November 6, 2017
From the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England
Your hosts are Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Booker T
We get a scroll on the screen from the WWE offering their condolences to the family & friends of those lives lost in the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, TX.
A highlight package from last week with Braun Strowman making his return and laying out Miz & The Miztourage.
The live show opens with Miz & The Miztourage in the ring. Miz addresses Baron Corbin talking about his wife and unborn daughter through social media. A “whose your daddy” chant breaks out as Miz says Corbin will not be is daddy after Survivor Series and goes off how this is not the “Independent” leagues or NXT and demands respect. Miz calls Corbin the “bathroom break” of Smackdown and tells him to bring his “A” game because he will make his title relevant. Miz then brings out his guest, GM Kurt Angle. Miz talks to him as Angle reminds Miz about the finish at TLC, where he beat Miz. However, Miz talks about last week when Stephanie McMahon came back to tell Angle he was the team captain of RAW and if she does not get the results she desires then there will be a new GM. Angle assures us he is not going anywhere and RAW, the longest running episodic show in history, then puts over the upcoming 25th anniversary. Angle then says Shane McMahon is jealous because Smackdown is the “B” show but Miz shows Angle footage from two weeks ago when Smackdown took RAW under siege. Miz then shows us Daniel Bryan getting chokeslammed by Kane after Angle locked him in their office and says he would not be shocked if Smackdown put them under siege again. Angle says it will not happen and had nothing to do with Bryan’s attack and even offers an apology. Miz points out Curtis Axel’s neckbrace and how he was not lucky enough to escape from Braun Strowman last week. Miz wants an apology from Angle then tells him to shut up but Angle rises from his chair. Miz asks why Strowman got a shot on team RAW. Angle said he did that through negotiating and that Strowman requested a match for tonight and its against Miz, who is now on his knees begging and pleading as Angle leaves the ring to his own music.
I liked the end with Miz having to face Strowman but this was a repetitive segment that went on far too long.
Elias is in the ring. He says he’s “destiny manifested” and has one question, which is who wants to walk with him. Elias feels naked because one of his guitars is now hanging from a pole. However, it will stop him from singing tonight and asks what they want to hear. He says he’ll not perform “Wonderwall” because his own song is better than anything Noel Gallagher could ever write. Jason Jordan comes out to interrupt his song where he shit on Manchester.
Guitar on a Pole Match: Elias vs. Jason Jordan
Elias darts towards the pole but Jordan pulls him down. Jordan pulls him down again then hits a dropkick as the two stare each other down as we head into commercial. The action returns with Elias stomping away. Jordan fights back as Booker compares Jordan to Erik Watts, whose dad tried to push him to the moon back in WCW. Jordan climbs up and puts his hands on the guitar but Elias yanks him off then hammers away. Elias then grabs the guitar and swings but Jordan ducks and boots him down. Jordan grabs the guitar and chases Elias around the ring but is stomped heading back into the ring. Elias takes the guitar and swings but Jordan ducks and drives Elias into the corner. Jordan runs Elias into the corner a few more times then hits an overhead suplex. Jordan grabs the guitar and smashes it over Elias’s back for the win (7:18). *.
Thoughts: The crowd was booing Jordan here as this feud has accomplished nothing. Jordan is not over at all and Elias can draw heel heat before the match but bell-to-bell the fan interest drops. And a pole match stipulation usually leads to bad matches, just like this one.
The Bar approach Angle backstage. They accuse Angle of showing favoritism towards The Shield and call them out for failing RAW. However, Angle wants them to stop beating around the bush as The Bar want to represent RAW as the Tag Team Champions at Survivor Series because they can beat The Usos. Angle then gives them their last title shot in a match for tonight.
Asuka vs. Stacy Coates
Corey says Coates’ grandmother is sitting in the front row for this match. Asuka starts laying into Coates as Cole notes her lengthy NXT Women’s Title reign. Asuka continues to dominate Coates until she puts her away with the Asuka Lock (1:11).
Thoughts: This is now the second straight week where Asuka has destroyed an enhancement talent on TV, the way she should have been presented on TV in the first place.
Alicia Fox is backstage in her Captain’s attire. She then selects Asuka for the RAW Survivor Series team.
Charly Caruso is backstage with Titus O’Neill & Apollo Crews. She shows them footage from last week when Samoa Joe returned to beat Crews then laid out Titus after the match. Titus lets Charly know how Titus Worldwide loves to have fun but last week was not fun at all. Titus says he has his eyes on Joe tonight and that Joe will be in trouble.
Titus makes his way towards the ring with Crews. However, Joe runs from behind during the entrance and knocks Crews off of the stage then puts Titus in the Coquina Clutch. Joe then heads to the ring and says it doesnt matter who you are because if you stand in his way he’ll put you down. Joe then issues a challenge to anyone who wants to prove him wrong because he’s not done yet. After a bit, Finn Balor comes out and we have a match that will start after the break. Nice segment to put Joe over as a badass while Balor answers the challenge of his former enemy in NXT.
