WWE Raw – November 11, 2019 (Review)

A month can feel like an eternity in the wrestling world. It’s the length of time it took Shane McMahon to go from ‘Best in the World’ to unemployed and forgotten. It saw Natalya transform herself from veteran jobber to title challenger (and then back to afterthought). And, most importantly, it separates us from WWE’s most recent Draft.

Just thirty days ago, Raw and SmackDown reshuffled their rosters to guide each brand’s vision of the foreseeable future. With each show hand-selecting their desired names in a tiered structure similar to major sports leagues, you would expect to see the respective brand taking shape. In particular, there should be a clear picture forming of who has been earmarked to carry the main event.

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To that end, it is perhaps instructive to recap how Raw’s early picks have shaped out. Across the two-night Draft, the red brand’s first round picks – those it ostensibly valued most – were: Becky Lynch, The O.C., Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Charlotte and Andrade. Confining ourselves just to those first-round picks, how do we evaluate Raw’s selections?

Becky joined Monday nights as the Raw Women’s Champion and has retained her title despite a surprising loss to the Kabuki Warriors. With that said, she avenged that hiccup to a certain extent by defeating Kairi Sane and is now part of perhaps the most enticing storyline heading into Survivor Series. In short, Becky remains the hottest star on WWE programming in spite of some questionable booking.

Seth Rollins, on the other hand, started his post-draft run as the Universal Champion, became increasingly less popular and dropped the belt to The Fiend across the worst two-match series in recent memory.

And that, my friends, are really the only two people worth mentioning in Raw’s supposed “haul” of Draft talent. The O.C. are trusted wrestlers, who – aside from AJ Styles – lose about as often as they win. Drew McIntyre has slipped seamlessly back into his midcard role, putting on a decent series of bouts with Ricochet. Charlotte has formed an as-of-yet unexplained tag team with Natalya. And Andrade has been locked in a feud with Sin Cara so uninspired that the latter reportedly requested his release from the company!

So at best, Raw’s first-round draft tally stands – much like Brock Lesnar’s ratio of good tattoos – at a dismal 1-for-5. And in a pre-determined sports world, where you get to decide who is made a star, that is unforgivable. Like so much that happens with WWE, it’s clear that there was absolutely no plan in place when the Draft happened. Because, had there been, at least one of the aforementioned names would feel more important than they did before.

… But hey, we got a women’s match in Saudi Arabia!

Let’s get to the review. Screw MJF.

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The Best of Raw

The Man is in Manchester

Becky started the night by addressing her Survivor Series opponents. She said that the pack of challengers was getting hungrier and more vicious. The savages were at home resting, training and getting better. But to that she said: Bring it on! (Which I can only assume was a reference to the hit 2000 comedy film starring Kirsten Dunst as a high school cheerleader.)

The list of challengers is getting longer, and to that, @BeckyLynchWWE says…

BRING. THEM. ON. #RAW pic.twitter.com/KIEyk0ULyw

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 12, 2019

Becky assured us that the challenge is what drives her to be the best. So, she mused, how about she return to her best and once again become Becky ‘Two Belts’ at the expense of the Kabuki Warriors.

I can’t convince you this was a terrific promo. But it did its job adequately and was slightly above average, which by default placed it above most of Raw’s recent efforts.

Drew McIntyre: King of the Midcard

Sin Cara continued his quest of futility in a quick loss to Drew McIntyre. I was a useful reminder of how violent and physically imposing McIntyre is. The powerbomb he delivered to the luchador on the outside was particularly brutal.

This is how QUICKLY @DMcIntyreWWE can change the course of a match. #RAW pic.twitter.com/txdqtyXqa6

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 12, 2019

At some point the Scotsman will have to start making good on his potential, if he’s ever going to be elevated out of the midcard. And by that I of course don’t place any blame on McIntyre. Like so many on Raw, it’s the repetitive, lacklustre booking letting him down.

The United Kingdom’s Best

Seth Rollins came out to pledge his allegiance to Monday Night Raw, seemingly already putting the kibosh on the interesting storyline seeded by Triple H last week. I was mildly intrigued when his loyalties were in question. This week, Rollins claimed that he would not be joining NXT and had instead been named the captain of Team Raw.

