SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 25, 2023
ONTARIO, CALIF. AT TOYOTA CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
Tonight after WWE Raw, join Wade Keller live with guest co-host Darrin Lilly from PWTorch to break down the show with live callers and emails.
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[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with Cody Rhodes making his way to the ring, as a recap of Cody saving Jey Uso from the Judgment Day was shown. Cody talked about Jey moving to Raw and it meaning someone must be drafted to SmackDown. Cody said that something tells him that they are not in the third inning anymore before focusing on the Judgment Day. The Judgment Day immediately interrupted and called Cody out for making it everything about himself. Dominik Mysterio tried to speak about Jey, but the crowd’s boos were too loud and he was unintelligible.
– Cody reminded the Judgment Day that Dominik, Finn and Priest will all defend their titles tonight. Cody asked them what would happen when Rhea Ripley returns and they are empty-handed. The Judgment Day started approaching the ring, but Jey Uso, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn showed up to join his side. JD McDonagh showed up with a couple of chairs in hand. JD, Finn and Dominik ran into the ring to start brawling, but Priest remained unconvinced on the ramp. Priest entered the ring to help his teammates, only for Cody, Jey, Sami and Kevin to beat him down and clobber him with a chair shot to the back.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A standard opening segment between Cody and friends vs. the Judgment Day. It seems like Cody’s move to SmackDown is pretty much a given at this point. I expect it to happen after Survivor Series though.)
– Otis made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Bronson Reed.
[Commercial Break]
(1) BRONSON REED vs. OTIS (w/Maxxine Dupri)
They nailed each other with running clotheslines, knocking each other out of the ring. At ringside, Otis nailed Reed with a clothesline, but Reed shut him down with a shot into the ring post. Back in the ring, Reed dropped Otis with a Samoan drop for a two count. They ran into each other with running crossbodies, knocking each other down again. Otis caught Reed with a spinning clothesline and a back suplex, followed by a corner splash. Otis crushed Reed with the Caterpillar, but missed a follow-up Vader bomb. Reed hit Otis with a senton, setting him up for a victorious Tsunami.
WINNER: Bronson Reed at 2:25
(Pomares’s Analysis: A fun match for the short time they were given. I definitely could see Bronson Reed as a title contender in the near future.)
– Backstage, Becky Lynch asked Tegan Nox about her being missing last week. Nox said that she let Natalya go first because she was a veteran. Lynch told Nox that after Sunday, she would be the next in line.
– Tommaso Ciampa made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Ludwig Kaiser.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Tegan Nox asked Adam Pearce about getting a shot at the NXT Women’s title. Natalya interrupted and tried to claim she would get a rematch against Becky Lynch. Natalya and Nox started arguing, until Pearce agreed to book them in a match for a future title shot.
(2) TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. LUDWIG KAISER (w/Giovanni Vinci)
Ciampa took Kaiser down with a Thesz Press, followed by a stomp to the face and a chop to the back. Ciampa pummeled Kaiser down with forearm strikes, chops and stomps. Kaiser knocked Ciampa off the top turnbuckle and drove him into the steel steps, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Kaiser knocked Ciampa off the apron with a basement dropkick. Ciampa launched Kaiser out of the ring with a back body drop, followed by a lariat. Ciampa sent Kaiser out of the ring with another clothesline, following it with shots into the barricade, apron and steel steps. Back in the ring, Ciampa laid Kaiser out with the Willow’s Bell for a close two count.
Kaiser blocked the Fairytale Ending and started exchanging strikes with Ciampa. Ciampa avoided a power move and dropped Kaiser with a DDT. Vinci distracted the referee, only for Ciampa to crack him with a knee strike to the head. Kaiser blasted Ciampa with an enzuigiri, but the referee was distracted checking on Vinci. Kaiser kicked Vinci’s body out of the ring before being laid out with a jumping knee from Ciampa for the victory.
