Match Ratings For 12/3/18 WWE Raw, Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp Of Fightful.com

Opening Segment

• Ronda Rousey is set to team up with Natayla, but the match never gets started apparently. 
• The Riott Squad comes out and distracts Natalya and Rousey, while Tamina and Nia Jax attack Rousey.
• Rousey does her best to fight back. She sells her ribs a lot in every physical interaction she has.
• Riott Squad bring out a table. Liv and Sarah Logan powerbomb Natalya through a table off the apron as Ruby superkicks her.
• Rousey checks on Natalya to end the segment. She gets help for Natalya with the trainers backstage and mean mugs into the abyss.
• Alexa Bliss says that the match is still on, but that Ronda Rousey is going to need to find a new partner.

OPEN FORUM

• WWE is running back the open forum. You can tell Alexa Bliss is a GM because she’s wearing a jacket.
• Charly Caruso is out there asking questions.
• Someone jokes about Sasha Banks turning on Bayley, Sasha says that she’ll be Bayley’s tag team partner for life.
• Bayley says if she could have a superpower it would be to make Alexa disappear. 
• This is so lame, but that got a pop so whatever.
• Bayley says she wants to be the first WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. This gets a big pop
• Dana Brooke, Mickie James and Alicia Fox run down and get reprimanded. Mickie & Alicia vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley is booked next.

Bayley & Sasha Banks defeated Alicia Fox & Mickie James (w/ Dana Brooke)
5/10

• Alicia Fox hits a Northern Lights suplex right out of the gate.
• Fox creams Mickie James with a kick when Bayley moves out of the way.
• Sasha Banks gets a hot tag, and ends up applying the Banks Statement, but Mickie makes the save.
• Backstabber into the Bayley to Belly wins it for Sasha and Bayley.

Lucha House Party Rules!
Lucha House Party defeated Scott Dawson (w/ Dash Wilder)
4.5/10

• Scott Dawson cuts a promo about how Lucha House Party doesn’t respect anything, anyone or tag team wrestling, so he’ll make a point one on one.
• It’s announced as Lucha House Rules, so it’s three on one.
• I mean, Lucha House Party are just dicks. They do their assisted splash.
• Dawson applies a Gory Special, but he’s double teamed. Dash Wilder is taken out too.
• Salida Del Sol and ropewalk somersault senton win it.
• I dunno who this helps. I’m not sure who Lucha House party beating Scott Dawson 3-on-1 helps. The match was fine, it was just really stupid.
• Renee Young says the Revival plan on filing an official complaint.

Drew McIntyre appreciation night

• Baron Corbin brings Drew McIntyre out and shows a highlight video of Drew.
• Corbin awards Drew a gold medal, which he had made for him.
• Drew says that people backstage at Raw don’t have passion like he does. He’s interrupted by Dolph Ziggler, who is confused about why he wasn’t invited or in the highlight video. 
• McIntyre makes a short joke about Ziggler, he’s like six feet tall. McIntyre says he was always the brains, muscle and the talent.
• Ziggler snaps and drops McIntyre

Dolph Ziggler defeated Drew McIntyre
6/10

• Baron Corbin makes a match between the two. See a trend tonight?
• Ziggler starts off in control, but there’s some back and forth until McIntyre catches him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex.
• McIntyre gets a mic and says he’s taking it easy on Ziggler, and will pretend he’s Finn Balor instead.
• Balor comes out as we go to a commercial. 
• I get the feeling we’re going to see this match several times this month.
• Bammaslamma hits for Drew, but he gets dumped over the ropes and Ziggler gets aggressive outside the ring.
• Balor dropkicks McIntyre into the barricade when the ref isn’t looking. 
• McIntyre almost gets counted out, but slides in the ring and Ziggler superkicks him. Pinfall and a win for Ziggler.
• A livid Drew tells Charly Caruso backstage that Ziggler was just an asset, and he’s been living off of potential for a decade. He says Dolph wanted to get to the top of the mountain, but he is the mountain.
• Yep, you’re gonna hear Michael Cole call Drew McIntyre “the Mountain” at least 400 times in 2019

