Raw Review 11/09/2020

RAW REVIEW 11/09/2020

Tonight we will see an epic 6-Man Tag Team Match as Drew McIntyre teams up with The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) to take on Randy Orton, The Miz, and John Morrison! Before this match takes place we will see The New Day as special guests on Miz TV. Plus, Jeff Hardy, Elias, and Riddle will get a second chance at qualifying for the Raw Survivor Series Team. Next, we will see Nia Jax get a huge opportunity as she takes on the Raw Women’s Champion Asuka in a Non-Title Match but a win here could earn her a title shot in the future! Finally, we will see Ricochet seek revenge after he was attacked by Retribution as he goes 1 On 1 with Ali.

Raw comes to us from the Amway Center inside the WWE Thunderdome!

Raw kicks off with a look back at last week’s episode of Raw. We are then introduced by Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Samoa Joe.

In-Ring Segment: Miz TV: Hosted By The Miz & John Morrison w/ Guests:
The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Miz welcomes everyone to Miz TV. He says there are big things happening this week, he then tells how they will team with Randy Orton to take on Drew McIntyre and The New Day. Morrison then asks if Miz will cash in and Miz says maybe. Miz then says that Miz and Mrs. premiers this week and a bonus episode will air following Raw tonight! Here comes Randy Orton.
Orton questions Miz for saying his reality show is bigger than a match Randy Orton is in. He then calls out Miz and tells him he bets this is a set-up tonight so Miz can cash in. He then tells Miz when he was kicked out of the locker room he wanted him to stay out. He then calls out Morrison for taking his ball and going home to wrestle for the minor leagues. He then dares Miz to take the title without the help of that briefcase. Miz explains to Orton that tonight is about winning as a team and if they can beat The New Day they could get a shot at the titles in the future. Here comes Kofi and Woods.
Woods questions them for saying they could win the world title with that briefcase and then saying they could beat them for the title. Kofi tells them since there is no crowd they are going to come in the ring and laughs at them in person. Orton then hits an RKO. The ring is cleared and now, here comes McIntyre after Orton. McIntyre takes it to Orton before he is hit with the briefcase. Miz and Morrison now help Orton take out McIntyre.
My Opinion:
This was an interesting start to the night, as trust issues seem to be at an all-time high. Orton clearly will do everything to keep that title and he will use intimidation and fear in order to do so. Miz and Morrison seem to be biding their time. The New Day continues to be the best tag team and Drew McIntyre just wants his title back. At the end of the day, someone or some team, in this case, is going to get what they want but it’s just a matter of who it will be. I do think McIntyre will defeat Orton in the future but probably not until after Survivor Series. As for Miz and Morrison, I think they will keep playing their mind games but they have a lot of obstacles in their way when it comes to cashing in. The briefcase right now just doesn’t seem as important or as dangerous as it used to be.

In-Ring Segment: Elias
Elias tells that over this past week he was jolted awake by a vision of seeing himself standing victorious over Jeff Hardy and Riddle in this second chance match where the winner goes on to represent Team Raw at Survivor Series. He tells that people always ask him what is left for him and he says this, he needs this. He says that over the past few weeks things haven’t gone well for him. He says it seems that Jeff Hardy’s latest addiction is smashing him with guitars. He says this is for everyone who has supported him and bought his album Universal Truth. He says he is going to sing a song right now. He then waits to be interrupted. He says it again and no one comes out. He does it once more and plays some and no one. Finally, he gets into it, and here comes Jeff Hardy.

