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KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
OCTOBER 17, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
[HOUR ONE]
-After “Then, Now, Forever, Together,” they joined Bobby Lashley pacing in the ring mid-sentence calling out Brock Lesnar. Fans cheered and then Lesnar’s music played. Kevin Patrick called it an unusual start to the show. Lesnar walked out in his cowboy hat, vest, and blue jeans. He lunged at Lashley and rammed him into the edge of the ring. Lashley, though, then took it to Brock, ramming his head into the ringpost and then spearing him into the time keeper’s area and finally a tackle into the announce desk. Lesnar was writhing in pain and Patrick said he was hurt. Officials came out and escorted Lashley to the back.
(Keller’s Analysis: Lashley needed to have a strong showing here to not seem like he was pushover for Lesnar did last week, so this was a smart way to open Raw with the idea being Lashley couldn’t wait for the official start to call out Lesnar. He also needed to get the better of him.) [c]
-Patrick and Corey Graves stood around the destruction from the opening segment and previewed the show. They also hyped a look back at Bray Wyatt’s return to Smackdown. Top billing went to Seth Rollins defending the U.S. Title against Matt Riddle.
(1) THE O.C. (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows w/A.J. Styles) vs. THE ALPHA ACADEMY (Otis & Chad Gable)
Graves talked about Styles being happy to be reunited with his O.C. partners. Gable shoved Anderson into the ringpost a couple minutes in and they cut to a break. [c]
Back from the break, Anderson and Gallows finished off Gable with their Magic Killer finisher.
WINNERS: Anderson & Gallows in 8:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: The entirety of Anderson & Gallows presentation so far is that they’re old friends with Styles. I get they see this threesome as a good opposing team for Judgment Day, but they’re being presented like it’s five years ago and it’s inherently a big deal to have them hanging with Styles in the U.S. on Raw. For some, it is. For many Raw viewers, it’s not at all.)
-The Judgment Day walked out. Finn Balor made fun of the “Too Sweet” thing from Bullet Club and talked about how it’s the same old crap. “Nobody’s ever seen that before.” Damian Priest said those three think they accomplished something great last week. Fans chanted “You suck.” Priest said they stopped giving a damn about the fans a long time ago. He said last week all the O.C. accomplished was guaranteeing “getting cooked by The Judgment Day.” Balor said he’s the one who started “this stupid little club.” He said he made them and he’ll break them. He said they’re there to challenge them to a match. Balor made a cupping gesture with his hand as he talked about facing them at Crown Jewel.
Styles accepted his challenge. He added that this is Raw and they’re standing right there, so “let’s do this right here, right now.” He said maybe they need to ask their mother for permission, alluding to Rhea Ripley. Dominik told him to shut his mouth unless he wants to be like his dad and run to the other brand because he can’t hang with them. Styles smiled and said he’s cool and bad as long as he’s standing next to the rest of Judgment Day. He called him a piece of trash who turned his back on his own father. He said he’s a punk who likes to run his mouth. He suggested they wrestle one-on-one. Ripley accepted and said he’ll rip Styles limb from limb. Dominik didn’t look sure of himself, but Ripley asked if he’s a man or a boy. Dominik got brave, but said he’s not ready yet because he’s not in his gear. He said when he is ready, he’ll mop the floor with him “in an hour so.” Styles told him to get his gear on and stretch, because he’ll be ready to beat the piss out of him. He said his dad should have done it to him.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good set-up for a single match. The dynamic with Ripley and Dominik was fun there, with Dominik stepping up only to not lose standing with Ripley. Balor continues to be a more dynamic promo as a heel than he was as a babyface.)
-A commercial aired for NXT. [c]
-A recap aired of last week’s U.S. Title change with Seth Rollins taking advantage of Lashley after being attacked by Lesnar.
-Seth Rollins made his ring entrance, wearing a bright outfit. He did his usual spiel, and then added he is the new United States Champion. He jogged around the ring, then told the fans who turned on him to kiss his behind, but he told the fans who have always had his back to sing his song. He said he tapped out to Riddle because he had a title match two days later and had to be in the best possible condition to beat Lashley. “I tapped out for you!” he said. Mustafa Ali’s music played. Patrick asked what he was doing. Graves called him “a bit of a disrupter” on Raw.
