The Intercontinental title will be on the line on next week’s SmackDown.
On SmackDown next Friday, Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura will defend his title against former champion Apollo Crews. The episode is SmackDown’s go-home show for Extreme Rules.
Nakamura won the Intercontinental title by defeating Crews on the August 13 episode of SmackDown. The following week, Nakamura & Rick Boogs defeated Crews & Commander Azeez in a tag team match.
Boogs defeated Robert Roode in a singles match on SmackDown tonight. As Boogs and Nakamura were celebrating on the announce table with Pat McAfee after the match, Crews and Azeez attacked Nakamura and Boogs and laid them out.
Crews got on the microphone after the attack and demanded that Nakamura give him an Intercontinental title rematch. Crews said Nakamura has made a mockery of the title.
Next Friday’s SmackDown is being held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega has also been announced for the episode. That match comes in advance of Morgan facing Carmella at Extreme Rules.
Damian Priest’s open challenge for tonight’s episode of Raw has been answered.
Ahead of tonight’s Raw, WWE uploaded a video with Priest announcing that Hardy has accepted his United States Championship open challenge for the show. Priest said he admires and respects Hardy, and he will be honored to defend the U.S. title against him. Priest said he hopes Hardy brings his best. But Priest said that — as much as he admires and respects him — Hardy’s best won’t be enough.
Priest won the United States Championship from Sheamus at SummerSlam last month. Priest will defend the title against Sheamus at Extreme Rules on Sunday, September 26.
Sheamus defeated Drew McIntyre on Raw last week to get the U.S. title shot at Extreme Rules.
Hardy was one of the wrestlers chasing after Reggie’s 24/7 title on Raw last week.
The TD Garden in Boston is hosting tonight’s Raw. Here’s the updated lineup for the episode:
WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Randy Orton (Big E tweeted earlier today that he intends on cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase tonight and becoming WWE Champion)
Non-title match: Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Shayna Baszler
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Jeff Hardy
Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Mustafa Ali & Mansoor vs. AJ Styles, Omos, Mace & T-Bar
An music event promoter in Kansas City, Missouri, canceled a post-Raw Monday meet-and-greet with WWE’s Jeff Hardy on Sunday afternoon because they claim he has COVID-19.
“We regret to inform you that the event with Jeff Hardy to take place on Monday July 26, 2021, at recordBar in Kansas City, MO will have to be postponed to a later date. Jeff Hardy just tested positive for covid this morning, and will have to quarantine for the next two weeks, and will not be participating in any live events for the next two weeks,” the Facebook post read.
As of now, neither Hardy nor WWE has commented publicly on the claim. However, a source confirmed the positive test and that Hardy will indeed be off Raw the next two weeks and any scheduled house shows during that time.
Last week, the 43-year-old surprisingly defeated NXT Champion Karrion Kross in the latter’s debut match on the show. Hardy’s old theme “No More Words” also made a comeback on the show — Hardy’s first match on Raw since a late-June battle royal appearance.
NXT Champion Karrion Kross made his WWE Raw debut on tonight’s show.
Kross faced Jeff Hardy in a singles match, a bout won by Hardy. Kross’s Raw debut also came minus his longtime valet Scarlett.
During the match, Hardy missed his Swanton Bomb finisher. Kross backed Hardy into the corner and attempted to climb the ropes. Hardy then hit a powerbomb off the second rope. Hardy then used a jackknife cover with his feet on the ropes to pin Kross.
Kross was interviewed in the ring following his loss. He stated that Hardy had just made the biggest mistake of his life. To close the segment, Kross said that “everyone will fall and pray.”
Kross’s main roster debut came on the June 24 episode of Main Event, where he defeated Shelton Benjamin. Kross also worked dark matches for WWE in June, facing Dolph Ziggler and Slapjack at SmackDown tapings. He would also face Cesaro and Drew Gulak in dark matches in July.
Kross’s WWE signing was announced in February 2020. He would go on to make his NXT debut in April 2020. Kross went on to claim the NXT title for the first time at NXT TakeOver: XXX in August 2020. His first title reign lasted just four days, as he suffered a shoulder injury at TakeOver and was forced to vacate the title.
