Raw Review 11/16/2020

RAW REVIEW 11/16/2020

Tonight is the Go-Home Edition of Monday Night Raw as Survivor Series is this Sunday! In one of the biggest matches on Raw in recent memory who will walk away with the WWE Championship as Randy Orton defends against Drew McIntyre? Also, who will walk away as the Raw Tag Team Champions as The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defend against The Hurt Business’s Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin? Finally, the members of Retribution will take on Team Raw! Will Retribution get a huge win tonight to help launch their group and mission or will Team Raw get a big momentum-building win ahead of their clash with Team SmackDown?

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

Raw kicks off with us being introduced by Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Samoa Joe.

In-Ring Segment: Drew McIntyre
McIntyre welcomes everyone to the show and then brings up Survivor Series. He tells how it is an American Thanksgiving tradition. He says since he has lived in American a third of his life he loves Thanksgiving and tells how it is about eating food and saying what you are thankful for. He says he is thankful for his family and friends he can lean on. He then says he is thankful for his fans and for the Thunderdome bringing them closer together. He then asks the crowd if they are ready to see him Claymore Randy Orton’s heads off tonight. He then says he is thankful for his doubters and says you have to throw it up and tell them to read between the lines. He then brings up Roman Reigns and tells how he told Reigns he should worry about him because he will be WWE Champion after tonight. He then tells that Roman Reigns only cares about himself and has put himself up so high that everyone else looks like ants. He says Reigns has his head up his ass but he will go to Survivor Series and Claymore him back down to earth.
Orton then comes on the screen and tells McIntyre he is thankful for being a 14-Time WWE Champion. He then says he is thankful that the fine he got for putting his hands on Adam Pearce didn’t phase him. He says he has been fined for his entire career. Orton says he has been suspended more than anyone and has spent more time at home than 80 % of the people in WWE have spent in the ring. He tells McIntyre he is still here and still on top because he is the greatest wrestler ever. He says he will prove it when he beats McIntyre and leaves as still WWE Champion. McIntyre tells Orton that this ends tonight and his foot will come crashing through Randy Orton’s damn head and he will once again be WWE Champion. Here comes The Miz.
Miz and Morrison tell that there is a new episode of Miz and Mrs airing after Raw and tell that the present and the future is much more exciting because they have the Money In The Bank. Miz says they will sit front row tonight. McIntyre warns them of what he will do if they get involved in his match tonight. Miz says change is hard to deal with. He says a legend like Randy you’d think he’d be able to accept that change is endless. Miz says if it does then it is clear that the hands holding the WWE Championship after the end of the night will be his. Miz then asks why Bray Wyatt hid last night. Morrison says because he is afraid of them. Morrison then adds that Wyatt knows Miz could change everything and become the WWE Champion. Miz then tells McIntyre he is the only one who has accepted this. Miz tells him change is coming whether he likes it or not. McIntyre says change is coming. He tells that Randy Orton can be a patient man but he is not. Miz then tells him that patience is what cost him the title.McIntyre then steps to him. Miz and Morrison leave the ring and Miz tells McIntyre it was him giving out title shots and defending the title against Randy Orton three times in a row that cost him. Miz finishes by saying no matter who wins he will be laughing his way to the bank.
My Opinion:
This was a good segment to start the night as these four are the ones in the title picture on Raw. Obviously, I have loved what Drew and Randy have done together and even when Miz and Morrison have added in it has been very entertaining. I do feel though it would be nice to have someone else in the mix as well. There was a time when so many were in the main event picture and right now it just feels like no one is up for it. I’d love to see some people like Keith Lee be able to show up and show off this Sunday and work his way into this title picture.

Backstage Segment: Lana & Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
Nia questions Lana for making this 6-Woman Tag Match. Lana tells them they never take them seriously so after she saw Miz and Morrison team up with Randy she knew this was the way she could prove herself. Lana says she will prove she is here for Team Raw. Shayna says this is about her and Nia proving they run this division. Nia tells Lana that she may be here for Team Raw but she is in no way going to tag herself in.

