Tag Team Battle Royal to determine the Captains of the Raw Tag Team Survivor Series team
This match had about 4 or 5 teams, including all 3 members of the Lucha House Party. It lasted all of 2 minutes before we heard the ominous “BRAAAAAAWWWWWOOOAR” of Braun Strowman. He came out and cleared the ring, then sat down in the ring and said he’s done chasing Corbin around. He wants Corbin’s blood it seems. But he is met by the music and presence of Stephanie McMahon. They didn’t see eye to eye at all but Steph tried to convince him to chill. Steph said that if he helps the RAW team win at Survivor Series, he can have whatever he wants! He says he wants a Universal Title match and to pick the stipulation of a match with Baron Corbin. Steph agreed. Then Ronda Rousey came out and cut a small promo on Becky Lynch, the crowd are firmly behind Lynch though. Rousey turned her attention to Stephanie McMahon, but Corbin came out to stop it and asked everyone to chill out a bit, placing his hand on Rousey’s shoulder, she judo threw him. Then Corbin had a stare off with Strowman where Braun told him he is going to cut his balls off. Brutal.
Tamina w/ Nia Jax vs Ember Moon
So the story goes that Moon is looking for some explanation as to why she was betrayed last week by real life family members Nia and Tamina, she wanted a Match with Tamina ad revenge. The match was okay, interference from Jax caused Tamina to win and the two celebrated after.
Seth Rollins interview
Corey Graves is hosting the interview and asked about a variety of things, he hyped his first time ever encounter with Nakamura this Sunday. He says Ambrose isn’t man enough to tell him why he turned.
Ambrose shows up on the tron and cuts an absolutely stellar Heel promo. Like.. wow! He said the Shield is dead and he burned his Shield vest and said “burn it down”. What was most amazing about this promo was the dead silence that befell upon the audience. They were shocked to hear the things Ambrose was saying and seeing him mocking them didn’t even get a bad reaction. Rollins then looked so angry and stormed to the back.
Renee is asked by Cole how the Ambrose/Rollins situation is effecting her. She says it’s certainly not great and it’s a super weird situation.
Promo
Angle’s music hit and everyone popped, but then the record scratched and out came Ziggler and McIntyre. They cut a promo on Angle. McIntyre was savage as Hell. Mocking Angle’s determination, mocking the tears he shed in the ring, calling him disgusting and the such likes. He says Raw is his show now, he won’t allow any more weakness or nostalgia acts, but Finn Balor interrupted him and told him he was a bully and that he crossed the line last week with Angle, let alone attacking Balor. Balor challenges him to a Match, McIntyre accepts… on behalf of Dolph Ziggler. Drew said if he can beat Dolph, then maybe he’ll lower himself to Finn’s level. – Ziggler looked insulted and then Drew hit Balor with the Glasgow Kiss before the match.
Finn Balor vs Dolph Ziggler w/ Drew McIntyre
Match was good. I feel like Balor didn’t need a roll up victory to win though. He could have won clean, that’s where he should be. McIntyre was angry and looked a little worried after the match. I think this was a good direction to take it in terms of keeping Ziggler looking good, but as for Balor’s much overdue mega-push it’s not the direction I would have gone in. They call him the “Extraordinary man who can do extraordinary things” but he can’t beat Dolph Ziggler clean on an episode of Raw? Riiight.
Backstage
Steph and Baron are walking backstage when then bump into Finn Balor, Steph says he was reallt impressive tonight and put him in the Men’s Survivor Series team. Drew and Dolph showed up and started on Balor, but Steph mediated the issues and said to get on the same page until after they win on Sunday, after that, “feel free to tear eachother apart.”
Promo
Backstage interview with Ronda Rousey who absolutely knocked it flying again! This woman is the best promo cutter in the Women’s Division. Easy. She has so much legitimacy in everything she says, this feud between Ronda and Becky is one that I can’t wait to see play out. She also dissed the modern man. The “Millenial Man” as she put it, which got a rather negative reaction. She’s coming over as more heel than anything else, but that could be be ause they’re trying a chaotic neutral character with her. Still, this was the best promo I’ve seen Rousey cut so far.
