Booking WWE Monday Night Raw 11.14.16

*From Buffalo, New York, this will be “Monday Night Raw”…

* which begins with the appearance of SmackDown’s Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. Shane says much is different since he was last on Raw, but one thing that never changes is Stephanie McMahon’s inability to lead effectively. Before he can expand on that, Stephanie and Mick Foley arrive. They know Shane and Bryan were invited here tonight, but how did they get all the way to the ring without anyone stopping them? Perhaps, Shane considers, Stephanie doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of her employees the way she thinks she does. But leadership is not Team Raw’s strong suit, he says. Case in point, last week one co-captain of Team Raw’s men’s squad pinned its other co-captain. All cannot be well between Jeri-KO after that. This draws out Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho, who counter Shane’s charge by noting that they got Braun Strowman in line last week. Braun Strowman interrupts to clarify that he is on Team Braun, and no one gets him in line. Sensing the growing rift in Team Raw, Bryan makes it worse by invoking the names of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, noting how impressive it is that Jeri-KO have at least managed to control them. Predictably, Rollins and Reigns appear, asserting that they may no longer be a team, but they have proven since they first arrived in WWE that they cannot be controlled. Not by The Authority, and certainly not by Jeri-KO. The enmity created by Shane and Bryan results in a near brawl among all five members of Team Raw before Stephanie stops them. She suspected they were not as united as they needed to be after facing off in last week’s Fatal Five-Way match. Therefore, tonight they will team against five of Raw’s superstars, and that match is…next!

–Advertisement for WWE 2K17.–

*Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho & Braun Strowman pin Mark Henry, Neville, the Golden Truth, and Bo Dallas in a one-fall-to-a-finish match*.

*After the match, Team Raw celebrates together with reluctance while, ringside, Shane and Bryan applaud, seemingly impressed. But their respect belies the sudden appearance of SmackDown’s Dean Ambrose, who delivers Dirty Deeds to Kevin Owens before quickly exiting through the crowd, joined by Shane and Bryan, in true Shield fashion–which the amused Rollins and Reigns seem to appreciate as they watch them leave. Not so appreciative, however, are Stephanie and Foley.

–Advertisement for the WWE Network.–

*In her office, an irate Stephanie tells Foley that he must run a tighter ship for the rest of the night to ensure that SmackDown does not get the upper hand on them again, be it tonight, or at Survivor Series.

*In the ring, Charlotte Flair, with Dana Brooke, is poised to speak. She does not appreciate Brooke being left off of Team Raw’s women’s squad. Sasha Banks joins them in the ring, telling Flair she deserves her spot on the team. However, if Brooke needs to be beaten in a match tonight to prove it once and for all, she is more than willing. Brooke accepts the challenge. Flair clarifies, however, that she would not trade Banks for Brooke–she would, however, trade the weak link, Bayley. In short order, the Hugger arrives to defend her own position on the squad, of course reminding Flair that she pinned her last week. Just another instance of luck, Flair declares, in a career full of them. However, she says, Bayley may earn just an ounce of her respect if she can come out victorious in a match against…Nia Jax.

–Advertisement for the 900th episode of “WWE SmackDown Live.”–

*Sasha Banks defeats Dana Brooke with the Bank Statement.

*Backstage, Foley asks Sami Zayn to return to his hotel room and take the night off. That isn’t Zayn’s style, of course, but Foley says Raw needs the Intercontinental Championship, and they can gain a real advantage by giving Zayn the opportunity to rest while Dolph Ziggler and The Miz compete over the championship on SmackDown. Reluctantly, Zayn agrees*. He grabs his bags and starts down the hallway–but is ambushed by a growling Rusev, who promptly stomps on Zayn’s back before locking in the Accolade. Foley and other backstage officials pull the Super Athlete off of Zayn as Rusev proclaims that it is he who should be challenging for the Intercontinental Championship. Foley says Rusev’s attack was unacceptable, and if it’s action he wants, he’ll get it tonight, in a handicap match against Cesaro & Sheamus.

–Advertisement for the upcoming “WWE 205 Live.”–

*In the locker room, Titus O’Neil meets with Jinder Mahal. O’Neil points out the benefits of their teaming togethe. They have a great size and speed combination, with which Mahal agrees. They are both veterans, with which Mahal agrees. They have a history in tag teams, with which Mahal agrees. O’Neil wants to know if they have a deal, and Mahal agrees. “Wonderful! This will be great for my brand,” a smiling O’Neil says as he walks away. At this, Mahal seems wary.

*Stephanie calls out Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick to the ring. She asks him whether there is any last thing he would like to do on Raw, and he is confused. Well, she says, if he loses the Cruiserweight Championship to Kalisto at Survivor Series, Raw will lose the entire Cruiserweight Division. And, frankly, she does not believe he will be victorious against Kalisto. He lost in tag team action last week, after all. But, really, she has never had any faith in him. The first time she met him, over a decade ago, he was streaking through the halls of SmackDown. He has almost never been taken seriously. And there is a reason he was released years ago. This anti-pep talk appears to incense Kendrick, who seems ready to explode like a volcano. Stephanie is pleased, and tells Kendrick to use his anger to prove his worth in his upcoming match against Kalisto’s former tag team partner, Sin Cara.

*Brian Kendrick defeats Sin Cara with the Captain’s Hook.

*Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns note how “cute” it was for Dean Ambrose to attack and then scurry away through the crowd. However, at Survivor Series, Team Raw will boast two members of The Shield, and Ambrose won’t think it’s very cute when he’s on the receiving end of a power bomb through a table.

–Advertisement for WWE’s “Total Divas” on E!.–

*Enzo & Cass pin Titus O’Neil & Jinder Mahal*.

–Advertisement for USA’s “Shooter,” featuring WWE Superstar Randy Orton*.–

*Nia Jax pins Bayley.

–Advertisement for diversity, featuring WWE Superstar John Cena.–

*Annoyed, Stephanie asks Jericho and Owens why Rollins and Reigns seem to be more cooperative with each other than Jeri-KO are*. They’re the co-captains of Team Raw, and if they fail her at Survivor Series, they will both make her list. And she has a special reminder for Owens: “Don’t forget why you’re Universal Champion in the first place.”

*In a handicap match, Rusev pins Cesaro while Sheamus is distracted by Lana. After the match, Cesaro and Sheamus argue over the loss*.

*Bayley is sore, physically and emotionally, from her loss to Jax. Banks assures her she is no weak link. She was, after all, NXT Champion! Bayley struggles to take solace in that fact, however, noting that NXT was fun, and here at Raw, everything is so serious. Well, Banks says, if she wants to succeed, perhaps she has to get more serious herself. Bayley is left pondering her friend’s words.

–Advertisement for USA’s “WAGS,” featuring former WWE Superstar Barbie Blank.–

*In the midst of their continuing argument backstage, Cesaro and Sheamus are interrupted by Foley. He tells them if they cannot get on the same page, he will not hesitate to negotiate a trade to SmackDow. This does not seem to bother either Cesaro or Sheamus overly much. “Which one of us would be traded?” Cesaro asks. Foley proclaims that they would both be traded; they can continue to make their own lives hell for eternity, but it won’t be his problem any longer. They cease their argument and consider his threat.

*TJ Perkins & Rich Swann pin Toney Nese & Drew Gulak*.

–Advertisement for Wonderful Pistachios, featuring a cartoon elephant voiced by…WWE Superstar John Cena.–

*The New Day make their bombastic entrance prior to their upcoming Tag Team Championship defense. But despite their usual reverie, Xavier Woods is afraid he has to get something off his chest. It seems no one else has brought it up all night, so he’ll take it upon himself to talk about the one man everyone has been thinking about. The man who no one took seriously at first, yet he’s still around, and now he’s causing trouble for everybody. Big E and Kofi Kingston appear quite uncomfortable that Woods has gone off-script. But Woods is referring, of course, to James Ellsworth. What is with this guy? Still, no matter what happens at Survivor Series, Woods says, Raw will always be better than SmackDown because all of Raw’s performers have chins. “Oh!” Big E sighs with great relief. “We thought you were going to talk about…you know…something else.” “What?” “The…well…the election,” Kingston says. Woods looks confused. “Did that happen already?” Big E and Kingston simply nod. “Oh,” Woods says. “Who won?” Big E and Kingston, hesitant to delve into the political realm, give awkward chuckles and turn to their “Who? Who? Who?” question before they are interrupted by Anderson & Gallows. “Thank God,” Big E mumbles. Anderson & Gallows reveal that, should they win the upcoming match, not only will they become new Tag Team Champions, but they will also be made captains of Team Raw’s ten-man tag team squad. And when that happens, there will be no more fun and games. No matter whether it’s the New Day, the Shining Stars, Enzo & Cass, or Cesaro & Sheamus, they will all know Anderson & Gallows run the show. Woods retorts that, regrettably, he doesn’t even know who will be running the country–but he knows who runs the show, and that’s the New Day. Why? Because New Day rocks.

*The New Day pin Anderson & Gallows to successfully defend their Tag Team Championship*.

–Advertisement for NBC’s “Today,” featuring an interview with Donald Trump, former owner of WWE’s “Monday Night Raw.”

*Goldberg and Brock Lesnar arrive for their face-to-face confrontation before their match at Survivor Series. Goldberg points out that the last time he was in a WWE ring, he was pinning Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. On Lesnar’s behalf, however, Paul Heyman notes that the last time Lesnar was in a WWE ring, he was pummeling a man into a bloody, unconscious heap. That man was years younger than Goldberg. That man had not been away from wrestling for twelve years. Lesnar’s challenge at Survivor Series won’t be to defeat Goldberg. His challenge will be not to kill a washed-up man in front of his own son. With this, Heyman leads Lesnar from the ring–but Goldberg spins Lesnar around and attacks him, finishing off The Beast with a spear.

*It all leads to the following matches at Survivor Series on November 20th:

* Kalisto vs. Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship
* Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship
* Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho & Braun Strowman vs. Dean Ambrose, Shane McMahon, AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton
* Sasha Banks, Bayley, Alicia Fox, Charlotte Flair & Nia Jax vs. Becky Lynch, Naomi, Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss & Carmella
* The New Day, Enzo & Cass, Sheamus & Cesaro, Anderson & Gallows & the Shining Stars vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno, the Hype Bros, American Alpha, Breezango & the Usos
* Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar

And with that, I am certain you will return next week. In the meantime, congratulations to all you New York Giants fans, and check out 411Mania’s live coverage of “Monday Night Raw” to see these predictions come true before your very eyes!