By: Keila Cash
Location: The University of Tennessee (AKA Citizen Kane Country)
· The Roman Reigns Intercontinental Championship Invitational kicks off with Reigns defending his newly won title against Elias later tonight. It’s not the sexiest match in the world, but it should be solid.
· Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro with a knee to the face in a good match. Cesaro dominated the action early on, but Rollins picked his spot as he got back on offense down the stretch. The announcers emphasized that there would be no outside interference due to Dean Ambrose being on his honeymoon in Hawaii while Sheamus was on sabbatical in Ireland.
· Sheamus’ absence didn’t stop Cesaro from cheating as he poked Rollins in the eye behind the referee’s back. This allowed Cesaro to deliver the Big Swing to Rollins before locking in the Sharpshooter. Rollins managed to grab the bottom rope to break the hold, but Cesaro kept the pressure on as he attempted to nail Rollins with a Springboard European Uppercut. Rollins countered with a kick in midair which set up the finish moments later.
· After the match was over, Charly Caruso interviewed Rollins in the ring and tried to stir up trouble by claiming that The Shield was on the verge of breaking up due to each member flying solo this week. Rollins shot the rumor down and announced that he and Ambrose will face The Bar for the Raw Tag Team Championship next week in Los Angeles as he bid “Charles” adieu.
· Kurt Angle announced that there would be a pair of Fatal Four Way matches taking place tonight and next week with the winners facing off the following week to determine the number one contender for Enzo Amore’s Cruiserweight Championship. It’s shocking to see WWE book three weeks of television in advance with a semblance of forethought and care. Talk about a Christmas miracle!
· Samoa Joe defeated Titus O’Neil with the Coquina Clutch in a quick match. O’Neil put up a good fight, but the outcome was never in doubt. Apollo Crews came to his manager’s aid, but Joe choked him out to send the message that no one is safe from his wrath.
· The six-woman tag team match featuring Paige, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose vs. Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Bayley never got underway as Paige & Company attacked James and Bayley backstage.
· Paige reminded the crowd that she planted the flag when it came to abolishing the word Diva from the WWE Lexicon. She was at the forefront of the Women’s Evolution and wanted credit for breaking the proverbial glass ceiling.
· Deville and Rose pledged their allegiance to Paige while Banks was strongly encouraged to do the same.
· Banks attacked Paige which led to a three-on-one beatdown as Deville nailed Banks with a Step-up Enzuigiri while Rose and Paige finished her off with the Sitout Facebuster and Ram-Paige respectively.
· The group known as Absolution stood tall in the ring as the segment came to a close.
· Paige made some valid points about being the one who built the foundation for the Women’s Revolution. However, Rose and Deville struggled on the mic as they were trying their best to remember their lines. The crowd showered them with the dreaded “What?” chant, but their attack on Banks ending things on a high note.
· As I mentioned last week, I don’t think Rose and Deville are ready for primetime. It’s imperative that Paige does the talking for her team while her minions dish out punishment to those that refuse to kiss the ring. Minor criticism aside, the group continues to impress and I dig their name. It has a nice ring to it. It sure as hell beats the Submission Sorority from a couple of years ago…
· Bray Wyatt defeated Matt Hardy with Sister Abigail in a decent match. The more important development was Hardy leading the crowd in a “Delete!” chant after the match was over. Is this the first sign of Broken Matt Hardy rising from the ashes? We shall see.
· Wyatt’s rambling promo prior to the match annoyed me to no end. He is too talented on the mic to be saddled with such nonsensical bullshit. It was painful to watch.
· Fatal Four Way Match #1 featuring Rich Swann, Noam Dar, Akira Tozawa, and Ariya Daivari ended with Swann defeating Dar with the Phoenix Splash in a solid match. The action was fast paced and hard hitting throughout, but the crowd heat was so-so at best.
· It’s imperative that the creative team give the Cruiserweights distinct personalities which allow fans to care about them on an emotional level. Flashy aerial acrobatics can only go so far when there’s no substance to balance things out.
· Roman Reigns retained the Intercontinental Championship when he pinned Elias with the Spear in a surprisingly good match. Elias put in that work and looked impressive throughout. Outside of his series of matches against Finn Bálor earlier this year, this was The Drifter’s best showing to date. He gave Reigns a fight as The Big Dog had to come from behind in order to squeak out the win.
