11/19 WWE Raw Results: Keller’s report on Survivor Series fallout including Stephanie and Baron Corbin celebrating sweeping Smackdown

KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. AT STAPLES CENTER
AIRED ON USA NETWORK

Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

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Tonight after WWE Raw, join me live with guest cohost Mike Chiari from Ring Rust Radio to break down the show with live callers, mailbag, and an on-site correspondent from Manchester.

•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 2 or 3 MINUTES AFTER RAW
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
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•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, SEARCH “WADE KELLER” ON YOUR PODCAST APP TO SUBSCRIBE AND THEN DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW AN HOUR OR SO AFTER RAW

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[HOUR ONE]

-The camera showed a wide shot of the arena as Cole welcomed fans to Raw. Then Baron Corbin stood mid-ring as the ring announcer introduced him. He called Raw “the undisputed A-show.” Corbin said most of the credit goes to Stephanie McMahon. He lushed praise upon her. She then came out to her entrance music. Cole called it a clean sweep at Survivor Series. Graves came to Smackdown’s defense, saying Smackdown won one match on the Kickoff Show. Stephanie gave some praise back to Corbin for his role in their sweep of Smackdown during the PPV. She also gave credit to “every Superstar on the Raw roster” for helping them “decimate Smackdown.” She said while her brother Shane has to lie, cheat, and steal, but not them. She told the fans to be ready to celebrate. (The fans up until this point were not experiencing any pride in Raw’s dominance, since two heels were gloating about it.)

Corbin said there’s some housekeeping before they move on with the show. She looked confused. He said she said she’d make his position more permanent if Raw succeeded. She acknowledged she made some promises. Then Braun Strowman’s music played and he marched out, looking ready to get his hands on Corbin. As Graves criticized Stromwan’s interruption, Renee said Strowman was a hero at Survivor Series and he deserves to be on Raw.

Strowman said he held up his end of the bargain, so now Stephanie has to hold up his end. “I want a match with this slime ball,” he said. Stephanie said she did make a promise and her word is her bond. She told Strowman he’ll get his match at TLC. She told Corbin if he beats Strowman at TLC, he’ll become the permanent G.M. of Raw. She said if he loses, though, he’ll lose all authority. Strowman said Corbin will lose because Stephanie said he can pick the stipulations and he won’t be held liable for ripping him to shreds. Steph said she is still working on that with the lawyers “dismemberment is a bit of a corporate liability, but we’ll get there, we’ll get there, I’m sure.”

(Keller’s Analysis: So now Stephanie’s making “plausibly deniable” jokes about “dismemberment” being a “corporate liability” at the expense of Jamal Khashoggi? Indeed, his dismemberment was a corporate liability for WWE last month when it came to the Saudi Arabia deal, but veiled references to it are just a sleazy low-brow despicable route to take. Shame on her and WWE. That’s real-life character defining. That’s the type of thing where if they’re going to deny they knew how tasteless it was, there should be a public apology for such a “gross oversight of decency” in choosing that wording. Like many Americans, I can’t hear the word “dismemberment” anymore without thinking about the Saudi Arabian regime which, according to our CIA just this past weekend, ordered the strangulation and dismemberment of a U.S. resident who was a Washington Post columnist critical of the regime. That affected Stephanie’s family and business drastically, so it’s hard to believe that word doesn’t trigger a connection to that horrible act with her too.)

Braun then asked, “What about my Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar?” Stephanie said he’ll get it, but only if he can defeat Corbin at TLC. The crowd cheers went silent. She said it’s a good deal for him. She said she’s a businesswoman and he’s “a businessman of sorts,” so she asked him to agree to it because he must be confident he can beat Corbin. He thought about it, then said, “Welcome to Monday Night Braun.” He told Corbin to enjoy his time as acting G.M. while it lasts and he gets to pick the stipulation because at TLC, they’ll have the TLC match. He said he won’t just get these hands, he’ll get the ladders and chairs. Corbin said it’s a terrible idea because it favors him (Corbin). He said he’s not sure Strowman will even make it to TLC. He said he has decided he’s going to face Bobby Lashley & Drew McIntyre in a handicapped match.

Stephanie said it’s a great idea, but she wants to one-up that match. She suggested it be a six-man tag match with Lashley & Drew & Baron Corbin vs. Strowman & Elias & Finn Balor. Corbin wasn’t happy with that change. She said they’re going to start that match right now.

