Home News WWE Monday Night Raw Reaction (11/21)

WWE Monday Night Raw Reaction (11/21)

Robert Lentini
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WWE Monday Night Raw Reaction (11/21)

Monday Night Raw kicked off with a video package about last night’s main event where Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar. Goldberg then came down to the ring as the crowd chanted his name. Goldberg tried to talk but the crowd kept on chanting. Goldberg thanked the crowd for allowing him to come back and be Goldberg again. The Toronto crowd began to chant “you still got it” and Goldberg raised his hand. Goldberg then went on to thank his family who were sitting ringside. Goldberg stated that he did what he said he was going to do. He conquered Brock Lesnar. Goldberg claimed that he ran into Stephanie McMahon backstage after the match last night. Goldberg stated that Stephanie McMahon asked if Goldberg had one more title run left in him. The entire crowd broke out in a “yes!” chant. Goldberg then stated that he did indeed have one more title run left in him. Goldberg went on to announce that he will be a part of the Royal Rumble batch. He had to speak up over a very light “you screwed Bret” chant which was in reference to how Bret Hart’s career ended in a match with Goldberg.

Reaction: This was a short, but very well done promo to kick off the show. It is now official that Goldberg will be a part of the Royal Rumble. I would be shocked if he won the match but anything is possible. I think the more likely scenario is that something goes down at the Rumble and Goldberg has one final big match at Wrestlemania. I thought the “you screwed Bret” chants were unfortunate. There is a difference between expressing your opinion in a tweet or a blog post and disrupting the show. I feel the same way when someone chants “CM Punk!” during a match they deem uninteresting. It serves no purpose other than disrupt the show and be a distraction for those that are enjoying the segment.

The New Day came out and poked fun at the fact that they were eliminated rather early in the Survivor Series match last night. Xavier Woods referenced the tag team Demolition and how they held the tag titles for 478 days. Kofi Kingston stated that in 23 days their record will be “demolished”. A smattering of boos broke out and Big E acknowledged it. Big E then referred to Sheamus and Cesaro as “Shesaro”.

Raw Tag Team Championship Match: New Day vs Sheamus & Cesaro

Sheamus and Cesaro played rock-paper-scissors to see who will start off the match. Cesaro won and he immediately took it to Big E. Cesaro showed off his incredible strength by lifting Big E up and slamming him to the mat. Cesaro then tagged in Sheamus and he continued the assault on Big E. Cesaro was then tagged in and he and Sheamus hit a Double Suplex on Big E. Finally, Big E battled back and tagged in Kofi Kingston. Kofi and Cesaro battled back and forth. Cesaro went for the Cesaro Swing but Kofi crawled to the ring apron. Sheamus was tagged in and he launched Kofi into the ring post. Raw then went to a commercial break.

When Raw returned, Sheamus was on the top rope and he was met with a Dropkick in midair by Kofi Kingston. Sheamus still was able to recover before Kingston and he prevented the tag to Big E by knocking him off of the apron. Sheamus then tied Kofi up in the ropes and hit him with a big right hand. Sheamus charged at Kofi but accidentally shoved Cesaro off of the ring apron. Kingston then tagged in Big E and he connected with three Belly to Belly Suplexes. Cesaro charged at Big E but was tossed out of the ring. Kofi then leaped onto Cesaro outside the ring.

Big E went for the Big Ending but Sheamus raked his eyes and hit the White Noise. Sheamus went for the pinfall but Big E kicked out at two. Sheamus and Kofi were then tagged in. Cesaro connected with a series of uppercuts but Kofi blocked the last one and kicked him in the face. Kofi launched himself off of the top rope but Cesaro exhibited unreal strength by catching him and landing a Backbreaker. Kingston battled back and connected with an SOS but Cesaro powered out at two. Kofi went for Trouble in Paradise but Cesaro caught him and put him in the Cesaro Swing for a ridiculous amount of rotations.

Cesaro then locked in the Sharpshooter on Kingston in the center of the ring. Sheamus hit a massive Brogue Kick on Big E outside the ring. Xavier Woods then leaped onto the ring apron and started playing the trombone. It was during this time that Kofi tapped out but the referee didn’t see it due to Xavier’s distraction. Kofi then rolled Cesaro up and Xavier prevented Sheamus from getting back in the ring and breaking up the pinfall.