Ali said Lashley promised him he was next in line for a title shot, although he called it a “championship opportunity.” He said he still wants that title shot. Seth laughed and asked if he looks like Lashley. He told Ali he can stay out there and party with him or he can skedaddle his way “out of my ring because you don’t belong in this ring with me.” As Seth cackled, Ali pulled off Seth’s sunglasses. Ali said it’s not going down like that. He said he is looking at “your next freakin’ problem.” He said he won’t back down and he wants a fight. Seth tried to calm him down. He said he actually likes and respects Ali. He said the people may not know that he’s an even better human being than he is a wrestler. He said he’s a great friend and a great colleague and a great father. He then attacked Ali and threw him out of the ring. As Seth strutted at ringside, pleased with himself, Ali jumped him from behind. Seth fired back by throwing Ali into the ringpost.
-They showed a white limo with horns arriving. Graves exclaimed excitedly, “He’s here!” [c]
(2) CANDICE LERAE & BIANCA BELAIR vs. DAKOTA KAI & IYO SKY
Damage CTRL came out. Bayley joined the announcers on commentary. She said she’s been a big supporter of Candice dating back to watching her on the independent scene before she got into wrestling. She said she talked up Candice, but Candice didn’t thank her with a text. She also referred to Sky as Iyo Shirai. Patrick asked Bayley if she still has bruises from her match with Belair. Bayley said that was a personal question. Graves said it was weird. Belair fought off Kai and Sky, then tagged in LeRae and whipped her into Sky with a slidekick at ringside. Belair and LeRae celebrated as they cut to a break. [c]
Back from the break, Kai held Belair’s braid to prevent a tag, but Belair fought through it and tagged in LeRae.
[HOUR TWO]
LeRae landed a double senton on both opponents and scored a two count on Kai. Kai broke up a near fall. Belair then went for a move, but Kai escaped and then knocked Belair to the ground. Everyone else ended up on at ringside, slow to get up. Bayley grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring. Belair got up and tackled her over the commentary table. Back in the ring, Sky and Kai gave LeRae a double backward slam by lifting her by her legs for the win.
WINNERS: Kai & Sky in 12:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Clunky and seemed a little slo-mo at times.)
-Cathy Kelly interviewed Riddle backstage who went on about hover boards that overheat and compared it to Seth. He said Seth can make any excuse he wants, but he beat him in the Fight Pit and he’ll beat him again tonight for the U.S. Title. Riddle saw Ali and told him he’ll give him the opportunity he deserves if he wins the U.S. Title tonight. Off to the side, Miz was crying in pain and grabbing his knee. He claimed he slipped and fell and probably can’t wrestle later as scheduled. He blamed a janitor leaving the floor wet. [c]
-They went to Patrick and Graves at ringside who hyped NXT tomorrow night, which goes head-to-head with AEW Dynamite.
-Backstage Balor and Priest were talking to Dominik about his match later. Balor said nice guys finish last. Cora Jade walked up to Ripley. Cora said Roxanne picked her to face Raquel Rodriguez, so she has to pick Roxanne’s opponent. She asked Ripley to be her pick to face Roxanne because she’s ruthless and dominating. Ripley said she wouldn’t mind putting Roxanne down for her. “I’m in,” she said.
-JBL made his entrance. Graves said JBL is a “wrestling god.” He said he was about to make a major announcement, but he first wanted to apologize to the world. He paused, then said, “…for doing this in Oklahoma.” Fans booed. He said the great state is just south of the Red River. He made some sports score reference to get to the crowd. He then told fans to get on their “sweathog feet” and welcome Mr. Baron Corbin. Out came Corbin with a graphic showing a ton of money, but dressed in a vest and long pants. Graves said, “What a strategic alliance!” He said in exchange for Rey going to Smackdown, Raw got Baron Corbin. He said he’s three times the size of Rey. JBL said he asked for competition, and WWE gave them Dolph Ziggler. He said they say Ziggler stole the show. He said actually Ziggler has been stealing money from WWE for years. He said if Ziggler had been around in the Attitude Era, he wouldn’t have made the cut.