(Keller’s Analysis: Strowman seemed to be “played” a bit here by Stephanie, but it plays into the idea that Strowman so badly wants to get his hands on Corbin and is so confident he’ll easily beat him, he’s  willing to put his title match against Lesnar at stake. It raises the stakes on the Corbin-Strowman match in a big way.)

-Lashley and Lio Rush came out to his music. Then McIntyre. Graves talked about how impressed he has been with Drew lately. Then Balor came out. “Balor Club has come to Hollywood,” Cole said, referencing him as an extraordinary man who does extraordinary things. [c]

-Elias sat mid-ring with his guitar under a spotlight. The crowd applauded his song and shouted the catch phrase before he headed to the ring.

(Keller’s Analysis: It won’t be long before a new wrestlers is assigned the task of insulting the local town and townspeople, but it looks like that’s not part of Elias’s act anymore. There’s no reason he can’t insult his heel opponents with song lyrics, though.)

(1) BARON CORBIN & DREW MCINTYRE & BOBBY LASHLEY (w/Lio Rush) vs. ELIAS & BRAUN STROWMAN & FINN BALOR

Corbin and Strowman were in the ring when the bell rang, but then Corbin tagged immediately to Drew. Balor shoulder tackled Drew to the mat. Fans called for Balor. Balor tagged in and Strowman bodyslammed him onto Corbin. Drew ended up getting the better of Balor because Balor was hurting from the slam. He whipped him into the barricade at ringside. They cut to a break. [c]

After the break, Drew was still in control. He tagged in Corbin. Corbin blocked Balor from tagging out, then tagged Lashley in. Balor rolled up Lashley for a two count, but then ate a clothesline. Balor eventually basement dropkicked Lashley after flipping out of a sunset flip and hot-tagged Elias, which got a big pop. He rallied against Lashley and took a shot at Corbin on the ring apron. After ducking a charging Corbin, Lashley clotheslined Elias from behind. (It’s time for Elias to wear wresting tights instead of jeans just for mobility’s sake, not to mention seeming like he’s taking his job as an wrestler trying to eventually win championships seriously.) Balor flip dove onto Lashley and Corbin at ringside. Drew knocked Balor off-balance on the top rope to give the heels the advantage again. Drew finished him seconds later with the Claymore Kick.

ELIMINATION: Balor via Drew in 18:00. [c]

Back live, Elias ended up taking an extended beating from the heels. Graves made the case that a TLC match benefits Corbin because he’s more agile. When Strowman went after Lashley at ringside for grabbing his leg, Drew blindsided Strowman with a flying forearm. Elias landed a top rope elbow drop and scored a near fall on Corbin, broken up by Lashley. Graves praised the teamwork. Elias went after Rush at ringside when he laughed at him. Elias [icked him up and threw him down, at which point Lashley tackled him. Lio and Lashley high-fived. The ref counted out Elias.

ELIMINATON: Elias via countout. [c]

After the break, Braun powerslammed Corbin. Drew broke up the pin with a chair this time. The ref DQ’d Drew.

ELIMINATION: McIntyre via DQ.

Lashley moved in to stomp on Braun. Drew bashed Braun a few more times with a chair, then threw the chair to the floor. Lashley speared Braun at ringside seconds later. Drew mounted Braun and punched away at him, then rammed him into the security barricade. Then they threw him into the ringside steps. The beatdown continued with all three heels. Graves called it a mauling. Lashley tied is belt to Braun’s arm and then held it over the ringside steps. Corbin then threw the steps onto Braun’s arm. Braun yelled in pain and clutched his arm. Graves said Braun’s elbow could be destroyed. Cole said he’s never seen Braun in this state. Medics came out and tended to Braun’s arm.

WINNERS: Apparent DQ win for Braun & Balor & Elias.

-They went to the announcers on camera who said they’d update Braun’s condition. Graves said Corbin is doing what he thinks he needs to do in order to protect his position as Raw G.M. They showed Strowman walking away on his own, but clutching his arm.

(Keller’s Analysis: They didn’t even address whether there was an official decision to the match. It cheapens matches and ends up disengaging fans in match outcomes in general when they get blown off as if they don’t matter in situations like this.)

-A clip aired of Dean Ambrose’s promo last week. [c]

-WWE Fact: Survivor Series was the most social show on all of TV last night beating a bunch of other programming including the NFL and Dancing with the Stars.

