SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report originally published 10 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015
LAREDO, TEX.
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
[HOUR ONE]
-They opened right away with the Wyatt Family ring entrance with Bray Wyatt, JBL, and Byron Saxton discussing that Chris Jericho was the mystery partner for Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns. Saxton said Jericho “got a little overzealous” and it cost him. JBL said it would have meant so much for him to finally get a victory over the Wyatt Family, but he came up short. He said Jericho is one of many people who are going to lose to the Wyatt Family.
Bray spoke mid-ring and said Roman couldn’t outrun his destiny. He said he grabbed the golden idol by his throat and brought him to his knees. He said Roman should’ve listened because he told them “they all fall down.” He said he is no liar. He was interrupted by Reigns. Cole said, “Apparently Roman Reigns is hard of hearing.” JBL said he’s a hard-head and he’s looking for a fight. Reigns made his way down the steps. Bray laughed uproariously at him.
Reigns said it’s “not just about Roman Reigns, it’s about Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt.” He said it started here so he suggested they finish it here. “Send the big’uns back to the swamp and let’s see who makes it out of Laredo tonight,” he said. Bray talked off-mic and said he is giving him another chance. Roman, on mic, said they don’t need another referee or make it an official match, they just need to fight. Bray called for Luke Harper and Braun Strowman to leave the ring so he could fight Roman after all. Roman punched Harper off the apron and then punched away at Bray. He took him down and then played to the crowd, but he didn’t get much of a pop. He bashed Bray with a series of clotheslines in the corner. He yelled to the crowd and again got very little pop. Bray popped Roman to make a comeback, brushing off completely a dozen or so clotheslines in the corner. Reigns surprised Bray with a Superman punch mid-ring. Harper and Strowman re-entered. Reigns knocked Harper out of the ring, but Strowman slammed Roman hard to the mat.
Dean Ambrose’s music played and he ran out and tackled Harper and Bray, and then he dove at Strowman at ringside. Strowman caught him and threw him back into the ring. Dean dove right back onto Strowman at ringside. Strowman no-sold a series of elbows to the face and then knocked Ambrose down with one clubbing blow. Reigns jumped in and occupied Strowman long enough for Dean to recover and leap onto his back. Strowman dumped him over. The brawl continued for a while at ringside. Eventually Randy Orton ran out and tackled Bray. The crowd popped for Orton. Orton snap powerslammed Bray, who rolled to the floor. He tossed Harper out of the ring. The brawl continued at ringside. Orton backdropped Harper onto the announce table. Eventually the babyface trio cleared the ring of the three heels. JBL said, “That’s how you kick off Monday Night Raw! … That was sure as hell exciting!”
-The announcers threw to a video package on the Seth Rollins vs. John Cena match ending with Sheamus and then Kane interjecting themselves into it.
-They went backstage to Seth Rollins who was pacing outside the locker room of The Authority and then he walked in. There just happened to be a camera waiting to film him walking into the locker room. There stood Kane, who was all smiles. “Sorry Seth, I didn’t hear you knock.” Seth asked what he was doing there. Kane said he works there. Seth said after what he did to him last night. Kane said he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Kane said he’s been recuperating because someone broke his ankle a couple months ago. Seth apologized for what he did. Kane said he doesn’t blame him because he would have done the same thing. Kane said he is back at work at Director of Operations. Seth asked where Triple H and Steph were. Kane said they had yet to arrive. Seth got very nervous and said he’s going to wait for them to arrive. Kane announced that he has arranged for his U.S. Title rematch tonight against Cena. The fans cheered. Seth nervously left the locker room. [c]
QUICK NOTE: Did you know you can read an ad-free, silky-smooth-loading version of this website with a PWTorch VIP Membership? Also, unlock 35+ years of archives including nearly 2,000 PWTorch Weekly Newsletters dating back to the late 1980s, hundreds of retro radio shows from the 1990s, and two decades of podcasts including Post-PPV Roundtable Podcasts dating back to the mid-2000s. Plus, new VIP-exclusive articles and podcasts throughout the week, fully compatible with the native Apple Podcasts app: CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON VIP MEMBERSHIP
(1) STARDUST & THE ASCENSION vs. LUCHA DRAGONS & NEVILLE
JBL wanted to know what was going on with Corporate Kane. Sin Cara slipped on the top rope and fell hard onto the mat. That gave the heels the advantage. As Viktor grounded Sin Cara, JBL talked about them being the longest-reining NXT Tag Team Champions. Neville got the hot tag and went to work on the heels. He set up a top rope move on Stardust, but Konnor interfered. Stardust then took over thanks to that distraction and they cut to a break. [c]
Back from the break, the heels continued to work over Neville. The crawler announced that the JBL Legends Interview with Eric Bischoff will be on WWE Network after Raw, plus more than 100 additional hours of Nitro were added to the Network archives. Neville eventually hot-tagged Kalisto. Chaos broke out. Kalisto ducked Viktor and then gave him his finisher for the win.
