WWE Raw – November 4, 2019 (Review)

To appreciate where we find ourselves heading into this week’s Raw, we have to look back at how things stood seven days ago. At the close of last Monday night, all we had to look forward to was another depressing trip to Saudi Arabia and the inescapable disappointment that comes with it.

Crown Jewel centred around yet another clash between Seth Rollins and The Fiend, an all-sizzle Tyson Fury / Braun Strowman spectacle and an utterly pointless meeting-by-proxy pitting Team Hogan against Team Flair. All of it was uninspired. None of it felt meaningful. And it left us with barely a glimmer of promise for what was to come.

But then a return flight experienced “technical difficulties” and, in a moment of desperation, NXT was called upon to invade SmackDown.

Now, I’m an avowed fan of WWE’s developmental brand. But for those who aren’t – first, what drove you to make such dire life choices? But also, seeing all those unfamiliar faces may not have meant a whole lot to you.

Based on the events on Friday, however, you will now hopefully appreciate just how good they are.

The NXT invasion, last-minute as it was, had all the unpredictability, excitement and white-knuckle rollercoater moments you could hope for from your weekly wrestling fix. It forced WWE out of its comfort zone, away from the pedantic formula it too often relies upon. For the first time in a long while, there were no exposition dumps, overlong promos, cheating spouses or attempts on Roman Reigns’ life. It was just a frenzy of NXT stars launching backstage attacks and delivering in-ring clinics.

#TheGame @TripleH has arrived to kick off Monday Night #RAW LIVE on @USA_Network…

and it looks like he's NOT alone. 👀 pic.twitter.com/xI6Ugtf0Cb

— WWE (@WWE) November 5, 2019

Every member of the invading force was put over strong in the face 0f established (often overexposed) main event talent.

But this momentum now needed to be maintained. As Aristotle once said: “One good episode does not a compelling wrestling show make.” I’m paraphrasing.

But the point remains. In order to truly establish the NXT invaders as a real threat to the main roster stars – in order to build the most anticipated Survivor Series in many years – NXT needed to turn up on Raw and repeat what they started on Friday.

But would they? Or would Raw simply revert to the old storylines now that everyone had returned from Saudi Arabia? Only one way to find out. Let’s get to the review.

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The Best of Raw

Building New Stars?

Buddy Murphy and Cedric Alexander competed in a fairly entertaining encounter. Although brief, both men were given a chance to demonstrate what they do best.

Trust us. This was loud.#RAW @CedricAlexander @WWE_Murphy pic.twitter.com/qjersvhrYw

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 5, 2019

There was the usual assortment of flips, dives and innovative reversals. But few execute them better than Murphy and Alexander. Eventually the Australian hit Murphy’s Law to secure the win.

I feel like this is the umpteenth time I’ve said this. But hopefully this win marks the start of a bit of a push for Murphy.

Becky Meets Baszler

Charley Caruso had an “exclusive” interview with Becky Lynch. The use of the word ‘exclusive’ here was wholly redundant, as – you know – it’s on their own freaking show.

Becky spoke about how excited she was by the prospect of new NXT challengers, before a voice off-screen asked if she could sub-in for Caruso.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4d83rNBYfL/

It was Shayna Baszler, who was there to finally meet Becky face-to-face. What followed was an incredibly tense exchange between Shayna and Becky, as each vowed to harm the other at Survivor Series. Baszler warned Becky that her only concern should be worrying which of her limbs would belong to Shayna when they finally meet. Becky countered that a match with her would change the ‘Queen of Spades’ forever, just like it changed Ronda Rousey.

It truly was a truly excellent segment, brilliantly framed, and also served as confirmation that the pay-per-view would see Baszler, Lynch and Bayley compete in a triple threat.

We Got The Smoke (And It Was Alright)

After an absolutely horrific promo in which dimples, moms and Tinder were referenced, The O.C. had a match against the Street Profits and Humberto Carrillo.

WWE’s stylings generally lend themselves well to multi-man matches, and this 6-man tag was no different. Frequent tags meant that there was very little downtime, as the plethora of moves kept the pace remarkably high. Ultimately Styles hit a powerbomb on Carrillo and put his feet on the ropes to secure the pin.

