By Mark Rodriguez
This should be an interesting episode of RAW. This review might not as in-depth as before since I was out and about and came back near the end of the first match. We will see what Dean Ambrose have to say about attacking Seth Rollins last week. Also since John Cena refuses to perform at Crown Jewel for behind-the-scenes real-world political reasons, what will WWE do to replace him? Let's find out.
Brock Lesnar and Braun Strauman-
Corbin would try to keep the peace between these two but Braun would shove him away. Corbin would attack Braun but it would backfire as The Monster Among Men would power slam him. The audience would egg him on to do it again and Braun would hit Corbin with another slam. However, as soon as he did this, Brock Lesnar picked up Braun and hit him with the F5.
First Match- Bobby Lashley (with Lio Rush) VS Fin Balor
Both guys had a decent match and Lashley overpowered Fin. When Fin saw an opening he managed to hit Lashley with a dropkick. He was about to the Coup Le Grace but Lio grabbed his leg and tripped him up, without the ref seeing. Fin would kicks Lashley down and try again with his Finisher but Lio would grab his leg again. This time the ref would see it and disqualify Lashley. Fin won the match but Lashley took out his loss on Fin, even propping him up so Lio can slap him. Shortly afterwards, Baron Corbin announced that Lashley will be replacing John Cena in the World Cup Tournament at Crown Jewel.
Second Match- Lita, Trish Stratus, Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley VS Alicia Fox, Mickie James, and the Riott Squad (with Alexa Bliss)
Trish and Lita got to show off their moves until Sarah Logan managed to separate Sasha Banks from the gang so they could gang up on her. Ruby went as far as to imitate Sasha's pose until The Boss was able to tag in Natalya to clean house. Bayley and Lita got in on the action and they both did a Twist of Fate slam on their opponents. Bayley would land the Flying Elbow Drop and Lita would do her Litasault. Lita picked up Alicia Fox and Natalya jumped off the ropes and hit her with the Hart Attack. Natalya grabbed Fox in the Sharpshooter and she was quick to tap out.
Elias segment-
Elias goes after Baron Corbin, performing a song with insulting lyrics outside his dressing room hoping to provoke him. Suddenly Jinder Mahal arrives and attacks him. With Elias down on the floor, Corbin steps out of his dressing room and tells him his match is next.
Third Match- Elias VS Jinder Mahal
Elias would start in control until Jinder's goons attacked him from outside of the ring. Jinder got him in a abdominal stretch until he finally managed to get out. Elias managed to catch Jinder in the Driftaway Slam to win the match.
Kurt Angle VS Dolph Ziggler-
Fourth Match-The Ascension VS Bobby Roode and Chad Gable VS AoP- Triple Threat Tag Match
Both teams started attacking AoP as soon as the match started, since they have attacked both teams in the past. After the commercial break Konnor and Rezar got in each other's faces until Gable would them into each other. Bobby Roode was able to quickly score the pin on the Ascension and win the match. Their victory was short lived as AoP came back and attacked Roode and Gable. They picked them both up and slammed them against each other with the Super Collider.
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins
Seth comes out first and thanks everyone for the support they've been giving to Roman Reigns. Seth blames himself for what happened with Dean Ambrose. He calls out Dean and his theme starts to play, but no one shows up. Amrbose appears at the very top of the stands. Seth yells out to him but Ambrose doesn't say anything. Seth says that if he doesn't come down, then he'll go up there and beat the answers out of him. Ambrose leaves and Seth is left without knowing why Dean attacked him and enraged.
Fifth Match- Nia Jax VS Ember Moon
Ember would go for the ropes but Nia would grab her and slam her down. She lifts her up in a bear hug hold until Ember managed to clap her hands over both of Nia's ears. Nia would run shoulder first into the post, missing her target and get out of the ring. Ember would fly off the ropes and crash into Nia.
As both women get into the ring, Tamina suddenly arrived. As they're both distracted, Nia attacks Ember anyway and gets her with a legdrop, scoring a pin and the win. Tamina and Nia get into a face off, but Tamina leaves for now.
