The John Report: The WWE Raw Deal 10/30/23 Review
This week’s WWE Raw had Seth Rollins in action, #DIY tagging up again, a Trick or Street Fight on Halloween Eve and more.
It’s the last WWE Raw episode before Crown Jewel on Saturday. The lineup for Crown Jewel is at the bottom of this review. I’ll have a Crown Jewel preview up on Friday and then I’ll do the live review on Saturday in the afternoon in my time zone here in southern Ontario, Canada
This is the Raw Deal for episode #1588 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.
The Judgment Day started off Raw once again with Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley joined by NXT North American Dominik Mysterio and their associate, JD McDonagh. The Raw commentary team of Michael Cole and Wade Barrett welcomed us to the show.
Let’s Hear from The Judgment Day
Rhea Ripley started her promo about how they run Raw. Ripley bragged about how last week on Raw, Damian Priest shattered Cody Rhodes’ ankle. Ripley said that Dominik will teach Ricochet to not disrespect The Judgment Day. Ripley said that JD will remind Seth Rollins what it’s like to be an enemy of The Judgment Day. Ripley said that Rollins and Drew McIntyre have decisions to make to see who will be a loser or who will be the World Heavyweight Champion.
Ripley spoke about how at Crown Jewel, she’ll step into the ring with four of the most dominant women in WWE. Ripley said she’ll prove who is the most dominant woman in WWE…and here comes somebody not in Ripley’s title match, it’s Sami Zayn.
Sami Zayn made his entrance with the crowd singing his song as usual. Loud “Sami” chants as Zayn got into the ring.
Zayn said he wasn’t invited out there, but he is so sick of hearing Ripley talk. Zayn said he was sick of Ripley saying that The Judgment Day had all this power and that they run Monday Night Raw. Zayn told them that they have fought people like The Judgment Day and people that think that as long as you have power, you can do whatever you want. Zayn said that if that’s your game, his name isn’t Sami Zayn, his name is rebellion and resistance. Zayn said that he’ll fight The Judgment Day for as long as there is a breath in his body. Zayn said he will fight. Zayn said he’ll fight The Judgment Day and everything they stand for until The Judgment Day is no more.
Ripley laughed saying that Zayn can resist all that he wants because it doesn’t matter. Ripley said they don’t need the numbers when it comes to him. Ripley said if management thinks it’s okay then why doesn’t Zayn go one on one against Damian Priest. Dominik wanted to teach him a lesson right now.
Ricochet’s music hit as backup for Zayn, so The Judgment Day backed away. Ricochet was set for a match with Dominik already. JD charged, Ricochet sent him over the top and Ricochet made Dominik back away.
Analysis: It was the usual Raw opening segment with The Judgment Day either starting with a promo or interrupting a promo. I thought Sami Zayn’s promo was excellent with a lot of passion and intensity. They set up a match for later, so that’s fine.
(Commercial)
Dominik Mysterio (w/Rhea Ripley & JD McDonagh) vs. Ricochet
Dominik was in control with a hard whip into the turnbuckle. Ricochet came back with a kick, then a backflip and an enziguri kick to the head. Ricochet hit a Northern Lights Suplex leading to a suplex. Ricochet hit a standing Shooting Star Press for two. Dominik bailed to the floor, so Ricochet hit a suicide dive cross body block onto Dominik on the floor. That led to a break.
(Commercial)
Dominik did his suplex routine to boos along with a slingshot into the ropes. Ricochet avoided a 619 attack by the ropes. Ricochet hit a handspring back elbow off the ropes. Ricochet did a headscissors taking Dominik down followed by a cross body block off the top and a Lionsault off the middle ropes for two. Dominik came back with a neckbreaker. Dominik jumped off the top, Ricochet avoided it and Ricochet hit a superkick. Ricochet went up top, Ripley was on the apron and JD was on the apron to distract so Dominik did the ROLLUP OF DEATH~! while grabbing the tights and putting his foot on the rope for more cheating. It went about 11 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Dominik Mysterio
Analysis: **3/4 A good match with a very cheap ending. That’s about as cheap as it gets with the Ripley & McDonagh distractions leading to Dominik doing the rollup with the tights grab as well as the foot on the ropes. It’s fitting for a guy nicknamed “Dirty” Dom after all. Ricochet has a right to be mad about it, but it’s not like the result was a surprise.
