Even the self-aware Raw writing team couldn't/wouldn't make the changes needed for a good show.
Raw Thoughts
- Raw starts off with Seth Rollins... good. And he calls out Baron Corbin... oh God. Since when does Seth Rollins have an issue with Baron Corbin? Rollins says that Raw has sucked ever since Corbin has taken over as GM. (And not in the way Vince McMahon intends on people thinking of good "sucking" for heat.) Seth Rollins speaks basically for all wrestling fans and twisting how terrible the show has been as being Baron Corbin fault (um.... Vince McMahon's in reality.). Seth even brings up Lesnar's last match on Raw was actually back in 2002. Corbin says he could give a damn less. He'll be GM after Sunday, and the next night on Raw until Rollins quits, he's going to put Rollins through hell. Rollins says to do it now. Corbin refuses to do it. Rollins wants a TLC match with Corbin tonight. Corbin still says no. Rollins calls him a coward several times. Corbin tells Rollins that he'll get his TLC match for the Intercontinental Championship.
Oh great. Another show bookended with Baron Corbin.
- Raw Tag Team Championship is on the line next when Roode and Gable challenge AOP and Drake Maverick to a 3-2 handicap match. Nothing match for the most part, but the shocker came at the end when Drake Maverick got caught mocking Bobby Roode and was rolled up for the win. Gable and Roode win the Tag Team Championships. Something tells me this will lead to AOP getting a rematch at TLC to attempt to regain the titles.
- Natalya comes out next and cuts a promo on Ruby Riott for attacking her family's legacy. And she attacks Ruby's perception that she was handed everything coming into the company. Nattie references the Montreal Screwjob as an example of the difficulty she's had to overcome in order to forge her path in WWE. She says she's going to dedicate her match to her father and dive Ruby Riott through a table. Ruby Riott comes out and belittles Natalya for crying again. Nattie needs a counselor, according to Ruby. She tells Nattie that she disgraces her family. Ruby has a present for Nattie and unveils a table with HER FATHER'S IMAGE ON A TABLE! When she puts Nattie through that table, Nattie will be closer to her father than ever before. WOW! I actually really liked that promo. That put a lot of heat on that match. Good delivery by both women.
- The next match is a rematch from last week between Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. McIntyre cuts a promo saying that losing his first match since returning only makes him a more dangerous man. He demands respect, and he's going to kick Dolph's head off.
And that's basically what happened. After a few minute-long match and a couple nice fake-outs, McIntyre nailed Ziggler with the Claymore Kick for the win. McIntyre beat down on Ziggler after the match with a second Claymore Kick into the LED board around the ring apron. 50/50 booking. But at least Drew didn't lose again.
- Bayley (w/Sasha Banks) takes on Alicia Fox (w/Jinder Mahal and the Singh Bros.). Jinder and the Singh Bros get involved. Apollo Crews (Bayley's new Mixed Match Challenge partner) interferes and teams with Sasha to take them out while Bayley gets the Bayley to Belly Suplex on Alicia for the win. (How many substitutions has Mixed Match Challenge had? I've lost count.)
- Dean Ambrose is interviewed backstage. Ambrose calls Seth a piece of (stopping himself from saying the rest of that phrase). They again go down the Roman Reigns path of trying to get heat on Dean Ambrose. A video is shown of what happened Roman Reigns announced his battle with leukemia and Dean's heel turn on Seth later that evening. And after the video finishes recapping that and the last two months, Dean just walks off. Can you say "waste of time?"
- Elias is out next cutting a promo on Lashley. He say that he usually doesn't like hitting kids with guitars, but he made an exception for Lio Rush. That... did not sound too good. Lashley interferes in the match that happens next. Referee Heath Slater does not call for the DQ and allows Lashley to beat down on Elias. Lio Rush gets the guitar and gives it to Lashley. Lashley smashes it over the back of Elias, and Lio Rush gets the win after a reluctant Heath Slater makes the 3 count. More over the top heel heat.
- The face-to-face confrontation is next. But Nia Jax comes out first and cuts a promo about breaking Rousey's face and showing no mercy at TLC. Rousey comes out after Jax's promo and says she's here to fight. Jax and Tamina dive out of the ring. Ember Moon comes out next to chase off Tamina and Nia.
This sets up Tamina vs. Ember Moon. Ember Moon gets a win here thanks to Ronda Rousey fend off Nia Jax. Eclipse gets the job done. More ho-hum build for this match. Let's just get to the armbreaker and tap-out already.
- The main event is next as Baron Corbin challenges Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship in a TLC Match with Heath Slater as referee. My attention was definitely being tested in this match. Look, WWE. Everything you had Rollins say at the beginning is true, but you follow that up with MORE Baron Corbin in the main event. There's only so much that I as a wrestling fan can take. They use the weapons around them. The ladder is used in a couple spots. Corbin puts Rollins through a table. Both men take turns using the chair on the other. Slater ends up taking a ref bump. Seth Rollins nails a hell of a Frog Splash off the top rope through Baron Corbin on a table on the floor. Slater pushes Rollins off the ladder and puts him into the ropes. Then, Slater helps Corbin climb the ladder. Rollins stops him and powerbombs Corbin off the ladder into a table set up in the corner. A Curb Stomp to Corbin ends the match as Rollins climbs up the ladder to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
Not a bad match towards the end, but I'd be lying if I said that it was great or even good overall. There's only so much Baron Corbin I can take, and WWE has officially used its quota of Baron Corbin in the last month.
Overall, they may have dressed this show up with a TLC match and a title change, but this was not a great show by any stretch of the imagination. I don't like Tag Titles changing hands in a 3-2 situation, and I don't like seeing Baron Corbin on the show time after time after time throughout. And even when they tried to use Seth Rollins as the voice of the criticism of Raw lately, it just felt forced rather than natural. I can't give this one a good grade folks. The effort was there, but the story being told just sucks.
Until next time, take care and spread some awesomeness.
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