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HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT
SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
DENVER, CO
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
[HOUR ONE]
-The show began with a brand new opening graphic and intro.
-From there, a limo pulled up to the arena as Baron Corbin nervously waiting. Stephanie McMahon got out and was followed by Triple H. Both got a nice pop from the audience. Corbin said that he had Stephanie’s office ready, but Stephanie said everything that she had to say she could say right then and there. Stephanie than ran down Corbin for the lack of control and leadership he showed. She said that mistakes can be tolerant, but excuses can’t be. She suggested that Corbin find two tag team partners to take on the Shield if they are causing him so much trouble.
Heydorn’s Analysis: At least Stephanie wasn’t running down a babyface here. I’ll give them that. At the same time though, if Corbin is going to be a viable pain in the you know what for the Shield on a regular basis, wouldn’t you want to give him credibility as a real threat and not present him as a silly puppet? You’d think, alas, this is still Stephanie.
-The show then cut to the arena where the Shield made their entrance. They received a really loud pop from the crowd and as they made their walk to the ring, the announce team plugged just how big of a moment it would be when they are in action tonight. The announce team also plugged the Shield’s match at Super Showdown.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Plug number one, folks. Who’s counting?
-In the ring and to loud cheers, Ambrose kicked the promo off by calling himself, Rollins, and Reigns the three workhorses in the WWE. He said they may have lost some battles, but they have never lost their wars. Reigns took over from there and got some boos as he spoke. He said the audience could read their resume but it would take them all day.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Just an awful line for a babyface Reigns to say. Per usual, it plays into all the arrogant tendencies that he has and hurts his ability to get cheered.
Reigns said all they had to do though was raise their championships because that’s what matters most. He said Lesnar came back for the gold because they are life changing. Reigns then said that the only men who deserve championships are them. From there, Rollins took the mic and said what they do is about being the best. Rollins said they were the best and Strowman and his gang of “jackasses” wouldn’t have a shot at beating them at Super Showdown. Seth then proceeded to call out Baron Corbin and his partners so that their match could begin immediatley.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Because of the amount of equity Rollins has with fans, he was able to save that promo. Without Rollins lending some authenticity and babyface tendencies to it, the Shield would have come off too arrogant and above everyone else on the roster.
Corbin responded by walking out to a chorus of boos from the crowd. He said that his boss was in the building and that it was her birthday. He said he was not going to let Raw devolve into chaos, but that he would throw the Shield around like rag dolls. Corbin then called the Shield selfish and said that nobody in the locker room likes them. From there, Braun Strowman’s music hit and he walked out with Drew and Dolph by his side. The trio did the Braun yell and then paused on the top of the ramp as the audience chanted “get these hands.” Strowman then told Reigns to shine up the Universal Championship because he wouldn’t have it very long. He continued by saying the Shield was cracking from the inside. Ziggler, Strowman, and McIntyre then worked to plant seeds of dissension by pointing out the fact that Rollins and Reigns have belts, but Ambrose doesn’t. McIntyre then got on the mic and told Ambrose that he pushed him to the limit last week. He then told Ambrose that Seth and Roman don’t appreciate him and that he deserves more. Ziggler said that when Rollins couldn’t beat him, Seth begged Dean to help him. Ziggler then said that he’s sacrificed himself for Rollins and Reigns while he was left with nothing. Seth tried to intervene, but was unsuccessful as Ziggler interuppted and said that after Ambrose got injured he found a new tag team partner within seconds. Finally, Ziggler wrapped up by saying his side of the coin would be champions and that Ambrose could hold down the IC championship with them. Roman Reigns then chimed in and told Ziggler to shut up. He said that the audience didn’t pay money to hear them talk, they paid to watch them whoop their ass. Both sides were about to come to blows before Corbin stopped it as the audience chanted “yes.” Corbin said that his partners and him would take care of the Shield later in the night.
Heydorn’s Analysis: I’m a fan of the attempt at a story here. Ziggler and McIntyre prodding Ambrose into feeling “less than” his other brothers is a decent touch to give this entire program longer and more interesting legs. A slow build with this story that lead to tonight would have been a more logical way to go, but as it stands now, I’ll take it since its a step in the right direction.
-After the segment, Finn Balor was shown backstage with Bayley. The two then walked toward the ring as the show went to break. (c)
-After the break, Bayley walked out to a nice pop and was followed by Finn Balor who received an even bigger reaction. As Balor walked to the ring, Cole plugged the Mixed Match Challenge and the fact that Balor and Bayley were partners in the tournament.