Winners & Still Tag Team Champions: The New Day

Reaction: The crowd booed the New Day after the match which I thought was awesome. I’ve been stating for a long time on these reactions that I thought the New Day had grown stale. The problem is that the WWE hasn’t really built up any tag teams to take the titles from them. I thought Gallows and Anderson were be the perfect team to take the tag titles from them but we’ve all seen what has happened to them as of late. The crowd is starting to get behind Cesaro and Sheamus. I think it is only a matter of time before they become the new Tag Team Champions. The New Day most likely will hold on to the titles until they break Demolition’s record. After that, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them drop the titles. On the other hand, if the New Day is all the sudden going to become a heel team their title reign may go on even longer.

Chris Jericho was interviewed backstage about Team Raw’s loss last night at Survivor Series. Jericho blamed the loss on his list being scattered around the ring. Jericho revealed that he will explain who he blames for that incident later tonight on the Highlight Reel.

Enzo was locked out of the men’s locker room naked. He then walked through the backstage area with his privates blurred out. He stumbled across the Shining Stars who offered him a timeshare in the Caribbean. Titus O’Neil then told Enzo to put some clothes on. Enzo then came across Lana and uttered “how you doin’?”. Rusev then showed up and shouted at Enzo. Big Cass also showed up. Rusev stated that he is going to crush him in the ring for walking around naked in front of his wife.

Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon were backstage bragging about Raw’s accomplishments. Sami Zayn interrupted. Foley stated that their had to be ramifications for his failure to bring the Intercontinental Championship to Raw last night. Foley then put Zayn in a match against Braun Strowman later tonight on Raw.

Cedric Alexander vs Ariya Daivari

Daivari insulted Canada before the match and stated that Canadiens were no different than Americans. Alexander connected with a Dropkick to start off the match. Daivari battled back and beat down Alexander in the corner. Alexander turned the momentum of the match in favor for a moment but he got caught up in the top rope and fell to the mat. Daivari then hit a massive Clothesline but Alexander kicked out at two. Alexander battled back and hit an impressive kick to the face of Daivari. Alexander connected with a Flying Clothesline and followed it up with a Lumbar Check for the victory.

Winner: Cedric Alexander

Reaction: More was accomplished in this match for the Cruiserweight division than any of the random six-man tag matches we have seen recently on Raw. The match itself was short and I wish it was given a few more minutes in order for the audience to start connecting with some of these Superstars. Daivara cut a stereotypical goofy promo before the match but at the very least he has some kind of a character. They need to do more little promos like that for Superstars like Drew Gulak and Tony Nese. The promos themselves may not be great but they will give some character to these wrestlers. Ever since the Cruiserweight division debuted on the main roster it has essentially been nameless faces flipping around in the ring. The only Superstars the WWE Universe even remotely care about in the division are Brian Kendrick and T.J. Perkins. This match was inconsequential and ultimately didn’t mean anything, but I was still glad to see a single’s match within the division with a short promo before it.

Highlight Reel w/ Chris Jericho

Kevin Owens immediately interrupted Jericho when he began to talk. Owens came down to the ring and referred to the television hanging about the ring as the “Jeriton 5,000”. Jericho corrected him and stated that it was called the “Jeritron 6,500”. Owens showed a picture of Jericho about to get hit with a Styles Clash last night at Survivor Series. Owens then showed a picture of himself using the list to attack AJ Styles. Owens claimed that he was trying to save Jericho from the Styles Clash because he is Jericho’s best friend. Jericho asked why he would do that when he knows how much the list means to him. Owens then said “who cares” and Jericho became very upset.

Jericho stated that the list means everything to him. Owens claimed that he sacrificed himself last night for Jericho. He was disappointed that Jericho didn’t capitalize on Owens sacrificing himself and allowed himself to fall victim to an RKO from Orton. Jericho then stated that maybe he and Owens do not have much of a friendship to begin with. Jericho claimed that Owens is never there when he needs him. Jericho then said that he was finished with Kevin Owens. Jericho went to walk away and Owens grabbed him. The two in concert both stated that it was the fault of Roman Reigns that Team Raw lost last night. Owens and Jericho both hugged in the middle of the ring as a very loud “Roman sucks!” chant broke out. Michael Cole tried to talk over it but was unsuccessful. Owens went on to state that it was just as much Seth Rollins’ fault that Team Raw lost last night.

