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Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 12.11.17

December 11, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Matt Hardy Woken 121117 WWE Raw Image Credit: WWE
6.1
The 411 Rating
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Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 12.11.17  

Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 12.11.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Absolution defeated Bayley, Mickie James, & Sasha Banks @ 8:12 via pin [**]
– Finn Balor vs. Curtis Axel @ 1:44 via pin [NR]
– Seth Rollins defeated Sheamus @ 13:11 via pin [***]
Cruiserweight Contenders Second Chance Match: Cedric Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali, Tony Nese, and Ariya Daivari @ 13:08 via pin [***¼]
IC Title Match: IC Champion Roman Reigns defeated Cesaro @ 16:45 via pin [***¾]
– Samoa Joe defeated Dean Ambrose @ 10:50 via submission [**½]
#1 Contender’s Match: Braun Strowman vs. Kane went to a double count out @ 4:40 [*]


– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– I ranked the Raw women’s division from worst to first at this link.

– I ranked the Smackdown women’s division from worst to first at this link.

– I wrote about the winners in the battle for the Broken Universe at this link.

Samoa Joe Talks: Samoa Joe talks about the history and legend of the Shield and he’s not fucking impressed; he broke Rollins’ leg, Ambrose runs from him and he’s put Reigns to sleep more times than he can count. He calls out Reigns, so he can end him from this planet. It is all because of him that Dean & Seth are not tag champions. Joe doesn’t need anyone, and if it weren’t for the Shield, Reigns wouldn’t be shit. Reigns hits the ring and it’s crazy fist time as they brawl. BUT IT’S A TRAP as Sheamus and Cesaro hit the ring for the beat down,. Seth and Dean make the save as Reigns gets choked out. Joe and the lads stand tall leaving the Shield in a pile of pain. This was a good opening segment, with Joe cutting a fiery promo. Joe’s cadence is so different than the rest of the roster and comes off as a believable bad ass. It played ell off of last week and set the stage for tonight’s singles matches.

– Absolution promo time. Paige squashed the Boss last week, and tonight they continue their dominance.

Bayley, Mickie James, & Sasha Banks vs. Paige, Sonja Deville, & Mandy Rose: Bayley and Paige start off, James tags in and clear the ring. They then hit attacks off the apron. Post break, Bayley and Rose are in with Bayley in control. Rose battles back, and takes Bayley to her corner and Paige tags in, delivering knee strikes. Paige follows with head butts and then takes Bayley to her corner to continue the heat. Bayley battles back, fights of Paige and tags in James. Rose in as well, but James works her over, taking control. The flapjack follows, James up top and hits the seated senton and it breaks down. Paige cuts her off with a head kick, allowing Rose to pick up the win. Absolution defeated Bayley, Mickie James, & Sasha Banks @ 8:12 via pin [**] This was well booked in terms of continuing Absolution’s momentum, having them win and do so with ease; they are unified and have a singular goal, the opposite of the rest of the women. The match was ok,

– Bray Wyatt is here, and so is Woken Matt.

– Matt talks about the Great War, and says it continues in WWE. Wyatt says Matt is the yin to his yang and he’s been waiting for him. Matt plans to illuminate the asses, while Wyatt calls him a liar. Matt says he crossed paths with Sister Abigail, but she has been consumed by evil. Wyatt calls matt a jester, and calls himself the king. Only one will survive. Matt says his army prepares for battle and deletion. They then start laughing back and forth.

– We get video of Enzo motivating the Zo train, and meeting with the smitten kitten, Nia Jax. We see Enzo talking to the cruiserweight title. He meets with Gulak, who says that Swann has lost his opportunity, and a new four-way will take place tonight, with the winner facing him next week and that winner faces Enzo for the title. Enzo accidentally mentions Jax, and Gulak says Enzo is testing him and Enzo agrees with him; Gulak is a treasure.

Finn Balor vs. Curtis Axel: Axel has been medically cleared, but is still wearing a neck brace. Dallas is out with him. Axel now removes the neck brace. They jump Balor, and then the match begins. This allows Axel to take control, hits the neck snap and covers for 2. Axel grounds the action, Balor hits a jawbreaker and then sling blade. The shotgun dropkick follows and then the double stomp finishes it. Finn Balor vs. Curtis Axel @ 1:44 via pin [NR] It’s what it should have been, quick and to the point.

– Kane cuts a backstage promo about tonight’s match with BRAUN. They aren’t ordinary men, and Kane will enter the abyss with a fellow monster, but he will walk out alone and with a smile on his face and he will go on to face Brock Lesnar and win the universal title.

Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins: Rollins attacks at the bell, sends Sheamus to the floor and follows with a suicide dive. After some floor brawling, Sheamus takes control back in the ring. Sheamus follows with clubbing strikes, hits a side back breaker and covers for 2. Sheamus now lays the boots to Rollins, but Rollins his an enziguri. He follows with rights, and then sling blade. The blockbuster follows and Rollins tosses Sheamus to the floor. Sheamus avoids the plancha, and then sends Rollins to the floor with a knee strike. Post break, Sheamus has things grounded and he’s in control. Rollins battles back to his feet, hits a jawbreaker, but Sheamus hits a one legged, inverted Alabama slam, and targets the knee of Rollins. Sheamus works the stretch muffler, but Rollins counters with a RANA, only for Sheamus to lock in the cloverleaf. Rollins escapes and hits a DDT for a good near fall. Sheamus charges and posts himself, and Rollins rolls him up for 2. The superkick follows for 2 again. Rollins looks for the ripcord knee, Sheamus escapes that and slams Rollins knee first to the buckles. Sheamus up top and Rollins pops up and hits the superplex, and rolls through to do the deal and hit the falcon arrow for 2. Both men are down, they work to their feet, but Sheamus counters the ripcord knee, and hits the Finlay roll. The brogue kick misses, superkick by Rollins; the ripcord knee finishes it. Seth Rollins defeated Sheamus @ 13:11 via pin [***] It seems no matter what, singles or tag, these guys continue to work well together, putting on a good, back and forth match. They kept a good pace, they kept the crowd and it was an overall good and fun outing.

– Dean Ambrose talks about his upcoming match with Samoa Joe.

– Drew Gulak is on commentary.

Cruiserweight Contenders Second Chance Match: Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari: The winner faces Drew Gulak next week on Raw, and that winner faces Enzo Amore for the cruiserweight title. The winner is replacing Rich Swann, who had his opportunity revoked. Alexander and Ali attack Nese and Daivari at the bell. They clear the ring and they start working back and forth, with both men going for pinning combos. Nese low bridges Alexander to the floor, Ali then wipes out both with a dive off the top. Daivari cuts Ali off, rolls Alexander in and covers for 2. Daivari grounds the action, but Alexander cuts him off with a flatliner for 2 as Nese makes the save and posts Alexander. Ali back in and he gets cut off. Daivari accidentally hits Nese, and Ali DDTs Alexander. Post break, Daivari hits a spinebuster on Ali for 2. He then grounds the action; Ali cuts him off with kicks and follows with the rolling x-factor for 2. Nese back in, cuts of Alias he heads up top and Nese sets him up top and follows. Ali knocks him to the mat, hits the inverted 450 but Alexander makes the save. Ali and Alexander trade strikes, Alexander hits the Spanish fly sand lumbar check but Daivari tosses him. Alexander makes the save as they brawl to the floor as Nese hits a dive. Gulak says he wasn’t flying, he was falling and using gravity to his advantage. Nese hits the knee strike on Alexander, but Ali makes the save. Daivari and Nese isolate Ali, but he fights back tossing Nese, it breaks down. Lumbar check on Daivari and Alexander wins! Cedric Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali, Tony Nese, and Ariya Daivari @ 13:08 via pin [***¼] Gulak killed it on commentary here, a nice mix of gimmick and actual commentary, while hilariously avoiding answering questions about facing Enzo. This was another good cruiserweight showcase for the 205 Live roster on Raw, and while it is in front of more people than watch 205 Live, I still say you’re cannibalizing 205 Live by outing all of the important content on raw for weeks, making 205 Live can miss TV.

– Gulak meets with Enzo backstage, and says after he wins next week, he will become cruiserweight champion. Enzo says that they aren’t friends and that Gulak works for him. Enzo then tells him that his PowerPoint presentations… Enzo stops as Nia Jax arrives, and they flirt. She likes Drew’s PowerPoint presentations, but wants to talk with Enzo alone.

IC Champion Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro: They brawl at the bell, no fucking around here. Cesaro attacks the arm, but Reigns hits a boot and then clotheslines Cesaro to the floor. Post break, and Cesaro has grounded the action. Cesaro follows with short-armed clothesline and covers for 2 before going right back to the arm. Cesaro adds insult to injury by yelling, “no one likes ya” at Reigns as he tries to rip his arm off. Reigns fights back, gets a cradle for 2. The backslide follows for another 2. Cesaro right back to the arm bar, drags Reigns back center ring and continues to try and rip off Reigns’ arm. Reigns escapes, hits the belly to back suplex and both men are down. Reigns rallies, hits the drive by kick and covers for 2. Reigns calls for the Superman punch, but Cesaro cuts him off, attacking the arm and transitions to the crossface. Reigns fights out and hits a Samoan drop for 2. Cesaro then posts Reigns, continuing to focus his attack on the arm. To the floor they go, Reigns hits a superman punch off the steps, back in and Reigns covers for 2. Cesaro cuts off the spear, hits the pop uppercut for 2 and then into the cross face. Reigns powers out, and after a series of counters, hits the one armed powerbomb for a great near fall. They now trade big time strikes, Cesaro gets a roll up for 2. Cesaro hits uppercuts, lighting reigns up in the corner. Cesaro looks for the neutralizer, Reigns counters and hit the spear for the win. IC Champion Roman Reigns defeated Cesaro @ 16:45 via pin [***¾] This was a very good, bordering on great match from these two. They’ve worked well together in the past so it’s no surprise that this was high quality. It was hard hitting, they kept the crowd, and flat out delivered; great work from both guys here. I’d love for a rematch down the line where Cesaro takes the title when they are ready for Roman to drop it, they have great chemistry.

