Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 9.25.17

Csonka’s WWE Raw Review 9.25.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Matt Hardy & Jason Jordan defeated Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel @ 10:50 via pin [**¾]
– Elias defeated Apollo Crews @ 2:43 via pin [NR]
– Braun Strowman defeated Dean Ambrose @ 6:15 via pin [**½]
– Seth Rollins defeated Sheamus @ 4:30 via pin [**¾]
– Non-Title Match: Roman Reigns defeated IC Champion The Miz @ 8:50 via pin [**¾]
– Finn Balor defeated Goldust @ 7:11 via pin [**½]
– Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated Nia Jax & Emma @ 8:38 via pin [**]

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– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– You can read my No Mercy reviewhere.

Miz TV With Roman Reigns: Miz, Axel, and Dallas are in the ring as we get highlights from his win over Jason Jordan at No Mercy. He also takes time to bury Jason Jordan before bringing out Roman Reigns. Miz puts over Reigns for retiring Undertaker and then beating Cena at No Mercy. Miz brings up Cena saying it was a passing of the torch moment. Reigns respects Cena, he brought the fight and held the fort for15-years. He’s proud he beat Cena, and it was the biggest win of his career. He was out partying last night, is tired and doesn’t know why he’s here talking to an idiot like the Miz. Miz claims he is the guy because he is the IC champion and runs down Jordan. Reigns defends Jordan as Reigns tells the Miztourage to fetch him a cold beer. Miz refuses that and claims Reigns rode the coattails of the Shield, and claims the Miztourage is better than the Shield. Reigns says they’d whoop their asses. He says it won’t happen because they are doing their own thing. Miz says Reigns is a choke artist, while he has carried Raw and is the man to beat. Reigns then says lets do it, lets fight. Miz immediately backtracks, saying he has a suit on and isn’t ready. Miz and company bail, but Kurt Angle arrives and makes the match for tonight and makes Axel & Dallas vs. Jordan and Matt Hardy. Pretty good opening segment, locking in two matches and Miz delivering again. He was really good here and got the crowd into Reigns. Reigns is also better when he’s more laid back and cocky.

Matt Hardy & Jason Jordan vs. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel: Jeff is out with Matt as commentary discusses his shoulder injury. Jordan tosses Dallas around to begin, and then works over Axel. The northern lights suplex gets 2. Matt tags in, he continues working over Axel, hitting repeated leg drops, covering for 2. Matt hits the tornado DDT, Jordan takes out Dallas as we take a break. Post break, Dallas and Axel take the heat on Jordan, working quick tags and double teams. Jordan fights, tosses Axel to the floor and gets the tag to Matt. He works over Dallas, hits the bulldog and covers for 2. The neck breaker follows, covering for 2. Dallas gets a roll up, but then walks into a side effect but Axel makes the save. It breaks down, Jordan hits suplexes and Matt hits the twist of fate on Dallas for the win. Matt Hardy & Jason Jordan defeated Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel @ 10:50 via pin [**¾] Pretty good match, with the faces picking up the win and Jordan ending up on the winning side for once. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with Matt while Jeff is out.

– We now take a look at Lesnar vs. Strowman from No Mercy.

– Elias is here to sing us a tune.

Elias vs. Apollo Crews: Titus is out with Crews. They lock up and work to the ropes. Crews takes him down, working a side headlock. Elias fights to his feet, but Crews cuts him off with a dropkick and a clothesline. Elias to the apron, sent to the floor and Crews hits a plancha. Elias attacks Titus, distracting Crews. Back in and Elias hits a kick and drift away for the win. Elias defeated Apollo Crews @ 2:43 via pin [NR] Thankfully they didn’t go for the traditional 50/50 booking and just had Elias win and maintain some momentum. The match was just there, not bad, but nothing worth your time either.

– Post match, Titus runs off Elias.

– Charky talks with Finn Balor. He thanks Wyatt for doubting him and pushing him. And now, Balor wants to regain the Universal title.

– Curt Hawkins talks about his 118 match losing streak, and plans to end it tonight.