Seth Rollins came down to the ring with a gigantic grin on his face. Rollins stated that the future is now and that he was promised certain opportunities if he fought with Owens and Jericho at Survivor Series. Rollins then demanded a Universal Championship match with Kevin Owens tonight. Owens and Jericho basically shrugged off Rollins’ statement. Rollins then attacked both of them but Owens and Jericho got the upper hand. Roman Reigns then came out to a symphony of boos. The crowd continued to boo everything Reigns did. Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Jericho. Mick Foley then came down to the entrance ramp. Foley then made a match between Owens and Rollins for the Universal Championship tonight. The match will be no DQ and both Jericho and Reigns are banned from ringside. Foley had a blunder and forgot that the title was called the Universal Championship.

Reaction: This segment was terrific. I completely fell for the idea that Jericho and Owens will no longer be friends. That obviously will happen in the future but I thought for sure they were going to start fighting tonight. I haven’t heard a negative reaction like that in a long time for Roman Reigns. It is stunning to me that Reigns still generates that amount of vitriol from the WWE Universe. Reigns certainly has his fans and overall I think he has improved greatly in the ring. I’ve always felt like he was miscast as this lovable giant when he is better served at being a badass. It may have just been that Raw is in Toronto and both Jericho and Owens are from Canada.  Still, those boos had more passion behind them than most of the heel characters in the WWE. I thought things would get better for Roman when he won the United States Championship. It is a midcard title and he hasn’t been a part of the main event scene for awhile. I think the WWE is biding their time before they put Reigns right back in the hunt for the Universal Championship. I’m assuming they will also continue to align him with Seth Rollins in the hopes that some of Rollins’ popularity with the hardcore fans will rub off on Reigns. I’m not sure if that is still possible with the reaction he received tonight from the audience. Granted, it was just one crowd but that reaction was surreal.

Rusev vs Enzo Amore

Before the match, Enzo and Cass poked fun at Rusev and Lana. Once the match began, Rusev beat the living hell out Enzo. Rusev connected with a kick to the face of Enzo. Rusev then immediately locked in the Accolade and Enzo tapped out. After the match, Big Cass ran into the ring and Rusev retreated.

Winner: Rusev

Tag Team #1 Contenders Match: Golden Truth vs Gallows & Anderson 

Anderson and Goldust started out the match, Byron Saxton stated that the Golden Truth were like a “salad without the right dressing” and that maybe tonight was the night they put everything together. Gallows and R-Truth were in the ring and Gallows was dominating. Anderson was then tagged in and he continued the assault. The crowd started chanting “Goldust” to the tune of the Goldberg chant. Gallows got back in the match and landed a Clothesline on R-Truth. Gallows then hit a few elbows to R-Truth’s collarbone.

R-Truth finally battled back and connected with a kick to the shiny head of Gallows. Goldust was tagged back in and he took it to Anderson. Goldust landed several punches to Anderson’s head in the corner. Goldust then connected with a double Crossbody onto Gallows and Anderson. Gallows took out R-Truth outside the ring. Back in the ring, Gallows and Anderson hit the Magic Killer on Goldust for the victory. The New Day will defend their titles against Gallows and Anderson next week on Raw.

Winners & #1 Contenders For The Raw Tag Titles: Gallows & Anderson

Reaction: Golden Truth must now continue their quest to find the appropriate salad dressing to complete their salad. I’m looking forward to seeing how Gallows and Anderson will lose to the New Day next week.

Sami Zayn vs Braun Strowman

During Zayn’s entrance, Braun Strowman attacked him from behind. The crowd continued the “ole” chant even though Strowman was destroying Zayn in the ring. The match officially started and Strowman hit Zayn with a massive Clothesline in the corner. Strowman followed it up with another big Clothesline in the corner. Strowman charged at Sami again but he was able to get his foot up and kick Strowman in the face. Zayn connected with several punches but Strowman responded by leveling him in the middle of the ring with another Clothesline. Strowman continued to beat down Zayn and Mick Foley came out to the entrance ramp and stopped the match.

