WWE has promoted the concept of a "Fresh Start" since the night after TLC. However, based on some of the things that happened on this show, this "Fresh Start" concept smells like slightly used cat litter.
Raw Thoughts
- Raw starts off with a Steel Cage Match between Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. McIntyre establishes dominance early on with the brute strength and aggression that has elevated his career since coming back to the main roster in April. Ziggler is able to fight off McIntyre with an elevated DDT. Glasgow Kiss (headbutt) ends any momentum Ziggler had going for the moment. Ziggler and McIntyre fight back and forth on the top rope near the cage wall. Both end up saddling the top rope as WWE goes to commercial.
We return to see Drew McIntyre talk trash to Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler hits McIntyre with the Famouser. Ziggler catches McIntyre with a superkick for another 2 count. Ziggler is stopped from escaping through the door by McIntyre. Ziggler tries again, but again, McIntyre prevents the escape. Another Famouser connects for a 2 count. We get another commercial break.
We come back to see Drew McIntyre hit a superplex off the top rope on Ziggler while Ziggler was dangling off the cage. Ziggler gets thrown into the cage repeatedly by McIntyre. McIntyre continues to talk trash to Ziggler while he's beating him up. Zig Zag to McIntyre. 1-2-Kickout! CLAYMORE KICK TO ZIGGLER OUT OF NOWHERE! McIntyre mocks Ziggler and sets himself in the corner. A 2nd Claymore Kick! 1-2-3!
After the match, Ziggler asks if that's all McIntyre has. McIntyre grabs a chair and hits a CLAYMORE KICK INTO THE CHAIR INTO THE BACK OF THE HEAD OF ZIGGLER DRILLING HIS FACE INTO THE CAGE! McIntyre cuts a promo saying Ziggler asked for this. He doesn't deserve his time. He's now focused on proving he's the King of the WWE. He's going to win The Royal Rumble Match. McIntyre sees Ziggler get back to his feet and NAILS A 3RD CLAYMORE KICK!
A very good Steel Cage Match here with McIntyre looking like an unstoppable force of nature at this point. Ziggler did his part in this match as well, but all people will be talking about is McIntyre's performance. And that's exactly what both men set forth to do. McIntyre continues his rise to the top of the roster.
- A limo pulls up with Shane McMahon and Triple H showing up. Shane does the Shuffle around Triple H.
- Seth Rollins comes out next to a great ovation. He's not waiting until the ball drops in New York. He wants his rematch against Dean Ambrose now! Here comes Triple H instead. Triple H says he needs to think of a fresh start. So that automatic rematch isn't going to happen tonight. He tells Seth that he doesn't know if Seth deserves a rematch anyways. They go back and forth about Triple H believing in Seth Rollins. Triple H tells Rollins that he's missing that fire from the time when he made Triple H believe in him at WrestleMania 33. Seth Rollins tells Triple H that he's carried this show in 2018 while Brock Lesnar is in Canada. He's been putting on classics all year long. Rollins asks if he wants the ruthless Rollins back. Triple H says "YES! BURN IT ALL DOWN TONIGHT!" They make a match with Bobby Lashley. Seth Rollins says he'll take down Bobby Lashley, Brock Lesnar, and the entire McMahon family if they get in his way.
Shane O'Mac runs down to try to diffuse the situation. Shane makes a Fresh Start Battle Royal with the winner facing Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship later tonight.
- The Fresh Start Battle Royal is next. Forearm, forearm, punch, forearm. Apollo dumps No Way Jose and Viktor quickly. By the way, Zack Ryder loses his Raw 2018 virginity the last night of the year. Goodbye Titus O'Neill. Lucha House Party are all eliminated by Finn Balor. Apollo Crews eliminates The B-Team and Konnor. Now, Apollo dumps Mojo. 6 Eliminations! Tyler Breeze makes 7. Baron Corbin chokeslams Crews. Finn Balor now takes the offense, but Baron Corbin eliminates Finn Balor. Now, Zack Ryder gets eliminated by Baron Corbin. Then Curt Hawkins gets dumped out after giving Corbin some difficulty. Apollo ends up dumping Baron Corbin after kicking him over the top rope. WOW! This was definitely a career performance from Crews on the main roster.