Kross would return to NXT in December 2020. His second NXT title reign began on April 8, 2021 when he defeated Finn Balor on night two of NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver. He most recently defended the NXT title on last week’s episode, defeating Johnny Gargano.
A gauntlet match and Miz TV with Drew McIntyre has been announced for Raw.
The gauntlet match will consist of those competing in the Raw Elimination Chamber match taking place at the pay-per-view on February 21. Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, Sheamus, and The Miz will all compete in the gauntlet. The winner of the match will be able to enter the Elimination Chamber last.
Also announced for Raw is a new episode of Miz TV. Miz will interview Drew McIntyre after Sheamus laid out McIntyre with a brogue kick back on the February 1 edition of Raw, effectively ending their friendship.
Shemus got involved in the finish of this week’s Raw main event, looking for a brogue kick on Drew McIntyre. However, Sheamus instead hit Orton with the kick, causing Orton to win the match by DQ. McIntyre responded to Sheamus’ attack by nailing him with the Claymore kick.
Drew McIntyre’s next WWE Championship defense will take place inside the Elimination Chamber.
WWE has announced that McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, The Miz, and Sheamus in an Elimination Chamber match at this year’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The PPV is taking place on Sunday, February 21.
Shane McMahon returned to Raw tonight to make the Elimination Chamber match announcement alongside on-screen authority figure Adam Pearce. It was said that McIntyre’s challengers were chosen because they’re all former WWE Champions.
The Miz also currently holds the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Styles defeated Hardy in a singles match on Raw tonight, targeting his leg and submitting him with the Calf Crusher. McIntyre is facing Orton in a non-title match later on tonight’s show.
McIntyre retained his WWE Championship by defeating Goldberg at the Royal Rumble on January 31. The next night on Raw, there was an angle where Sheamus turned against McIntyre and laid him out with a Brogue Kick.
There was a backstage segment on tonight’s Raw where McIntyre approached Shane McMahon as he was leaving the building. McIntyre said he would have liked a heads up and said he thought it was going to be him facing Sheamus one-on-one at Elimination Chamber, but Shane said there’s nothing bigger than McIntyre defending the title in an Elimination Chamber match. Shane said if McIntyre wants to prove his mettle, this is the place to do it.
Elimination Chamber on Sunday, February 21 and Fastlane on Sunday, March 21 are the last two remaining WWE PPVs before WrestleMania 37. WrestleMania 37 will be a two-night event taking place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 10.
Carlito wrestled tonight on Raw for the first time in ten years.
He teamed with Jeff Hardy to take on Elias and Jaxson Ryker. Hardy scored the win for his team, hitting the swanton bomb after Carlito laid out Elias with the backstabber. Carlito’s previous match on Raw took place on April 12, 2010, in a losing effort against Evan Bourne.
Carlito made a surprise appearance at Sunday’s Royal Rumble event, competing in the men’s Royal Rumble match. He entered at number 8, and was eventually eliminated by Elias, which led to tonight’s match.
Signing with the WWE in 2003, Carlito won the United States title from John Cena in his first televised match on SmackDown the following year. Throughout his WWE career, he would eventually win the Intercontinental title as well as the WWE & World Tag Team titles with his brother Primo.
Carlito was originally advertised for the Legends Night edition of Monday Night Raw that took place last month. However, he didn’t appear at the event.
Ahead of tonight’s Raw, WWE announced a new entrant for the 2021 men’s Royal Rumble match.
WWE posted a video on Monday where Jeff Hardy declared that he’s entering this year’s men’s Royal Rumble match. Hardy said he’s done a lot of things in his career, but one thing he hasn’t done that he wants to do is win a Royal Rumble.
Hardy defeated his rival Elias on Raw last week. Elias initially claimed to have a debilitating thumb injury and said Hardy would have to face Jaxson Ryker instead. Ryker quickly defeated Hardy due to a distraction by Elias. Ryker rolled up Hardy while holding onto his pants for extra leverage. Hardy then challenged Elias to face him and said Elias was afraid that people would see that Ryker is better than him.
