Match Ratings, Podcast Notes From WWE Raw 10-8-18 From Sean Ross Sapp

Opening segment

• Triple H is out, and then Shawn Michaels. They’re back to having wrestlers throw to video clips.
• They talk about respect, and how people gain it from them, and how loyal they were to each other. They implied HBK respected Undertaker and stuck to his retirement word. 
• Michaels talks about the flight back and says it’s a long one. They say at WWE Crown Jewel, they’re ready. Imagine the stupid amount of money WWE is being paid that they could lure Shawn Michaels out of retirement after years. 

Bobby Lashley (w/ Lio Rush) defeated Kevin Owens
5.75/10 (Segment: 8/10)

• Lio Rush is out in a blazer with no shirt. He has a microphone during the match, which is heelish. This act needs to be heel, though. The last time they tried this gimmick was Prime Time Players & Abraham Washington in 2011. I was actually in the arena when that went south.
• Lashley does a leap from the floor to the apron and gets cracked. 
• The crowd cheers for Kevin Owens and Lio Rush trashes him and encourages them to cheer Lashley instead. 
• Lio says he knew Owens wasn’t going to dive because he’s not an athlete. Owens then does a dive and almost kills everyone involved. The thing is, I dunno how else you deliver or take that move when you’re Owens’ size. Everyone ends up okay and it looked great. 
• Owens gets tired of Lio and goes after him, but Lashley throws KO into stairs and the barricade.
• Lio is still trying to get a chant going for Lashley. It’s great heel stuff. 
• Lashley hits one of the most insane Spinebusters I’ve ever seen. A hanging vertical suplex doesn’t finish off Kevin Owens.
• We get a FULL NELSON deep into the match — by the way, Lashley should use a full nelson slam. I’m starting to think Owens should use the Stunner, too. 
• Rush distracts Owens, who gets knocked off the top rope. Lashley kicks Owens inside out and wins with a Yokosuka Cutter.
• After the match, Lashley delivers a FANTASTIC beat down on Kevin Owens’ leg. This was great.
• Isolated, this match rating won’t tell the story of this match. WWE did a whole lot of right here. EVERYBODY in that segment gained a lot, and so did the viewers.
• After, we see Bayley and Finn Balor saying they’re both Batman. Lashley and Lio Rush interrupt. Lio Rush and Lashley immediately are a main event act.

Elias

• Elias is super over, as per usual. This is a hot crowd. 
• He wrote a song about how things unfolded at Super Show-down in Australia. 
• He trolls John Cena’s hair, and then the Cubs not advancing. Thank you, Elias. 
• Ronda Rousey’s music hits and we get an insane pop. 

Ronda Rousey & Bella Twins defeated Riott Squad
6/10 (angle 7/10)

• I think they expected more of a reaction for the Liv/Brie stuff, but Liv walloped her. Brie went for a Yes Kick, but Liv dodged it. They have to be separated on the outside of the ring.
• Sarah Logan and Rousey tag in. It was nice to see Rousey as a supporting player.
• Riott does a nice STO to Brie outside the ring, but Brie takes a terrible hiptoss from Logan. They’re definitely trying to get Brie’s reps in. 
• Ronda gets the hot tag, and she’s looking better every single week. She targets Ruby, and hits a lot of great offense between a throw, her Samoan drop, strikes and armbar. 
• This was a good six-woman tag match. Legit enjoyed it more than any tag on NJPW this morning. 
• The Bellas turn on Rousey. She takes out Brie, then throws Nikki around. I really don’t need Nikki vs. Rousey headlining, but I don’t mind it being a title match.
• Rousey gets jumped, thrown into the stairs and the barricade. 

Backstage Crappenings

• John Cena is in the WWE World Cup. So is Balor, Lashley, Mahal, Big Show. Good on them pushing this. They’re getting better at pushing things like they’re important even if they’re really not.
• Heath Slater wants to be in the battle royal and represent West Virginia.

