Match Ratings For WWE Raw 9/16/19 From Sean Ross Sapp

Seth Rollins and The FIEND party it up

• For some reason, Seth Rollins recaps all of the happenings from last night. Instead of WWE just showing us a video, we get a monologue.
• Rollins cares about losing the tag team titles, which is good.
• He cuts a promo on The Fiend, but Firefly Funhouse plays. This is a really cool dynamic.
• The rabbit warns Rollins to get away and run while he can.
• Wyatt’s delivery here is great, and Rollins’ reaction is great. I feel like there were too many camera cuts.
• Wyatt teases that he might show up later on.

Champion’s Summit

• Strowman shows up and says he’s gonna beat up whoever is in the ring next.
• Didn’t Roode and Ziggler beat The Revival in the turmoil match? Why are they pals now? Did I miss something?
• Braun comes out and runs through everyone at this “champion’s summit.”
• I need to see a battle royal or Royal Rumble where Braun throws out every single person.

The OC defeated Cedric Alexander and The Viking Raiders
5.5/10

• Cedric has some backup this time.
• There’s a good pop for Erick picking up Ivar to slam him on Gallows.
• The OC take over and Anderson hits a nice boot.
• Viking Raiders are going to get over. Their offense is awesome and gets pops all the way around.
• Styles beats Cedric with a Phenomenal Forearm.
• Raiders and OC are still at it. Ivar does a senton to the outside that hits NO ONE.
• Alexander and Styles are still fighting. Styles does a second rope Styles clash.
• Why didn’t all that happen during the match!?

WWE 24/7 Championship
Mayor Glen Jacobs defeated R-Truth (c) to become Champion
R-Truth defeated Mayor Glen Jacobs (c) to become champion.

• Mayor Glen Jacobs is giving R-Truth and Carmella a tour of Knoxville.
• He takes them to UT field and has a ref with him. Truth runs into a goal post trying to escape.
• Kane wins the title, and chants “I’ve still got it.”
• Truth rolls up Jacobs outside a limo, then warns him that being champion is a 24/7 job on top of all his others.
• They call a truce.

King of the Ring Finals
Baron Corbin defeated Chad Gable
8.25/10

• Gable controls things early and hits a nice dropkick.
• Before a commercial there’s a HUGE back body drop onto an office chair.
• The dreaded half nelson crossface, which is what Corbin does when he slows matches to a crawl. The Bossman spot hits, too.
• This match is methodical, but Gable is selling so well, and Corbin is working him over expertly.
• Gable hits some great rolling kicks in the corner, a much better method of using them. Corbin fires back with a pop-up powerslam.
• Gable works Corbin’s leg and says “you’re my size, now.” What a great touch.
• Deep Six hits or Corbin, then a Chaos Theory for Gable.
• Gable rolls through the End of Days and applies an Ankle Lock.
• A GREAT End of Days hits and Corbin wins.
• An amazing King of the Ring Final to cap off an exceptional tournament.
• This was outstanding. Don’t book Baron Corbin as a coward anymore. He had one of the best months in the ring that anyone on the WWE main roster will have this year.

Ricochet defeated Mike Kanellis
SQUASH
Rusev defeated Mike Kanellis
SQUASH

• This was an Attitude era shit segment in the nicest of ways.
• Maria Kanellis is at the gender reveal party and says she’s having a boy.
• She also says Ricochet is the father. Mike gets mad, slaps Ricochet, and challenges him.
• There were some “on the pole” jokes here.
• Ricochet beats him easily with the Recoil
• Maria wants to motivate Mike, and says the father of her baby is…….
• RUSEV?
• Kanellis doesn’t care and wants to leave. He has another match I guess.
• Machka kick, Accolade. Wow.

Rey Mysterio defeated Cesaro
6/10

• Not great mic work from Cesaro. He gets attacked before and hilariously asks if his match is now.
• He opens with a great European uppercut.
• He’s wrestling in joggers I think.
• There are some good spots, but the crowd doesn’t stay too hot for this. A whole lot of head scissors and such.
• Gorilla press gutbuster from Cesaro
• There’s a great suicide dive DDT from Rey.
• Cesaro muscles up Rey, but gets sunset flip bombed for the pin.
• This was really good and had a lot of high spots, but never got the audiences.

Backstage Crappenings

• Authors of Pain vignette. They were tag champs last year. This is a nice change. Soft tag teams. No hard men.

Boss N’ Hug Connection defeated Cross & Bliss
5.5/10

• Bliss lands a nice sunset flip bomb and a cannonball off the apron.
• Bliss’ leg gets hurt by Bayley outside the ring and trainers come to check on her, but it’s a work.
• Nikki gets worked over and finally goes off on Bayley. This was a nice twist.
• Nikki is getting over very well. Nikki Cross has made the most of every minute of TV time given to her since earlier this year.
• There was a rough tornado DDT from Nikki on Bayley, who also gets Au Revoir.
• Banks Statement applied and Nikki taps.
• Why didn’t Bayley and Sasha beat someone who weren’t the champs?
• Banks should have just taken the tag titles and said they were hers.
• Sasha and Becky have chairs and it’s a TERRIBLE looking spot.
• Charlotte comes out to back up Becky. Becky stands tall.
• Sasha Banks challenges Becky Lynch to a match at Hell in a Cell…. BITCH.

Lacey Evans defeated Dana Brooke
5.5/10

• I’m very happy to see Dana Brooke on Raw. She kicks Lacey right in the ass.
• Wouldn’t mind a Dana/Lacey team, though a veteran would make sense for both of them.
• Evans does a slingshot dropkick, what a great spot.
• Women’s Right hits, then a Sharpshooter for the win.

Seth Rollins defeated Bobby Roode (w/ Dolph Ziggler)
5.5/10

• This match makes a lot of sense after Roode pinned Rollins.
• Some great arm drags kick this one off. 
• Some good work here, but the crowd doesn’t give a damn. 
• Rollins superkicks Ziggler outside the ring!
• Buckle Bomb and Stomp have it won for Rollins, but Ziggler breaks it up. 
• The OC come out and join in on the attack. Magic Killer takes Rollins out, as does a Styles Clash. 
• THE DEMON KANE cleans house. Kane, who once played an imposter former WWE Champion, just chokeslammed Luke Gallows, who once played an impostor Kane.
• THE FIEND. He attacks Kane. This is perfect, as Kane won’t be around for a long time. 

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!