-Dolph Ziggler began his ring entrance. [c]
(3) DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. BARON CORBIN
JBL on commentary said Ziggler is talented for today, but he wouldn’t have made the cut in the Attitude Era. (Quite the narrative for today’s fans.) JBL said Corbin is the cornerstone and you can build the company around him in any generation. He compared him to Gotch and Hackenschmidt and Thesz and Sammartino and Hogan. He said Corbin would rise to the top in any generation. They cut to a break a few minutes in. [c]
Graves marked this date as the birth of a new Wrestling God. Ziggler got in some offense and a near fall. Corbin came back with a Deep Six. When Ziggler kicked out, Corbin was frustrated. Corbin caught Ziggler by the throat when he leaped off the top rope and went for a chokeslam. Ziggler broke free and landed a Zig Zag for a two count. JBL talked about “carrying the company in 2004” and said the whole world was against him then. Corbin finished Ziggler with End of Days.
WINNER: Corbin in 14:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Solid match. Good to see Corbin get a reboot. I’d like to have heard from Corbin and not just JBL. His ring gear is pretty forgettable too. I think a reboot of Corbin needs something more memorable and distinct.)
-Byron Saxton approached Miz and said the floor hadn’t been mopped since last week. Miz told Saxton he didn’t make up that story, but of course people are going to accuse him of fabricating the story. Johnny Gargano walked past the doorway and yelled, “Oh, Dexter Lumis!” Miz popped up onto his feet in a panic. Gargano said, “Oh, my bad. It’s just Byron. Common mistake.” Saxton noted Miz’s sudden recovery. Miz attributed it to his superior DNA. He said that’s unfortunate for “he who shall not be named.” [c]
-MVP and Omos were shown from a low camera angle backstage. They were wearing suits. MVP talked about Braun Strowman. He said they’ll visit Braun on Friday on Smackdown and look down at him and show that Omos fears no man. “Monsters aren’t real, but giants are,” said MVP. Omos punched his hand a couple times.
-Back to ringside, Graves and Patrick reacted, then threw to a video package on Bray Wyatt’s return to Smackdown. Patrick called it “emotional, yet perplexing.”
-A video package aired on Bray.
-Backstage, Cameron Grimes approached Styles, Anderson, and Gallows, He asked them to team with him tomorrow night. Gallows and Anderson were intrigued by Grimes having a lot of money. Grimes said he’d pay them and see them tomorrow. Styles said, “You guys haven’t changed a bit.”
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s good they went back to Styles and his returned cohorts to help get across their personalities and the dynamic between them. Also cool seeing Grimes on Raw.) [c]
-Patrick and Graves hyped the Crown Jewel line-up. Graves said, “I’m so excited to wake up in Riyadh, eat my breakfast, and watch the sunrise in the desert. Oh my god, it’s beautiful over there.” (Really, Corey?)
[HOUR THREE]
(4) A.J. STYLES (w/Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO (w/Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley)
Graves said Dominik hasn’t won over many fans after what he did to his father. Dominik begged off at ringside a couple minutes in. Styles went after him and threw him back into the ring. Ripley distracted Styles at ringside. Styles threatened to knock her into next week. Styles called her a chick. Dominik leaped onto Styles from the ring, then threw him back into the ring. Dominik dominated for a while. Styles came back and landed a flying forearm at ringside. Then he tossed Dominik over the ringside barricade. The O.C. and The Judgment Day stared each other down at ringside as they cut to a break. [c]
Graves said Styles is in a different league than Dominik as a WWE Superstar, but it doesn’t make him wrong to branch out on his own. Dominik battled Styles on the top rope. Styles knocked him to the mat. Ripley yanked Styles off balance and Dominik took over again. Graves grew impatient with Patrick continuing to mention Rey’s name during the match. Styles made a comeback with some clotheslines. Dominik went for a 619, but Styles ducked and then went for a Calf Crusher. Dominik reached the bottom rope at the encouragement of his cohorts at ringside. The ref had to step between the wrestlers at ringside when they exchanged heated words as Styles beat up Dominik. Ripley pulled on Styles’s leg and then Dominik rolled up Styles from behind for a three count.
WINNER: Dominik in 14:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Other than pulling up his waistband a few times during the match when he should have been selling, Dominik didn’t look too out of place at this level, which is a credit to Dom, not just Styles. But it wasn’t a mat classic, either. The finish largely worked to give Dom something to tirelessly brag about.)
