It was a weak edition of Raw this week as WWE management clearly knew that they would have a smaller audience due to the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. As a result, the show came off as lethargic, without much excitement during its three hours.
Going into Monday night, WWE knew they would potentially have the smallest audience in Raw history, which could have been below two million viewers. As of this writing, we don’t know the numbers, but knowing that so many people were watching the debate, WWE put forth a show that was clearly lacking in terms of major developments.
Every week in this spot, I write a lot about the key angles on the show, how they were set up and whether they worked or failed. This week, I’m not even sure what the key angle was because the main event was announced with only 10 minutes left in the show.
That main event match was Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens beating Enzo Amore and Big Cass. It was a rematch from SummerSlam set up during a promo segment. Does a match like that sound like a worthy TV main event? Not really. Enzo and Cass are a popular team, but they weren’t even in a match at Clash of Champions. Yet here they are headlining Raw the next night.
Raw started out in a different way by having an actual match begin the broadcast instead of the usual 15-minute promo to set up other matches later in the show or at a future pay-per-view. That sounded good in theory, but the Reigns vs. Rusev match for the US Title was too long and only set up another match down the road. We just saw those two have a lengthy match at Sunday’s Clash of Champions, yet WWE felt the need to do the same match again on Raw.
The most frustrating thing about WWE’s Raw brand is that they have a lot of talent up and down the roster, some of whom didn’t even get to be on the show (like Sami Zayn and Neville), yet the storylines are so boring at times that it makes people want to turn the show off.
I think Smackdown has beaten Raw handily, in part because it’s easier to book a more meaningful show in two hours instead of three hours. There’s going to be less filler when you have less time. Another reason is that Smackdown’s booking has been better. They are using more of their deep roster, elevating people like Heath Slater from jobber to credible to wrestler, and have had more compelling turns like The Usos’ much-needed heel turn. I also feel like AJ Styles is WWE’s best performer as well, so seeing him with the WWE Title helps Smackdown a lot.
Raw is supposed to be WWE’s “A” show. It sure didn’t didn’t feel like it this week.
This Week’s Raw Matches
Here’s a rundown of this week’s matches.
Roman Reigns vs. Rusev ended in a double countout in a US Title match
This was a rematch from Clash of Champions. They went 25 minutes with two commercial breaks and it was really boring. I had no interest in seeing them in a really long match on Raw one night after they did the title change.
The double countout likely means Reigns and Rusev will have another match at some point. With Hell in a Cell looming on Oct. 30, it will probably be a Hell in a Cell match. Do people really want another match between them? I don’t think so. We know that WWE management loves these guys, but I think the fans are sick of it at this point. I know I am!
The New Day defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in a Tag Team Title match
I thought it was a really good tag match that went about 12 minutes, which was five minutes more than they got at Clash of Champions. There was an interesting spot near the end where Kofi Kingston was busted open legit after being sent into the ring steps. Big E was there to provide some big spots by hitting a Spear on Anderson at the apron that sent them both to the floor. Kingston won for his team with the Trouble in Paradise. After the match, Kingston needed stitches for the cut.
Is this the end of Gallows & Anderson as contenders for the titles? It feels like it. They have lost a lot of title matches, so they are probably moving onto something else. I like them a lot and wish they were booked in a more serious manner.
Why did WWE do two title matches in the first hour? It’s because the debate started at the beginning of hour two of Raw. They wanted to get the bigger matches out of the way early.
Bayley defeated Anna Fields
A two-minute win for Bayley that we like to call a squash match. Bayley won because she got pinned at Clash of Champions. It’s typical WWE booking to give a loser a win the night after a PPV show.
Cedric Alexander & Rich Swann defeated Drew Gulak & Lince Dorado
The cruiserweight division was featured in this tag match as Gulak and Dorado made their Raw debuts. I’m not sure if either guy has a contract with WWE yet, but both were in the Cruiserweight Classic. Swann got the win for his team with a rollup and bridging pin. Good match.
Cesaro & Sheamus defeated Nick Cutler & Willis Williams
It was a dominant win for the new team of Cesaro and Sheamus. They argued throughout the match. Sheamus was frustrated, so he hit the Brogue Kick on the two jobbers and Cesaro got the pin for his team. The match was over in about three minutes. Just a quickie.
