By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,589)
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at Mohegan Sun Arena
Aired live November 6, 2023 on USA Network
[Hour One] Raw opened with a recap of the Crown Jewel premium live event… The Raw opening video aired… Pyro shot off on the stage… Michael Cole and Wade Barrett were on commentary…
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins made his entrance. Rollins welcomed viewers to “Monday Night Rollins.” He’s still a visionary and a revolutionary, and he said he’s still the world champion.
Rollins said he normally talks about himself, but he had two people to thank. Rollins thanked Drew McIntyre. He said they beat the hell out of each other and that’s the reason he’s not 100 percent, but he said he’s also better than he was before their match.
Rollins also praised McIntyre for being a man of his word when he said he wasn’t aligned with Judgment Day. Rollins said he wanted to thank the second person and invited him to come to the ring.
Sami Zayn made his entrance and did not have the stolen Money in the Bank briefcase with him. Rollins said he half expected Zayn to come out with the MITB briefcase. Rollins assumed that Adam Pearce made him return the briefcase once he showed up at Raw. Zayn confirmed that was the case.
Rollins said he may have been able to handle Priest on his own and acknowledged that he may not have been able to. Rollins thanked Zayn, who said he was happy that Rollins appreciated, but he didn’t do it for him.
Zayn said Judgment Day holds every title on Raw with the exception of the World Heavyweight Championship. Zayn said it would be The Bloodline 2.0 if they took possession of that title too. Zayn said he meant what he said last week about fighting Judgment Day as long as he has a breath left in his body.
Rollins said people like Zayn don’t always get what they deserve. Rollins said Judgment Day doesn’t run Raw, he does. Rollins said that the MITB contract isn’t the only way to get a shot at his title.
Rollins said he knew Pearce made Zayn give the briefcase back is that he spoke to him. Rollins told Zayn that he was getting a World Heavyweight Championship match and all he has to do is say when he wants it.
Zayn said he was caught off guard. Zayn said the first thing that came to mind is that when he wins the championship (he emphasized that he will win it eventually), he wants to be a champion who is not compromised. Zayn said he and Rollins go way back and everyone knows that Rollins isn’t one hundred percent.
Rollins asked Zayn if he is one hundred percent. He said that guys like them are not one hundred percent and yet it does not stop them from giving 100 percent. Rollins told Zayn that the title shot is his and he just has to say when. “Just say when?” Zayn asked before looking to the crowd. Zayn said he couldn’t think of a better place than “right here tonight.” Zayn offered Rollins a handshake, which Rollins accepted before leaving the ring…
Powell’s POV: As much as I expect the title match to end with Judgment Day interference, it’s still a very nice hook for the rest of the show. I also like that Zayn was forced to give the briefcase back as opposed to being allowed to run around with stolen property.
Inside the Judgment Day clubhouse, Dominik Mysterio spoke about how he could watch Logan Paul beat his father over and over again, but he enjoyed watching Rhea Ripley win at Crown Jewel even more.
Damian Priest stormed into the room and complained about Zayn stealing his briefcase and thus his title shot, yet being rewarded with a title shot. JD McDonagh, who wore a Priest t-shirt, said things didn’t go Priest’s way at Crown Jewel. Priest called him “smart guy” while saying he knew that already because it happened to him. Priest asked McDonagh if he bought the shirt, then told Finn Balor that they would handle New Day and “make things right around here”…
The New Day duo of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods made their entrance heading into the first commercial break… [C] Finn Balor and Damian Priest made their entrance…
1. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and Finn Balor vs. “New Day” Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in a non-title match. Cole played up New Day putting themselves in line for a title shot if they were victorious. Kingston and Woods got the better of the champions heading into an early break. [C]
Late in the match, Kingston dove off the apron at Priest, who caught him and gave him a Flatliner onto the broadcast table. In the ring, Woods caught Balor with a superkick and rolled him up for a two count. Priest took a shot at Woods from the floor. Balor followed up with a sling blade and then tagged in Priest, who entered the ring and held out his hand for Balor to tag. Priest put Woods down with a South of Heaven chokeslam and then Balor followed with a Coup de Grace and scored the pin…
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and Finn Balor defeated “New Day” Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in 9:05 in a non-title match.