The Royal Rumble is taking place on Sunday, January 31. Here’s the updated list of announced entrants for the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches:
Ahead of challenging for Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship at TLC, AJ Styles will be in action against one of McIntyre’s friends on Monday’s go-home episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that Styles vs. Sheamus will take place on Raw this Monday. They also faced off last week as Styles, The Miz & John Morrison defeated McIntyre & Sheamus in a three-on-two handicap match. After Sheamus accidentally gave McIntyre a Brogue Kick when Morrison moved out of the way, Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm on Sheamus and pinned him to get the win.
There was an angle where McIntyre and Sheamus briefly brawled backstage after the miscommunication, but they were back on the same page after they put Pat Buck through a table when Buck tried to break things up.
WWE is also hyping that there will be a “The Nightmare Before TLC” segment with Styles on Monday’s Raw. Styles is challenging for McIntyre’s WWE Championship in a tables, ladders, and chairs match at TLC.
“The Phenomenal One plans to bring ‘The Nightmare Before TLC’ to Raw this Monday to display what’s in store for the WWE Championship Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match,” WWE.com wrote. “The Miz & John Morrison will back up Styles for his terrifying display, as Mr. Money in the Bank has his own hopes of delivering sleepless nights to the King of Claymore Country.”
A six-man tag match with Jeff Hardy & Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) facing The Hurt Business (United States Champion Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) has also been added to Monday’s Raw. The New Day are defending their titles against Benjamin & Alexander at TLC. Lashley defeated Hardy in a non-title match on Raw last week. Riddle came to Hardy’s aid when MVP got involved during the match and when Lashley wouldn’t let The Hurt Lock go after.
Here’s the updated lineup for Monday’s Raw:
AJ Styles vs. Sheamus
Jeff Hardy & The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander)
Lana vs. Nia Jax
AJ Styles brings “The Nightmare Before TLC” to Raw
Bray Wyatt takes his Firefly Fun House characters on a field trip to the WWE ThunderDome
A match between Jeff Hardy and Bobby Lashley has been announced for tonight’s Raw.
The description on WWE’s website reads: “One week after battling Elias in a brutal Symphony of Destruction Match, Jeff Hardy will look to strike an extreme chord in the U.S. Title picture when he goes one-on-one with United State Champion Bobby Lashley in a non-title matchup. The Charismatic Enigma has held just about every title there is in his storied career, including the one currently in the possession of Lashley. But can he overcome the head of the Hurt Business to propel back into the title conversation? “
Hardy defeated Elias last week in a Symphony of Destruction match, a street fight with musical instruments. Announcers described the match as the final chapter of their feud.
On last week’s Raw, Riddle confronted Lashley and MVP. He said that while he lost his match against Keith Lee and AJ Styles, at least he got an opportunity, unlike Lashley. Lashley responded by laying out Riddle with his full nelson submission.
WWE has announced a couple of additions to the lineup for tonight’s episode of Raw.
An “exclusive interview” with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will take place on Raw tonight. AJ Styles, Keith Lee, and Riddle are facing off in a triple threat number one contender’s match on tonight’s show to decide McIntyre’s challenger for TLC. That pay-per-view is taking place on Sunday, December 20.
WWE has also announced Jeff Hardy vs. Elias in a Symphony of Destruction match for tonight’s show. It’s a no disqualification, falls count anywhere match with various types of musical instruments surrounding the ring and available to use as weapons.
The first-ever Symphony of Destruction match took place on Raw in March 2018 and featured Braun Strowman defeating Elias. Strowman & Elias teamed together to defeat Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro in a Symphony of Destruction match on SmackDown this February.
On Raw earlier this month, Hardy defeated Elias in a Guitar on a pole match. They both took part in a triple threat Survivor Series qualifying match the following week but lost to Riddle. Two weeks ago, Hardy confronted Elias after Elias was putting up posters backstage and still blaming Hardy for his hit-and-run accident on SmackDown from this May.
Plus, tonight’s Raw will feature a Moment of Bliss segment with Randy Orton as the guest.
