Match Ratings For WWE Raw 8/19/19, Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp

Roman Reigns defeated Dolph Ziggler
5.75/10

• Roman Reigns comes out, and we see a video package of all of the things that have happened to him.
• Ziggler sympathizes with Reigns and is glad he’s okay, but says a lot of bad things HAVE happened to him.
• Jerry Lawler is here to run through shitty one liners all night. Oh boy.
• Ziggler cheap shots Reigns with a superkick to make THE ULTIMATE UNDERDOG.
• Outside the ring, Ziggler hits a Zig Zag before a commercial.
• I find Reigns’ clotheslines to be the only bad part of his offense.
• Ziggler lands a Zig Zag, but kicks out of a Superman Punch.
• A Spear counter into a Fameasser was better in theory than execution.
• Reigns wins with a giant Spear.
• Ziggler turns matches that shouldn’t matter into at least entertaining affairs. I’m not sure how anyone could accuse Reigns of being a bad worker at this point.
• This was a good match, but the result was never in doubt.

King’s Court and such

• Becky Lynch brings up that Sasha Banks went home for four months
• Becky says that Sasha sat at home and did nothing and is hotter than ever because Becky brought up her name in a few press interviews.
• Jerry Lawler puts over King of the Ring. Leading up to King of the Ring, WWE has done a good job making it seem like it means something to those involved and those in the company.
• The Fiend’s entrance hits, and Lawler hits the bricks.
• It doesn’t matter. Mandible Claw on the stage.
• I loved this. It got Lawler on screen, kept Sasha from being overexposed, and was another legend for Fiend to kill.

Ricochet & The Miz defeated Baron Corbin & Drew McIntyre
5.75/10

• WWE is even going the G1 route with tag matches.
• I thought 2011 Sin Cara was about to do a run in with those lights.
• Vic Joseph is mercifully out for commentary.
• Baron Corbin wearing a shirt from the Shawn Michaels “reforming DX” collection. it works a lot better for him.
• Ricochet is the highlight of this match. A great run-up moonsault, rolling dropkick and standing star press.
• A wheel kick from Ricochet sets up the Skull Crushing Finale.
• I love that Corbin has added the chokeslam to his arsenal.
• Ricochet wins with a Recoil with help from the Miz.
• This was good stuff.

Backstage Crappenings

• Booker T Skypes in to talk King of the Ring. He picks Drew McIntyre to win KOTR.

WWE United States Championship
Braun Strowman defeated AJ Styles (c) (w/ The OC) via DQ
5/10 (short)

• This is another PPV match that is being burned on TV. It’ll have a lame finish, but it’s still burned.
• When someone is getting their first shot on main roster commentary, they make sure to get their “OOOOOOH” in, because WWE just loves that.
• Strowman repeatedly swats down Styles until the OC interfere.
• Seth Rollins makes the save in a baseball cap and says they’re even. But really, good. Stop making everyone look so uniform every week.
• Backstage, Rollins tells Strowman he’ll put in a good word for him to be a top contender, because he sees where it’s going. Tonight, he wants to team with Strowman to take on the OC in a tag title match. I liked this, it made the Raw Tag Team Titles a prize worth chasing for the top star.

King of the Ring Opening Round
Samoa Joe defeated Cesaro
6.25/10

• Cesaro immediately cracks Joe.
• They’re hitting each other HARD.
• This is the kind of match most expected from them.
• Cesaro booted the living shit out of Joe.
• Cesaro gets dead weighted on a suplex. I’d imagine that kick didn’t feel great.
• Joe’s uranage hits just a LITTLE HARDER than usual.
• Cesaro Swing into a Crossface, but Joe catches a springboard uppercut with the Coquina Clutch.
• Joe gets the win, and he needed it. A great way to start this tourney.

Elias

• WWE said Elias wouldn’t be here live tonight. He is. We see Drake trying to win the title over the weekend.
• He says its his farewell performance.
• He keeps having tech errors and R-Truth is in disguise as a sound engineer or something.
• Truth hits his finish, but can’t win. He goes after Elias with a guitar, but whiffs.
• Where’s everyone else?

Mysterio

• Rey Mysterio is being interviewed backstage.
• He says that his injuries have finally caught up to him and that what Andrade did hurt him.
• Rey Mysterio says he’s retiring and hanging up the mask, and his son keeps him from doing it. He wants to team with his father.
• Dominic is just as bad a promo as his dad. This is one of the most robotic promos I’ve ever seen. It was really a contrast.

The New Day defeated The Revival via DQ
5/10 (Short)

• Better do Revival/New Day to death so it’s not special when you get a title match.
• I really wish Xavier was in King of the Ring. At least we get a cool missile dropkick out of him here.
• Randy Orton shows up and hits Big E with an RKO right out of nowhere.
• This was great and got an awesome pop.
• Kofi came out and Revival and Orton lay waste. This angle rules.
• Kofi is forced to watch Xavier get his leg “broken.” Xavier screams and sells so well.

It’s Boss Time

• Michael Cole is interviewing Sasha Banks, who only cares about her hair.
• I think Michael Cole for sure underestimates how many people are talking about Sasha’s hair.
• Sasha doesn’t say anything.
• Later, Sasha attacks Natalya backstage. This is the most natural I’ve seen Sasha. “Go to hell Nattie, and tell your daddy I said hi.”
• I dunno how I feel about that. Promo, attack, delivery good. That may have been a bit far.

Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss defeated Fire & Desire
5.5/10

• Both Mandy and Sonya Deville are just flat out good.
• If they’re trying to get Fire & Desire over as contenders, why not have them beat other actual teams?
• I love how crisp and fast Mandy and Sonya’s strikes are, especially their knees.
• A distraction leads to The Purge getting the win for Cross.
• This would have made more sense as a title defense.

King of the Ring Opening Round
Cedric Alexander defeated Sami Zayn
5/10 (Short)

• Zayn landed a DEEP Michinoku Driver.
• Cedric wins with a Lumbar Check.
• Zayn is getting beat REGULARLY.
• I wish this got about 8 minutes, but whatever. I was hoping KOTR was the workhorse tourney.

WWE Raw Tag Team Championships
Braun Strowman & Seth Rollins defeated The OC (c) (w/ AJ Styles) to become champions
6/10

• Rollins and Strowman argue about focus and who should lead.
• The OC aren’t happy about this tag match, but Styles is.
• Rollins tries to get ahead of a blind tag, but gets taken out in the OC’s side of the ring.
• A back suplex/neckbreaker doesn’t finish the job for The OC on Rollins.
• Strowman comes out of nowhere and mows down Gallows and Styles
• A stomp gets it done and we have new tag champs.

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. Don’t take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!