Walk With Elias

• Elias comes out and makes a Carmelo Anthony joke that doesn’t go over well. He’s been looking for Lashley.
• Just his luck, Lashley interrupts.
• I love that the ass pose is what sent Elias over the edge.
• Lashley gets out of the way, but Lio Rush gets hit with a guitar.
• Finn Balor had thrown Lio Rush back in the path of Elias.
• For suuuuuuuuuuuuure getting Drew & Bobby vs. Elias and Balor soon

If Roode & Gable Win, They Get A Title Shot
AOP & Drake Maverick defeated Roode & Gable
4.75/10

• Chad Gable and Bobby Roode want a title rematch. Corbin says if Bobby Roode can beat Drake Maverick, they’ll get it. AOP and Chad Gable are banned from ringside. 
• Maverick is not happy about this, he’s downright scared. He’s clocked by Roode.
• We see AOP attack Gable backstage, and Corbin makes it a 3-on-2 handicap match.
• Roode almost beats Maverick with a Glorious DDT, but AOP attack. 
• Gable comes out, but doesn’t help that much.
• Super Collider on both members, and Drake Maverick wants the pin. He gets it. 

Gas Masks For A Farty Show

• Dean Ambrose is out with sirens and a SWAT team with gas masks on.
• WWE took one of the hottest, most natural feuds, and turned it into an “all you people” feud. 
• That’s where this promo goes. He says “you people” have weak character and so does Rollins.
• This goes on a while, until Rollins’ music hits. He attacks from behind and takes out the SWAT team. He powerbombs one onto the pile.
• Ambrose pulls a SWAT member in front of a suicide dive.
• Ambrose tries to run off into the crowd, but Rollins catches him. Ambrose cracks Rollins with a gas mask. 
• The SWAT team helps jump Rollins and Ambrose gets Dirty Deeds in the ring.
• Renee Young isn’t happy about Corey Graves continually asking about Ambrose.

Loser Fired From Raw
Heath Slater defeated Rhyno
N/A

• Corbin tells Rhyno and Slater backstage there’s only room for one of them on Raw, and have to wrestle for their jobs.
• Rhyno attacks early, and tackles Slater.
• Slater wins with a neckbreaker. Okay.
• The match with stakes on the show lasts 45 seconds
• After the match, Corbin reveals to Slater that he’s actually staying on as a referee, not as a wrestler. 

Finn Balor defeated Jinder Mahal (w/ Singh Bros.)
4.75/10

• Jinder Mahal goes to Baron Corbin and offers to take care of Mahal.
• Last month was the first month since May they hadn’t wrestled.
• Nothing happened in this match until Apollo attacked the Singh Bros. for interfering.
• Mahal kicks Crews in the face and Balor tope con hilos him.
• Dropkick, Coup de Grace, that’s it. 
• Apollo’s integration here is interesting. Wait, I should say intriguing. I don’t wanna mislead you all into thinking it was interesting.
• This would be a plain ol’ 5/10, but WWE isn’t even trying.
• Drew McIntyre attacks Finn Balor backstage and NWA Champion Adam Pearce, among others, breaks it up. 

Ronda Rousey & Ember Moon defeated Tamina & Nia Jax
4.5/10

• We find out that Ember Moon is Ronda Rousey’s partner. Nia and Tamina bully Charly Caruso.
• Nia cuts a really lame promo about Tamina jumping Ember from behind so they don’t have to see her face. Nia Jax sounds like Marv from the Sticky Bandits in Home Alone revealing their entire plot to Kevin McAlister.
• Of course, Nia and Tamina attack from behind. Ember runs out and helps.
• Commerical break.
• We come back to see Ember screaming a lot and flipping out of an arm drag. Nia distracts and Ember gets kicked.
• Ember huracanranas out of a powerbomb, but Nia knocks Rousey off the apron.
• Nia accidentally gets knocked off the apron, and Rousey is tagged in. Rousey wants Nia.
• Nia gets in, but tags out immediately. Nia gets dragged in, and Tamina is pieced up with light punches. The big elbow looked good though.
• Rousey threw a run up kick that missed by a mile. Her footwork was a little off.
• Judo throw, Eclipse, Armbar. Rousey & Ember win. 

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.
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