Reviews

The John Report: WWE Raw Deal 09/30/24 Review

By John Canton • Published 1st October 2024
WWE Raw Deal September 30

It’s WWE Raw featuring Braun Strowman-Bronson Reed in a Last Monster Standing Match, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre exchanging words, and more.

This episode of Raw is the final three-hour Raw episode of the year. Once Raw heads to Netflix, it might be that long, or shorter. We don’t know for sure yet. We just know that this is the official end of three-hour Raw after 12+ years. I reviewed nearly every episode in that period (I have reviewed nearly every Raw since May 2009) and while I think Raw is the best of the WWE shows this year, I prefer two hour episodes.

This is the Raw Deal for episode #1636 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.

There were some arrivals shown from earlier in the day including CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. Braun Strowman was shown walking into the building with a big bulldog by his side while Bronson Reed was also shown walking around the building.

The Raw commentary team of Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett were in the ring welcoming us to the show. That led right into a video package of Jey Uso beating Bron Breakker to win the Intercontinental Title last week on Raw. The video showed some fan reactions at home too.

Analysis: I didn’t expect Bron Breakker to lose the Intercontinental Title after less than two months, but I certainly don’t mind seeing Jey Uso as the IC Champion. Jey is so popular, so I think it’s a case of WWE wanting to do a title change that made the fans very happy.

Let’s Hear from Jey Uso

Jey Uso made his entrance as the Intercontinental Champion in the back part of the arena. Jey had his young son with him and he kissed him on the head before making his entrance. The crowd was going crazy for Jey with arm swinging and “YEET” chants. It was a long entrance for Jey that took a few minutes and there was pyro going off for him. The fans chanted “you deserve it” for Jey before he said a word. The IC Title has some blue highlights on it, which is cool because it adds some color to it and it’s a bit of a throwback to the IC Title in the past.

Jey: “The Intercontinental Champion, ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso is now in your city.” The fans cheered. Jey said he’s going to fight every week for this title and fight anybody who wants it. Jey said he loved the fans and thanked the fans for rocking him. Jey thanked the fans for supporting the fans for all the years. Jey said he got to walk to the ring with his son Jace behind him. Jey spoke about how it was a long, hard road and his own family made it a long road while saying Roman made it hard for him. Jey said for his whole life, he was just a twin, they didn’t know him and he said they know him now. Yeet.

Jey said his biggest fan out of him and all of his brothers is his mother. Jey threw his Yeet sunglasses into the crowd at that point. Jey said he spoke to his mother, she told Jey to show them who he is. Jey said that she told him to go out there and get it. Jey said he’s got it and “mama, we did it.” Yeet.

Analysis: Nice speech by Jey. You could tell he was overwhelmed and emotional a bit as he was speaking. It was nice to hear Jey mention his mom like that. Moms rule. I was a bit surprised that he didn’t mention his Hall of Fame father Rikishi, but maybe he’s closer with mom so he wanted to mention her. I thought maybe Jey would mention brother Jimmy Uso, but he didn’t specifically do that.

The former Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker interrupted and got in the ring with Jey. Bron said that he was out there out of respect for that championships. Bron spoke about how he has a lot of respect for Jey too. Bron talked about how the better man was going to walk out of the ring with the title that night and on that night, Jey was the better man. Bron said that he wasn’t going to Spear him or attack him. Bron said he wanted to be the first one as a competitor and a colleague to offer congratulations. Bron extended his hand for a shake, so Jey shook his hand. Jey Uso walked up to Bron saying there were some dogs in Indiana, so the fans started barking. Bron nodded at him and left.

Analysis: I thought we might hear Bron Breakker say he wanted a rematch for the title, but there was nothing out of that. Perhaps it’s going to lead to WWE pushing Bron as a babyface rather than a heel since the fans like Bron a lot. We’ll see if Bron is a face soon if he is booked against heels in the future.

A clip was shown of Xavier Woods arguing with Rey Mysterio last week, so that set them up for a match this week.

The WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio made his entrance for singles action.

(Commercial)

Dominik Mysterio and Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan were hanging outside earlier in the day by Dominik’s low rider car. Carlito and JD McDonagh asked Liv if they knew where Finn Balor was. Dominik called Finn Balor saying he had travel problems, but he’ll see them soon.