Riott Squad promo
Ruby talks about snapping Jim Neidhart’s glasses and pretended to be sad, but she smiled the most murderous smile. She said she didn’t do enough! She can’t wait to make Nattie cry again. She said Jim was ashamed of her, but Nattie came in from behind and attacked them, until she got hit with a Hart Attack of all moves to end the segment.
Tag Team Battle Royal to determine the Captains of the Raw TAG Survivor Series team (Same as earlier, minus the monstrous interference)
They had some cool spots, but enforced a stupid rule that if one person gets eliminated then the whole team is eliminated. Which isn’t how it was done on SmackDown when Zak Ryder won it for the Hype Bros years ago and that was an awesome match! Still, this wasn’t a bad match, just could have been much better. Roode and Gable won. – I just want a Heel Bobby Roode already!
Brock Lesnar promo
Huge promo on AJ Styles and the Champion vs Champion match this Sunday. Until Jinder Mahal and the Singhs came out, tried teaching Shaanti to Brock, but it ended as you’d expect. Suplexes and an F5.
Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush vs Elias for the last spot on Team RAW
Lashley was showing his muscles off as well as his ass.. again. Elias pretended to be on the phone to Child Protective Services and said Lio Rush was a 10 year old that Lashley kidnapped. It made me genuinely laugh out loud. I love Babyface Elias.
Lio Rush cost Elias the match by going under the ring and grabbing his leg, stopping him from beating the 10 count. So Borey Lashley is the final member of team RAW. Decent set up for a potential rivalry though.
Alexa Bliss announces women’s Survivor Series team
Now this next segment was full of crazy moments! Alexa was accompanied by Mickie James, Nia Jax and Tamina. She then announced that it’ll be Bayley vs Sasha Banks and the winner gets the 5th spot in the team.
Bayley vs Sasha Banks
The rest of Team RAW stayed to watch as these two absolutely killed it for 15 minutes. Thus proving what what we’ve all said since their main roster call ups. Stop mucking around and make this feud happen, WWE. However, as Hannah was about to win via her Banks Statement submission hold, Tamina stormed the ring and layed Banks and Bayley out along with the rest of the team. To which Bliss introduces Ruby Riott as the 5th member.
Seemed a bit pointless, but okay. I’m happy with that team. Sounds great to me. Just don’t see the point in having a decent match ruined by that. Unless this is what begins Bayley and Sasha’s feud.. anyway, after this we cut to the back where we see Becky Lynch with a Disarm Her locked in on Ronda Rousey! After that, she comes out to her theme music and the whole SmackDown Live Women’s Division storm the ring and lay everyone out, Becky caught a nasty gash on her face and was bleeding like crazy, but she powered on and it looked epic! Ronda Rousey then came out and so Becky got a chair and beat her with it. SmackDown left through the crowd with Becky and Ronda staring eachother out.
Conclusion
7.5/10 🌟
This was a really fun show with lots of narrative and story progression, only this had some major pitfalls. The Elias loss, the Balor winning scenario, the weird match at the end, the stupid battle royal rule and Jinder Mahal and the Singhs being used as fodder.. yet the interview with Rollins was great, the Rousey Promo was amazing and Ambrose’s first Heel promo was awesome, Elias’ lines were funny as hell and to be fair. So swings and roundabouts, really.
Match of the Night: There isn’t one. None of them outshone the other. But as for the Ambrose promo and the Rousey Promo.. my absolute favourite bits of the show by far. So I’m giving Moment of the Night to these two.
Annoyance of the Night: Everything I listed above. Plus I feel like the burial of Kurt Angle really should be his resurgence for one last run at the top. He no showed this episode and it didn’t come over well. Plus, seeing Brock Lesnar in any capacity just annoys me in general.
Thank you all so much for stopping by again if you’re a regular reader and if you’re not then thank you for taking the time out to have a little gander, I appreciate every single one of you, please feel free to comment, like and share and make sure to Too Sweet that follow button on the Twitter machine @KayfabeToday. Peace and love to one and all! ✌🏻💚
– CB