Asuka vs. ???: Alicia Fox’s music hits, but she doesn’t appear. Absolution arrives. We see Fox is injured backstage. Paige says they gave Asuka warnings and let her walk away. But not even Asuka can stop Absolution. Paige tells her to get out of the way or they will make her get out of the way. Asuka attacks, takes out Rose and Deville and gets the arm bar on Paige. Rose and Deville return and make the save, but the rest of the women (Jax & Bliss included) arrive to make the save and to get some revenge on Absolution. They clear out Absolution as Nia Jax’s music plays to close the segment. So the rest of the roster decided not to be stupid and banded together to get some revenge. Absolution took a minor beating, but escaped and avoided the 8 on 3 beat down. It was fine overall, another step in the angle, and a possible tease for the rumored women’s Rumble.

– Kurt Angle orders the ring reinforced for Kane vs. Strowman. Jason Jordan arrives and apologizes for his actions last week. Dad and son have a laugh, but Jordan says he should have had a match with Joe tonight. “No wonder Stephanie got angry with you.” Jordan says he can beat Joe, but Kurt says that holding your own isn’t winning, you beat no one. Jordan gets all pissy and leaves when daddy won’t give him what he wants.

Samoa Joe vs. Dean Ambrose: Jason Jordan arrives and takes a seat on the ramp. They work back and forth, brawling to the floor. Ambrose starts attacking the knee of Joe, but back in Joe cuts him off with an enziguri. Post break, Ambrose lays in strikes but Joe cuts him off but misses the senton. Ambrose lays in strikes and chops, but Joe firs back with jabs. Ambrose is rocked, but fires back and hits back elbows, Clotheslines follow, and then the jawbreaker lariat takes Joe down. Joe battles back with an overhead suplex and mocks Jordan. Jordan heads to the ring and Ambrose gets a roll up for 2. They spill to the floor now and Jordan rolls Ambrose back in, Joe locks in the clutch and Ambrose hits a suicide dive. Back in and Ambrose hits the elbow drop press, but Jordan had the ref distracted as Ambrose covered for about 10. Ambrose goes after him and Joe hits them with the elbow suicida. The senton on Jordan follows and the clutch finishes Ambrose. Samoa Joe defeated Dean Ambrose @ 10:50 via submission [**½] This was a perfectly fine match, but it lacked intensity and a sense of purpose as they were killing time for the Jordan stuff.

– Dana Brooke meets with Titus, and has joined Titus Worldwide as statistician and research and development. The Good Brothers arrive and call them NEEEEEEEEERDS. Braun walks and scares them all away.

– We get highlights of the Kane vs. BRAUN feud.

– Brock Lesnar returns to Raw next week to hop around and collect more money than we’ll ever see.

#1 Contender’s Match: Braun Strowman vs. Kane: BRAUN attacks at the bell, laying in strikes and head butts. The corner clothesline and shotgun dropkick follows and they spill to he floor, where BRAUN slams Kane to the steps. Back in and Kane backs off, BRAUN lays in more strikes and then misses a charge. Chokeslam by Kane, and that gets 2. Kane lays in grounded strikes, and hits another chokeslam but BRAUN kicks out. BRAUN now fights back and he chokeslams Kane, but only gets 2. Back to the floor for some brawling, and they work into the crowd. BRAUN then tackles Kane through the barricade and we get a double countout. Braun Strowman vs. Kane went to a double count out @ 4:40 [*] Of all the matches on tonight’s show, this was one of them. They did mean guy power spots, we got a shitty non-finish and Kane will headline a PPV in 2018 as we’re going to get a triple threat, and worst of all, the Kane vs. BRAUN stuff isn’t over yet.

– Post match they continue to fight. BRAUN grabs part of the steps and so does Kane. They charge and collide, Kane is down and BRAUN tries to injure Kane’s throat, but Kane battles back. Back in the ring and BRAUN gets a table to the delight of the crowd. Kane bails, gets a chair and attacks BRAUN. More chair shots by Kane follow, Kane sets up a table and they do a double down. Kane sits up, but so does BRAUN. BRAUN powerslams Kane through the table and stands tall.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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~GLORIOUS~

6.1
The final score: review Average
The 411
While not the quality show that last week delivered, tonight’s episode was an overall rock solid effort, with some good wrestling and the continuation of the women’s angle and Shield vs. Joe, Cesaro, & Sheamus highlighting things, but an unfortunately poor main event capping off the night.
legend

article topics :

RAW, Tremendous Tirades, WWE, Larry Csonka