By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,532)
Live from St. Paul, Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center
Aired October 3, 2022 on USA Network
[Hour One] The Raw opening aired… The broadcast team was Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton, and Mike Rome was the ring announcer… Judgment Day made their entrance for the opening match while Smith touted the news of Daniel Cormier serving as special referee for the Fight Pit match at Extreme Rules.
Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, and Dominik Mysterio stood inside the ring and delivered a brief promo. Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles made their entrance and brawled with Balor and Priest. Dom pulled Balor to ringside… [C]
1. Finn Balor and Damian Priest (w/Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio) vs. Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles. The match was joined in progress. Rey was isolated by the heel duo and the broadcast team played up the distraction that Dom’s presence was for his father.
Styles tagged and worked over Priest. Styles set up for a Styles Clash, but Priest pushed Styles toward the ropes, which Balor held open, causing Styles to tumble to the floor heading into a break. [C] Smith noted that Styles was isolated by the heels throughout the break.
Styles rallied with a double DDT. Rey approached Ripley at ringside, but Dom stepped in front of her, dropped to his knees, and dared Rey to hit him. Styles wanted to tag out. Ripley put Rey down with a clothesline. In the ring, Balor caught Styles with a kick and then finished him off with a Coup De Grace…
Finn Balor and Damian Priest defeated Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles.
After the match, Styles took issue with Rey leaving him alone. Styles shoved Rey, who left the ring. Judgment Day attacked Styles. Balor barked at Styles for not listening to him. Priest chokeslammed Styles and then the group mugged over Styles…
Powell’s POV: A good segment in terms of putting heat on Judgment Day while also dividing Rey and Styles. For those following this report live, I encountered some computer issues so I fell a bit behind, but I should be able to catch up quickly.
Footage aired from earlier in the day of Kevin Patrick interviewing Bobby Lashley, who spoke about beating the best in the business. He said he wants to face someone who has the same hustle and desire that he had.
Mustafa Ali showed up and said he had plenty of desire, but he’s sitting in the back waiting for someone to call his number. He said he was done waiting. Lashley told Ali to keep hustling and grinding and he’d make sure he gets his opportunity. Ali said he wasn’t asking for a damn thing, he was demanding it. Lashley took offense and said he would get his opportunity… [C]
A Red Cross donation piece aired for hurricane relief…
Backstage, Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso clowned around while Solo Sikoa stood by and smiled. Jey Uso showed up and asked what was so funny. He said they were there on business and were supposed to let everyone know that Roman Reigns would be appearing on next week’s season premiere.
The Bloodline foursome ran into “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. Zayn said Reigns would be in the house next week and said they should be prepared to acknowledge him. Jey told Ford that if he said something negative about Reigns he would give him a matching boot (the camera showed Ford was wearing a walking boot on his right foot). Dawkins threatened to break his boot off in Jey’s ass. Sikoa stepped up and set up a match with Dawkins for later in the show…
2. U.S. Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Mustafa Ali in a non-title match. Lashley dodged a dropkick attempt from Ali after the bell rang. Lashley dominated Ali early on and set up for a spear, but Ali caught him with a kick. Ali rallied with a tornado DDT. Lashley rolled to the floor. Ali hit him with a suicide dive. Lashley put Ali down with a clunky clothesline. [C]
Lashley eventually hoisted up Ali on his shoulders and ran him into the ring post. Lashley picked up Ali and tossed him into the timekeepers’ area. Lashley returned to the ring and told the referee to count out Ali. However, Ali beat the ref’s count at the last moment. Lashley acted surprised and then speared Ali. Lashley put Ali in the Hurt Lock. Ali fought it and faded…
U.S. Champion Bobby Lashley defeated Mustafa Ali in roughly 8:30 in a non-title match.
After the match, Lashley leaned over to help Ali up, but Seth Rollins showed up and attacked Lashley from behind. Rollins put Lashley down with a Stomp. Rollins played into the crowd’s boos and teased leaving, but then he spotted Ali at ringside and hit him with a Stomp. Smith said the Rollins and Matt Riddle face to face segment was up next… [C]
Powell’s POV: Ali showed heart and Lashley was about to help him up, so I assume he’s a babyface even though he came off heelish during the backstage angle.