Winner: Braun Strowman

Charlotte and Dana Brooke came down the ring. Charlotte showed a picture of her kicking Bayley in the face on the titantron and laughed. Charlotte referred to herself as the Wayne Gretzky of the WWE and then stated that she was even better that Gretzky. Charlotte continued to brag about herself and Sasha Banks interrupted. Sasha demanded that she get her Women’s Championship right now. Charlotte stated that the match will not happen tonight. Charlotte went on to state that the match will happen on Raw next week in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Nia Jax then interrupted and came down to the ring. Nia Jax claimed that she dominated Team Smackdown last night and that Sasha Banks did not. Nia Jax called Sasha an “overrated purple-headed Barbie doll”. Dana Brooke then started to taunt Sasha and Banks punched her in the face. Nia Jax then attacked Sasha Banks and Charlotte egged her on. Nia Jax held up Sasha as Charlotte hit a couple of chops. Bayley then to the ring and Nia Jax tossed Sasha out of the ring. Bayley tried to get into the ring but Nia Jax kneed her off of the apron. Raw then went to a commercial break.

Sasha Banks & Bayley vs Nia Jax & Charlotte

Sasha and Bayley took turns beating down Charlotte. Eventually, Charlotte connected with an elbow on Bayley and tagged in Nia Jax. Nia launched Bayley out of the ring and the referee tried to prevent her from going after her. During the distraction, Dana Brooke leveled Bayley outside the ring. Nia Jax then tagged in Charlotte and she applied a Chinlock to Bayley. The hold was eventually broken but Charlotte dragged Bayley to the corner and tagged in Nia Jax. Bayley avoided Nia and tried to crawl to the corner to tag in Sasha. Charlotte got back in and tried to prevent the tag but she was unsuccessful.

Sasha Banks entered the match and beat down Charlotte in the corner and connected with the Double Knees. Sasha and Bayley hit a Double Suplex on Nia Jax. Charlotte rolled up Sasha but she kicked out at two. Charlotte went for another roll up but Sasha reversed it into the Bank Statement. Charlotte had no choice but to tap out in the middle of the ring.

Winners: Sasha Banks & Bayley

Reaction: It is good to see Nia Jax dominating on Monday Night Raw. I think Sasha Banks and Charlotte are excellent performers. Personally, I’m just tired of seeing them wrestle each other. I’m hoping that next week is the end of their feud for awhile. I’m also hoping that the WWE doesn’t continue to play hot potato with the Raw Women’s Championship and give the title right back to Sasha Banks. Charlotte does a great job as a heel champion and I’d like to see that continue with an opponent other than Sasha Banks. I thought Sasha Banks deserved to win the title when she did and I’m still confused as to why she lost the belt so quickly at Hell in a Cell.

#1 Contender Triple Threat Match For Cruiserweight Championship: T.J. Perkins vs Rich Swann vs Noam Dar

The Brian Kendrick joined commentary for this match. Perkins hung himself between the top and second rope and Dar hit him with a Dropkick. Swann then knocked Dar out of the ring and connected with a chop on Perkins in the corner. Perkins connected with a Dropkick to Swann’s knee and Raw went to a commercial break.

When Raw returned, Perkins had Swann in a submission hold. Noam Dar tried to attack Perkins but T.J. hit a Suplex while still maintaining the submission hold on Swann. Perkins climbed the top rope and Swann caught him with a sloppy-looking Hurricanrana. Dar then went on the attack and beat down Swann in the corner. Perkins then caught Dar with a kick to the face. Swann then kicked Dar in the back of the head and followed it up with a kick to Perkins. T.J. locked in the Knee Bar on Swann but Noam Dar broke up the hold. Dar hit a Dropkick on Perkins and then got locked in the Knee Bar by Perkins. Swann broke up the hold and connected with a spinning kick to the head of Perkins for the victory.

Winner & #1 Contender To The Cruiserweight Championship: Rich Swann

Reaction: I’ve spent what seems like an eternity on here bashing what the WWE has done to the Cruiserweight division. On this particular episode of Raw, they have done a great job by putting on two Cruiserweight matches and giving them some time. The first Cruiserweight match of the night was short but at least it was a six-man tag match. The triple threat match was solid. Rich Swann is a great choice to go against Kendrick because he has some personality and charisma. I’m hoping that they give this feud some time to develop, whether that be on Raw each week or on 205 Live.