WINNER: Tommaso Ciampa at 8:21
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid match to officially establish Ciampa as the next contender to Gunther’s title. I really hope all these Vinci angles don’t lead to an Imperium break-up. Kaiser and Vinci are two good of a tag team to break them apart before a meaningful tag run.)
– A video package with highlights of Dragon Lee’s work in NXT was shown.
– Becky Lynch made her way to the ring, ahead of the match between Tegan Nox and Natalya.
[Commercial Break]
(3) TEGAN NOX vs. NATALYA
Natalya and Nox started exchanging hammerlocks, until Nox knocked Natalya off her feet with an uppercut. Nox blasted Natalya with a Penalty kick, followed by a suplex into a facebuster. Nox crushed Natalya with the inverted cannonball, only for Natalya to catch her off-guard with a roll-up. Natalya dropped Nox with a sitout powerbomb, but she kicked out at two. Nox tripped Natalya into the ropes, setting her up for the Shiniest Wizard and the win.
WINNER: Tegan Nox at 2:38
(Pomares’s Analysis: This match could have been longer to give Nox more of a showcase, but I’m just happy she is getting a proper shot to do something on TV.)
– Backstage, Damian Priest confronted JD McDonagh to tell him that he wasn’t a part of the Judgment Day and would never be a part of it.
– Seth Rollins made his way to the ring while the crowd sang his theme.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– Seth Rollins welcomed the fans and asked them to sing his song if they are sick and tired of Shinsuke Nakamura’s tricks and mind games. Rollins called Nakamura out and demanded him to give him an answer or he would pull the title opportunity out. Nakamura appeared on-screen, claiming that he wanted to be the one that breaks Rollins. Nakamura pointed out that Rollins had no patience before challenging Rollins to a Last Man Standing match at Fastlane. Rollins said that Nakamura played his cards well, but made one critical mistake. Rollins said that his broken back is not a weakness and the only way his family would be disappointed in him was if he didn’t fight back. He said that at Fastlane, he would be one that stands tall.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A well-executed segment with both Nakamura’s video package and Seth Rollins’ promo delivering. I don’t think this feud has really been able to regain its momentum, but at least the match at Fastlane should be enjoyable.)
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Ricochet who was on crutches about his health status. Ricochet said that no matter who won the title match Fastlane, he had unfinished business with Shinsuke Nakamura.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of the Judgment Day winning the undisputed WWE tag titles at Payback was shown.
(4) DOMINIK MYSTERIO vs. DRAGON LEE – NXT North American Championship
Lee knocked Dominik down with a shoulder tackle and a hurracarrana, setting him up for a Tope con Hilo. Dominik put Lee in a half Boston Crab, but he was able to reach the ropes. Dominik hit Lee with a DDT on the apron, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Lee blocked a Frog Splash with his knees. Lee pummeled Dominik down and clocked him with a thrust kick in the corner. Lee blasted Dominik with a slingshot boot to the face, followed by a Hesitation dropkick for a nearfall. Dominik avoided a powerbomb , only for Lee to nail him with a snap German suplex and a jumping knee strike. Dominik caught Lee off-guard with a Michinoku Driver for a close two count. Lee avoided the 619 and clocked Dominik with a knee strike to the head for a nearfall.
They started exchanging strikes, until Lee launched Dominik off the apron with a hurracarrana. Back in the ring, Lee dropped Dominik with a sitout powerbomb, but he managed to kick out at two. Lee tripped Dominik into a Tree of Woe position, setting him up for a diving double stomp. Dominik dropped Lee into a low blow on the rope before getting the win with a Frog Splash.
WINNER: Dominik Mysterio at 10:07 (Still NXT North American Champion)
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was easily the best singles match in Dominik Mysterio’s career in a long time. Dragon Lee is main roster ready and should be considered for a call-up in the near future. My only issue was having Dominik defeat Lee clean, a week after he was categorically squashed by Cody Rhodes.)
