By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw on the USA Network
Aired live on November 18, 2019 from Boston, Massachusetts at TD Garden
[Hour One] The Raw opening video kicked off the show… The broadcast team was Vic Joseph and Jerry Lawler…
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch made her entrance. Lynch told Shayna Baszler that she was “right here.” Lynch said she doesn’t give a bullocks about brand supremacy. She said she and Baszler didn’t have to wait for Sunday, they could end it tonight. “After all, what better place for an Irish person to fight than right here in Boston.”
“The IIconics” Peyton Royce and Billie Kay made their entrance and spoke as they walked to the ring. They said it was an oversight that they had been left off Team Raw at Survivor Series. Lynch said she knew that she was supposed to be teaming with Charlotte Flair, but she was willing to face them both on her own.
Charlotte Flair made her entrance with a mic in hand. Flair said Lynch didn’t want to tag with her and she didn’t want to tag with Lynch either, “but the forces want us together.” Flair said she will be leading Team Raw against Team Smackdown and Team Smackdown in the Triple Threat elimination match.
Samoa Joe made his entrance dressed in a suit and with a brace or cast on his right hand. Joseph wondered what Joe was doing as the show cut to an early commercial break… [C]
Powell’s POV: It’s comical that WWE officials clearly know that Lynch vs. Flair has been overexposed and scripts both women to make comments about it, yet they just can’t stop themselves from putting them in the ring together either as opponents or as a tag team.
1. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair vs. “The IIconics” Peyton Royce and Billie Kay. Samoa Joe was on commentary coming out of the break. Flair was isolated early in the match. She came back and put Kay in the Figure 8. Lynch cut off Royce from breaking up the pin and gave her an exploder, then Kay tapped out.
Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair beat “The IIconics” Peyton Royce and Billie Kay in 2:20.
After the match, Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir, and Jessamyn Duke attacked The IIconics while Lynch and Flair were heading up the ramp. Lynch and Flair ran back to the ring and were quickly outnumbered and left lying for a moment. The NXT trio exited through the crowd. Lynch and Flair regrouped and then ran after them, but security stopped them. Lynch punched out one of the security guards… [C] An ad for Survivor Series focused on Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio for the WWE Championship…
Powell’s POV: A basic and effective angle. I was sold on the Lynch vs. Baszler (and Bayley) match from the start and they’ve done a consistently good job of putting heat on Baszler leading up to the match.
An ad for WWE TLC in Minneapolis listed Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin in a tables match, The Kabuki Warriors vs. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a TLC match for the WWE Women’s Tag Titles, and Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley in a standard match….
A graphic boasted that Raw was the most socially active show on all of television… The broadcast team recapped Becky Lynch punching out the security guard while a slow motion replay aired…
Charly Caruso interviewed Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins on the backstage set about earning a Raw Tag Title match. “The AOP” Akam and Rezar showed up and went face to face with them, then beat them up and left them lying…
2. Humberto Carrillo vs. Karl Anderson (w/AJ Styles, Luke Gallows). Before the match, Styles cut a promo saying he would love to defend his U.S. Title against Carrillo, but he disrespected him last week. Carrillo got the better of Anderson and set up for his moonsault finisher, but Styles and Gallows pulled Anderson from the ring. The Street Profits made their entrance. Carrillo performed a flip dive onto The OC trio going into a break. [C]
The Street Profits were in the corner of Carrillo coming out of the break. Joe snuck in a “Hot Karl” line on commentary. Carrillo picked up a couple of near falls. Anderson caught him going for a springboard move and gave him a spinebuster for a two count. Late in the match, Styles ran interference while Gallows clotheslined Carrillo via the top rope. Anderson put Carrillo in an inside cradle, but Montez Ford pushed Anderson over so that Carrillo was on top. The referee made the count while the Ford and Angelo Dawkins prevented Gallows from entering the ring…
Humberto Carrillo defeated Karl Anderson.
Powell’s POV: More of a cute win than a real momentum builder for Carrillo. After all, he was unable to put away Anderson on his own. And as great as Anderson is in the ring, he’s not exactly pushed like a major singles force in WWE. Nevertheless, it’s nice to see Carrillo winning matches.