[HOUR TWO]

-Seth Rollins came out next. Cole said Seth will finally get his hands on Dean at TLC. Seth asked, “What up, L.A.? What a weekend? What a Takeover? What a Survivor Series?” He said last night marked six years to the day that The Shield made its debut in WWE. He said they ran the place for a long time. He said he’s been reflecting on their ups and downs. He said it’s made the current situation with Dean that much harder to stomach. Seth said Dean said The Shield was a burden to him and made him weak and that he’s the same guy now that he was the entire time. Seth said he thought he knew Dean, but he learned more from watching the Chronicle on Ambrose on WWE Network than he knew about him the entire time they were best friends. He said he didn’t know Dean had an infection in his elbow that almost killed him because he never picked up the phone to update him. “Not one time,” he said. Seth said he’s known Dean for ten years and when he said he loves WWE, it was the first time he’s ever heard the word love. (This is really awkward for Renee Young as a babyface commentator listen to Seth make all of these valid and sharp criticisms of the character of her husband.) He said he’s feeling highly aggressive right now. He said if Dean loves WWE as much as he says he does, come to the ring and prove it “because I am looking for a fight.” He threw the mic down.

Dean appeared on the big screen. He asked if Seth think she can rile him up so he charged to the ring and gives him what he wants “like some kind of lunatic.” He said nobody knows how The Shield were when the cameras stopped rolling. “We were rotten to the core from the very beginning, and now time has caught up to us,” he said. “We’re all going to pay for it in different ways. The old saying goes what goes around comes back around on you, and it’s come back around on us in a big way and now we’re all going to get what we deserve. I mean, look at Roman. For Roman’s part, for what Roman did in The Shield, he has to answer the man upstairs.” Murmur in the crowd. “And worse, you have to answer to me,” he said to Seth. Dean said here he is. The camera widened its shot and he was backstage at Staples Center. Dean told Seth to come find him. Seth ran to the back looking for him.

(Keller’s Analysis: This Seth-Dean feud doesn’t need references to Roman’s cancer to work, so why go there?)

-Cole asked Renee what she knows about this. She said she’s the easy target to ask about Dean. She said she doesn’t agree with everything he does, but she sees his side of things too because he was on the shelf for eight months and had a lot of time to think about how he was wronged by Seth and Roman. “Now we get to see it all come together,” she said. She said she doesn’t know what his plan is. Cole said maybe there’s a better way to go about it.

-Backstage Seth yelled for Dean and asked people where Dean went. Security guys said they didn’t see him. One security guy told Seth he better get out of his face. Seth shoved one guy and punched the other. He challenged two other security guys to bring it on. Then he went looking for Dean again.

-Back to the announcers, they agreed Dean rattled Seth. Renee said Dean is a lot more cerebral than people give him credit for. Graves said she’s not confiding all she knows about this. Cole shifted to plugging that Ronda Rousey would speak live about what Charlotte did last night. Renee plugged Natalya vs, Ruby Riott later.

-Sasha Banks and Bayley made their ring entrance together. [c]

-A vignette aired for the arrival of Lars Sullivan soon.

(2) SASHA BANKS & BAYLEY vs. NIA JAX & TAMINA

Alexa Bliss joined Graves on commentary. Cole took Bliss to task for taking Natalya off her team. Bliss said she wanted Ruby on her team, but as a team captain she had to make a tough choice last night. She said Nia and Tamina don’t like her or anyone, including Renee. Renee was a little taken aback at the news. Banks and Bliss knocked the heels to ringside. They cut to a break. [c]

Jax kicked out of a Banks pin attempt and sent Bliss flying to ringside. Tamina then took a shot at her. Bayley ended up rallying against Tamina a couple minutes later. She scored a two count after a flying body press off the top rope. Nia tagged in and took over, finishing Bayley with a Samoan Drop.

WINNERS: Nia & Tamina in 9:00.

-Charlie Caruso said people seem to be in a good mood backstage at Raw after the win last night at Survivor Series. Dean interrupted on the monitor. He asked her to do him a favor and find Seth and tell him he’s waiting for him “in the spot The Shield used to call home.” He walked into a boiler room.

-Mixed Match Challenge promos aired. [c]

-Seth found where he believed Dean to be. He kicked open the door to the stairwell and poked around. The other side of the door had sprayed painted words on it: “Burn it down.”

