WWE is ‘thuggin’ it’ on the west coast for this week’s scheduled TV programming as Monday Night RAW emanates from Anaheim, California—Friday night will reside in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Anaheim shows are usually special and play to the diverse crowd, and the usage of Dominik Mysterio, Penta, and El Grande Americano certainly underscored the night.
But with Saturday Night’s Main Event scheduled for this Saturday, headlined by a match that guarantees a new champion as CM Punk and Jey Uso battle for the belt that Seth Rollins was forced to vacate after being injured by Bron Breakker (Kayfabe) in the ‘turn of the century.’ SNME has been criticized for failing to matter post-main event, and the event has earned a C-show rating from fans due to the lack of meaningful storylines associated with the non-PPV.
There are many storylines expected to commence during the next couple of weeks on TV as John Cena’s final opponent plays out alongside the ‘return gimmick’ that WWE teased last week—never has a fancy set of shoes successfully set off social media like the ones featured in that short vignette.
I GOT A FEVER… IS THE ANSWER SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT—JEY USO V CM PUNK?!
RAW opened with the vacant (world) heavyweight title sitting center ring and exhibited atop a display pillow while Jey Uso’s music hit consecutively back-to-back—indicating he is going full face for this weekend. The face V face match is difficult to produce if the goal is to create a moment, especially if it is not clear whose moment it will indeed be, but if the ovation for Punk tonight is any indication of Saturday night, then Jey will be the one facing a hostile crowd—Yeets be damned.
The promo battle was mild if not “mid” (or 6, 7… if preferred, though you shouldn’t), and if it accomplished anything, then it only served as ammo for the growing online sentiment that questions Bron Breakker’s place in all of this (or his lack thereof).
JEY NEEDS TO ‘STRAP A JIMMY” IN THE CITY OF… ANGLES
The more interesting showdown was between Jey and Jimmy, a week removed from Jey eliminating his twin brother in a battle royal to determine Punk’s opponent for the HW title. Jimmy was hot, and rightfully so, after helping Jey to stay in the battle royal only to be eliminated by him—he accused Jey of ‘being scared’ to find out which one is better.
They would later make up ahead of Jey’s main event spot, but it was Jey that first offered a non-apology with genuine sincerity—reminding Jimmy that he would have thrown Jey out, too. Tonight’s episode of RAW offered up some pound-for-pound gaslighting, and Jey is beginning to resemble Roman in that way more and more.
THIS BLOWS—BUT SOMETIMES THAT’S ‘THE BREAKKERS’-FOR BREAKKER, IT’S JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS… ALL ABOUT THE ‘HEYMAN SAY’ BS
WWE doubled down when they followed up with a backstage segment featuring Breakker (as The Vision’s leader) alongside both Heyman and Bronson Reed. Heyman was playing ‘advocate’ as he attempted to lay out ‘the blueprint’ for an ever-anxious Breakker, unconvinced as to why he is not in the current title picture.
Heyman attempted to paint a picture of patience for Breakker. He claimed that by waiting for after SNME, a ‘single victim,’ already in a weakened state, would present himself as the final obstacle. This is in opposition to a triple threat match, where you do not have to be pinned to lose, not to mention facing off with two former heavyweight champions. He successfully gaslighted Breakker into proposing a match with LA Knight, as if it were his idea, after Heyman claimed that a win tonight would clear his path to the title.
BRON BREAKKER VS LA KNIGHT
There was a scary moment where LA Knight swept the legs of Breakker, and the ‘Son of a Stiener’ landed square on his back from the top turnbuckle. Other than that hiccup, it was a terrific match that showcased Knight’s ability to look good in a loss while propelling the winner. Breakker won the match with a spear, and now the ‘waiting game’ begins.
PENTA VS RUSEV—THE DIRTIEST MATCH OF THE NIGHT???
It was a well-paced match that played out in a style best described as ‘agile haus’ and really showcased the versatility in Penta. Unfortunately, the match was booked to further Dom’s current storyline as he leaned on El Grande Americano and his band of clones when his Judgment Day cronies balked at Dom’s request for ‘help dealing with Rusev.’