Charly Caruso interviewed Seth Rollins on the backstage interview set. Rollins received a lot of boos from the live crowd. Rollins said he had no choice but to put his spot on the Survivor Series on the line because he wouldn’t be a good leader if he didn’t. Rollins worked in a Tom Brady reference to win over the locals. Rollins said he would prove its Monday Night Rollins by burning it down. After Rollins left, Caruso said they had some breaking news that had to be seen to be believed… [C]
A sponsored ad featured “highlights” of last week’s Rusev, Lana, and Bobby Lashley segment…
Bobby Lashley and Lana made their entrance for Lashley’s match against No Way Jose. Lana said it’s the happiest day of her life because she filed for divorce this morning. She also said she filed a restraining order against him. A document that used their real names was shown on the big screen. Lana said Rusev isn’t allowed within 90 miles of her. Lashley whispered into her ear. She said she loves when he corrects her, Rusev isn’t allowed within 90 feet of her…
3. Bobby Lashley (w/Lana) vs. No Way Jose. Jose’s entrance was not televised. Joe remained on commentary (and will likely stick around for the remainder of the show). Lashley destroyed Jose and applied a Full Nelson and got the submission win.
Bobby Lashley defeated No Way Jose.
After the match, Lashley and Lana made out in the ring together… The broadcast team hyped Kevin Owens vs. Drew McIntyre for later in the show, and Rollins vs. Andrade for after the break… [C] An ad for NXT Takeover: WarGames was advertised for WWE Network on Saturday…
Powell’s POV: The return of the Full Nelson as a finisher! Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules Hernandez would be proud. Meanwhile, I think it’s hilarious that they used Rusev and Lana’s real names in the document as if it will somehow lead the masses to believe this is a shoot.
4. Seth Rollins vs. Andrade (w/Zelina Vega) for a spot on Team Raw at Survivor Series. Zelina cut a brief promo boasting that Andrade would captain Team Raw once he won this match.
[Hour Two] Andrade threw a nice dropkick and went for a cover, but Rollins just threw him right off. Rollins came back with a dropkick of his own on a seated Andrade and covered him, but Andrade kicked out at one. Rollins went for a springboard move, but Vega grabbed his foot. Andrade knocked a distracted Rollins off the apron. Rollins caught Vega going for a huracanrana from the apron and dumped her hard onto the floor. The referee ejected Vega. Andrade performed a corkscrew dive onto Rollins going into a break. [C]
Late in the match, Rollins went up top for a move when he was suddenly shoved off by Kalisto for the DQ.
Seth Rollins defeated Andrade by DQ in 15:15.
After the match, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik joined Kalisto in putting the boots to Rollins. Samoa Joe laughed and said it was beautiful. Andrade looked surprised. The Lucha House Party trio entered the ring wearing Smackdown shirts that had “FOX” written on the back. Lucha House Party attacked Andrade. Rollins returned and helped Andrade clear them from the ring. Rollins told Andrade that they would do it again somewhere down the road…
Powell’s POV: The kid friendly Lucha House Party trio attack Raw’s top babyface out of brand loyalty. The Survivor Series brandy rivalry concept always feels forced and the involvement of NXT is just making it more palatable.
Joseph said that if you want to challenge Raw on its own turf then you better bring your A game. Joe said Rollins might be a better team captain than he gave him credit for. Joseph announced that Ryder and Hawkins were not medically able to compete in the tag title match due to the AOP attack…
Buddy Murphy was shown walking backstage. Murphy knocked on Aleister Black’s locker room door and said he was there to pick a fight with him. When Black didn’t answer, Murphy said Black was all talk, just as he thought. Murphy walked away. Black opened the door and looked around, but Murphy was already around the corner…
Powell’s POV: Was Black watching The Mandalorian on Disney Plus? Maybe the Monday Night Football game? Answer the damn door.
Triple H was shown arriving at the building in an SUV with two more SUV’s following. Hunter was on his phone and motioned for the other cars to wait. Joseph said there was no doubt that Hunter brought his army with him to Raw… [C] A WrestleMania 36 ad aired…
Footage of CM Punk’s surprise appearance at the end of last week’s WWE Backstage was shown. Joseph hyped Punk appearing live on tomorrow night’s show…
5. Akira Tozawa vs. Buddy Murphy. Before the match, Tozawa was featured in a pre-tape and said he had a message for Murphy. Tozawa spoke in Japanese, then smiled and gave a thumbs up. Tozawa caught Murphy with a nice superkick a few minutes into the match. Tozawa performed a suplex into a bridge for a near fall. Tozawa followed up with a shining wizard for a near fall.
Later, Tozawa performed an inverted huracanrana, Murphy tumbled to ringside. Tozawa followed him with a dive, then rolled him back inside the ring. Tozawa went up top and caught Murphy with a senton as he was hanging over the ropes, which led to a near fall. Murphy came back and hit Murphy’s Law and scored the pin…
Buddy Murphy defeated Akira Tozawa in 6:40.
Erick Rowan was shown talking baby talk through a cage… [C]
Powell’s POV: The only thing more generic than the name Buddy Murphy is Buddy Murphy’s entrance music. That said, it was an entertaining match and Tozawa won over the crowd with his in-ring work.
Murphy was walking backstage when he stopped at Black’s door and called his name. Black met Murphy in the hallway and glared at him…
Erick Rowan carried his pet cage to the ring while coming out for a match. The Singh Brothers ran out and were followed by R-Truth. Rowan clotheslined the Singh Brothers. R-Truth stopped in his tracks. Rowan went to the ring for his match…
6. Erick Rowan vs. Alex Malcom. Rowan tossed Malcom onto the Singhs, then performed a running cross body block onto all three men. Back inside the ring, Rowan performed his Iron Claw slam and scored the pin…
Erick Rowan defeated Alex Malcom in 0:50.
Powell’s POV: Please let there be a ferret inside the cage.
The broadcast team hyped Owens vs. McIntyre for after the break…
Caruso interviewed Randy Orton on the interview set and asked if he could put aside his personal issues long enough to work with his Team Raw teammates. Orton said history shows he doesn’t work well with others. Orton said he heard the Viking Raiders were looking for a fight. Orton told Caruso to tell them that he’ll be in the ring later waiting for a fight with a partner of his choosing that will benefit him…
An ad for Friday Night Smackdown hyped that wrestlers from Raw, Smackdown, and NXT would converge on Chicago for Survivor Series weekend… [C] A WWE Network ad aired and focused on Survivor Series, TLC, and upcoming shows (Rollins, Trish Stratus, and Sting were among those featured for documentary style shows)…
7. Kevin Owens vs. Drew McIntyre. Lawler noted that the WarGames matches will hurt the NXT wrestlers who have to wrestle the next night at Survivor Series, then said Raw was doing the same thing by booking these Team Raw wrestlers against one another. Joe said Owens and McIntyre were sadly mistaken if they thought they could patch up their differences in just a few days. McIntyre caught Owens on the apron from the floor and then threw him into the barricade going into a break. [C]
[Hour Three] McIntyre and Owens hit one another with big moves and traded near falls. Owens went up top and went for a senton bomb, but McIntyre put his knees up. McIntyre got to his feet and set up for his finisher, but Owens caught him with a superkick. Owens went for a Stunner, but McIntyre pushed him off and hit a Claymore Kick. McIntyre covered Owens, who put his foot on the bottom rope to break the count.
Owens came back with a Stunner. Owens struggled to make the cover and this time McIntyre put his foot on the bottom rope. McIntyre came back with a DDT for a near fall. Owens hit a second Stunner a short time later. Before he could roll over to make the pin, Triple H’s music played and he walked onto the stage. [C]
Kevin Owens fought Drew McIntyre to an apparent no-contest.
Coming out of the break, Triple H stood in the ring with Kevin Owens and had a crew member give him a water, which he handed to Owens (McIntyre was nowhere to be found). NXT wrestlers Damian Priest, Dominik Dijakovic, and “The Forgotten Sons” Jaxson Ryker, Steve Cutler, and Wesley Blake were all standing at ringside.