In his Main Event debut, Jeff Hardy lost to Ricochet in a close encounter that involved Elias, capping off a one-match show that was otherwise just Raw recaps.
**********
Ricochet defeated Jeff Hardy (7:21)
On the rare occasion where storylines that play out on the Raw spill over to Main Event, it instantly makes this show feel relevant and a lot more meaningful. Although this was one of those rarities, it was marred by the omnipresence of Elias.
Hardy vs. Ricochet was billed by Tom Phillips as being their first ever match together in WWE. At the bell, Elias was shown at the top of the ramp by the Titantron, mic’d up and strumming his guitar. Ricochet and Hardy complained to the ref, but they eventually shrugged it off and tried to carry on.
Elias played a song about sinning and sinners throughout the whole match. Rather than providing a soundtrack, it was just a distraction for the viewer. Phillips noted that we could buy his album on Apple Music.
Hardy and Ricochet went through a break but it was really just a vehicle to get to the post-match angle. It was largely a 50-50 match, all told. Hardy continually stared down Elias whenever he was facing the ramp.
It looked like Hardy had it won after he hit Whisper in the Wind, but Ricochet kicked out for a near fall. He went for the Twist of Fate, but Ricochet had it scouted and pinned Hardy with a backslide.
After the match, Hardy walked past Elias fuming and returned with a guitar which he smashed over Elias’ back. He gave a thumbs up to Ricochet for the match and walked to the back, leaving Elias laying.
Final Thoughts:
If Main Event played out with one angle per week alongside being a training ground for new talent — or for vets trying out new gimmicks — it would actually provide a function for the show.
Hardy and Ricochet should have a been an intriguing matchup, but it was by the numbers. It will be interesting if they reference the post-match spot with Elias at all in future.
Date: November 9, 2020 Location: Amway Center in Orlando, FL
The Big Takeaway —
Next week’s Raw will feature a WWE Championship match between Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre, plus New Day defend the tag titles against Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander.
McIntyre won a six-man tag match with New Day over Orton, Miz and Morrison. Orton didn’t get involved in the match.
Matt Riddle qualified for Team Raw after defeating Elias and Jeff Hardy. He also went on to get the pin in a tag match with Keith Lee over Sheamus and Braun Strowman.
Bray Wyatt was not on the show. Alexa Bliss appeared briefly in a backstage segment with Nikki Cross.
Raw was quite bad, at least until the last 40 minutes or so (which featured Ali vs. Ricochet and the six-man main event).
Show Recap —
They announced that Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will face Randy Orton, Miz and John Morrison tonight. Also, Asuka faces Nia Jax, which they said could be one of the main events of WrestleMania if it were for the championship.
MizTV with The Miz & John Morrison
They let Morrison come out to his own music but he still acted like Miz’s parrot. Miz hyped tonight’s main event and plugged his show. He was going to introduce New Day but Randy Orton interrupted.
Orton didn’t appreciate that Miz thought his show was more important than any match he is in. Orton accused Miz of calling Stamford to put him in this situation because the briefcase was the only way he could win the title.
Orton said they kicked Miz out of the locker room years ago and wished they never let him back in. He also told Morrison that he took his ball and went home years ago just to wrestle in the minor leagues.
Orton turned his back and offered Miz a shot. Miz and Morisson decided to play nice instead. Miz said they just wanted to get closer to the tag team championships.
New Day interrupted. They thought it was funny that the men in the ring were going off with verbal strong style so they wanted to go in the ring to laugh at them for it. As soon as New Day hit the ring, Orton gave Kingston an RKO. Miz and Morrison tossed Woods from the ring.
McIntyre sprinted out to go after Orton but Miz hit him from behind with the briefcase. Miz and Morrison held up McIntyre so Orton could give him an RKO. Orton left on his own.
Orton was good on the mic here. Kingston came across like a geek after getting RKO’d.
Triple threat qualifying match: Matt Riddle defeated Elias and Jeff Hardy (8:55)
Elias was in the ring for a promo. He began playing guitar but stopped early on purpose in anticipation of someone interrupting. He started playing for real but was interrupted by Hardy.
Matt Riddle is, in fact, “Riddle” now. His tron only shows his last name and that’s how he was introduced.