Xavier Woods vs. Rey Mysterio

It’s a matchup between two babyfaces. Neither man had allies at ringside. Woods did a leapfrog leading to a dropkick. Rey got a headscissors takeover along with a kick. Rey did a headscissors to send Woods out of the ring. Rey jumped off the apron onto Woods with a seated senton to knock Woods down on the floor.

(Commercial)

The match continued with Rey hitting back elbows to the head followed by Rey sending Woods to the floor. Rey hit a springboard moonsault onto a standing Woods on the floor. Rey got a lot of height on that leap. Back in the ring, Rey hit a seated senton off the top along with a springboard cross body block for two. They battled by the turnbuckle, Woods had Rey on the shoulders, Rey countered with a hurricanrana and Rey wanted a 619 kick, but Woods avoided it. Rey went for a move, but Woods pulled Rey’s mask off his head. Rey used his hands to cover his face, so then Woods rolled up Rey with a ROLLUP OF DEATH~! for the pinfall win after eight minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Xavier Woods

Analysis: **1/2 A cheap win by Woods due to the mask pulling that stunned Rey, which allowed the deadly ROLLUP OF DEATH~! to happen. Rey wrestled for years without a mask in WCW, but since joining WWE in 2002 he hasn’t unmasked, so it’s a big deal for somebody to pull the mask off. The story will be about whether Woods did it on purpose or if it was an accident. It’s pushing the idea that Woods was desperate for the win.

After the match, Woods acted like he did nothing wrong while Rey yelled at him from the ring.

Lyra Valkyria was backstage when the Pure Fusion Collective’s Sonya Deville & Shayna Baszler showed up to intimidate her. Deville claimed that Lyra won’t have Natalya or Zelina Vega there to help her while Deville & Baszler will be there to support Zoey Stark.

A commercial aired for the NXT debut on CW on Tuesday night. I’m looking forward to it.

(Commercial)

There was a video that was a ring of fire with the PFR, which is rumored to be for the return of the Viking Raiders with perhaps a new name.

Xavier Woods was shown walking backstage when Kofi Kingston walked up to talk to his partner in The New Day. Kofi asked Woods if he did that Rey mask rip off intentionally, but Woods denied it and said he respected Rey. Woods thought Kofi would congratulate him, so Kofi did. Karrion Kross was shown watching this in the background. Kofi spoke about Jey Uso wanting to give Kofi Kingston an Intercontinental Title shot, so Kofi told Woods he thinks he deserves it and Woods was excited. Kofi said he’ll win tonight too so they’ll go 2-0. Woods said he wanted to be out there for that match and Kofi agreed since he was letting Woods call the shots. They were happy as they ended it by saying “New Day rocks.”

Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark (w/Sonya Deville & Shayna Baszler)

It was stated that Natalya and Zelina Vega were not there due to promoting WWE elsewhere. Natalya came back a few weeks ago, won two matches, and now she’s not in any storyline. I’d like to see Natalya featured more. Lyra ran over Stark with a shoulder tackle. Stark hit a backbreaker. Lyra avoided a charging Stark and Lyra kicked Stark on the floor, so that led to a break.

(Commercial)

The match continued with Lyra hitting a hurricanrana along with a jumping kick to the head. Stark delivered a thrust kick to the throat. Stark was sent to the apron, Stark with a kick and Stark hit a springboard missile dropkick for two. Lyra blocked a Z360 attempt, which led to Lyra hitting a German Suplex. Deville was on the apron, so Lyra punched her and Baszler was on the apron distracting the referee. Lyra rolled up Stark for two. The referee was still distracted for some reason, Deville hit Lyra with a knee and Stark hit the Z360 knee on Lyra for the pinfall win after seven minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Zoey Stark

Analysis: **1/2 It was the classic “numbers game” booking where the wrestler with allies on the floor got the win. This kind of finish is booked way too often, so it’s nothing we haven’t seen many times before. Lyra is a good worker, but the fans aren’t reacting to her that much. I like Stark’s Z360 finisher.

After the match, PFC wanted to do more damage to Lyra, but the team of Katana Chance (with a facemask) and Kayden Carter made the save. They kicked the PFC girls leading to Kayden & Katana doing the Keg Stand splash on Baszler & Deville while Stark was knocked out of the ring. Lyra celebrated with Chance & Carter.

Analysis: There wasn’t much of a reaction to this. It’s a way to give Lyra some allies. The story was that Katana & Kayden were taken out by PFC, so they got some revenge.

