Match Ratings For WWE Raw 11/19/18, Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp Of Fightful.com

Opening Segment

• Baron Corbin and Stephanie McMahon are out to gloat about their Survivor Series wins.
• Corbin wants to be made permanent GM, but Stephanie has made some promises. Braun Strowman comes out and gets his match with Corbin for TLC.
• From a kayfabe standpoint, why wouldn’t Stephanie want Corbin in control after last night?
• If Strowman wins, he gets a WWE Universal Championship shot against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. If Corbin wins, he’s permanent Raw GM. If Corbin loses, he has no authority.
• Braun picks a TLC match as the stipulation
• Cool. Stakes for the TLC Raw main event
• Corbin tries to book Strowman against Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley, but Stephanie McMahon makes it a six man tag with Finn Balor and Elias on Braun’s side, and Corbin on the McIntyre/Lashley side.

Elimination Match
Braun Strowman, Elias & Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley and Baron Corbin via DQ (w/ Lio Rush)
4.5/10

• We’re told this is now an elimination match, which I’m cool with.
• Braun and McIntyre square off, and Braun gets the best of it.
• Finn Balor is SUPER OVER again, and gets tagged in to a big reaction. Corbin works him over a bit and hits a great Deep Six when Balor tries to tag out. 
• After getting beaten up by Lashley, Balor rolls through for a dropkick and tags Elias to a big pop. 
• Elias runs through a hot tag that isn’t that hot, and gets decked by Lashley.
• All the heels end up the outside and Balor tope con hilos them before being knocked off the top rope. 
• This match is a goddamn mess. Braun and Balor are taken out and Elias gets beaten down 3-on-1. This is really not good so far.
• Elias lands a nice flying elbow drop on Corbin, but Lashley breaks up the pin. 
• By the way, Balor was eliminated with the Claymore during a commercial break. Oh.
• Lio taunts Elias and tries to run away, but sets up a Lashley spear. 
• Braun makes a comeback to run through everyone in this generic match.
• All that for Strowman to hit a powerslam on Corbin and get hit with a chair. McIntyre is DQ’d? Eh? 
• So no finish. Strowman attacked and sent into the stairs. 
• Strowman is selling the arm big time. It’s revealed later that Strowman has a “shattered elbow.”
• This was a giant waste of time. WWE didn’t have the Raw script finalized until midway through this hour.

Burn it down!

• Seth Rollins comes out and talks about his issues with Ambrose. He said Ambrose never picked up the phone when he called to check on him.
• Rollins is LOOKIN FOR  A FIGHT.
• Dean Ambrose shows up on the TitanTron and says time has caught up to both of them and they’ll pay the price. “What comes around, goes around,” and basically says Roman Reigns got cancer because of what he did during The Shield. 
• Ambrose tells Rollins to come find him and fight him. Rollins finds security guard who acts like a dick, so Rollins decks him. LISA would have beat Rollins’ ass with the quickness
• “Motherf—er stop askin’ me”- Renee Young soon.
• Ambrose shows up on a screen and interrupts Charly Caruso. Rollins tries to track him down, but finds a door with “BURN IT DOWN” written on it.
• Ambrose is still hiding and playing mind games with Rollins, so Rollins just leaves the building.
• Ambrose comes out to the ring and acts like a dick, but Rollins shows up and attacks him and chases him into the crowd. Ambrose punches Rollins in the dick.

Nia Jax & Tamina defeated Sasha Banks & Bayley
5/10

• Yep this shoulda been a tag title tournament match.
• Sasha goes at Nia, which gets a great reaction.
• The babyfaces are quick to beat the hell out of Tamina, including a Sasha outside-in Meteora.
• Sasha is clotheslined on the floor by Tamina. She gets worked over a little bit, before coming back with a pop-up Meteora on Tamina.
• Bayley is tagged in and gets superkicked, but not pinned. That doesn’t make any sense for either of them. 
• Tamina is slow as syrup. Bayley gets a rope Stunner and a Thesz Press to set up a running knee.
• Nia Jax hits the Facebreaker on Bayley, and if there was any doubt about last week, it looks a lot more telegraphed this week.
• Samoan Drop gets it done for Nia.

Drake Maverick

• Really cool seeing 2011 WWE Tough Enough competitor Eric Watts backstage in the Drake Maverick segment.
• Heath Slater and Rhyno poke fun at Drake Maverick for pissing his pants.
• Bobby Roode and Chad Gable have a fun trolly time with this as well.
• I shoudn’t have laughed but I’m an immature child.

Lucha House Party Rules
Lucha House Party defeated The Revival
5/10

• Lucha House Party rules in this one — which just means it’s a handicap match.
• Dawson catches an enziguri mid air and counters it into a nice planted dragon screw.
• Dorado is tagged in and gets a nice springboard moonsault and a spinning head scissors. 
• Metalik has a goddamn pinata that is thrown around. Dorado wins with a Shooting Star Press.

Ronda Rousey

• Rousey comes out to a pretty good reaction, but gets boos when the music stops.
• Rousey says she knows how dangerous Nia Jax is, and takes a little shot at Becky Lynch. She’s facing Nia Jax at TLC.
• These Rousey promos are just heelish. Ronda Rousey just cut a promo from every Gatorade commercial I’ve ever seen.
• Rousey wants to face someone for the title. Baron Corbin comes out and denies that. Rousey tries to fight him instead. He grants her title match.

WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Ronda Rousey (c) defeated Mickie James
4/10

• Rousey lands strikes but gets clocked on the separation.
• Mickie lands some absolute garbage kicks, and goes to that well too many times. They didn’t look good.
• Rousey and Mickie aren’t on the same page at all.
• Rousey gets her throws, three Piper’s Pits and the armbar for the win.
• Tamina and Nia Jax stare Rousey down after the match.

Roode & Gable defeated AOP (w/ Drake Maverick)
5/10

• More like AOPee.
• Gable gets his ass kicked and applies a hanging armbar to Rezar. 
• “A-O-PEE-PEE. THATS GOOD SHIT PAL”
• Roode tags in, and pretty effectively takes care of both opponents.
• A Roodesault is escaped, but Gable does a super sunset flip for the win.
• I believe that’s AOP’s first 2 on 2 loss on the main roster
• Okay.

Natalya defeated Ruby Riott (w/ Riott Squad) 
5.25/10

• Natalya goes on the offensive before the commercial. We come back to Ruby turning the tides with an STO.
• I adore Ruby Riott’s senton.
• Riott Squad try to distract Natalya, but she reverses a pin for the win.