This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw kicked off with a Highlight Reel segment with Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens. Kevin Owens began to insult the crowd and they responded with a loud boo. Owens insulted Americans and their need to trample over each other while shopping during Black Friday. The crowd broke out in a “USA!” chant. Owens stated that he was thankful for his best friend Chris Jericho and the two hugged in the middle of the ring.
Jericho claimed that he was thankful for his beautiful scarf and that he was thankful for Seth Rollins. Jericho explained that he was thankful for Rollins because he is the perfect example of a stupid idiot. Jericho then claimed that it was Sin Cara in a Chris Jericho mask that interfered in the Universal Championship match last week on Raw. Owens stated that Seth Rollins wasn’t medically cleared to be at the building tonight. Roman Reigns came down to the ring to a mixed reaction from the crowd.
Roman Reigns stated that he believes Kevin Owens being the Universal Champion is a joke. Owens then had a hell of a time saying the word “Universal” and the crowd laughed at him. Roman Reigns called Owens pathetic for needing Chris Jericho to retain his Universal Championship. Owens then went on to say that he didn’t need Jericho and Jericho looked offended. Jericho went to add Reigns to the list but Owens told him to shut up. Eventually, this led to a match between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns later on in the show. If Reigns wins, he will get a shot at the Universal Championship at WWE Roadblock: End of the Line.
Reaction: The WWE has been having matches between Owens and Reigns at house shows recently so this feud was predictable. I’m not bothered by Roman Reigns being in the Universal Championship picture. He has improved a lot in the past couple of years and with the roster the WWE has right now, he deserves to be there. I just don’t understand why the WWE put the United States Championship on Reigns if they were essentially going to ignore the title after the Rusev feud. There are plenty of midcard talents on the Raw roster that would get a major boost from feuding with Reigns for that title.
Jericho and Owens had a falling out backstage. It appears that their friendship may finally be over.
Braun Strowman vs R-Truth
Strowman squashed R-Truth in under a minute. Goldust tried to attack Strowman after the match but Strowman laid him out as well. Sami Zayn then attacked Strowman but Braun beat the hell out of him as well. Referees and Mick Foley then came down to the ring in an effort to try and stop Strowman from beating up Zayn some more. Raw then went to a commercial ramp with Foley walking down the entrance ramp asking Strowman to stop.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Mick Foley and Sami Zayn had a confrontation in the ring. Foley stated that Zayn would never be able to defeat Braun Strowman and that he needs to stop trying. Sami Zayn then called Foley a hypocrite and stated that Foley was getting in his way. Zayn then walked away as Foley shook his head in the ring. During the promo, it appeared that Foley lost a tooth or a denture had fallen out.
https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/803414722955661312
Cedric Alexander vs Tony Nese
Alexander connected with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Hurricanrana. Alicia Fox was shown watching the match backstage. Michael Cole then hinted at the fact that their might be a relationship storyline between Alexander and Fox in the future. Tony Nese took control of the match and had Alexander in a Chinlock. Alexander eventually battled out of it. Drew Gulak then hopped on the ring apron to try and distract the referee. Alexander laid Gulak out but the distraction allowed Nese to hit a Pumphandle Slam/ Powerbomb. Whatever the move was supposed to be it wasn’t executed well and Alexander almost had his head slammed into the mat.
Winner: Tony Nese
Seth Rollins beatdown Jericho backstage. Jericho was trying to leave the arena but Rollins attacked him in the parking lot. Rollins hit the Pedigree on Jericho on top of a car.
Raw Women’s Championship Match: Charlotte (c) vs Sasha Banks
Sasha locked in the Bank Statement as soon as the match started. Charlotte got to the bottom rope to break the hold. Sasha then went outside the ring and launched Dana Brooke into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Sasha continued to dominate the match. The action spilled outside the ring and Charlotte and Sasha traded chops. Charlotte launched Sasha into the guardrail and the fight continued into the crowd. The referee then counted both Superstars out and the match ended. Or did it?! Mick Foley then came out from backstage and stated that the match will restart later on in the night. When the match restarts, it will be a Falls Count Anywhere match with no count outs and no DQ.
Enzo Amore vs Rusev
Before the match, Enzo stated that Lana was thinking about “Enzo stuffing her turkey” during Thanksgiving. Rusev hit Enzo with a blatant low-blow right when the match started and was disqualified.
