The Fiserv Forum is host to this evening’s Monday Night Raw broadcast in Milwaukee, WI on 11/26/18, as we head towards TLC.
Acting RAW GM, or as he’s now known, General Manager Elect”, Baron Corbin, is out to begin this week’s broadcast by laying down the law. They recount the events of last week that left Braun Strowman on the shelf with a forthcoming elbow surgery. He’ll miss TLC, they stated as much.
Corbin has Bobby Lashley, Lio Rush, and Drew Mcintyre flanking him, and they are interrupted by Elias.
As we “walk with Elias”, he runs down a list of candidates who’d be better at running the show than Corbin himself. He mocks Lio Rush, Drake Maverick and a smattering of others. There is a song about how “Bobby Lashley sucks” and, “The Almighty”, as they are calling him now, isn’t pleased. He’ll have a chance to silence Elias, as they compete in singles action in a match to begin the broadcast.
“The Almighty” Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush defeats Elias via pin fall after interference from GM Corbin, Lio Rush and Drew McIntyre.
Lashley displays his power early in the match, pummeling Elias and using his strength to keep the former drifter grounded. Elias mounts the comeback to the delight of the Milwaukee fans, and in the end, Elias is about to come away with the victory after a well placed elbow, but Lio Rush yanks the referee out of the ring and he calls for the bell.
Before Elias can get his hand raised, Baron Corbin announces that before he was so rudely interrupted earlier, he neglected to mention that this contest is a No DQ match and we continue. Elias eliminates the outside interference, but just as Elias tries to pull off his best Jeff Jarrett impression with a guitar shot, Corbin and the others ground him.
Steel chair shots ring true as Elias pays the price for fighting the good fight. He is further brutalized on the outside before he eats a Claymore kick from Mcintyre. McIntyre hits the reverse Alabama Slam on the steel steps in a cool spot, before Lashley steals Strowman’s spot, running around the ring and hitting a spear. He mercifully puts him away with his patented finish, and this one is over.
Finn Balor might suffer the same fate later this evening as he faces GM Elect Corbin.
This heel stable is quite dominant, but is Dolph Ziggler a part of it still?
GM Elect Corbin is firing some tech guy backstage for turning the lights down for Elias before he is approached by Alexa Bliss. She says Corbin is doing an amazing job, and if he needs any help, she’s glad to assist. Corbin asks Bliss to oversee the entire women’s division. She asks if she’s serious, thanking him and he have this unholy heel union.
Renee Young says it’s absolutely ridiculous as Corey Graves speaks on her behalf. We then get a recap of the cat and mouse situation and the mind games being unfurled during the Seth Rollins/Dean Ambrose feud. Rollins will have an IC Title open challenge later this evening.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVX_wkdEgHM&w=560&h=315]
Dean Ambrose is being tended too by a doctor and we hear comments about how he won’t be in the “toxic dump” that is Milwaukee. He was banged up in their match at Starcade this past weekend. He says he’ll be there next week and he plans to dodge the litany of diseases present in Milwaukee and he’ll be ready for Houston. He gets a shot in the rear-end, literally, as he runs down Rollins. Weird, eccentric, but classic Ambrose, a good promo.
Dash and Dawson state that what happened last week was a miscarriage of justice as they were forced to compete against three men, instead of two. They say that Lucha House party should respect classic tag team wrestling. It’s a moot point however as the match is announced as “Lucha House rules” yet again. Whatever, that promo was just made to be a waste of time.
Lucha House Party defeat The Revival via pin fall after a Shooting Star Press from Dorado.
The Revival try their best to keep it old school early, but Metalik, Dorado and Kalisto take charge with their high flying offense and aerial assault. Dash and Dawson can’t get their bearings and it’s Dorado who puts it away again this week with a shooting star press for the victory.
Corey Graves makes a Lizmark Jr. reference after the match, it’s perfect.
A recap of Nia Jax, “the facebreaker”, striking Becky Lynch in the face and causing her to miss valuable ring time and money, is shown again, but we’ll hear from Jax next as they continue to run with this.
Jax speaks at length about Raw Women’s champion, Ronda Rousey, after the break and she gloats about her recent success at Evolution, Survivor Series and in injuring Becky Lynch. She cuts one of the most cringe-worthy promos in doing this, by the way, sounding as if cue cards were her best friend.
Rousey has heard enough and she comes out and tears Jax and Tamina apart verbally before finding herself surrounded. Natalya returns to make the save, but she is thwarted by the Riott Squad, who beat her down and leave the ring along with the other heels, as the segment ends.