(1) FINN BALOR w/ Bayley vs. JINDER MAHAL w/ Sunil Singh & Alicia Fox
The match began with Mahal taking the upperhand. He beat Balor and hit him with a body slam before locking in a sleeper hold. Balor battled back and regained his momentum after crushing Mahal with a dropkick. The kick sent Mahal out of the ring and Balor followed by connecting with his flipping suicide dive over the top rope. The show then went to commercial break. (c)
After the commercial break, Mahal was fully back in control of the match. He hit Balor with a variety of strikes and then locked in the abdominal stretch to gain further traction on his attack. Finally, Balor battled out again and connected with a variety of offensive maneuvers. As he was about to connect with his corner dropkick, Balor was tripped up by Sunil Singh. Mahal rolled Balor up because of this, but Balor kicked out at two. Then, as Mahal went for another move, Bayley tripped him up and got a huge pop from the crowd. Bayley then connected with the Bayley To Bell on Singh before Balor rolled Mahal up for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: Balor via pinfall
Heydorn’s Analysis: This was a fun little match. Nothing much to it, but the crowd reactions for Balor and Bayley’s interactions with one another was striking. The finish played into which led to big pops for both babyface stars. Nothing of substance, but fun nonetheless.
-After the match, Bayley and Balor celebrated as Mahal yelled at Singh. Mahal pushed him down and berated him as Alicia Fox looked on. From there, Mahal tossed him back into the ring as Fox continued to egg him on. With Singh down, Mahal and Fox sat in the middle of the ring and chanted “Shanti.”
-A recap video aired of Ronda Rousey issuing an open challenge to the Raw roster last week on the show.
-After the video, Natalya’s music hit and was followed by the Bellas. They walked to the ring to take on the Riott Squad as the show went to commercial break. (c)
(2) NATALYA & THE BELLAS vs. THE RIOTT SQUAD
Out of the break, the match began. Nikki started things off against Liv Morgan and got the upperhand quickly. Nikki went for pinfall, but then tagged Brie into the match after Liv kicked out at two. Both Bellas hit a double team on Morgan and then Brie covered again, but again, Morgan kicked out. From there, Brie connected with the Yes Kicks before attempting yet another two count pin attempt. Out of the pin, Morgan crawled to her corner and tagged Ruby Riott into the match.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Morgan looks off. Very off. So much so that she may have been injured during those Yes Kicks.
As soon as Riott got in, she took over and locked in a headlock submission Brie.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Solid commentary here. Young walked through what the Riott Squad wanted to get out of taking down a team like the Bellas and then fought on the side of the babyfaces against Corey Graves. Well executed and exactly what a heel and babyface announcing duo should do. Well done.
From there, the ring filled with multiple women and they did a massive triple suplex powerbomb. This left the women laying as the show went to another commercial break. (c)
Out of the break, Ruby Riott was firmly in control of the match. Eventually, Brie evened the odds and made the hot tag to Natalya. When Natalya got in, she cleared the ring before she was slowed down by Sarah Logan. In the end, Ruby Riott made a blind tag into the match without Nattie seeing. Nattie then locked in the Sharpshooter on Logan, but was kicked from behind by Riott. Ruby then hit the Detonator Kick for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: Riott Squad via pinfall
Heydorn’s Analysis: A signature win for the Riott Squad and a smart one. If that team is going to be built up enough to take on the likes of Ronda Rousey, they should be a dangerous group that can win. This victory is a step in the right direction to help that perception of them. Well done.
-After the match, Michael Cole cued up a special Connor’s Cure presentation as kids walked out to the ramp. The show then went to commercial break. (c)
-When the show returned, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H were in the ring with the Raw roster on the stage. Stephanie told the audience how honored they were to contribute to Connor’s Cure and cancer research. She touted all that WWE has done in that regard and plugged their current superstars of tomorrow program.