He then announced himself the best wrestler in the world and the entire arena expressed their indifference with a collective shrug. But to prove his credentials, Rollins issued an open challenge to the best the United Kingdom had to offer.

This brought out WALTER! The United Kingdom Champion ran through his usual diatribe about the sanctity of the mat on which Rollins stood. I was into it… until he wedged in a rather awkward reference to the NXT “Takeover” of the main roster. I have no idea why Imperium would realistically care about any of the ham-fisted Survivor Series nonsense, and it really took me out of the moment here.

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, and we are thankful for @WWERollins vs. @WalterAUT. 🙏 #RAW pic.twitter.com/QWLriQEtN2

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 12, 2019

The match between the two was shaping up to comfortably be the best of the night. WALTER is such a terrifying presence and completely dominated Rollins in the early stages. For his part, Seth has traditionally been better fighting from below. He weathered the early storm, but as soon as he started to turn the tide, the rest of Imperium ran in to cause the disqualification.

The Street Profits ran down to make the save, but needed the added help of Kevin Owens to clear the ring. This was a thoroughly underwhelming finish to a great set-up.

Imperium vs. Raw

The disappointing end to Seth vs. WALTER led to an eight-man tag pitting Imperium against Rollins, Kevin Owens and the Street Profits.

It was fairly frenetic action, highlighted by an awesome dropkick from WALTER which drove Seth Rollins into the turnbuckle.

😍 OUR CHAMP 😍#RAW @WalterAUT pic.twitter.com/33CxSKxpLr

— NXT UK (@NXTUK) November 12, 2019

From there it all broke down, as Montez Ford flew over the top rope, KO hit a Stunner and Rollins landed a Stomp to win. I found it fleetingly entertaining yet forgettable, like a sparkler on a dark night.

Andrade’s Push Continues

Andrade’s crusade towards main event relevance continued this week, as he took on Cedric Alexander.

Not only was the match predictably good, it was also heartening to see the brand’s persistence with Andrade, who clearly has star power. The finish came when Zelina Vega grabbed Alexander’s foot to cause the distraction, allowing Andrade to hit the Hammerlock DDT.

Let's see how @CedricAlexander fares in singles action against the surging @AndradeCienWWE on #RAW… pic.twitter.com/lb9XK3sbpy

— WWE (@WWE) November 12, 2019

Hopefully this leads to something substantial for the former NXT Champion. Because as good as Sin Cara and Alexander are, these impromptu matches leave little for the audience in which to become truly invested.

A Flash in the Pan

The Viking Raiders had a fun exhibition against Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster. The highflying Brits rocked the massive pair in the early going, showing off a series of flips and breathtaking reversals. Their speed effectively counteracted the Vikings’ strength.

TAKE IT TO 'EM.#RAW @MandrewsJunior @Flash_Morgan pic.twitter.com/4xooFH6RIZ

— NXT UK (@NXTUK) November 12, 2019

But once the Raiders got the measure of their diminutive opponents, the tide turned pretty quickly and the Viking Experience on Webster sealed the win.

It would’ve been great for this match to go longer than the three minutes it did, because it was better than 90% of the rest of the show. Moreover it would be even more desirable to see NXT UK get something out of the Raw crossover. But instead we were beaten over the head with the message that Raw is the A-show and NXT is merely a place where lesser talent hangs out.

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The Worst of Raw

Haphazard Alliances

The Kabuki Warriors are the current Women’s Tag Team Champions. Charlotte and Natalya have for the past few weeks been working as a tag team. Last week, they faced and defeated The Kabuki Warriors in a non-title contest, with Natalya securing the submission over Asuka.

So, when WWE announced that the Japanese duo would be defending their belts this week, I automatically assumed it would be against Charlotte and Natalya.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1194062421930831873

Silly me for thinking things progressed in a logically linear fashion on Raw though. Because it was in fact Charlotte and Becky Lynch who got the title shots. We have officially slipped through the looking glass into a world were things just happen on a whim. Why should we care what happens one week when they’re completely negated by the next?