Footage aired from after last week’s Raw concluded with Rollins attacking Riddle, which led to the two of them brawling. In the ring, Rollins welcomed everyone to Monday Night Rollins.
[Hour Two] Rollins set up a video package that showed off the Fight Pit with footage from past Fight Pit matches from NXT. Rollins delivered a sinister laugh about what he intends to do to Riddle inside the Fight Pit. He said he would show Riddle what he already showed Cody Rhodes, which is that he’s the most dangerous man in the industry.
Matt Riddle made his entrance without the scooter, which Rollins acknowledged. Rollins labeled himself the king of the Fight Pit. Riddle pointed out that Rollins has never even been in a Fight Pit match. Riddle entered the ring and was reminded by Rollins that they have a no contact clause. The crowd booed. Rollins said that if Riddle laid a finger on him, then their match would be off.
Riddle told him not to worry about the no contact rule. He told Rollins that he intends to kill him on Saturday at Extreme Rules. Riddle got the crowd to chant “Bro” to the tune of Rollins’ entrance music. Rollins told Riddle that Daniel Cormier is a fan of his and would have his back on Saturday.
Rollins said Riddle has a nice singing voice and asked if he sings his children to bed at night. “Oh, that’s right, you’re not allowed to see your kids anymore, are you?” Rollins encouraged Riddle to hit him. Rollins said they have a big money fight on Saturday and Riddle needs all the money he can get because child support is expensive.
Riddle told Rollins to back up because of his bad breath. He also asked Rollins when the last time he held a title was. He taunted him over Roman Reigns choking him out in his last shot at the title. Riddle also said Rollins hasn’t headlined WrestleMania, but his wife has. Riddle said Rollins will come second to him just as he is second to his wife.
Daniel Cormier appeared on the big screen and told them to stop. Cormier said that for all the people who were wondering who he is, he said he’s one of the greatest UFC champions of all-time. He said he respects Riddle coming from his world, and Rollins also knows that he respects him.
Cormier said he was contacted to make sure that only one man left the Fight Pit. He told Rollins and Riddle that it was time for the talking to end and said he would see them both in Philadelphia. Rollins and Riddle went face to face. Rollins knocked Riddle’s hat off his head and left the ring…
Powell’s POV: It’s a shame they didn’t have Cormier on the show in person, but he was likable enough in his video. I don’t know how much he means to pro wrestling fans, but he is a legitimate fan of pro wrestling and has expressed interest in the past in doing business with WWE. More than anything, it was good to see them feature a Fight Pit video package rather than just assume that the masses saw one of the NXT matches.
Candice LeRae was walking backstage when she encountered Bianca Belair, Asuka, and Alexa Bliss. The latest QR code appeared on the screen and had a quick sound effect. Belair wished LeRae good luck in her match against Dakota Kai… [C]
The Miz spoke on the phone with his wife Maryse. He questioned what happened to Tommaso Ciampa and said he hadn’t seen him in weeks. Miz spoke about how Maryse would throw him a birthday bash in Brooklyn next week. Dexter Lumis appeared in a doorway behind Miz. A crew member tried to talk to Miz, who blew him off. Miz left the room and then Lumis popped his head in the doorway again…
The broadcast team was shown at their table. Graves said he was texting Maryse about Lumis and worried that Lumis would ruin Miz’s birthday bash…
3. Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai (w/Bayley, Iyo Sky). Both entrances were televised. LeRae didn’t get much of a reaction again this week. LeRae ran Kai’s head into the turnbuckle, causing her to fall off the apron. LeRae dropkicked Kai through the ropes and then performed a springboard crossbody block. [C]
The crowd pepped up a bit when LeRae threw a flurry of strikes at Kai in the corner. A short time later, LeRae went to the ropes, but Kai blasted her with a boot to the face. Kai followed up with a superplex attempt. LeRae slipped under Kai to avoid the superplex and then dumped her face first on the turnbuckle. LeRae followed up with a German suplex from the ropes. Sky climbed onto the apron and distracted the referee while Bayley clotheslined LeRae over the top rope, which led to Kai scoring the pin…
Dakota Kai defeated Candice LeRae in 11:00.