A video package aired about Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed’s rivalry that will lead to the Last Monster Standing Match later in the show.

The Raw GM Adam Pearce was shown talking to security guys while CM Punk was shown walking behind Pearce and Punk walked toward the ring for some promo time.

This Friday on SmackDown: AJ Styles returns, The Bloodline defends WWE Tag Team Titles in a Ladder Match vs. The Street Profits and #DIY, and Chelsea Green facing Michin in a Dumpster Match. That last one wasn’t mentioned in the commercial, but I’m nice and decided to mention it.

(Commercial)

Lyra Valkyria was interviewed backstage by Jackie Redmond with Katana Chance & Kayden Carter also there. Lyra thanked them for helping her. Chance said PFC broke her nose, so she wanted revenge and they were coming for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre interrupted to trash talk Carter & Chance saying they were out for months, so what makes them think they can get a title shot? Chance & Carter yelled about it, so Lyra held them back.

Analysis: That will probably lead to a tag team match.

Face to Face: CM Punk & Drew McIntyre

The Raw GM Adam Pearce was in the ring with security guys behind him. The ring was surrounded by the Hell in a Cell structure.

CM Punk was introduced first. Punk had a serious look on his face while also putting his hands up against the steel cage when he got down to the ring. Punk was wearing white attire with a white shirt and white pants. Drew McIntyre was next up wearing all black dress clothes including a jacket. Drew did a slow walk down to the ring, which led to Drew standing in the ring opposite Punk while the security guards and Pearce were in between them.

Drew McIntyre said that he was wearing black out of respect for Punk’s wife because he has zero respect for Punk. Drew said that after what Drew does to him, Punk’s wife will have to feed him and take care of him. Drew spoke about how Punk was injured earlier this year because of Drew and Punk is going to be gone because of Drew. Drew trashed the fans for still chanting Punk’s name after all these years. Drew mentioned NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez once idolizing Punk, but then she hung out with him and she realized what kind of guy he is. Drew spoke about how he hates Punk. Drew said that this Saturday, that hate he has inside of him will die with Punk. Drew dropped the microphone and was about to leave, but Punk decided to speak.

CM Punk said throughout his entire career, people have called him a lot of things: Best in the World, Second City Saint and Voice of the Voiceless. Punk said that he has nothing to say to a piece of garbage like Drew. Punk said that he is full of rage. Punk said that he had stayed in a hotel for four weeks because he didn’t want his wife to see him like this. Punk claimed he would send Drew home to Scotland in a box. Punk reminded Drew that he prayed for all of this and it happened. Punk told Drew on Saturday when he’s locked in the cell with Drew, Punk is going to wipe the blood from Drew’s eyes so he sees him and Drew won’t be praying to God or the devil, he will be praying to CM Punk. Punk: “I will see you in hell.” Punk tossed the microphone down to end it. Drew slowly backed out of the ring and cage first.

Analysis: I liked the promos from both guys. Some people may have wanted them to fight and get into some chaotic brawl, but I think it was fine to do it this way with both men giving a final speech of sorts going into the Hell in a Cell match. Drew made his points well while Punk was in serious mode without playing to the fans and was all about sending a message to Drew. I think Punk should win the Hell in a Cell match.

Braun Strowman was interviewed by Cathy Kelley backstage. Braun said he’s not nervous and he’s about to show the world while they call him the Monster of All Monsters. The Miz interrupted, so Cathy left. R-Truth was back after Bronson Reed took him out with five Tsunamis, so Braun wondered what he was doing here while reminding him of the attack. Truth said he didn’t remember that. Braun said he had to go so he left. Truth told Miz he didn’t like Karrion Kross picking him, Miz denied that was happening and Truth said he got them a match with AOP aka Authors of Pain. Truth didn’t realize who they were, so Miz let him know. Truth hugged Miz, who begrudgingly said it was great to have Truth back.

Analysis: Welcome back, Truth.

The Judgment Day entered for six-man tag team action.

(Commercial)

Sami Zayn was interviewed by Cathy Kelley backstage, who asked about Sami wanting a World Title shot against Gunther. Zayn said that he was bothered by the disrespect. Zayn said if anybody says it doesn’t bother them then they are lying to themselves. Zayn spoke about how he knows how good he is and he is more than good enough to be the World Heavyweight Champion. Zayn looked into the camera saying he is coming after Gunther and he will not stop until he gets his shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.

