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KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
OCTOBER 31, 2022
DALLAS, TEX. AT AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
[HOUR ONE]
-The Raw opening theme aired.
-Kevin Patrick introduced the show as the camera panned the audience. He hyped Crown Jewel.
(1) BIANCA BELAIR vs. NIKKI CROSS
As Belair’s ring entrance took place, Graves hyped her title defense at Crown Jewel against Bayley. Cross then came out to her new entrance theme. Patrick said her smile has vanished and her positivity has passed away. He said she is a “maniacal, deranged ball of terror” being introduced on Halloween. A clip aired of Nikki’s attack on Belair last week. Patrick said it’s hard to fathom this is Nikki Cross. Graves said it’s been a while since they’ve seen Cross on Raw and he hasn’t had a chance to ask her any questions in the last week. Patrick said Belair looked tentative standing opposite this version of Nikki. [c]
When Nikki leaped onto Belair’s back at ringside, Belair leaped backwards and crushed her. Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky ran out to the ring. Kai and Sky distracted the ref as Bayley threw Belair into the ringpost. Nikki shoved Bayley down, then went after Sky at ringside. Patrick asked what Nikki’s agenda is. Nikki leaped onto Kai before then returning to the ring. Belair recovered enough to give Nikki a K.O.D. for the win. Graves said it was a big win for Belair, “but at what cost?”
WINNER: Belair in 10:00.
-As Bayley and Co. triple-teamed Belair, Asuka ran out to her music alongside Alexa Bliss.
-Clips aired of the Brock Lesnar-Bobby Lashley angles earlier in the month on Raw. Then they showed a split-screen with Lashley on the left getting mic’d up and an empty chair on the right, awaiting the arrival of Lesnar for a “face to face.” [c]
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Belair, Bliss, and Asuka backstage. Belair said she’ll be the last woman standing on Saturday. Bliss said they want to settle this right now. She challenged Sky & Kai to give them a tag team title match tonight. Asuka yelled they aren’t ready for Asuka and Alexa.
-They went to Graves and Patrick at ringside who hyped the Lashley-Lesnar match. They showed that Lashley was still alone for the interview segment. Lashley said he’s not surprised Brock no-showed because he’s been avoiding him for years. He said he’ll expose him at Crown Jewel just as he did a few weeks ago on Raw. He said Lesnar is a “Bobby Lashley wannabe.” Lesnar’s music played and he walked out onto the stage. Graves said, “Brock Lesnar is in the house!” Graves told Lashley.
Lesnar entered the ring with a smile on his face. He said he didn’t come to Texas to talk, he came to fight. He said if Lashley didn’t get the memo, get his ass to the ring for an ass beating. Lashley’s music played and he marched out. Lesnar charged at him in the aisle. They were quickly swarmed by security and WWE officials. Patrick said to imagine what will happen Saturday when there is no security present. Lesnar broke free briefly, but was pulled off again. An enraged Triple H came out and yelled at the referee to tell them that that if they touch, the fight is off.
-Patrick hyped the Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins match. [c]
-Graves commented on highlights of the Lesnar-Lashley brawl.
(2) SETH ROLLINS vs. AUSTIN THEORY
A soundbite aired with Theory as he made his way to the ring. He touted being the youngest Money in the Bank holder ever and he will prove he can do this all day. As Seth came out, Graves said he’s as big of a fan of Theory as anyone, but he might have bitten off more than he can chew. They aired a clip of what happened last week after Theory beat Mustafa Ali when Seth attacked Ali and yelled that he doesn’t belong “in my WWE” followed by Ali attacking Seth on the stage a minute later. Graves said Seth on commentary last week wasn’t trying to disrespect Theory at all and was actually attempting to compliment Theory. He said Theory, in a brash move, stepped up to face Seth anyway. Fans sang Seth’s song after the bell rang to start the match, which Seth played into.
When Seth went for a Pedigree a minute into the match, Theory slipped free and rolled to ringside. Boos rang out. Seth went after Theory at ringside, chasing him back into the ring. Seth wrecking ball kicked Theory at ringside and then dropped him over the edge of the barricade. He leaped off the announce desk with a flying knee to the back of Theory’s neck. Seth high-fived a fan before throwing Theory back into the ring. Fans continued to sing his song. Seth went for a springboard into the ring, but Theory shoved him off balance and then dropped him face-first over the desk and then threw him shoulder-first into the steps. Fans chanted, “Theory sucks!” They cut to a break as Theory told fans to shut up. [c]
Back from the break, Graves said they had breaking news that the Women’s Tag Team Title match was just made official. Seth landed his obligatory dive through the ropes to ringside. Back in the ring, Seth thwarted Theory’s suplex attempt and gave him a Broken Arrow for a near fall. Patrick called it a brilliant match, as expected. Seth landed a springboard flying knee to the head followed by a superkick for a near fall. Seth set up a Pedigree, but Theory rolled out of it and into a two count. They exchanged a series of two counts mid-ring. Theory stood and landed a punch and a suplex for a near fall.
Seth landed an enzuigiri, but Theory came right back with a blockbuster for a near fall. Fans tried to get a dueling chant going, but it didn’t catch on. Seth avoided an A-Town Down, and they continued countering each other until Theory landed a superkick and a forearm. Seth was facedown on the mat as Theory stood and trash-talked him. “I’m the king!” Theory said. He set up a Pedigree, but Seth escaped and landed a Stomp for the win.
WINNER: Rollins in 15:00.
-A black SUV arrived and out of it stepped Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. [c]
-They went to Patrick and Graves who said they had breaking news that Bray Wyatt would be at Crown Jewel on Saturday.
-Reigns’s music played. Fans stood as he walked out with Heyman.
[HOUR TWO]
-Reigns told Dallas to acknowledge him. He told fans not to worry because he’s got Jey Uso and Sami Zayn out there in the world working on becoming a little more Uce-y. Fans cheered. He said by the time they’re done in Saudi Arabia, they’ll see “a new Uce-y Right Hand Man Jey Uso.” He said he wanted to get real with the fans. He said for over two years, he’s been hyping opponents, and the only thing that happens is that they get to the match and they get smashed. He said he doesn’t want them to think he’s dishonest or lying, but he’s the greatest of all-time. “And I’m going against a guy who’s had two matches,” he said. “So there’s no way I’m going to sit up here and hype up a match with an outsider like Logan Paul. “The Tribal Chief won’t do that, but the Wiseman will,” he said.
Heyman said it is incumbent upon him to mention Logan has steel screws in his hand and he’s been training with Shawn Michaels, but despite that, he’s going to get smashed by the Tribal Chief. He said if there’s one thing Reigns cannot tolerate, it’s an outsider. Miz’s music played. Reigns asked Heyman off-mic if he knew about this.
Miz made his way to the ring dressed in an aurora green robe. He said nobody knows Logan better than him in the industry. He said he trained him and taught him basically everything he knows. He said the right hand that everyone has been talking about is real. He said the pins in his hand give him knockout power, as Jey found out. He said he’s dealing with a deranged stalker. He suggested to Reigns that they help each other. He said if he helps him with his stalker, he can help Reigns deal with Logan. Heyman said it’s up to Reigns and handed him the mic.
Reigns said it doesn’t sound all that bad. He said he’s beginning to like “this guy” Miz. He asked why everyone is asking him about Logan Paul knocking him out, though. He then landed a Superman Punch on Miz. He stood over Miz and said, “They should be talking about me knocking Logan Paul out.” He dropped the mic and left to his music, yelling at the camera angrily that no man is going to knock him out.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good stuff. Great intensity at the end by Reigns, which can be seen as a sign of confidence or a sign of being a little rattled. The idea that Logan has metal pins in his hand gives fans that storyline reason to believe he might be booked to win, adding a smidgen of doubt as to the outcome or at least the idea there will be some drama. It’s weird seeing Reigns flirt with being a babyface as he’s opposite of an unpopular interloper in Logan and then in this segment KO’ing the obnoxious heel mainstream Miz. The fans seem more than ready to embrace him in that role.) [c]
-Kelley asked Miz if she was aware that Johnny Gargano sat down with Byron Saxton for a tell-all interview. Miz said he hasn’t thought about it and he’s more concerned about getting his match against Ali cancelled. He said if WWE airs the slanderous interview with Gargano, he will have no choice but to file a defamation suit. Ali walked in and said he was really looking forward to competing against him. He said they say everything is bigger in Texas. He looked down at Miz’s crotch and said, “Well, almost everything.” Miz told him, “Don’t you dare.” Ali yelled, “Miz has got tiny balls!” Miz said he’ll beat him later with a broken jaw. Ali smiled and left.
(3) DAMIAN PRIEST (w/Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley, Dominic Mysterio) vs. KARL ANDERSON (w/Luke Gallows, A.J. Styles)
The Judgment Day’s entrance music played as the arena darkened. They showed photos of fans dressed up as Rhea Ripley for Halloween. Graves and Patrick said it’s been absolute dominance so far by Judgement Day. When Dominik approached Anderson at ringside, Anderson turned and punched him. Priest then caught Anderson with a superkick. They cut to an early break. [c]
When Anderson climbed to the top rope, Ripley stood on the ring apron and Anderson switched his attention to her. Priest then caught Anderson with a face plant off the ropes. Graves said Anderson couldn’t keep his focus on Priest. Anderson countered a Reckoning attempt and scored a three count with a backslide.