Team B & B defeated Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox (w/ Sunil Singh)
5.25/10

• Balor and Bayley do an assisted huracanrana. Other than that, it’s a great crowd reacting to Balor playing the hits. He’s really over there.
• Balor wins with the Coup de Grace.
• This is the best thing for both of them as long as Sasha Banks isn’t on the show. This is a Mixed Match Challenge commercial. The crowd brought it up from being just at par.

El Conquistador (Kurt Angle) wins a battle royal to qualify for the WWE World Cup
5.25/10 (angle 6.5/10)

• The return of a Conquistador!
• Baron Corbin put a bunch of jobbers in the battle royal.
• Russia: Gregor Valkan. Egypt: The Sultan of Schwarma. Mexico: El Hombre Si Nobre. Poland: Stanislav the Squeezer. Chile: The Chilean Seabass. Antarctica: Winston Von Voorhees. Belgium: The Belgium Waffler. Spain: Los Conquistador. Luxembourg: Thunder Montgomery.
• They all jump Corbin, except Conquistador, who sits outside. Corbin throws everyone out. 
• Kurt Angle’s comedic timing is still there. He’s the Conquistador, and everyone knows it.
• Triple German suplexes and Olympic Slam. Conquistador wins!
• He takes off the mask. It’s Angle, and the place comes unglued. 
• Backstage, Angle says he’s still on vacation.

Ember Moon defeated Nia Jax via countout
5.75/10

• This match is in “the spirit of competition.” It’s very much a commercial to get people to vote for her for the People’s Choice Awards.
• Handshake starts things out, and I like that Ember couldn’t land an arm drag.
• Ember can’t get anything going until a big pop-up huracanrana. 
• Ember bounced off Nia on a hellacious suicide dive and gets yanked out of the ring.
• Nia Jax eats the LED board HARD and gets counted out. This was really short, a sprint, and very good. 
• Nia comes in the ring and hugs Ember Moon. 

WWE EVOLUTION

• Trish Stratus comes out  and is interrupted by Mickie James and Alexa Bliss.
• Trish Stratus makes a short joke about Alexa Bliss. It got a reaction, but man that was lame.
• Mickie James says she and Alexa should team up at Evolution. Trish reveals that Lita will be her partner. 
• The babyfaces beat up the heels and you see why it was switched to a tag team match. It was the right call.

Chad Gable & Bobby Roode defeated the Ascension
4.5/10

• Konnor cuts a promo about beating Gable & Viktor, and says Ascension will send them to the Wasteland.
• I hate CM Punk chants, but over a month of Gable & Roode against the Ascension will cause that. Tough to follow up a slapper of a Raw with this.
• The faces win with a Chaos Theory from Gable. 
• AOP runs down and kills everyone. It was hilarious to see them running to the ring. 
• Drake Maverick is making fashion statements with HEAVY CONTRAST WEEKLY!

Paul Heyman

• Heyman cuts a promo about how Brock Lesnar isn’t there tonight, and how it’s all about him. You’ve heard it before, but I’m happy he name dropped the Death Clutch gym.
• They’re really pushing “Brock Lesnar doesn’t care” still. 
• He’s interrupted by The Shield.

Dogs of War defeated The Shield
7.5/10

• Dolph Ziggler pisses off Drew McIntyre for trying to call the shots and give a pep talk. He says that Ziggler lost in Australia, not him. Strowman says they’re there to watch his back and he doesn’t want any more excuses. Amazing how they had someone so over.
• We get two really early commercials, but the action picks up after the first.
• A Rollins kick on Strowman looked SNUG, and Reigns gets a great reaction for jumping over the top rope onto the pile. Ziggler landed on a Buckle Bomb oddly too. 
• Rollins is working from underneath and getting cut off. 
• If they’re running back a bunch of matches, this is the place to do it. The crowd is hot. 
• Strowman goes off on Ziggler for not carrying his weight. McIntyre isn’t pleased and gets in Strowman’s face. They’re sent into each other twice.
• Ambrose catches McIntyre with a rolling neckbreaker. He’s really added to his offense.
• Ziggler and Rollins double suplex themselves over the top rope, and Strowman gets speared by Reigns. McIntyre with a Claymore on Ambrose for the win!
• Dean Ambrose walks out alone.