Braun Strowman vs. Curt Hawkins: Hawkins runs so Braun chases him down and chokeslams him through a table. They go back to the stage, and Braun powerslams him through the LED screens. Braun heads to the ring and says he’s on a path of destruction and wants a real fight.

Braun Strowman vs. Dean Ambrose: Ambrose takes the fight to Braun to begin, but Braun quickly cuts him off and starts to destroy him. Ambrose picks up the pace, keeps fighting and locks in a sleeper. Braun escapes, hits corner attacks but Ambrose keeps firing back. Braun then targets the taped up arm of Ambrose, and then sends him to the floor. Braun follows, works him over until Ambrose pokes him in the eyes and posts him. Back in and Ambrose fires up with strikes, and then low bridges Braun to the floor. Braun catches the suicide dive, but Ambrose manages to turn it into a DDT on the floor. Back in and Ambrose hits a basement dropkick and clotheslines. Braun misses a charge and posts himself. Ambrose up top, caught and Bruan hits the powerslam for the win. Braun Braun Strowman vs. Dean Ambrose: Ambrose takes the fight to Braun to begin, but Braun quickly cuts him off and starts to destroy him. Ambrose picks up the pace, keeps fighting and locks in a sleeper. Braun escapes, hits corner attacks but Ambrose keeps firing back. Braun then targets the taped up arm of Ambrose, and then sends him to the floor. Braun follows, works him over until Ambrose pokes him in the eyes and posts him. Back in and Ambrose fires up with strikes, and then low bridges Braun to the floor. Braun catches the suicide dive, but Ambrose manages to turn it into a DDT on the floor. Back in and Ambrose hits a basement dropkick and clotheslines. Braun misses a charge and posts himself. Ambrose up top, caught and Bruan hits the powerslam for the win. Braun Strowman defeated Dean Ambrose @ 6:15 via pin [**½] defeated Dean Ambrose @ 6:15 via pin [**½] I thought that this was really solid, they needed to get Strowman some momentum back and having him kill Hawkins and then picking up a win was a good way to do it. I’m personally not a fan of sacrificing one of the tag champs to do it though. I get that Ambrose is crazy and will do anything, but hew and Rollins are having a fun run so far and I think using Ambrose as a sacrificial lamb was a poor call.

– Enzo meets with Angle, and wants to have a celebration tonight. Angle doesn’t think his win is worthy of a celebration. Angle agrees to it, and looks to offer him some advice, but Enzo blows him off.

– Rollins gives Ambrose some ice and wishes he was less destructive. Rollins has to face Sheamus tonight, and wants to make sure Ambrose will be there. Ambrose mocks Rollins for being predictable. Rollins then says he will request a match against Braun for next week. In other news, Seth is a stupid, stupid man.

Alexa Bliss Talks: Bliss plays nice with the crowd, and then says she is disappointed in them. She beat four women last night, and today, she got no congratulations and no cute memes about her big win. Instead, everyone is talking about Asuka debuting; no one appreciates the goddess. She’s cleaned out the division. Mickie James arrives in her hardcore country attire. She says Bliss didn’t beat her last night and heard Bliss talking shit on her during Raw Talk. Bliss says Mickie was one of her favorites when she was a little girl and even liked her on Myspace, back when both were relevant. Bliss says Mickie has a few fans that even think “she’s still got it” and thinks its nice that “Mickie’s demographic” has someone to root for. Bliss makes a joke about Mickie breaking a hip. Mickie says she’s a 6-time women’s champion, and she broke bones, women and barriers before Bliss even wore a training bra, “which is still working out for you. Bliss finally calls Mickie an old lady, and that leads to a brawl and Bliss gets sent to the floor. That was a good segment, playing off of the Raw Talk segment with Bliss and the Twitter comments that followed. The crowd was also into it, I just wish we hadn’t been there and done that in terms of these two, as we got some of it on Smackdown. Hopefully Bliss making it personal is enough to make it different and allow it to be a short-term angle until Asuka arrives. Both were really good here.

Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus: Cesaro may have had his teeth fucked up last night, but is still at ringside tonight, wearing a pimp suit. Sheamus attacks at the bell, but ends up posting himself. Rollins hit the suicide dive. Back in, Sheamus cuts off Rollins with a backbreaker and a suplex. The big knee drop follows and Sheamus covers for 2. Sheamus works the stretch muffler, and then hits the sitout powerbomb for 2. Sheamus now locks in the cloverleaf. Rollins escapes, sends Sheamus to the floor but Sheamus fights back, hits a wicked knee strike and covers for 2. Rollins avoids the brogue kick, Sheamus up top and leaps into a superkick; the ripcord knee finishes it for Rollins. Seth Rollins defeated Sheamus @ 4:30 via pin [**¾] This was a pretty good and enjoyable little sprint. But I feel that Rollins announcing that he will challenge Braun next week took away from any drama the match may have had. As soon as he announced he wanted that match, the booking dictated that he go into that match as string as possible and that meant beating Sheamus,

– Finn Balor walks and runs into Goldust. Goldust outs him over, but feels that Balor took shots at him. He’s not a victim and doesn’t need Balor’s help. Balor apologizes if he offended him and Goldust then attacks him and kicks the shit out of him.

– We now get highlights of Cena vs. Reigns from No Mercy. We also get comments from Cena on Raw Talk, with him talking about not knowing how long he can keep this up and that Reigns took the torch.

IC Champion The Miz vs. Roman Reigns: Miz tries to talk his way out of the match, Reigns refuses and hits a right, sending Miz to the floor. Miz powders, talking with Dallas & Axel. Reigns chases and back in they go. Reigns hits a shoulder block, but Dallas attacks allowing Miz to take control and to score a near fall. Miz grounds Reigns, but Reigns powers out, only to be sent to the floor. The Miztourage attacks, and back in, Miz covers for 2. Miz hits shotgun dropkicks, but then runs into a Samoan drop, and Reigns covers for 2. Reigns follows with clotheslines, and hits the big boot. Reigns sets for the superman punch, but gets distracted, allowing Miz to hit the corner clothesline. Miz works the yes kicks, but Reigns cuts him off but Miz escapes the powerbomb. Reigns hits a superman punch, fights off the Miztourage, and follows Miz to the floor and hits the drive by kick. Back in and Miz hits the short DDT for 2. Reigns escapes the skull-crushing finale, and spears Miz for the win. Roman Reigns defeated IC Champion The Miz @ 8:50 via pin [**¾] This was a pretty good outing, with the usual Miz antics. Following the win over Cena, you knew Reigns would win, but the post match beat down was good and allowed Miz to get some heat back.

– Post match, the Miztourage attacks, but Reigns makes his own comeback and clears them out. But Dallas returns with a chair and Axel has one as well and they beat down Reigns. Miz lays out Reigns with the Skull-crushing finale. Miz returns to beat on Reigns with a chair and then hits a Skull-crushing finale on the chair. The Miztourage then does the Shield fist bump. NOBODY FISTS ROMAN REIGNS!

Finn Balor vs. Goldust: Goldust attacked Balor earlier in the evening to set this up. Balor attacks at the bell and sends Goldust to the floor. Balor follows with the shotgun dropkick and then slams Goldust to the barricade. Back in they go, Goldust cuts him off and posts Balor and sends him to the floor. Goldust then works over Balor on the floor and we take a break. Post break, Goldust has Balor grounded, working the injured ribs from No Mercy. Balor battles back, lays in chops but Goldust attacks the ribs and hits a spinebuster for 2. Goldust follows with rights, Balor fights back but the ribs are giving him issues. Balor hits desperation PELE kick, and sling blade. The shotgun dropkick follows. Balor up top, and the double stomp finishes it. Finn Balor defeated Goldust @ 7:11 via pin [**½] This was a solid match, but nothing more than filler because they have no idea what to do with Balor. For some reason, they are continuing the Wyatt feud. Why? Balor beat him “as the demon” and “as a man.”

– So have they dropped the Goldust’s new masterpiece angle?

– Oh Christ, we hear kids singing “he’s got the whole world in his hands” and then nothing. Apparently the Wyatt feud isn’t over.

– Sasha Banks & Bayley meet backstage, there’s tension here. Banks says she was close to getting her title back, and says she’s over it. Banks tells Bayley they need to focus, especially since Jax tried to end Bayley’s career. United front or not?