[HOUR TWO]
Triple H then talked and highlighted a handful superstars of tomorrow. He said that those kids define what it means to be a superstar. From there, Stephanie cued up a highlight video to plug their new partnership with Hyundai. After the video, the Hyundai Hope On Wheels car pulled into the arena as Michael Cole touted how much money they’ve raised. Then, Stephanie introduced the 2018 Hope On Wheels winners along with a Hyundai correspondent. The audience cheered loudly as all three people walked to the ring. Once they got to the ring, Stephanie and Triple H hugged them and handed them championship belts. The audience cheered “you deserve it” as both kids held up their championship belts. After the response, the Executive Director of Hyundai’s Hope On Wheels spoke. The segment ended with the Executive Director announcing that Hyundai was donating 200,000 dollars to Connor’s Cure. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: This sure was something. In most ways, it’s absolutely tremendous. What WWE can do to raise this kind of money for a great cause is truly special. WWE as a company should be proud of that. At the same time, this is a wrestling television show. It should be that. Save this type of announcement for WWE.com or a well crafted press release. For one thing, it comes off as less self serving and also helps the quality of your billion dollar TV show.
-Out of the break, Dean Ambrose was shown backstage. Ziggler confronted him, but Ambrose grabbed him by the jacket and told him to get away. Ziggler told him to cool down and then asked Dean where the Shield was when he was injured. He said that Rollins and Reigns don’t care about Ambrose and that tonight all he needs to do is give them the signal and he and Drew would help take care of everything.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Smart to weave this narrative throughout the show. At this point its tough to say definitively what the end game would be, but the question is out there. That’s half the battle. At the same time, if WWE didn’t have 95 shows to promote, this story would be more intriguing. Right now, the world knows a match with the Shield is taking place at Super Showdown. It’ll take hard work to make them believe otherwise.
-After the backstage segment, Bobby Roode and Chad Gable were in the ring as a pre-taped interview aired. In the video, Gable said he learned something things from Bobby Roode and therefore was ready to take on Konnor even though he was out sized. Gable then glared up like at Roode before doing the Glorious yell.
(3) KONNOR w/ Viktor vs. CHAD GABLE w/ Bobby Roode
From there, Konnor walked out and a pre-taped interviewed aired from him as well. In it, he said that Bobby Roode wouldn’t be able to help Gable defeat him. Once Konnor got to the ring, the match began. Konnor took over out of the gate, but then was knocked to the mat after a Gable dropkick off the top rope. From there, Gable connected with a standard German suplex and followed with a pin attempt. Konnor kicked out at two and out of the pin collided with Gable with a standing splash. Konnor then connected with a Gut Wrench Power Slam before covering for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: Konnor via pinfall
Heydorn’s Analysis: Huh. When’s the last time either guy in the Ascension won a match? I’m scratching my head on this one. Gable and Roode are the project. Sacrificing either one of them at this point in their partnership is just silly.
-After the match, Triple H and Stephanie were shown walking backstage. Charly then stopped them and asked Triple H about the Undertaker. Triple H said that if the Undertaker is worried about a suit, he’s already lost. He said that he sold his soul a long time ago and that if anyone is honest with themselves they can tell that the end is near for the Undertaker. Triple H then got in his limo and drove off.
-The action returned to the ring for Ziggler and McIntyre’s entrance. As they walked to the ring, the show went to commercial break. (c)
(4) THE REVIVAL vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER & DREW MCINTYRE – WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Out of the break, the Revival finished off their entrance and the bell rang for the match to begin. Dawson started things off with Ziggler with Dawson getting the quick upperhand with a stiff chop. Dawson then tagged Dash in and Ziggler did the same with McIntyre. Drew then took over for a bit, but then tagged Dolph back in. With Ziggler in, Dash took over. He and Dawson isolated Ziggler in their corner with Dash connecting with a slingshot shoulder tackle. He then delivered a chop to Ziggler before whipping him into the ropes. Ziggler proceeded to counter an ensuing shoulder tackle and capitalize on that counter with a DDT. Dash countered that and tossed him to the mat. Eventually, the action spilled to the outside of the ring. Out there, Ziggler countered yet another shoulder tackle which sent Dash crashing into the steel steps. From there, Ziggler tossed Dash into the ring and tagged McIntyre into the match. After Drew entered, he assaulted Dash with strikes before slamming him down to the mat with a vicious vertical suplex. At this point, the show went to a commercial break. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: I like the match so far, but it’s a bit awkward seeing the Revival wrestle as the babyfaces. Especially since they didn’t turn in a notable way.