WINNERS: Lucha Dragons & Neville at 10:30.
-Cole hyped that Corporate Kane had booked Cena vs. Seth in a U.S. Title match tonight. [c]
-Seth angrily confronted Stephanie McMahon and Triple H when they finally arrived at the arena. He asked them where they’ve been. He said he can’t believe they reinstated Kane as Director of Operations. Steph and Hunter apparently hadn’t heard of this. Hunter told Seth to calm down and relax. He said if what he says is true, he should just focus on his U.S. Title rematch. Steph said if he worries about Cena, they’ll worry about Kane.
-They went back to ringside to the announcers who reacted to the segment, but then threw to a video package on Kevin Owens beating Ryback for the IC Title. Cole talked about Owens raking the eyes of the champion to win the title.
-Ryback made his way to the ring. They cut to a break. [c]
-Kevin Owens made his way to ringside and joined the announcers. Cole offered a handshake, which Owens blew off of course. Bo Dallas, Ryback’s opponent, told Ryback to Bo-lieve him when he says he’ll never be as good as Kevin Owens.
(2) RYBACK vs. BO DALLAS
Cole said it would appear Owens raked Ryback’s eyes to win the IC Title. Owens said it would appear he is wrong and he should focus on what’s going on inside the ring. JBL compared an eye rake to traveling in an NBA game and said what matters is the final score. When Saxton asked if Owens respects Ryback more after last night, Owens said he’s trying his best to ignore him right now. Cole said he found it odd that the man who is always clamoring for respect wouldn’t give it to those who deserve it, the Hall of Famers who held the IC Title in the past. Owens said he was just focusing on himself. Cole said JBL won the IC Title with an eye rake, too. Owens told Cole he shouldn’t believe everything he reads on the Internet. Bo settled in a chinlock on the mat. Cole said it’d be a huge win for him tonight. Ryback took Bo down with a Meat Hook and then a Shellshock a minute later for the win.
WINNER: Ryback at 4:05.
-After the match, Owens attacked Ryback. Ryback came back with a hard clothesline and then set up a Shellshock, but Owens slipped free and scurried out of the ring. Cole noted that Owens can run now, but Ryback gets a mandatory rematch.
(WK Reax: It’s good hear Owens on commentary. He’s really in his element getting to riff on Cole and Saxton and take digs at his rival in the ring.)
-Cole threw to a video package on Charlotte winning the Diva’s Championship. He plugged that the celebration was up next. [c]
-Ric Flair made his ring entrance. He talked about having had fun in Laredo before, back in 1972. He said there are times a man’s life when things that happen that are so special. The crowd chanted “Thank you, Ric!” He told them, “No, thank you.” He said there are times things are so special, you don’t know what to say. He talked about the first match, the first time in front of 10,000 fans, the first time you win a title, the first time you fall in love. He joked he’s done a lot of those things multiple times, and a few of the latter were mistakes. He said the proudest moment in his entire life wasn’t his World Championship win in 1981 or his match against Shawn Michaels when he retired. He said it was last night when his little girl won the Diva’s Championship. He said she didn’t get the title because of him, but rather because she bled, sweat, cried, and paid the price. He said she beat a great champion, and then he introduced her.