Powell’s POV: I’m all for the champions getting a pinfall victory in a non-title match as opposed to the overused formula of the other team winning to set up a title match.
Footage aired from “earlier tonight” of Jackie Redmond approaching Drew McIntyre in the parking lot as he exited his SUV. Redmond said she knew things didn’t go McIntyre’s way at Crown Jewel and asked him what was next. McIntyre didn’t respond before he got back in his car and drove away…
Shinsuke Nakamura made his entrance… [C]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Akira Tozawa (w/Chad Gable, Otis). Tozawa was in the ring coming out of the break. Tozawa performed an early suicide dive. Tozawa went up top and was cut off by Nakamura. Cole noted that Maxxine wasn’t at ringside because she was preparing for the women’s battle royal. A graphic listed DIY vs. The Creed Brothers for later in the show.
Tozawa battled back and pulled Nakamura from the ropes with a huracanrana that led to a two count. Tozawa went to the ropes and played to the crowd before going for a senton. Nakaura put his knees up. Nakamura set up for his finisher, but Tozawa rolled him into a pin. Nakamura cut off Tozawa with a kick to the face and then hit the Kinshasa before getting the three count.
Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Akira Tozawa in 2:35.
After the match, Otis entered the ring and took his shirt off to indicate that he was ready to fight Nakamura, who blew him off by leaving the ring…
Powell’s POV: I’m surprised that Tozawa was given so much offense. Obviously, the right guy obviously went over. I don’t know what a Nakamura vs. Otis match will look like, but it appears we’ll find out soon enough.
Cole announced Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn for the World Heavyweight Championship was made official by Adam Pearce. Cole added that the title would be defended on Raw for the first time in five months… [C]
A Natalya video package aired. It acknowledged her Guinness records and she spoke about carrying the weight of her family’s legacy. She boasted that she is the most accomplished woman in the history of WWE…
A graphic for the women’s battle royal was shown. Becky Lynch is among the entrants…
Cole set up a video package with Raw general manager Adam Pearce speaking about the four wrestlers he booked in a four-way match for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship…
Ring announcer Samantha Irvin delivered the introductions for the four-way match. The Miz was out first followed by Bronson Reed, and Ivar and Valhalla… [C]
Mainstream headlines were shown regarding WWE Elimination Chamber being held in Perth, Australia. Cole hyped tickets going on sale on Friday…
Backstage, Pearce asked Rollins if he was sure he wanted to defend his title. Rollins said he appreciated the concern, but he is “born to run”… Cole asked if Pearce really thought Rollins would say no, then added that Rollins is a fighting champion…
[Hour Two] Ricochet made his entrance…
3. Ricochet vs. The Miz vs. Bronson Reed vs. Ivar in a four-way for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Ivar put Ricochet down with an early spin kick and covered him for a two count. Gunther was shown watching the match on a backstage television.
There was a wild spot where Ricochet was draped over the top rope. Ivar launched Ricochet into the air and then Ricochet performed a huracanrana on Reed on the way down. It was a wild spot, but Ricochet clutched the top of his head after landing on it.
Moments later, Ricochet performed a flip dive onto Ivar and Reed at ringside. The big men caught Ricochet and threw him at Miz. Ivar and Reed looked like they were going to square off, but they ran past one another and crashed into their opponents. Once they stood up, Ivar and Reed charged one another and hit simultaneous crossbody blocks. [C]
There was a tower of doom spot with Miz and Ricochet on bottom, Reed on the middle rope, and Ivar coming from the top rope. Gunther was shown laughing after watching the spot that drew “holy shit” chants from the crowd.
Miz broke up Ricohcet’s cover. Cole said he didn’t know what Ricochet was upset about since it was every man for himself. Miz punched Ricochet and hit him with a clothesline in the corner. Miz put Reed down with a crossbody block and then dropped Ivar with a DDT, which led to a big pop from the crowd.
Miz performed a couple of DDTs on Ricochet and covered him for a near fall. Cole said he wouldn’t imagine the last time Miz looked this good. Miz set up for his finisher on Ricochet, who took him down with an armdrag and followed up with a Recoil. Ricochet covered Miz, but Ivar broke up the pin with a splash.