– Enzo meets with Angle, and says he feels jealousy. He needs a no contact clause to protect him from the rest of the 205 roster.

– Tony Nese vs. Akira Tozawa is set for tomorrow’s 205 Live.

Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Nia Jax & Emma: Jax and Emma to begin. Jax cuts her off right away, hitting a corner splash. Banks saves Emma and gets sent to the floor. Jax then slams Emma into banks as we take a break. Post break, Emma works the heat on Bayley, and picking up a near fall. Jax tags in, and she grounds Bayley now, working the previously injured arm. Jax hits a standing leg drop onto the arm, the ref checks on Bayley as Emma tags in. Bayley starts to fire back, takes Emma down and looks for the tag. Bayley fights off Emma, slamming her into Jax and Banks gets the hot tag, running wild on Emma. The head scissors and double knees hit but Jax makes the save. Banks sends Jax to the floor and she and Bayley take out Jax, posting her. Banks and Emma now battle back and forth, blind tag to Bayley, hits Bayley to belly and pins Emma. Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated Nia Jax & Emma @ 8:38 via pin [**] This was perfectly solid, but lacked any real heat or excitement. It still feels like they are setting the foundation for the Banks heel turn.

– Next week, Braun Strowman kills Seth Rollins, & Roman Reigns gets an IC Title match against the Miz.

Enzo’s Championship Celebration: Enzo makes his entrance and does his usual shtick. He says the dream came rue, and he’s the new cruiserweight champion. He discusses his morning, waking up next to the cruiserweight title. He’s had a rough couple of months, filled with haters and has had to eat humble pie. The rest are jealous of him, just like Cassis jealous. He now says that he didn’t hold Cass back, but instead, held him up. He talks about the “you can’t wrestle” chants and says Cena, Batista and Rock all got those as well. He shows off a framed jersey and says he did the impossible, claiming he made 205 Live relevant. The 205 live roster now arrives on the stage. Enzo says we have haters here, and mocks Swann’s size and the fact that he won and lost the title. He then runs down Alexander, saying he has no charisma. He likes Metalik and calls him paperback and then mocks his weight. He calls Gallagher “teacup” and Neville then arrives. Enzo tells him he looks terrible, and makes fun of his ears. Neville says that the truth is brutal, and Enzo is such toxic individual and has alienated everyone he comes in contact with. He says Enzo was sent to 205 Live because no one wants him. But Enzo had an opportunity to make himself and prove himself. Enzo claims he’s putting eyes on 205 Live, but Neville says he’s done nothing but make a joke and mockery of 205 Live, the title and Neville himself. Neville is here to end Enzo. Neville hits the ring and Enzo says no one can touch him and if he does, he can never touch the tile again. Enzo says he got Neville in the Raw main event, and never got close while he was champion, Enzo claims he’s a star and that they don’t sell merch like he does. He orders Neville to get out of his ring. Neville says fuck it and kicks him in the balls and slams him into the framed jersey, breaking the glass. Neville takes him to the floor and beats on him. Enzo tries to run but the rest of the cruiserweights stop him, allowing Neville to kick his ass some more and stuff the order in his mouth and superkick him. Neville hits the red arrow and stands tall. The best part of this was Neville absolutely kicking Enzo’s ass, not just because it was fun and was glorious. But because if they playoff of the no contact gimmick right, it could mean Neville moving on from 205 Live. He’s been great on the show and as a champion, but really feels like he’s hit the ceiling there. But if that’s not the plan, it can easily be played as a double turn with Neville looking to save the division. Enzo’s stuff was a mixed bag, moving from painfully bad material to getting better as it went on and he played off of Neville. I see some praising Enzo as new, fresh and “an amazing modern heel,” but in many ways, he’s riffing on Chris Jericho’s WCW shtick, specifically the cruiserweight battle royal where he had special introductions for all of the guys. That’s not a bad thing to play off of, but lets not pretend the guy’s reinventing the wheel here.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

~GLORIOUS~

6.2

The final score: review Average

The 411

Tonight’s show was a really solid post PPV edition of Raw. They set some things up for next week, teased some other things and potentially set something up big for Neville in the main event segment.