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WWE Monday Night Raw Reaction (11/14)

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Written by

Robert Lentini

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Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley kicked off the show. They called out every member of Team Raw from the back. Foley stated that Survivor Series was important to every Superstar on the roster. Stephanie McMahon threatened the roster and claimed that if they didn’t start working together tonight she will be forced to make some serious changes. Foley then made a match between Cesaro & Sheamus vs Kevin Owens & Roman Reigns. Stephanie McMahon then made a match between Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman & Chris Jericho vs the New Day. Foley made another match between Charlotte & Sasha Banks vs Alicia Fox & Nia Jax.

Sheamus & Cesaro vs Kevin Owens & Roman Reigns

Cesaro and Reigns started out the match by locking up in the middle of the ring. Reigns got the advantage and leveled Cesaro with a Clothesline. Cesaro trapped Reigns in the corner and Sheamus and Cesaro couldn’t stop tagging each other in. They began to argue and Reigns recovered and laid out Sheamus with a punch. Cesaro responded by hitting a series of uppercuts on Reigns. Roman Reigns was tossed out of the ring by Cesaro and Kevin Owens hopped off of the ring apron. Owens then berated Reigns outside the ring for getting his ass kicked. Cesaro leaped on to both of them outside the ring and Raw went to a commercial break.

When Raw returned, Kevin Owens hit a Tornado DDT on Cesaro. Roman Reigns asked to be tagged into the match and Owens didn’t because Reigns didn’t say “please”. Owens then mocked the scream Reigns’ does before he goes for a Spear and hit Cesaro with a Cannonball in the corner. Cesaro finally fought back and Sheamus begged for a tag. Cesaro tagged in Sheamus and he immediately went on the offensive against Owens. Sheamus hit Owens with a knee and hung Owens up on the ropes and clubbed him in the chest ten times. Sheamus ran at Owens but Owens countered and launched him out of the ring. Owens then tagged in Reigns.

Sheamus attacked Reigns outside the ring but Reigns countered and sent him flying over the steel steps. Reigns then hit the Drive By and the two Superstars got back into the ring. Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Sheamus but Cesaro broke up the pinfall. Owens kicked Cesaro in the face and Reigns followed it up with a Superman Punch. Reigns was going for the Spear on Sheamus but Owens tagged himself in. Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick on Owens and Reigns hit a Spear on Sheamus. Reigns then dragged Owens’ hand onto Sheamus and he picked up the pinfall victory. Reigns and Owens continued to argue after the match.

Winners: Kevin Owens & Roman Reigns

Jericho was backstage with Rollins and Strowman. Jericho tried to pump up his teammates for tonights match. Jericho then handed a gift to Rollins and Strowman. Rollins opened his gift and it was a scarf. Rollins claimed that he was not a scarf guy. Strowman pointed to the scarf around Jericho’s neck and stated that he wanted that one. Jericho then gave Strowman his scarf and Braun ripped it up. Strowman then told Jericho that he didn’t like scarves and that he didn’t like Jericho either. Strowman walked away and Jericho looked disgusted.

Bo Dallas vs Sami Zayn

Earlier in the evening, Bo Dallas was pissed off that Sami Zayn got an oppurtunity at the IC title. Sami  responded by challenging Bo to a match. Zayn started off the match in control and Bo Dallas was getting frustrated. Bo fought back and knocked Zayn down with a Clothesline. Bo then hit Zayn with several knees and posed for the booing crowd. Bo slowed the match down and locked Zayn in a Chinlock. Zayn powered out and hit an Exploder Suplex into the turnbuckle. Zayn then followed it up with a Helluva Kick for the victory.

Winner: Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn was interviewed after the match and stated that it didn’t matter who he faces for the IC title at Survivor Series. Zayn claimed that he could defeat either The Miz or Dolph Ziggler. Zayn then said that he was determined to bring the Intercontinental Championship back to Monday Night Raw.

Brian Kendrick addressed the Cruiserweight division backstage. Kendrick ensured the locker room that he will defeat Kalisto at Survivor Series and that the Cruiserweight division will remain on Raw. The rest of the division didn’t believe Kendrick at all. Sin Cara then got in Kendrick’s face and stated that at least Kalisto would make a respectable Cruiserweight Champion. The segment ended with the entire Cruiserweight division arguing with each other.