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor
Joe takes Balor down then lands a few jabs. Balor fights back with some weak-looking punches then Joe rakes Balor’s face across the top rope. Balor comes back with a takedown and follows with a double stomp. He takes Joe down with an enziguiri from the apron and heads up top but Joe cuts him off. Joe rams Balor into the corner and hits an enziguiri for a two count. Joe now cranks Balor’s neck for a bit then takes him down with an elbow smash that gets two. Joe cuts off another comeback but eats boot on a charge. Balor hits a pair of forearm smashes then takes Joe down with a flying forearm. Balor kicks Joe out of the ring then takes Joe out with a baseball slide before hitting a running soccer kick. Balor then runs around the ring before hitting another flying forearm then we head to break. The match returns with the action back inside of the ring. Balor is placed on the top rope and gets chopped hard by Joe. Balor manages to slip off of Joe’s shoulder with a sunset flip for a two count then hits a Pele Kick as both men are down. Balor takes Joe down with a sling blade then sends him into the corner with a shotgun dropkick. Balor heads up top but Joe rolls away from the Coup de Grace and plants Balor with an uranage that gets two. A “this is awesome” chant breaks out then Joe puts Balor in the Coquina Clutch. Balor manages to escape and hits a double stomp as Joe rolls outside. Balor then flies out with a tope con hilo and tries to roll Joe back inside but Joe reverses and carries Balor halfway up the ramp and tosses him but right after that the ref rings the bell as this match is ruled a double countout (14:38) ***1/4. Both men now fight on the ramp as Balor shoves away an official to keep hammering away. Joe then takes Balor down as Angle comes out with security. Angle says Survivor Series is the one night a year where RAW competes against Smackdown and says both guys showed the attitude he wants for his team and puts both men on his team. Balor then launches himself off of the stage at Joe then both men are pulled apart again.
Thoughts: Good match. The finish was a bit lame but it appears they might be revisiting a feud between the two again after Survivor Series so it at least makes sense. I also liked how the post-match brawl came off.
Backstage, Bo lets Miz know that Halloween is over and monsters are not real, unlike their superior intellect and strength in numbers. Axel shows some fear but said if Miz is not then he isn’t either and wants to make this match happen tonight.
Angle is on the phone leaving a message apologizing to Daniel Bryan. Jordan walks in and Angle puts him over for making great strides but says his job is currently on the line at Survivor Series. Angle says he needs someone to trust and names Jordan the final member of team RAW. Jordan hugs Angle then leaves. I presume this leads to some sort of conflict between Angle and Jordan that starts at the Survivor Series. And the quicker they end this partnership the better because its been awful since it started. This got booed heavily by the crowd but it was not heard during the broadcast and you can take a listen here
Mike Rome welcomes Bayley and Sasha Banks. He brings up how they will be facing Nia Jax & Alicia Fox tonight. When asked about the chances they will be the final two members of team RAW, both want to be on the team and will remind Fox tonight that they shine the brightest on the biggest stage.
Nia Jax & Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley
The crowd does a chant for Bayley, who starts off with Fox. Nia tags in and beats on Bayley as Cole notes she was part of “New York Fashion Week.” Bayley tries to fight back but gets shoved down then gets up and hammers away. Sasha tags in and helps Bayley ram Nia into the corner. Sasha heads up top but Nia catches her and that leads to a sloppy sequence where Sasha hits Nia with a running knee strike for two. Fox tags and works a chinlock but Sasha escapes and tags out. Bayley works the arm then runs Fox outside but Nia runs in from behind to shove Bayley out too as we head to break. The match returns with Nia beating on Bayley. Fox is back in and works a chinlock then Nia returns and hammers away. She rams Bayley’s face off of the turnbuckle then steps on her hair while pulling up her arm. Fox is back in then Bayley pulls away and dropkicks Nia off of the apron and takes Fox down before making the tag. Sasha hits Fox with the meteora and follows with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Nia runs in to break up a pin then the match breaks down as Nia is dumped outside then Sasha kicks out of a reverse rollup and puts Fox in the Banks Statement for the win (11:45) *3/4. After the match, Fox yells and says she needs and wants Banks on her team.
Thoughts: A slightly below average match but the real story is Fox naming Sasha to the Survivor Series team but not Bayley as there is just one spot left.
More still photos of what happened to Braun Strowman at TLC.
Braun Strowman vs. Miz w/ The Miztourage
Miz immediately rolls outside when the bell rings as he is petrified of getting into the ring. Miz huddles with the Miztourage then they break as Miz tries to sneak in after a distraction but retreated after getting caught. Miz heads back in but Strowman tosses him across of the ring as Miz rolls outside. Strowman pulls Miz up to the apron with one hand and rams Miz’s head against the post. Miz is back on the floor but Strowman tosses him back inside then drops him before running out and punching Bo down before grabbing Axel by his injured neck and flinging him into the barricade. Miz gets launched into the Miztourage but after that Kane’s music hits as he heads into the ring. Strowman tells Kane he cannot be killed and the only monster on RAW then they slug it out as the bell rings for the DQ (5:07) *. Kane tries for a chokeslam but that is blocked as Strowman hits a running powerslam. Kane sits right up so Strowman knocks him outside but Miz & The Miztourage attack from behind. Strowman fights back with ease and hits Miz with a powerslam.
