Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 10.03.16

Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 10.03.16

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Non-Title Match: The Brian Kendrick defeated Champion TJ Perkins @ 8:58 via submission [**½]
– Braun Strowman defeated Chase Silver @ 1:42 via pin [NR]
– Sami Zayn defeated Titus O’Neil @ 2:46 via pin [NR]
– Anderson and Gallows defeated Golden Truth @ 3:20 via pin [**]
– Non-Title Match: Champions New Day defeated JeriKo @ 16:30 via pin [***]
– Tony Nese defeated Rich Swann @ 4:30 via pin [**½]
– Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Jimmy and Johnny BootsNtights @ 1:50 via pin [NR]
– Women’s Title Match: Sasha Banks defeated Champion Charlotte @ 14:20 via submission to become the NEW Raw Women’s Champion [****]

Roman Reigns is Here to Talk: Roman Reigns made his way to the ring. He spoke about his family’s legacy in the business, and that he is the first to claim the US Title. Reigns started to go into that “I’m the guy” shtick he does, when Lana appeared and made sure to show off her ass to the audience. No seriously, she did the slow turn and everything. She tried to claim that she was here without Rusev’s knowledge, Reigns then claimed that was impossible because there were, “cameras everywhere and like… 60 TVs backstage.” Rusev wanted a title shot; Reigns frustrated Lana and she got upset and started to yell at him to go to hell. Rusev arrived and we got the big brawl. Rusev seemingly had the upper hand and tried to leave with the US Title, but Roman Reigns has transported technology, appeared out on nowhere and laid out Rusev with the superman punch. He accepted Rusev’s challenge, but made it hell in a cell. This was an overall solid segment to play off of last week’s non-finish and to lock in the first big match for Hell in a Cell. I really liked the brawl portion, but the Lana and Reigns stuff was rough at times.

– We get a video package for TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick.

Non-Title Match: Champion TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick: They are continuing to do the CWC style presentation, with the purple themed ring and the pre-match handshake. Perkins took control right away, working over Kendrick and hitting a dive to the floor. Back in, Perkins rolled through a senton and then ran into the big boot. Kendrick then took Perkins to the corner and trapped his fingers in the turnbuckle bolt.

The hometown hero @MegaTJP in a TON of trouble courtesy of the #WizardOfOdd @mrbriankendrick! #RAW pic.twitter.com/jLu6SnnKP5

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 4, 2016

That was creative, and plays into the veteran willing to do anything to get ahead and make the most of his last run persona of Kendrick. Post break, Perkins made a comeback and hit a RANA off the ropes and they did a double down. Perkins got to his feet, and picked up the pace as he made his comeback and scored with a near fall and then the knee bar. Kendrick would fight back and hit sliced bread for the near fall. He locked in the Saka Otoshi, but Perkins escaped and scored with the wrecking ball dropkick. Perkins went for the toss up kick, Kendrick raked the eyes and locked in the Saka Otoshi for the submission win. Non-Title Match: The Brian Kendrick defeated Champion TJ Perkins @ 8:58 via submission [**½] That was perfectly solid, but due to the commercial break, didn’t come across as smoothly as it could have. With the match being under 10-minutes, they really should have done their best to keep it to one segment. Kendrick gets the predictable win via shenanigans to set up the rubber match t HIAC, which is fine, but I wasn’t a fan of the babyface champion tapping out here.

Seth Rollins Talks: They did a segment, similar to Michael Cole’s weekly sitdown interview that’s posted on Youtube. Rollins said he was cleared, but that the doctors want him to rest his ribs. When asked about his similarities to Owens, he says that they have some, but that Owens is the guy who gets all of the rewards by doing half the work and that the title was handed to him. Cole asked Rollins if he was upset that Owens replaced him as Triple H’s toy, but Rollins said that was impossible. Owens is a cog in the machine, and he will tear it apart. Rollins says he had Owens beat at the Clash, and says he knows how this works and he’s done the same. If he gets his rematch at HIAC, he will cancel the Kevin Owens show and prove that he’s still the man. I liked that, as I had been calling for them to use the Cole style interviews on Raw. Not only to fill some time with content that actually adds to angles, but because you can pre-tape and edit these and make sure that they come off better than an in-ring promo. You can protect a lot of guys that are rough on promos this way. I thought Rollins came off well here, but there was a bit too much Triple H talk. I don’t want to feel that these two are battling over Triple H’s love I want them to be fighting over the title to see who is best.

Braun Strowman vs. Chase Silver: Silver gave a promo about dreams coming true, it’s about to be a nightmare son. Silver looks like a generic Adam Cole. Silver made the mistake of hitting Strowman, so Strowman destroyed him. The running powerslam finished it. Braun Strowman defeated Chase Silver @ 1:42 via pin [NR] Strowman demanded real competition for next week and warned Foley he should get it. Which is good because we need to move this along already, the squashes are good to establish him as a beast, but we need to start to move him up into some matches with established guys. On a side note, my concern is the fact that Strowman is still working short matches on the road, and he’ll never get better doing that. He’s had under 150 matches in his career, if they see something in him great, but get him on the road and working matches with veterans and giving him more time so that he can learn.