· The Miztourage got involved, but Reigns laid them out at ringside. However, the diversion allowed Elias to slam Reigns into the ring post which led to a beautiful elbow drop from the top rope followed by an equally impressive Sitout Powerbomb. However, it wasn’t enough to put away Reigns as the announcers heaped Elias with praise in order to give the impresario cover for coming up short. It speaks to his future as a star if he’s given more opportunities to shine in the ring like he did against the biggest star in WWE.
· Reigns was heading up the ramp when Samoa Joe put him in the Coquina Clutch from behind. WWE officials broke things up, but Joe went on the attack once again as it appears that the Black Sheep of the Samoan Dynasty is next line for a shot at the Intercontinental Title. Let the Battle of the Badass Samoans begin!
· Asuka made Dana Brooke tap out to an Armbar in the quickest match of 2017. Asuka’s dominance was on full display as Brooke’s game plan to attack out of the gate blew up in her face.
· After the match was over, Absolution made their way to the ring to confront Asuka. However, the trio backed down and let The Empress of Tomorrow walk away unscathed. Was this a sign of mutual respect or did they realize that Asuka could annihilate them without blinking? Hmm…
· Kane defeated Jason Jordan via count-out after Jordan failed to get back in the ring before the count of ten. Jordan came out blazing against The Big Red Machine, but Kane quickly overpowered him by tossing Jordan out of the ring. Jordan reinjured his right knee which led to the count out finish. Kane continued to attack Jordan as he tossed him against the barricade before going after the injured knee. Finn Bàlor made the save which led to Bàlor vs. Kane which took place after the commercial break.
· Finn Bálor vs. Kane ended via Disqualification when Kane hit Bàlor with a steel chair at ringside which drew the automatic DQ. Kane continued his assault as a small section of fans chanted “One More Time.”
· Kane wrapped the chair around Bálor’s neck and was about to end his career by stomping on the chair from the top rope when Braun Strowman made the save.
· Strowman went after Kane and cashed his receipt from last week as he kicked the Big Red Machine’s ass from pillar to post. Strowman attacked Kane with the steel chair before taking the fight to ringside. Strowman picked up the steel steps and hit Kane in the head before tossing the steps in the ring.
· He dropped Kane with a Running Powerslam onto the steps before slamming Kane throat first against the steel chair while using the steps as leverage. Strowman gave the crowd an encore as Kane gasped for air. He stumbled out of the ring as Raw went off the air with Strowman standing tall.
· This was a fine way to end the show. Kane got his comeuppance, but it was at the expense of Finn Bálor. Bálor is already treading water due to Vince McMahon reportedly canceling his Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble because he’s not getting over with the crowd. That is such a load of bullshit because WWE controls their own narrative.
· Bàlor has charisma oozing out of his pores. His in-ring ability is next level as he can go toe-to-toe with anyone on any given night. However, getting bitched out every week by the future Mayor of Knox County is doing him no favors when it comes to winning over casual fans.
· They are the group that the company needs to reach out to in order to garner television ratings and network subscriptions. Therefore, Bálor needs to be presented as a star at all times. If the creative team can bolster Roman Reigns’ stock by orchestrating a Shield reunion in order to get him over as a babyface heading into his presumed Universal Championship match at WrestleMania, I’m pretty damn sure they have the capability to give Bàlor the same courtesy.
· Sadly, they have to serve multiple masters as Bálor has to make Kane look strong during his feud against Braun Strowman. There a number of wrestlers who are low on the food chain who can do the honors, but the founding father of the Bàlor Club has to bite the bullet because he’s not “over” enough. WWE Logic for the win! *Insert Sarcasm Here*
· In other news, Kane and Strowman continue their twisted game of one-upmanship as they try to destroy each other in the most violent way possible. Their brawls have improved, but I am still leery of them having an actual match unless it’s contested under hardcore rules. Here’s hoping both men deliver the goods because Bàlor is paying the price in more ways than one.
· Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was decent at best. The in-ring action was solid, but nothing jumped off the page as must-see television.
· Paige, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose continued to assert themselves as badasses while showing a modicum of respect to Asuka in the process. They know what hill not to die on…
· Next week’s show should be livelier as Raw emanates from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. If I’m not mistaken, this is WWE’s FOURTH time in LA this year which has to be some kind of record. The company goes out of their way to make Raw feel special every time they visit La La Land.
· However, running multiple shows in the same market can water down the product which is a lesson they learned in September when their west coast swing led to low attendance across the board. Here’s hoping history doesn’t repeat itself as the year winds down. Fingers crossed!
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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