Kurt Angle booked two huge matches which will take place over the next few weeks. Sheamus and Cesaro will face Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan in a rematch for the Raw Tag Team Championship at the Royal Rumble while Roman Reigns defends his Intercontinental Title against The Miz during Raw’s 25th Anniversary special on January 22nd.
· In the first shocker of 2018, Titus O’ Neil and Apollo Crews defeated Sheamus and Cesaro when O’Neil pinned Sheamus with a roll-up. It was a solid match as Crews laid out Cesaro with a beautiful moonsault which set up the finish. Titus Worldwide has a much-needed win under their belt for the first time since forever while noted statistician Dana Brooke narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction because her twins were on the verge of popping out for the world to see.
· Paul Heyman talked a big game on Brock Lesnar’s behalf, but Braun Strowman single-handily destroyed Kane and Lesnar without breaking a sweat. Strowman slammed Lesnar against some production equipment backstage while throwing a road case on top of Kane with the greatest of ease.
· Strowman saved the best for last when he grabbed a grappling hook and yanked down the truss on top of both men as Heyman looked on in horror. It was a great spot to wrap up an insane segment.
· Samoa Joe defeated Rhyno with the Coquina Clutch in a quick match. This was a nice bounce-back win for Joe after coming up short in his Intercontinental Title match against Roman Reigns last week.
· In other news, Joe announced that he was entering the men’s Royal Rumble match and promised to eliminate John Cena. I’ve been pining for a feud between Joe and Cena since last year. Here’s hoping WWE pulls the trigger because it has the potential to be great due to their history on the California indie circuit during the early 2000s.
· Asuka’s match against {Insert Opponent Here} never got underway as Nia Jax attacked her from behind. Jax sent a clear message that she was winning the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble.
· Bàlor Club defeated Seth Rollins, Jason Jordan, and Roman Reigns when Finn Bàlor pinned Rollins with the Coup De Grace in a good main event match. Jordan made two costly mistakes which cost his team the win. Rollins made the hot tag to Reigns, but the referee never saw it because Jordan distracted him. The ref told Reigns to get back in his corner, but the Big Dog didn’t listen as he took out Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows by nailing the former with a Superman Punch and the latter with a Spear.
· Jordan tried to make up for his mistake by helping Rollins to his feet, but Bàlor was charging towards them which caused Rollins to push Jordan out of the way as he ate a running dropkick into the turnbuckle. This led Balor’s first meaningful win in months as The Bàlor Club celebrated on the main stage.
· Reigns confronted Jordan, but they didn’t come to blows as Jordan rolled out of the ring to apologize to Rollins. It appeared that Raw was about to go off the air, but The Miz and his Miztourage ambushed Jordan, Rollins, and Reigns from behind.
· Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel double teamed Reigns before Miz laid him out with the Skull Crushing Finale.
· They weren’t finished with Reigns as they dropped him with a Triple Powerbomb to add insult to injury as Raw went off the air with Miz and his minions standing tall in the ring.
· This was a good way to end the show. Jason Jordan continues to be the dreaded third wheel as Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins scoff at the notion that he is on their level. Rollins’ patience continues to wear thin which plays into Jordan’s slow-burn heel turn. He’s owning the role, but he still needs to make the fans hate him for being a spoiled brat instead of hating him because he’s been saddled with a lame storyline. There’s still time to get it right, but it’s been rough sledding so far.
· Meanwhile, The Miz and Roman Reigns renew their feud which might hint at a title change because Reigns needs to drop the IC Title before WrestleMania if he’s going to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. Miz and Reigns have good in-ring chemistry which should create an electric atmosphere inside the Barclays or Manhattan Center in a couple of weeks as Raw celebrates its 25th anniversary. To quote Good Ol’ JR, “It should be a slobber knocker!”
· Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was decent at best. The in-ring action was so-so until the main event. WWE made the broadcast newsworthy when Braun Strowman destroyed Brock Lesnar and Kane during the College Football Playoff National Championship halftime show. That gave viewers enough time to witness the carnage before switching back over to the game.
· Outside of that, this was a placeholder show as the company continues to hype Raw 25 which takes place in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, The E has done a good job promoting the Royal Rumble PPV which is a sign that their priorities are in order heading into the first major show of the year. Here’s hoping they can build momentum next week because it’s basically a go-home show leading into another one due to the anniversary tie-in.
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 edition of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!
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