Charlotte came out to her entrance music. She was joined by Paige and Becky Lynch. Cole talked about a special feature on WWE.com showing Charlotte’s entire day from waking up at her hotel room though the post-match celebration. Ric opened the ropes for Charlotte and said he’ll open the ropes for the champion every night. Charlotte said she had to compose herself for a second because she and her dad tend to cry when they’re in the ring together. Ric began losing it, of course. She said if she can make him half as proud of her as she is of him, then she knows she’s done a great job being his daughter. She said she loves him very much. They hugged.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of “The Nicky’s Club” with Nick Barbati, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
[HOUR TWO]
Charlotte turned to Becky and Paige and said since day one of the Divas Revolution, all she wanted to do was win the Divas Championship, and she made two best friends along the way. She said Becky reminds her that life is short and not to be so serious all the time. She turned to Paige. The crowd cheered. Charlotte said they started at NXT together and she was the first NXT Women’s Champion. She said she wanted to be where she was, and she is there tonight as champion because she wanted to follow in her footsteps. Paige took the mic and said this whole celebration is for Charlotte.
Paige then said they should focus on what made it possible. “That’s me!” She said it’s all patronizing to hear her talk about how she wouldn’t be there without her. Paige said she sounds like she just got inducted “into the bloody Hall of Fame.” Paige said she won the Divas Championship on her first day and another time since then. She said “champ to champ,” she wants her to know title reigns end. She said Nikki is going to get her rematch and bring her hippie sister and that third wheel and the belt is going back where it was. She said there is no Revolution because she’s just a placeholder.
When Becky spoke up, Paige told her to back down. Charlotte got upset and told her not to talk to her that way. Paige said Becky is the least relevant of all of them. She cut a promo on all of the other women, including Lana and Summer Rae, “too busy trying to figure who they want to climb onto next.” She asked Nattie even works there anymore. “I can’t see you, Mrs. Hart!” She said the fans all know the real reason they got to the top. Charlotte asked if she is done. Paige said she isn’t. She said Charlotte wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for her old man. Paige let out a wooo and left, yelling “This is my house!”
The Bellas and Alicia Fox then stepped onto the stage next. Nikki made fun of Paige saying “hard working, determined, and never giving up” incorrectly, but that’s expected of a classless trashy woman. Nikki turned to Charlotte and told her when you’re on top, everyone gets jealous of you. She asked if she can handle it. She said she handled it for nearly a year, but that’s because she was woman enough. She said tonight Charlotte is going to lose to Brie, and when they have their rematch, she’s going to lose her championship, too.
(WK Reax: Paige for the most part was excellent. It took some of the steam off of her heel turn to have Nikki Bella walk out and heel on her. But given that Paige took digs at Nikki, Nikki kind of had to respond. Ric Flair was tremendous here. He’s producing some of his best mic work in years lately. Charlotte was very likable and believable in this segment.)
(3) CHARLOTTE vs. BRIE BELLA
Saxton said it would have been better for Paige to express those feelings privately and not ruin Charlotte’s celebration. JBL stood up for Charlotte and said she is there because of her own merit, not her father. Brie worked over Charlotte’s leg, just as Nikki did the night before. Charlotte came back with some chops and then a neck breaker and a spear leading to her Figure-Eight for the win.
WINNER: Charlotte at 6:26.
(WK Reax: Eh. Not a strong match. Brie is just not credible in the ring compared to the higher level workers in the division.)