They went to break less than 2 minutes into the match. Elias was in control before and after the break. Hardy made a comeback which led to everyone trading moves. Hardy set up Riddle for the Twist of Fate but Elias caught him with a knee strike. Riddle then gave Elias a Bro Derek for the pinfall win. Riddle qualifies for Team Raw. Not much of a match.
Styles (with Jordan Omogbehin) spoke to Adam Pearce in the back. They shook hands. After Pearce left, Charly Caruso asked Styles what the conversation was about. Styles said it wasn’t about anything, they were talking as friends. She asked if he was happy about Riddle qualifying and he said yes. He thought Riddle was what they were missing. Sheamus interrupted.
Sheamus wasn’t happy because he didn’t like Riddle and threatened to kick his head off if he stepped out of line. Styles thought they should have a team meeting tonight. Caruso asked Sheamus how he thought Styles was doing as team captain. Sheamus said Styles wasn’t his captain. Braun Strowman showed up too just to say that Styles wasn’t his captain either.
Elsewhere, Mustafa Ali said Ricochet was a good guy and courageous for standing on his own. However, you can’t change anything on your own. Mia Yim said it was easy to feel alone when you were misguided. Ali said, “we will not rest until we shut you down.” (Yim made mention of being laughed at by a green and pink-haired person, which is likely a reference to Asuka.)
Drew Gulak, wearing a suit, approached the Hurt Business. Basically, he wanted to join but they turned him down. Bobby Lashley was going to grab him by the tie but it was a clip-on tie so it came right off. MVP couldn’t believe he approached them wearing a cheap tie so they beat him up. R-Truth showed up and pinned Gulak to win the 24/7 title.
There was a Veterans Day video.
Shayna Baszler (w/Nia Jax) defeated Lana (1:53)
Lana had second thoughts before coming to the ring. They aired a replay of every time Jax put her through a table along with a counter on the screen.
Baszler won quickly with the Kirifuda Clutch. (She could have won moments earlier by pinfall but pulled Lana up at two.)
Baszler and Jax were going to put Lana through the table again but Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke (who were on commentary) stopped them.
[Second hour]
There was an awkward meeting backstage with Lana, Rose and Brooke. Lana thanked them for helping her but they were annoyed and told her to stay out of their way. Either somebody flubbed a line or they wrote dialogue that didn’t make any sense.
Team Raw team meeting
Styles introduced each member of Team Raw. Riddle had on different gear than what he wore earlier. They all stood facing the hard camera which looked completely unnatural.
Styles reiterated that Riddle was their missing piece. This led to an argument. Riddle thought all they needed were code names. (He also wished Keith Lee a happy birthday.) Riddle said Styles was “Skipper” and Sheamus was “Fireface.” Sheamus didn’t like this. Sheamus thought Riddle’s name should be “Dopey.” Riddle laughed and said he was right.
Styles stopped him from continuing. Styles mentioned the roll that Jey Uso was on and also put over Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin.
Styles called himself the captain again which almost led to another argument. Styles cut them off and said he spoke to Pearce and had a match made: Sheamus and Strowman against Riddle and Lee. Styles would be the special referee. They argued.
This really sucked.
Keith Lee & Matt Riddle defeated Braun Strowman & Sheamus – with referee AJ Styles (12:25)
Strowman and Sheamus had the heat on Riddle. Riddle kicked Styles by accident so Styles couldn’t count when Sheamus put Riddle in a schoolboy. Sheamus got in Styes’ face so Riddle tried another kick but Sheamus ducked and Styles got kicked again.
Strowman and Lee ran at each other but Styles somehow got between them and got crushed. This led to Big Jordan getting in the ring which… led to a break. After the break, Jordan was back outside the ring and Styles was fine.
Lee made a big comeback which included him chucking Sheamus’ body into Strowman. Lee also powerbombed Riddle on top of Sheamus. Lee followed with a big clothesline on Strowman for a nearfall. Sheamus tagged himself in and nailed Lee with a knee strike and Brogue Kick.