When the break ended, Ziggler was in control, but that control didn’t last for long as Dash tagged Dawson into the match. Dawson connected with a stiff chop on Ziggler before knocking McIntyre off of the ropes. Then, Dawson hit Ziggler with a powerbomb and then covered for a two count. Out of the pin, Dawson lifted Ziggler to the top rope and connected with a superplex. Dawson then tagged in and immediatley connected with a splash from the top rope. Dash then covered, but Drew broke the pin at two. Things broke down at this point with both teams fighting around the ring. In the ring, The Revival connected with a top rope clothesline on Ziggler who was on Dawson’s shoulder. Right after, Dawson went for the cover, but Ziggler kicked out at two.
Heydorn’s Analysis: So, I was wrong. I can admit that I think. In the second half of this match, the Revival came around as babyfaces. The fact that they did so with virtually no story on their side is a testament to how good they are. Not just as a tag team, but as pro wrestlers. The creativity within their near falls captured the audience. Good stuff.
Finally, Ziggler stumbled into his corner and made the tag to McIntyre. McIntyre owned the match, but then was knocked to the mat with a dropkick which allowed a cover on him, but he kicked out at two. In the end, McIntyre was too much to overcome and they retained their championships after hitting their simultaneous finishers for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: McIntyre and Ziggler via pinfall
Heydorn’s Analysis: Really good match for television and a match that this show absolutely needed. Good action, lots of near falls, and an exciting finish. Well done on all fronts.
-After the match, the announce team cued up The Kevin Owens Show as the stagehands got his set ready before the show went to commercial break. (c)
-When the show returned, Elias was introduced and said he would not be performing in Denver because they didn’t deserve him. He then hyped his Super Showdown match and introduced Kevin Owens. Owens proceeded to walk out and get a nice reception in doing so. Owens smiled as he walked to the ring and as he did, Michael Cole also hyped their match for Super Showdown.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Is there an event in Australia? Must have missed something. #sarcasm.
In the ring, Owens sat at his desk and soaked in the reaction. He thanked Elias for the intro and said he was Elias’s biggest fan. Owens then ran down John Cena and Bobby Lashley before addressing what happened last week with Lio Rush and Lashley. Owens said that he didn’t know much about Lio Rush, but was flabbergasted that he would talk trash about him. Owens then said he was a generous man and instead of beating him up, he would allow him time on the Kevin Owens show. Rush’s music then hit and he walked out to no reaction from the crowd. Rush started talking from the top of the ramp before Owens told him to join them inside the ring. Rush ignored him and said that he and Lashley made Owens and Elias look like fools. Rush said he may be young, but he isn’t naive and that he would not go down to the ring. Elias then pulled out a booster seat for Rush and told Lio they were ready for him. Rush laughed it off before enthusiastically introducing Lashley. As Lashley walked to the ring, the show went to commercial break. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: Rush is tremendously comfortable on the microphone. If he maintains a level of credibility with the audience, he can do wonders with Lashley as he has the personality Bobby wishes he had. That said, Rush cannot build that credibility if the heels treat him and make jokes about his size. It totally cuts Rush off and leaves him holding a big bag of nothing.
(5) BOBBY LASHLEY vs. ELIAS
The match began as soon as the show came back from the commercial break. The momentum in the match went back and forth at the beginning until Elias slowed Lashley down with a headlock.
[HOUR THREE]
Eventually, Lashley battled back and connected with a running cross body before hitting ten straight punches on Elias in the corner. Lashley followed with a sidewalk slam before making the cover for a two count. Out of the pin, Lashley kept momentum after he caught Elias in mid air to counter his top rope splash. Elias slid out of the catch and then chop blocked Lashley in the knees to buy himself time to regroup. After, Elias connected with a flurry of strikes as the audience chanted for Lashley. Elias then slammed Lashley’s leg against the ring post as Rush looked on and Owens mocked him. After the ring post move, Elias made the cover, but Lashley kicked out at two. From there, Elias worked over the knee with a variety of holds and strikes that targeted the injured area.
Heydorn’s Analysis: The hometown Lashley crowd is relatively hot for this match. The knee injury drummed up the proper sympathy but also protected Lashley’s dominating character. Smart stuff that should setup a great comeback.
Eventually, on one leg, Lashley took back momentum after clotheslining Elias over the top rope. With both men on the outside, Lashley slammed Elias into the ring barrier and then rolled him back into the ring. As Lashley climbed back in, Elias drop kicked Lashley’s injured knee again which caused him to fall off the apron. The show then went to break. (c)
Out of the break, the battle continued to wage on. Lashley quickly took over with his strikes and then lifted Elias into the air for his delayed vertical suplex. The crowd loved the move and cheered loudly as Lashley held him up before slamming him into the mat.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Such an impressive move for Lashley. If the guy was over, that move would be a pillar moment for all his matches. I enjoy watching it, but also can’t shake the notion of “what if” while watching it either.