-Gargano approached Miz backstage and said he feels compelled to help a fellow Clevelander. He said he’s known Dexter for a long time and he knows the true story about them. Miz asked what he was talking about. Gargano encouraged Miz to tell everyone the truth. Miz said the truth is, he’s beating Dexter, and then Dexter will be banned forever. Miz said he wants to settle his score with him when he’s done with Dexter. He still isn’t saying Dexter’s name, though. [c]
-They hyped NXT’s line-up tomorrow night.
-Clips aired of the Lesnar-Lashley angle from earlier. Patrick announced Lesnar vs. Lashley at Crown Jewel.
-As Lumis made his entrance, Miz attacked him from behind with a chair. He then delivered a Skull Crushing Finale.
-Saxton wondered what’s next for Damage CTRL. Bayley didn’t like the question, but did say they got rid of Alexa Bliss and Asuka. Kai said they’ll continue to reign over the tag team division. Bayley said Raquel & Shotzi have no chance against them on Smackdown this Friday. She said next week, she’s going to show Belair what it’s like when she’s back in control.
-Graves hyped Bayley vs. Belair for next week’s Raw.
-They showed a clip of Elias and said he’d be out next. Patrick told Graves to get excited. Graves said he’d rather slam his head in a door. [c]
-Gargano told Miz that won’t stop Dexter and the only thing that will is giving him what he wants. Miz said he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Gargano asked what’s the worst that happens if he tells the truth. He said he could get canceled, end up homeless, and he and Candice could take over “Miz & Mrs.” Miz asked why he has a whistle around his neck. Gargano said if he doesn’t come clean, he’s “going to blow the whistle on you.”
-Elias said it’s great to be back. He said his younger brother’s career was cut tragically short, but in his family they have a saying that the show must go on. He asked who wants to walk with Elias. He said he wanted to perform a special song straight from his heart and soul. He said he gets emotional, though. He asked fans to silence their cell phones. Riddle interrupted. Graves said, “I’ve never been so happy to see Matt Riddle in my life.”
Riddle brought bongos to the ring with him. Elias said it’s great to see him, but he doesn’t like that he interrupted him on his night back. Riddle said he’s not there to interrupt him. He said he’s a huge Elias fan. He asked him to hit his bong. Elias said that’s not really his thing. Riddle encouraged the crowd to sing “Oh, walk with Elias.” He played the Bongos. Elias tried to be patient, but said he should sit down and watch him perform. Riddle asked if maybe one day they can play together. Fans cheered and some chanted “Yes!” Elias promised one day they will. Riddle said he’s the best. He told Elias if he needs anything, don’t hesitate to ask. Riddle sat in the ring as Elias took a deep breath and began to play his keyboard. Before he could sing, Seth’s music played and he made his entrance. They cut to a break. [c]
-Patrick hyped Raw Talk on Peacock with Corbin, Elias, and Damage CTRL.
(5) SETH ROLLINS vs. RIDDLE – U.S. Title match
Elias remained at ringside. Patrick listed some top stars such as Ric Flair, Steve Austin, and John Cena who held the U.S. Title. Riddle applied a sudden leg triangle. Seth escaped to ringside. Graves wondered why Elias was allowed to be at ringside. Seth stalled again at ringside. Seth eventually got in sustained offense. Riddle head scissored Seth to the floor. Elias laughed. Seth yelled at him as they cut to a break. [c]
Seth took over after the break. He climbed to the top rope and leaped with a flying splash, but Riddle caught him with another triangle. Seth powered Riddle up and rammed him into the corner turnbuckle and then landed a sitout powerbomb. Seth scored a two count, but Riddle held on. Seth put his boot over the bottom rope to force a break. Seth rolled to the floor. He told Elias to hit him. Elias didn’t, but Seth kicked Elias. Riddle went back after Seth and threw him into the ring. He landed a snap powerslam and then delivered a draping DDT. He pounded the mat and went for an RKO. Elias entered the ring. Seth pushed Riddle into him, then hit a Stomp for the win.
WINNER: Rollins to retain the U.S. Title.
-Seth gave Elias a Stomp right after scoring the three count. He then celebrated his win. Seth was about to give Riddle another Stomp when Ali ran out and tackled Seth. Seth retreated to ringside. Ali dove at Seth at ringside and beat him down behind the announce desk. Seth ran away through the crowd.
(Keller’s Analysis: It wasn’t entirely clear whether they were setting up a Riddle vs. Elias match or Seth vs. Elias match. I’m still not sure.)
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