Match 1: Riddle vs Jeff Hardy vs Elias:
Raw Survivor Series Team Qualifying Match
Elias goes right after Hardy but Riddle now goes after Elias. Elias and Riddle now go at it. Hardy gets back into the mix. A couple of pin attempts and no one can gain an inch. Elias fights off hard and now Riddle. Riddle goes back after him but he is sent to the apron. Riddle hits Elias now and takes it to Hardy on the floor. Elias now comes through the ropes to take down Riddle. Elias bounces Hardy off the ring post and then throws Riddle into the barricade. Elias now lays Hardy out on the floor with a clothesline as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Elias takes it to Hardy in the ring. Riddle goes to get back in the ring but Elias knocks him down. Riddle now makes his way into the ring but Elias stays on him. Elias takes down Riddle and goes for the cover but he kicks out. Hardy now takes it to Elias. Elias sends him off the ropes but Hardy takes him down with a clothesline. Riddle is taken down and Hardy hits an atomic drop on Elias. Hardy tries to put Elias away but Riddle breaks it up. Riddle is now sent to the floor. Hardy goes for Twist Of Fate but it is turned into Drift Away. Elias covers but it is broken up by Riddle. Riddle takes it to Elias and lands a big suplex. He covers but Elias kicks out. Riddle now grabs Hardy but Hardy fights out sending Riddle into Elias. Hardy now hits a version of Poetry In Motion. Riddle counters a Twist Of Fate. Riddle and Hardy now trade punches. Hardy avoids an overhead kick. Elias gets back into it by hitting a leaping knee strike. Riddle stays with it and grabs Elias. He connects with Bro-Derek. He covers and gets the 1 2 3.
Winner: Riddle: Joins Raw’s Survivor Series Team
My Opinion:
This was a really good Triple Threat Match, I was actually very impressed by how hard-hitting Elias was. He was really laying it in on Riddle and Styles and I thought he had this one. I think Elias has a ton of potential that is ready to be unleashed. He looks good in the opportunities he is given so I’m not sure what is missing. For Riddle, he gets the win and joins Team Raw which is a good choice. He can definitely go out there and put on a show and I expect the same at Survivor Series. The only problem with Riddle is that his own teammates might now be happy to have him and his opponents probably won’t be happy to see him so he might be targeted early on in this match.

Backstage Segment: AJ Styles & Sheamus & Braun Strowman
Styles shakes hands with Adam Pearce who tells Styles it makes complete sense. Charly asks what that was about and Styles says nothing, we are just friends. She then asks him about Riddle. Styles says it is what the team needed even though it got off to a bad start last week. Sheamus questions Styles and tells him he has no problem kicking Riddle’s head off his shoulders if he gets out of line. Charly asks Sheamus how AJ is doing as captain. Sheamus says AJ is not his captain. Braun Strowman comes up and says the same thing.

Backstage Segment:
Retribution (Mustafa Ali & Mace & Slapjack & T-Bar & Reckoning)
Ali says Ricochet is a good man and an honorable man. He says that when Ricochet turned down the offer of The Hurt Business he decided to stand alone. Ali says that was brave and courageous. He tells Ricochet it is a lie to think that one man can change things. Retribution goes on to say that no mercy was shown unto them so no mercy will be shown unto you. Ali says they are Retribution and they will not rest until they shut you down.

Backstage Segment: The Hurt Business (MVP & Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander)& Drew Gulak
MVP tells The Hurt Business they had a very good week but they are now looking ahead to Survivor Series. Drew Gulak comes up and says last week went according to plan but now it is time to expand and look ahead to the future. Gulak offers to join The Hurt Business. MVP asks if he is serious. He tells Gulak that they appreciate it but they are not accepting applications. They then call out Gulak for having a clip-on tie. The Hurt Business now jumps Gulak and beats him down. R-Truth comes up and pins Walk to win back the 24/7 Championship.

Match 2: Lana vs Shayna Baszler w/ Nia Jax:
Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose on Commentary
Lana jumps on the back of Baszler and gets her in a chokehold. Baszler quickly throws her off. Baszler keeps control and gets her in the corner hitting her with big strikes. Baszler gets her down on the mat and now works on the wrist and arm of Lana. Baszler now grabs Lana and throws her down to the mat. Baszler goes for the cover but picks up Lana before the three. Baszler now puts her in the Kirifuda Clutch and Lana taps.
***After the match Nia clears the announce table. Lan begs her not to. Rose and Brooke now break it up and tell them they have to get it together. Baszler and Nia listen and stop.
Winner: Shayna Baszler
My Opinion:
Obviously, in this match Baszler dominated and it’s no surprise. The good part is that in the end there were some cooler heads and cohesiveness between this team. With Survivor Series coming up soon it is time for team Raw to stop attacking each other and instead focus on being a team and defeating SmackDown. Right now, Lana is the weakest link but it’s not her fault when no one will help her. We will see what happens going forward but it won’t be a shock if there continues to be some turbulence between this team.