Match 1: Lana & Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs
Asuka & Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose
Lana starts the match but Baszler tags herself right in. Baszler is able to grab Brooke early and hit a big backbreaker before hitting a knee strike. She then takes a cheap shot on Asuka. Baszler now throws Brooke to the floor. Baszler taunts Lana for the tag but tags in Nia instead. Jax and Baszler now attack Rose as Nia gets Rose’s arm in the steps and Baszler crushes it as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Asuka fights off Baszler and knocks down Nia. Asuka gets Baszler down to a knee and then lands a big kick to the face. She covers but Nia breaks it up. Brooke now tries to get involved but Nia sends her to the outside. Asuka now hits Baszler with another kick. Baszler locks up Asuka with the Kirifuda Clutch. Lana now tags in and Baszler must break the hold. Lana now goes to cover Asuka but Asuka kicks out. Nia now tells her to get out. Asuka hits Lana with a kick and then puts her in the Asuka Lock. Lana taps out.
***After the match, Nia clears the announce table and Baszler sends Lana to the floor. Nia tells Lana she is proud of her and that she showed a lot of courage. She then welcomes her to team Raw. Jax then says psych and sends Lana through the announce table.
Winners: Asuka & Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose
My Opinion:
This was obviously a short match but it didn’t seem to do much for team Raw. It is clear that Nia and Shayna are going to go into Survivor Series and try to win this match on their own to prove that they run the division. I actually believe they could win 2 on 5 because of how good they are. Somehow though I think Lana will factor in on Sunday either in a shocking way or like tonight. Asuka though looked great as always and I can’t wait to see her lock up with Sasha Banks once again!

Backstage Segment:
Team Raw (AJ Styles & Riddle & Keith Lee & Braun Strowman & Sheamus)
Styles stops the other four from arguing. Styles reminds them that Survivor Series is this Sunday. He tells them on paper they have a giant advantage over SmackDown on paper. Styles says even with the experience and talent it has been a bumpy road. Styles says he will take his responsibility as captain. They then fight over this and then the nickname’s Riddle gives them. Keith Lee likes his though. Styles says they have to come together and have their match against Retribution. Styles tells them that if they follow his lead he will make this a winning team. Styles then gives them Raw shirts. Riddle comes up to Styles and says he has a sweet nickname for his bodyguard. Styles tells him to just go away and never look at him. Styles asks his associate if he even speaks English. He says he does and Styles is shocked. Styles asks since when and he tells Styles he never asked.

Backstage Segment:
We see Abby the witch and Ramblin’ Rabbit. Abby then throws a Miz Funko off the ledge.

Backstage Segment: Dana Brooke
Charly asks Dana how Mandy is doing. Dana says she is in rough shape and says what Shayna did was out of line. Dana is then attacked by Reckoning from Retribution. Reckoning lays out Brooke and walks away.

Firefly Fun House:
Wyatt and Bliss welcome everyone. Wyatt says the Miz is not very nice. He then goes on a rant about those Hollywood people. Wyatt then offers him a lesson in manners. Bliss says The Miz versus Bray Wyatt tonight. Wyatt tells him to pay attention because if he has to repeat himself he will not want to see his bad side. Wyatt then says he has some friends to help him prepare for tonight. He then does some karate moves on the puppets. Bliss then tells Wyatt his word is jackass. Wyatt asks for it to be used in a sentence. Abby tells him to just spell the damn word. Wyatt then spells it M I Z. Wyatt then throws a dart at Ramblin’ Rabbit who is on the bullseye. Wyatt says bullseye and Bliss says more like, rabbit’s heart. Wyatt says he is ready and he hopes The Miz is too, he will see him soon.