After the match, Ricochet superkicked McDonagh and Ricochet hit the Recoil double knees to Dominik. Ricochet went up top to do more, but Ripley pulled Dominik out of the ring to avoid that. Dominik left with his friends.
Analysis: It was a bit of revenge for Ricochet. Perhaps it leads to another match between them.
A video package aired about the #DIY tag team of Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa teaming together for the first time in three years. They showed highlights of their successful run in NXT together.
Alpha Academy made their entrance for a tag team match. It’s Chad Gable & Otis along with Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa, who is officially in the group with a unique look.
(Commercial)
There was a video about Raquel Rodriguez challenging for the Women’s World Title at Crown Jewel. Raquel said she’ll become the Women’s World Champion.
A video aired about The Creed Brothers team of Julius & Brutus Creed with Ivy Nile. They are former NXT Tag Team Champions making their Raw debut after regularly being featured in NXT over the last two years.
Analysis: If you don’t watch NXT, trust me when I tell you this is a talented team. Julius is a phenomenal all-around athlete while Brutis is more of a power guy. They were good amateur wrestlers who transitioned well to WWE.
Alpha Academy – Chad Gable & Otis (w/Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa) vs. The Creed Brothers – Julius & Brutus Creed (w/Ivy Nile)
Gable and Julius did some mat wrestling to start with Julius getting an arm drag takedown. They shook hands after that. Julius picked up Gable for a suplex, Brutus tagged in and got a handoff leading to his suplex. Brutus with a fireman’s carry takedown on Gable. Brutus tried to grab Otis, so Otis ran him over with a body attack. Ouch. Brutus avoided a charging Otis and Brutus hit a double axhandle. Julius tagged in, Otis clotheslined both Creeds and Gable hit a double clothesline off the top on both Creeds. Alpha Academy each hit overhead suplexes on both opponents to clear the ring.
(Commercial)
Gable got a roll through on Brutus leading to an ankle lock. Brutus countered it into a pin attempt. Brutus came back with a Samoan Drop on Gable for two. Gable hit a German Suplex. Julius tagged in against Otis, who ran over both Creeds with a double clothesline. Otis hit two body slams along with a lefty clothesline. Otis splashed Julius against the turnbuckle leading to the Caterpillar into an elbow drop for two. Julius hit a running knee. Brutus tagged in and the Creeds hit a standing SSP and standing moonsault for two because Gable broke it up. Gable hit a cross body block on Julius to knock them both out of the ring. Brutus was legal against Otis with clotheslines exchanged. Brutus jumped off the middle ropes onto Otis, who hit a front slam. Julius broke up the pin with a 450 Splash and Gable hit a moonsault off the top onto the pile. Dupri was on the apron, so Nile pulled her down. Tozawa tried to stop the girls from arguing so Nile hit a German Suplex on Tozawa on the floor. Otis hit a clothesline on Brutus. Julius went into the ring as the legal man, put Otis on his shoulders and Brutus jumped off the top with a Brutus Ball onto Otis leading to Julius pinning Otis for the win. It went 11 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: The Creed Brothers
Analysis: ***1/2 That was a great match. Congratulations to The Creed Brothers for their first match and first win on Raw. I loved how the finish was set up as well as the executive of Julius putting Otis on his shoulders leading to the Brutus Ball by Brutus for the win. A lot of the match was controlled by Alpha Academy with Otis showing off his power while Gable showed off his technical wrestling, but they couldn’t find a way to win. I’m happy to see the Creeds pick up a big win like that.