The New Day cut a promo about their new merchandise that is out now. If you want New Day socks for some reason, you can go here.

Reaction: The first hour of Monday Night Raw was better than usual this week. The promo at the beginning of the show was short and to the point. I also enjoyed the tag match that followed the promo. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Roman Reigns in the Universal Championship picture following Survivor Series even though he is currently the United States Champion. Stephanie McMahon stated that she wanted to see Kevin Owens prove at Survivor Series that he is the more dominant champion than AJ Styles. I don’t see how that is possible because Owens hasn’t won a meaningful match on his own since he won the title. I understand that Owens is a heel and it makes sense that he is taking shortcuts. I just think that they have gone too far with it and his title reign hasn’t been as entertaining as I had hoped it would be.
New Day vs Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho & Braun Strowman

The New Day started off this match in control. Kofi Kingston took it to Jericho and then tagged in Xavier Woods. Jericho escaped Xavier’s hold and Rollins chuckled at him. Jericho then tagged in Rollins by slapping him in the chest. Rollins immediately captured control of the match and hit a Slingblade on Woods. Rollins tagged in Jericho and he continued the assault on Woods. Jericho was still angry that Rollins laughed at him and he allowed Woods to get back into the match. Woods tagged in Kingston and hit a series of elbows on Jericho. Big E was then tagged in and he hit a splash on Jericho. Big E tagged Woods back in and he immediately kicked Jericho in the face. Kingston then tagged himself in and Woods took a break to play his new trombone outside the ring.

Jericho slapped Strowman across the chest and demanded that Braun get in the ring. Strowman slammed Kofi face first into the mat and Raw went to a commercial break. When Raw returned, Strowman was still dominating Kofi Kingston. Rollins was tagged in and he continued to beatdown Kingston. Eventually, Kofi fought back and hit Rollins with the Double Knees that sent Rollins to the mat. Rollins tagged Strowman back in. Strowman went to dive at Kofi but he missed and went flying into the ring post. Jericho tagged himself in and Woods also tagged himself in. Woods hit Jericho with a DDT. Kofi went for a Suicide Dive onto Strowman outside the ring but Braun caught him and slammed him to the floor. Strowman then ran over Big E outside the ring. Back in the ring, Jericho tagged in Strowman and he hit a running Powerslam on Xavier Woods for the victory.

Winners: Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman

After the match, Seth Rollins hit a Pedigree on Jericho.

Paul Heyman had a conversation with Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley backstage. Heyman promoted the match between Goldberg and Lesnar. Heyman also suggested that Team Smackdown was better than Team Raw.

Charlotte and Sasha Banks also had a confrontation backstage. Charlotte began to brag about being the captain of the Raw women’s team at Survivor Series. Sasha Banks then claimed that if they lose, everyone was going to blame Charlotte.

Sin Cara vs Brian Kendrick

Kendrick immediately tossed Sin Cara out of the ring. Sin Cara got back into the ring and the referee rang the bell. Kendrick connected with a Suplex on Sin Cara. Kendrick continued to beatdown Sin Cara and only took a break to pose for the crowd.  Sin Cara finally got in some offense and Raw went to a commercial break. When Raw returned, Kendrick had regained control of the match. The crowd started to chant “boring”. Sin Cara hit a Powerbomb but Kendrick kicked out at two. Brian Kendrick eventually picked up the win via the Captain’s Hook.

Winner: Brian Kendrick

Enzo & Cass had a confrontation with Gallows & Anderson backstage. Enzo & Cass called Gallows & Anderson bald. Gallows & Anderson called Enzo & Cass nerds.

Mick Foley instructed security to be present in the ring to ensure that Lesnar and Goldberg don’t start fighting tonight. Lesnar and Goldberg made their way to the ring. Paul Heyman went to talk but Goldberg immediately interrupted. Heyman tried to talk again but Goldberg told him to shut up. Heyman didn’t listen and continued to talk. Heyman claimed that the security was present to protect Goldberg from Lesnar. The crowd began to chant “Goldberg” and Goldberg raised his hands to acknowledge the crowd.