Backstage Segment: Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke & Lana
Lana thanks Dana and Mandy for helping her with Nia. Dana says they totally saved her butt. Mandy tells her they did it for the team, she then calls Lana out for ruining their shot at the tag titles. Lana says she was just trying to help. Mandy tells her to stay out of their way.

In-Ring Segment: Team Raw Meeting
(AJ Styles & Braun Strowman & Riddle & Keith Lee & Sheamus)
Styles welcome everyone to the first official Raw team meeting now that it is complete. Styles says Raw will be triumphant at Survivor Series with him as their phenomenal captain. Styles goes to introduce Keith Lee, Riddle, Sheamus, and Braun Strowman. Styles tells them all that last week it got off to a rocky start but it is because they were missing a piece to the puzzle. He says they now have the missing piece in Matt Riddle. Lee stops him and Styles and tells him he recalls him trying to take a cheap shot. Keith then says he has a receipt coming. Sheamus stops him and he and Lee have an exchange of words. Strowman then says he will whip both of their asses. Styles then says he is the captain. Strowman tells him he is not the captain and again threatens Sheamus.
Riddle then jumps in and gives them all nicknames, Styles is the skipper, Strowman is the mongoose, Keith Lee is Bro-Lee, and Sheamus is the fire face. Sheamus takes exceptions to it. Sheamus now asks Riddle if his name is dopey. Styles stops them and reminds them they are up against the best athletes on SmackDown. Styles then goes over the members on SmackDown so far and how team Raw can be beaten. Styles calms them down but again says he is the team captain. They all jump in and stop him. Styles tells them that he talked to Adam Pearce and he already sanctioned this match, Styles says it will be Sheamus and Braun Strowman taking on Keith Lee and Riddle with him as the special guest referee. He tells them it will show them all respect for each other.

Match 3: Keith Lee & Riddle vs Sheamus & Braun Strowman
w/ Special Guest Referee: AJ Styles
Lee locks up with Sheamus. Sheamus takes over with a headlock. Sheamus now fails to take Lee down to the mat. Lee stays in control and tags in Riddle. Riddle takes it to Sheamus and tries to put him away but he kicks out. Strowman now tags in after Sheamus takes control. Strowman now throws around Riddle. Strowman even steps on the hair of Riddle. Sheamus tags back in and continues to work Riddle in the corner. Sheamus then uses the ropes to choke Riddle. Riddle fights back and now works the ankle of Sheamus but this doesn’t last long. Sheamus takes down Riddle and pounds on his chest. Riddle fights back and now hits a gut-wrench suplex. Sheamus now avoid Riddle and Riddle hits Styles. Riddle now hits Styles again on accident. Lee now comes in and takes it to Strowman. Styles is now crushed between Lee and Strowman. Styles’ associate now gets in the ring and sizes up Strowman and Lee as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Riddle battles back and tries to fight off Sheamus. Sheamus keeps control and hits the Irish Curse backbreaker. Strowman now comes in and keeps Riddle down. Strowman now works a chin lock on Riddle. Lee finally gets the tag and he takes it to Strowman and Sheamus in the corner. Lee now tosses Sheamus into Strowman. Riddle now hits a Spirit Bomb on Riddle to land on Sheamus. Lee takes down Strowman. He tries to put him away but he kicks out. Riddle and Sheamus now are the legal men. Riddle hits a German suplex and goes for the cover but Sheamus kicks out. Riddle now takes it to Sheamus and not to Strowman but he gets caught. Styles now break it up. Sheamus now comes in. Sheamus Brogue Kicks Strowman and now Riddle works a cove on Sheamus. Riddle gets the 1 2 3. Sheamus and Strowman now argue with each other.
Winners: Keith Lee & Riddle
My Opinion:
This was a very good match between these teams. Of course, they will have to get on the same page but this was a very exciting match and it showed what each of these men on the Raw team is capable of. There was a lot of tension between them but at the same time, I do think this was good for the team. We will see what happens next week and if cooler heads prevail. This will be a very dominant team if they can get it together.