– Sasha and Bayley met backstage and geeked out over the fact that the ladies are the main even tonight. Sasha was all, “critics be damned, I’m going to win.”

– The Royal Rumble is coming to the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Start the Shawn Michaels return rumors…. NOW!

Kevin Owens Talks – Chris Jericho Is Also There: Owens addressed the Rollins interview, noted that Cole was horrible and then took pleasure in injuring Rollins. Owens then made a great case, noting that Rollins had done nothing to earn a title shot. Owens and Jericho spoke about being the best of friends, made fun of the crowd and says that if Rollins gets a rematch that they need a referee that can take care of anything, and suggests Jericho for the role. Jericho then suggested that they are the best tag team in WWE, and he wanted to challenge New Day for the titles. Owens reminded him of Sheamus and Cesaro having a title shot, but Jericho said that they could make history as the tag team champions and Universal champion at the same time. Owens thought this was too much work, and Jericho teased a shot at Owens’ title and lustfully stared at the Universal title. Owens then agreed to go after New Day. New Day arrived, claimed that they were better friends than Owens and Jericho, and they made the list. Owens and Jericho ran then down, questioning the health aspects of BootyOs, and then said that they jumped the shark months ago. Woods insulted Owens (“Jumped the shark? Look at yourself! When was the last time you jumped over ANYTHING?!”), and got put on the list a second time. New Day accepted the challenge for a match. That was a ton of fun from everyone involved and the most enjoyable thing on the show so far. I would also call it the best New Day segment in a long time.

– Sheamus and Cesaro play odd couple.

– Goldberg will be on ESPN this week.

Sami Zayn vs. Titus O’Neil: O’Neil did a pre-match promo about his BRAND, which I am sure will thrill The Ryback. Zayn controlled with his speed early, but O’Neil cut him off and slammed him to the mat. O’Neil mocked Zayn’s theme music by singing and then slowed the match even more with a bear hug. O’Neil was working a bland heat until Zayn fired up and hit the lariat. The corner XPLODER followed and then the helluva hit and O’Neil is done. Sami Zayn defeated Titus O’Neil @ 2:46 via pin [NR] This was a short and uneventful match, with Zayn getting the win. If they were serious about a new gimmick for O’Neil, they should have had him work a squash match, because otherwise it felt like a waste. But in terms of giving Zayn a win, it worked well.

– Sheamus and Cesaro argued about having to travel together, and Foley arrived. He told them that he has problems battling Smackdown and getting de-balled by Stephanie. He needs them to make towns, come together as a team and to prove him right.

– Anderson and Gallows will be action. Corey Graves said that they looked to continue their domination. What show is he watching, NJPW on AXS TV?

Anderson and Gallows vs. Golden Truth: Golden Truth worked over Anderson to begin, and that lasted for the first minute. Anderson cut off Goldust and Gallows tagged in and worked the heat. It didn’t last long as we got tags to Truth and Anderson, Truth ran wild and Gallows had to save him. He took out Goldust, Truth ate the magic killer, and that was that. Post match they also beat down Goldust and laid him out with the magic killer. Anderson and Gallows defeated Golden Truth @ 3:20 via pin [**] Anderson and Gallows score the much needed victory, I just have to wonder if the reboot is coming too late for people to really care.

– Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson met with JeriKo. Jericho threatened to put them on the list and Masterson stole the list and made jokes. They then argued over who was closer and Owens said that the 70s show would have been better with them as stars. Kutcher and Masterson will be ringside for the match between JeriKo and New Day. Jericho threatened that if they get involved that they will get… it. Jericho and Owens have been a ton of fun tonight.

– Enzo and Cass do a Susan G. Komen segment, and present three cancer survivors with replica women’s title belts.

Non-Title Match: Champions New Day (Woods and Big E) w/Kofi vs. JeriKo: Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson are out for commentary. Owens took control early as commentary was designed for bad jokes and for Kutcher and Masterson to hype their Netflix show. After some back and forth, Big E tagged in and he worked over Owens. The corner spear connected, but Owens avoided the second and Big E posted himself. JeriKo took the heat, it was solid but the commentary was rally annoying and consistently took away from the match. They worked through the break, and when we came back Big E and Owens did a double down and Woods got the hot tag. He got to run wild, but got cut off by Owens and JeriKo took the heat again. Fun stuff from Owens as he mocked Woods as he beat on him. Woods managed to counter the superplex and then hit the high cross for a near fall. Owens cut off Woods, and then Seth Rollins arrived. Owens got distracted, and that allowed Woods to fight back. We got tags to Big E and Jericho, Big E hit some suplexes and danced before eating a superkick from Owens. Owens then got sent to the floor, and ate a dive from Woods. Big E hit the running splash and then tagged din Woods. Owens took out Big E, and Jericho locked in the liontamer on Woods. Rollins ran down and distracted Jericho, New Day hit the midnight hour and that was that. Post match Owens bailed, and Rollins pedigreed Jericho. Non-Title Match: Champions New Day defeated JeriKo @ 16:30 via pin [***] Despite the closing stuff, which felt as if it became a bit too much and could have been more isolated, this was a good match. New Day also wins without the usual Kofi/Big E combo, which is also a nice thing to see, and Woods is traditionally looked at by many as “the weak link.” Commentary was insufferable, but I did like how Owens bailed on Jericho. With the tease from earlier (when Jericho teased challenging for the title) they gave the two an excuse to have some issues going forward.