Latino World Order – Dragon Lee, Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro vs. The Judgment Day – Carlito, JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio (w/Liv Morgan)

Cruz hit two arm drags. JD went for a kick, Cruz kicked him while against the ropes and Cruz hit a top rope cross body block. Wilde hit a neckbreaker on two guys and then a superkick on Dominik. The three LWO guys took turns hitting dives off the top rope including Wilde hitting a 450 Splash off the top on Carlito for a two count. A 450 Splash two minutes into a match and it only gets a two count? Wrestling has changed. They rush big moves like that sometimes.

(Commercial)

Lee got the hot tag leading to a hurricanrana and a running knee. Lee hit a running kick on Carlito and then a leaping kick over the top that led to a kick to Carlito’s face. JD elbowed Lee, but Lee shoved him down on the turnbuckle. Lee sent all three J-Day against the turnbuckle. Cruz got the tag and hit a Coast to Coast dropkick on the three JDay guys leading to a two count on JD. Wilde ran the ropes leading to a leap off the ropes and a somersault dive over the top onto the guys on the floor. Lee and Cruz hit suicide dives on the floor. Wilde went up top looking for a move on JD, Liv went on the apron to distract the referee and then Finn Balor showed up to shove Wilde off the top rope so Wilde bumped into the ropes. JD hit the Devil Inside slam for the pinfall win after seven minutes.

Winners by pinfall: The Judgment Day – Carlito, JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio

Analysis: **1/2 They only got about seven minutes and three minutes were in a commercial, so we only got four minutes of action. Earlier in the day, Finn Balor said he was having travel problems, but there he was right when the group needed him. It’s a typical Judgment Day match finish where they use somebody outside of the ring to get the win. The LWO guys were fun to watch on offense although it’s not like they are being pushed so it was obvious they were losing this match.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from The Judgment Day

The Judgment Day’s Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, JD McDonagh & Carlito remained in the ring for a promo. Balor said that he heard Priest saying he would rip out Balor’s heart and told Priest he should know that Balor didn’t have a heart. Balor said that he’ll prove that Priest needed them and The Judgment Day never needed Damian Priest. Liv said she’s going to be a home-wrecking, man-stealing, heartbreaking, title-taking, greatest Women’s Champion of all time. Rhea Ripley showed up for the interruption.

Rhea Ripley said she knows all about Dominik Mysterio’s dirty little secrets. Some WWE workers showed up with the shark cage. Ripley said that Dominik was claustrophobic so he won’t like being in a shark cage. Ripley said that Dominik would realize that Liv isn’t as good as her. Ripley said she’ll win back the championship that she never lost.

Damian Priest went into the ring and beat up the men in The Judgment Day. Priest worked over Balor with punches. Ripley headbutted Liv and tossed Dominik into the barricade. Ripley sent Dominik into the shark cage two times. Ripley chased Liv to the backstage area. Ripley put Dominik into the shark cage that was by the entrance, but Morgan showed up to get into a fight with Ripley again. Ripley and Morgan went fighting to the backstage area.

Back in the ring, Priest was fighting The Judgment Day guys. Balor hit a Slingblade (Joe incorrectly called it a Slingshot, Wade called it Slingblade shortly after) and Balor hit a reverse DDT slam. Balor hit a running dropkick on Priest thanks to help from the Judgment Day guys Carlito, McDonagh, and Dominik. Balor went up top and hit Priest with the Coup de Grace three times in a row.

Analysis: It gave Balor the advantage going into the Bad Blood match with Priest. I think Priest winning is likely for that match, but it depends on if it’s a clean match or if Balor gets some help. The Ripley-Morgan stuff was fine to continue that rivalry going into the match. Ripley saying that Dominik is claustrophobic means he’ll freak out while he’s in the shark cage during the match, which should lead to comedy during the Liv-Ripley match.

Sheamus did a pre-tape promo. Sheamus said he thought he knocked some sense into Pete Dunne. Sheamus said that Dunne was a dangerous little bastard. Sheamus wanted to play rough and have one final banger. Sheamus challenged Pete Dunne to a Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook Match. Sheamus: “So what do you say, Butch?” Pete hates being called Butch, so that’s why he ended it like that.

Analysis: I like that. It should be fun. Dunne won in a cheap way the last time they had a match, so I figured there would be another match.