-A commercial aired hyping NXT on Wednesday featuring Blake & Murphy getting a rematch against The Vaudvillians. Plus, a plug for Asuka. [c]
(4) SHEAMUS vs. MARK HENRY
Sheamus’s ring entrance took place. He clutched his MITB briefcase as he walked out. Then Mark Henry walked out to his ring entrance. He smiled and made fun of Sheamus’s mohawk. Sheamus reacted with frustration to Henry’s early dominance. Sheamus came back and pounded Henry’s chest with his forearm. Henry no-sold the forearms and yanked him into the ring by his beard. Sheamus surprised Henry with a Brogue Kick that showed a lot of light. Cole had to acknowledge the obvious, calling it “glancing.” Sheamus did it a second time and landed it for the win. No crowd heat for this one.
WINNER: Sheamus at 2:25.
(WK Reax: I know Mark Henry has been injury prone, but he deserved better than this. Why even bring him back to lose like this without any fanfare for his return?)
-Sheamus cut a promo afterward on the stage about being the future WWE World Champion in waiting.
-The announcers hyped New Day & Rusev vs. Ziggler & The Dudleys later. [c]
-They went to The Authority backstage approaching Kane. Steph said it’s such a surprise to see him back at work. Kane said it’s great to be back, but he wondered if he overstepped his bounds by booking Cena’s U.S. Title rematch. He said he wanted to make an impact on his first night back. Hunter said they hadn’t heard from him since he got hurt, and then he showed up last night. Kane played dumb about last night. Steph told Kane not to play mind games with them and insult their intelligence. Kane it’s best for business for him to fulfill his contract as Director of Operations. As Hunter was about to speak, Steph silenced him and said they want to move forward together on the same page. She said she just needs one thing. “I need you to ‘give it back.'” She held out her hand. He slapped her hand. She explained she wanted his mask back. Kane smiled gregariously and said, “What mask?” Kane noticed it was gone and said the last time he saw it, he gave it to Steph. He said if she lost it, she certainly has a big problem. His voice got deeper and intimidating. Then he went back to the cheerful voice he used all show and wished them a good night.
-Elsewhere backstage, Paige saw Natalya and said, “Oh, you do still work here?” Natalya said she had a lot of valid points, but she’s not the only Diva who has felt frustrated and wanted to lash out over being left out or left behind. She said she, more than anyone, gets it. She said she was unprofessional out there because that was Charlotte’s moment. She said imagine if someone she looked up to and respected treated her the way she treated Charlotte when she won the title the first time. Natalya said she has a match against Naomi to prepare for, but she said as a friend, she wants her to know the only person standing her way is herself.
-The New Day made their ring entrance. [c]
-Back from the break, Xavier held up a piece of wood in a plastic bag. He said the WWE medical team had to remove it from his buttocks after NOC last night. Kofi Kingston said the Dudleys are a menace to society and must be stopped. Big E said they must build a wall around Dudleyville “to protect our laws, our values, and our furniture!” Xavier said the wall is to keep the Dudleys away from them and their tables. Kofi said everyone has a voice and they can all help them because together they can make WWE great again. They led the crowd in a “Save… the Tables!” chant.
(5) THE DUDLEYS & DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. RUSEV (w/Summer Rae) & THE NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Big E. w/Xavier Woods)
Cole plugged the MSG special on WWE Network and said that will feature the Dudleys challenging New Day for the WWE Tag Team Titles. JBL plugged “Legends with JBL” right after Raw featuring Eric Bischoff. When Bubba Ray knocked Rusev down, the heels regrouped at ringside. They cut to a break. [c]
Back live, Ziggler dropkicked Big E. Later Rusev worked over Ziggler, then tagged Big E back in. The announcers reflected on what has happened so far on Raw as they approached the end of the second hour with Ziggler selling for Kingston. Ziggler eventually hot-tagged in Bubba Ray who went to work on Kofi with a barrage of offense. The Dudleys set up Ziggler to land the diving headbutt to the crotch of Rusev. When the Dudleys knocked Kofi and Big E to the floor, Rusev recovered enough to shove Ziggler toward Xavier and his trombone on the ring apron. That distraction led to Rusev landing a surprise superkick. He at least continued to sell the headbutt to the crotch even after his win, wincing in pain and grabbing down there. Summer smiled and applauded behind him.