Johnny Gargano was walking backstage when he spotted The Miz laid out on a production crate. Gargano woke up Miz, who had one of Dexter Lumis’s drawings in his hand. A flustered Miz ran off and then broadcast team hyped Gargano’s match against Otis for after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: It felt a little odd to see LeRae lose the way she did only for the show to cut backstage to Gargano, who seemed to be either unaware or uninterested in what happened to his wife. That would have worked for The Way version of Gargano, but it was strange for the babyface Gargano character. The finish was more of the same when it comes to Damage CTRL matches, and it also seemed odd that Belair, Asuka, and Bliss were content to hang out backstage while LeRae was shorthanded against the heel trio.
St. Paul imagery was shown and focussed on the Minnesota Wild…
Sarah Schreiber interviewed Bayley, who was with Sky and Kai in the backstage area. Bayley said she would leave Sky and Kai backstage during her contract signing with Bianca Belair. Bayley warned Belair that she asked for his…
The broadcast team acknowledged the death of Antonio Inoki…
4. Johnny Gargano vs. Otis (w/Austin Theory, Chad Gable). Both entrances were televised. Otis and Gable didn’t seem to get much love from their home state crowd. Theory sat in on commentary. Otis was dominant early and received boos when he asked the crowd who the man is.
Gargano avoided a press slam and countered into a DDT for a near fall. The match spilled over to ringside. Gargano threw punches at Theory and then performed a tornado DDT on Otis on the floor. Gable distracted the referee and then Theory hit Gargano from behind with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Otis powerslammed Gargano and pinned him…
Otis defeated Johnny Gargano in 5:40.
After the match, the heels ganged up on Gargano. Braun Strowman made his entrance and took out Otis with a shoulder block. Gable and Theory ran away, but Strowman was able to grab Gable while Theory escaped. Strowman threw Gable inside the ring and told the referee to call for the bell.
5. Braun Strowman vs. Chad Gable (w/Otis). Strowman tossed Gable onto Otis at ringside. [C] Strowman was down behind the broadcast table coming out of the break. Footage aired of Otis tossing Strowman over the table, and then being ejected by the referee during the break. Strowman returned to the ring and took a German suplex from Gable, which led to a near fall. Omos and MVP were shown watching the match on a backstage monitor.
Strowman caught Gable on the turnbuckle, but Gable put him in an armbar over the ropes. Strowman powered him up. Gable escaped and put Strowman down with a dropkick. Gable went for a top rope moonsault that Strowman avoided. Gable landed on his feet and was then put down with a big boot. Strowman powerbombed Gable and then pinned him…
Braun Strowman defeated Chad Gable in 8:45.
Bianca Belair was shown walking backstage…
Powell’s POV: A far more entertaining match than anticipated. Gable was given plenty of offense thanks to the Otis interference, and that German suplex was especially impressive.
Smith touted the most first-day ticket sales for the Royal Rumble in the history of the event…
A trainer tended to Lashley and then left the room. Kevin Patrick showed up and asked him how he was doing after the Seth Rollins attack. Lashley said he would crush Rollins’ throat so he would never have to hear his cackle again. Lashley said he would finish off whatever is left of Rollins after Riddle is done with him. Lashley said he would put his title on the line against Rollins next week…
Corey Graves stood in the ring where ladders and the contract signing table and chairs were set up.
[Hour Three] Bayley made her entrance without her usual sidekicks and then Graves introduced Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair for the contract signing. Bayley spoke about girls in the crowd wearing EST t-shirts. She said they used to wear her t-shirts, but they stopped caring and her career spiraled.
