WWE Raw Match Ratings From 12/10/18, Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp Of Fightful.com

Rollins SHOOTIN’

• Seth Rollins comes out and says he’s not calling out Dean Ambrose, because he’s not interested in playing games. Instead, he wants General Manager Baron Corbin. Corbin tells him they can have a conversation in private. 
• “For once in your life, shut up,” is a line wrestlers seem to go to an awful lot. 
• Rollins says that WWE Raw has sucked under Corbin because he makes the show all about himself. “Corbin sucks” chants from the crowd. 
• Rollins puts over the locker room, and says The Revival are being wasted in Lucha House Rules matches. He doesn’t understand what Lucha House Rules are. He trashes the urination segments. 
• Rollins singles out Brock Lesnar for only wanting to show up when he wants to, but he never wants to. Brock Lesnar hasn’t wrestled in a televised match since 2002. 
• Vince McMahon made the bad decisions that are being talked about on Raw — most all of them. The blame is going on Baron Corbin because he’s the on-screen figurehead, but I don’t think the magical solution is putting Corbin in a main event. I don’t think this was exactly meant to be Vince McMahon’s “Attitude promo,” but I dunno. 
• Rollins challenges Corbin to a TLC match tonight in the main event.  Corbin declines until Rollins repeatedly calls him a coward. Corbin finally agrees to the match, but says that Rollins’ Intercontinental Title is on the line in the match. 
• To Vince McMahon, calling someone a coward comically and brand supremacy are valued above all. 
• If the promo was a way for WWE, specifically Vince, to say “Hey, I know some of the decisions have been shit, we’ll do better,” that would be awfully neat. I can accept that. I’m not optimistic about that prospect, however. 

WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Handicap Match
Roode & Gable defeated AOP (c) & Drake Maverick to win the titles
5.25/10

• Gable got matching gear for himself . Such a difference.
• Rezar and Akam gets sent outside the ring, and in a fantastic visual, Drake Maverick gets double hiptossed over the top rope onto AOP.
• Maverick gets beaten up any time he gets in the ring, but AOP overpower Roode & Gable.
• Super Collider hits on Roode. Gable huracanranas his way out and gets Powerbomb/Neckbreakered.
• Drake Maverick wants to pin Bobby Roode, but Roode crucifix pins him to win the titles!
• Well then. A lot of AOP’s push just hasn’t happened the way we thought it would.
• Saying “I know our show has sucked a bunch of ass, but it won’t anymore” isn’t a strategy that worked for WCW or TNA. That’s pretty much what Roode does here. 

The Anvil

• An emotional Natalya runs down Ruby Riott and how she doesn’t respect anyone. She reminds everyone that she’s a Hart, as if anyone forgot.
• Natalya dedicates her match this Sunday to her father, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart.
• The Riott Squad are out with a covered table and Ruby harasses Natalya, and uncovers the table to reveal a picture of The Anvil on it. 
• A lot of people probably aren’t going to like Ruby Riott’s delivery, but I do. It’s different on a show where so many are the same.

Drew McIntyre defeated Dolph Ziggler
5.75/10

• Had to know this match was going to happen again. Yeesh. Ziggler says he isn’t a face or a heel, and Balor shouldn’t have gotten involved last week.
• Balor is out “due to injury” tonight. 
• McIntyre demands respect and says that one loss to Ziggler means nothing because everyone has lost.
• McIntyre’s overhead release belly-to-belly suplex is great.
• Drew hits a Super White Noise and it looked horrible. Ziggler took it on his shoulder. Can’t believe that wasn’t the finish. 
• McIntyre is posted and almost gets counted out. Ziggler collapses on a superkick attempt.
• Drew taunts Ziggler and eats a Zig Zag for his troubles. He’s able to kick out, and beat Ziggler to the draw with a Claymore kick for the win.
• 50/50 booking, but you had to beat Drew McIntyre at some point or his matches seem like foregone conclusions, I guess.
• McIntyre attacks Ziggler after the match and Claymores him into the ring apron boards.