Chad Gable made his entrance with the American Made group.

There was a brief tribute for the late, great WWE Hall of Famer and baseball legend Pete Rose, who died earlier in the day. Joe spoke about Pete and then they showed a graphic. Pete was 83 years old. Rest in peace, Pete.

(Commercial)

Damage CTRL’s Iyo Sky & Kairi Sane did a promo about how last week they beat the Unholy Union. Sky said that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill aren’t ready for Damage CTRL. Sane said they were challenging them to a title match. Sky said they are still the most dominant force in the history of the women’s division. Sky said she was in Belair’s head already since she beat Belair in a match recently, so now they want the Tag Team Titles back.

Analysis: It should be a good match when it happens. I think the Belair & Cargill will have a long reign that goes into next year, but I don’t know for sure about that.

Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods) vs. Chad Gable (w/Julius Creed, Brutus Creed & Ivy Nile)

Gable knocked down Kofi with a shoulder tackle. When Gable tried a German Suplex, Kofi landed on his feet and a monkey flip by Gable led to Kofi landing on his feet. Kofi hit a jumping kick and then a splash off the ropes for two. Kofi charged at Gable, who hit him with a forearm. They were out on the floor where Gable gave Kofi a German Suplex on the floor.

(Commercial)

The match continued with Gable hitting a top rope headbutt on Kofi. The comeback started with Kofi hitting a dropkick. Kofi hit another kick, but Gable caught him and Gable hit an overhead suplex across the ring. Kofi blocked a suplex leading to a pin attempt and Gable countered to his own pin for two. Kofi did a crucifix pin for two. Gable bridged out of a pin attempt. Gable hit a slam off the shoulders for a two count. It didn’t look great, but Kofi sold it. Kofi jumped off the top with a punch, Gable avoided it and went for an Ankle Lock, but Kofi countered it. Kofi went for Trouble in Paradise, Gable caught the foot and went for an Ankle Lock. Kofi got out of it and hit the SOS by the ropes for two because Gable got his hand on the ropes for a two count. Kofi jumped off the steel steps to land onto Gable and The Creed Brothers on the floor. Julius tried to attack Kofi, so Woods jumped onto Julius on the floor. Nile on the apron, Kofi sent Gable into the ropes but Woods tripped up Gable while the referee wasn’t looking due to Ivy Nile on the apron. While Woods did that, Kofi went for the Trouble in Paradise kick. Kofi hit the mat hard, so Gable hit the Chaos Theory into a bridging pin for the win. It went about ten minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Chad Gable

Analysis: *** Good match with a finish I really liked. That was clever. Since Kofi does the Trouble in Paradise kick as a finisher, the way Woods interfered was a perfect way to have him accidentally cost his friend the match. It’s a perfect finish because the Trouble in Paradise relied on Gable bouncing off the ropes, but Woods stopped Gable’s momentum, and what Woods did backfired to cost Kofi the match.

After the match, Woods tried to apologize to his buddy Kofi.

Analysis: I don’t know for sure if they are turning Xavier Woods heel, but it does seem like it’s heading in that direction. I just never thought that The New Day would break up because the guys in the group have been adamant about staying together. Maybe it doesn’t happen and they both go heel around the time of their ten-year anniversary in November.

There was a clip shown of Seth Rollins at NBC’s Sunday Night Football in Baltimore. Sheamus was also at the Notre Dame football game on Saturday. Drew McIntyre and Liv Morgan were at the Indianapolis Colts game to promote Royal Rumble 2025 tickets.

Bronson Reed was interviewed by Jackie Redmond backstage, who mentioned the potential return of Seth Rollins. Reed congratulated Rollins saying he hopes he is coming back. Reed said he took months off of Seth’s career and next time he’s going to take years off of his life. Reed said that he has exposed Braun Strowman for the man that he is because Reed is the Last Monster Standing…“Big” Bronson Reed.

The World Heavyweight Champion Gunther was shown walking backstage while Adam Pearce spoke to his security team.

There was a Wyatt Sicks VHS video with warnings about how you should not go down this path because it ends with your demise. The end of it revealed Nikki Cross’ face, so it likely has to do with her targeting a woman opponent.

Analysis: The Wyatt Sicks group won the rivalry with American Made and then they haven’t had anything to do. I know people think that Alexa Bliss might be part of the group, but I don’t think she should be part of it when she comes back. Bliss is better on her own.