Winner: Enzo Amore via DQ
Reaction: I’m guessing this feud with Enzo and Rusev will wind up leading to a match between Rusev and Big Cass. Much like the New Day, Enzo and Cass seem to do the same thing every week. Call me crazy, but I have zero interest in this feud or what will become of it.
Titus O’Neil and Mark Henry had a confrontation backstage. Mark Henry was talking about the new movie he is in and Titus interrupted. Titus claimed that he should have been in the movie. Mark Henry went to walk away but Titus grabbed his arm. Henry then shoved Titus to the floor and walked away.
Rich Swann vs Noam Dar
Brian Kendrick joined commentary for this match. Kendrick will be defending his Cruiserweight Championship on the debut episode of 205 Live tomorrow night after Smackdown. Brian Kendrick went off on Byron Saxton during the match. The match itself was back and forth. It ended with Swann connecting with a kick that looked awesome.
Winner: Rich Swann
Sheamus and Cesaro were at a bar having a drink. The two once again started to argue. A man approached Sheamus and started making fun of him. Another guy started making fun of Cesaro and the entire crowd started laughing. The guy then burped in Cesaro’s face. Cesaro and Sheamus then beat the hell out of everyone in the bar and seemed to finally get along.
Reaction: This segment was completely ridiculous and I loved every second of it. It was cringeworthy and hilarious at the same time. At the end of the segment, Cesaro and Sheamus enjoyed a pint of Guinness. It was terrible but great at the same time. I wish the WWE would do more segments like this rather than have the same old corny promos in the ring. This segment was ridiculous but the bottom line is that it worked. I didn’t like the idea of putting Sheamus and Cesaro in a tag team when the idea started. I thought the WWE compounded the problem by making them battle with each other in every match they were in. However, I’ve started to enjoy them as a tag team and I think it is only a matter of time before they become the Raw Tag Team Champions.
Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns
Kevin Owens started off this match on the offensive. Roman Reigns battled back and threw Owens into the barricade outside the ring. Owens fought back and launched Reigns into the steel stairs. Raw then went to a commercial break. When Raw returned, Kevin Owens hit Reigns with a DDT. There were dueling chants of “lets go Roman!” and “Roman sucks!” echoing throughout the arena. Owens had Reigns in a Chinlock for several minutes. Reigns eventually tried to get out of the hold but Owens got up and hit a Senton on Roman. Owens once again applied the Chinlock to Reigns in the center of the ring. Owens went for another Senton but Reigns got his knees up.
Reigns beatdown Owens in the corner and followed it up with a kick to the face. Reigns then connected with a Samoan Drop but Owens kicked out at two. Reigns went for the Superman Punch but Kevin Owens rolled out of the ring. Reigns followed him and hit him with the Drive By on the ring apron. The match returned to the ring and Owens connected with a kick to the head of Reigns. Owens went to the top turnbuckle but Reigns followed him up there. Reigns then hit a Superman Punch on Owens while he was seated upon the top turnbuckle. Owens fell to the mat and again fell out of the ring. Reigns then hit Owens with a Superman Punch off of the steel steps. Reigns then hit Owens with a Spear and won the match. Roman Reigns will now face Kevin Owens at WWE Roadblock for the Universal Championship.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Reaction: I thought this match was good. It lost a little tension because it was obvious that Roman Reigns was going to win. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin Owens drops the Universal Championship sometime before the Royal Rumble or at the Royal Rumble event. I think it would be a bit random if he lost it at Roadblock but I guess anything is possible. The WWE has booked Owens in such a way that he essentially needs outside interference to beat anyone now. The only way I see Owens retaining is that if Chris Jericho helps him out once more or Triple H shows up again. There is always the possibility of a DQ or some other goofy finish to happen at Roadblock.
Kevin Owens was interviewed backstage. Owens claimed that the only reason that he lost his match with Roman Reigns was because he was thinking about his best friend Chris Jericho and how Rollins attacked him earlier in the night. Owens was coughing and selling the Spear he took from Roman Reigns.