Belair eventually told her to shut up. Graves noted that both women signed the contract. Another code was on the back of the contract signing folder. Belair told Bayley that things didn’t work for her because she was pretending to be something she was not. Belair said she’s her true self and that’s why the fans connect with her.
Bayley eventually stated that Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai would be by her side at Extreme Rules. She wondered what they were doing. Cameras cut backstage and showed Sky and Kai beating up Asuka and Alexa Bliss. Bayley pulled a distracted Belair over the table and threw punches at her. Belair eventually escaped and tried to run to the back, but Bayley caught up to her. Belair ran Bayley into the ring apron and then ran backstage. Bayley sat on the ground and laughed.
Belair made it backstage and checked on Asuka and Bliss. Asuka sold a right knee injury. An angry Bliss looked into the camera and said it’s not over. She challenged Iyo Sky to face her later in the show… [C]
Powell’s POV: I like the way Bayley played on babyface past in an attempt to explain why she’s now so jaded. That said, the build to Belair vs. Bayley has been underwhelming. On the bright side, I’ll be surprised if they don’t produce a quality ladder match on Saturday.
An ad aired for NXT. Graves hyped the Pretty Deadly segment. Saxton said he heard that The Brawling Brutes would be showing up on Tuesday’s NXT show… The broadcast team ran through the Extreme Rules lineup…
The Bloodline made their entrance (minus Roman Reigns). The broadcast team hyped Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet for Smackdown. The Street Profits made their entrance…
6. Solo Sikoa (w/Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn) vs. Angelo Dawkins (w/Montez Ford). Ford moved around pretty well in his walking boot during Dawkins’ entrance. Dawkins hit an early dropkick. Sikoa rolled to ringside and threw a fit. When he tried to return to the ring, Dawkins punched him. Sikoa grabbed a chair and had to be talked down by Zayn. Jey stepped in and told Zayn that Sikoa is his brother and he would handle it. [C]
Sikoa took offensive control and hit a running hip attack in the corner. Sikoa went for another, but Dawkins caught him with a step-up enzuigiri. Dawkins performed a flying back elbow and a flurry of offense that resulted in a two count.
Sami Zayn climbed on the apron and jawed at the referee. Jey Uso climbed onto the apron and bickered with Zayn. Sikoa caught Dawkins with a superkick and had the pin, but the referee was slow to count due to Zayn and Jey. Dawkins sent Sikoa to ringside with a shoulder block.
Zayn checked on Sikoa until Jey pulled him back and told him to let him get his brother. Zayn pulled Jey back. Jimmy got between the two. Dawkins hit a flip dive onto both Usos while Zayn stepped aside. Zayn jawed at Dawkins, who dropped him with a punch. When Dawkins returned to the ring, Sikoa hit him with a spin kick and then followed up with a uranage slam and scored the pin…
Solo Sikoa beat Angelo Dawkins in 12:20.
Powell’s POV: The usual fun involving Jey and Sami. Their bickering actually made it feel like Dawkins had a chance to steal a win.
Backstage, Austin Theory told Otis that he did exactly what he needed to do in the ring. Chad Gable struggled into the picture and Theory told him he did great. Theory said he would face Johnny Gargano on next week’s Raw…
Smith hyped Alexa Bliss vs. Iyo Sky for later in the show… [C]
Powell’s POV: Are they really going with another Bliss main event?
Edge delivered a promo while seated in the corner of the ring at an undisclosed location. He recalled being forced to retire. He said he can’t quit. He said that he was able to return at age 46 and things have been more difficult since he returned. He said he’s not looking for sympathy.
Edge said it’s taking a toll on his family and it’s tough to hide it from his daughters when his bones crack when he wakes up in the morning. He also said his wife wants him to come out of this whole and that ship may have already sailed. Edge said maybe he’s insane or selfish, but he can’t apologize.