Riddle tagged in and gave Sheamus a German suplex for two. Riddle followed with strikes but Strowman got in his way which allowed Sheamus to knock him down. Sheamus set up for the Brogue Kick but Strowman tagged himself in. Strowman set up for the powerslam but Sheamus tagged himself in. Sheamus also knocked Strowman off the apron with a Brogue Kick.
Riddle then caught Sheamus in a schoolboy for the pinfall win. Two wins tonight for Riddle. The action following the break was good.
Alexa Bliss plucked petals off flowers in the back when she was approached by Nikki Cross. Bliss was happy to see her for the first time in he a while. Cross reminded her that she saw her last week. Bliss hoped that Cross has been enjoying the funhouse and thought about inviting her on.
Cross was worried about Bliss and “him.” Cross said she was there for her. She warned Bliss about the Fiend before saying Bliss needed to choose between her and him. Bliss blew petals in her face and said she chose “him.” Bliss laughed and walked off.
Caruso said Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander would face New Day for the tag titles next week.
MVP and Lashley came to the ring. MVP said Benjamin and Alexander would win the tag titles and Lashley would make short work of Sami Zayn.
Titus O’Neil interrupted. He said they disrespected him a few weeks ago. MVP had respect for him and offered him an opportunity to walk away or else. O’Neil refused and questioned Lashley’s pride considering he never defends the title. Lashley offered him a title match right now.
Bobby Lashley (w/MVP) defeated Titus O’Neil to retain the US Championship (1:05)
Lashley won quickly with a spear and Hurt Lock.
This was bad. Lashley couldn’t quite get the Hurt Lock applied because O’Neil was too big and immobile. Lashley seemed to know that it didn’t look good so he went into the ropes to buy time (knowing the ref wouldn’t call for the bell if they were in the ropes) but O’Neil was tapping anyway. Lashley eventually locked in the hold and stepped away from the ropes. The ref finally called for the bell even though O’Neil was tapping the entire time.
In the back, Sheamus was pissed and complained about his match to McIntyre. McIntyre said he should perhaps avoid Brogue kicking his teammates. Sheamus said he hated his teammates as much as McIntyre hated his. McIntyre started doing the “New Day rocks” clap. Sheamus called him a lunatic.
They reminisced about teaming together and drinking kegs years ago. This caused Sheamus to calm down. Sheamus wished him luck and said they could go for beers later. McIntyre said they could have more than a few pints when he wins the title back.
Non-title match: Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Nia Jax (w/Shayna Baszler) via disqualification (7:50)
[Third hour]
I erased my recap of this match because it doesn’t matter. Asuka had Jax in the Asuka Lock but Baszler broke it up for the DQ.
Jax and Baszler beat up Rose and Brooke and Lana (who had been watching at ringside) after they got involved. Jax put Lana through the table again. Jax told Lana she was dragging them down.
Sarah Schrieber interviewed Truth about having to defend his title in a seven-way match. Truth didn’t seem to understand that he had to be in the match until she made it clear. He did some “comedy” until his music began playing and he went to the ring.
Angel Garza promo. I think he said he’s vying for every woman in the world. I wish him luck.
Akira Tozawa defeated R-Truth, Drew Gulak, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Erik and Tucker to win the 24/7 Championship (0:24)
Tozawa pinned Truth quickly as everyone else brawled to win the belt.
This led to everyone pinning each other to win the belt in the following order: Erik beat Tozawa, Gulak beat Erik, Tucker beat Gulak, Gulak beat Tucker, Tucker beat Gulak, Gran Metalik beat Tucker, Lince Dorado beat Gran Metalik, Truth beat Lince Dorado. They all ran after Truth. This was embarrassing.
Mustafa Ali (w/Retribution) defeated Ricochet (13:58)
Ricochet sent Ali off the apron with a hurricanrana. Retribution surrounded him to cause a distraction. They cut to break just as Ali was about to give him a swinging neckbreaker.
Ali used another neckbreaker after the break for two. Ricochet came back with a dragon suplex. They traded counters until Ricochet hit a northern lights suplex and floated over into a brainbuster for a nearfall. Ali followed with a great-looking backstabber off the top for a nearfall.
