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WWE Monday Night Raw Reaction / Rant (10/24)

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Written by

Robert Lentini

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Chris Jericho started off the show by stating that he had some terrible news. He said that the triple threat match between Rollins, Owens and himself was canceled because someone stole the list of Jericho. Kevin Owens then came down to the ring and told Jericho that he didn’t care about the list. Owens then stated that he will help Jericho find the list but only after they get on the same page and take care of Rollins. Stephanie McMahon then came down to the ring and claimed that no WWE Superstar was allowed to leave the arena until the list of Jericho is returned.

Seth Rollins interrupted and walked to the entrance ramp holding the list. Rollins claimed that Jericho has added both Kevin Owens and Stephanie McMahon to the list. Jericho denied it and Owens stated that Rollins was just trying to tear them apart. Rollins said that he was going to start his own list. The list would contain all the body parts on Kevin Owens that will never be the same after their match at Hell in a Cell. Rollins then walked away with the list and told Jericho that if he wanted it back he would have to come and get it.

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Stephanie McMahon confronted Seth Rollins backstage and asked where the list was. Rollins answered by going on a tirade about how is going to win the Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell on Sunday. Rollins then revealed that he no longer had the list and that he left it in the locker room.

Enzo and Big Cass came down to the ring and were trying to do their promo but their microphones were turned off. Gallows and Anderson came down to the ring and cut a promo on Enzo and Cass. Enzo then stated that he didn’t need a microphone and cut the promo anyway. The entire crowd did the promo along with Enzo and Cass in a really cool moment.

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Karl Anderson vs Enzo 

This was a very quick match. Big Cass and Gallows both got onto the ring apron and the referee had to tell them to both get down. As the referee was yelling at Gallows, Cass hit Anderson with a kick to the face and Enzo pinned him for the win.

Winner: Enzo Amore

A pre-taped promo with Rusev was aired. Rusev promised that he will leave Hell in a Cell with the United States Championship. Rusev also claimed that Roman Reigns will be leaving Hell in a Cell crushed.

The New Day cut a promo and once again poked fun at Sheamus. The entire crowd chanted “Shame!” at Sheamus as soon as the match started.

Sheamus & Cesaro vs Big E & Kofi Kingston

Cesaro started out the match by attacking Kofi Kingston. Cesaro then reluctantly tagged in Sheamus and he continued the beatdown on Kofi. Kingston battled back and hit a Crossbody on Sheamus. Big E was then tagged in and he laid out Sheamus as Raw went to a commercial break.

When Raw returned, Cesaro and Sheamus had taken control of the match. However, they weren’t working well together. They kept tagging each other in and out of the match. Sheamus wound up staying in the ring and applied a Chin Lock to Kingston. Sheamus then tagged in Cesaro and he missed a Spear in the corner and went flying into the ring post. Sheamus looked disgusted and tagged himself in, Big E was tagged in and he hit Sheamus with three Belly to Belly Suplexes.

Kofi Kingston and Cesaro were then tagged in and Cesaro hit a massive Suplex. Cesaro followed it up with a few uppercuts but Kofi reversed one into an SOS. Big E launched Kofi onto Cesaro outside the ring but he caught Kingston with an uppercut. Sheamus then hit the Brogue Kick on Big E for the victory.

Winners: Sheamus & Cesaro

Reaction: The first hour of Monday Night Raw was decent. The opening promo was very goofy. It appears the overall theme for tonight’s episode will be Jericho searching for his list. Enzo and Cass cutting a promo without a microphone was very impressive. Having said that, Gallows and Anderson continued their losing ways and I don’t think the promos they are doing cater to their strengths. I still believe that they should be booked as a dominant tag team that will win at any cost. Instead, they add “ski” to every other word and lose every match they are involved in. Rusev’s promo was solid and didn’t resemble the whiny promos with Lana we’ve all had to sit through for the past few weeks. I don’t really understand the point of having Sheamus and Cesaro face the New Day six days before their title match.