Edge spoke about Judgment Day. He said he has to be a one man gang. He said all four members of Judgment Day can’t hurt him enough to make him say he quits. He said he hopes they are ready for a war because he damn sure is…
Powell’s POV: It’s interesting that Edge is bringing up his family during his final promo before Extreme Rules. It’s not the first time he’s brought them up, but it did leave me wondering if Judgment Day will make him say he quits by doing something to his family during his I Quit match with Finn Balor at Extreme Rules…
The broadcast team hyped the following matches and segments for next week’s Raw season premiere in Brooklyn: The Bloodline appear, Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins for the U.S. Championship, Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Theory, the 25 years of DX celebration…
Alexa Bliss and Bianca Belair made their entrance. Bliss didn’t bring the stupid Lilly doll to the ring with her, but it was all over her video wall… [C] An Axiom video aired to promote NXT. For some reason, they used the NXT 2.0 logo… Damage CTRL made their entrance…
7. Alexa Bliss (w/Bianca Belair) vs. Iyo Sky (w/Bayley, Dakota Kai). Bliss caught Sky in a waist lock. Sky jumped feet first through the ropes, causing Bliss to land on the bottom rope. Bliss avoided a kick and slid to ringside where Sky dropkicked her. [C]
Bliss hit Twisted Bliss and had the pin, but Bayley climbed onto the apron and distracted the referee. Belair ran over and went after Bayley, but she was outnumbered when Kai helped Bayley. Bliss took them out and then returned to the ring only to be slammed to the mat. Sky followed up with a top rope moonsault and scored the pin.
Iyo Sky beat Alexa Bliss in 9:15.
After the match, Bayley, Kai, and Sky used their numbers advantage to get the better of Belair and Bliss. Asuka limped out with a kendo stick in her hand and hit Kai with it. Sky dropkicked Asuka through the ropes. Asuka slid inside the ring. Sky and Kai dropped a ladder on her legs.
Bayley placed Bliss between the ladder and then Sky and Kai kicked both sides. Bayley played to the booing crowd. Bayley picked up Belair and held her in the corner while Kai hit her with a boot to the head. Bayley put Belair down with her Rose Plant finisher, then performed the same move on Bliss. Bayley grabbed the Raw Women’s Championship and then climbed to the top of the ladder while Sky and Kai climbed halfway up and posed with her…
Smith hyped the ladder match while a graphic for the match was shown. Graves hyped the Fight Pit match. Saxton hyped next week’s Raw season premiere episode… Matt Riddle, Judgment Day, and Johnny Gargano were listed in a graphic for Raw Talk…
Powell’s POV: I understood when Raw went with a lighter than usual main event when Bliss vs. Bayley headlined the show that ran opposite the Monday Night Football doubleheader a couple weeks ago, but I was surprised to see them go with this main event tonight. The post match angle put some heat on the heels via the numbers advantage created by the Asuka injury, but it’s not like they couldn’t have done the same angle earlier in the night.
Overall, there were some lazy distraction finishes that brought things down a notch, but it was a pretty good episode in terms of delivering the brand’s final push for Extreme Rules. I will have more to say about Raw in my weekly same night audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
WWE was sensible enough to have their show hosted in St. Paul this time and not draw their fans to Minneapolis. I bet Zygi wishes that he was in Arden Hills like originally planned.
Raw may not have been 100% tonight, but at least it was better that abomination of a football game (yes, I am a Rams fan).
Wrestlers make their own matches, a guy says he’s going to kill another guy….when that happens in AEW people bash it, yet here, no mention of it…..hmmm……
It was addressed in audio last night. I’m dealing with a bad keyboard on my laptop, so last night’s report was lighter on analysis than usual while I try to navigate this separate keyboard.
I agree with MJoseph. Raw and SDL need some type of “management”. No need for an Uber-Evil authority figure. Just someone who appears to be in charge (and not random Pierce). The way NXT utilized Regal for the most part would be a solid blue print
Honestly someone dry like Lance Storm would be reminiscent of the Jack Tunney days
If the event hadn’t taken place in that God forsaken state of Minnesota, it likely would have been an awesome show, but alas, Minnesota and the people that reside their just plain suck!!