After the move, Lashley speared Elias through the ropes and both men landed on the floor. At this point, Kevin Owens chased Lio Rush around the ring. As Rush ran from them, it caused Owens to run into Lashley. This prompted the referee to give the match to Lashley via disqualification.
WINNER: Lashley via disqualification.
-After the match, Rush was almost beat down by Elias and Owens, but was saved by Lashley.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Just a lame ending to a solid match. They ran into each other? Yikes.
-Drew McIntyre was shown drinking water backstage and was confronted by Seth Rollins. Rollins said he wanted to give Drew some truth. He said that Drew was the one really being used. Rollins said that Strowman and Dolph were using him. Rollins then said that Drew should be getting the title shots, but Ziggler has gotten all of them. To finish, Rollins said that before he accuses anyone else of being used, he should look in the mirror. After Rollins walked away, Ziggler approached McIntyre and asked Drew what that was about. McIntyre told him not to worry about it and walked off.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Interesting. Rollins was effective in telling his story and certainly had an abundance material to work with. The real interesting part was the crowd reaction. When Drew walked off and dismissed Ziggler, there was an audible reaction from the crowd – and an excited one at that. A sign of things to come down the road.
-After the segment, Nia Jax hit the ring with Ember Moon as the show went to commercial break. (c)
(6) NIA JAX w/ Ember Moon vs. ALICIA FOX w/ Micke James & Alexa Bliss
Out of the break, Fox walked to the ring with James and Bliss. As they walked down, Moon and Jax cut a backstage selfie promo where they hyped Jax’s potential award win. Once Fox got to the ring, the match started. Out of the gate, Fox circled Jax as the announce team debated how Alicia could actually win the match. Jax eventually caught Fox and tossed her across the ring. She then crashed into Fox in the corner which caused Fox to roll out of the ring for a regroup. Moon broke up the regroup with rolling attack as Nia tossed Fox back into the ring. Quickly, Fox took over with some strikes and then covered Jax for a quick two count. Out of the pin, Fox locked in a sleeper hold as the audience chanted “let’s go Nia.” As Jax was about to escape, Fox kept momentum by kicking Nia in the face. She then went for the cover again, but Jax kicked out. In the end, Jax connected with her Samoan Drop for the 1,2,3 victory.
WINNER: Jax via pinfall
Heydorn’s Analysis: Was this a wrestling match or a promo segment for Jax’s award. It felt like the latter.
-After the match, Dean Ambrose was confronted by Drew McIntyre. McIntyre asked Ambrose why Rollins would approach him and flip the script. He then surmised that maybe Rollins wants to build a four man Shield team or replace Ambrose. McIntyre then poked the bear more and brought up old memories of Rollins turning on Ambrose before he walked away and left Dean alone in his locker room. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: Again, I appreciate the attempt here, but I’m not buying it. In this instance, I really hope I’m wrong.
-After the commercial break, a hype video aired for Triple H vs. The Undertaker at Super Showdown. In addition, Shawn Michaels was promoted for next week’s Raw.
(7) THE SHIELD vs. BARON CORBIN & AOP
The Shield were introduced first and descended from the audience to the ring. Another good pop from the crowd and as they made their walk, Cole yelled that this was the first time in over a year that they’ve been together for a match. The announce team also debated where Ambrose’s head was at heading into the match. Cole then turned that into a plug for Crown Jewel. The show then went to commercial. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: Man, Cole didn’t even try to make that a smooth transition. Look, Reigns nor the announce team have reference anything regarding Roman being in his head because of his upcoming championship match. If you are going to tell that story, tell it. Otherwise, just let it lie and hype Crown Jewel a different way.
-When the break ended, Baron Corbin made his entrance and then got on the microphone and said it would be their last match together. Corbin then said that the world sees the breakup coming. He then introduced AOP as his tag team partners for the night. From there, AOP walked out with Drake Maverick by their side. As they walked down to the ring, the announce team put over AOP and Drake Maverick for helping AOP get this opportunity.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Man, Drake Maverick looks odd out there. He had a brand on 205 Live that he’s dragging through the mud on Raw.