Backstage Segment: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Alexa now plucks flowers. Nikki comes up and says hi to her. Alexa says it is so nice to see her. Nikki questions this. Nikki asks her about “him”. Alexa tells her she will invite her over to the Firefly Fun House and they can have a playdate. Nikki says she gets that this is her fault and she should have helped prevent The Fiend from sinking his claws into her. Alexa now laughs at this. Nikki tells Alexa that The Fiend is pure evil and she needs to choose between her and him. Alexa now blows the flowers into Nikki’s face and says she chooses him.

Backstage Segment:
Charly tells that next week on Raw Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander will be competing in a Raw Tag Team Championship Match against The New Day.

In-Ring Segment: MVP & Bobby Lashley
MVP tells everyone that this Survivor Series will be short and painful. MVP tells it won’t be The New Day facing The Street Profits because Shelton and Cedric will take the title next week from Woods and Kofi and face The Street Profits. MVP then says Lashley will turn Sami Zayn into a human rag doll and show that the U.S. Champion and The IC Champion aren’t on the same level. Lashley then says he wasn’t going to let Sami walk out with a win and the question is if he will let Sami walk out of Survivor Series at all. Titus O’Neil now comes out and tells them that the way they treated him when he asked to join them was disrespectful. MVP says they disagree and it was just business. MVP tells him to walk away. Titus says he won’t and then calls out Lashley for not defending his title. Lashley tells Titus he should have walked away. He tells him if he wants a title shot he’s got it but it will be his first and his last.

Match 4: Bobby Lashley (c) w/ MVP vs Titus O’Neil:
United States Championship Match
Titus backs Lashley into the corner and tees off on him. Lashley comes out with a shot of his own. Titus stays on him and wears him down in the corner. Lashley now fights out and hits a spear. Lashley now gets him in the Hurt Lock. Titus taps out.
Winner: Bobby Lashley: Still United States Champion
My Opinion:
A dominating performance from Lashley. I think we will see the same thing at Survivor Series. Lashley continues each week to destroy whoever steps in his way. I hope this pays off for Lashley and at Survivor Series I think he will prove he is one of the most dominant forces not only on Raw but in the whole WWE.

Backstage Segment: Drew McIntyre & Sheamus
Sheamus blames McIntyre for not joining the team. He tells him they have no organization. McIntyre tells him not to Brogue Kick his partner off the apron. Sheamus tells him he deserved it. Sheamus then talks about how he doesn’t like The New Day. McIntyre then jokes with him with The New Day claps. Sheamus then tells him he wishes they could team up like the old days. The two then laugh. Sheamus tells him to go wreck the place tonight and to have a couple of pints tonight. McIntyre says when he wins the title back they will have all the pints.

Match 5: Asuka vs Nia Jax w/ Shayna Baszler:
Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose & Lana at Ringside
***Before the match, Jax tells that she is the one who runs the Raw Women’s Division and that’s why she wanted this match tonight to prove that. She then tells that after she eliminates everyone at Survivor Series she might come back and beat Asuka again to take the Raw Women’s Championship.
Jax quickly throws Asuka to the mat. Jax stays in control momentarily. Asuka tries to fight back and finally works a submission on Jax. Down on the mat, Asuka works an armbar. Asuka hangs on to her but Jax now pulls her to the outside and slams her to the floor as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Asuka is able to hang up Jax. Asuka now goes to a guillotine choke. Jax fights out and slams her down to the mat. Jax covers but Asuka kicks out. Asuka now kicks Jax but Jax doesn’t budge as she taunts her. Jax now tosses Asuka across the ring. Jax covers Asuka but Asuka is able to bridge out of it. Asuka now works a cover but Jax kicks out. Asuka now unloads on Jax and gets her to one knee. Asuka hits the hip attack and covers but Jax kicks out. Asuka now hits Jax with big kicks. Asuka now takes it to Jax. After a distraction from the outside, Jax tries to put Asuka away. Asuka stays with it and works the Asuka Lock. Jax now fights out.
***After the match, Baszler and Jax take everyone out. Baszler now throws Lana to the floor and Jax grabs her. Jax then hits the Samoan Drop on Lana through the announcer’s table. Jax tells her that she doesn’t belong here, she will drag them down, just quit.
Winner: Asuka: Via DQ
My Opinion:
Once again, Nia showed she is the most dominant in the division. Although Asuka did look like she would win this match there is no denying that Nia is an unstoppable force. Nia showed especially with what she did to Lana that she will stop at nothing to punish those that she needs to in order to prove a point. Jax better be careful though because everyone on SmackDown has to be thinking about going after her first in order to make the match easier for them.