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens about their upcoming title match tonight. They said that tonight wasn’t about Jey Uso or the Judgment Day, but about them regaining their tag titles.
– Michael Cole introduced Nia Jax to the ring for an interview. Cole asked Jax why she had targeted everyone in the women’s locker room. Jax called herself the baddest human in all of WWE and gloated about squashing all of her opponents. Zoey Stark interrupted and dared Jax to attack her face-to-face. They started brawling, as a couple of referees tried to separate them.
[Commercial Break]
(5) ZOEY STARK vs. NIA JAX
Stark knocked Jax down with a pair of dropkicks, only for Jax to shut down a springboard crossbody. Jax crushed Stark with an elbow drop, but missed a shoulder strike into the ring post. Stark clocked Jax with a pair of thrust kicks, followed by a springboard dropkick. Stark tried to lift Jax, but collapsed under her weight. Jax hit Stark with a leg drop on the apron, followed by the seated senton for the three count.
WINNER: Nia Jax at 2:55
(Pomares’s Analysis: Passable stuff in the promo and in the ring, but still no real interest in seeing anything from Nia Jax. After turning on Trish Stratus, I thought Zoey Stark would really get into something meaningful, but doesn’t seem like it anymore.)
– Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Jey Uso about rejecting the Judgment Day. Jey said that he didn’t want to surround himself with people like them before saying that he would keep an eye on tonight’s match.
[Commercial Break]
– The Miz made his way to the ring ahead of Miz TV.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– Backstage, Finn Bálor congratulated Dominik Mysterio on his successful title defense. Finn told Dominik that Damian Priest left to calm himself down.
– The Miz introduced Drew McIntyre to the ring and said that he would have also abandoned Jey Uso last week. Miz tried to compare himself to Drew, reminding him of the end of his title reign and losing his title shot at Clash at the Castle. Miz asked Drew how it felt to be outshined by Cody Rhodes last week, only for the New Day to interrupt. Kofi Kingston made fun of Drew and told him that he should have saved Jey. Drew called Cody a hypocrite and reminded the New Day about what Roman did to them. Drew knocked Miz out with a Glasgow Kiss for constantly trying to interject before challenging Kofi to a match.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri tried to cheer Otis up, only for Ludwig Kaiser to interrupt. Kaiser interrupted and told Dupri that she was surrounding herself with losers while putting over Imperium. Gable reminded Kaiser that he lost tonight and that he was still coming for the Intercontinental title.
(6) DREW MCINTYRE vs. KOFI KINGSTON (w/Xavier Woods)
Drew shut Kofi down with a series of chops to the chest. Kofi caught Drew with a dropkick and a leaping forearm strike, only for Drew to lay him out with a vertical suplex. Kofi landed on his feet off a back suplex and sent Drew out of the ring with a shotgun dropkick. Kofi crushed Drew with a thrust fall, followed by a crossbody to the back of the head. Back in the ring, Kofi nailed Drew with a high crossbody, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Kofi caught Drew with a pendulum kick before receiving two belly-to-belly suplexes. Drew dropped Kofi with a neckbreaker, only for Kofi to respond with an SOS and a scissor kick for a nearfall. Kofi hit Drew with the Boom Drop, but Drew countered the follow-up Trouble in Paradise with a Future Shock DDT for a close two count. Drew blasted Kofi with a series of chops before being thrown out of the ring and receiving a suicide dive.
At ringside, Drew cracked Kofi with a strike to the head, setting him up for an inverted Alabama Slam on the apron. Back in the ring, Kofi avoided the Claymore and took Drew down with the SOS for a close nearfall. Ivar and Valhalla attacked Woods at ringside and crushed him with a crossbody into the barricade. Drew took advantage of the distraction and knocked Kofi out with the Claymore.
WINNER: Drew McIntyre at 12:37
– After the match, Ivar assaulted Kofi Kingston while Drew McIntyre walked away from the ring. Ivar crushed Kofi with a moonsault to stand tall in the middle of the ring.