Goldberg once again told Heyman to shut up. Heyman mentioned Goldberg’s family and Goldberg threatened to rip off Heyman’s head and feed it to Lesnar. Heyman claimed that Goldberg was going to get a beating of a lifetime at Survivor Series. The crowd once again started to chant “Goldberg” and Heyman angrily instructed them to shut the hell up. Heyman asked Goldberg to drop out of the match and told Lesnar to buy a gift card to the WWE Network so that his son could watch him wrestle.

Goldberg ripped off his shirt and stepped towards Lesnar but security was still in the way. Lesnar then pushed two security guards out of the way. Heyman continued to talk and stated that Goldberg will beaten beyond the point of recognition. Heyman that stated that Goldberg will be so unrecognizable that his son will refer to Lesnar as daddy. Goldberg got all of the security guards out of the ring and challenged Lesnar to fight. Lesnar ripped off of his shirt but then hopped out of the ring. Lesnar walked away as Goldberg stood tall in the ring.

Reaction: The second hour of Monday Night Raw was also decent. Strowman looked absolutely dominant tonight. The WWE has been trying to build him up as a monster forever by facing local talents every week. I feel like that was finally accomplished tonight with the few minutes Strowman was in the ring. The Cruiserweight division continues to be a major problem for Raw. The crowd was completely dead during the Kendrick and Sin Cara match. The Goldberg and Lesnar promo was very good. The WWE was finally able to get the crowd to boo Brock Lesnar. They tried to get Lesnar booed in his hometown for some reason and it failed miserably. Tonight was a different story. I liked the fact that Lesnar backed down from Goldberg tonight. At the very least, it made Goldberg appear to be on Lesnar’s level. Having said that, I still have a hard time getting excited for their match at Survivor Series. I cannot shake the fact that their match 12 years ago sucked and Goldberg is almost 50 years old. I went into more detail on my concerns for their match at Survivor Series on my website and you can check that out here if you’d like. I hope I’m wrong and that the match turns out to be great. I still have a bad feeling that the match will wind up being underwhelming this Sunday at Survivor Series.

Charlotte & Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax & Alicia Fox

Bayley joined commentary for this match. Nia Jax started off this match in control. She absolutely leveled Sasha Banks and Raw went to a commercial break. When Raw returned, Charlotte and Alicia Fox were in the ring. Sasha Banks was tagged in and she continued to beatdown Alicia. Charlotte then tagged herself in by slapping Sasha in the back. Sasha and Charlotte then began to shove each other in the ring. Sasha and Charlotte then began to trade punches and both Superstars fell to the mat. Alicia tagged in Nia Jax and she knocked down Charlotte with a Clothesline. Charlotte and Sasha continued to battle with each other. Alicia Fox then entered the match and was immediately put in the Bank Statement. Alicia Fox tapped out as Charlotte fended off Nia Jax. After the match, Charlotte and Sasha continued to argue. Bayley got into the ring and raised both of their hands.

Winners: Charlotte & Sasha Banks

Mick Foley was backstage with Team Raw and gave them a pep talk. He wanted everyone to stick around to see what he and Stephanie had to say to Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon later on in the show.

Enzo & Cass & Gallows & Anderson vs Shining Stars & Golden Truth

Enzo and Cass started off this match by dominating the Shining Stars. The Golden Truth tossed Gallows and Anderson out of the ring and Raw went to a commercial break. When Raw returned, Goldust and R-Truth were beating down Karl Anderson. Anderson fought back and trapped R-Truth in the corner. Gallows was then tagged in and hit a Suplex on R-Truth. Gallows then tagged back in Anderson and he continued the attack on R-Truth.

R-Truth tried to tag in Goldust but Primo got in the way. Big Cass was also tagged in and he immediately connected with a slam on Primo. Cass then hit a big boot and followed it up with an Empire Elbow. Goldust and R-Truth then dragged Primo out of the ring. Gallows and Anderson then hit the Magic Killer on Epico. Gallows and Anderson then pretended that they were going to let Enzo and Cass hit the Bada Boom Shakalaka on Epico. However, Gallows got in the way and pinned Epico for the victory.