No DQ Universal Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs Seth Rollins

Kevin Owens rolled out of the ring immediately when the match started. Owens was trying to get something from under the ring but Rollins prevented him. The action spilled back into the ring and Rollins caught Owens with a knee. Rollins then went under the ring and brought out a table. Owens caught Rollins as he tried to get back into the ring and slammed him to the mat. Owens shoved the table out of the ring and the crowd booed. Raw once again went to a commercial break as Owens was screaming at the crowd for booing his actions.

When Raw returned, Rollins kicked out of a pinfall. Owens had hit a DDT on Rollins onto a chair during the commercial break. Owens once again hit Rollins with the steel chair in the ribs. Rollins eventually fought back and sent Owens out of the ring. Rollins then hit a Suicide Dive onto Owens outside the ring. Seth then rolled Owens back into the ring and beat him down in the corner. Raw once again went to a commercial break.

When Raw came back from another commercial break during the main event, Owens and Rollins were trading punches in the middle of the ring. Rollins and Owens then traded kicks to the head and both men fell to the mat. During the commercial break, Owens put Rollins through a table and hit a Cannonball on him outside the ring up against the barricade. Rollins went for a Frog Splash but Owens rolled out of the way. Owens then set up Rollins in the corner with a chair and hit a Cannonball on him.

Owens then set up two chairs in the ring and tried to Powerbomb Rollins on top of them. Rollins reversed it into a Back Body Drop and Owens landed on top of the two chairs. The crowd then broke out in a “this is awesome!” chant. Rollins went back under the ring and brought out another table. Rollins brought the table into the ring and stomped on Kevin Owens. Rollins set up the table in the corner of the ring against the turnbuckle.

Owens recovered and tried to grab a chair but accidentally knocked it out of the ring. Rollins connected with a kick to Owens’ head and climbed to the top turnbuckle. Owens caught him and landed a couple of chops as Rollins was on the turnbuckle. Rollins slipped underneath Owens and carried him across the ring and Powerbombed him through the table set up across the ring. Rollins went for the pin but Owens kicked out at two.

Owens then rolled out of the ring to try to avoid Seth Rollins. Seth followed him outside the ring and Clotheslined him over the barricade and into the crowd. Rollins hopped up onto the barricade and launched himself onto Kevin Owens. Rollins continued the assault and Owens desperately tried to escape through the crowd. Owens was all the way in the back of the arena and Rollins continued to pursue him.

Rollins smashed a trash can over the face of Kevin Owens. Owen then was at one of the crowd entrances and tried to Powerbomb Rollins onto the concrete floor. Rollins grabbed the railing and scaled the wall into the crowd. Rollins then launched himself from the crowd on top of Rollins. The crowd went crazy for this awesome sequence. Rollins continued to attack Owens as they once again battled through the crowd. The Toronto crowd were all on their feet and once again broke out in a “this is awesome” chant.

Owens and Rollins finally made it back to the ring. Rollins jumped up on the barricade but a fan in the mask attacked Rollins. The mask was ripped off and it was Jericho under the mask. Rollins then hit the Pedigree on Jericho. Owens then hit a Powerbomb on Rollins onto the ring apron and rolled Rollins back into the ring. Owens then brought Rollins and pinned him for the victory. The announcer’s questioned the validity of this result given the fact that Chris Jericho was banned from the match.

Winner & Still Universal Champion: Kevin Owens

Reaction: I have spent almost every week since the brand split bashing Raw in these reaction articles. Tonight was an excellent episode of Monday Night Raw. The entire show was good. The main event was such a good match that I am shocked that they gave it away from free. I also thought the ending of the match was good because it gives them a reason to have this match again. Smackdown will have to put on one hell of a show tomorrow night to top tonight’s Raw. I don’t expect every episode of Raw to be as good as this one. I sincerely hope that they continue in this direction and provide the audience with both entertaining promos and quality matches. There has been very little of either for the past few weeks of Raw. Tonight was a great reminder of how entertaining a wrestling show can be when done correctly.

What did you think of tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw? Let us know in the comments below.

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