While beginning to start this, I decided to listen to a slew of podcasts to get a feel of this peculiar episode and what their feeling was on it. It was unanimous. Everyone from Solomonster, JDfromNY206, Brian Zane, Good Mic Work Commentaries, Don Tony with Kevin Castle and Bryan Alvarez/The Wrestling Observer have all said the same thing.
This was the worst episode of Monday Night Raw in recent memory. Some will say it's the worst episode of the show's 27 year history. I decided to partake in this episode and judge it myself. It's safe to say, they were right.
November 26, 2018: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
FIRST SEGMENT
Ok, right off the bat, I have a confession to make. I actually like Baron Corbin. If a heel is made to annoy and piss you off, then he does his job. But, for the love of God, do not have this guy with a microphone for more than five minutes. "The Almighty" Bobby Lashley was in the ring with sunglasses on for some reason. Good thing MVP is back and aligned with Lashley. Drew McIntyre was in the ring also, and gave this look as if he was saying "Why do they have me in another faction?" WWE finally smartened up and put him with no faction and with the WWE Championship. They showed a clip of Braun Strowman at a hospital.....sorry, medical facility. He said that he was in Alabama, and that doctors haven't seen an injury like his. I'm pretty sure that is a lie. Elias interrupts and makes a Lio Rush child labor joke, which I found hilarious.
ELIAS VS. BOBBY LASHLEY
This wasn't a bad match. Elias hits a top rope flying elbow and almost pinned Lashley, until Lio Rush pulled the referee out of the ring as he was counting the three.
Corbin announces that this was a no DQ match. So as expected, the three heels attack Elias as no one comes out to help him. Lashley pins Elias and the heels celebrate.
SECOND SEGMENT
Corbin is yelling at a staffer, and fires him. Alexa Bliss shows up and kisses up to him. Corbin makes Bliss the leader of the Women's division.
THIRD SEGMENT
They detail the rivalry between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. This program should have been great. Should have been. Ambrose is at a medical facility. Wait, is that the same room Braun Strowman was in? Ambrose is receiving a vaccine, saying that everyone is toxic. It's like he was portraying the future. Graves and Cole asks Renee Young, who is married to Ambrose, about his whereabouts. She proclaimed that she doesn't know where he's at 24/7. Apparently, a cellphone doesn't exist in WWE world.
LUCHA HOUSE PARTY VS. THE REVIVAL
The Revival deserve better. So does the Lucha House Party. So they all three Lucha members against the Revival and they get the victory. Wow, WWE really buried the Revival......and this wasn't a bad match.
Also, hearing Corey Graves and Renee Young bicker has become nauseating.
They show a clip of Lars Sullivan coming soon. Lars Sullivan has not been active since last year.
FOURTH SEGMENT
Nia Jax talks about breaking Becky Lynch's face. Remember when I said that Baron Corbin shouldn't have a microphone for more than five minutes? Same goes for Nia Jax. They showed a clip of Charlotte destroying Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series. Ronda Rousey comes out, thank God. She is out smiling, which bugs me due to the fact that she has a killer mean face. Her promo skills are not better, but she hypes up their match at TLC. Ronda wants to fight Nia, but Nia refuses. They try to double team Ronda, but Natalya comes out, only to be ambushed by the Riott Squad.
Michael Cole brings up when Big Show made Drake Maverick piss himself at Survivor Series. On last week's show, Bobby Roode and Chad Gable were poking fun at Maverick by making peepee jokes. This is where I started to get irritated. Roode and Gable are great talents in the ring, yet are reduced to peepee jokes. Guess who probably thought this was funny? A 75 year old chairman of the company who is probably 12 years old still. Maverick cuts a promo about how he had fear when piss himself or something of that nature.
RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
AOP VS. ROODE/GABLE
Okay, why did the company release AOP? Also, why did they put Bobby Roode and Chad Gable in a tag team? Maverick grabs Roode's robe, which distracts him. He walks to the back, wearing the robe. While this match is going on, they show Maverick pissing on the robe. This distracts Roode and causes AOP to get the pin and retain. So, let me get this straight. Bobby Roode lost a tag team championship opportunity, because Drake Maverick pissed on his robe. A lot of swear words come to mind.
FIFTH SEGMENT
Bayley and Sasha Banks are talking, when Alexa Bliss walks to tell them that Corbin made her in charge of the women's division and invites them to do an open forum with the fans. Bayley brings up that horrible "This Is Your Life" segment between her and Bliss from years ago.
Ember Moon comes out to her awesome entrance for the next match.
Finn Balor is in the locker room, holding a Raw shirt, explaining how Corbin is changing the rules on the fly during his matches and that he will fight him no matter if the cards are stacked against him. He actually didn't say that, but he referenced something along those lines. Curt Hawkins and Moon are discussing strategy in the ring.
EMBER MOON VS. ALICIA FOX
Wow, Alicia Fox was still employed during this time. Jinder Mahal is also here, because he is Fox's partner in the Mixed Tag Team Challenge. Moon makes quick work of Fox, then No Way Jose comes out with his Congo line as they dance to the ring. There is so many things going on at once. What is happening?
JINDER MAHAL VS. NO WAY JOSE
If Sunday Night Heat was still around, this match would be perfect for that program. Not on Monday Night Raw. So during this match, the crowd was quiet. That tells you how boring this bout was. Former WWE Champion (hahahaha) Jinder Mahal gets the victory.
They go back to what Ambrose said earlier while in a medical facility.
Up next is Seth Rollins issuing an open challenge for the Intercontinental Championship.
Seth Rollins comes out with his "Burn It Down" entrance. I have become a fan of his new entrance theme as the Monday Night Messiah. Rollins gives a shout out to the fans of Milwaukee and says he ready for the open challenge for his Intercontinental Championship. Now at this point, WWE had an opportunity to showcase their roster full of talent from Smackdown and NXT, so what did they decide to do? Have Dolph Ziggler answer the challenge. The same Dolph Ziggler who feuded with Rollins earlier in the year, which was a good feud. Why go back to this?
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
SETH ROLLINS VS. DOLPH ZIGGLER
As much as complain about this, the match was the best of the night. And the reason is that Rollins and Ziggler are great at what they do. The crowd was really into this match as Rollins defeats Ziggler by executing a superplex into a Falcon Arrow.
Also, they keep using the phrase "Do you want to be on the right side of history or the wrong side of the history?" way too much.
Alexa Bliss is talking to a staffer as they get ready for the open forum.
Bliss comes out and tells the crowd that they have an opportunity to ask questions to the talent and interact.....who am I kidding? This segment was boring and wasted time. Then Michael Cole shouts out "IT'S BOSS TIME" when Sasha Banks comes out. He doesn't have to do that. Bayley also comes out and they begin this crap.....I mean, open forum. Mickie James, Dana Brooke and Alicia Fox (yep, she's here again) attack them from behind, for reasons? Damn, they really wasted Mickie James's return to the company.
We get a promo about the Mixed Match Challenge.
FINN BALOR VS. BARON CORBIN
This was your main event. How lovely. The match was not bad, but shouldn't be in the main event. So, while Balor was getting the upper hand, Corbin takes the mic and makes the match a 2-on-1 handicap match with partner, Drew McIntyre. Yes, because 6'8" 270 lb. Baron Corbin can't beat Finn Balor by himself. So the team beats Balor and decimate him after the match. As the heels stand tall, Corey Graves says that this a night to remember for Baron Corbin.
Oh, Corey. We remember it all right.
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