What followed was a fairly mediocre match, completely overshadowed by Shayna Baszler’s appearance at ringside. But much like the contest she was observing, her emergence was a damp squib. All the excitement was sucked out of it by having Baszler jump out of the crowd, only to stand at ringside for ten minutes, respectfully waiting for the match to end.

First, @WWEAsuka pins @BeckyLynchWWE.

Then, @itsBayleyWWE adds INSULT to INJURY! #RAW #WomensTagTitles pic.twitter.com/ejigiRpL5h

— WWE (@WWE) November 12, 2019

Eventually it did, after fifteen long minutes. Baszler distracted Lynch, Bayley showed up from out of nowhere to get involved, and Asuka rolled up Becky for the win. And then the SmackDown Women’s Champion beat up the Irishwoman for a few seconds.

With the possible exception of Bayley, everyone involved looked like an utter moron.

A Confined Confrontation

Ricochet and Randy Orton were animatedly chatting about something in what appeared to be the world’s smallest locker room. There was literally only one bench and a hook on the wall.

Suddenly The O.C. walked in to start bullying Humberto Carrillo for no apparent reason. When Ricochet stepped over to stand up for the man he has no discernible alliance with (beyond them both being babyfaces), AJ Styles turned his vitriol to Raw’s resident “superhero”. He challenged Carrillo and Ricochet to a three-on-three tag match, provided they could find a partner.

What do you say, #TheOC?!@RandyOrton wants to team with @humberto_wwe & @KingRicochet against @AJStylesOrg @LukeGallowsWWE & @KarlAndersonWWE TONIGHT! #RAW pic.twitter.com/TGuYYtjbWS

— WWE (@WWE) November 12, 2019

For some reason, Randy Orton – who hadn’t left this increasingly cramped room – stepped into frame and accepted the challenge. It’s puzzling why Orton, with his well-established history of apathy, would suddenly want to stand up for put-upon babyfaces. Or why Ricochet would be willing to accept his help.

It was just a few days ago that Orton RKO’d him during a match with Drew McIntyre! Am I losing my mind?

Erick Rowan’s Blind Baby

Erick Rowan delivered a baffling promo from a dark room (WWE’S SPECIALTY!), ostensibly filmed from the perspective of a baby with glaucoma.

Ummm…you good, @ERICKROWAN?

🤨 #RAW pic.twitter.com/76IpZjUx0e

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 12, 2019

It’s as depressingly nonsensical as it sounds.

Handicap Match for the 24/7 Title

R-Truth challenged the Singh Brothers to a 2-on-1 handicap match, with Samir Singh’s 24/7 Championship on the line.

Within a few minutes, the Singh Brothers ran off, leaving R-Truth to chase after them. They ran into the women’s locker room and were promptly thrown out, before finding sanctuary in a dark room. When they flicked on the light, they found that it was occupied by Erick Rowan. (Somewhere Aleister Black and AoP were sitting in equally dark rooms, grumbling to themselves.)

It's ok…@RonKillings will just win the #247Championship another time. #RAW pic.twitter.com/giShCf09j7

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 12, 2019

Rowan battered both men, before R-Truth stuck his head in. He saw the bodies strewn on the floor, locked eyes with Rowan and realised this situation was above his 24/7 aspirations. Of all the weirdness in this segment, R-Truth sneaking back out the door did make me grin. He’s a great comedy character.

Bobby Lashley is Great at Sex

Lana’s earth-shattering revelation, and I’m reading between the lines here, is that she absolutely hates this storyline. Channeling one of Bray Wyatt’s puppets, the ‘Rambling Russian’ spoke incoherently for a few minutes. She was in such a rush to sprint to the finish of her awful script that she ended up repeating herself and speaking in circles.

The overall gist of this nonsense was an admission that she had cheated on Rusev with Bobby Lashley. Surprise, I guess…? We shouldn’t judge her though because Rusev had cheated on her first. Lana then doubled down by revealing that she had slept with Lashley seven weeks ago. And she knew it was seven weeks ago, because seven weeks ago she had slept with Bobby Lashley.

That’s not a poorly edited sentence – it’s verbatim what Lana rushed to tell us.