Reed and Ivar went at it briefly. Ivar got the better of it and then squashed Miz in the corner. Ricochet put Ivar down with a kick. Ricochet and Miz fought and simultaneous forearm strikes and big boots, which left both men down.
Ivar and Reed both went up top. Ivar hit a moonsault on Ricochet, while Miz avoided Reed’s Tsunami splash. Ivar covered Ricochet while Miz covered Reed. Ricochet kicked out, while Miz got the three count on Reed.
The Miz defeated Bronson Reed, Ricochet, and Ivar in a four-way in 13:50 to earn a shot at the Intercontinental Championship.
There was some confusion after the match before Miz was named the winner. Ivar attacked Miz and left him lying after performing a top rope moonsault…
Powell’s POV: I’m not sure why they played up the confusion after the pin because it was easy to see that Ricochet kicked out while Miz successfully pinned Reed. It’s worth noting that the crowd got behind Miz, so his babyface run is off to a good start.
Backstage, Chad Gable gave Akira Tozawa a pep talk and said he needed to refocus for the Heritage Cup match on NXT. Gable said Alpha Academy would appear on NXT to support Tozawa, who then made his exit. Maxxine Durpri arrived and spoke about winning the battle royal. Gable suggested that she take on people her own size…
Cole announced that the redneck buffet chain was sponsoring the DIY vs. Creed Brothers match (unless that chain is a Dot Net advertiser, in which case I consider it to be a five-star fine dining experience!)… [C]
Cole ran through mainstream headlines regarding WWE Crown Jewel and noted that Logan Paul won the U.S. Title, and Kairi Sane returned…
The broadcast team recapped highlights of The Miz winning the four-way match only to be attacked by Ivar. Cole said Miz would challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Title at Survivor Series…
Highlights aired of The Creed Brothers beating Alpha Academy last week. Footage aired from earlier in the day of The Creeds and Ivy Nile signing Raw contracts. Adam Pearce said he’s exited to have them on Raw and didn’t know what they would be doing with “my buddy” on Friday nights. Nile spoke about being in the battle royal.
The DIY duo of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa showed up and had a friendly conversation about facing The Creeds, who were receptive. Pearce booked the match… Entrance for the match took place…
4. Julius Creed and Brutus Creed vs. “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Julius was seated on the mat when he hoisted up Gargano for a suplex and then got to his feet while holding him up. Gargano escaped. Ciampa hit Brutus with a knee strike. Gargano went for a suicide dive, but Julius knocked him down with a forearm. Ciampa took out Julius, and then Brutus hit a Brutus Ball dive from the apron. [C]
Ciampa put Brutus down with Willow’s Bell and then hit the Fairytale Ending on Julius. Ciampa went for the pin, but Julius kicked out. Gargano tagged in and then he and Ciampa set up for their Meet in the Middle finisher, but Brutus broke it up and ran Ciampa into the ringside barricade.
Ludwig Kaiser ran out and hit Gargano with a kick on the apron that the referee missed. The Creeds executed the Brutus Ball finisher on Gargano and then Brutus pinned him to win the match…
Julius Creed and Brutus Creed defeated “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa in 9:40.
Powell’s POV: A disappointing finish, yet not all that surprising given that they are trying to get both teams up and running on Raw.
The broadcast team set up footage of Sami Zayn challenging Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber in Montreal…
Zayn was shown watching the video in his locker room. Jey Uso entered the room and hugged Zayn. Jey told Zayn that he felt bad about how the match in Montreal went down. Zayn told Jey to forget about that. Jey fired up Zayn about winning the World Heavyweight Championship and wished him luck. Jey also said that he and Cody Rhodes will get their tag team title rematch on next week’s Raw… [C]
A graphic touted that WWE has topped 30 million subscribers on Instagram…
Becky Lynch was interviewed by Jackie Redmond on the backstage ring set. Lynch spoke about winning the battle royal and how her challenging Rhea Ripley would be the most anticipated match at Survivor Series.
Nia Jax showed up behind Lynch and said no one could throw her over the top rope to eliminate her, so she would win the battle royal. She said that would make her the happiest she’s been since she broke Lynch’s face.
