Rate Raw 10/2/2017

[Jacob Fox]

Please rate this week's episode of Raw and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of the show.

Spoiler: Raw Results

Seth Rollins vs Braun Strowman

Braun defeated Seth Rollins by pin fall. After the match, Braun attacked Rollins and then left the ring. He then turned to go back to the ring and was attacked by Ambrose. Braun however manhandled him. After he left, Sheamus and Cesaro came and beat down on the tag champions while they were laying in the ring.

Promos

First, Alicia Fox and Emma were laughing as Mickie James walked through the hall. Mickie went into her locker room and saw a lot of things implying she was old, like diapers and a walker. She went to Alexa's room and the door was answered by Nia Jax, who even though she turned on Alexa seems like she is back being Alexa's lackey. Nia challenged Mickie to a match and Mickie accepted.

Elias vs Titus O'Neil

Elias beat O'Neil by pin fall and was going to attack him again but Apollo Crews chased him off.

Mickie James vs Nia Jax

Mickie won by pin fall when Alexa interfered

Matt Hardy and Jason Jordan vs the Club

Hardy and Jordan won by pin fall

Intercontinental Championship: Champion Miz vs Roman Reigns

Miz retained his IC Championship when he was DQ'ed when Cesaro and Sheamus interfered in the match. The three then brutally beat down Roman while the crowd chanted for the Shield.

Finn Balor

Finn came out and called Bray Wyatt a coward. Bray appeared on screen and let Finn know Sister Abigail was alive and he will meet her.

Bayley and Sasha Banks vs Emma and Alicia Fox

Emma abandoned Alicia Fox, who was immediately pinned by Bayley

Enzo Amore

Enzo came out and insulted the cruiserweights and told them he got an agreement with Kurt Angle that none of them could touch him or they would get fired. They all came to the ring and Enzo insulted them until Kurt Angle came out. Angle introduced the newest cruiserweight as Kalisto and he took down Enzo.

Backstage

Roman was in the locker room looking hurt. Ambrose approached him. Then Seth Rollins approached him. Then the two left.

 

[Death Walker]

I rated this show a 7, it wasn't great nor good but it wasn't that bad. There have been way WORSE Raw episodes this year alone. A good finish with Enzo, Angle, Kalisto and the cruiserweights even with Roman, Dean & Seth.

 

[Jacob Fox]

A pretty generous 5. I liked the Miz and Roman match, especially the violent beatdown Roman got after the match. Other than that, it was mostly meh

 

[Asuka Lock]

I saw like half of it and from what I saw I liked miz and roman, the cruiserweight stuff was okay, and uh the raw women's division makes me sad... but other than that average

 

[RedDwarfTechy]

They are testing to see if Sheild reunion will be welcome. That's gonna be cringe-worthy.

 

[Grievous 3D]

Okay...let's have a look...

~ And Strowman defeats Seth...which is to be expected...

~ So...its Strowman, Cesaro & Sheamus vs. The Shield at TLC?

Ehh...I don't care...

~ It is great to see the entire RAW women's division getting
more screen time.

~ Is it me or has the Drifter won a lot of matches since arriving
on the main roster?

~ And of course Mickie vs. Nia was a mess with a fucked finish...
I can't say I'm shocked.

~ So Mickie gets a title shot at TLC? Okay...and I hope she wins it...
but I'm guessing Alexa will win because according to many fans...
Mickie is only there to get the younger talent over.

~ Pointless tag matches are pointless...

~ [HASHTAG]#IgnoreReigns[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#IgnoreRomanFanboys[/HASHTAG]

~ So...its the Miz, Cesaro & Sheamus vs. The Shield at TLC?

Either way...I don't care...

~ WHAT.THE.FUCK?!

ABIGAIL IS REAL? ABIGAIL IS ALIVE? ABIGAIL IS...

Sage Beckett?

(With the Iconic Duo) and I'm crossing my fingers...

~ Another pointless women's tag match...another victory for Sasha
& Buried...I mean Bayley. Start the 4 Horsewomen story line already!