Match 2: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) (c) vs
Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin w/ The Hurt Business (MVP & Bobby Lashley)
Alexander gets around on Kofi and brings him to the mat. He keeps the waist lock and stays in control. Alexander gets a front face lock. He goes back to the waist lock now. The hold is broken but Alexander stays in control as he knocks Kofi to the mat. Kofi fights back now and takes Alexander down. He covers but Alexander kicks out. Woods tags in and takes it to Alexander. He tries a cover after an elbow but Alexander kicks out. Benjamin now takes it to Woods and gets in control after attacking the throat of Woods. Woods fights back with a forearm shot. Woods hits a dropkick on Benjamin. He covers but Benjamin kicks out. Benjamin now hits a big clothesline. Benjamin now hits a power slam and another one to follow. Benjamin now hits a big spinebuster. Benjamin covers but Woods kicks out.
Benjamin backs Woods into the corner and tags in Alexander. Alexander takes down Woods and covers but Woods kicks out. Alexander tries again but Woods kicks out once more. Alexander stays in control and now tags in Benjamin. Benjamin now works a chin lock. Woods tries to fight him off and looks for a tag. Woods stays with it and works a cover but Benjamin kicks out. Woods takes down Benjamin and tags Kofi. Kofi hits a clothesline off the ropes and keeps the pressure on Benjamin. Kofi hits a boot in the corner and then hits an elbow. Kofi now hits a big crossbody. He covers but Benjamin kicks out. Benjamin now sends Kofi off the ropes but again Kofi drops Benjamin. Benjamin catches Kofi in mid-air and hits a buckle bomb. Alexander now comes off the top and lays out Kofi. Alexander covers but Kofi kicks out as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Benjamin now works a chin lock and keeps Kofi down. Benjamin stays on him but Kofi is able to fight him off for a moment. Benjamin now gets him in the corner and continues to wear him down. Benjamin now goes up top and takes it to Kofi. Kofi comes out of the corner and hits the DDT. Alexander tags in and so does Woods. Woods hits Benjamin and now goes at Alexander with a sidekick. Woods takes it to Benjamin again with the honor roll. Alexander is now out of the ring but Woods is able to hit him with a dropkick. Woods goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. He covers Alexander but he kicks out. Woods lifts Alexander but Alexander turns it around. Woods fights it off and tags in Kofi. Kofi now hits Alexander in the chest. He covers but Alexander kicks out.
Benjamin now hits Woods with a huge knee strike. Cedric now sends Kofi to the floor. Alexander takes out Kofi with a suicide dive. He then follows up with one more. Benjamin now tags in and takes down with a clothesline. Benjamin brings Kofi in the ring and drags him to the center of the ring. Benjamin hits the Angle Slam and covers but Kofi kicks out. Alexander now tags in and hits an atomic drop. Benjamin now hits a kick. Alexander slams him down and covers but Woods breaks it up. Alexander now goes for the Lumbar Check but Kofi counters. Kofi hits a big kick. Kofi sends Benjamin to the apron. He kicks Alexander and then hits Trouble In Paradise. Woods tags in and hits DayBreak. Woods covers and gates the 1 2 3.
Winners: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods):
Still Raw Tag Team Champions
My Opinion:
What a match between these two teams! I loved how back and forth this one was and the energy both teams brought was amazing. The New Day showed why they are the tag champs and why they have been so good for so long. They always can pull it out in the end and somehow they save just enough to be explosive and pull off the big wins. For Benjamin and Alexander, this was a great effort and I think they could get another match down the line, they certainly proved they are capable of being an amazing team.

Backstage Segment: Drew McIntyre & Sheamus
Sheamus class over Drew and tells him he has something really important to show him. Sheamus tells that Dew’s mom told him about Drew’s Scottish ancestry. Sheamus then uncovers a wooden crate. McIntyre laughs and says he never thought he’d see this again. It’s McIntyre’s old gear. Sheamus then hands him a sword and McIntyre thanks him.

Backstage Segment: Retribution
Ali tells how AJ Styles and the rest of Team Raw are just pawns. Ali says it only takes a few right moves for a pawn to dethrone its enemies. Reckoning tells that she showed they are always one step ahead of their enemies. Ali says the members of Team Raw are spineless cowards waiting to stab each other in their back. He says they just have to sit back and wait for them to fall. He says he hopes the so-called captain is ready to go down with the ship.

Match 3: Retribution vs Team Raw (Sheamus & Braun Strowman & Riddle & Keith Lee w/ AJ Styles on Commentary)
Riddle grabs the leg of Slapjack and takes him to the mat. Riddle stays on him and Slapjack has to get to the ropes. Riddle gets back on him and looks for a sleeper. Slapjack now fights him off. Riddle stays on him now but Slapjack is able to tag in T-Bar. Riddle now hits T-Bar with a big kick. Riddle now lands a big slam and then a broton. He covers but T-Bar kicks out. Sheamus and Strowman now argue after a failed tag attempt. Styles now goes over there to try and calm them down. Styles gets pushed and his associate now steps to Strowman as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, Retribution has taken control. Team Raw continues to struggle and Ali taunts Styles. Riddle fights back but Ali again takes him down. He tries to put him away but Riddle kicks out. Ali tags in T-Bar. He now drives his boot into the face of Riddle. Mace tags in and gabs Riddle. Mace and T-Bar now both hit Riddle with a big boot. Riddle though is able to stay in this one. SlapJack now tags in and looks for a kick but Riddle grabs his ankle. Slapjack hits Riddle but Riddle stays with it and hits a big suplex. Riddle tags in Lee. Lee takes down Mace and then T-Bar. Lee crushes Slapjack in the corner and then hits Slapjack again. Lee grabs Slapjack and sues him to hit Mace and T-Bar. Lee now sends them to the floor. Mace and T-Bar now are grabbed by Lee but Ali now hits him from behind sending him into the announce table. Ali tries a cover but Lee kicks out. Strowman now takes out Slapjack on the floor. Sheamus tags in and then Strowman does. Sheamus and Strowman now argue. Strowman pushes Sheamus and then Riddle who tags in. Ali works a cover on Riddle and gets the 1 2 3.
Winners: Retribution
My Opinion:
There were certainly bright spots for Team Raw and it is clear that if they are on the same page then they can be a very dangerous team. Team Raw though seems to be made of individuals and thus it makes it very hard to win in a team environment. Retribution gets a big win but again it seems Team Raw beat themselves. We will see what they do on Sunday but right now it does not look great for them.