(Commercial)

It was announced by Joe Tessitore that Ilja Dragunov had suffered a torn ACL in his knee in a match against Gunther at a WWE live event. They said Dragunov will be out for 6 to 9 months.

Analysis: Best wishes to him. I’m a big Dragunov fan. I think six months is unlikely. It’s usually closer to nine months and sometimes people are gone for nearly a year too. It depends on how damaged the knee is after they have the surgery and what the rehab process is.

Let’s Hear from GUNTHER…and Sami Zayn

Gunther made his entrance in all black as the World Heavyweight Champion. Gunther said he loves all aspects of being the World Heavyweight Champion while talking about the money and the amenities. Gunther said that he hates that he has to deal with Sami Zayn every single week. Gunther spoke about how annoying Sami Zayn was since he came here week after week…and here comes Sami Zayn.

The fans popped big for Sami Zayn. Zayn walked down to the ring to tell Gunther there was an easy way to end this once and for all. Zayn told Gunther he should put his World Heavyweight Championship in a one on one match. Zayn wanted Gunther to admit why he wouldn’t do it. Gunther said that Zayn isn’t just on his level. Zayn said if he’s not on his level then how come he beat Gunther at WrestleMania? Zayn said that Gunther beat everybody that was put in front of him except for Zayn because he pinned Gunther. Zayn said that Gunther thinks he is so much better than Zayn and that drives Gunther crazy. Zayn said that Gunther is scared that it will happen again.

Gunther admitted he was afraid, but he was not afraid of Zayn. Gunther said he was afraid of his legacy. Gunther spoke about how losing to the better man would have been no problem, but losing to Zayn has been the biggest embarrassment of his career. Gunther said that he was so busy embarrassing Zayn in front of his family so then Zayn did that to him. Gunther said he flew his family to WrestleMania but he didn’t parade them around to gain sympathy. Gunther said that after it was done, he looked his father in the eye, who told him something. Gunther said his father flew from Vienna to Philadelphia just to see him lose against that “bum” Sami Zayn. Gunther said Zayn’s family doesn’t expect anything from him while Gunther’s family expects everything from him because he’s the Golden Goose of his family and he is special. Gunther said he is something that Zayn will never be and that is the World Heavyweight Champion.

Zayn said that his family has seen him lose, they’ve seen him get knocked down and then Zayn gets back up so he can keep moving forward. Zayn said that Gunther crumbled after losing. Zayn said that Gunther never asked for a rematch because he ran off and hid because he disappeared from TV for months. Zayn said that Gunther couldn’t show his face here and it’s all because Gunther’s dad made him feel like a loser. Zayn said that Gunther is also showing his dad that his son is also a coward. Gunther clotheslined Zayn.

Gunther took off his jacket and Zayn came back with punches. Zayn hit an Exploder Suplex into the turnbuckle. Zayn charged, but Gunther caught him into a quick sleeper. Gunther gave Zayn a Powerbomb. Gunther said if you want a title match so bad then you’ve got the match. Gunther left while Zayn smiled as he held the back of his head to sell the Powerbomb. Zayn said “I got you” at Gunther.

We found later in the show that Gunther-Zayn for the World Heavyweight Title will be on Raw next week and not at Bad Blood this Saturday.

Analysis: I thought that was well done. It was obvious that at some point Gunther was going to accept the challenge, so it took some more prodding from Zayn, who called Gunther a coward and that was enough to set Gunther off leading to a physical attack. I doubt Zayn will beat Gunther when they have the match, but it should be an awesome match. I would have liked to see it at Bad Blood although they have five matches at Bad Blood so I guess they don’t want to add a sixth match since most of the regular PLEs in the Triple H era have five matches. Anyway, it should be an excellent match on Raw next week.

They showed some fan signs in the crowd. There was a “Wade Barrett” sign so Wade was happy about it.

The Miz & R-Truth made their entrance for tag team action.

