Raw Review 11.11.2019

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The road to Survivor Series continues from Manchester, England. This week’s show was taped last Friday as the fallout from SmackDown spilled over into this show.

The Kabuki Warriors (c) def. Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair – Women’s Tag Team Championship

Becky kicks off the show with a decent 5-6 minute promo in front of the Manchester crowd vowing to return to being “Becky Two Belts.” The match was originally supposed to be Natalya but she was not there due to “family obligations.”

The match kicks off with Becky going up against Asuka. The two locked up and traded hip swiveling taunts. Kairi tags in and whips her into Asuka’s butt cheeks. (Wrestling is weird.) Sane’s new persona is pretty great.

Flair tagged in and just dominated Sane to the point she stepped aside and invited Sane to tag Asuka. The two trade strikes and lockups until NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler shows up at ringside. Asuka and Sane double team Charlotte until Charlotte creates an opening and Becky comes in with the hot tag.

Becky hit a Becksploder on Sane and a top rope double drop kick on both Sane and Asuka before Baszler hopped up to the apron to cause a distraction. Bayley (Wildcard Rule?) comes out to attack Shayna with Shayna getting the better of the exchange. Asuka wins with the roll-up on Becky.

Charlotte disappeared into the ethos. Becky doesn’t seem to be phased by the loss further burying the Women’s Tag Team Championship Titles.

Grade: 2.75 Stars 

Post-match, Bayley attacks Becky. Bayley stands tall. Shayna walks off. 

Drew McIntyre def. Sin Cara

News has hit that Sin Cara has joined the laundry list of WWE stars requesting their release.

Drew beats down on Sin Cara. Sin caught Drew with a lowbridge, a suicide dive, and a moonsault from the top onto the floor before covering Drew back in the ring for 1. McIntyre counters with with a headbutt and a short-arm clothesline for 1. McIntyre got knocked down to the floor. Sin Cara went for a rana, but Drew powerbombed Sin Cara onto the floor. Drew hit him with a Claymore Kick back in the ring and scored the pin.

Grade: 2 Stars

R-Truth vs. Samir Singh (c) & Sunil Singh – 24/7 Championship

Two on one handicapped match for the title that can be defended anywhere at anytime. Sure, having this be an official match makes total sense.

The Singh Brothers double team Truth, but R-Truth comes back. The match spills backstage. The Brothers hide in a room from R-Truth when they find Rowan. He murders them. R-Truth shows up and then leaves.

Ruled no contest, I guess. This was trash.

Grade: 0.5 Star

Seth Rollins def. WALTER

Seth Rollins is not cool and the WWE knows it or else they wouldn’t have edited out the boos from the Manchester crowd. Rollins called out the “UK’s best” when WALTER comes out to accept the challenge. Interesting part, and forgive me since I don’t watch much NXT UK, but WALTER introduced himself as the WWE United Kingdom Champion not the NXT UK Champion. Did they change that like they did the 205 Live Championship to the NXT Cruiserweight Championship?

WALTER takes control early. Rollins fires back and catches WALTER in one of his ugly sling blades. WALTER catches a German on Seth and takes him to the ground. Seth countered with an enziguri after taking some punishment from WALTER. Rollins hit a pair of superkicks and goes for the Stomp, but Imperium swarms in to attack Rollins. Seth Rollins wins via DQ.

This could’ve/shoud’ve been good. Ended way too early. Raw has 3 hours to fill. This could have gone 3 times as long as it did.

Grade: 2.25 Stars

The Street Profits run down for the save along with, my best friend, Kevin Owens. 

Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, & The Street Profits def. Imperium

Holla! Holla! We got a tag team match, playa! 

Rollins started the match off against Alexander Wolfe before getting knocked to the outside and beat down by Imperium. Imperium tags in and out isolating Rollins. Seth fights out hitting a superplex on WALTER. Rollins tags in KO and it’s Cannonballs, superkicks and Swanton Bombs for everyone.

Things break down with the babyfaces get all their spots in including a KO Stunner. Rollins hits the Curb Stomp on Wolfe for the 3.

Decent TV match. KO was the highlight for me. Street Profits felt like an afterthought.