-Back to the announcers. Graves said Dean’s mind games continue ad it’s clear Seth is shaken up. Cole shifted to recapping what happened to Drake Maverick. They showed a close-up of the wet streak on his pants when Big Show grabbed him. They went to catering where people made fun of Drake. Heath Slater told Rhyno his kids don’t even do that anymore. Rhyno suggested they give him adult diapers. Slater said he’d fit into kids’ diapers. Drake asked everyone if they think it’s funny. Chad Gable told him not to “get pissed.” Roode made a pun joke interchanging “bladder” and “better.” When Drake yelled “You’re in…” Roode and Gable pointed out it sounded like “urine.”

(Keller’s Analysis: The price America pays for Vince McMahon’s sense of humor continues. Cole pointed out that AOP will forever have a new meaning with “P” at the end of it. So they’re all basically proud they’ve taken a potentially serious badass tag team and turned them into a punchline. The idea that wrestlers are backstage walking through a catering line like kids at school lunch just undercuts the idea these are larger than life “superstars” too. I mean, yes, we know they eat, but that just looked like a Disney Channel TV show skit aimed at tweeners.)

-Lucha House Party made their way to the ring. [c]

(3) REVIVAL (Dash & Dawson) vs. LUCHA HOUSE PARTY (Lince Dorado & El Matalik)

The Lucha House Party used a piñata to distract Dash leaning to the finish. Graves complained about the masks “unless it’s one of those Eyes Wide Shut things.” Renee cracked up at that one.

WINNERS: Lucha House Party in 3:00.

-They went to the announcers who threw to video package Rousey and Charlotte. Graves then said Rousey will address the events of last night and her future in WWE next. [c]

-They went to the announcers on camera. Renee plugged the season finale of “Total Divas” a week from this Wednesday which will include Natalya getting the news of her father’s death. Cole then said they were going to take a break from entertainment to address the wildfires in California. They showed Ember Moon, R-Truth, and Elias visiting a Red Cross shelter, plus earlier today Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, and Jeff Hardy visited a fire command center. They presented the fire chief with a commemorative WWE Universal Title belt. Cole said WWE proudly donated to the LAFD and Red Cross.

-Caruso caught up with Seth. She said Dean is playing mind games with him and is winning. Seth said he is going to find and hurt Dean. He said what he said about Roman getting what he deserved is too far. He said he’s been asking Dean for weeks why he turned on his brothers, and when he finds him and gets his hands on him, he’s going to be asking himself why he turned his back on them. Titus O’Neal yelled from the background and said Dean just walked by. Seth asked where he went. Titus couldn’t even point him in a certain direction, which was strange. Seth just chose a direction.

-Ronda Rousey made her ring entrance to a mixed response. Rousey slapped some hands on her way to the ring. Graves said he respects Rousey showing up despite being in pain because she believes champions don’t take days off. Rousey stood in the ring and listened to the fans. There were some “Becky” chants. Graves said the beating Rousey received was difficult to watch sometimes. Then a “We Want Becky!” chant was paired with “Rousey sucks.” She began to talk and was booed. She said she understands at TLC she’ll defend her title against Nia Jax. She said she knows how dangerous Nia is. “Just look at Nia’s face,” she said, before vowing to beat her. She said after that, the next chapter or Rousey vs. Charlotte is going to begin.

[HOUR THREE]

Rousey said some way, somehow she’ll find Charlotte and finish what they started last night. She said she didn’t come there to hit her poses and play for fan sympathy and just talk about fighting. She said she came there to show them what a true champion is. She said she’s there stand guard atop a mountain ready to throw down anyone who dares to approach back to the bottom. She said a contender’s luxury is choosing when to fight. She said a true champion stands guard atop the mountain, 100 percent of 1 percent. She said you can’t be a fair weather fighter. “If you can’t defend your position, you step aside.” More “Becky” chants. They got loud. Rousey took off his jacket. She said this is her on her worst day. She said anyone who knows her knows she won’t step aside. She said if she can’t defend the title on this night, she doesn’t deserve to be champion. She set the belt down and waited. Out walked Corbin.

Corbin said he’s not going to let her compete tonight. Rousey said she has had 17 fights and she’s never pulled out of one or even postponed one. She said she’s had plenty reasons, but she never did, “because that’s what it takes to be the baddest bitch on the planet.” Cheers. She told Corbin to go find someone for her defend her title against. She walked up to Corbin and asked, “Or maybe you want a shot at the champ.” Fans chanted “Yes!” Corbin said he tried to warn her, but if she’s so adamant, he will find an opponent for her. He said that woman will be the next Raw Women’s Champion. [c]

(4) RONDA ROUSEY vs. MICKIE JAMES – WWE Raw Women’s Champion

Rousey went after Mickie aggressively at the start, but Mickie caught her charging with a boot after the ref pulled Rousey off of Mickie. Rousey went down. Mickie kicked away at her for a minute, then grounded her with a choke. Rousey came back and Judo tossed her and then applied an armbar. Mickie tapped out.