WINNERS: Dudleys & Ziggler at 14:13.
(WK Reax: This filled a lot of TV time, and fortunately New Day are entertaining enough to make it seem less like the time-filler it was. No storyline development at all between Ziggler and Summer, though.)
-They went to the announcers who talked more about the MSG live special on WWE Network. Then they talked more about Kane and Seth. [c]
(6) NATALYA vs. NAOMI (w/Sasha Banks, Tamina)
They showed Paige watching on a monitor in the back. A distraction by Tamina and then Sasha Banks opened up Natalya for a loss via Naomi’s Rear View finisher.
WINNER: Naomi at 3:47.
(WK Reax: Good to see Natalya back, but after all that time away, they should have been able to get something more about of her return than a loss. We did, at least, get a little dose of her acting when she over-emoted after her loss as the heel trio left.)
-Seth approached Steph and Hunter and asked what their decision was about Kane. Steph said he got his revenge last night and got it out of his system, and then showed up tonight in a suit ready to execute his corporate duties. Seth said he can disembowel him, and they know that better than anybody. Hunter heard enough and yelled, “Stop!” He angrily advised Seth to worry about Cena and let them worry about Kane. Seth huffed and puffed and said “Fine” and then left. Steph looked over at Hunter with surprise that he lost his cool like that. [c]
(7) THE BIG SHOW vs. CESARO
The announcers hyped Big Show facing Lesnar at MSG on Oct. 3 live on WWE Network, so they’re giving this match considerable hype even though it’s not an actual traditional Sunday night PPV. JBL put over Cesaro as the strongest man in WWE “pound-for-pound.” JBL talked about playing golf with Big Show once and noted that he couldn’t get the golf ball out of the hole because his hands are so big. He said he had to use a suction cup on a stick to get the ball out. That reminds me of when Big Show lamented that he can’t even pick his nose or use an iPhone because his fingers are so big. The announcers otherwise focused on talking about Lesnar vs. Show. Cesaro set up a suplex, but Show blocked it. He tried a second time and succeeded. Cole wondered what it took out of Cesaro, though. Show got up first and nailed Cesaro with the KO Punch for the win. Cole wondered if that will be Brock Lesnar on the other end of the KO Punch at MSG.
WINNER: Big Show at 6:17.
-Afterward, Show said back at Survivor Series 2002, Lesnar was “the next Big Thing.” He said no one could pin, yet he did. He said he took the WWE Championship from him. He said they have a long history together. “He knows I can’t stand him,” he said. The crowd pelted Show with a “Suplex City!” chant. Show said, “Let’s hear it! There’s no way my big ass is going to Suplex City.” He said what is going to happen is Lesnar is going to sit at home eating his Jimmy Johns sandwiches confident he can beat him easily. He said the reason he’s lasted so long is he’s a threat every time he steps into the ring. He said at MSG he’ll prove he is the greatest giant of all time. He said when he’s through with Brock, Brock will think he’s been sent to hell.
-They cut to John Cena in the locker room getting ready for his match. He looked at his U.S. Title belt as they cut to a break.
(WK Reax: I’m all for locker room shots, but Cena kind ruined it by posing in a cheesy way looking at his U.S. Title belt in his hands. The locker room shot is supposed to look natural, like they’re just shooting him being real, not posing.) [c]
-Saxton plugged that the Owens & Rusev would face Ryback & Ziggler on Smackdown on Thursday. They went to the announcers on camera who threw to a clip of the Bray-Roman angle earlier. They were interrupted by a vignette featuring Luke Harper saying he hears voices in his head, just as Orton does. He said Bray saved him and taught him to learn from his mistakes. He said Randy hasn’t learned from his mistakes. Braun Strowman took off his mask and talked about catching a snake once. He said he skinned it and drank its blood and “it’s in a better place now.” Bray said they all fall down and so will you. Then he laughed. They had haunted house music in the background.