– Charlotte cut a promo, she’s not nervous because she was born for this and says Sasha is nothing more than an overachiever.

– Stephanie reprimands Rollins because he put himself in jeopardy by going to the ring. Stephanie then reminded him tat for the first time in WWE, he is alone, and is completely replaceable just like everyone else. Rollins then demanded his rematch for the Universal title, and if she doesn’t, he will make her life a living hell, burn Raw to the ground and take Jericho and Owens with him.

Rich Swann vs. Tony Nese: Nese cut a pre-match promo, and was not a fan of all the attention Swann was getting or his dancing around. They worked a fun back and forth, keeping the pacing quick and doing a lot of athletic stuff. Nese even mocked Swann’s dancing. They worked an even start, but when the ref went to separate them, Nese hit a kick to the head. This allowed Nese to take control of things. Nese attempted to ground Swann and use his power game. Swann battled back, avoided a corner charge and then hit the RANA. Swann fired up with clotheslines and then the double stomp for a near fall. Nese cut off Swann, and then hit a really safe pump handle driver for the surprising win. Tony Nese defeated Rich Swann @ 4:30 via pin [**½] That was a solid match that needed just a little more time to develop. The good news is that they didn’t kill it with a commercial break, and it feels as if we’re getting closer to where they need to be with some of these matches. I think if you’re going to go this short that it needs to be more of a sprint formula to really get the crowds going.

– We get a slide show of sexy Emma pictures. “The makeover of Emma to Emmalina” was teased.

Coming soon… #RAW @EmmaWWE pic.twitter.com/jOlFelSFvO

— WWE (@WWE) October 4, 2016

Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Jimmy and Johnny BootsNtights: Just like last week, Sheamus and Cesaro dominated and would tag themselves in to irritate the other. They argued, Sheamus went for the cloverleaf and Cesaro jumped off his back to make a save. They argued and then a Brogue kick finished one of the poor souls. Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Jimmy and Johnny BootsNtights @ 1:50 via pin [NR] The odd couple continues.

– We get a video package on the history between Charlotte and Sasha.

– Charlotte and Dana walk and run into Bayley. Charlotte runs into Bayley and makes fun of her, and tells her to grab a seat d watch history. Bayley tells her to not get too cocky, and then Dana makes fun of Bayley and tells her not to cry when Charlotte breaks Sasha in half. Dana tried to intimidate her and Bayley slammed her into the wall, and Dana held her knee.

Women’s Title Match: Champion Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks: Charlotte attacked and went for the figure four early, but Banks fought her off and hit a suicide dive and we took a commercial break 37 seconds into the match. Post break, Charlotte was working the back of Banks, which she attacked during the break as they brawled on the floor. Charlotte worked a good heat here, playing aggressive well and focusing well on punishing Banks. The crowd was also into it rather well, rallying for Banks as Charlotte continued her assault on the back. Banks avoided a corner charge and started to fire back, scoring with clothesline and a dropkick. The meteora followed and Banks got the near fall. Banks hit the RANA and sent Charlotte to the floor. She went to the apron, Charlotte cut her off, almost dropped her, but then slammed Banks into the apron. Charlotte would get a near fall, the two then battled for their submissions and then battled to the corner. Banks up top and Charlotte cuts her off and trips her into he ropes, Charlotte then hit a series of big boots, and got a good near fall off of that. Charlotte was completely frustrate that she didn’t put her away, and went back on the attack with chops and set Banks up top. Banks fought off the superplex, sent Charlotte to the mat and then hit the meteora off the ropes for a great near fall. The crowd is responding well here, as Charlotte sent Banks to the floor to escape the back stabber. Charlotte then headed up top and HIT A FUCKING SKY TWISTER PRESS TO THE FLOOR. JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESUS. Back in, Charlotte hit natural selection and only got 2. Charlotte was pissed and started to slap around Banks, but Banks hit a tilt a whirl into the Banks stamen and teased Charlotte turning it into a pin, but Banks reversed and Charlotte had to tap. Women’s Title Match: Sasha Banks defeated Champion Charlotte @ 14:20 via submission to become the NEW Raw Women’s Champion [****] That was an excellent match, playing extremely well off of their past encounters and delivering in the main event spot. This was on par with their previous Raw match where Banks also won the title, and worlds better than their Summerslam match. I also LOVED that winning meant everything to Banks, while losing left Charlotte devastated. The ladies delivered, and with the brand extension, there is no reason why they shouldn’t get more chances to do so going forward. Word is that they’re going to rematch in a HIAC match

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Mama says these my magic shoes. Mama said they would take me anywhere…”