After the match, Alpha Academy shook hands with The Creed Brothers. The fans cheered.
A replay was shown of last week when Damian Priest attacked Cody Rhodes’ ankle earlier in the show. Later in the show, Cody got some revenge on Priest.
The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor & Damian Priest were in their locker room. The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods were there trying to trick or treat dressed as “The New Judgment Day.” Finn & Damian didn’t have candy. The New Day left. Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh walked in. Priest talked about how he was busy with a lot of things going on and Priest didn’t like Ripley putting him in a match. Ripley said that Priest is The Punishment of The Judgment Day and that’s why she wanted him to have that match. Priest was fired up saying that they would prove they run this show. They were all fired up. Cole called Ripley a master of fixing things.
The Miz made his entrance in a suit to host his Miz TV talk show.
(Commercial)
A video aired featuring Nia Jax talking about how she’s going to win the Women’s World Title. Jax bragged about squashing everybody that’s been put in front of her including Rhea Ripley and the others in the match at Crown Jewel.
Miz TV with GUNTHER
The Miz was in the ring in a suit with chairs, a table and three pumpkins. The Miz introduced his guest saying it was the first time for this man on a talk show. The Miz introduced the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history…GUNTHER. The Miz tried twice to introduce GUNTHER, but there was no sign of the champion.
Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci of Imperium walked out to the ring. Kaiser ripped on Miz saying that GUNTHER isn’t going to come out just because Miz wants him to. Kaiser called Miz a clown. Miz ripped on Kaiser for following Gunther and ripped on Vinci for being the third wheel. Vinci spoke so that he could Miz for taking orders from his wife on Total Divas. The Miz said it’s Miz & Mrs. and you wish you could talk to a woman as hot as The Miz’s wife. I miss Maryse. Anyway, The Miz made fun of Vinci for actually being able to talk. Miz ripped on Kaiser and Vinci saying he was surprised Kaiser let Vinci talk. They bickered some more.
GUNTHER made his entrance in dress clothes with the Intercontinental Championship. Gunther ripped on Miz saying it’s 2023 and are you seriously trying to run a talk show? Miz said nothing. Gunther said that what Miz is doing here is beneath him. Gunther said Miz was beneath him and Gunther said he didn’t respect Miz.
The Miz said that he interviewed an invisible John Cena who was more entertaining than you. The fans laughed. The Miz claimed he is the biggest star that WWE has. Gunther said that’s exactly your issue. Gunther said when the bell rings, all that matters is how good of a wrestler you are. Gunther said that’s why Miz is a talk show host and Gunther is the greatest and longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time. The Miz said that he was serious when he beat Randy Orton for his WWE Championship, when he beat John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania and when he became WWE Champion again a decade later. The Miz said that he was serious when he made that IC Title the most prestigious title in all of WWE. The Miz said he had no problem doing it again. Gunther laughed it off: “Are you serious?”
Gunter said he gets it that The Miz is one of the greatest sports entertainers in history. Gunther suggested creating a Miz TV that you will never forget. Kaiser grabbed a pumpkin and smashed it in the ring, so then the fans booed. Gunther said he’s not going to do anything about it. Miz cleared the ring of Kaiser and Vinci, but Gunther chopped Miz to knock him down. Gunther told Miz “you are not in my league.” The Miz fought back with punches while the fans cheered. Kaiser & Vinci held Miz, so Gunther hit Miz with a boot to the face as The Miz left the ring.
Analysis: It looks like it could be a babyface turn for The Miz. It has been several years since they tried that when he feuded with Shane McMahon and it wasn’t that great, but with Triple H booking now maybe he thinks they can make it work. The Miz is a former two-time WWE Champion who has the second most Intercontinental Title reigns ever, so having him as a potential challenger could work. I thought GUNTHER and Imperium did a nice job of being bullies in this segment to make the fans rally behind Miz just based on the words exchanged by these guys.