T.J. Perkins defeated Tony Nese
Perkins, the Cruiserweight Champion, made his Raw debut here in a non-title match. Good to see Nese in a Raw match because he was a standout performer in the Cruiserweight Classic. Nese is a terrific all-around wrestler that uses power moves more than most cruiserweights and hit a perfect flip dive as well where he landed on his feet. Perkins got the win with the kneebar submission.
One thing I hated about this match was that the crowd in Cincinnati lost interest. I know these guys aren’t big names in WWE yet, but pay attention to the match. Fans chanted “CM Punk” and “Randy Savage” at different points in the match. If it’s a bad match, I get that fans may lose interest. In this case, though, the action was really good. Pay attention!
Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho defeated Enzo Amore & Big Cass
This was set up during a Highlight Reel segment where Jericho had Owens as the guest. That means that it took nearly three hours to announce the main event on this show, which turned out to be an impromptu tag match.
The match was okay, but ran a bit too long at about 17 minutes. It should have been about five minutes shorter. I think they went that long because Raw likes to end at a certain point about seven minutes past 11 p.m. ET, so that’s why they did it that way. Owens and Jericho were entertaining, doing their “best friends” shtick with some funny moments. Owens beat Enzo clean with a clothesline and Powerbomb for the easy finish. Does Cass ever get pinned for his team? Rarely. He’s always protected.
Three Other Key Items From Raw
1. Cesaro and Sheamus are a now a tag team. You read that right. After their best-of-seven series ended in a draw at Clash of Champions, Raw GM Mick Foley told them they are now a tag team that will get a title shot against The New Day in the future.
I’m not sure if the reason for this angle is to turn Sheamus face, because I think he’s much better as a heel and always has been. This team will probably be booked in a strong way since they are upper mid-carders that look like legit badass wrestlers. I just don’t know if it’s the best thing for either guy. The “unlikely partners” angle can be fun if booked right.
It’s too soon to judge if this will work or if it will fail. I’ll try to be optimistic about it.
2. Seth Rollins was out of action this week due to a rib injury he suffered at Clash of Champions. During his Universal Title match with Kevin Owens, Rollins took a Gutbuster off the ropes and it legitimately hurt one of his ribs. The early word is that it’s nothing serious and the hope is that he will be cleared to compete within a week or two.
On Raw, Rollins was just shown arguing with Foley, which seems like an every week occurrence. Somebody tell WWE that fans don’t want to root for whiners who complain about everything. Stone Cold Steve Austin kicked people’s ass. He didn’t complain. Learn from it.
Rollins tried to get at Owens during the main event, but was held back by security and Foley. Rollins stayed in the back the rest of the night.
3. There are two title matches next week on Raw in Los Angeles. Charlotte defends the Raw Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks, because Banks claimed she was owed a singles title match after Bayley was pinned by Charlotte at Clash of Champions. It’s possible they do a title change, but I think Charlotte will probably retain the title. Hell in a Cell on Oct. 30 is in Boston, which is Sasha’s hometown, so maybe they will do the title change there.
Also, T.J. Perkins defends the Cruiserweight Title against Brian Kendrick in a rematch from Clash of Champions. It should be another win for Perkins, as Kendrick continues to establish himself as a cocky heel that thinks he’s better than Perkins.
This week’s Raw had two title matches and so will next week’s show. That’s pretty unusual, but I think it’s smart because with a lot of people choosing to watch Monday Night Football as well as other shows on Monday nights, WWE has to advertise bigger matches a week earlier. It’s better than going into a show with nothing announced, like they do most of the year.
Next week’s Raw will also have Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson as guest stars to confront Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens about the whole “best friends” thing that Jericho talks about all the time. Big news for fans of That 70’s Show, I guess.
Looking Ahead To Hell in a Cell
The next Raw brand pay-per-view is Hell in a Cell on Oct. 30 in Boston. No matches have been announced as of yet.
In Closing
This was one of the worst episodes of Raw of the year and probably the most forgettable as well. To WWE’s credit, they are building up next week’s show very well, since they are in a big market like Los Angeles. Here’s hoping they right the ship next week, because if they do another show like this one ,they are going to lose even more viewers.