Lynch said the funny thing is that she went on to win the main event at WrestleMania, while Jax went on to get fired. Lynch said it was good to have Jax back and then walked away…
Byron Saxton spoke with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven about being in the battle royal. Green said Tegan Nox being in the match gives off charity vibes. Green also laughed about the women who were just beaten by Rhea Ripley in the five-way at Crown Jewel.
Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark showed up. Baszler said she would tear apart the first person she sees in the battle royal and she might make sure that person is Green. Niven said it’s every woman for herself and walked away. Green offered a nervous laugh and said that was just a joke. Stark said it is every woman for herself. Baszler said she’d have her hand raised…
Nia Jax made her entrance for the battle royal followed by Kayden Carter and Katana Chance, Natalya, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. Becky Lynch’s entrance followed and she was attacked from behind by Xia Li. Adam Pearce and a group of referees ran out. Pearce scolded Li and kicked her out of the battle royal and ordered her to go backstage… [C]
Becky Lynch was shown seated on a trainer’s table and being informed that she would not be medically cleared…
Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Tegan Nox, Raquel Rodriguez made their entrances…
5. The Battle Royal for a shot at the Women’s World Championship. Nikki Cross stood in the middle of the ring and stared ahead as the match started. Maxxine Dupri, Indy Hartwell, and Ivy Nile were among the other entrants who did not get a televised entrance.
Rodriguez and Jax jawed at one another while Cross was between them staring ahead. Rodriguez and Jax stopped and looked at Cross, then threw her over the top rope together. Cross stood right up and stared ahead again.
[Hour Three] Maxxine put Niven in an armbar over the ropes. Nox shoved Niven over the top rope to eliminate her. Maxxine celebrated the elimination and was then eliminated by Jax. Cole noted that Cross was standing by the broadcast table and was still staring ahead.
Carter and Chance performed a double team move on Jax and then tried to eliminate Rodriguez, who fought them off. Chance used a head-scissors to pull Nile onto the apron with her and Carter. Nile kicked Carter into the ring post and she fell to the ground to be eliminated. Nile pressed Chance over her head and threw her onto Carter to eliminate Chance. [C]
Coming out of the break, Rodriguez eliminated Green. The remaining entrants were Natalya eliminated Hartwell,, and then Nile eliminated Natalya. Jax knocked Nox off the top rope to the floor and then mocked the crowd.
Nile tried to hoist up Jax, but couldn’t pull it off. Jax headbutted Nile and then hoisted her up on her shoulders. Baszler and Rodriguez threw kicks at Jax and then teamed up to eliminate her.
The final four were Nile, Baszler, Stark, and Rodriguez. Jax pulled Nile off the apron to eliminate her. Baszler and Stark indicated that they would work together. Baszler and Stark got Rodriguez onto apron and she held on to the ropes, but they eventually knocked her loose to eliminate her.
Baszler and Stark fought on the apron. Baszler put Stark in a Kirifuda Clutch, but gave it up once she realized that she would hit the mat first if Stark fell from the apron. Stark hit Baszler with three kicks and then DDT’d Baszler on the apron, causing her to fall to the floor…
Zoey Stark won the Battle Royal in 16:00 to earn a shot at the Women’s World Championship at Survivor Series.
Powell’s POV: I don’t think too many of us saw that one coming. In fact, a lot of people felt that Stark was only in the five-way match to take the pin. Stark hasn’t clicked as a personality yet, but she’s very good in the ring and she would have a hell of a match with Ripley if they actually follow through with that match.
Separate shots aired of Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins while Cole hyped their title match for later in the show… [C] A Tribute to the Troops video aired…
Jackie Redmond interviewed Rhea Ripley in the backstage area. Ripley was dismissive of her match with Stark and tried to turn the focus to next week’s tag team title match. Stark showed up and said she would have won the championship at Crown Jewel had it not been for Jax. Ripley pointed out that she beat four women, including Stark, and gave her an Avalanche Riptide. Stark said Ripley would remember her as the woman who took the title from her at Survivor Series…
The broadcast team were shown at ringside. Barrett held up a Philadelphia Eagles replica title belt. Cole and Barrett announced the following matches for next week’s Raw: The Miz vs. Ivar, Tegan Nox vs. Piper Niven, Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Otis, and Finn Balor and Damian Priest vs. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles…
Sami Zayn made his entrance for the main event… [C] Additional mainstream headlines regarding WWE Crown Jewel were shown while Cole ran through some of the match results. Footage aired of Solo Sikoa beating John Cena at WWE Crown Jewel. Cole played up the possibility that it was Cena’s final match…
Seth Rollins made his entrance. Samantha Irvin delivered in-ring introductions for the championship match…
6. Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn for the World Heavyweight Championship. The match started 25 minutes before the top of the hour. Some fans sang the “Ole” song in support of Zayn during the opening minute of the match. Rollins backed Zayn into the corner and slapped his hand on his chest before giving him a clean break. Fans chanted the Rollins’ entrance theme.