Also...who is Asuka fighting at TLC? If its Emma then announce the
match and start the build. Give Emma some promo time and a few
wins at least.

~ So...you finally bring Kalisto into the Cruiserweight division when
Neville is no longer the champion? FUCK YOU WWE! FUCK YOU!

~ [HASHTAG]#IgnoreReigns[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#IgnoreRomanFanboys[/HASHTAG]

And I'm Done...

 

[Snowman1]

This Shield reunion is surreal

 

[Grievous 3D]

They are testing to see if Sheild reunion will be welcome. That's gonna be cringe-worthy.

This Shield reunion is surreal

And it's the latest in the long line of attempts by the WWE creative
to get Reigns over...and no disrespect to Ambrose & Rollins (who
I both like) but I hope it fails...just like all the other desperate, lame,
pathetic plans have failed so far.

 

[Giggityfish80]

Show was worth it just for Enzo throwing shade at everyone2:

 

[Nikki Nitro]

This Shield reunion is surreal

They're seriously gonna bring the Shield back together for TLC?..:emoji_thinking:

 

[Snowman1]

And it's the latest in the long line of attempts by the WWE creative
to get Reigns over...and no disrespect to Ambrose & Rollins (who
I both like) but I hope it fails...just like all the other desperate, lame,
pathetic plans have failed so far.

This feels to me like Vince saying in the back that "Bahahaha! F-5 to the monster! 1-2-3, yeah! And here comes... SPEAR! SPEAR! OH GOSH THIS MANIA MATCH IS SUCH A PERFECT IDEA EVERYONE AREN'T YOU SO HAPPY?? Everyone? Isn't this great? Ummm... shit! Crap the universal title is off TV now, what do we do!?!?"

The more I look at the WWE landscape, the more they desperately just need a big angle. If we go into the Royal Rumble with that POINTLESS Balor vs Lesnar match which will devalue both of them, and with business as usual build without a white-hot angle going into it giving fans hope, then I can only imagine how the fans are going to feel going into Royal Rumble 2015 Part II. And while we don't have Daniel Bryan this time, we'll have a stronger New Japan after WK12 and rumors circulating that the American Dragon is heading over there. The build-up will be a disaster, even if a Smackdown guy like Kevin Owens is a surprise Rumble winner...

So while I really, really liked the Ambrose and Rollins angle, this... Could lead to one amazing thing, but there's a better chance of lightning hitting that Royal Rumble as God reveals himself to be a wrestling fan who doesn't wanna watch Reigns win again, than there is Ambrose and Rollins standing up after a big loss to Sanity, and this time Reigns is behind them with a chair...

As much as I talk about how Reigns is already a heel, they have do the official turn now. Otherwise early 2018 is going to be really, really bad.

 

[alexb]

It’s been a few weeks since I last posted anything (hectic isn’t even close to describe how my work schedule has been lately) and though there’s a lot of topics I’d like to discuss or comment upon in regards to some of the events during this period, this obviously isn’t the time or place so I’ll just try and throw a few thoughts here and there while staying on the subject of this thread.

- First off, I’m glad WWE opened the way they did, with a moment of silence in honor of the events that took place in Las Vegas and the entire roster out on the ramp, including Vince himself. I do have to say though, I did find it kind of funny that the Smackdown Live commissioner was out there as well (Shane) while the RAW commissioner (Stephanie) was nowhere to be seen. Unless I missed it (and please do correct me if I’m wrong), I found it somewhat odd.

- And speaking of such tributes or shows of respect, I also would like to add that while I thought the video packages they did the week before were great and all, I honestly believe that the late Bobby Heenan deserved the ten bell salute. I understand the phrase “one of the greatest” or “the greatest” gets thrown around a lot but in Bobby’s case, I feel most will agree that he was indeed the greatest at what he did….RIP Bobby…

- I understand that continuity isn’t exactly WWE’s forte but can someone please explain to me how Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss are BFF’s again, hanging out in Alexa’s locker room? Don’t get me wrong, I would have liked to hang out with Alexa Bliss in her locker room (wink, wink) but, seriously, what the fuck?