Dana Brooke vs Bayley in an Arm Wrestling Match

Dana Brooke demanded that Bayley use her injured arm. Brooke won the first arm wrestling match easily. Dana Brooke then said that Bayley could use her good arm. Bayley was about to win but Dana hit her with a cheap shot. Bayley then fought back and tossed Dana out of the ring. The crowd absolutely hated this segment. They chanted “we want wrestling” and “this is stupid” during this dreadful segment.

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Jericho and Stephanie McMahon had a conversation backstage. Jericho was adamant that he would not wrestle until he found his list. Stephanie McMahon stated that if he doesn’t wrestle in the triple threat match tonight, she would have to make an example out of him. Stephanie then threatened to suspend Jericho if he didn’t compete in the triple threat match later in the evening.

Curtis Axel cut a promo and stated that he really did Bolieve in Bo. However, that all changed when Bo Dallas attacked him last week. Axel claimed that it was time to go back to his roots.

Curtis Axel vs Bo Dallas

Axel was wrestling in his hometown of Minneapolis so the crowd was behind him. Axel hit the Perfect-Plex on Bo Dallas but Bo kicked out at two. Bo Dallas then took over the match and applied a Chin Lock. Axel fought back and hit Bo with a couple of Clotheslines. Axel had Bo hung up on the second rope and went for a kick to the face. Bo Dallas reversed this into a roll-up and picked up the victory.

Winner: Bo Dallas

Jericho was once again shown backstage looking for his list. A backstage worker informed him that he saw someone with the list around the corner. Jericho then kissed the man on top of his head and went to go find it. When Jericho turned the corner, Brawn Strowman was looking at the list. Jericho asked for the list back and Strowman demanded that Jericho say please. Jericho obliged and Strowman stated that he didn’t see Sami Zayn’s name on the list. Strowman then gave Jericho his list back and walked away. Jericho shouted that Zayn’s name was on page four and then he added Strowman’s name to the list.

A pre-taped Roman Reigns promo was shown. Reigns claimed that he takes the United States Championship personally and that he will see Rusev in hell.

Golden Truth vs Shining Stars

Mark Henry and Titus O’Neil were ringside for this match. R-Truth did his best to try and get the crowd into this match from the ring apron but it wasn’t happening. The Golden Truth got the victory in this match and Mark Henry launched Titus O’Neil into the LED post outside the ring.

Winners: Golden Truth

strong>Contract Signing For The Raw Women’s Championship Match

It was lecture time with Mick Foley on Monday Night Raw. Foley was hesitant to hand either Charlotte or Sasha Banks the contract. Foley went into full shakey-face mode and shouted that Sasha and Charlotte had no idea what they were getting into. Charlotte then went on a rant and stated that she was going to take her title back at Hell in a Cell. Sasha Banks disagreed and claimed that she will do down as the greatest Women’s Champion of all time. Foley then reiterated that the Hell in a Cell is a dangerous structure by screaming it into the microphone. Sasha and Charlotte finally signed the contract and made the match official.

Reaction: In my opinion, the entire second hour of Monday Night Raw was awful. There was a painfully stupid arm wrestling segment and two short matches that nobody in the crowd cared about. The WWE seems to be building towards a match between Mark Henry and Titus O’Neil at some point. Why they are doing that? I have no idea.

A lot of people seemed to enjoy the contract signing between Charlotte and Sasha Banks. Personally, I thought it was terrible. On social media, many were praising Mick Foley for his passionate promo. I would have preferred Charlotte and Sasha Banks to just have a promo themselves. I get that Foley has been in many Hell in a Cell matches. When someone thinks of Hell in a Cell, it is Foley’s name that comes to mind first. Having said that, if I had a nickel for every time Foley cut one of these promos where he explained the repercussions of something, I’d have a bunch of nickels.

Yes, the first ever Hell in a Cell match featuring female Superstars will happen this Sunday. That is awesome and I’m looking forward to it. However, tonight on a Raw we witnessed an arm wrestling segment and a promo where most people are talking about Foley’s performance, rather than the two women that will actually be in the match on Sunday. What a revolution.