Zayn pushed Rollins against the ropes moments later and then slapped his back and gave him a clean break. Cole played up Zayn playing mind games and didn’t mention Rollins doing the same thing moments before. Zayn sent Rollins to the floor and then used the ropes to perform a flip. Rollins returned to the ring and went face to face with Zayn. [C]
Rollins caught Zayn with two kicks and a clothesline. Zayn rolled to the floor. Rollins hit Zayn with a suicide dive. Rollins, who had tape on his back, came up selling his lower back injury. Zayn returned to the ring and then performed a flip dive onto Rollins on the floor.
Zayn rolled Rollins back inside the ring. Rollins caught Zayn with a sling blade clothesline once Zayn entered the ring. Rollins hit Zayn with two running forearms in the corner. Zayn followed Rollins to the opposite corner and went for a Helluva Kick that Rollins avoided.
Rollins performed a springboard Swanton and a Lionsault for a near fall. Both wrestlers ended up on the apron where Rollins went for a Pedigree. Zayn countered by back dropping Rollins onto the apron. Rollins sold his lower back heading into the final break. [C]
Zayn put Rollins down with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. A fired up Cole noted that it was the same move that put JD McDonagh away at Crown Jewel. Zayn executed an exploder suplex. Zayn charged for a Helluva Kick, but Rollins caught him with a superkick and then a Pedigree for a good near fall. A “this is awesome” chant broke out.
Rollins went for a Stomp, but Zayn tackled him and put him in a Boston Crab. Rollins pulled toward the ropes. Zayn tried to drag Rollins back to the middle of the ring, but Rollins countered into a pin and got the three count.
Seth Rollins pinned Sami Zayn in 20:15 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
Zayn showed frustration after the match. Rollins got to his feet and was handed his title before he looked Zayn in the eye and offered his hand. Zayn shook Rollins’ hand and hugged him before raising his arm and exiting the ring.
Once Zayn was at ringside, he was attacked from behind by Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, and JD McDonagh. Rollins hit the Judgment Day members with a suicide dive, but he was quickly outnumbered and the brawl moved to the ring.
Jey Uso ran out and threw supericks at Balor and Dom and then speared McDonagh, but Priest put him down with a kick. Cody Rhodes ran out and fought with Priest at ringside before throwing him back inside the ring.
Adam Pearce, producers, referees, and security ran out and tried to pull the two sides apart. Pearce grabbed the mic and yelled, “Enough.” Pearce said that if “you four want to play games and you four want to play games, we’re going to play games in Chicago at Survivor Series it’s WarGames.” Cole said hell yeah.
Priest broke free and the fight resumed. Cody ran up the ropes and dove onto a bunch of foes and security guards. Cole played up WarGames while the brawl continued to close the show…
Powell’s POV: A clean finish and a very good match. That was fun and it more than made up for the lazy interference finish they gave us for last week’s main event. All but one match on this episode had a no nonsense finish. I hope that’s the start of a trend.
Overall, this was a very good episode and the post match angle set up the WarGames match that we knew was coming. But are they going with a four-on-four format this year or will each side ad a wrestler? Will the women have a WarGames match? I’m happy we got some big developments and yet we also didn’t get all of the answers in one episode.
I will have more to say about Raw in my weekly same night audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of Raw by grading it below.
How much time does Drew have left on his contract? Coz I can totally see it being the reason for him not winning this past Saturday.
So the CM Punk chats are starting up again I see..
Drew will end up being on the Judgement Day side and Orton(or maybe Punk,but probably not)will be on the other side.