Sixth Match- Lucha House Party (with Gran Metalik) VS The Revival
Kallisto starts the match against The Revival, but when Lince Dorado gets tagged in, Scott Dawson gets him into a painful hold that bends him backwards up against his back. Lince managed to get out of it and Gran Metalik distracts him from outside the ring. Kalisto hits Dawson with the Salida del Sol and Lince jumps off the ropes to crash into Wilder and the Lucha House Party score the win.
Seventh Match- Dolph Ziggler (with Drew McIntyre) VS Apollo Crews
Dolph cuts a promo on how he's going to win the World Cup Tournament at Crown Jewel, and calls out his opponent.
After the break, the match had started and Crews was in control. Apollo would lift Ziggler with his arms fully extended for a good while before letting him drop. He then hit him with the Standing Moonsault. He took to the ropes and when he left off, Ziggler had his knees up. Crews landed on the knees and was badly hurt. Ziggler went for the Super Kick and pinned him for the win.
D-Generation X and The Brothers of Destruction
Undertaker and Kane show up and say how they're going to put D-Generation X down for good at Crown Jewel. They call them out right now. Triple H comes out without his partner and Kane drops out of the ring to check it out. Shawn Micheals appears behind Undertaker and takes him out with Sweet Chin Music. Triple H and Shawn do the X-Chop as they're happy with their dirty tactics until Undertaker sits up, looking angrier than before. D-Generation X backs away as the Brothers of Destruction stare on.
The Highs of Raw-
D-Generation X at it again- It was kinda funny seeing them put on over on the Undertaker.
Trish and Lita have another match- It's good to see their match at Evolution wasn't a one-time thing. I kinda hope they can at least stick around until Alexa Bliss heals up so they can finally have their match.
Lucha House Party- I like how they gave Kallisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado something to do.
The Lows of RAW-
No real good quality matches- While I did enjoy the 10 Woman Tag Match, everything else was just real short so-so matches. AoP got taken out real quick and only do damage after they already lost the match. Apollo Crews was just fed to Ziggler. I mean... did that even count as a Main Event? There was no real Main Event tonight.
Dean didn't give an answer- I guess they want to draw this out, but I really wanted Ambrose to cut a promo on why he attacked Rollins. Then Rollins just decides he's going to hate him and make his life hell and whatnot without Dean even saying his piece. I hope we get answers soon but tonight was a let down.
No real explanation as to why Lashley replaced Cena- As far as I know, the match between Lashley and Balor was just a regular match. And then Corbin randomly decides to have him replace Cena, just because? I mean, get Corbin's been applauding Lashley's heel tactics but really? And despite the fact he lost to Balor anyway? I know the behind-the-scenes reason this is taking place, but I hope later on Cena comes in angry that he was suddenly replaced and have a match against either Corbin or Lashley after Crown Jewel is over.
Overall Opinions-
A real so-so episode. This one was mostly a lot of promos, replays of Evolution, and promos by Kurt Angle and Ziggler regarding how they plan to win the World Cup Tournament. There were also interesting announcements as the first round of the World Cup will be Kurt Angle VS Dolph Ziggler. Also at Survivor Series there will be a Champion VS Champion Match as Rhonda Rousey will be facing Becky Lynch. However, where were the awesome matches we're supposed to be tuning in for?
Compared to the previous weeks when the Main Event matches regarding the SHIELD and Ziggler's team were awesome PPV quality matches, I guess it does kinda show that without that feud, the rest of the show really falls apart because there aren't any other feuds worth caring about. This is what happens when WWE puts all their eggs in one basket and the unexpected happens.
I have to say, regarding Cena refusing to perform at Crown Jewel, I guess WWE was real lucky that he never had a qualifying match and was initially in the tournament just because he's John Cena. I wonder what excuse they would have used had Cena actually won a qualifying match properly.
They kept advertising AJ Styles VS Daniel Bryan for Crown Jewel as well, despite Daniel also refusing to participate at Crown Jewel. I guess whatever they come up with to replace him will be kept as a surprise tomorrow.
I don't know. Despite the big deal that WWE was making regarding Crown Jewel (for better or for worse) and this being the last RAW before the event, this was a very average episode. I guess the promos were OK to hype up the event, but I'd rather have longer matches worth writing home about.
As for why I was late watching RAW tonight, I was out with the coworkers enjoying an amazing Whiskey Burger. I was still munching on leftover fries and onion rings as Balor was fighting Lashley.