Rich Swann vs Brian Kendrick

TJ Perkins joined commentary for this match. Swann controlled the match early. When Raw returned from a commercial break, Swann was still in control. Swann hit a big Hurricanrana on Kendrick. Swann wound up outlasting Kendrick and won the match via a roll-up.

Winner: Rich Swann

Kevin Owens cut a promo backstage and stated that on Sunday he is going to destroy Seth Rollins. Owens claimed that he was going to take Rollins to hell this Sunday and that he will be the only one coming back.

Braun Strowman vs Sami Zayn

Strowman grabbed the microphone before the match and stated that Zayn was no competition for him. Zayn slapped Strowman across the face. Strowman then chased Sami around the ring but he couldn’t catch Zayn. Sami hit Strowman with a couple of Dropkicks. Zayn then attempted to dive onto Strowman outside the ring but that didn’t work out too well. Strowman caught Zayn and launched him into the barricade surrounding the ring. Strowman then walked away and left Zayn begging for a fight in the ring.

Kendrick and TJ Perkins had a discussion backstage. Kendrick was crying and stated that he needed Perkins to let him win the Cruiserweight Championship on Sunday. Kendrick claimed that he needed to win the title to remain employed and feed his family. Perkins grabbed his title and walked away.

Kendrick and TJ Perkins had a discussion backstage. Kendrick was crying and stated that he needed Perkins to let him win the Cruiserweight Championship on Sunday. Kendrick claimed that he needed to win the title to remain employed and feed his family. Perkins grabbed his title and walked away.

Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar came out to the ring and cut a promo. Heyman desperately tried to get the crowd to chant “Goldberg” but it wasn’t happening. Lesnar was in his home state and the crowd constantly chanted Suplex City. There was a smattering of people chanting Goldberg and Paul Heyman stated that it was half of the arena. The entire crowd then chanted “Goldberg sucks!” and that pretty much ended the promo.

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Triple Threat Match: Seth Rollins vs Chris Jericho vs Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens rolled out of the ring in the beginning of the match. Jericho then followed out of the ring and was confused as to what the hell Owens was doing. Owens claimed that he thought Jericho was going at him first. Owens and Jericho then chased Rollins around the ring but couldn’t catch him. The action spilled back into the ring and Rollins took out both Owens and Jericho.

The numbers game finally caught up to Rollins and Owens slammed Seth into the barricade. Rollins fought back and slammed Owens into the barricade and followed it up with a Dropkick. Jericho attacked Rollins from behind and flipped him over the barricade and into the crowd. Jericho and Owens had a huddle to figure out their strategy and Rollins capitalized by hitting a Crossbody onto both of them. Rollins then tossed Jericho over the barricade.

Owens hit Rollins with a Clothesline when he tried to get back into the ring. Owens went for the Cannonball on Rollins in the corner but Seth rolled out of the way. Rollins went for a Pedigree on Owens but Jericho distracted him. Jericho went for the Walls of Jericho but Rollins countered. Rollins then also blocked a Lionsault from Jericho. Owens and Jericho then beatdown Rollins. Owens hit a Senton on Rollins from the second rope.

The crowd started to chant for Rollins as Jericho and Owens continued to beat him down. Rollins finally gained some momentum but it was short-lived as he missed a Frog Splash on Jericho. Rollins then fell victim to a Codebreaker but Seth kicked out at two. Owens then hit a Cannonball on Rollins and slapped him several times in the corner. Owens and Jericho went for a double Superplex in the corner but Rollins reversed it into a double roll-up for the win.