Ali taunted and slapped Ricochet who fired back with a forearm and reverse rana. Ricochet did a springboard corkscrew dive onto Retribution on the outside (minus Yim). Ricochet tried a Pheonix splash but Ali moved and applied a Koji Clutch. Ricochet passed out and the ref called for the bell. Ali wins. Fun match.
Pearce told Orton that he will defend the title against McIntyre on Raw next week. Orton shoved him against the wall. Pearce said he was just the messenger. Orton told him to tell the “staff” that they can go to hell.
Six-man tag match: Drew McIntyre and Raw Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated WWE Champion Randy Orton, The Miz & John Morrison (13:11)
New Day took out Miz and Morrison with dives. McIntyre taunted Orton who watched from ringside as they went to break less than 3 minutes into the match.
A distraction allowed the heels to take control of Woods after the break. Miz wanted to tag Orton but he didn’t want to get involved (in case he had to face McIntyre). Miz used It Kicks in the corner but Woods came back with a clothesline and tagged in McIntyre.
McIntyre handed out suplexes before suplexing both Miz and Morrison at the same time, which looked great. McIntyre gave Morrison a neckbreaker and Future Shock DDT as he stared at Orton.
McIntyre set up for the Claymore kick but decided to slide Morrison over to the corner so Orton could tag in. Orton teased tagging in but didn’t.
Morrison tried a schoolboy with his feet on the rope but Woods pushed him off. Miz took out Woods while Morrison wiped out Kingston with a dive.
Miz tried a sneak attack but McIntyre gave him a spinebuster and hit Morrison with a headbutt. McIntyre followed with a Claymore kick for the pinfall win. McIntyre taunted Orton as they went off the air.
The final spot on Raw’s Survivor Series men’s team will be determined as Jeff Hardy, Riddle, and Elias face off in a triple threat qualifying match on Monday’s Raw. All three wrestlers lost their original qualifying matches. Hardy lost to AJ Styles, Riddle lost to Sheamus, and Elias lost to Keith Lee.
The winner of the second chance qualifying match will join Styles, Sheamus, Lee, and Braun Strowman on Team Raw for their traditional five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match against Team SmackDown. Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, Baron Corbin, and Seth Rollins have qualified for Team SmackDown thus far. Survivor Series is taking place on Sunday, November 22.
Hardy and Elias faced off on Raw last week, with Hardy defeating Elias in a Guitar on a Pole match.
Matt Riddle is now going by “Riddle” on WWE television after WWE adjusted his name.
WWE has also announced that Alexa Bliss will host a Moment of Bliss segment with Drew McIntyre as her guest on Monday’s Raw:
Drew McIntyre has had only one thing on his mind since WWE Hell in a Cell: Regain the WWE Championship. Alexa Bliss will welcome the Scottish Superstar to ‘A Moment of Bliss’ after hosting the current WWE Champion Randy Orton last week.
McIntyre made his championship intentions clear last week, but he’s not the only one who has targeted The Viper. The Fiend will deliver his own message to McIntyre on behalf of Bliss on Monday Night Raw. The Miz & John Morrison were also incensed after McIntyre Claymore Kicked The A-Lister’s Money in the Bank cash-in attempt.
Will ‘A Moment of Bliss’ serve as another trap for its latest guest? Or can McIntyre turn the tables on the host and his rivals?
Catch the always controversial talk show this Monday at 8/7 C on Raw on the USA Network.
Hardy vs. Elias at Hell in a Cell ended with Elias winning by disqualification when Hardy struck him with a guitar. Hardy stopped Elias from hitting him with the guitar and then used it himself.
After Hardy lost a Survivor Series qualifying match to AJ Styles on Raw this week, Elias laid out Hardy with a guitar shot from behind.
Elias returned to WWE television earlier this month and — though it was indicated that Hardy had been framed by Sheamus — blamed Hardy for being responsible for the hit-and-run angle where he was struck by a car on SmackDown this May
Hardy and Elias both moved to Raw in the WWE Draft.
Monday’s Raw will also feature Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) in a non-title match and Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax vs. Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke in a non-title match.