WINNER: Rousey in 2:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: I sure expected a Rousey vs. Mickie match to have more of a payoff than that. I get they wanted to try to get fans to see Rousey as a fighting champion to try to win over fans who were booing her – sound familiar – but it’s a shame that they had to spend Mickie’s “Rousey card” so flippantly.)

-As Rousey celebrated on the stage, Nia and Tamina came out. Nia blew on her fist and smiled, then they walked away.

-Cole said that was a warning from the “face-breaker.” Then he threw to an extended video package on the Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar match at Survivor Series.

-Roode and Gable made their ring entrance. [c]

-A “Marine” trailer aired.

(5) AUTHORS OF PAIN (w/Drake Maverick) vs. BOBBY ROODE & CHAD GABLE

Gable won with a  sunset flip off the ropes. Graves gasped. Cole said, “Drake Maverick is going to be really P.O.’d now.” He said they’ll be in line for a tag title shot now.

WINNERS: Gable & Roode in 3:00.

-They cut backstage to Dean who was sitting in a boiler room. He said Seth thinks he’s playing games, but he’s not playing games. He said it’s been fun watching him run all over like a lunatic. He said head his people are so whiny. “I can’t believe you went there with Roman? Oh, grow up,” he said. He said this is about brothers broken, crushed, and shattered. He told Seth if he ever finds him, that’s exactly what will happen to him. He vowed to break, crush, and shatter his bones. He said he smelled something. He put a handkerchief up to his face. He said it’s a horrible stench. He wondered if it was Seth’s fear “or maybe the smell of Los Angeles.” He said it’s coming from the fans, or “you people” as he referred to them. He said there’s no apology coming after what he does to him. “I’m just going to burn it down,” he said.

(Keller’s Analysis: This isn’t the best place to be when Seth’s catch phrase is being said left and right to hype a pro wrestling feud.) 

-B-Team hosted a comedic Black Friday plug for WWE Shop. [c]

-Backstage, Kayla Braxton asked Seth if he’s really leaving the arena. Seth said he has a red eye to catch and obviously Dean doesn’t want to face him. He said he has what he wants at TLC, and that bandana won’t help him when he stomps his face into the ground. He walked away.

(6) NATALYA vs. RUBY RIOTT (w/Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan)

They cut to a break with Riott in control a couple minutes in. [c]

Riott landed a leaping senton off the second rope onto Natalya for a near fall. Natalya had a sharpshooter on Riott, but Morgan yanked Riott to safety. Riott rolled up Natalya, but Natalya rolled through and got the pin.

WINNER: Natalya in 10:00.

-The announcers threw to a recap of the Corbin attack on Strowman. Cole said they had a disturbing update. Cole said Braun is suffering from a shattered elbow.

-They saw Dean marching backstage. Graves wondered where he was headed. Then he headed toward the ring. [c]

-Dean walked out to boos. He scolded fans for judging him. He said they’d turn on their families for a free meal. He said their kids are dirty and their city smells. Seth was shown arriving. Dean acted like he wasn’t concerned but the closer Seth got, the more concerned he looked. Seth speared Dean to the mat and pounded away at him, then clotheslined him to the floor and dove through the ropes and drove him into the barricade. Dean ran through the crowd. Seth caught up to him. Security had already cleared the area. How convenient. Seth threw Dean back into the ringside area and then back into the ring. Seth superkicked Dean with a stiff looking kick to the side of his face. When he went for a stomp, Dean low blowed Seth. Cole said that’s in line with how Dean has been acting. Dean told Seth to never interrupted him again when he’s talking to Seth’s people. Dean gave him Dirty Deeds. He left the ring, then returned to deliver another Dirty Deeds. The show ended.

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Tonight after WWE Raw, join me live with guest cohost Mike Chiari from Ring Rust Radio to break down the show with live callers, mailbag, and an on-site correspondent from Manchester.

•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 2 or 3 MINUTES AFTER RAW
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com
•IF YOU DON’T LISTEN LIVE, SEARCH “WADE KELLER” ON YOUR PODCAST APP TO SUBSCRIBE AND THEN DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THE FULL SHOW AN HOUR OR SO AFTER RAW

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