They're the BEST in the 🌎 for a reason.@AJStylesOrg @LukeGallowsWWE & @KarlAndersonWWE pick up the win over The #StreetProfits & @humberto_wwe on #RAW! pic.twitter.com/aaQqXfdfKc

— WWE (@WWE) November 5, 2019

Two criticisms of an otherwise very fun match. Commentary’s insistence on calling The O.C. “the Best Tag Team in the World” after their Crown Jewel victory is patently absurd and cheapens the product as a whole. It just felt so insincere and stretches credibility. Also, how often is AJ Styles going to beat Humberto Carrillo?

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The Worst of Raw

It’s Brock Lesnar’s Universe

Paul Heyman went to great lengths to explain how it was that Brock Lesnar could unilaterally decide to quit SmackDown and move to Raw. Apparently it’s because he’s better than all of us and “has a Jew for a lawyer“.

Seemingly aware that wasn’t going to be a satisfactory answer, Heyman also made a vague reference to the trade that saw Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross move in the opposite direction several weeks ago. He never specifically said that was Brock was Raw’s compensation, because with respect, that would be laughable. But the passing reference was confusing enough – I have no idea why it was even mentioned.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4dvcTah3ee/

Regardless, Heyman assured us that Lesnar was now contracted to Raw and none of WWE’s other wrestlers enjoyed the same brand-hopping privileges. At least not until Vince McMahon arbitrarily decides that they do.

So Brock was there to “commit a felony” vis-à-vis the man who battered him with a chair at Crown Jewel, Rey Mysterio. Supposedly the diminutive luchador was in hiding somewhere in the building though. And Brock would wait until someone inevitably ratted him out, like we living in some kind of Mafia movie.

This entire segment – and I do mean every aspect of it – was utterly ludicrous. I can’t even be sure that Heyman is Jewish.

Still the Forefront of Change

Raw again aired a video tribute to the “unbelievable” and “historic” match between Natalya and Lacey Evans at Crown Jewel. Michael Cole breathlessly tried to convince us that this was a life-changing moment for “women all over the world”.

That’s right. A mediocre five-minute wrestling match in Saudi Arabia, between two women in baggy t-shirts and covered head-to-toe, has created new-found opportunities for women everywhere. They’re just so lucky to have a well-known feminist like like Vince McMahon on their side.

You’re welcome, ladies!

The Return of an Unwelcome Duo

I have no idea why Charlotte and Natalya are now a tag team. They randomly teamed together last week in a victory over The IIconics, and they randomly returned again last night. Even more bizarre were their opponents. Somehow a victory over the Australian duo granted Charlotte and Natalya a shot at the Women’s Tag Team Champions.

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧#RAW @MsCharlotteWWE pic.twitter.com/NYubFLNlfV

— WWE (@WWE) November 5, 2019

The match itself was a fairly clunky affair that only really started to find its groove in the dying stages. And then Natalya made Asuka tap out to the Sharpshooter… it was at this point that I realised this obviously was a non-title match.

This unexpected result was nevertheless disappointing for two reasons. One, it’s far too early to have The Kabuki Warriors lose, particularly to such a haphazardly assembled team. Two, I’m not a fan of the old WWE trope of having someone beat the champions in order to get a title shot. Surely, if this was intended to be a long-term arrangement, it would be more appropriate to have Natalya and Charlotte beat several more teams before getting a crack at the Titles.

The Hunt for Rey Mysterio

Brock embarked on his search for Rey Mysterio, which lasted less than the opening hour of Raw. Threatening unspeakable violence, Lesnar demanded to know Mysterio’s whereabouts. And he asked all the obvious suspects – some guy at catering, some dude in the backseat of a car, Jerry Lawler.

This was nonsensical. Either Rey was booked for a match last night, in which case he’d eventually be in the ring. Or he wasn’t, in which case he either wasn’t at the arena or was hanging out backstage.