Match 6: 7-Man Match for the 24/7 Championship (R-Truth (C)
Everyone goes right after each other but Tozawa stays on Truth. Tozawa takes him down and covers to win the title. Erik then pins Tozawa to win the title. Gulak then pins Erik to win the title. Tucker then wins the title, Gulak wins it back and Tucker wins it again. Truth now hits Tucker. Gulak grabs Truth but Truth now grabs him. Erik now hits Truth with a big knee. Gulak takes down Erik. Tozawa now takes down Gulak. Metalik now hits an elbow drop on Tucker and wins the title on the cover. Dorado now covers Metalik to win the title. Truth now hits the AA to pin Dorado and win the title. Truth now gets out of the ring and wins the title.
Winner: 24/7 Champion
My Opinion:
The 24/7 title always brings a lot of excitement, this was no different. Luckily for R-Truth, he was able to escape with the title before he lost it again. Anytime that title is out there around a lot of people it is best to just run away as quickly as you can. Hopefully, Truth can keep the title but now he has 6 guys coming after him which will be hard to fend off.

Match 7: Ali w/ Retribution vs Ricochet
Ricochet hits Ali with a stiff right and takes him down. Ricochet stays on him and wears him down in the corner. Ali tries to get away but Ricochet stays on him. Ricochet now lands a big elbow strike. Ricochet hits an elbow drop and covers but again Ali kicks out. Ali now sends Ricochet face-first into the turnbuckle. Ali now gets him in the corner and continues to wear them down. Ali goes for the cover but Ricochet kicks out. Ali now hits Ricochet with a stiff right. Ricochet fights back with strikes of his own. Ali now lands a suplex and tries for another cover but Ricochet kicks out. Ali hits Ricochet and now brings him to his feet. Ali now hits Ricochet with strikes to the chest. Ricochet fights back with a back body drop. Ali now grabs Ricochet on the apron. Ricochet fights back and takes Ali down to the floor. Ricochet brings him in the ring but now he is swarmed by retribution. Ricochet gets back in the ring as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Ali stays in control and hits a big neck breaker. He covers but Ricochet kicks out. Ali hits a snap mare and then a big kick. Ali covers but again, Ricochet kicks out. Ali now works a chin lock. Ali lands a kick to Ricochet. Ricochet fights back, sending him into the turnbuckle. Ricochet then hits a big suplex. Ricochet hits Ali with a big right hand. Ricochet then hits a clothesline. Ricochet goes for a kick but misses. Ali now lands a kick to the ribs. Ricochet fights him off. Ali now works a chokehold. Ricochet turns it into a suplex and then a brainbuster. Ricochet covers but Ali kicks out. Ricochet gets Ali in the corner and puts him on the top turnbuckle. Ali fights back but Ricochet stays on him. Ricochet now meets him up there. Ali hits Ricochet in the eye. He then hits a huge backbreaker! Ali covers but Ricochet kicks out. Ali now taunts Ricochet. Ricochet fights back with a big forearm. Ricochet now hits a reverse ranna. Ricochet goes up top and hits a corkscrew to whip out three of the members of Retribution. Ricochet now goes for the Phoenix Splash but misses. Ali now locks in the Koji clutch.
Winner: Ali
My Opinion:
What a match between these two!!! I am so happy they had all that time tonight and wow did they shine. This was awesome to see and I’d love to see it again. Ricochet and Ali both battled their hearts out and they made a statement tonight. You can’t sleep on either of these guys because they can be key players on Raw and in WWE for years to come. Can’t wait to see what they do next, I hope they keep getting these opportunities!

