Booking WWE Monday Night Raw 10.31.16

* From Hartford, Connecticut, this will be Monday Night Raw.

* Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho kick off the Halloween edition of the show walking down the ramp dressed as conjoined twins. After a few awkward attempts to climb into the ring despite their cumbersome costume, they explain to the audience that they are best friends and, indeed, inseparable. Stephanie McMahon arrives to ruin their boasting over Owens’s Universal Championship defense last night at Hell in a Cell. She notes that everyone has been through this before–Jericho helps Owens defeat Rollins…Rollins makes everyone’s life hell–and she’s going to cut to the chase this time: at Survivor Series, Owens will defend his championship against Rollins, and if Jericho interferes, he is fired. However, she says, Jericho may be too busy to help his best friend anyway, as he will be part of Team Raw, partaking in the Raw versus SmackDown ten-man tag team match at Survivor Series. Whether he will be captain of the team, however, remains to be seen. And we will find out tonight, as Jeri-KO will take on two-thirds of the Shield, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns–and if Rollins and Reigns win, Reigns will be Team Red’s captain.

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* Bayley has donned her Little Red Riding Hood Halloween costume, looking forward to trick-or-treating. She asks Darren Young if he would like to join her, but Bob Backlund interrupts, reminding Young he has a match to prepare for. Undeterred, Bayley starts on her trek down the backstage corridors.

* The New Day defeats Cesaro & Sheamus to successfully defend their Raw Tag Team Championships. After the match, Cesaro and Sheamus engage in a brawl that devolves into a war throughout the audience. Their battle isn’t easily broken up by WWE officials.

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* Bayley presents her trick-or-treat basket to Rusev, who is brooding at his locker next to Lana. Upset at his Hell in a Cell loss, he merely growls at her while Lana angrily knocks her basket out of her hands and tells her to get out.

* Elsewhere backstage, Stephanie McMahon finds Cesaro and Sheamus, barely kept apart, and tells them she has had enough of their being at each other’s throat. Mick Foley’s experiment teaming them together clearly didn’t work, and so they will simply have to settle their differences in the ring. Next week on Raw, the deciding match in their series will take place, and there must be a winner.

* Braun Strowman defeats Sami Zayn, though Zayn gives Strowman his greatest challenge yet, and passes out before being pinned. With the win, Strowman earns a spot on Team Raw for Survivor Series.

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* In her office, an annoyed Stephanie tells Foley that he is too soft. Last week, he sounded reluctant to finalize the Hell in a Cell match between Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair. Before that, rather than let Cesaro and Sheamus tear each other limb from limb to prove who was the better man, he forced them into a tag team. She would bet money that his house is the one on the block that gives trick-or-treaters toothbrushes and floss. “Do you know what I give out on Halloween?” she asks a contemplative Foley. “Nothing!” She reminds him that he has to address Banks’s Women’s Championship rematch tonight, and he had better make a wise decision.

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* At Reigns’s locker, Rollins tells him he’s confident that, after they defeat Jeri-KO tonight, Reigns will make a great captain for Team Raw. After all, when it comes to leading a group, Reigns learned from the best in the Shield. Reigns does not appear amused by Rollins’s comment, and assures him that he hasn’t forgotten anything about the Shield. He hasn’t forgotten anything…period. “Will Rollins and Reigns be able to co-exist tonight?” Michael Cole wonders.

* Mark Henry defeats Titus O’Neil in a match to earn a spot on Team Raw.

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* Foley asks Banks and Flair to join him in the ring. He reminds the audience, and the two ladies, that though Flair regained the Women’s Championship, Banks is entitled to a rematch. Furthermore, on more than one occasion during last night’s match, Banks had the opportunity to quit, and did not. He respects that. Flair, however, points out with glee that the table she repeatedly and mercilessly dropped Banks onto never gave in either. Foley agrees, which is why their rematch will be a Tables Match. And, he proclaims with Stephanie’s chiding words in mind, the women will not have time to prepare, because that match will take place…right now!

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* Charlotte Flair defeats Sasha Banks by taking advantage of the injuries sustained during their Hell in a Cell match, to retain her Women’s Championship.

* Backstage, Rich Swann finds Brian Kendrick and says he was not impressed by the chicanery it took for Kendrick to defeat TJ Perkins at Hell in a Cell. He assures Kendrick he won’t fall for those same tricks during his championship match…which he will be receiving after pinning Kendrick last week, correct? Perkins arrives and reminds Kendrick that he will be expecting his rematch, and when he gets it, he will have no sympathy for Kendrick when he takes back his championship. Kendrick tells both men to settle down, as he isn’t certain they will even defeat him tonight when they team up to face him and his partner, who arrives to reveal himself as…Doink the Clown.