This should be an interesting episode of RAW. This review might not as in-depth as before since I was out and about and came back near the end of the first match. We will see what Dean Ambrose have to say about attacking Seth Rollins last week. Also since John Cena refuses to perform at Crown Jewel for behind-the-scenes real-world political reasons, what will WWE do to replace him? Let's find out.
Brock Lesnar and Braun Strauman-
Corbin would try to keep the peace between these two but Braun would shove him away. Corbin would attack Braun but it would backfire as The Monster Among Men would power slam him. The audience would egg him on to do it again and Braun would hit Corbin with another slam. However, as soon as he did this, Brock Lesnar picked up Braun and hit him with the F5.
First Match- Bobby Lashley (with Lio Rush) VS Fin Balor
Both guys had a decent match and Lashley overpowered Fin. When Fin saw an opening he managed to hit Lashley with a dropkick. He was about to the Coup Le Grace but Lio grabbed his leg and tripped him up, without the ref seeing. Fin would kicks Lashley down and try again with his Finisher but Lio would grab his leg again. This time the ref would see it and disqualify Lashley. Fin won the match but Lashley took out his loss on Fin, even propping him up so Lio can slap him. Shortly afterwards, Baron Corbin announced that Lashley will be replacing John Cena in the World Cup Tournament at Crown Jewel.
Second Match- Lita, Trish Stratus, Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley VS Alicia Fox, Mickie James, and the Riott Squad (with Alexa Bliss)
Trish and Lita got to show off their moves until Sarah Logan managed to separate Sasha Banks from the gang so they could gang up on her. Ruby went as far as to imitate Sasha's pose until The Boss was able to tag in Natalya to clean house. Bayley and Lita got in on the action and they both did a Twist of Fate slam on their opponents. Bayley would land the Flying Elbow Drop and Lita would do her Litasault. Lita picked up Alicia Fox and Natalya jumped off the ropes and hit her with the Hart Attack. Natalya grabbed Fox in the Sharpshooter and she was quick to tap out.
Elias segment-
Elias goes after Baron Corbin, performing a song with insulting lyrics outside his dressing room hoping to provoke him. Suddenly Jinder Mahal arrives and attacks him. With Elias down on the floor, Corbin steps out of his dressing room and tells him his match is next.
Third Match- Elias VS Jinder Mahal
Elias would start in control until Jinder's goons attacked him from outside of the ring. Jinder got him in a abdominal stretch until he finally managed to get out. Elias managed to catch Jinder in the Driftaway Slam to win the match.
Kurt Angle VS Dolph Ziggler-
Fourth Match-The Ascension VS Bobby Roode and Chad Gable VS AoP- Triple Threat Tag Match
Both teams started attacking AoP as soon as the match started, since they have attacked both teams in the past. After the commercial break Konnor and Rezar got in each other's faces until Gable would them into each other. Bobby Roode was able to quickly score the pin on the Ascension and win the match. Their victory was short lived as AoP came back and attacked Roode and Gable. They picked them both up and slammed them against each other with the Super Collider.
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins
Seth comes out first and thanks everyone for the support they've been giving to Roman Reigns. Seth blames himself for what happened with Dean Ambrose. He calls out Dean and his theme starts to play, but no one shows up. Amrbose appears at the very top of the stands. Seth yells out to him but Ambrose doesn't say anything. Seth says that if he doesn't come down, then he'll go up there and beat the answers out of him. Ambrose leaves and Seth is left without knowing why Dean attacked him and enraged.
Fifth Match- Nia Jax VS Ember Moon
Ember would go for the ropes but Nia would grab her and slam her down. She lifts her up in a bear hug hold until Ember managed to clap her hands over both of Nia's ears. Nia would run shoulder first into the post, missing her target and get out of the ring. Ember would fly off the ropes and crash into Nia.
As both women get into the ring, Tamina suddenly arrived. As they're both distracted, Nia attacks Ember anyway and gets her with a legdrop, scoring a pin and the win. Tamina and Nia get into a face off, but Tamina leaves for now.
Sixth Match- Lucha House Party (with Gran Metalik) VS The Revival
Kallisto starts the match against The Revival, but when Lince Dorado gets tagged in, Scott Dawson gets him into a painful hold that bends him backwards up against his back. Lince managed to get out of it and Gran Metalik distracts him from outside the ring. Kalisto hits Dawson with the Salida del Sol and Lince jumps off the ropes to crash into Wilder and the Lucha House Party score the win.