(Commercial)

Awesome Truth – The Miz & R-Truth vs. Authors of Pain – Akam & Rezar (w/Paul Ellering, Karrion Kross & Scarlett)

R-Truth tried shoulder tackles that didn’t really move Rezar. Truth did manage to hit a belly-to-back slam. That led to Truth doing the John Cena tribute with the Five Knuckle Shuffle fist drop. Truth tried to lift Rezar, which was a bad idea and Rezar slammed Truth hard into the mat. Kross was standing behind Miz on the floor trying to talk to him. Akam tagged in, Truth broke free from a slam and sent Rezar out of the ring. Truth hit a jumping side kick to Akam. Miz tagged in and turned around so he could kick Truth in the head. The fans booed. Kross was laughing about it. The Miz barely touched Truth with the kick, but Truth sold it. AOP hit their neckbreaker/Powerbomb combo called What A Rush for the pinfall win after three minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Authors of Pain – Akam & Rezar

Analysis: *1/4 This was all about the heel turn with Miz going back to his heel ways by turning on the beloved R-Truth. It also put over the idea that Karrion Kross talking to The Miz about what he used to be played a part in this heel turn. I’m glad that The Miz is in heel mode again because he was boring as a face and he’s a lot better in heel mode.

The announcers did a rundown of the WWE Bad Blood lineup for this Saturday, October 5th with an early 6 p.m. ET start time.

* Roman Reigns & Cody Rhodes vs. The Bloodline – Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu

* WWE Women’s Championship: Nia Jax (c) vs. Bayley

* WWE Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley (Dominik Mysterio will be in a Shark Cage above the ring)

* Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor

* Hell in a Cell Match: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

They showed the Tale of the Tape for Bronson Reed and Braun Strowman in the Last Monster Standing Match.

(Commercial)

The World Heavyweight Champion Gunther was backstage with Ludwig Kaiser for an interview by Cathy Kelley. Bron Breakker showed up for the interruption Bron looked at the World Heavyweight Title saying he wanted to see it for himself. Gunther said Bron really is a badass. Bron said that’s right, you’ll see sooner than you think.

Analysis: My intuition was right earlier because it seems like WWE will be pushing Bron Breakker as a babyface moving forward. He won the Intercontinental Title as a heel, lost to a babyface Jey Uso, showed Jey respect after and now Bron has his eyes set on winning the World Heavyweight Title.

Next week on Raw:

* Gunther defends the World Heavyweight Title vs. Sami Zayn

* Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook Match: Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne

* Jey Uso defends the Intercontinental Title vs. Xavier Woods

It was main event time with Bronson Reed up first followed by Braun Strowman, who got a good ovation. A graphic said that Strowman was 4-0 in Last Man Standing Matches.

Last Monster (Man) Standing Match: Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed

A Last Monster Standing Match means the winner is determined by whoever can keep their opponent down for a ten count. Anything goes in a match like this. They are about 715 pounds combined.

Braun hit a clothesline to start the match. Reed ran the ropes leading to a cross body block that sent Braun out of the ring. They left the ring with Braun avoiding Reed, who hit the steel steps. Braun hit Reed with the steel steps to the head two times in a row. Braun gave Reed a Chokeslam while standing on the steel steps and Reed went through the table. The table broke. Reed was back up at the count of six.

(Commercial)

Reed was in control as he teased a suplex onto several chairs on the floor, Braun blocked a suplex attempt, which led to Braun hitting Reed with a forearm that sent Reed back first onto the pile of steel chairs. Braun was moving slowly as he ran across the ring. Reed left the ring, Braun went after him and Reed sent Braun into the video wall by the entrance. Reed grabbed a chair, but Braun got it from him and Braun hit Reed a few times in the back. They climbed up some equipment cases by the technical area. Reed gave Braun an eye gouge and then Reed hit a Death Valley Driver onto two tables! That was wild. That’s an incredible feat of strength by Reed. Braun was back up to continue the match. They went back to ringside where Braun sent Reed over the barricade.

(Commercial)