Grade: 2.75 Stars

Andrade “Cien” Almas def. Cedric Alexander

Zelina, what is you wearing? 

In any other world, with any other company, this match would be a highlight and a potential main event, but the WWE doesn’t see much in Alexander and they appear to be pretty lukewarm on Andrade, so the bookers made this a standard fare, lower mid-card match.

The two worked the ropes with Cedric landing a head scissors and a dropkick. Andrade counters the back handspring kick with a dropkick of his own. Following some ground game with Andrade dominating the action, Alexander hit a Basement Dropkick on him, a pair of clotheslines followed by a back elbow, and a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Andrade hit a flatliner, made an attempt at the Lumbar Check, but Andrade fights out of it. Zelina grabbed Cedric’s foot, Andrade hits a back elbow, Hammerlock DDT, and scores the pin for the win.

So much potential here. So sad.

Grade: 2.75 Stars 

Zelina’s real life husband cuts his stupid “knock knock, who’s there? Oh, nobody? NVM.” promo from the void. 

The Lana promo we were all warned about. She announces she’s pregnant with Rusev’s baby while bragging on sex with Lashley. Rusev comes down to confront her. She and Lashley attack him and walk off. TRASH. 

Erick Rowan def. Soner Dursin

Rowan walks down with his covered up cage with his mystery pet. Dursin punches Rowan. Rowan no sells it and proceeds to murder Dursin.

Squash match.

Grade: 0.5 Star

The Viking Raiders (c) def. Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews

This is a non-title match. Flash Morgan Webster takes out Ivar off the apron and hits Erik with a jumping knee. Webster attempts a suicide dive, but is caught by Erik on the outside. Andrews hits a dive on both of them taking out Erik. They run back in the ring and both dive onto Erik and Ivar on the outside. Back in Erik hit a double xploder on Flash and Andrews. Ivar came in and ran through the fellas. Andrews tries making a comeback, but is caught in The Viking Experience. Viking Raiders win.

Valiant effort by the NXT UK duo. Crowd was incredibly quiet during this. Says more about The Viking Raiders than it does Webster and Andrews, IMO.

Grade: 2 Stars

Randy Orton, Ricochet and Humberto Carrillo def. The OC

This match was set up earlier in the night as Ricochet stood up for Carrillo when The OC was bullying him or something. Whatever, it was stupid. All that matters is that all these guys are fantastic. Oh, and Randy Orton was there, too.

The match kicks off with Ricochet taking it to Anderson before Orton tags himself in. Carrillo tags in and The OC proceed to beat him down for a bit. Carrillo tagged in Ricochet. Ricochet whips Styles into the corner, but AJ takes out Orton. Randy hops back in jawing at Ricochet. Humberto comes in to try to play peacemaker.

The OC work over Ricochet with qucik tags and a beautiful spinebuster by Anderson. Gallows knocks Orton off the apron. Ricochet fights back and tags Carrillo. Carrillo lights it up but attempted one too many moonsaults. Orton tags in and does Randy Orton things. Orton goes for the RKO on AJ, but Anderson comes in for the save. Ricochet hit a Recoil on Anderson. Carrillo hits an amazing moonsault on Gallows and Anderson. Orton acts like he’s going to RKO Ricochet, but hits it on AJ Styles instead. He tags in Humberto who hits the moonsault on Styles for the win.

This was fun, but The OC can’t keep losing like this.

Grade: 3 Stars

Raw 11.11.2019
  • The Kabuki Warriors (c) def. Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair - Women's Tag Team Championship
  • Drew McIntyre def. Sin Cara
  • R-Truth vs. Samir Singh (c) & Sunil Singh – 24/7 Championship
  • Seth Rollins def. WALTER
  • Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, & The Street Profits def. Imperium
  • Andrade def. Cedric Alexander
  • Erick Rowan def. Soner Dursin
  • The Viking Raiders (c) def. Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews
  • Randy Orton, Ricochet and Humberto Carrillo def. The OC
2.1

Summary

This was not a good show. Imperium looked like chumps. The Lana/Rusev/Lashley stuff is gross. That promo gave “Bayley, this is your life” a run for its title as worst promo spot ever.