RAW in Boston begins its final stretch to Survivor Series with Becky Lynch. She cuts a promo we’ve been accustomed to. A very Stone Cole-like performance of not giving a damn who gets in her way. Tonight, The IIconics decided to make said mistake. Charlotte Flair arrives and we get our first match of the night, but not before SAMOA JOE returns, arm in a cast to be tonight’s guest commentator. Whoever made that call should get a raise. Joe is great behind the desk.
The match, however, was more of a warm-up for our two top RAW stars. IIconics go down in short order, but post-match continues the NXT Invasion angle with the Shayna Bazsler and her crew attacking.
Would it surprise anyone if the live crowd were more excited about the women’s matches?
Humberto Carrillo defeats Karl Anderson with some help from Street Profits. Great to see Carrillo in more high-profile matches. I just hope he doesn’t get buried after a few months. This sets up a six-man tag for Survivor Series, plus later on in the night, we learn next week, Carrillo gets a shot against AJ Styles for the United States Championship.
Bobby Lashley defeated No Way Jose and makes out with Lana.
No one cared, no one cares, no one will care. Moving on.
Seth Rollins vs. Andrade goes to a DQ when Lucha House Party “invades.” This was one great match. Kudos to Rollins for putting Andrade over. This could main event a future PPV, and plants the seeds, at least in my opinion, for what I hope to be a future main event run. The odd ending suited its purpose, no one takes a loss, no one looks like the weaker wrestler.
Buddy Murphy defeated Akira Tozawa
Great match. WWE should have more matches like this. Bring in two relatively newer talents, let them have a match with no established story, no backstage promos, no “social media war,” and just let them wrestle. Maybe take a page from NXT?
Erick Rowan defeats Jobber. This match was also storyline material for the 24/7 Championship. Rowan is a big dude, and I suppose he is filling the role of obligatory big man, but… I’m not feeling the character. It would not surprise me if the cage was empty. Maybe it’s Lil’ Jimmy?
Kevin Owens vs. Drew McIntyre goes to a no-contest when Triple H arrives with an offer. This was yet another great match. Owens and McIntrye blew the roof off the arena. But, in another way to no one takes a loss, the match gets interrupted. Triple H tried to entice Owens to come back to NXT. He cites all the times he has been screwed over on either RAW or SmackDown. Unfortunately, the obligatory brawl happens when Undisputed Era attacks Owens. Triple H doesn’t look happy.
Paul Heyman in a pre-taped segment talks about how Lesnar will draw out this match to make it painful. Rey Mysterio is backstage, gives Carrillo some praise (torch passing?), and says he plans on making Lesnar pay at Survivor Series. This will either be a squash or a miracle. Or nothing.
Asuka defeats Natalya thanks to interference from Kairi Sane. Decent match, but you could tell the crowd was tiring out. This match wasn’t without its flaws either, some slow spots were very noticeable.
Tonight’s main event: Randy Orton & Ricochet vs. The Viking Raiders for the RAW Tag Team Championships. Earlier in the night, The Authors of Pain arrived and murdered Hawkins & Ryder. The match doesn’t go too long, as action spills to the floor, SmackDown wrestlers and NXT wrestlers arrive to have the obligatory final segment brawl.
However, the show ends when Triple H offers an open invitation for anyone to invade NXT.
Not a bad show going into Survivor Series. Elements of good matches, some decent but mostly forgettable storylines, and overall a show we’ve come to expect.
This is just it. We got two or three really good matches, and then a lot of what felt like filler. Cut out the filler, cut out the Lana garbage, and stick to the wrestling. NXT does it… Is it possible a three-hour show is becoming just too long?