The music of #DIY hit as Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa made their entrance for tag team match up next. They had to clear the ring and that match against Imperium was next.
(Commercial)
There were some images shown of media coverage of WWE Bash In Berlin on August 31, 2024.
Adam Pearce, the Raw General Manager, was in his office with The Miz showing up to complain about being disrespected. The Miz wanted a match with Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. Miz mentioned his title history. Pearce said he can’t just give you a match. Pearce had somebody else that wanted an opportunity. It was Bronson Reed, who wanted another shot at Gunther. Miz said that be my guest, but Miz is going to be the one to take the IC Title from Gunther. Miz left.
#DIY – Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Imperium – Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci
#DIY means Do It Yourself if you can’t figure it out. Anyway, Gargano & Ciampa were in control against Vinci with some quick tags. Vinci got some offense going with a clothesline on Ciampa. Kaiser tagged in and nailed Ciampa with a punch. Gargano tagged in, jawbreaker on Kaiser and Ciampa hit a clothesline. Ciampa knocked Vinci off the apron and Gargano hit a suicide dive on Vinci on the floor. Ciampa and Gargano did their clapping routine on the apron. Kaiser decked Gargano with a running uppercut. Vinci slammed Gargano on the apron. Kaiser dropkicked Gargano to knock him off the apron to the floor.
(Commercial)
Kaiser hit a spinning slam on Gargano. Vinci got the tag, Gargano cleared the ring of both opponents and then Gargano hit Vinci with an enziguri kick. Kaiser pulled Ciampa off the apron to stop a tag. Vinci hit a backbreaker on Gargano for two. Vinci tried a power move, but Gargano countered with a DDT. Kaiser tagged in against Ciampa, who was on fire with many running clotheslines. Ciampa did a jumping double clothesline. Ciampa with a Thesz Press followed by punches on Kaiser. Ciampa with a forearm followed by a reverse DDT for two. Kaiser came back with a rolling fireaman’s carry slam for two because Gargano broke up the pin. Kaiser nailed Ciampa with a boot. Ciampa did a back body drop to get out of a Vinci move. Gargano superkicked Kaiser to knock him down to the floor. Vinci went up top, jumped with a moonsault and Ciampa moved. Ciampa with a knee to Vinci. Gargano tagged in for the Meet In the Middle (superkick/knee combo) for the pinfall with Gargano pinning Vinci for the in after 11 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: #DIY – Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
Analysis: ***1/2 I thought it was a terrific tag team match. I’ve watched both teams for a lot of years and they are all technically sound veteran wrestlers. We know that Vinci is usually the guy who loses for his team, so that’s what happened yet again. The #DIY guys are so natural and so good together. It’s hard not to love their tag team matches. The finish was booked well. No surprise that #DIY would get the win here.
After the match, Ciampa held up one hand to signify one win for them on Raw. Kaiser looked disappointed at Vinci as usual.
Shinsuke Nakamura was shown backstage speaking in Japanese while the translation was on the screen. Nakamura dared somebody to come challenge him. Nakamura said he was waiting.
They showed a video of Candice LeRae in action because she’s in action up next. Barrett mocked Cole for saying “Candice Michelle” before the video.
Candice LeRae made her entrance joined by Indi Hartwell for a singles match up next.
(Commercial)
Xia Li vs. Candice LeRae
LeRae hit a running corner splash and then she jumped onto the back for a knockdown for a two count. Li tripped up LeRae leading to a chop and a rising knee lift. LeRae got a rollup. Li hit a rising knee lift and Li hit a spin kick to the head. The referee checked on LeRae, who sold it like she was out. The referee made Li stay back. LeRae tried to get back up, but then she stumbled back down. The referee called for the bell.
Winner by referee stoppage: Xia Li
Analysis: *1/2 It makes Xia Li look like a huge threat if she connects on that kick. Candice sold it well.
After the match, the referee called for the indy wrestler wearing a WWE Medical shirt to check on LeRae. Li celebrated the win.