- While on the woman’s division subject, I personally find this “Mickie is old” kind of lame and silly, as was the segment later on in the night when Angle announced the title match for the upcoming TLC event. And to answer Grevious, Alexa will retain…believe that )) The way I see it, they are clearly setting up a showdown between the Goddess and the Empress…

- Cesaro is A BEAST and while what happened to him at No Mercy was very unfortunate (would never like to be in his shoes for that), it’s nice to see them capitalizing on the situation in the best possible way.

- So the Shield is reuniting in its entirety. That’s all good but if Vince thinks this is his best shot at getting Roman over, he should probably think again cause it’s the SHIELD as a unit that the fans love and the SHIELD as a unit that the fans will pop for. Once Roman goes back to his solo business and pursue the Universal title (if the plan with Lesnar still stands), I have a funny feeling it’ll be the same old story all over again…

- Whether you like him or dislike him, Enzo running everyone down during the main event segment was awesome; the man can surely talk….

- ….on the other hand, the introduction of Kalisto was GOD AWFUL, UNDERWHELMING and WHAT THE FUCK?

- I have no idea why Balor and Wyatt are still feuding and while I am literally sick and tired of Bray mumbling…words every week, I have to admit THIS time they got me intrigued. Are they actually going to introduce a Sister Abigail character? Hmm….

- To answer the question above, if I am not mistaken (didn't really go and check his record), I feel Elias has yet to be defeated on RAW. It sure feels that way...

 

[SWL]

On a real tho, Shield vs Miz/The Bar is gonna be an unreal match. Just imagine the recent tag title matches.. but even better! I hope they make it a title for title match, which is the way to go for it right now if you wanna make people care about it. Obviously they're just doing it now to have a solid main event scene while Lesnar is gone, even though I read that he might possibly come back to work for Survivor Series so that's gonna be interesting. I'm personally really looking forward to it.

Enzo finally found his groove, he's amazing as a heel. And Kalisto finally finding his way to the cruiserweight division is great too. I mean, this goes back to how Neville/Enzo went, so we probably won't be seeing a banger here at the PPV but Kalisto can go if you put him in there with the Nevilles and others.

There's honestly not much else to the show. Bray/Balor is the same as every week, even the sister abigail card didn't work and Mickie vs Bliss is really weird but I wish Mickie the best for her future in the company because she's obviously not going over here lol

 

[Grievous 3D]

As much as I talk about how Reigns is already a heel, they have do the official turn now.

Turning Reigns into an official heel won't fix anything...the Boos will never stop...
and besides...Triple H claims he's already a heel.

- I understand that continuity isn’t exactly WWE’s forte but can someone please explain to me how Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss are BFF’s again, hanging out in Alexa’s locker room? Don’t get me wrong, I would have liked to hang out with Alexa Bliss in her locker room (wink, wink) but, seriously, what the fuck?

Because Total Divas...

- While on the woman’s division subject, I personally find this “Mickie is old” kind of lame and silly, as was the segment later on in the night when Angle announced the title match for the upcoming TLC event.

The "Mickie is Old" idea doesn't work...because she doesn't look "old"
and she can still go in the ring. Hell...Tamina is older than Mickie.

And to answer Grevious, Alexa will retain…believe that :emoji_slight_smile) The way I see it, they are clearly setting up a showdown between the Goddess and the Empress…

Don't use that catchphrase...it makes you seem about as interesting
as a dead tree or a plank of wood.

A match between Asuka & Alexa would be awful...as good as Asuka is.

What's the bet they have Alexa hand Asuka her first WWE defeat...
because for some unknown reason Alexa is fast becoming the
Roman Reigns of the Women's division with this unending push
she's been given since TLC last year.

Did she give Kevin Dunn a handjob or something?

I am so sick of Little Miss Bliss at this point...I just want someone...
anyone...to take that title from her and actually keep it away from her.

I can't believe I'm going to say this...but I'd rather Nia be the champion
than Alexa at this point...and you all know my opinions on Nia...and it
has nothing to do with her appearance or who she's related to.

