Match Ratings For WWE Monday Night Raw 12/30/19 From Sean Ross Sapp

Opening segment

• They really shouldn’t have Kevin Owens throwing to video all the time, especially several times in a segment. I don’t get it. Show us the video while he’s on the way to the ring. It’s more natural.
• Owens says eventually he’s taking down one of Rollins or AOP down with him, and he’s tired of film study.
• Rollins comes out with AOP and says Owens has made him do this. Owens attacks AOP.
• Samoa Joe makes the save. Samoa Joe as a babyface. A Festivus miracle! The crowd loves him.
• Security has to break up the fight after Owens whips out a chair. He does a somersault senton to take out a pile.
• Samoa Joe re-asks the question and hits the “you see” right after. They’re being asked to leave, but they think they’ve accomplished what they’ve set out to do.
• Joe says Rollins made sure Owens would never stand alone again.
• AOP & Rollins vs. Owens, Rey, Joe has been built really, really well.
• Rollins and AOP have been asked to leave, as well.
• I still don’t know why Brock Lesnar needed to be champion for this. WWE seems to want Fiend as a heel, so him beating Kofi, avoiding the Rollins trash fire would have been great, and Rollins could have made this turn as a desperation move to keep the title

Aleister Black defeated Buddy Murphy
7.25/10

• This is just unbelievable striking. The two have amazing chemistry together. It works. Everything they do just works.
• The crowd reacts amazingly.
• Murphy going from sunset flip bomb to Cheeky Nandos, to throwing him on the post was perfect.
• Murphy is battling a bad knee, and tries to steal a win.
• Murphy does an amazing tope con hilo and sells the knee right after. There’s another great powerbomb too.
• The combination strike trade gets even more intense this time and features a question mark heel kick and a brainbuster from Black!
• Black Mass TWICE wins it. This ruled.
• Wouldn’t hate it if Buddy Murphy’s entire character motivation was trying to get back to Aleister Black because he knows he can beat him.

Erick Rowan defeated Jobber
SQUASH

• Erick Rowan says he didn’t get an invitation to the wedding, but he doesn’t care. Then he yells.
• We get the same jobber match we’ve seen a bunch out of him, with crate shenanigans, it’s time to move on.
• You know the drill at this point. Same thing as always

Charlotte Flair defeated Natalya
6/10

• Charlotte Flair was the first announced entrant in either 2020 WWE Royal Rumble. She makes a bunch of rough decade jokes in regards to that.
• She makes a challenge to anyone, and Natalya answers.
• We’ve seen a lot of matches between these two, but not in a while.
• I liked Charlotte countering the stepover dropkick from Natalya.
• This match is just there. Not a lot of reaction until Natalya tells someone to shut up.
• Charlotte gets the Boston Crab in the ropes.
• The 24/7 nerds show up and chase Truth. Charlotte big boots Eric Young.
• Back from commercial, Natalya counters a corner boot into a powerbomb.
• Charlotte hits a bad looking Natural Selection out of a Sharpshooter attempt.
• Moonsault attempt, Charlotte lands on her feet, gets small packaged out of a Figure 8.
• Charlotte kicks out and applies another Figure 8 to win. This was good stuff.

Backstage Crappenings

• Becky Lynch says she’s facing Asuka at the Royal Rumble, and refused contract negotiations without getting the match.
• Liv Morgan says she thinks she’s ready in a new vignette.
• Brock Lesnar is advertised for next week.

Street Profts defeated OC
5/10

• The OC come out and stake their claim for a tag title shot.
• Street Profits come out and cut a really boring promo. They want a title shot because they beat OC. Street Profits lost a tag team title match in three minutes a few weeks ago. They beat OC before that.
• They make a joke about the OC reality show.
• This is your standard, run of the mill tag match early on.
• Montez Ford’s leaping tag was funny. Angelo has some good suplexes.
• OC hit a neckbreaker/back suplex on Dawkins.
• Ford has a great dropkick on him, and an effortless tope con hilo.
• Street Profits win with a spinebuster and frog splash.
• A triple threat title match is set for next week. 

Drew McIntyre defeated Hawkins & Ryder
SQUASH

• Drew cuts a promo. Then he kills both guys.
• Well, they’re building Drew back up.
• Drew McIntyre looked super ready for a main event run and then it was decided he needed to get beaten up by Ziggler a bunch

RKO

• Randy Orton cuts a promo and says he’s rambling.
• Orton says he screwed up his leg really bad, and that he’ll be out a long time and that he might not be able to come back.
• He promises an RKO at WrestleMania.
• AJ Styles comes out and taunts Orton. He says he’ll wait until WrestleMania to destroy his leg.
• Styles kicks the crutch out from Orton’s leg, and Orton hits him with an RKO. 

Andrade (w/ Zelina) defeated Ricochet
6.25/10

• Still wondering why Andrade needed to get beaten by Humberto.
• He beats up a jobber and throws him on the floor.
• Ricochet makes the save and cuts a LAME promo. Woof.
• This match happens after a commercial, and Ricochet is amazing as usual.
• Andrade tries to take out Ricochet on the floor and ends up hitting a back body drop on it.
• That Andrade elbow. That Ricochet sell. PERFECT. One of the best I’ve ever seen from both in that regard.
• Ricochet hits the Final Cut suplex, but Zelina pushes him off the top rope. Hammerlock DDT wins it for Andrade.

WEDDING OF THE CENTURY

• Lana is backstage saying everyone is obsessed with her.
• Lashley isn’t wearing sleeves.
• Sami Zayn should have been shown ushering Lashley’s sisters to their seat, and then he could have said he applied for an usher’s license to get on Raw tonight.
• Lana isn’t happy that a line about children is in the reading. 
• This wedding sucks ass. At least Lana isn’t reading scripted lines. 
• She has vows prepared for Bobby Lashley. 
• Lashley’s makeup is all over Lana. 
• Big Rusev Day chants. 
• Lana’s first husband appears. He says “YOU SEE WE GOT MARRIED THE DAY SHE TURNED 18 AND LEFT ME FOR RUSEV.” 
• Lashley beats him up. 
• Lashley’s “first wife” comes out and Lana beats her up. 
• Liv Morgan shows up and says the love of her life is here, and she can’t let this happen. She’s not talking about Bobby, she’s talking about Lana. 
• They have an ECW-style catfight.
• This whole segment was absolute dogshit. 
• RUSEV emerges from the cake and attacks Lashley. He and Liv put them into the cake. 

Rating Guide

10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor

Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a “star rating,” which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive “TV match” lands at a 5. The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.
These are opinions, and incredibly inconsistent ones that may change upon a second viewing, or sitting on the match for a period of time. Don’t take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!