Seventh Match- Dolph Ziggler (with Drew McIntyre) VS Apollo Crews
Dolph cuts a promo on how he's going to win the World Cup Tournament at Crown Jewel, and calls out his opponent.
After the break, the match had started and Crews was in control. Apollo would lift Ziggler with his arms fully extended for a good while before letting him drop. He then hit him with the Standing Moonsault. He took to the ropes and when he left off, Ziggler had his knees up. Crews landed on the knees and was badly hurt. Ziggler went for the Super Kick and pinned him for the win.
D-Generation X and The Brothers of Destruction
Undertaker and Kane show up and say how they're going to put D-Generation X down for good at Crown Jewel. They call them out right now. Triple H comes out without his partner and Kane drops out of the ring to check it out. Shawn Micheals appears behind Undertaker and takes him out with Sweet Chin Music. Triple H and Shawn do the X-Chop as they're happy with their dirty tactics until Undertaker sits up, looking angrier than before. D-Generation X backs away as the Brothers of Destruction stare on.
The Highs of Raw-
D-Generation X at it again- It was kinda funny seeing them put on over on the Undertaker.
Trish and Lita have another match- It's good to see their match at Evolution wasn't a one-time thing. I kinda hope they can at least stick around until Alexa Bliss heals up so they can finally have their match.
Lucha House Party- I like how they gave Kallisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado something to do.
The Lows of RAW-
No real good quality matches- While I did enjoy the 10 Woman Tag Match, everything else was just real short so-so matches. AoP got taken out real quick and only do damage after they already lost the match. Apollo Crews was just fed to Ziggler. I mean... did that even count as a Main Event? There was no real Main Event tonight.
Dean didn't give an answer- I guess they want to draw this out, but I really wanted Ambrose to cut a promo on why he attacked Rollins. Then Rollins just decides he's going to hate him and make his life hell and whatnot without Dean even saying his piece. I hope we get answers soon but tonight was a let down.
No real explanation as to why Lashley replaced Cena- As far as I know, the match between Lashley and Balor was just a regular match. And then Corbin randomly decides to have him replace Cena, just because? I mean, get Corbin's been applauding Lashley's heel tactics but really? And despite the fact he lost to Balor anyway? I know the behind-the-scenes reason this is taking place, but I hope later on Cena comes in angry that he was suddenly replaced and have a match against either Corbin or Lashley after Crown Jewel is over.
Overall Opinions-
A real so-so episode. This one was mostly a lot of promos, replays of Evolution, and promos by Kurt Angle and Ziggler regarding how they plan to win the World Cup Tournament. There were also interesting announcements as the first round of the World Cup will be Kurt Angle VS Dolph Ziggler. Also at Survivor Series there will be a Champion VS Champion Match as Rhonda Rousey will be facing Becky Lynch. However, where were the awesome matches we're supposed to be tuning in for?
Compared to the previous weeks when the Main Event matches regarding the SHIELD and Ziggler's team were awesome PPV quality matches, I guess it does kinda show that without that feud, the rest of the show really falls apart because there aren't any other feuds worth caring about. This is what happens when WWE puts all their eggs in one basket and the unexpected happens.
I have to say, regarding Cena refusing to perform at Crown Jewel, I guess WWE was real lucky that he never had a qualifying match and was initially in the tournament just because he's John Cena. I wonder what excuse they would have used had Cena actually won a qualifying match properly.
They kept advertising AJ Styles VS Daniel Bryan for Crown Jewel as well, despite Daniel also refusing to participate at Crown Jewel. I guess whatever they come up with to replace him will be kept as a surprise tomorrow.
I don't know. Despite the big deal that WWE was making regarding Crown Jewel (for better or for worse) and this being the last RAW before the event, this was a very average episode. I guess the promos were OK to hype up the event, but I'd rather have longer matches worth writing home about.
As for why I was late watching RAW tonight, I was out with the coworkers enjoying an amazing Whiskey Burger. I was still munching on leftover fries and onion rings as Balor was fighting Lashley.
I was waiting all weekend for that burger....
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