Opening Segment
- We see a Roman Reigns tribute video to kick off Raw. This was very good.
- Constable Corbin is out with the title, and really heels Roman Reigns. He says Reigns made his job really hard.
- Brock Lesnar comes out to a giant pop. Heyman's promo also gets a wild reaction. He puts over that history is going to be made Friday, and it's not often that you're guaranteed such a thing will go down.
- Braun Strowman is out and runs through his catchphrase, which is also super over. This crowd is really, really hot.
- Braun pushes Corbin away and ends up powerslamming him twice, while Lesnar poses with the title. A noticeably leaner Brock F5s Braun to end the segment.
Finn Balor defeated Bobby Lashley (w/ Lio Rush) via DQ)
5.5/10
- Balor trolls Baron Corbin on his way back.
- Lio Rush says that Balor got lucky last week.
- Finn Balor really cracks Bobby Lashley with a tope on hilo on the outside. We come back from commercial and the crowd is cookin'.
- Lashley got an inverted Yokosuka Cutter that I'd never seen before for a two count.
- This is an ordinary match with an extraordinary crowd.
- Lio Rush gets involved twice in the match and gets Lashley disqualified.
- Bless Corey Graves for bringing up winner and losers purses in pro wrestling.
- Lashley attacks Balor hard. From apron to barricade. Lio Rush slaps Balor several times.
- I'd really like a Lio Rush vs. Balor match. Balor has had to work the same way for years as the smaller guy. I'd love to see a shift.
- Bobby Lashley is in the World Cup, replacing John Cena. Shouts to @RobbieBarstool for having the CENA SCOOP
- I have an incredible amount of respect for John Cena for standing his ground and refusing to participate in WWE's show in Saudi Arabia.
- Why does Bobby Lashley smell like money? That sounds horrible, man
Backstage Crappenings
- Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch is announced with a very weird promo where they call each other "champ." Ronda vs. Becky is cool, and Ronda Rousey is going to win because they want Rousey over the most over woman in the company, but it's a giant match that Becky Lynch totally deserves. All for it.
- Kurt Angle cuts a selfie promo WAY better than his teleprompter promo last week. He says people think he's crazy for coming back at his age, but points out other crazy things he's done.
Natalya, Lita, Trish Stratus, Bayley, & Sasha Banks defeated Alicia Fox, Mickie James & The Riott Squad (w/ Alexa Bliss)
5.5/10
- Michael Cole completely misrepresented that Sasha Banks quote from this weekend.
- Lita needs to not do that Poetry in Motion. The rest of her offense looks good, though.
- Sasha and Bayley hit a couple of body presses off the apron.
- I'd really like a women's title contender tournament or something of that nature on the main roster. But with no title match at Survivor Series and Nia next in line, maybe not any time soon. Undercard needs stakes.
- Ruby Riott is a great, obnoxious heel. She mocks Sasha Banks before accidentally hitting her own teammates. I like that she immediately got down do check on them after tagging out.
- Sasha Banks has done Thesz Presses and seated sentons, things that weren't Meteora this weekend, but who cares?
- Double Twist of Fate from Bayley and Lita. Flying elbow from Bayley, Moonsault from Lita, Hart Attack from Lita/Natalya. A Natalya Sharpshooter gets the win.
- This was a way to get everyone to work with Lita and Trish Stratus, and that's pretty cool.
Elias defeated Jinder Mahal (w/ Singh Bros.)
5/10
- Elias gets a great reaction and says that he's hanging out with Ric Flair in Charlotte.
- He says Flair was happy about what he did to Corbin last week and wants an encore.
- He blows off Dana Brooke wanting a song backstage.
- Elias sings to Corbin and calls him Stephanie McMahon's little bitch. Jinder Mahal attacks him from behind.
- Elias gonna get a win over a former WWE Champ in his first match as a babyface. A true legend.
- Graves compares the Singhs to Guns N' Roses.
- Mahal does a pretty incredible leaping belly-to-belly suplex.
- Michael Cole connected Rainjin Singh to the Singh Bros. in WWE canon. Fantastic.
- Elias sells a bunch and wins with Drift Away.
Bobby Roode & Chad Gable defeated The Ascension and AOP (w/ Drake Maverick)
N/A
- Both teams go right after AOP before the commercial.
- We come back to see a nice Konnor spinebuster, but Akam pulls him off the pin.
- A Chaos Theory/Neckbreaker on Viktor wins it for Gable & Roode. That's it.
- This was too short to rate, and I'm okay with that.
- AOP attack both teams. Powerbomb/Neckbreaker on Viktor, Konnor gets posted, Roode & Gable eat a Super Collider.
- Literally 80 percent of this happened during a commercial, but they drove the point home.
Rollins and Ambrose
- Seth Rollins comes out with the Intercontinental title and without the tag team title to talk about last week.
- He says the reception for Reigns warms his heart, and what Ambrose did disgusts him.
- Rollins knows that he can't contact Ambrose throughout the week, so waited until Monday.
- Ambrose shows up in the crowd and won't say anything. Rollins wants to make his life hell, and goes after Ambrose, who just leaves.
Nia Jax defeated Ember Moon
5/10
- Nia Jax acts like a jerk to Ember after she shows up to her interview. Another Nia turn. They're really doing the Big Show thing.
- Ember gets some quick offense before being clotheslined hard.
- Nia Jax ends up being posted, and Ember Moon his a cannonball from the second rope to the outside.
- WWE commentary mentions Ember's chants.
- Tamina comes out, and Nia wins with a leg drop.
- Tamina stares at Nia and backs off. This didn't make any sense.
Lucha House Party (w/ Gran Metalik) defeated The Revival
5.5/10
- WWE brought the most annoying 205 Live act up.
- Lince connects with a great suicide dive that he almost eats it on.
- This is the right matchup for these two teams. Salida Del Sol wins it for Kalisto after Metalik somewhat distracts Dawson.
Dolph Ziggler (w/ Drew McIntyre) defeated Apollo Crews
5.25/10
- Drew McIntyre lets the world know he has his eye on the winner of Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman.
- Ziggler cuts a promo about looking up to Kurt Angle, but that Angle has gall to say he'll win the World Cup.
- Step up enziguri. DRINK.
- I'm not sure how WWE expects anyone to give a shit about this match.
- Dolph Ziggler "DO SOMETHING" again. Does he think we didn't hear him the other times he did that spot?
- Apollo does a freefall flapjack, gorilla press slam and standing moonsault for 2.
- Apollo eats knees on a splash and gets superkicked and pinned.
DX and Brothers of Destruction
- Undertaker and Kane come out, with Taker getting a big reaction from the crowd.
- "It won't just be the end of the era, it will be the end of your error"- Taker.
- Triple H arrives to a big pop and DX music. Kane follows Triple H up the ramp, and Shawn Michaels superkicks Taker. That was a good one, too.
- Undertaker sits up as we go off the air.
Rating guide
10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor
Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a "star rating," which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive "TV match" lands at a 5.The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.
Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.