After the match, Owens and Jericho attacked Rollins. The referee called for help from backstage. Owens and Jericho launched Rollins into the steel steps before officials broke up the attack. Rollins got up and ran after Owens on the entrance ramp. Rollins caught him and beat him down. Owens then slammed Rollins into the ring post. Owens then Powerbombed Rollins onto the ring apron.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Reaction: The ending of this week’s episode of Raw was good. The odds are already stacked against Seth Rollins and now it seems even more unlikely that he can emerge victorious at Hell in a Cell. Rollins picked up the victory tonight but Kevin Owens hit a devastating Powerbomb on him to close the show. Now, Rollins has to deal with an injured back due to the Powerbomb and the possibility that someone will try to interfere in his Universal Championship match Sunday at Hell in a Cell.

Overall, this episode of Raw was even weaker than usual. Like always, there were a couple of good segments but this week there was even more filler than usual. I’m not sure if tonight’s episode convinced many people to invest in the WWE Network to see Hell in a Cell this Sunday. I’ve seen Roman Reigns and Rusev fight each other far too much. I’ve seen Charlotte and Sasha Banks wrestle time and time again. The only thing that makes these matches unique is that they will in the cell. Still, the Hell in a Cell match doesn’t mean as much as it used to. It used to be a special event and must-see television. Now, there are three of these matches happening this Sunday in Boston. Having said that, sometimes the shows with the weakest builds wind up being surprising everyone and turning out great. On the other hand, they can also turn out to be a disaster like this year’s Summerslam.

Wrestling fans are extremely loyal and passionate about the product. There are casual fans that fade in and out when the big shows come around. If you are a person that watches Monday Night Raw every week, I don’t understand how you can be anything but annoyed at what this show has become. Tonight’s episode focused more on Chris Jericho’s list than the Universal Championship. Brock Lesnar was a major selling point on this show. How was Brock Lesnar going to respond to Goldberg? His response was to just stand there while Paul Heyman cut a promo, in which Heyman essentially said nothing. Were they expecting people the chant “Goldberg” tonight? I don’t know what the hell that promo was supposed to accomplish.

The only positive I can take from tonight was that Kevin Owens was able to get the crowd to boo him at the end of the show. Sure, Enzo and Cass had an entertaining promo but it was immediately followed by a meaningless match. This show was supposed to get fans excited for Sunday’s Hell in a Cell PPV. WWE certainly didn’t do that tonight. They couldn’t even manage to get the audience in attendance to pretend they were interested in what was going on in front of them. I don’t know what the ratings will be for this episode. Maybe they will turn out to be solid due to Brock Lesnar being on the show. If people tuned in to see Lesnar, who could blame them for turning the channel in the two hours they had to wait to see him? Also, if they did wait it out, why would they tune in next week to see Goldberg after tonight’s terrible Lesnar promo? What is Goldberg going to say next week, “Hey Brock, you are still next!”?

The WWE still hasn’t bothered to develop a character for any of the Cruiserweights besides Perkins and Kendrick. Nobody cares about any of the other Cruiserweights unless you watched the Cruiserweight Classic. What is the percentage of Raw viewers that tuned in for that? It certainly isn’t high enough to justify not spending any time on a three hour program to explain who these wrestlers are. Is Nia Jax alive? The Raw Women’s Division is apparently Dana Brooke, Bayley, Charlotte and Sasha Banks. Apparently Emmalina is going to debut on Raw sometime in the next decade, so we all have that to look forward to. Even though nobody was asking for Emma to change her gimmick. If Bayley is too injured right now to compete, did tonight’s arm wrestling segment help anything? All it did was bore everyone to tears and show that Dana Brooke isn’t all that good on the mic yet. I cannot imagine someone watching tonight’s Raw and scrambling to find their debit card to sign up for the WWE Network. Maybe some 8 year old kid in Boring, Oregon begged their parents to sign up for the network tonight. Meanwhile, folks with developed brains are fighting off the urge to fall asleep weekly during this “wrestling” show. Either that or they are reaching for the clicker to change the channel or are fast forwarding with their DVR to find the 10 minutes of quality content on this almost 200 minute show. There are countless things people could be watching besides Raw. It seems like the WWE is actively encouraging people to look for something else to entertain them.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw? What matches are you looking forward to at Hell in a Cell? Let us know in the comments below.

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