Thoughts: This was more of an angle to set up Braun vs. Kane than it was an actual match. At least Strowman stood tall as he really should just run through Kane in their feud then move on to something better.
Renee Young is backstage with Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins. Dean says they will take care of business then eat some fish & chips and a few pints. Seth then talks about how The Bar will be left black & blue as Dean rattles off other colors their bruises will turn. Seth then talks about no one liking The Bar and says the smell but that the real bar as always been The Shield.
We are shown a clip from last week on 205 Live when Enzo Amore intentionally disqualified himself during his title match against Kalisto in order to retain the Cruiserweight Championship.
Enzo heads out to the ring. He starts dancing around in the ring then says he is doing great and that the crowd should be grateful for his appearance. Enzo thanks his fans and rambles on about mistaking a little kid for Kalisto and telling him he was disappointed when finding out Kalisto will be wrestling him at Survivor Series as this goes on and on until Kalisto interrupts. Kalisto then rolls outside and takes a seat as Pete Dunne’s music hits. Angle comes out and says tonight we will have the cruiserweight vs. the bruiserweight. Dunne comes out with the WWE UK Championship. Dunne making his RAW debut is awesome but man was this Enzo promo awful. There was no need for it to go on that long and the material was wretched.
Enzo Amore vs. Pete Dunne
Dunne drops Enzo with a forearm smash and lands a few stomps before Enzo rolls outside. The crowd chants “bruiserweight” as Dunne heads out and catches Enzo with a kick. Dunne drops Enzo on the apron and covers for a two count. Dunne breaks Enzo’s fingers until Enzo reaches the ropes. Enzo takes Dunne down and hammers away after a chinlock. Enzo uses his feet on the ropes for leverage but Kalisto points that out to the ref, who breaks the count. Enzo yells at Kalisto but that allows Dunne to attack then put Enzo away with the Bitter End (3:43) *. After the match, Kalisto raises Dunne’s hand as Graves is happy Enzo lost.
Thoughts: Dunne got a great reaction and his offense looked great. It appears he is only here for the UK Tour though and not a regular part of the RAW roster.
We get a video package to hype the Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal match at Survivor Series. They also plug tomorrow night’s WWE World Championship match between Mahal and AJ Styles.
Charly welcomes Alexa Bliss backstage and asks her about the Survivor Series match against Natalya. Alexa says she does not run away but Charly points out she did two weeks ago when RAW was under siege. Alexa tells Charly no one likes an “actually” girl and asks what 2 + 2 makes. Charly replies with four but is told its one, as in the one and only goddess in the WWE. That last line sure was dumb but this was just hype for the women’s champion vs. champion match at Survivor Series.
Tomorrow night on 205 Live the WWE UK Championship Division will be invited.
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The Bar vs. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose (c)
The Bar are wearing Liverpool jerseys and get booed out of the building. Ambrose immediately attacks Sheamus and hammers away in the corner. Rollins then takes out Cesaro to prevent him from interfering. Rollins tags and hits a sling blade for a two count. Ambrose and Cesaro are in now and trade chops in the corner. The champs then clear the ring as we head to break and the match returns The Bar beating on Ambrose. They cut off the ring then Cesaro tries for a superplex but that is blocked as Cesaro gets crotched. Ambrose clotheslines Cesaro off of the rope as both men are down. Sheamus tags in but misses a charge and hits the post. Cesaro tags himself back in but Ambrose makes the tag as well as Rollins runs wild. Cesaro comes back with a pop-up uppercut for a nearfall then The Bar attack Rollins. Ambrose breaks up a double crucifix bomb as the match breaks down. Ambrose & Rollins try for a double dive but that is cut off as Ambrose then gets hit with a double crucifix bomb into the barricade. Back inside, The Bar almost put Rollins away with a Doomsday Device then try for another double-team move but Ambrose breaks that up. Cesaro breaks up a pin after a Dirty Deeds/Frog Splash combo as the fans go nuts. The New Day’s music hits now as the wrestlers look around to see where they are and we see them in the bleachers. Xavier Woods applauds the crowd for staying awake during a three hour presentation of the “B” show and that they are here to spice up the show. We see Angle backstage with Rhyno, Curt Hawkins, Jason Jordan, Heath Slater, and Goldust as they head to the ring as Xavier brings up how they beat down RAW two weeks ago and RAW did not do a thing about it and promise under siege, part two. The RAW guys head out to the ring as the New Day leave through the crowd but as that happens Sheamus decks Rollins and covers for the win (18:49) ***1/4.
Thoughts: This match was really damn good but the end with the New Day angle and finish hurt more than it helped. Based off of the New Day costing Rollins & Ambrose the titles and entering through the crowd like The Shield, I suspect New Day vs. Shield at Survivor Series, provided Reigns is back in time. And, the New Day clowned RAW again by tricking them into thinking another attack would take place.
Final Thoughts: Far from perfect but it was better than last week. We had a couple of good matches and some storyline developments. I’m still not that excited for Survivor Series but I feel better about the show than I did last week as most of the teams are filled.