(Pomares’s Analysis: I’m not particularly interested in the Viking Raiders stuff, but I’m loving the Drew McIntyre heel turn. Drew suddenly turning on Riddle would have been a cool moment, but I prefer the slow turn to the dark side.)
– Backstage, Gunther confronted Ludwig Kaiser about his loss to Tommaso Ciampa. Gunther told Kaiser that he was in charge of Giovanni Vinci and if there was any mistake, they would have an issue. Gunther said that he would focus on beating Ciampa himself.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Ivar about his assault of the New Day. Ivar said that they took Erik out of the fight while Valhalla simply said: “eye for an eye”.
– It was announced that next week Tegan Nox would challenge whoever was the NXT Women’s champion and that Gunther & Tommaso Ciampa would have a contract signing.
(7) JUDGMENT DAY (Finn Bálor & Damian Priest) vs. KEVIN OWENS & SAMI ZAYN – Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
They started brawling in and out of the ring, until Sami forced Finn to retreat from the ring with arm drags, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Sami took Priest down with a diving clothesline, followed by a series of chops from Finn. Sami nailed Finn with a clothesline, followed by a senton to the back from Kevin. Kevin avoided a cheap shot from Priest and knocked him off the apron. Finn crushed Kevin with a stomp to the chest, setting him up for a thrust kick from Priest.
Priest pressed his leg on Kevin’s head into the ropes before Finn clocked Kevin with a kick behind the referee’s back. Priest cracked Kevin with a Bell Clap, only for Kevin to shut him down with a DDT. Sami got the hot tag and pummeled Priest down in the corner. Sami caught Priest with a pop up dropkick before hitting both members of Judgment Day with a Tope con Hilo, as WWE Raw went to its final ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Sami spiked Priest with a Tornado DDT, reaching Kevin for the hot tag. Kevin nailed Priest with a corner clothesline, followed by a series of right hands and stomps on Finn. Kevin shut Priest and Finn down with clotheslines at ringside before crushing them with cannonballs. At ringside, Kevin dropped Priest on the announce table with a back suplex, followed by a Frog Splash on Finn for a nearfall. Finn stopped Kevin atop the turnbuckle, only for Kevin to crush him with an avalanche rolling senton.
Kevin knocked Priest off the apron, but Finn blocked his Swanton Bomb with his knees. Finn clobbered Kevin with a shotgun dropkick and a Coup de Grace, but Sami broke the pinfall. Kevin avoided the South of Heaven, allowing Sami to plant Priest with a Xploder into the corner. Dominik Mysterio distracted Sami, only for Priest to miss a corner splash. Sami floored Priest with a Blue Thunderbomb, but Finn was able to break the pinfall. Kevin and Finn started brawling while Dominik pulled Sami’s head into the ropes. Priest laid Sami out with a leaping flatliner, but he was able to kick out at two.
Jey Uso showed up to pull Dominik off the apron before being attacked by JD McDonagh from behind. Cody Rhodes ran down to launch JD over the announce table with a suicide dive. Cody and Jey beat Dominik down on the ramp while referees and security guards showed up to stop the brawl. Kevin took care of Finn with a Stunner before being thrown out of the ring by Priest. Sami knocked Priest out with the Helluva Kick, but JD immediately clobbered him with the title belt, allowing Priest to steal the win.
WINNERS: Judgment Day at 20:14 (Still Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions)
– After the match, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso returned to the ring to continue brawling with the Judgment Day. Kevin nailed Dominik with a Stunner, as his team stood tall.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Great main event with the usual Judgment Day overbooked ending. I’m getting tired of this feud and I’m not sure I can wait another two months, so they can blow it in a War Games match at Survivor Series.)
Drew would be the kind of heel i would cheer for.
Not only because he is a bad ass rather than a coward.
But because he is RIGHT in every argument that he’s made, and justifiably calls the babyfaces that chastise him ‘hypocrites.’