Analysis: It was just an angle, but it was done in a way where Candice sold it like a legit looking knockout. It’s all about the sell.
Jey Uso walked up to Sami Zayn saying he was proud of him and they hugged to show they were getting along. Jackie Redmond interviewed Jey Uso, who said that Sami Zayn will handle business tonight and then Cody will handle business at Crown Jewel. Jey said maybe he can go after the Tag Team Titles with Cody again and we’ll see how Rhea Ripley feels about it…yeet.
(Commercial)
A video aired about Shayna Baszler as she talked about how she was going to win the Women’s World Title match at Crown Jewel.
Candice LeRae was shown backstage with a different trainer, plus an ice pack on her neck. Candice’s husband Johnny Gargano was there along with more friends.
Drew McIntyre video
There was a Drew McIntyre video showing him walking up to the WWE Performance Center where Drew sat in the arena where they tape NXT. Drew talked about how he was The Chosen One, then fired, then he came back after 20 years of giving everything to this industry, he won the Royal Rumble (in 2020). The fans were behind him. Drew said there would be a stadium of people chanting his name, but then everything changed overnight – the COVID-19 pandemic. WrestleMania 36 was in front of nobody at the WWE Performance Center. Drew beat Lesnar to become WWE Champion in this very building with nobody there to celebrate. Drew said he did his job by defending his title against the best that WWE has to offer. Drew said when everybody finally returned, the moment passed. At Clash at the Castle 2022 he was going to beat Roman Reigns for the Universal Champion, but The Bloodline cheated (Solo Sikoa debuted to cost Drew) and took it all away. Drew said he’ll never forgive The Bloodline. Drew said for Rollins it’s another title defense in a Hall of Fame career and for Drew, this is everything for him. Drew said he was willing to take Seth’s back to take it from him. Drew said that he needs this…no more broken dreams. Drew said that Seth was Drew’s first title defense in 2020 and Drew said he will be Seth’s last title defense.
Analysis: I thought it was excellent. To have Drew go to the WWE PC to express his bitterness about winning the WWE Title in front of no fans was a great move. Drew has a shot to beat Seth for sure at Crown Jewel, but I don’t know if it’s going to be my prediction. Also, nice touch by Drew saying “broken dreams” at the end in reference to his classic theme song.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins, the World Heavyweight Champion, made his entrance to a huge ovation. It was mentioned by Cole that it was Seth’s first singles match on Raw in four months. I didn’t realize it had been that long.
(Commercial)
A video aired featuring Zoey Stark commenting on the Women’s World Title match at Crown Jewel. Stark claimed she was unstoppable. Stark said she would win just like all of them say they will win. I think Stark is most likely to take the pinfall in the match.
Let’s Hear from Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Seth did a promo mentioning his nickname as usual. Seth talked about facing JD McDonagh the “bag boy” of The Judgment Day and then he moved on to talk about Crown Jewel. Rollins said he was a fan of Drew McIntyre, but “boo-freakin-hoo” and he called Drew a big Scottish baby. Rollins said that all of us were suffering in 2020, there were people who had it a lot worse than you did and didn’t know if they would see their loved ones. Rollins said some of them never saw their loved ones again. Rollins said sorry for not getting to win the WWE Title the way you dreamt it. Rollins mentioned all the guys that were screwed over like Sami Zayn or Cody Rhodes – Seth said he didn’t like him. Rollins said Drew was a hell of a champion. Rollins said that if Drew can take this title then Seth will shake his hand and call you the champ just like he did in 2020. Seth said that he’s a different guy compared to who Drew faced in 2020. Seth said The Messiah is gone, he is no longer The Architect and there’s a reason the people sing his song. It’s catchy? Anyway, JD McDonagh attacked Rollins from behind. The referee pulled JD off to start the match.