Triple H said Boston is a great place. He said it was just down the road that he trained with Killer Kowalski, who beat him until he was ready to take on the world. Hunter said he got to wrestle in the Boston Garden, which was in the shadow of the current building. Hunter said magic happens in Boston and he’s ready to make some magic.
Hunter said Owens was a special breed in that he turned on his own best friend so that he could win the NXT Championship, then he took the championship to Raw and challenged John Cena to a fight. Hunter recalled Cena being hospitalized and Owens standing with a foot on the U.S. Title while holding up the NXT Title. Hunter said Owens did as much as anyone to legitimize NXT.
Triple H said Owens probably didn’t want to leave and yet he was taken by people who didn’t want him. He said Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon both fired Owens and told him over and over again that he didn’t belong here. Triple H said he sees a guy who doesn’t “fit the damn mold and I love it.”
Triple H said the NXT wrestlers weren’t there to attack Owens. He said they were there to make sure they could have this conversation. He pointed out that Owens’ Raw teammates hadn’t even tried to make sure he was okay. Eventually, a group of Raw wrestlers came out and fought with the NXT crew. The Undisputed Era showed up and then The OC joined the fight for the Raw side. The Undisputed Era celebrated in the crowd while The OC stood in the ring…
Powell’s POV: I get that it’s one of those weeks where WWE can book television matches they don’t want to give clean finishes to and just have rival brands interfere, but it would have been nice to have actually seen the finish or have it acknowledged. Even so, it was a really good back and forth match with Owens and McIntyre going above and beyond. Triple H’s promo was very well done and sets the table for Owens to either turn on Team Raw and rejoin NXT or to be the hero who rejects NXT and stands by Team Raw on Sunday.
Caruso finally addressed the “breaking news” she mentioned earlier. First, she said AJ Styles would defend the U.S. Title against Humberto Carrillo on next week’s Raw. She interviewed Carrillo, who spoke briefly about how excited he is. Caruso threw it to Paul Heyman for the second part of the breaking news.
Heyman was seated in a dark room and introduced himself as the advocate for Brock Lesnar. Heyman walked through the story of Lesnar and Mysterio while highlights of their feud was shown, including the pipe attack by Mysterio. Heyman said the official position is that Lesnar is healthy and good to go. He said there were wild rumors that Lesnar was injured and vulnerable.
Heyman announced that the WWE Championship match would be a no holds barred match. Heyman said he would make no predictions. He said Mysterio would either pull off the upset and defend his family’s honor or Lesnar would massacre Mysterio to the point that the footage would have to be pulled from WWE history. Heyman said in that scenario, it wouldn’t be a five second match, it would be public torture.
Caruso interviewed Mysterio on the set. Mysterio called in Carrillo and spoke about how proud he is making everyone and wished him luck in his match against Styles. Mysterio turned his focus to the No Holds Barred match and said he accepts the stipulation. Mysterio showed off the pipe he beat Lesnar with and said he’s already shown what he can do with a little help from his friend.
Mysterio said he would hunt Lesnar down and make him pay for attacking his son. Mysterio said the old him would demand an apology, but they both know that’s not Lesnar’s style. Mysterio said that’s okay because he wasn’t coming for an apology, he’s coming for the WWE Championship. Mysterio spoke in Spanish and then said, “This is for you, son”…
The Kabuki Warriors made their entrance… [C]
Powell’s POV: The initial No Holds Barred announcement didn’t live up to the hype, but the promos from Heyman and Mysterio more than made up for it. I like that Heyman made it clear that this won’t be a brief match while questioning whether it would be a miracle or a massacre. Mysterio continues to shine on the mic in his role as the angry father out for revenge.
Joseph hyped WWE Backstage and footage aired of Punk’s appearance on last week’s show…
8. Asuka (w/Kairi Sane) vs. Natalya. Lawler said it was the first time that Asuka and Natalya met in a singles match, and Joe said they are two of the best in the business. Natalya got the better of the opening exchange. Asuka smiled and raved about Natalya’s big American penis (whoops, this isn’t South Park), er, offered her a handshake. When Natalya tired to accept, Asuka pulled her hand away.