YOU WANTED HIM? YOU GOT HIM!@reymysterio just got one-up on #WWEChampion @BrockLesnar AGAIN! #RAW pic.twitter.com/rUyQpWS4On

— WWE (@WWE) November 5, 2019

Mercifully, we finally got our answer. While Brock was distracted intimidated Lawler and F-5’ing Dio Maddin through the announce table, Rey snuck up behind him with a Wiffle Ball Bat and started targeting ‘The Beast’s knee. Mysterio laid Brock out before challenging him to a match at Survivor Series for Lesnar’s WWE Championship.

Seth’s Uncertain Future

Seth Rollins made his way out to deliver a “major announcement”.

He admitted that it had been a tough couple of months for him. He was aware that a large segment of the fanbase was glad that The Fiend had beaten him for the Universal Championship (cue widespread cheers). But Seth, frankly, didn’t give a damn (cue discontented boos).

Seth was more concerned about the future. The Fiend had taken the Universal Title to SmackDown, and Brock Lesnar had reemerged on Raw with the WWE Championship. After spending the first quarter of the year battling to get the belt off Brock, this turn of events effectively put us back at square one.

But this time, Seth didn’t know if he had the energy to challenge Lesnar again. Although no-one was asking him to… in fact, allow me to go on record as saying: for the love of God, please don’t fight him again Seth!

A Deal Not to be Refused

This brought out Triple H. ‘The Game’ retold a history in which every time that Seth lost direction, he had approached Triple H for guidance. And this time was no different. Seth didn’t know what the future held, and Hunter was there to give him purpose.

"You don't know what's NeXT? I do." – @TripleH to @WWERollins #RAW pic.twitter.com/5USrP9QA8D

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 5, 2019

He spoke of the NXT invasion of SmackDown and the looming brand battle at Survivor Series. He intimated that the time would come for Seth to pick a side – and that Rollins was either with him, or against him.

At that moment, The Undisputed Era came through the crowd to stand on the apron. The O.C. ran down to chase them off, before getting blindsided by Damian Priest and Dominik Dijakovic. Finally some Raw mid-carders sent the NXT lads scurrying for safety.

Triple H was excellent here as the persuasive (perhaps corrupting) voice on Seth’s shoulder, trying to sway his allegiances. But aside from that, this segment has serious flaws. At this point, I have no desire to see Rollins as the centrepiece of this main roster vs. NXT battle. Assuming he does join the black and gold brand, he’ll immediately overshadow everyone else in their ranks.

Chalk up the BIG assists to @DijakovicWWE & @ArcherOfInfamy! #WeAreNXT #RAW pic.twitter.com/qnfQIfv7IR

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 5, 2019

Also, why the need for the brawl? I assume it was to demonstrate Seth’s inner conflict as to which side to stand alongside. But in reality it just looked like R-Truth and Zack Ryder had chased off some of the toughest people on the NXT roster. It was very much a damp squib following on the awesome angles of Friday night.

Backstage, Seth approached Triple H and demanded a match against Adam Cole for the NXT Title.

The Match So Good, They Had It Three Times

Andrade is still feuding with Sin Cara. For the third week in a row the two men faced off, this time in mixed tag action also featuring Zelina Vega and Carolina.

TURNING POINT TIME.#RAW @SinCaraWWE pic.twitter.com/Wn7zBnTCI7

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 5, 2019

Also for the third week in a row, Andrade and Zelina Vega emerged victorious, this time as Vega pinned the debuting Carolina. Or Catalina – WWE’s graphics department and commentary team couldn’t seem to get on the same page on that one.

WWE’s Premier Love Triangle

After weeks of physical and emotional abuse, Rusev finally realised that Lana wasn’t worth the pain and cut her loose. But he still fully intended to beat up Bob Lashley for breaking up his marriage.

Unfortunately, as would soon emerge, Lashley was on crutches because he tore his groin from having too much sex with Lana. If this isn’t ESPY Award-winning material, I don’t know what is!