Analysis: That was a very logical point that Seth made about people suffering in 2020, so he’s right to say “boo freakin hoo” to Drew for his complaining. I thought what Seth said made a lot of sense from his character’s perspective.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. JD McDonagh
Seth’s World Heavyweight Title is not on the line. Rollins hit a charging JD with a boot to the face. They fought on the floor with Rollins hitting some chops while JD tried to get away. Rollins sent JD into the barricade. They went into the ring with Rollins hitting multiple chops and avoiding a chop by JD. Rollins sent JD into the top turnbuckle. Rollins hit a back body drop. JD tripped up Rollins by the ropes, then he hit a senton splash and JD hit a hard chop. JD choked Rollins across the middle rope. JD hit a jawbreaker. JD charged at Rollins, who launched him over the top to the floor. Huge bump by JD there. Rollins hit a suicide dive with JD bumping over the commentary table.
(Commercial)
Rollins sent JD face first into the middle turnbuckle. Rollins worked over JD with chops to the chest. Rollins hit a couple of clotheslines along with a discus clothesline. JD tried a rollup, but Rollins got out of it. Rollins hit a Slingblade neckbreaker along with a running knee. Rollins was looking for a Pedigree, but JD avoided it and JD hit a headbutt. JD went up top, he jumped off with a moonsault, Rollins moved out of the way and JD got a jackknife pin for two. Rollins with a rising knee. Rolins charged leading to JD hitting a Spanish Fly slam for a two count. Rollins came back with a Buckle Bomb into the turnbuckle. Rollins went up top and here comes Damian Priest with the Money in the Bank briefcase along with a referee. Rollins jumped off the top with a Frog Splash, but JD got his knees up. They battled on the top turnbuckle with Rollins hitting a belly-to-back superplex off the top rope. JD went for a Pedigree, Rollins got out of that and Rollins flipped over JD for a Pedigree. Rollins hit The Stomp for the pinfall win after 14 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Analysis: ***1/4 It was a solid match that went longer than I thought it would go. That’s not a slight on McDonagh, but based on status in the company I figured Rollins would win more decisively in about seven minutes or less. Instead, they got double that time and Rollins got plenty of offense throughout the match.
After the match, Seth Rollins got in Damian Priest’s face and they exchanged words. Rollins told Priest “don’t waste that on me.” Priest walked away while Rollins celebrated in the ring.
Ricochet was backstage talking with the Raw GM Adam Pearce. That led to Pearce asking Ricochet if he wanted to compete in a match for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven were dressed as The Hart Foundation – Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart. Pretty funny. Anyway, they left as Ivar and Valhalla asked to talk to Pearce in his office.
Natalya entered for the Trick or Street Fight wearing a bunny outfit.
(Commercial)
A new match was added to the Crown Jewel Kickoff Show: Sami Zayn facing JD McDonagh.
Becky Lynch was interviewed by Jackie Redmond, who asked about how Lynch feels without the NXT Women’s Title. Lynch praised Lyra Valkyria. Lynch said that in 42 days, she defended her title more than Rhea Ripley and defended the title more than Roman Reigns. Lynch said that she doesn’t need the title, the title needs her. Xia Li walked in to trash talk Lynch again. Lynch challenged her to a fight and Li said they will do it on her time. Li left while Lynch complained about how Li has been doing this for three weeks.
Chelsea Green was dressed as Bret Hart while Piper Niven was Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, which led to Natalya being angry about them dressed as her father and Uncle Bret. Green & Niven were the Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Trick or Street Fight: Chelsea Green (w/Piper Niven) vs. Natalya
The ring was full of pumpkins along with other Halloween-related items.