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* During her trick-or-treating quest, Bayley runs into her nemesis, Dana Brooke, and asks who she is dressed as. Brooke says she isn’t dressed as anyone, because she is her own woman. Bayley thought Brooke was dressed as her mentor, Flair, “because you might as well dress up as a winner, if you can’t be one yourself.” Brooke is upset as Bayley skips away.

* Brian Kendrick & Doink the Clown pin Rich Swann & TJ Perkins when a second Doink interferes in the match, and both Doinks reveal themselves to be Drew Gulak and Tony Nese, apparently Kendrick’s new muscle.

* Bayley continues backstage when a staff member behind her pounds on one of the locker room doors. Her eyes light up as she realizes that can only mean…Goldberg is making his way to the ring. She joins the other backstage attendants in watching him march toward the ring.

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* Goldberg appreciates that Brock Lesnar accepted his challenge for a match at Survivor Series, but he suspects it’s because he defeated Lesnar in Goldberg’s last match, twelve years ago. And in those twelve years, it must have been gnawing at Lesnar, and he must be so grateful for the chance at revenge on Goldberg. However, in the middle of Goldberg’s statement, Rusev’s music interrupts him, and the Super Athlete stomps into the ring. Bitter and so enraged that spit flies from his mouth, Rusev says no one cares about Goldberg anymore. Not the audience, not Lesnar, and certainly not Rusev, because Goldberg is a washed-up bum. The last time Goldberg was in a match, Rusev declares, Lana was only eight years old, believe it or not. Goldberg says he does not believe it, no. Rusev will not be disrespected anymore, and he will not have his lovely Lana disrespected anymore, and so he takes a swing at Goldberg–and is met with a vicious spear. Rusev is knocked out as Goldberg stands victorious, proving he is not as washed-up as some might like to believe.

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* Chris Jericho congratulates Mark Henry for qualifying for Team Raw, and says he has a great plan to beat Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. Henry correctly notes that Jericho isn’t the team captain yet, however. Taking offense, Jericho reminds Henry that they go way back. They are the oldest, best of friends. Owens, still attached to Jericho by their costume, clears his throat. Jericho clarifies that he and Henry are very good friends, but not best friends. Unimpressed, Henry tells them to beat Reigns and Rollins and then he will be all ears.

* Bo Dallas pins Darren Young.

* Bayley meets R-Truth and Goldust backstage, excited to find that Goldust is dressed as Gangrel (“Goldgrel,” Goldust corrects her), and R-Truth is The Boogeyman. Before walking away, she says their renditions are almost as good as the ones behind them. Sure enough, the real Boogeyman and Gangrel are lurking. R-Truth runs away immediately. But Goldust, indignant, insists that his costume is still better.

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* The Boogeyman & Gangrel defeat the Golden Truth after R-Truth runs away when Gangrel spits blood from his chalice and The Boogeyman appears from under the ring behind him to scare him.

* At the end of her trick-or-treat route, Bayley unknowingly taps on the shoulder of…Nia Jax. Jax turns around and leans into Bayley’s eyes, promising that next week, she will prove she is Bayley’s worst nightmare.

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* Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns defeat Jeri-KO by pinning Kevin Owens, establishing Reigns as the captain of Team Raw. After the match, Jericho appears poised to attack Owens for failing him, but comes to his senses and attacks Rollins and Reigns instead. The two former Shield members regroup, however, and leave both Jericho and Owens prone on the mat to end the show.

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

* Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship
* Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship
* TJ Perkins vs. Rich Swann vs. Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship
* Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin for the Intercontinental Championship
* Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar
* Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, Braun Strowman, Sami Zayn & Mark Henry vs. The Miz, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Kalisto & Apollo Crews
* Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Dana Brooke & Nia Jax vs. Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Naomi & Alexa Bliss
* New Day, Enzo & Cass, Anderson & Gallows, the Golden Truth & the Shining Stars vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno, the Hype Bros, American Alpha, the Usos & Breezango

And with that, I am certain you will return next week. Meanwhile, congratulations to all you Minnesota Vikings fans, and check out 411Mania’s live coverage of Monday Night Raw tonight to see these predictions come true before your very eyes!