Backstage Segment: Randy Orton
Adam Pearce tells Randy that next week he will defend the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre. Orton asks him the hell he thinks he is. Pearce says he is just the messenger. Orton grabs Pearce and shoves him against the wall. Orton tells Pearce that he can tell the staff that they can go to hell. Pearce says he hears him.

Match 8: Drew McIntyre & The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs Randy Orton & The Miz & John Morrison
McIntyre takes over early, taking control of Morrison. McIntyre tosses Morrison into the corner and then hits him with strikes. Woods comes in and takes it to Morrison. Morrison fights back but Woods comes back with a forearm strike. Morrison is able to work a tag. Woods fights off Miz and tags Kofi. Kofi now takes it to Miz. Miz now argues with Orton and Morrison tags in. Kofi lands a stomp on Morrison. Woods then takes out Miz. Miz and Morrison are taken out on the floor as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Woods is in the wrong corner and has to fight back. Miz is able to keep control and Woods is taken down to the floor. In the ring, Morrison tries to put him away but Woods kicks out. Morrison now works a chin lock. Woods tries to fight out and finally does. Woods looks for the tag but Morrison is able to grab him. Woods again tries to fight out but Morrison now spikes him. Miz comes in and lands a series of kicks. Miz looks to tag in Orton but he won’t tag in. Morrison lands a shot to the chest of Woods. He covers but Woods kicks out. Miz now hits Kofi with a cheap shot. Miz now unloads with kicks on Woods. Woods fights back with a big clothesline out of the corner. McIntyre tags in and so does Morrison. Morrison takes down Morrison and keeps him down. McIntyre now launches both Miz and Morrison with a double suplex. McIntyre now hits the Future Shock DDT. McIntyre now places Morrison in the corner and begs Orton to tag in. Orton now gets his title and goes to walk away up the ramp. Morrison tries to steal one but Woods stops it. Miz stops Woods. Kofi stops Miz. McIntyre now hits a spinebuster. He then hits Morrison with a Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre hits the Claymore Kick and gets the 1 2 3.
Winners: Drew McIntyre & The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
My Opinion:
A good main event to close the night and the story was clear, Orton wanted no part of this and is now just focused on next week. For McIntyre, he was focused on next week as well except he showed it in the ring. McIntyre seems like he will do anything to get the WWE Championship back and I can’t wait to see these two go at it once more. However, McIntyre better watch out for other people getting in the way. For some reason, this seems too good to be true and like it won’t be a one on one like the other matches before. We will see though, it’s definitely gonna start a lot of conversations over the next week as we await another showdown before McIntyre and Orton!

Final Thoughts:
Another decent show as we continue on the road to Survivor Series. First, I really enjoyed the Triple Threat Match we saw for the last spot on Team Raw. I think this team can be a great force together as long as they stay on the same page. I’m very excited to see how rounds out the SmackDown Team as this Raw versus SmackDown match is always a great one! Speaking of Survivor Series, I’m very curious to see how this women’s team pans out. They certainly aren’t on the same page but I do believe they have the most dominant force in Nia Jax. We will see if they can co-exist and how SmackDown’s team will round out.
Also, I loved the match between Ali and Ricochet. This match was the match of the night for me and I was so happy they got the opportunity to have this kind of match. They both proved a lot tonight and I hope we will see more of them against one another. Finally, the main event was a very good one. McIntyre proved exactly what he set out to and that is he is ready for Orton. This match next week has huge implications not only who will leave WWE Champion but also who will face Roman Reigns at Survivor Series!!! As always I hope everyone stays safe and healthy this week and enjoys NXT and SmackDown!
Overall Rating: 5/10