Backstage Segment: Nikki Cross & Jeff Hardy
Sara asks Nikki why she is still looking for Alexa. Nikki says friends never give up on each other. She says that Lexi is just hypnotized. Nikki says she has to get Alexa away from the Fiend no matter what.

Sara then asks Jeff about a poster he just found. He shows it and it was made by Elias who is blaming Jeff for hitting him with the car. Hardy says if Elias wants an answer he is going to give them to him.

Backstage Segment: Jeff Hardy & Elias
Hardy asks Elias what is up with these flyers. Elias says he is just looking for justice to be served, he asks Hardy if he has anything to report. Hardy tells him he didn’t hit him with the car. He grabs Elias and throws him up against the wall and tells him he has been found not guilty. He tells him if he continues to blame him for this he is going to be charged with a lot more than hitting him with a car.

In-Ring Segment: The Miz & John Morrison
***Before the match, Miz tells Bray he knows they haven’t seen eye to eye as of late. Miz tells him to consider everything under the bridge. Mis goes on to say that they should not have this match tonight. He says that instead, they showed work together so Wyatt can get his hands on Randy Orton and he can cash in. He then asks what’d you say, pal? Here comes Alexa Bliss. Bliss says that he says, no. Nikki comes out and tells Alexa to stop this and that he is bad for him. She begs her to leave. Alexa then tells her that she is right before slapping and attacking her. The two then have to be separated. Here comes Bray Wyatt. Wyatt grabs Bliss and the two skip to the ring.

Match 4: The Miz w/ John Morrison vs Bray Wyatt w/ Alexa Bliss
Miz goes after Wyatt but Wyatt just laughs at him. Miz continues to try and wear him down but Wyatt doesn’t budge. Wyatt now hits him with a right and hits Miz in the head. He now drives Miz into the steel steps after Miz tries to talk to Alexa Bliss. Miz now hits a boot. Wyatt now laughs and grabs Miz by the head. Miz uses the top rope to fight him off. Mizz hits him in the back of the neck and then covers but Wyatt kicks out. Wyatt grabs Miz but Miz fights out.
Wyatt now hits a wicked clothesline. He then crushes Miz in the corner. He launches himself at Miz and gets in control. Wyatt now hits the standing uranage. Morrison now grabs the foot of Wyatt. Wyatt now stalks Morrison. Bliss now jumps on Morrison and takes him over the barricade. Miz now takes it to Wyatt in the corner. Wyatt grabs him and hits him with Sister Abigail. He covers and gets the 1 2 3. Bliss now smiles as she gets back up. She now walks the barricade and Wyatt helps her down, the two then walk up the ramp. The Fiend’s music now hits and he appears on the screen. The lights then go out.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
My Opinion:
This was a dominating match for Wyatt and it showed how interesting the dynamic is between him and Bliss. These two are working great together and I can’t wait to see what they continue to do. We are starting to see Bliss get more aggressive which is great because she could be a great challenger for Asuka and Wyatt obviously could be the WWE Champion. These two really could run Raw and it would be amazing. I love what they are doing.

Backstage Segment: Adam Pearce & Asuka
Adam Pearce tells Charly that due to injury both Dana and Mandy can’t compete at Survivor Series. He says he has to remove them and replace them with Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce. Charly then welcomes Asuka. Asuka says she will beat Sasha Banks at Survivor Series because no one is ready for Asuka.

Backstage Segment: Randy Orton
Charly asks Randy about his confidence level. Randy tells her he has a long list of distractions. He tells Charly he has Drew McIntyre up next and she doesn’t want to be on that long list of distractions.

***We then see a new promo from Angel Garza

Backstage Segment: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
Nia asks Shayna why she stomped on Mandy’s arm that hard. Shayna tells her that she has put Lana through a table for months now. Nia tells her that they could have used Mandy and Dana. Shayna tells her that they don’t need anyone else and they could do it together. Royce and Evans come up to them declaring how they are on team Raw. Nia questions them and backs them off. Royce and Evans storm off.