Green threw a Pumpkin Pie in Natalya’s face. Green hit a superkick to knock Natalya down. Natalya used a kendo stick on Green and a clothesline sent Green over the barricade. Green used a trash can lid to hit Natalya in the back. Green and Niven set up a table on the floor. Green tried to jump off the barricade with a splash, but Natalya moved and Green went through the table. Green tried to run away, so Natalya grabbed and drowned her head in the bobbing for apples tub of water. Natalya grabbed both women and tried a Sharpshooter, but Green kicked Natalya into the ring post. Green pulled a pumpkin off a table and Nikki Cross was there. Green was screaming in fear. Natalya was on offense again, but Green broke free and sent Natalya into the steel steps. The dreaded candy corn was dumped into the ring. Natalya gave Green a sitout Powerbomb for two. Natalya applied a Sharpshooter. Niven was on the apron, so Natalya went after her and Green threw a pie into Niven’s face when Natalya moved. Natalya punched Niven off the apron to the floor. Green hit the Unpretti-her for the pinfall win after six minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Chelsea Green
Analysis: **1/4 A rare pinfall win for Green. I didn’t mind it for being a shorter match with some comedy spots. Natalya had it in tough since she didn’t have any backup while Green used Niven a lot. The Nikki Cross spot was funny and a little creepy, so that worked well.
A video aired previewing Ilja Dragunov-Carmelo Hayes at NXT Halloween Havoc on Tuesday night.
(Commercial)
The final video aired about the Women’s World Title match at Crown Jewel featuring the champion Rhea Ripley. It led to Ripley saying this was her chance to claim this as Mami’s Show. Ripley said she’ll prove she’s the most dominant human here on Raw and she will stay your Women’s World Champion.
The announcers did a rundown of the Crown Jewel card for Saturday.
* Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. LA Knight
* United States Championship: Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Logan Paul
* John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa
* World Heavyweight Championship: Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
* WWE Women’s Championship: IYO SKY vs. Bianca Belair
* Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest
* Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Zoey Stark
* Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh (KICKOFF SHOW)
Damian Priest made his entrance for the main as one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions and Senor Money in the Bank with the purple briefcase. Sami Zayn entered to a good pop as the opponent in the main event.
(Commercial)
Next week on Raw:
* Fatal 4-Way Match to determine the #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship: Ricochet vs. The Miz vs. “Big” Bronson Reed vs. Ivar
* Akira Tozawa vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Analysis: That four-way match should be interesting. The Miz should win based on his promo segment with GUNTHER, but I think Ivar would be an interesting choice too.
Damian Priest vs. Sami Zayn
Priest overpowered Zayn with punches. Zayn broke free leading to some chops along with a head slam into the turnbuckle. Zayn hit an elbow smash off the ropes. Priest left to the floor, Zayn went after him and Zayn jumped off the barricade with a moonsault onto a standing Priest. Zayn sent Priest back into the ring leading to Priest coming back with a standing side kick. Priest with a punch along with kicks to the chest. Priest whipped Zayn into the turnbuckle leading to Priest launching Zayn with a suplex into a slam for two. Zayn stopped a charging Priest with a boot followed by a Tornado DDT off the ropes. Zayn teased a dive, but Priest moved out of the way. Zayn ran at Priest, who caught him and Priest gave Zayn a Chokeslam onto the apron.
(Commercial)
Zayn did a leapfrog over Priest leading to a clothesline. Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor went to ringside, Zayn looked at them and then Zayn countered a Priest move with a rollup using his legs for a two count. Zayn punched Dominik off the apron, so Priest hit The Reckoning move with Cole saying it looked like the Cross Rhodes that Cody uses. Priest lifted Zayn up, Zayn got out of it and Dominik punched Zayn when Balor was distracting the referee. Jey Uso’s music hit (I don’t like that during matches) and Jey went down to the ring to take shots at Dominik and Balor. Jey after Priest leading to Jey kicking Priest in the chest, so there’s the DQ finish. It went about nine minutes.
Winner by disqualification: Damian Priest
Analysis: **3/4 That’s the finish you book when you don’t want either guy to lose. Since Zayn lost to Drew McIntyre last week (it was mildly cheap), it would have been two pinfall losses in a row, so I think having a DQ finish makes sense. Priest losing would have been foolish going into his match with Cody Rhodes. It wasn’t a very creative finish by any means, but I’m okay with how they did it.
