Opening Segment
- I'm starting Raw 40 minutes late, let's see how long it takes me to catch up.
- Randy Orton has quite the chip on his shoulder over Drew McIntyre.
- Orton says "YOU'RE GOD DAMN RIGHT I'M ENTITLED." He says he'll jump through the hoops tonight and face Drew at Clash of Champions.
- Randy Orton shows a really dumb picture of all the legends he's killed in the hospital. He does as well as he can with it.
- Keith Lee interrupts.
- He cuts a promo saying he should get the opportunity after last night. Either Vince McMahon is going to love or hate the way that Keith Lee speaks.
- Dolph Ziggler attacks him from behind.
- I started Raw super late, but I love the mini-tournament to determine a contender. Even if you have someone coming off a loss in it, they have to win a couple times to get a title shot. All about it.
Top Contender Semifinal
Keith Lee defeated Dolph Ziggler
5.75/10
- Keith Lee, working from underneath! Heck yeah! Wait, no, that's actually lame.
- POUNCE!
- Keith Lee takes a Famouser as well as anyone these days.
- Lee's freefall drop was amazing. Ziggler is making him look great.
- Lee kicks out of a Zig Zag.
- Spirit Bomb out of a superkick attempt.
- I would have liked for this to be more one sided for Keith Lee. I don't want to go the MMA Math route about Ziggler getting more offense on Orton, because styles do make fights.
Asuka
- Nia and Shayna argue over who led the team last night.
- Asuka interrupts and Shayna is mad. Asuka hits her.
- Asuka comes out and says she's ready for ANYTHING.
- Mickie James shows up a couple weeks after she lost by countout in about four minutes. She says she's coming for the title.
- Natalya interrupts with Lana. Lana says she hasn't evolved and has the same gear. That isn't true. Mickie got rid of the flappy pants.
- Asuka wants to fight all of them, but she and Mickie end up fighting off Lana & Natalya.
Mickie James defeated Lana (w/ Natalya)
5/10
- Lana is nowhere near as bad in the ring as a lot of people pretend she is.
- Asuka is on commentary.
- Lana gets into the ropes on a DDT attempt, but ends up getting Wheel Kicked.
- I maybe wouldn't do that right before an Aleister Black segment if I'm Mickie. Where are the agents on this?
- I don't know how to say it without condescending, and I'm not -- Lana always seems to be completely serviceable in the ring considering the lack of experience. She's looked well within her depth each time I've seen her the last couple of years.
Top Contender Semifinal
Randy Orton defeated Kevin Owens
SQUASH
- Randy Orton was seen coming out of Aleister Black's locker room.
- Black attacks Owens and hits Black Mass.
- Owens convinces the ref to let him fight.
- He chops Orton hard and gets RKO'd.
- I thought this accomplished a whole lot for a couple different programs.
Cedric Alexander & Viking Raiders defeated The Hurt Business
5/10
- Demi Burnett really isn't good, and the Ivar ladies man shit is trash.
- The VIP Room is basically served to call out Cedric Alexander. He has Viking Raiders with them.
- This is pretty standard back-and-forth with some good strikes worked in.
- It's pretty impressive that MVP was brought in as a producer and was so undeniably good that they just had to have him as a talent.
- Cedric Alexander pins MVP by holding the tights.
- MVP laughs about it and keeps Hurt Business from attacking.
- They just beat him up backstage, so I don't understand the point.
Top Contender For Tag Team Titles
Losers Split Up
Riott Squad defeated IIconics
- Typical heel work from IIconics.
- Riott pins Billie Kay after a few minutes
- That should have been built up more, featured more prominently and milked for all it was worth.
- Billie Kay will work fantastically as a comedy wrestler, and I think Peyton Royce will get a push.
- It took me an hour to catch up on an hour and 40 minutes of Raw, just so ya know. It's been good, too.
Top Contender Tournament Semifinals
Seth Rollins defeated Dominik Mysterio
5.75/10
- A FOURTH Dominik vs. Seth Rollins match in 8 days. WWE is the worst at making you never want to see a match again, even if it's good.
- Seth Rollins kicks Buddy Murphy out and says he doesn't want to see him until he figures out what he stands for. He slaps Murphy.
- Dominik attacks Buddy Murphy from behind.
- Dom has a good springboard arm drag inside, and somersault senton off the announce table.
- Rollins is so great at carrying Dominik. Dom almost wins with a moonsault and commentary sells it great.
- Dom misses a frog splash.
- Rollins wins with a Stomp.
- Good match, now I never need to see them wrestle again. Four times in eight days.
- Rollins stomps Dominik again.
WWE 24/7 Title
R-Truth defeated Akira Tozawa (c) to win the title
- Akira Tozawa and the Ninjas pull up in a minivan, but aren't let in by a parking attendant.
- R-Truth is hiding, and the attendant is a referee.
- Truth wins the title. I'm very much ready to move on from this as well.
Raw Underground
Riddick Moss KOs Titus O'Neil
5.75/10
- Titus O'Neil crushes a jobber. Then another jobber gets crushed. It does not look good.
- Riddick Moss steps up.
- I loved that high single leg to set up the inside trip from Moss.
- The action spills outside, but the fight continues this time.
- Titus gets knocked out by Riddick Moss after Titus STO'd a viewer.
Raw Underground
Jessamyn Duke KTFOs Jobber
Marina Shafir KTFOs Jobber
- IIconics are there watching.
- Jessamyn Duke does a great pant-shitter liver kick and pounds her opponent out.
- Marina throws knees and a big throw on her opponent and submits her with a knee-in triangle.
- Peyton throws Billie to the wolves. Jessamyn Duke head kicks her.
Raw Underground
The Hurt Business vs. Apollo Crews, Cedric Alexander & Ricochet
- This breaks down really quick into a group fight.
- Shelton chokes out Apollo.
- I wonder if they just re-filmed the stuff that got scrapped from Underground last week. I hadn't heard of Billie Kay being involved, and there's another match that didn't air.
Tornado Tag
Street Profits vs Angel Garza & Andrade (w/ Zelina & Demi Burnett)
5/10
- Street Profits make a short joke about Zelina. It wasn't as lame as it sounds.
- What is the end game with Demi Burnett? She and Angel Garza have a shitty relationship.
- Tower of Doom, another dove cries. Assisted Del Rio Stomp...way better!
- Dawkins gets worked over for most of this. There's a lot of standing and waiting for spots.
- Andrade using his hanging triangle here with no threat of DQ was a nice touch.
- Montez does a running Blockbuster, and the lights malfunction.
- Angel Garza gets Demi Burnett out of the area, and the ref is gone.
- Retribution attack everyone, including Zelina.
- Terrible camera work.
- Angel Garza tells Demi that he had to protect her, otherwise he'd never forgive himself. He runs away and abandons her when Retribution shows up.
Top Contender Tournament Finals
Randy Orton defeated Seth Rollins and Keith Lee
6/10
- Rollins is upset that Orton isn't helping him like he said he would.
- They work together and take out Keith Lee, but Orton turns on Rollins.
- I didn't expect to see Rollins do a Falcon Arrow to Orton out of an RKO attempt.
- Lee is back and wrecks shit. This is what most people want to see babyfaces do.
- Rollins lands a roaring elbow and superkick.
- Spirit Bomb hits on Rollins out a Curb Stomp attempt.
- Orton hits an RKO on Lee and prefers to pin Rollins.
- I'm conflicted. Lee didn't eat the pin and the match was good, but they're going right back to the same match.
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.
These are opinions, and incredibly inconsistent ones that may change upon a second viewing, or sitting on the match for a period of time. Don't take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!
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