Match 5: Randy Orton (c) vs Drew McIntyre:
WWE Championship Match
The two lock up and neither gets an inch. McIntyre goes to a headlock and keeps control. He’s shot off the ropes but comes back with a big shoulder tackle. Orton hits McIntyre and is able to stun him. McIntyre fights out of the corner and hits the Glasgow Kiss. Orton back up now fights back. McIntyre again hits a Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre hits the spinebuster and covers but Orton kicks out. Orton now grabs the title and goes up the ramp. McIntyre chases him down and is able to stop him. He hits him on the barricade and then brings him into the ring. McIntyre goes for the Claymore Kick but Orton rolls out of the way. Orton grabs the title again and thinks about walking away. Adam Pearce comes out and tells Orton it will not end like this tonight. He says there will be no count-outs, no disqualifications but there will be a winner by pinfall or submission. Pearce says that is official as Raw goes to break.
As Raw returns, the two are in the ring and trading blows. Orton is able to get on the offensive and hit a huge backbreaker. Orton now grabs a chair and hits McIntyre in the gut. He then hits him in the back. Orton now taunts McIntyre before hitting him in the ribs. Orton now uses the chair to wrench on the jaw of McIntyre. Orton now hits McIntyre in the back once again. Orton covers but McIntyre kicks out. Orton tries again but McIntyre won’t stay down. Orton now lifts McIntyre and bounces him off the barricade. Orton now grabs the steel steps and hits McIntyre in the head. Orton now brings McIntyre into the ring and goes for the cover but McIntyre kicks out.
Orton now continues to wear down McIntyre. He covers but once again McIntyre is able to kick out. McIntyre blocks Orton at the announce table. Orton now hits a thumb to the eye. Orton hits an uppercut and now slams McIntyre off the announce desk. Orton now hits McIntyre with big right hands to the head. Orton now slams McIntyre back first off the announce table. Orton now takes the hood off the table. He goes for the slam again but McIntyre stops him. McIntyre now hits Orton with rights of his own. McIntyre now slams Orton off the announce desk. McIntyre now does this again. McIntyre now looks for the Claymore Kick but he misses and bounces off the table as Raw goes to break.
During the break, Orton grabs a table from under the ring. As Raw returns, Orton grabs McIntyre but McIntyre fights back. Back in the ring, Orton lands a kick to the chest. Orton tries a cover but McIntyre kicks out. Orton now gets McIntyre in a chin lock. McIntyre now hits Orton in the midsection and fights out. McIntyre now lands an overhead belly to belly. McIntyre now continues to toss around Orton. McIntyre now hits a leaping neck breaker. McIntyre sizes up Orton and hits him in the gut. He looks for the Future Shock DDT but Orton counters. McIntyre comes back and goes up top. He is slowed down by a big right hand.
Orton gets him up top and meets him up there. Orton now looks for a suplex and hits. Orton covers but again McIntyre kicks out. McIntyre is able to fight back and hits the Future Shock DDT. He covers but again Orton kicks out. McIntyre now hits Orton with a big right on the apron. Orton teeters and falls off and through the table. McIntyre looks for the Claymore Kick but Orton counters and hits a powerslam. Orton now hits a draping DDT off the announce desk and to the floor. Orton then hits a huge DDT this time in the ring. McIntyre finally hits the Claymore Kick and gets the 1 2 3 on the cover!!! McIntyre is the new WWE Champion!
Winner: Drew McIntyre: New WWE Champion
My Opinion:
Wow, what an amazing match to end the night! This was one of the best hard-hitting highest stakes matches on Raw in a very long time. This had all the drama and everything you want in a PPV level main event. Orton and McIntyre just have such amazing chemistry in the ring and it is amazing to watch them in there together. McIntyre fought his heart out and once again is the WWE Champion so a huge congratulations to him. What is now set up for a dream match at Survivor Series, McIntyre vs Reigns!!!!

Final Thoughts:
A great Raw tonight as we head into Survivor Series this Sunday! This was a great show with some very solid matches and it had a great pace to it. Starting out with Survivor Series the Raw teams look good and I think they will match up well with SmackDown. There are definitely some matchups that will be awesome to see and it seems like it will be a very competitive event. One of those teams that will be competing is The New Day and tonight they delivered again. They are amazing as a team and of course, they have been for years. New Day along with Cedric and Shelton put on an amazing match and showed just how good tag team wrestling can be on Raw. I hope we see more of this because it was amazing.
I love what we saw from Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss tonight. They are doing so well together and I’m always so excited to see what they do next. They have great chemistry and I really think the sky’s the limit for them. For the main event, we witnessed two of the best today duel it out. McIntyre and Orton put on a show and this was a treat to watch them especially on a Monday Night. A big congratulations again to Drew McIntyre. McIntyre and Reigns should have a classic this Sunday!!!! As always I hope everyone stays safe and healthy this week and enjoys NXT, SmackDown, and Survivor Series!!!
Overall Rating: 7/10