Late in the match, Natalya knocked Sane down when she spotted her attempting to interfere. Asuka kicked Natalya through the ropes. Natalya came back and ran her into the barricade, then rolled her back inside the ring. Natalya turned and jawed at Sane, then took a kick from Asuka, who pinned her…
Asuka pinned Natalya in 4:40.
Joseph hyped The Viking Raiders vs. Orton and his partner for after the break… [C] An ad for Wednesday’s NXT television show hyped the Adam Cole vs. Dominik Dijakovic in a ladder match for the man advantage for their respective WarGames team…
Randy Orton made his entrance for the tag match. The Viking Raiders made their entrance. Orton looked to the stage and then Ricochet made his entrance…
9. Raw Tag Team Champions “The Viking Raiders” Erik and Ivar vs. Randy Orton and Ricochet in a non-title match. Joe questioned whether Orton or Ricochet was playing the bigger mind game – Orton for asking Ricochet to be his partner or Ricochet for showing up. Ricochet ran the ropes for a flip dive and Orton tagged him. Erik caught Ricochet diving, but Orton hit him from behind. Ivar went for a suicide dive, but Orton hit him.
Backstage, Dolph Zigger, Bobby Roode, and Cesaro were dressed in Smackdown t-shirts and hats while attacking Eric Young and another wrestler who were dressed in Raw t-shirts. Cedric Alexander showed up in a Raw t-shirt and joined the fight. [C]
Powell’s POV: It’s nice that these wrestlers all just happened to wear their brand t-shirts tonight even if they don’t have anything going at Survivor Series.
Late in the match, Orton struck a Viper’s Pose when the AC/DC Smackdown theme played. Lucha House Party, Roode, Ziggler, Cesaro, and Heavy Machinery attacked the four wrestlers in the ring. The bell rang to end the match.
The Viking Raiders fought Randy Orton and Ricochet to a no-contest in 8:15.
The Viking Raiders, Orton, and Ricochet ended up standing tall in the ring. NXT wrestlers Pete Dunne, Keith Lee, Matt Riddle, Isiah “Swerve” Scott, and Lio Rush came out and left the Smackdown wrestlers lying.
The Forgotten Sons and Dominik Dijakovic entered through the crowd and went into the ring where they took finishing moves from the Raw wrestlers. The wrestlers from all three brands started brawling. Seth Rollins’ entrance music played and he ran out with The OC, The Street Profits, and Humberto Carrillo to join the fight.
Triple H appeared on the screen from backstage and said this is the beginning of the end. He said they will show the world that NXT is the A Brand. He said that Wednesday night is an open door for Raw or Smackdown. The brawl continued in and around the ring. Lee threw Carrillo from the ring onto the Street Profits and others at ringside and then the show went off the air…
Powell’s POV: NXT has definitely made the Survivor Series more interesting than usual, but the big show closing brawls feel formula no matter how many wrestlers are involved. Anyone who has been watching long enough knows that everything will go back to normal after Sunday night. I did like the plug for NXT having open doors on Wednesday night, as that’s a smart strategy to entice viewers to watch in hopes of seeing Raw and Smackdown wrestlers. The only negative is that after watching this show, we know that any match that looks Takeover worthy will likely end due to outside interference. I will have a lot more to say about this show in my weekly audio review for Dot Net Members. Let me know what you thought of the show by giving it a letter grade in our post show poll.
Btw, did we ever get that breaking news that Charly Caruso mentioned?
Well goddamn, pal. We can’t be expected to deliver on something that we just announced, can we? Hell. It’s like you people have functioning brains with memory capabilities. That’s not what Prichard has been telling me. Now where’s my steak wrap, DAMNIT!?
That wrap better be another steak, pal!
An inverted Frankensteiner for not even a near fall and a toss from the ring apron to the barricade for a commercial break. Omg the first one should of been the finisher and the other should of been a career ending injury angle. You could light someone on fire and they’d kick out at 2!
She revealed it as the US title match between AJ Stlyes and Humberto Carrillo, and the addition of the No Holds Barred stipulation to Mysterio vs Lesnar. It’s mentioned in this report.
Two hours later, moron.
“The entire Smackdown roster is here!” shouts Lawler as 7 people run out 😀 😀