- Natalya wants another shot at her bestie and wants to win the Royal Rumble to face her again at WrestleMania. Nia Jax and Tamina beat up on Natalya.
- Baron Corbin stays in the ring to cut a promo about deserving a Fresh Start. He deserves an award for all the grief he had to put up with. Elias is on the stage and plays "Auld Lang Syne." He cuts a promo about Corbin being a loser. Corbin didn't want to bring Raw to a depraved city like Detroit. Elias agrees with Kid Rock that Detroit is on the rise and making a comeback. (Tell that to their football team. Hey, I'm a Redskins fan. I say that in jest to one of my closest friends, who is a Detroit Lions fan.) Elias sings a song to put down Corbin. Corbin and Elias meet in the aisleway. Corbin beats down on Elias around the arena. Elias fights back and goes after Corbin. Corbin runs off...
(Can I please bring the fact back up that Corbin was on multiple segments of this show again between the long battle royal and this segment?)
- It is announced that Nia Jax and Tamina will take on Natalya and Ronda Rousey later tonight.
- Next we get Ember Moon, Sasha Banks, and Bayley facing The Riott Squad YET AGAIN. How many times do we have to sit through this match? They keep saying this is a fresh start in WWE with new matches, but I swear to God I've seen this match over and over and over again. This isn't much of a change from 2-3 months ago. (Sorry for the rant.)
The faces press the advantage early on with Ember and Sasha in particular getting in some great offense. But Liv Morgan helps stop the offense of Ember Moon, allowing the Riott Squad to take the offense. The Riott Squad use frequent tags to do a 3-1 attack on Moon. The match deterorates as a clearly Post-Production Michael Cole interjects that this match has gotten out of control and cues the commercial break. We return to see Bayley getting beat down by Sarah Logan. But soon Liv Morgan gets caught in the face corner and she gets beat down. Sasha then takes her turn getting beaten down. (I wish I could say I cared folks, but I've seen this combination of women too many times to really pay too much serious attention to it. It's nothing against them, but it's just another example of the bad booking Raw has had over the last few months. Even in this supposed era of "change," this is really more of the same. They could be doing Steamboat vs. Flair-level work, and I could care less because it's just more of the same.)
Bayley and Sasha hit combination Backstabber into a top-rope elbow drop for the win. Again, a serviceable match with good athleticism. But the booking of Sasha and Bayley in any combination against The Riott Squad has passed the point of "acceptable" to me at this point. (I know. I know. It's hard to book 5 hours of TV a week. Let's not go there again, shall we?)
- And how does WWE continue to promote change? They show more poopy jokes from the Braun Strowman- Kevin Owens storyline from earlier this year in the Strowman 2018 Highlight package.
- Seth Rollins is already in the ring (We really needed to be reminded of the Port-a-Potty segment with Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman) for his match against Bobby Lashley. Lio Rush cuts a promo about how badly Bobby Lashley is going to beat up Seth Rollins. Lashley tosses around Rollins to start off the match and begins pounding on the King of Crossfit. Rollins knees Lashley out of the ring and dives out onto him on the floor. But Lio Rush helps Lashley by distracting Rollins. Lashley takes advantage and begins beating down on Rollins. Rollins gets dumped to the floor. Rush uses a hurricanrana to send Rollins face first into the ring post.
We return from break to see Lashley continue to "dominate" Seth Rollins. Rollins does his Shawn Michaels corner flip tribute. Rollins starts getting hyped up despite taking punishment from Lashley. Lashley gets a boot running into the corner. Now, Rollins goes on the attack. Sling Blade by Rollins. 2 Suicide Dives to Lashley. Springboard Clothesline by Rollins. Burn It Down stomps. Rush stops Rollins from stomping Lashley. A BIG Spinebuster by Lashley gets a 2. Rollins superkicks Lashley in the face a moment or so later. Rollins is chasing Lio Rush now, but Lio finally gets knocked down by Rollins. Lashley attacks from behind. Rollins takes a Steel Chair to the back of Lashley for the DQ. He sells that he's lost it. More attacks with the steel chair by Rollins to Lashley at ringside and in the ring. Rush jumps into a steel chair shot by Rollins. Now Rollins just goes nuts and nails both men with repeated chair shots. Stomp to Rush.