She babbled a while longer before dropping the “bombshell” that she was nine weeks pregnant, meaning that Rusev was the father of her child.

This brought out the sex addict in question, who seemed very proud of himself. The pair bickered obnoxiously for a bit, before Lana starting slapping her soon-to-be ex-husband. With Rusev otherwise occupied, Bobby Lashley ran down to – once again – beat him up.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1194088893517312000

Then, as Lana and Lashley made their way back up the ramp, she laughed snidely. Because it had all been a ruse. She wasn’t really pregnant and had only pretended for… I really don’t know what reason. This may be the worst storyline WWE’s battalion of writers have come up with in years.

Rowan Has a New Pet

Erick Rowan marched to the ring, brandishing a container covered by a burlap cloth. Commentary told us that beneath the tarp was a cage… with something moving around inside.

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Rowan squashed a jobber before making his exit. At no stage did he reveal what was in the cage or what his connection with it was. Consequently, I care very little.

So Much for Intrigue

One of life’s tiny mysteries was wondering who would comprise Team Raw for the traditional Survivor Series matchup, and how that team would be decided.

Well, turns out it was simply revealed in a graphic before the main event, in one of the least engaging ways to make a major announcement. Seth Rollins will lead Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Ricochet and Drew McIntyre.

The O.C. vs. a Merry Band of Dysfunctional Babyfaces

The show concluded with the previously set-up 6-man tag featuring Randy Orton, Ricochet and Humberto Carrillo taking on The O.C. (Five bucks says the match ends with AJ Styles pinning Carrillo again.)

Get things together, @humberto_wwe!#RAW @RandyOrton @KingRicochet pic.twitter.com/hsLJ6wtD0q

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 12, 2019

While the contest was alright, if unspectacular, the only real story here was Orton’s inability to get along with Ricochet. Which made the ‘Viper’ volunteering to be in the match all the more baffling. It felt like every few minutes the pair would argue about some miscommunication, leaving Carrillo to play peacemaker. Also, Ricochet’s entrance, which was accompanied by so much smoke that it must’ve made local firefighters a bit nervous.

After a lengthy, plodding period which saw Ricochet getting worn down (very slowly), Orton got the hot tag. He cleared the ring, but when he set up for the RKO, he got clobbered by Karl Anderson. This sparked the usual phase of everyone hitting big moves on each other, leaving just Orton, Ricochet and Styles in the ring.

You lucked out this time, @KingRicochet…@RandyOrton provides the assist for @humberto_wwe to pick the win for their team! #RAW pic.twitter.com/lRcXfRUQdK

— WWE (@WWE) November 12, 2019

Randy looked set to turn on Ricochet, however delivered an RKO to Styles at the last moment. He then tagged in Carrillo, who landed a Moonsault for the win over the United States Champion. And Orton and Ricochet exchanged heated words to close.

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Overall Rating for the Show (From best to worst: RawSome, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and RawFul)

In reality this was another forgettable Raw, which failed to advance the show’s major storylines in any meaningful way.

There were moments in which it threatened to entertain – with appearances by Shayna Baszler, Imperium, and Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster. But even the prospects of fresh matchups soon fizzled, as it became increasingly clear that they were only there to put over the same old Raw faces. WALTER’s debut, in particular, felt like a wasted opportunity.

Coupled with the underwhelming wrestling were some truly baffling narrative choices. Randy Orton must have experienced a moment of deep personal introspection this week, because he’s suddenly a babyface aligned with Ricochet and Humberto Carrillo. Similarly confounding is that Becky Lynch is partnered with Charlotte again, and Erick Rowan found a pet of some sort.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4wLxcJjCMo/

But ultimately, the only thing that this episode of Raw will be remembered for is Lana’s woeful, embarrassing “revelation”. This prolonged ‘pregnant not pregnant’ farce, which absolutely tanked in front of the Manchester crowd, was one of the worst things WWE has done in at least three weeks. It was an insulting, pointless, rambling mess.

In that context, It’s impossible to consider Raw anything other than a meandering chapter which occasionally veered into depressing territory. For that reason, the show this week was a low AvRAWge.

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• November
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