10/9 WWE Raw On-Site Report from Chicago: Details on non-televised matches, crowd reactions, other observations from in the arena

WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW ON-SITE REPORT
OCTOBER 9, 2018
CHICAGO, ILL. AT ALLSTATE ARENA
REPORT BY MATT B, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT

TAPED FOR MAIN EVENT TV

(1) Zack Ryder beat Mojo Rawley. Ryder got a big pop, typical of the first babyface entrance of the night.

(2) The Revival beat Heath Slater & Rhyno. It seems they’re going a certain direction with The Revival, then it seemed like they pull back. I don’t like the way WWE is treating them sometimes.

OTHER NOTES…

-The crowd felt really hot tonight. It felt like a newsworthy show.

-Triple H got a big pop coming out. Shawn Michaels got an even bigger pop. Once they started talking, it got interesting. Triple H kept talking about respect, yet it seemed Hunter and HBK were the clear heels Super Show-down since Shawn was helping him throughout the match. I think the crowd had a mixed reaction to that. The reveal of them coming back as DX got a big pop and everybody was happy for that. It was an up-and-down promo where fans were happy, then mixed, then happy again.

-The crowd reaction for Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush was both cheers and boos. When Kevin Owens came out, he got a big pop. It seemed like the crowd was on target with where they were going with the booking. Lio yelling on the mic was annoying from the get-go. People around us were saying, “Shut this guy up!” I told my wife I thought Lashlyey was going to turn heel here. Then the beatdown happened at the end, but even earlier he was cocky, showboating, and flexing. I caught onto that real quick. The crowd was booing Lio early in the match.

-Ronda Rousey got a huge pop, especially because she cut off Elias after he took a dig at the Cubs. The pop for the Bellas was good, but also some boos from some guys. The Bellas are my wife’s favorites, so she was screaming for her. The hardcore fans seemed to anticipate maybe something happening there with the rumors of Nikki facing Rousey at Evolution. They got the heat they wanted from the Bellas turn.

-Bayley got a decent pop. Finn Balor still got a big pop. Even though everything they’re doing with them is cheesy, they still got a big pop. Fans weren’t turning against them, it helped they were against Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox got no cheers.

-As for Kurt Angle, I think I realized he was the Conquistador sooner than most. I could see that Kurt Angle signature bulging neck sticking out from the mask. I was telling people around me what I thought. They were, “No way, no way.” Once he delivered the suplexes, fans caught on and got excited. Then when the mask came off, the place erupted when it was confirmed.

-When they said Trish Stratus would be there, the crowd cheered, but when she actually came out, the reaction was mixed and pretty dull overall. It was hard to hear Trish at times because her voice just didn’t project at all. It felt like she was speaking softly. Alexa Bliss got a real big pop when she came out. She’s so good on the mic, people love whatever she says. It’s hard for her to do anything wrong even though technically she’s a heel. It didn’t get me any more excited for the match.

-When Chad Gable stole the finish from Bobby Roode, the crowd oohed and then they cheered afterward the win. When AOP came out, they got an “AOP” chant.

-When The Shield match was over and Dean Ambrose stormed off without Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, nothing else happened. They had advertised The Shield vs. Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler & Braun Strowman, and that’s what they delivered. There was no match after Raw went off the air.

-The crowd was electric for The Shield, and they didn’t seem to be looking for opportunities to boo Reigns like the last time. There was a lot of cheering for Roman. There were still some boos from the guys, but not as much as before. The biggest reactions for anything all night was the main event six-man tag match.

NOW CHECK OUT A FULL REPORT ON RAW: 10/8 WWE RAW RESULTS: Keller’s report on Super Show-down fallout as they head to Evolution and Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia