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WWE RAW TV REPORT
NOVEMBER 6, 2023
WILKES-BARRE, PA. AT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMAREZ, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
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.
•STREAM LIVE HERE ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THE SHOW CONCLUDES
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
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[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a lengthy video package showing highlights from Crown Jewel.
– Seth Rollinls made his way to the ring, as the commentary team ran down tonight’s match card. Rollins said that he came out to talk with two other people, thanking Drew McIntyre for their match at Crown Jewel. Rollins asked Sami Zayn to come out, so he could thank him in person. Sami Zayn showed up and Rollins asked him if Adam Pearce forced him to return the briefcase. Rollins thanked Sami and started to talk about a way to repay, only for Sami to interrupt him. Sami said that he appreciated the thanks, but he did it to keep the World Heavyweight championship away from their hands. Sami said that he would fight to make sure the Judgment Day doesn’t become the Bloodline 2.0.
Rollins put over Sami’s conviction before saying that people like him don’t always get what they deserve. Rollins said that the Money in the Bank briefcase is not the only way to get a title shot. He informed Sami that he talked with Pearce and got him a World Heavyweight title match whenever he wanted. Sami told Rollins that one day he would win the world title, but he didn’t want to fight a champion that is compromised. Rollins told Sami that neither of them are 100%, but when the bell rings he would go 100%. Sami officially accepted the offer for a title match on tonight’s main event.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A rare opening promo without a Judgment Day appearance. Both Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn are at their best when they cut fired up promos and this was easily one of the most attention-grabbing opening segments Raw had in a while. They’ll probably have a top-notch, but I don’t think it’ll reach its full potential with interference from the Judgment Day looming over it.)
– Backstage, the Judgment Day gloated about what happened at Crown Jewel. Damian Priest entered angrily at the fact that Sami Zayn got a title shot. Preist and Finn Bálor said that they would make things right tonight
– The New Day made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against the Judgment Day.
[Commercial Break]
(1) NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor)
Finn knocked Kofi down with a shoulder tackle, only for Kofi to respond with a leaping uppercut. Kofi landed on his feet off a monkey flip before he and Woods hit Finn with a Penalty kick, a leaping splash and an elbow drop. The New Day sent Priest and Finn out of the ring, setting them up for stereo Topes con Hilo. Woods nailed Priest with a thrust kick, following it with a couple of chops and a flipping clothesline.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Woods nailed Finn with a missile dropkick, reaching Kofi for the hot tag. Kofi hit Priest with a diving clothesline before catching him with a Pendulum kick and a high crossbody. Kofi knocked Finn off the apron and crushed Priest with the Boom Drop. Priest avoided the Trouble in Paradise to blast Kofi with an elbow strike to the head. Kofi evaded the Razor’s Edge and made Priest accidentally hit Finn.
Kofi sent Priest out of the ring before he and Woods planted Finn with a superplex and a diving splash for a enarfall. Priest countered a splash from Kofi with a flaltiner into the announc etable. Woods knocked Finn off the apron, only for Priest to catch him with an illegal enzuigiri. Finn and Priest put Woods down with the South of Heaven and Coup de Grace combination for the win.
WINNERS: Judgment Day at 9:10
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty fun match to give Damian Priest a bit of momentum back after coming up short at Crown Jewel. Really thought they would save a match with a top tier team like the New Day for a bigger occasion, instead of a random episode of Raw.)
– Earlier tonight, Jackie Redmond tried to interview Drew McIntyre about his defeat at Crown Jewel. Drew refused to give an answer and drove away.
– Shinsuke Nakamura made his way to the ring, ahead of their match against Akira Tozawa.
[Commercial Break]
(2) AKIRA TOZAWA (w/Chad Gable & Otis) vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
Nakamura nailed Tozawa with a clothesline, only for Tozawa to put him down with a German suplex. Tozawa blasted Nakamura with a suicide dive, but couldn’t follow up with a top turnbuckle move. Nakamura hit Tozawa with a knee to the mid-section, only for Tozawa to stop him atop the turnbuckle with a spinning kick. Tozawa countered an avalanche hurracarrana with a powerbomb, but he kicked out at two. Nakamura blocked the diving senton with his knees, only for Tozawa to catch him off-guard with a series of pinning combinations. Nakamura turned Tozawa inside out with a big boot before finishing him with the Kinshasa.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura at 2:32
– After the match, Otis entered the ring to face Shinsuke Nakamura, as he walked away from the ring.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A fun sprint to give Shinsuke Nakamura another win and continue Akira Tozawa’s transition from enhancement talent back to actually credible threat. I’m assuming this storyline will culminate with an encounter between Nakamura and Gable.)
[Commercial Break]
– A video package highlighting Natalya’s career ahead of tonight’s battle royal was shown.
– A video package was shown with Adam Pearce hyping up the participants for tonight’s Four-Way match.
– The Miz, Bronson Reed and Ivar made their way to the ring, ahead of the Four-Way match.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– Backstage, Adam Pearce questioned Seth Rollins if he was truly ready to defend his title tonight after his match against Drew McIntyre. Rollins told that they have been through this and he was born to run.
(3) THE MIZ vs. RICOCHET vs. BRONSON REED vs. IVAR – WWE Intercontinental Championship Contender’s Match
Ricochet and Miz tried to pummel Ivar and Reed down before sending them out of the ring with knee strikes. Ricochet nailed Miz with a dropkick, followed by a springboard dropkick on Reed. Ivar surprised Ricochet with a leg lariat for a close two count. Ivar missed a seated senton while Ricochet hit Miz with a Penalty kick and Reed with handspring kicks. Ivar crushed Ricochet with a seated senton before hanging on the top rope. Reed catapulted Ricochet’s body, making him knock Ivar down with a hurracarrana.
Miz sent Reed out of the ring, as he and Ricochet knocked each other down with clotheslines. Miz knocked Ivar down with a dropkick through the ropes, but was immediately shut down with a forearm strike from Reed. Ivar and Reed caught a Tope con Hilo from Ricochet and smashed him into Miz. Reed and Ivar nailed Ricochet and Ivar with running splashes before knocking each other down with clotheslines, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Reed caught a springboard crossbody from Ricochet and planted him with a powerslam. Reed nailed Miz with a corner splash before receiving a forearm strike from Ivar. Reed stopped Ivar atop the turnbuckle to lay him out with a superplex while Miz and Ricochet hit him with a double powerbomb. Miz caught Ricochet with a corner clothesline, followed by a springboard crossbody on Reed. Miz caught Ivar with a Satellite DDT and dropped Ricochet with a pair of DDTs for a nearfall. Ricochet countered the Skull Crushing Finale with the Recoil, only for Ivar to break the pinfall with a splash.
Ivar evaded a Pele kick from Ricochet and turned him inside out with a lariat for a two count. Ivar clocked Reed with a springboard clothesline, but he kicked out at two. Before Miz could react, Ivar crushed him with a senton into the corner. Ricochet caught Ivar with a spinning kick and a roundhouse kick, only for both men to knock each other down with big boots at the same time. Ivar nailed Ricochet with a moonsault while Reed missed the Tsunami. Ivar and Miz made the pinfalls, but only Ricochet kicked out.
WINNER: The Miz at 13:43
– After the match, Ivar attacked The Miz from behind and crushed him with a moonsault.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Great match with a very unique ending sequence. I’m not particularly interested in seeing The Miz in the title picture, but after the post-match angle, I’m assuming Ivar will get a title shot first or we will have a triple match.)
– Backstage, Gable Gable and Otis hyped Akira Tozawa’s ahead of his match on NXT tomorrow. Maxxine Dupri showed up to hype up her appearance in tonight’s battle royal.
[Commercial Break]
– A newsreel with highlights from Crown Jewel was shown.
– A recap of the Creed Brothers’ debut last week was shown.
– Earlier today, the Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile officially signed their contracts to join Raw. DIY interrupted to challenge them to a match, as Pearce made the match official.
(4) DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. CREED BROTHERS (Julius Creed & Brutus Creed w/Ivy Nile)
Julius took Ciampa down with a waist lock takeover, only for Ciampa and Gargano to catch him with clotheslines to the chest and back. Gargano tried to put Julius in a headlock, only for Julius to lift him for a vertical suplex. DIY sent the Creeds out of the ring, but couldn’t follow up with Pescados. DIY evaded stereo Asai moonsaults before Ciampa took Brutus down with a suicide dive. Julius blocked a suicide dive from Gargano before receiving a strike from Ciampa, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Gargano knocked Julius off his feet with a thrust kick, reaching Ciampa for the hot tag. Ciampa hit Brutus with a Thesz Press, followed by a series of clotheslines on him and Julius. Ciampa dropped Brutus with a reverse DDT, followed by a double enzuigiri. Gargano and Ciampa put Brutus down with a tag team back suplex for a two count. Brutus blocked the slingshot DDT and planted Gargano with a Samoan Drop.
The Creeds crushed Gargano with a running Shooting Star and a standing moonsault, but Ciampa broke the pinfall. Ciampa nailed Brutus with a boot to the face while Gargano spiked Julius with a poison rana. Ciampa took Brutus down with the Willow’s Bell, followed by the Fairytale Ending on Julius for a shocking nearfall. Brutus drove Ciampa into the barricade while Ludwig Kaiser attacked Gargano with an enzuigiri behind the referee’s back. The Creeds laid Gargano out with the Brutus Bomb for the victory.
WINNERS: Creed Brothers at 9:40
(Pomares’s Analysis: Really fun match with an okay ending. I like the idea of DIY and Kaiser & Vinci getting in a lengthy feud, but after months of Judgment Day shenanigans on every show, I’m kind of tired of distraction and cheating finishes. As for the Creed Brothers, they are a great addition to the tag division and I’d be shocked if they don’t win the tag titles next year.)
– A recap of Sami Zayn failing to win the Universal title at Elimination Chamber was shown.
– Backstage, Jey Uso hyped Sami Zayn ahead of his match tonight and said that he would regain the tag title next week.
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Becky Lynch about tonight’s battle royal. Lynch said that she would win to make the much-anticipated encounter between her and Rhea Ripley official for Survivor Series. Nia Jax showed up to remind Lynch that she broke her face a few years ago. Lynch reminded Jax that she
– Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Chelsea Green and Piper Niven about tonight’s battle royal. Green insulted the entire battlefield of participants, only for Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark to show up and threaten her.
– Nia Jax, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Natalya, Piper Niven, Chelsea Green and Becky Lynch made their way to the ring, ahead of their battle royal. Xia Lia attacked Lynch from behind and clocked her with a spinning kick. As doctors checked on Lynch, Pearce disqualified Li from the battle royal.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, doctors checked on Becky Lynch who still wasn’t at a 100% after Xia Li’s attack.
[HOUR THREE]
(5) WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER’S BATTLE ROYAL
Everyone started brawling while Nikki Cross stood still in the middle of the ring. Raquel Rodriguez and Nia Jax immediately eliminated Cross who simply stood still at ringside. Piper Niven knocked Tegan Nox down with a clothesline, but she held onto the ropes. Jax planted Raquel with a bodyslam while Maxxine Dupri put Niven in an armbar using the top rope. Nox helped Dupri eliminate Niven, only for Jax to immediately eliminate her. Katana Chace put Jax in a sleeper hold while Nox cracked Chelsea Green with a headbutt. Jax crushed Chance into the corner and laid Kayden Carter out with a powerslam.
Natalya sent Ivy Nile to the apron while Carter nailed Jax with a dropkick. Chance crushed Jax with a cannonball before targeting Raquel and Stark. Chance took Raquel down with a Codebreaker, followed by an assisted hurracarrana on Stark on top of Raquel. Chance pulled Nile to the apron, only for Nile to eliminate Carter with a dropkick into the ring post. Nile dropped Chance on top of Carter with a Military Press Slam to eliminate her, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Green sent Raquel and Natalya to the apron, but couldn’t eliminate either. Green slapped both of them, only for Raquel to easily eliminate her. Nile clocked Natalya with an enzuigiri before receiving a big boot from Indi Hartwell. Hartwell missed a big boot into the ring post, allowing Natalya to eliminate her. Nile immediately eliminated Natalya before receiving a clothesline from Jax. Nox clocked Jax with an uppercut, but Jax easily eliminated her.
Nile clobbered Jax with a roundhouse kick, followed by a series of kicks from Stark, Shayna Baszler and Raquel. They all joined forces to eliminate Jax, as Nile held onto the apron. Jax pulled Nile off the apron to eliminate her before walking away. Raquel tried to eliminate Stark and Baszler at the same time, only for them to team up and eliminate her. Stark blocked a German suplex off the apron before Baszler put her in the Kirifuda Clutch. Stark caught Baszler with three thrust kicks, setting her up for a DDT on the apron and the win.
WINNER: Zoey Stark at 15:56
(Pomares’s Analysis: The first half was every battle royal ever with very few memorable spots. Thankfully, there were way more interesting spots in the second half, including a very good showing for Ivy Nile on her main roster debut. I see no shot of Zoey Stark defeating Rhea Ripley, but it’s great that she’s getting a title shot at a big show like Survivor Series.)
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Rhea Ripley about the Judgment Day’s upcoming title matches. Ripley said that she would handle her business at Survivor Series, only for Zoey Stark to confront her. Stark reminded Ripley that she hit her with her finisher at Crown Jewel and she would have won in a regular match.
– The commentary team confirmed that The Miz would face Ivar, Tegan Nox would take on Piper Niven, Otis would battle Shinsuke Nakamura and the Judgment Day would defend their tag titles against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso next week.
– Sami Zayn made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Seth Rollins.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Solo Sikoa defeating John Cena at Crown Jewel was shown.
(6) SETH ROLLINS vs. SAMI ZAYN – World Heavyweight Championship
They started the match, trying to put each other in wrist locks, until Rollins cornered Sami. Sami pushed Rollins to the ropes and mockingly patted his damaged back. Rollins blocked the Blue Thunderbomb, only for Sami to low-bridge him immediately after. Both men faced off, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Rollins pummeled Sami down with a barrage of chops to the chest. Sami caught Rollins with a moonsault off the barricade, followed by a series of chops to the chest. Rollins fired up with forearm strikes on Sami, setting him up for an axe handle for a two count. Sami took Rollins down with an elbow strike to the head, but he kicked out at two. They started trading forearm strikes, until Sami knocked Rollins off his feet with a lariat.
Rollins laid Sami out with a kick to the abdomen and a clothesline, setting him up for a suicide dive. Sami caught Rollins off-guard with an immediate Tope con Hilo. Back in the ring, Rollins planted Sami with a sling blade, following it with a pair of forearm strikes. Rollins avoided the Helluva Kick to crush Sami with a springboard senton bomb and a springboard moonsault for a close two count. Sami blocked a Pedigree on the apron and dropped Rollins with a back body drop on the apron, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Sami hit Rollins with an uppercut, only for Rollins to retaliate with an enzuigiri and a pump knee. Rollins took Sami down with a buckle bomb, but Sami surprised him with a Blue Thunderbomb for a close nearfall. Sami dropped Rollins with a Xploder into the corner before receiving a thrust kick and a Pedigree for a close two count. Sami countered the Curb Stomp with a Boston Crab, forcing Rollins to crawl for the ropes. Rollins managed to break the hold and beat Sami with a pinning combination.
WINNER: Seth Rollins at 20:17 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
– After the match, the Judgment Day attacked Sami Zayn on the ramp before receiving a suicide dive from Seth Rollins. The Judgment Day quickly regained control, until Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes ran down to make the save. Adam Pearce showed up with numerous security guards, referees and agents to try and break apart the brawl. Pearce grabbed and officially announced that both teams would fight in a War Games match at Survivor Series.
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was a very good main event that couldn’t reach its full potential. The ending felt very rushed, so they would have time to fit the War Games announcement afterwards. As for the announcement itself, it was very obvious that it was coming as soon as we were done with Crown Jewel. The match should be fun, but this Judgment Day storyline has been so overexposed, I’m mostly waiting for it to be over.)
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