-Back to the announcers, Cole asked JBL how the Wyatt Family can be stopped. Cena’s music then played as he came out for the main event. [c]
(8) JOHN CENA vs. SETH ROLLINS – U.S. Title match
After the break, Seth limped to the ring. Cole said Seth had to defend his two titles back to back. They threw to highlights of the Cena match. Still no mention of Sting. Seth jumped Cena in the midst of Lilian Garcia introducing him right after he threw his orange t-shirt to the crowd. The ref forced Seth to back down until the bell could ring to start the match properly. Cena clutched his ribs, but said he was okay to fight. The ref called for the bell even before Cena fully stood up. It looked like he was impersonating Sting last night. The football game must’ve gone to a break as Cole reset the match and talked about Raw being the longest running episodic TV show in history. Lots of talk early about Kane including Saxton noting how he saved Seth’s title by interfering before Sheamus could cash in. Cole kind of downplayed that obvious aspect of Kane’s role last night. They cut to a break with Seth in control. [c]
Seth continued his attack after the break. Cena rallied a few minutes later. He directed the wave going on in the arena, then landed the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Seth bailed out to the floor and acted like he was going to leave. Cena chased him down and threw him back into the ring. JBL noted that he could have had a countout win there, perhaps. Cena dove onto Seth off the top rope for a two count. Seth rolled through to get his ow two count. Seth then caught Cena with a superkick for another two count. Cena came back with an AA attempt, but Seth easily escaped and applied an STF mid-ring. Cena powered himself up to his feet, but Seth came back with a springboard flying knee to the side of Cena’s head. Cole called it a glancing blow. Seth set up a Pedigree, but Cena catapulted Seth out of it and then face planted him for a near fall.
[OVERRUN]
The crowd popped for Seth’s kickout. JBL said the fans, I mean Universe, are cheering because they want to see the match continue. They exchanged punches mid-ring. Cena lifted Seth for another AA attempt, but again Seth escaped with a Pedigree attempt. Cena countered, but Seth countered into another Pedigree attempt. Cena escaped, so Seth threw Cena into the corner like he did to Sting the night before. Seth then suplexed Cena for a two count. JBL said this is what you expect out of a championship match between two great champions. Seth climbed to the top rope and went for a corkscrew moonsault. Cena moved. Seth landed on his feet and somersaulted. Cena took him down with a drop toe hold and applied the STF. Seth teased tapping, but instead crawled to the bottom rope. Seth leaped off the top rope and landed a frog splash for a near fall. Cena rolled through and gave Seth an AA for the win.
WINNER: Cena to retain the U.S. Title at 15:33.
(WK Reax: I assume fans weren’t expecting a finish until something Kane occurred. This certainly further weakens Seth, as the World Champ, to lose to Cena, the U.S. Champ. You’re never hurt a lot by losing to Cena, but it’s part of the largest message that Seth isn’t a dominant top act or even above Cena despite the World Title.)
-After Cena left, Kane appeared on the big screen. He advised Seth to be the best possible WWE World Hvt. Champion he can be. He said many people are lining up to take the title away from him, including people he wouldn’t even imagine. He said people who could give Seth nightmares. He got sinister. Seth figured out what he was getting at. Kane’s pyro blasted and the lights went red. Kane popped up through the ring with his mask on and grabbed at Seth’s legs. Kane caught Seth’s leg. Seth yanked on the ring apron to try to pull himself free, but Kane dropped into the hole and tried to pull Seth down with him. He succeeded. Raw went off the air with the announcers wondering what Seth’s fate would be. JBL said, “This was one bizarre night.”
FINAL THOUGHTS: It seems this show was written with the idea being the return of Kane – and Natalya, let’s not forget! – was enough to carry the show. I do like that the Divas Title win for Charlotte was given a centerpiece segment, and Ric Flair added gravitas to it. He’s finally acting like a dignified elder statements all-time great and not a crazed party animal who thinks he’s a frat boy. It’s refreshing. Big Show’s promo was good. Otherwise, you could boil this down to a decent yet skippable episode of Smackdown.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.