WWE Raw 25 Match Ratings For 1/22/18 From Sean Ross Sapp

Pre-show

• We get a lot of turdy talking head stuff, but the APA is back for one night only. That's cool

Opening segment
10/10

• Stephanie and Shane McMahon offer their father a MAHOGANY plaque, and Vince hilariously heels the crowd. He says nobody helped him accomplish what he did.
• Stone Cold Steve Austin comes out to one of the biggest goddamn pops I've ever heard in my life.
• Vince tells Steve he's an old man now, but Shane is in his prime! Shane gets a stunner.
• Kevin Dunn just zoomed a stunner. Stop. Not tonight
• Vince and Austin hug, and KICK WHAM STUNNER.
• Shane eats another one for a spit take. 
• My wife says "you think there will be surprises like that all night?" I said "well, not LIKE THAT, but yeah."
• That was a perfect nostalgia segment.

Sasha Banks, Mickie James, Asuka & Bayley defeated Absolution, Nia Jax & Alicia Fox (w/ Paige)
5.5/10

• This starts off a mess, but after the commercial break, we're treated to a nice burst of Asuka offense.
• Nia Jax tags in and connects with a spinebuster. Other nice spots — Alicia Fox's Northern Lights Suplex, a Fox big boot. 
• They're doing the "HOW WILL THEY ELIMINATE NIA JAX?!' thing
• Surprised to a see a match going over two commercial breaks this early in the show
• The match breaks down and Sasha gets the win right after the break.
• While celebrating, a very over Asuka kicks the shit out of all the girls. Mickie tumbles outside, Bayley eats a sick spinning back fist and Banks misses a Banks Statement is sent packing.
• Very effective segment in my opinion.

Nostalgia

• Kurt Angle is in a backstage segment with Coach, Teddy Long, Brooklyn Brawler and Harvey Whippleman, Brother Love. Long and Prichard got HUGE pops, as does a returning Boogeyman. Bruce Prichard is a really cool example of how people can be excommunicated from WWE, then create cool shit while also not caring what WWE thinks….and all of a sudden WWE comes calling.
• Later the Usos, Jeff Hardy and MVP join. The third segment sees Titus Worldwide and Natalya there. New Day join in later, and they all catch Heath Slater cheating. Ted Dibiase wins.
• Johnny Ace, William Regal, Eric Bischoff (giant pop). Then Johnny Ace's son in law, Daniel Bryan. Miz's music brilliantly hits.
• Bella Twins, Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Lilian Garcia, Jacqueline, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Terri Runnels, Maria, Trish Stratus are all brought out. Remember when WWE used to cut women around the age of 30 with regularity?
• Mark Henry and Godfather!!!!
• Mean Gene Okerlund interviews AJ Styles, which gets a "WELL LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING MEAN GENE." Shitty Kami reference and written promo. Stop writing shit for AJ Styles

Undertaker

• Undertaker says Austin, Kane, and others couldn't end him, but says that it's time they Rest In Peace. That promo from Undertaker was far too ambiguous for me to write any "UNDERTAKER RETIRES" articles

Backstage crappenings

• Good on Naomi and Jimmy Uso getting that Universal Studios money.
• The APA are making Rhyno and Slater broke, until Ted Dibiase comes in and lays down a bunch of money. They're integrating these talents in very well.
• Charly Caruso asks Alexa Bliss if she thinks she'll be champ at WrestleMania. Charlotte interrupts and introduces Ric Flair. 
• Chris Jericho is literally wearing a Bullet Club spinoff shirt on WWE TV. He can do anything he wants. He sings a song and puts Elias on the list. These are some of the biggest pops of the night.

Intercontinental Championship
The Miz defeated Roman Reigns (c) to become WWE Intercontinental Champion
6.5/10

• The WWE ring posts sounds hellacious when they're hit.
• We see literally 13 straight clotheslines from Reigns and none of them look good. Miz's corner clothesline later is much more convincing. 
• Reigns has a nice counter from the Yes Kicks into a sitdown powerbomb.
• The Miztourage get drive-by'd and later ejected. Miz capitalizes with a Skull Crushing Finale for a 2 count
• The crowd is HOT.
• Miz took off the protective padding while Reigns was distracted with Miztourage. Wham boom Skull Crushing Finale. New champion. Very smart finish.
• I very much consider The Miz the greatest Intercontinental Champion ever.

The Peep Show

• It's so great to see Christian here. Jason Jordan interrupts Christian and gets huge boos. He's doing great. 
• The Bar come out to a big reaction and say that Angle doesn't suck, Jordan sucks. Jordan gets made, and he and Rollins whip The Bar's ass. 
• Rollins accidentally knees Jordan in the face. This went over so well. White hot crowd again. 

Bray Wyatt defeated Woken Matt Hardy

• Manhattan Center chants "we got something." They weren't happy.
• Pretty cool achievement for Matt Hardy.. Has now competed in the Manhattan Center or the Manhattan Center's Hammerstein Ballroom for WWE, ROH and TNA.
• it's really cool to see them wrestling in this venue again.
• Matt is limping, but controls the duration of the match early. 
• Out of nowhere, Bray hits Sister Abigail and that's it. Well then.

Elias and Cena!

• Elias comes out and does his great Elias thing, and gets "stupid idiot" chanted at him. 
• Elias targets Jimmy Fallon and sings a song about WWE Legends, including John Cena.
• Cena's music hits to deafening "John Cena sucks" chants.
• John Cena putting over fucking beach balls again.
• He ends up attacking Elias. Cena looks very light on his feet, and gets punched in the penis.
• Elias cracks Cena with a guitar and Drift Away!

Titus Worldwide (w/ Dana Brooke) vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno

• Manhattan Center couldn't even get Titus Worldwide vs. Slater & Rhyno?
• Apollo Crews has a nice dropkick and an even more impressive stalling suplex. 
• The match is thrown out, and The Dudley Boyz interfere.
• They REALLLYYYYYYYY didn't give Manhattan Center the Dudley Boyz? WOW
• Slater eats a 3D through a table. Graves pops Michael Cole by updating the Wazzup headbutt to the Dilly Dilly headbutt.
• The rest of the guys get in and celebrate with the Dudley Boyz.

DX

• Shawn Michaels isn't allowed to tell any stories. Triple H gives a big ra-ra speech about how DX will be at the forefront of the next 25 years. He shouts out Rick Rude and Chyna.
• Billy busting out his Smokin' Gunns jeans.
• They also bring out Sean Waltman. He brings out Razor Ramon, wearing his TNA Wolfpac jacket. What a stupid ass time to cut to commercial. 
• Balor Club come out after the break and a Too Sweet is shared. 
• Revival are here. The Monday Night Revival shirt rules.
• Very happy this is a match instead of just a Revival ass kicking fiesta.  But it's 10:58

Balor Club (w/ DX, Scott Hall and Finn Balor) defeated The Revival

• They have to rush through this match because of time constraints. 
• Magic Killer, pin. 
• I can't shit on WWE too much for that. They didn't have time to run a full match. Whatever
• The Revival eat all the finishers. 
• My wife wanted DX to beat up Frank The Clown. 

Main event segment

• Commercial break at 11:04 EST
• Angle has everyone brought out to prevent a war.
• Lesnar comes out and F5's Kane, but gets tossed into the barricade by Braun Strowman. 
• Strowman powerslams Brock through a table, but I can barely see it as the cameraman went into epilepsy.
• Why is New Day there? They're hated on Raw.