Match Ratings For 9/21/20 WWE Raw From Sean Ross Sapp

Retribution

• Retribution signed contracts, so they can do whatever they want? They already were.
• Mia Yim, Mercedes Martinez, Dio Maddin, DIJAK and one other guy are there.
• Dijak looks like Dollar Store Bane. What is going on?
• COLLECT YOUR PAYCHECKS LIKE WHORES!
• The Hurt Business is here.
• Now that Retribution have WWE contracts, I think they’re obligated to beg off and cower away.
• Why is commentary ignoring the fact that we clearly see and know who these people are?
• There are so many holes and inconsistencies here. This promo was really terrible.
• There’s an even worse one backstage. Basically, Retribution doesn’t like money.
• This camera work. Jesus, man. THIS DOES NOT HELP. IT DOES NOT LOOK GOOD. They’re attacking babyfaces backstage.
• Hurt Business beat up some of the Retrbution goons backstage.

Top Contender Match
Angel Garza & Andrade defeated Buddy Murphy & Seth Rollins and Dominik Mysterio & Humberto Carrillo
5/10

• I love that Angel Garza only wanted to start the match to throw his pants at someone’s face.
• Dominik and Carrillo do dives in stereo.
• Seth Rollins just abandons Buddy Murphy. I’m all for Murphy and Rollins doing a program, and I get this was to advance that. However, it’s things like Rollins walking out on a potential tag title shot that undermine the value of the titles.
• Andrade and Garza win with a Wing Clipper. Great! We’ve needed an Andrade & Garza vs. Street Profits match!
• I’m all for the idea of a Humberto Carrillo/Dominik Mysterio team. I mean sure, Humberto will turn heel in five weeks, but that sounds pretty cool too compared to what he’s done so far.

KO Show

• Kevin Owens brings out Shane McMahon.
• Shane brings out Dabba Kato. Shane is still exhausted from jogging to the ring.
• Kevin Owens brings out Braun Strowman.
• Shane doesn’t want Braun and Dabba Kato to fight here.
• Aleister Black shows up and attacks Kevin Owens ballsack.

Keith Lee vs. Drew McIntyre ends in a no contest
5.75/10

• Drew McIntyre is all business for this match.
• Keith Lee knocks Drew outside, but gets Singh Bombed through a table.
• Drew flips out of a Spirit Bomb and gets a spinebuster.
• They really go at each other until Randy Orton interferes.
• Nothing better than doing a match that they shouldn’t have done at all twice, and non-finishing it twice! This was a good match, though.
• Orton punts Keith Lee.
• Orton is upset that people would even doubt that he could show up at Clash of Champions.
• This is a great promo. Randy Orton is doing some of the best work of his career all year. He mentions knowing how Edge and all the people he laid out felt.

Zelina defeated Mickie James
4.5/10

• Zelina has no wins this year going into this match.
• She applies the Octopus hold. Mickie powers out but eats a kick.
• There was a really slow huracanrana by Zelina that didn’t get the shoulders down.
• They need to get Zelina some reps, which they probably should have been doing on Main Event.
• Mickie does the flying Thesz Press.
• Zelina wins with a Backstabber.

Other Stuff

• Bianca Belair has new vignettes a half-year into her main roster run. Why isn’t she challenging for the title?

24/7

• Akira Tozawa has a referee on the beach.
• R-Truth runs away from a shark and loses his 24/7 Title.
• He eventually finds it. This was horrible.

Apollo Crews (w/ Ricochet) defeated Cedric Alexander (w/ MVP)
5.75/10

• Apollo Crews and Cedric cut promos on each other that were for sure written for them.
• Cedric Alexander has my favorite Michinoku Driver of all-time.
• Apollo has been doing this frog crossbody, and it’s called as such by commentary. He also does a uranage hold into a Samoan Drop.
• Apollo Crews does some incredible dives, but then has to wait around on Cedric to dive on him.
• Cedric gets in Ricochet’s face, then Apollo cradles Cedric for the win.
• Hurt Business come out and attack Ricochet and Apollo.
• Apollo has ANOTHER MATCH against Lashley Sunday. Woof.

Raw Underground
Dolph Ziggler defeated Arturo Ruas

• Arturo Ruas took control for much of this, he applied an armbar at one point.
• This is very back and forth.
• Ruas did a flying scissor sweep into a kneebar and BIT Ziggler.
• Sleeper puts Ruas out.

Raw Underground
Riddick Moss defeated Erik

• Riddick Moss and Erik doing the Max Holloway point and the ground and slug it out spot.
• Moss ends up knocking out Erik.
• Clearly no big plans for Erik without Ivar
• Dabba Kato says talk is cheap. Briana Brandy is helping host this.

Raw Underground
Braun Strowman defeated Dabba Kato

• Braun Strowman tries to apply a rear naked choke.
• This is terrible. But Braun cracks Dabba Kato and wins

WHO IS YOUR PAPI

• Seth Rollins comes out with documents and shows pictures from WWE’s DIRT RAG WEBSITE.
• The Mysterio family comes out.
• Seth Rollins says he has DNA results of who Dominik’s father really is.
• Rollins says Mysterio is NOT the father.
• Mysterio’s wife and daughter are laughing about it.
• It’s Aliyah who isn’t Rey’s daughter.
• Is Buddy Murphy the father!? Is Aliyah Mysterio actually Larry Steve’s sister!??!?!?
• Mysterio pleads with Rollins and calls Aliyah naive and she runs off MAD.
• Aliyah is salty backstage.

Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defeated Lana & Natalya
SQUASH

• Shayna takes over and beats Lana quick with a gutrench slam and a Kirafuda Clutch.
• Riott Squad are in their Beetlejuice gear.
• Lana gets Samoan dropped through a table again. The camera shakes. It’s weird.

Billie Kay and Peyton Royce both want a title shot, and say they’re still friends even though they can’t team together. Asuka says nobody is ready for her.

Asuka defeated Peyton Royce (w/ Billie Kay) via DQ
5.5/10

• Peyton Royce gets beaten up pretty early, but she’s keeping up with Asuka.
• Royce does a version of the Widow’s Peak, without the throat hold.
• Asuka Lock into a pin attempt and wheel kick.
• Peyton and Asuka are going 100 MPH and it’s really good.
• Zelina interferes for the DQ and dips out when Asuka attacks.
• I’m wondering why they “split” the IIconics just to have them still hang out all the time.

The Hurt Business defeated Retribution via DQ
4.5/10

• What are their names!??!? THIS IS SO STUPID.
• MACE, SLAPJACK AND T-BAR.
• So what’s the angle here? They’re PC veterans, but commentary isn’t supposed to reference the names we’ve known them as for years?
• This match isn’t even good. Lashley’s spinebuster is though.
• An ILLEGAL MAN DQ.
• This was one of the least cohesive episodes of Raw I’ve ever seen.
• Retribution goons and the Raw roster come out.
• Drew McIntyre gets hit with an RKO.

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!