After the match, the three Judgment Day guys outnumbered Zayn & Jey so they were in control. Cody Rhodes made his entrance without a huge limp as he got into the ring to fight with Priest. Cody booted Priest out of the ring. They were brawling on the floor. Jey decked Zayn with a punch. Jey superkicked Dominik and Zayn clotheslined Dominik out of the ring. Cody and Jey each hit dives over the top rope to knock Balor & Dominik. Cody sent Priest into the ring post and into the hood of the commentary table. Cody set up Priest on the commentary table, but JD McDonagh saved Priest and Priest ran away. Zayn hit JD with a Helluva Kick. Cody told Zayn to bring JD to him on the table. Cody picked up JD and gave JD a Cross Rhodes on the table. The table didn’t break so fans chanted “one more time” for them. Cody hit JD with another Cross Rhodes on JD on the table. The table didn’t break again.
Cody Rhodes grabbed the microphone in the ring while Priest was by the entrance. Cody told Priest he was unsuccessful because Cody got back up. Cody said that’s his story because he’s the guy that gets knocked down and he gets back up. Cody asked Priest what’s his story? Cody said that Priest is a 20-year pro with a briefcase. Cody said that Priest walks behind Ripley, Balor and even Dominik. Cody said that when you think it’s somebody else, it’s always him. Cody said that he is back on his path and this Saturday at Crown Jewel, his path goes straight through Priest. Cody and Damian had a long distance staredown. End show.
Analysis: I really liked that promo from Cody. I don’t know if they wanted that table to break or if they knew it was going to stay up. The Cross Rhodes isn’t as big of a move as a Powerbomb in terms of the bump, so there’s just not enough force to break the table. Anyway, they had five minutes for all of that post-match action and made the most of it. After Crown Jewel, you can tell they are going to do WarGames with The Judgment Day against these faces from Raw. It will be interesting to see how that is set up.
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Three Stars of the Show
- The Creed Brothers – Congratulations on that first main roster win.
- #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
- Sami Zayn/Damian Priest and GUNTHER/The Miz too.
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The Scoreboard
7.5 out of 10
Last week: 7.25
2023 Average: 7.36
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Final Thoughts on WWE Raw
A very good show for the most part. It was full of good wrestling throughout the show with plenty of two segment matches that got over 10 minutes. It’s pretty much the normal thing for Triple H booked shows over the last year. I don’t think any single match stood out more than the rest, but I liked a bunch of the matches including #DIY’s reunion as a team and The Creed Brothers impressed a lot against Alpha Academy. Fun tag team matches for sure.
There were some great non-wrestling segments. In particular, that GUNTHER-Miz exchange was very effective in terms of turning The Miz into a babyface with just one segment. The Miz is better as a heel and we know that, but GUNTHER pushed the right buttons with what he said. The fans were cheering for The Miz because of it. Plus, a 3-on-1 scenario is an easy way to get sympathy for The Miz. I also really enjoyed the Drew McIntyre video package talking about his bitterness. Great to hear him use the “broken dreams” phrase too.
Most of Crown Jewel’s lineup was already set, so it was just about furthering those stories with the Raw talent. I thought promos from Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes were really effective for likable babyfaces that are easy too root. I like the Crown Jewel card overall.
The next WWE PLE is Crown Jewel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, November 4th (Happy Birthday to me). Here’s the lineup:
* Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. LA Knight
* World Heavyweight Championship: Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
* Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Zoey Stark
* Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest
* John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa
* United States Championship: Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Logan Paul
* WWE Women’s Championship: IYO SKY vs. Bianca Belair
* Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh (KICKOFF SHOW)
WWE Crown Jewel airs on Saturday, November 4th, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, streaming live from Riyadh, exclusively on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.
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Thanks for reading. Please check out my reviews of every WWE PPV ever listed in order. Go Los Angeles Rams, Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs. My contact info is below.
John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter/X @johnreport