 

[alexb]

What's the bet they have Alexa hand Asuka her first WWE defeat...
because for some unknown reason Alexa is fast becoming the
Roman Reigns of the Women's division with this unending push
she's been given since TLC last year.

In all fairness, whether you like Alexa Bliss or not, I think we all can agree that she's quite good in the ring and exceptional on the mic so the push she is receiving at the moment shouldn't come as a surprise; especially in regards to promos, I honestly don't think anyone from the current roster can top her. In other words, I feel Alexa has the whole package.

Is Alexa better then Sasha as far as the in ring performance? Nope, Sasha Banks is obviously better but, once again, that mic work is just as important and as we all know, sometimes its even more important than pulling off a few fancy moves during a match. I mean, Apollo Crews is also amazing in the ring, a very talented athlete but the lack of any character has kept him in the lower end of the card. By no means am I implying that Sasha has no character (it's quite the opposite actually) but the fact that her promos are mediocre at best does play a big factor and perhaps is one of the reasons she hasn't gotten a lengthy title run.

Bayley they've obviously ruined, Emma sadly they don't seem to be fond of and Nia Jax they are clearly taking their time with so, the way I see it, Alexa is currently the best thing they have on the RAW brand and this was one of the main reasons I was very confident last month while making the very early prediction she'd retain at No Mercy, despite all "odds" against her.

Moving forward, my only question is how long they intend to keep Bliss as champion and how long before Asuka gets to challenge for the title. Looking at the schedule, the upcoming TLC event is the final RAW exclusive PPV of the year; we then have Survivor Series in November and Clash of Champions in December which is a blue brand exclusive and then, come January, obviously Royal Rumble...

The way I see it, keeping Bliss champion all the way till Wrestlemania can't be done. For one, they are apparently intending to do this with Brock so doing the same thing with the Woman's Championship would be lame and silly so based on that and keeping in mind they've often had title changes on random RAW episodes, I woudn't be surprised if they do something similar this time around. If I were to take a guess, I'd say that Alexa Bliss retains once again at TLC against Mickie, perhaps with some help from Nia Jax, only for Jax to then challange or be given the opportunity via Kurt Angle and win the belt on RAW either the following night or a week later.

Meanwhile, if they want to take a slow approach with Asuka, they could have her pretty much destroy people for the first few weeks. Maybe some unknown local jobbers at first, maybe a Dana Brooke or an Alicia Fox later on, then a Mickie James and/or an Emma, the basic stuff really. Have her be just as dominant as she was at NXT and obviously have the announce team play that through their commentary.

I understand this is Asuka we are talking about and you could only keep her out of the title picture for so long but if WWE were to find a decent way to do so, I'd stretch this out all the way till January, whey they announce....




















.....the first ever WOMAN'S ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH.

I'm sure many of you have probably heard the rumor and this is something that has been talked before in the past. In my humble opinion, it really isn't a matter of "if" but "when" and I honestly don't see why they can't pull the trigger come January 2018. My thinking afterwards, quite obvious: Asuka, of course, wins the Royal Rumber, thus becoming the number one contender and this eventually leads up to a showdown between the undefeated Empress and the monster known as Nia Jax.


Granted, all the above is pretty much fantasy booking from my part and taking another glance, all of it may probably be too complicated even for WWE standards so there's always the short-term planning, in which Alexa simply retains at TLC and they then immediately insert Asuka in the title picture, setting up the Empress versus the Goddess as soon as Survivor Series. Asuka defeats Bliss (of course) and then, once more, you could still play the female version of the Rumble, only for Nia Jax to be the one to come out victorious and ultimately challenge Asuka at Wrestlemania.

As you may have noticed, in both scenarios I've pinned Asuka vs. Jax as the ultimate end game for Mania but this is something they could easily toy with, as in making it a 3-way by inserting Bliss, whilst by this point, maybe WWE have pulled the heel turn with Sasha, thus having Sasha Banks vs. Bayley in a more "personal" match. I mean, enough with the multi-women matches already, right?