A good TV match for what it was, but the real story here was putting the intensity into the character of Seth Rollins. In that, they succeeded. Rollins and McIntyre are my two favorites to win the Royal Rumble this year.
- Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers take on Heath Slater and Rhyno. 3-2 Handicap Match. I can't hate on this too much as Heath Slater being on TV is technically "change." Still, I wouldn't exactly call this entertaining TV. Jinder Mahal catches Rhyno with the Kollas to win the match in a throwaway match.
- Dean Bryan... I mean, Dean Ambrose, the OTHER moral compass in WWE, cuts a promo about Seth Rollins needing a "Fresh Start." Ambrose will make sure Crews's Rough Start will meet a "Rough End." This Ambrose character stinks about as badly as this episode of Raw has since the opening hour.
- The Intercontinental Championship is on the line as Apollo Crews challenges Dean Ambrose. Apollo catches Dean early on with a flurry of offense. Ambrose gets clotheslined to the floor. Apron Moonsault by Crews to the floor on Ambrose. Ambrose runs off for the commercial break. We come back from break, and it quickly goes back into Apollo's favor with a lot of high impact moves. A Flying Crossbody by Crews and a Standing Shooting Star Press only get a 2. Ambrose gets hit with a Belly to Belly Suplex and Stinger Splash. Spinning Sit-Down Powerbomb only gets a 2 as Dean touches the rope barely. Apollo hits a running Somersault Dive on Ambrose on the floor. Back in the ring, Crews misses a Frog Splash. Dirty Deeds. 1-2-3. And thus ends the push for Apollo Crews on this night. Hopefully, Apollo won't be shuffled back down the card just as quickly as he climbed up to this challenger position tonight. A decent TV match, but this didn't really have time to tell a compelling story.
- Alexa Bliss is shown backstage. She talks about making history. And she's going to be making history again next week. She's getting her own talk show: A Moment of Bliss. Her first guest: Ronda Rousey. That's all we need: A weekly Alexa Bliss talk show segment. Here's praying to God this doesn't turn into some of the more tedious segments that WWE creative has thrown Alexa's way in the last 2 years. She deserves better, as do we. There's no doubt she can cut a promo, but WWE hasn't given me much hope that they won't deliver another "This Is Your Life" segment.
- The main event is Nia Jax and Tamina taking on Ronda Rousey and Natalya. Rousey charges in and goes immediately after both Tamina and Jax. The bell rings and Rouey roughs up Tamina. Nia tags in and gets caught in a tie up by Rousey. An armbar is avoided as Nia throws Rousey around. Splash by Nia. Ronda gets Nia away and tags in Natalya. Tamina is tagged in as well. Multiple suplexes by Natalya on Tamina get a 2. Natalya slams Tamina for a 2 count. Tamina gets dragged out of the ring by Jax. Tag to Rousey. Rousey dives off the top rope onto Jax and Tamina!!!
We return from break to see Natalya getting beaten down by Tamina and Nia Jax. Rousey gets the tag after a minute and goes immediately after Nia Jax. Big running knee and a takedown by Rousey. SuperWoman Elbow gets a 2. Nia press slams Rousey in the center of the ring for a 2 count. Nia climbs the corner to go for the Samoan Drop. Tamina gets a blind tag and superkicks Rousey for a 2 count. Tamina misses a headbutt to Rousey. Rousey goes for the armbar, but Nia Jax legdrops Rousey before she can lock it in. Jax is taken out. Superkick to Natalya by Tamina. Tamina climbs up the corner. Superfly Splash is met with feet by Rousey! ARMBAR! Tap Out! Winners are Natalya and Ronda Rousey. A very entertaining main event here, despite the fact that it feels like we saw this match (or at least Rousey vs. Jax/Tamina) not too long ago as well.
Overall, this was a very mixed bag episode of Raw. On one hand, I liked the first hour of the show with the Steel Cage Match giving Drew McIntyre more of a rub. Seth Rollins got some momentum for his character by getting an edge. And Apollo Crews got a great moment by winning a battle royal on the show. But after that, it felt like a lot of the old routines on Raw started to rear their ugly head again. And some of the "newer" things on the show weren't that great. Still, the show started and ended well. So, I'm giving it a pass. However, let's be honest: This change is just the same old song and dance with other talent just getting a moment or two on Raw this time.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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