Michael Cole interviewed Paul Heyman earlier in the day. Heyman claimed that they took Goldberg lightly. Heyman also claimed that the first Spear from Goldberg broke Brock’s ribs. Heyman stated that it is embarrassing how quickly Brock Lesnar lost to Goldberg. Heyman went on to say that Lesnar now has something to prove. Heyman announced that Brock Lesnar will be in the Royal Rumble match and that Lesnar is going to make a victim out of Goldberg.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: New Day (c) vs Gallows & Anderson
The match started out with Gallows and Anderson demolishing Xavier Woods. Big E was also taken out and he was shown laying outside the ring as Raw went to a commercial break. When Raw returned, Big E hit three Belly to Belly Suplexes on Karl Anderson. Big E then Clotheslined Gallows out of the ring. This allowed Anderson to recover and he regained control of the match. Big E battled back and hit a massive Spear on Anderson who was on the ring apron and both men went falling to the floor outside the ring.
Back in the ring, Woods was tagged back in. Anderson hit a Spinebuster on Woods but Xavier was able to kick out at two. Gallows was then tagged into the match. Anderson climbed to the top rope and Gallows Powerbombed Woods as Anderson hit Woods with a Neckbreaker at the same time. Amazingly, Woods kicked out of that move at two. Anderson rolled up Woods and grabbed his tights but Woods reversed it into a roll up of his own. Woods grabbed Anderson’s tights for leverage and the New Day retained their titles.
Winners & Still Tag Team Champions: New Day
Reaction: This was a better match than I expected it to be. I’ve just been conditioned to believe that Gallows and Anderson will lose every match in embarrassing fashion. The New Day have looked very beatable in the past few weeks. They were the first tag team eliminated for Team Raw at Survivor Series and last week they needed interference from Woods to defeat Cesaro and Sheamus. The New Day will most likely beat Demolition’s record for longest reigning Tag Team Champions but it is looking like they may not have the titles for much longer.
Bayley and Sasha Banks had a discussion backstage. Sasha claimed that she was dedicating her match tonight to Charlotte’s father, Ric Flair. A few months back, Charlotte told Ric Flair that he was dead to her. Bayley wished Sasha luck in her title match.
Falls Count Anywhere Match For The Raw Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs Sasha Banks
Sasha started out the match on the offensive and dove onto Charlotte outside the ring. Both Charlotte and Sasha hit a Clothesline on each other outside the ring and Raw went to a commercial break. When Raw returned, Charlotte was in control of the match. Sasha battled back and hit Double Knees on Charlotte. Sasha and Charlotte traded chops on the ring apron. Charlotte hit Sasha with a big kick and Sasha went tumbling to the floor. Charlotte went for the pin but Sasha kicked out at two.
Charlotte then hit the Natural Selection on Sasha outside the ring but Banks once again kicked out at two. Sasha grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring and hit Charlotte with it a couple of times. Charlotte knocked the kendo stick out of Sasha’s hand and hit her with a Neckbreaker outside the ring. Charlotte then locked in the Figure Eight outside the ring. Sasha grabbed the kendo stick and hit Charlotte with it to break the hold. The two then fought their way up the entrance ramp. Charlotte then cleared off the announce table and got on top of it. Charlotte then hit a Moonsault onto Sasha off of the announce table and Banks once again kicked out at two.
The crowd started to chant “this is awesome!”. The action moved back down to the ramp and around the ring. Sasha smashed Charlotte’s head into the LED ring post and followed it up with Double Knees off of the barricade. Banks then went for the pitfall but Charlotte kicked out at two. Sasha once again grabbed the kendo stick and hit Charlotte several times with it. The match then spilled into the crowd and Sasha applied the Bank Statement on Charlotte while she was stuck in a railing. Charlotte tapped out and Sasha Banks captured her third Women’s Championship.
After the match, Ric Flair came down to the ring. Ric Flair then raised Sasha Banks’ hand and celebrated with her in the ring.
Winner & New Raw Women’s Champion: Sasha Banks
Reaction: This match was very good but I just don’t get it. Charlotte and Sasha Banks have played hot potato with the Raw Women’s Championship since the brand split. Hopefully, Sasha Banks now gets an actual title reign and doesn’t lose it again in a couple of weeks. I’m also hoping that this is the last match we see between Sasha Banks and Charlotte for awhile. It is hard to get all that invested in the women’s division on Raw when it is constantly just two Superstars battling each other for the title. There are Superstars like Nia Jax that should be getting built up but are instead left completely off of the show. Overall, tonight’s episode of Raw was solid. There were a couple of segments that were just awful but it was still better than most episodes of Raw as of late.
What did you think of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw? Let us know in the comments below.