Drake Maverick makes reference to his “incident” at Survivor Series and says he experienced real fear, as Bobby Roode and Chad Gable will tonight. Tag team titles are on the line, next.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzBB3SxvJLU&w=560&h=315]
AoP w/ Drake Maverick defeat Bobby Roode and Chad Gable via pin fall after the Neckbreaker/Powerbomb Combo.
Roode and Gable saw early success as Drake Maverick takes off with Roode’s “Glorious” robe, and in a throwback to 90’s WWE, we see him wearing it in a men’s room before draping it over the toilet and relieving himself on it.
This was hilarious and I certainly invite you all to enjoy that clip at your convenience. The match stopped during this, as WWE likes to do, and it allowed AoP to nail Roode from behind, knocking Gable off the ring apron, the tag team finish takes place and AoP retains. Maverick has his revenge tonight, and it’s “glorious”.
A pre-taped promo from Finn Balor has him looking forward to walking into the lion’s den by himself, taking on Corbin in the main event. This would be a perfect opportunity for a returning Bray Wyatt to even the odds. We will see.
Braun Strowman has been replaced in the mixed match challenge by Curt Hawkins. “Fact”, that doesn’t bode well for Ember Moon’s chances of winning, she’s in singles action against Alicia Fox next.
Ember Moon defeats Alicia Fox via pin fall after the Eclipse.
Fox sold the Eclipse beautifully, and this was over quickly as Moon looks strong heading into tomorrow’s battle alongside Hawkins against Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox.
You’d think Hawkins won the match tonight, ending his losing streak as he celebrates with Moon. This brings out No Way Jose and his conga line, as they celebrate, but it leads to a match with Mahal after the break.
Jinder Mahal w/ The Singh Brothers defeats No Way Jose via pin fall with the Callas.
This was a way for Mahal to get a win heading into tomorrow’s broadcast as he makes quick work of Jose, who is a glorified enhancement talent at this point in his young career. Jose does hit a beautiful hiptoss into a neckbreaker, but he is quickly caught up on the ropes before a Callas ends this one for Mahal and he goes back to his “Shanti” chants.
“The Kingslayer” Seth Rollins is out to a massive reaction and the open challenge is next. He doesn’t believe that Dean Ambrose isn’t here because he’s a liar and a snake. Rollins wants to get back to what he does best and that’s defending the Intercontinental Title and he throws down the gauntlet, Dolph Ziggler, the self-proclaimed best in the world, is out to accept.
The last time Ziggler accepted the challenge, he walked away with the strap. Will he do so again tonight?
Seth Rollins defeats Dolph Ziggler via pin fall with a Falcon Arrow to retain the Intercontinental Title.
Ziggler and Rollins do what they do best and they tear the roof off the joint, giving the paying fans a valuable piece of competitive action to sink their teeth into. Ziggler comes away with several near falls as both men hit their signature spots. Ziggler is in control before a break, and after they return.
He keeps the pressure on, leading the fans to wonder if Rollins is there mentally, with everything happening with Ambrose, but the former Architect is up to the challenge, mounting the comeback with his own signature spots. Ziggler applies a sleeper, taking it to the old school, but Rollins escapes, pancaking Ziggler on the mat with a backdrop.
Ziggler eats a superkick, dodges two stomp attempts and hits a Zig Zag. Rollins kicks out at two as a “this is awesome” chant breaks out. It always is with these two. Ziggler mocks Rollins, who hits an inside cradle, but Ziggler escapes to hit a crisp DDT, planting Rollins. Rollins is back up, superplex, falcon arrow, ballgame. This was a great match.
Alexa Bliss is out next for an “open forum”, where she hosts Sasha Banks and Bayley, and the fans can apparently ask any questions of the two fan favorites that they want. Charly Caruso is standing by to oversee this segment per Bliss’s request as well.
Bliss basically tries the ole’ turn Sasha against Bayley angle, but it doesn’t work as they continue to insult her, leading to Alicia Fox, Mickie James and Dana Brooke coming out to assault the duo. Corbin and his crew are running roughshod over Raw.
Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre defeat Finn Balor via pin fall in a handicap match after a Claymore on Balor.
Balor was holding his own against Corbin for most of the match. And, as he went up to the “drop-zone” for a Coup De Grace, as Michael Cole calls it, Corbin rolled out of harm’s way. Corbin grabbed a mic and turned this into a handicap match and even as Balor fought valiantly, the numbers game was too much.
McIntyre hit a quick Claymore Kick and this one was over. Bobby Lashley joined the fray and they picked the bones of Balor. Milwaukee had to be disappointed, as everyone was waiting for the return of Bray Wyatt, and that didn’t happen. They continue with a mid nineties NWO theme, where the villains win each and every week, with no faces breaking through the glass.
This ended the show and it will leave many scratching their heads. What comes next? We’re all asking the same question.