Before the match was set to begin, Braun Strowman’s music hit and he walked out with Ziggler and McIntyre. They each had steel chairs in their hand and sat on them on the ramp as the bell rang for the bout to begin. Ambrose and Corbin kicked things off with Ambrose gaining a quick upperhand by taking Corbin down to the mat. He then took Corbin down again with a drop toe hold and tagged Rollins into the match. Before Ambrose left the ring, he and Rollins connected with a double vertical suplex on Corbin before Corbin made the tag to his teammate. Both men went at it until Rollins made the tag to Roman Reigns. Reigns slowly entered the match to a chorus of boos before he punched Rezar in the face. Rezar responded by slamming Reigns into the corner before lifting him up for a Samoan Drop. Reigns countered out of that move and tried for his own Samoan Drop, but couldn’t quite lift him up. Instead, Reigns connected with a jumping clothesline. Rezar no sold the move which surprised Reigns. Both sides then stared each other down before they brawled with each other. The Shield cleared the ring, but then got attacked from behind after they were distracted by Strowman and company on the ramp. Before the last commercial break, Corbin attempted a pin on Reigns, but Roman kicked out. (c)
Heydorn’s Analysis: Good pace with a ton of action. The reaction to Reigns is something to behold. Anything he does alone is booed as we saw with his tag into the match.
After the break, Team Corbin was firmly in control of the match. Once Rollins was tagged into the match, he took over and connected with a top rope knee attack as the audience chanted Burn It Down. After, he did his Burn It Down stomp call and went for the Stomp, but was pulled out of the ring by Baron Corbin after Maverick distracted the referee. With Rollins on the outside, Corbin officially tagged into the match and mugged Rollins along with his teammates. As Rollins got beat up, Graves questioned why Ambrose wasn’t helping Rollins. Renee promptly shut that down as true babyface announcer should do.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Good stuff from Renee and Corey. Both drove the story of the night and did so in a logical way. Well done.
As Rollins got beat up, the audience chanted for Ambrose. Eventually, Akim tagged Corbin into the ring to keep the attack fresh.
[OVERRUN]
Corbin demolished Rollins with strong strikes before he knocked Reigns off of the apron. This prompted Ambrose to try and enter the match, but he was stopped by the referee. Then, Rollins hit Corbin with the Sling Blade. This gave Rollins time to crawl to his corner and as he almost made the tag, Rezar knocked Ambrose off the apron. Reigns saw this and got involved which caused the entire situation to devolve into chaos on the outside of the ring. Inside the ring, Corbin nailed Rollins with the Deep Six before covering, but Rollins kicked out at two. Out of the pin, Rollins battled with a super kick that sent Akim out of the ring. He then slowly crawled to his corner, but a fresh Baron Corbin stopped him. With one punch, Rollins dodged Corbin and tagged into the match. Ambrose hit the match with a ton of fire and big pop behind him. He crushed Corbin with a flurry of moves and then rolled him up for a two count. After the pin, the sent Corbin to the outside and then kicked both members of AOP before rolling Corbin back into the ring. From there, Ambrose climbed to the top rope for a move, but was knocked off by AOP. Corbin tried to capitalize, but Ambrose countered with a neck breaker. He followed that with a flying elbow drop, but AOP both broke up the pin at the count of two. In the end, after a handful of suicide dives and stomps by Rollins, Ambrose connected with Dirty Deeds on Corbin before tagging Reigns in for the Spear. Reigns then covered for the 1,2,3 win.
WINNER: The Shield via pinfall.
-After the match, Rollins and Reigns celebrated in the ring with Ambrose on the outside. The announce team pointed this out and Ambrose was conveniently placed in between both sets up teams. The audience chanted “Shield” as Ambrose looked back and forth at both teams. He then turned his back on team Strowman and rolled into the ring for the Shield pose with Rollins and Reigns.
Heydorn’s Analysis: Good match that showcased what the Shield can do as a team and how exciting they can be. Reigns still is being hidden in these matches. Rollins and Ambrose do the work and get the crowd rolling before Reigns tags in to finish things up. It’s brilliant booking in some ways, but laughably awful and pointless in others. Such is life in a Roman Reigns led WWE.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT 9/17: Alt Perspective coverage of the live show including Hell In A Cell fallout, Reigns vs. Corbin, Rollins vs. Ziggler, and more
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