Never seen a man so happy to have a…torn groin.#RAW @fightbobby @LanaWWE pic.twitter.com/2RDFxaTy2I

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 5, 2019

But Lashley had found an able replacement – Drew McIntyre! Okay… but why is this happening? Did this feud really need another, completely unaffiliated, muscular man? How much more unnecessarily convoluted can it get?

A good match followed between Rusev and McIntyre. But given the surrounding context, who could possibly care about any of this? So when Lashley eventually walloped Rusev with a crutch to cause the disqualification, I felt more relief than outrage. And when Randy Orton appeared (from out of nowhere) to deliver an RKO on the ‘Bulgarian Brute’, only for Ricochet to run out to make the save, I thought “what on Earth is going on?”

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1191549359336427520

Were the bonds formed among Team Hogan and Team Flair really this strong?

The Raid Stumbles On

Like the champions they are, The Viking Raiders eviscerated the East Hampton Polo Boys. God, I’m so tired of the endless parade of squash matches.

They then congratulated The O.C. for being the best tag team in the world. Sigh.

"Gallows & Anderson, THANK THE GODS, because you may have won one battle, but NOTHING can stop the RAID!"

The #VikingRaiders @Erik_WWE & @Ivar_WWE are on a mission marching toward #SurvivorSeries. pic.twitter.com/Vnb9IOZ7m2

— WWE (@WWE) November 5, 2019

Also, it was confirmed before the match that The Viking Raiders would be competing against the Undisputed Era and The Revival at Survivor Series. After the announcement of the women’s triple threat, there’s a clear pattern emerging here.

The NXT Title Main Events Raw

Adam Cole and Seth Rollins closed Raw in a tantalising affair. Say what you will about Seth Rollins (and I sure have!) but he’s still an excellent professional wrestler. So naturally the bout was compelling, albeit not as good as the blockbuster against Bryan.

Of course, after that remarkable victory over Daniel Bryan last Friday, there was a legitimate question of whether WWE had the conviction to have Adam Cole go over both of the company’s top stars within the same week.

And, it turned out, they didn’t. The Undisputed Era soon attacked Rollins to cause the DQ. As the assault unfolded, the Raw locker room ran down, presumably out of long-held loyalty to their brand. The same brand that some of them only joined three weeks ago as part of the Draft.

TAKEOVER CONTINUED. #RAW pic.twitter.com/wjWhKjMB52

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 5, 2019

Then more NXT wrestlers showed up, igniting a big brawl. WWE relies on these sorts of brawls far too often in my opinion, and this one wasn’t particularly great. I’m not sure why Adam Cole couldn’t simply have won, sending Seth Rollins further down his spiral of self-doubt. But I imagine in WWE’s mind, this just felt easier.

Also, all ambiguity has been removed as Seth is now surely on the side of Raw, right? Why would he join forces with the people who just attacked him?

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

For long stretches, this show was a steaming pile of hot garbage, done no favours by the excellent SmackDown which came before it.

Because with expectations uncharacteristically high following the launch of the NXT invasion last Friday, Raw’s effort wholly underwhelmed. Everything just felt so familiar, whether it was Brock running rampant, Rusev getting beaten up, or The Viking Raiders winning a squash match. We’ve simply seen it all a hundred times over.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4eKOKNjcVS/

And that lay at the heart of the NXT incursion last week – the promise of something new, of something unpredictable. Raw grabbed the baton and decided: “screw it, let’s have another Andrade / Sin Cara match.”

That isn’t to say that NXT didn’t have a presence on this show. But even then, I much preferred it when Triple H wasn’t the one leading the charge. I still find it strange that he’s become the de facto leader of the NXT forces, considering he spent years as the on-screen authority for Raw, preaching about what was “best for business”. And so, it just feels more genuine when Shayna Baszler confronts Becky on her own, as opposed to the COO operating as the brand’s mouthpiece.

Whichever way you look at it, this was a poor follow-up to the exciting angle started last week. Against the insanity of that initial invasion, this felt more like some unruly neighbours were causing an inconvenient ruckus. One that R-Truth and Zack Ryder were sent to sort it out. NXT felt a lot less impressive now than it did three days ago.

As such, this week’s Raw is Poor.

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