The match continued on the floor when Reed hit a running shoulder tackle that sent Braun crashing through the barricade at ringside. Braun was back up at a 7 count. Reed was back up and Reed sent Braun crashing through another barricade at ringside. There were fans down around ringside and I assume they were plants, but maybe not. There were WWE officials and security, who went down to ringside. Back in the ring, Reed jumped off the top with a Tsunami splash. Reed was shouting for the referee Chad Patton to get in the ring, but Chad was checking on the barricade getting broken. Reed went up top and hit another Tsunami splash. Reed beat up the security (indy guys) and then he tossed referee Chad Patton down. Raw GM Adam Pearce yelled at Reed saying you can’t touch a referee like that. Reed grabbed Pearce by the collar, Jason Jordan (another producer) yelled at Reed for that and a bunch of security went by the Reed on the floor. Braun went up top and Braun hit a top rope cross body block onto about a dozen guys standing on the floor including Reed. That was impressive by Braun Strowman for being willing to do that. It looked good too. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for the effort. Reed got back up first, but then Braun got up by 8. Braun sent Reed back in the ring. Braun went up top very slowly, but Reed was back up to throw a chair at Braun. Reed worked over Braun with forearm smashes to the back. Reed was standing on the middle rope and Reed hit a superplex! The ring collapsed while referee Chad Patton bumped to the floor and Reed-Braun were down on the mat. The referee managed to climb back in to start the count. Reed crawled over to the steel steps and here’s Seth “Freakin” Rollins making his return with Seth delivering a Stomp on Reed on the steel steps. The fans popped huge for that. Braun got back up at the count of 9. Braun Strowman was the winner. It went about 20 minutes.

Winner: Braun Strowman

Analysis: **** That was a great match. If you would have told me Strowman and Reed would have a 20-minute four-star match on Raw a few months ago I don’t think I would have believed you, but this was booked so well and it was a lot of fun to watch. Guys like Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed are not going to go 20 minutes that often in their careers, but they pulled it off and had a very entertaining brawl that saw them battle all around the building. The return of Seth Rollins made sense since he was taken out nearly two months ago, so now he comes back fresh and can get revenge on Bronson Reed, who has caused a lot of chaos since taking out Rollins nearly two months ago. The attack from Rollins also gives Reed an out because Reed can say that he had the match won until Rollins interfered.

After Braun Strowman was announced as the winner, he collapsed to the mat. Seth Rollins stared at Reed, who was down by the steel steps. That was the end of the show.

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Three Stars of the Show

  1. Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed
  2. Xavier Woods
  3. Gunther and Sami Zayn

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The Scoreboard

7.5 out of 10

Last week: 8

2024 Average: 7.62

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Final Thoughts on WWE Raw

It was a pretty good episode of Raw with the Braun Strowman-Bronson Reed match standing out as the best match. They got 20 minutes, broke a lot of things while brawling all around the arena and the fans had a lot of fun watching it. I enjoyed it too. Seth Rollins coming back to cost Reed the match made sense. The promos for Bad Blood were solid for the most part. I thought CM Punk and Drew McIntyre made their points well. Most of the other matches are built up well. We also get Gunther against Sami Zayn next week in a match that I thought would be at Bad Blood, so it’s a nice treat to have a World Title match on Raw next week. They are sticking with five matches at Bad Blood.

Regarding other matches, I thought there were too many finishes involving people not involved in the match. I get why it’s done, but they had Balor cost LWO to give J-Day the win, Deville did a cheap shot to Valkyria to help Stark win, Woods “accidentally” helped Gable beat Kofi and then Rollins blatantly cost Reed against Strowman in a match without disqualifications. That’s four of the six matches on the show. I get why it’s done because it advances stories and gives people an out for when they lose, but it feels repetitive when it happens that many times in the same show. Sometimes Triple H booking shows have too many interferences finishes.

The other two match finishes saw Xavier Woods pull off Rey Mysterio’s mask and pin him with the dreaded ROLLUP OF DEATH~! while Rey covered his face. I don’t mind that finish because it fits the idea that Woods is desperate for wins now, so he’ll try anything. The Miz turning on R-Truth to cost them their tag team match against AOP was fine with me also. I liked how Karrion Kross was laughing about it too. The Miz is way better as a heel. Some guys just shouldn’t be babyfaces.

That’s the end of three hour episodes of Raw. It’s two hours in length for the final three months of 2024. Once Raw is on Netflix in January, we don’t know for sure how long it will be. That’s to be determined and I assume we’ll find out soon. I think going around 2:20 or 2:30 with limited commercials is the right move.

The next WWE PLE is Bad Blood on October 5th in Atlanta with this lineup announced so far.

* Roman Reigns & Cody Rhodes vs. The Bloodline – Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu

* Hell in a Cell Match: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

* WWE Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley (Dominik Mysterio will be in a Shark Cage above the ring)

* Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor

* WWE Women’s Championship: Nia Jax (c) vs. Bayley

You can watch WWE Bad Blood, streaming live on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT 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. My contact info is below.

John Canton

Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter/X @johnreport