Bayley (w/ Sasha Banks) defeated Alicia Fox (w/ Jinder Mahal & Singh Bros.)
4.75/10

• The “All Expense Paid Vacation” they’re touting is like the “$10,000” battle royal.
• Alicia Fox wants to vacation to Kentucky, probably to get interviewed.
• Bayley connects with a good flying back elbow, but the same can’t be said about Fox’s neckbreaker — or maybe that’s just how it looks on TV.  
• Not a lot of heat to this match, but Bayley gets a nice belly-to-back suplex and rope hung Stunner.
• When the Singh Bros. get involved, Crews shows up and beats them up. Sasha Banks KILLED Sunil with that Meteora. Crews throws Sasha onto all of them.
• Bayley-to-Belly, win.
• Okay, man. Apollo is replacing Balor. Maybe Mixed Match Challenge should only be wrestlers who have jack shit going on, because the teams change so much I can’t keep track.

Dean Ambrose

• Ambrose is backstage with his Bane jacket and he’s angry.
• Dean says he’ll take Rollins’ title Sunday — if he still has it. 
• Ambrose doesn’t care how Roman Reigns would react to all of this. 
• They have Charly Caruso throw to a 3+ minute video clip in the middle of a backstage interview. Ambrose walks off after. Why’d he wait?

Lio Rush (w/ Bobby Lashley) defeated Elias

5.75/10

• Heath Slater is the ref for this match.
• Elias talks trash about San Diego from Bobby Lashley’s perspective. I don’t think that works so well.  
• I’m stoked to see Lio Rush wrestle on Raw. He avoids Elias but walks into a freefall flapjack.
• Elias hits an Undertaker-style armbar and sends Rush out of the ring.
• Lashley distracts Elias and allows Lio to hit some great offense including a flip kick and a wheel kick.
• Elias does a sitout Last Ride, but Lashley attacks.He threatens Heath Slater out of calling a DQ.
• Lashley cracks a guitar over Elias’ back for the win. Slater is disgusted with himself.
• Elias and Lashley’s match is now a Ladder match with a guitar hanging above the ring.

OPEN FORUM

• Alexa Bliss comes out for the open forum.
• Nia Jax and Tamina show up, and Nia says she doesn’t talk trash — then talks trash. She puts over that she knocked out Becky Lynch and will do the same to Rousey. 
• Nia talks strategy and that’s about it. She screams at one point.
• Ronda Rousey comes out and says she came to fight, not to pose. 
• You know, Tamina and Nia Jax wouldn’t have had to surround Rousey had they just stayed in the ring to begin with. Ember runs them off.

Ember Moon (w/ Ronda Rousey) defeated Tamina (w/ Nia Jax)
5.25/10

• Tamina vs. Ember Moon is a rematch that I didn’t want. Ember had to work circles around her weeks ago. Tamina at least steps up a little this time.
• Tamina’s superkick isn’t very super. We go into a rest hold, and I assure you it’s not for Ember.
• Moon works out of it and hits a kick combo and a sliding Flatliner. Tamina fires back with a powerslam though.
• A diving Codebreaker hits for Ember. Rousey attacks Nia to prevent her from interfering.
• Eclipse for the win. This was way, way better than their last match.

Ladder Match
Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins (c) defeated Baron Corbin
7/10

• Heath Slater says he’s going home, but Corbin says that he’s reffing another match tonight.
• Charly Caruso asks Corbin if he is abusing his power and he threatens to send her to Smackdown.
• Not a lot happens before the commercial break, and we come back to see Corbin beating Rollins down with a ladder.
• Corbin suplexes Rollins into the leaning ladder in the corner. 
• We finally see a Bossman spot that makes sense. Rollins then gets pushed face first into a ladder. 
• Return from commercial and see a great Deep Six. Rollins gets the advantage and drills Corbin with a chair and two suicide dives.
• When Rollins goes for a third dive, Corbin catches him for a chokeslam through a table!
• Rollins sends Corbin into the stairs and Frog Splashes him through the table!!! 
• Rollins climbs the ladder, but Heath Slater pushes Rollins off! Corbin is at the top, but Rollins Buckle Bombs him through a table and hits Slater.
• Rollins wins.