The masked men (none of them Chad Gable) put a beatdown on Rusev and caused the DQ, but eventually Penta and Rusev worked together (separately) to stay standing tall. Later in the show, as TJD’s Finn and JD were demanding a rematch for their tag titles, GM Adam Pearce claimed to ‘have news’ for Dom.
It was later revealed that he will have to defend his IC title against both Rusev and Penta in a triple threat match at this weekend’s SNME.
SHEAMUS VS JD McDONAGH
After both JD and Finn were eliminated from last week’s battle royal, both jumped back in to eliminate Sheamus. Sheamus was pissed enough to demand a match with either one of them, and he did not care who, so that meant Finn would convince JD to take the match and the beat down as Finn did his best to remain a ringside distraction.
Finn managed to ‘assist JD’ by placing his foot on the rope during a 3-count, preventing the loss (you have to ask if it is ‘helpful’ to keep your guy in a match after he is physically defeated). The extra time gave JD the chance to regain composure to the point he managed a ‘Spanish Fly’ from the top turnbuckle and picked up the ‘upset victory’ over Sheamus.
The match was indeed a banger. The segment followed up with a recap and backstage dialogue between Maxinne Dupri and GM Pearce regarding her recent performances against Becky Lynch. These kinds of bookings have been fun, and they speak to the ‘sports’ aspect of “Sports Entertainment” because, whether you’re talking NFL, NBA, or MLB, there are always upsets, and weekly WWE TV should reflect that.
MAXINEE NEEDS A “FRIEND”
During that convo with Pearce, Dupri learned that she would receive a third title match, though the date is TBD. Dupri said she needed to ‘call for backup’ and does not want to “waste” the opportunity. She referenced calling a ‘friend,’ and it could be AJ Lee.
CHARLOTTE FLAIR & ALEXA BLISS VS BAYLEY & LYRA VALKYRIA
Bayley made a challenge for Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss’s tag team titles with a video posted on social media last week, despite Lyra being unaware. Bayley’s erratic character has had its ups and downs, but she has managed to use her Jekyll/Hyde persona to her advantage as of late.
The four women put on a show, and Lyra proved in a major way that she can hang with the best in the business—a narrative she was unsure of prior to the match as she expressed to Bayley how she’d ‘never shared the ring’ with Flair or Bliss. The upstart was terrific, and Bayley was just as great playing to her new character.
In one spot, Flair had the “Figure-8” locked on, and Lyra leaped into the ring to stop Bayley’s hand from tapping out, but only moments later, Alexa hit a “Twisted Bliss” on Lyra. This led to the champs hitting the ‘double Natural Selection’ for the pinfall victory to successfully defend the belts. It was a terrific match that showcased the depth of the women’s roster.
Post-match, The Kabuki Warriors put a beatdown on the champs, but Bayley managed to keep Auska and Sane from attacking Lyra to close out RAW.
OTHER TIDBITS/IN-RING ACTION
- John Cena’s ‘final RAW’ is being promoted for November 17th, and the graphic was shown between segments tonight. He was also heavily advertised in tonight’s promo video for Survivor Series: WARGAMES on November 27th.
- It was announced that Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” is the official theme for Survivor Series: WARGAMES in honor of the late Ozzy Ozborne… Rock on, Ozzy!
- Roxanne Perez picked up a huge victory over Nikki Bella with the help of her Judgment Day cohort in Raquel Rodriguez. In the post-match, Stephanie Vaquer came out to make the save on the veteran, and the segment ended with the faces raising their hands in the ring as the heels licked their wounds on the way back to Gorilla.
- A rematch for the tag team titles between champs AJ Styles and Dragon Lee against The Judgement Day was booked for next Monday.
- The LA Galaxy was in attendance tonight, along with wrestling aficionado and actor extraordinaire O’Shea Jackson Jr.
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