Winners: Enzo, Cass, Gallows & Anderson

Survivor Series Summit

Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley were joined in the ring by Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon. Stephanie went to hug Shane but he wasn’t interested. Stephanie claimed that Raw was the dominant brand and Shane disagreed. Shane claimed that Smackdown was the better show and the entire crowd starting chanting “yes!”. Stephanie called Shane McMahon a hypocrite because he denied a WWE Superstar the chance to compete at Survivor Series because Shane is on Team Smackdown. Daniel Bryan stated that he put Shane McMahon on Team Smackdown because he is a real leader, unlike Stephanie McMahon.

Foley then bashed Daniel Bryan for calling Raw lazy and complacent. Foley went on to state that Raw was the program that put on the first women’s Hell in a Cell match. The Raw men’s team then came down to the ring. Foley and Stephanie then left the ring as the Raw Superstars surrounded the ring. The crowd in Buffalo then started to chant “AJ Styles”. Team Smackdown then emerged from the crowd and got into the ring. Kevin Owens then welcomed Team Smackdown to the Kevin Owens show. Owens claimed that Styles’ WWE World Heavyweight Championship meant nothing on Monday Night Raw.

AJ Styles then grabbed a microphone and referred to Owens as a paper champion. Owens stated that at Survivor Series he is going to prove that he is better than Styles. AJ responded by claiming that Kevin Owens was still stuck on Jericho’s “sugar tit”. Jericho then claimed that Owens was the best friend ever and gave him a big hug. Jericho then called Styles a stupid idiot. Jericho then proceeded to add AJ Styles to the list and insulted AJ’s haircut.

Jericho then insulted James Ellsworth who was standing on the ring apron. Jericho referred to him as “Chince McMahon” and added him to the list. Bray Wyatt stated that Strowman abandoned him and that he will be destroyed at Survivor Series. Strowman and Randy Orton then had a stare down in the ring. Seth Rollins then warned Shane McMahon that he had no idea what he has gotten himself into. Dean Ambrose then attacked Team Raw and a brawl broke out. Strowman stomped Shane McMahon in the corner and slammed Dean Ambrose to the mat. Strowman then launched himself onto Shane in the corner. Styles and Ambrose teamed up and attacked Strowman. Shane McMahon then Clotheslined Strowman out of the ring. Ambrose hit a Suicide Dive onto Rollins outside the ring. Jericho hit a Dropkick that sent Styles out of the ring. Orton then hit a RKO on Jericho. Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Orton and Bray Wyatt. AJ Styles went for a Styles Clash on Reigns but Rollins blocked it and hit a Pedigree on Styles. Reigns and Rollins then Powerbombed Styles out of the ring and onto the rest of the members of Team Smackdown outside the ring.

Reaction: Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw was actually good. It had it’s eye-rolling moments but for the most part it was good. I thought the final segment of the show was very well done. Survivor Series is six days away and now Team Raw has all of the momentum. The card for Survivor Series looks very good in my opinion. I’m much more intrigued by the traditional Survivor Series matches than the Goldberg and Lesnar match. Originally, I wasn’t interested in the possibility of the Cruiserweight division joining Smackdown. Raw is an hour longer and I’m not sure how Smackdown could fit an entire new division on a two hour program. However, the Cruiserweight division is an afterthought on Raw. If the Cruiserweight division somehow finds some life on Smackdown then I’m all for it. If Zayn wins his match at Survivor Series he will become the IC champion and will bring that title to Raw. If that does happen, where does that leave Superstars like The Miz and Dolph Ziggler on Smackdown? I view the United States Championship and the Intercontinental Championship as similar titles. I understand the prestige behind the IC title, I’m just saying they are equivalent titles on both brands. Sami Zayn could easily be the United States Champion and the IC title could remain on Smackdown. Even if you do not like him, Roman Reigns deserves to be in the Universal title picture. I’m hoping that after Survivor Series, Smackdown isn’t all of the sudden left with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the Cruiserweight Championship and the Tag Team Championship titles. It will wind up leaving midcard Superstars on Smackdown with nothing to fight for.

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

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