WINNER: Anderson in 7:00.
-Everyone began brawling immediately after the pin. Ripley gave Gallows a low-blow from behind again. She then yelled at Styles and Anderson. Priest and Balor attacked them from behind. Priest gave Styles a Razor’s Edge. Balor then landed a Coup de Gras on Anderson. Dominik climbed to the top rope, played to the crowd, and then frog splashed Styles.
-A backstage promo aired with MVP and Omos. MVP said Braun Strowman can tip over trucks, but he’ll never measure up to Omos. He said he’s coming to Smackdown on Friday and has arranged a surprise for him.
-JBL made his way to the ring as his music played. He danced a bit and had a wide smile.
(Keller’s Analysis: With his hat off, it’s crazy how much JBL looks like a photo edit blending JBL and Vince McMahon together. It’s like he’s morphing into Vince McMahon.) [c]
-JBL’s music faded. He said it’s great to be in his home state. He said the United States was formed with Texas as the centerpiece. He said the other states can thank them. He talked about the Dallas Cowboys and brought up the Von Erichs and Steve Austin. “The greatness of Texas has been immeasurable until you snowflakes came along and ruined it,” he said. Some cheers turned to booed. He said they’ve turned Texas into an embarrassment. He said Halloween is when parents send kids door to door begging for food. He said it’s the last thing this “young, entitled, lazy, safe-space seeking generation” needs. He said they shouldn’t be allowed to call themselves Texans. “You disgust me,” he said. He said despite all that, he’s going to once again introduce greatness to the stage. He told everyone to get up on their feet and “put your woke, chubby hands together” for Baron Corbin.
(Keller’s Analysis: At least they’re presenting JBL as a heel with those viewpoints, unlike the odd choice to have Daniel Bryan be a heel environmentalist years ago, which never made sense to me. “Boo to carbon emission reductions!” Huh?)
Corbin came out in a more obnoxious outfit than prior weeks with JBL. He said he knows it made the night of the fans to be in the presence of a modern day wrestling god. He thanked the fans for scraping together the money to come see him in person. He said they probably had to put in extra work at the factory or the farm, but it shows how much they truly love him. Corbin talked about the truth, which prompted R-Truth’s ring entrance.
Truth came out dressed as a cowboy. JBL asked what he was doing and said he looked ridiculous. Truth said he just wanted to wish Dallas a Happy Halloween and tell JBL and Corbin that he really likes their Halloween costumes. JBL said they’re not wearing costumes and called Truth an idiot. Truth said JBL dresses like a mean, hostile, angry, angry out of touch old man. Corbin tried to comfort JBL. Truth said Corbin is “the world’s biggest…” at which point Corbin attacked him. JBL helped fend off Truth’s comeback. Corbin gave him an End of Days. [c]
-They showed Bayley trying to talk to Nikki, who was in some weird meditative pose. She smiled, got up, and left. Bayley looked unsure whether she got through to her.
(4) MATT RIDDLE (w/Elias) vs. OTIS (w/Chad Gable) – Trick or Street Fight match
Graves said Riddle has surely already run through his Halloween stash. Riddle came out dressed as Ezekiel. They showed a photo of a fan dressed up as Riddle holding a scooter. Gable came out and said he could have dressed up as Socrates or another great philosopher, but no one would have gotten the joke. He said Texas morons wouldn’t have gotten it, so he dressed up as Patrick Swayze as the legendary dancer “Chip.” He introduced Otis, who dressed up as “Dale.” They took off their robes and then danced with bow ties around their necks. Otis did some hip thrusts and Gable wiggled his ass at ringside. The ring apron had around 28 pumpkins around it and other Halloween decorations. Riddle landed an early Floating Bro. “I assure you, it’s going to get weirder,” Grave said as they cut to an early break. [c]
Back from the break, Otis did The Worm. Riddle side-stepped Otis charging him and sent him head first into a chair wedged in the corner. Riddle bashed Otis with kendo sticks, then pounded the mat to signal for the RKO. Gable, though, clotheslined him from the ring apron. Elias knocked a celebrating Gable off the ring apron through a pumpkin at ringside. Otis blocked a Riddle RKO and instead gave Riddle a leaping powerslam. Otis went for a swing splash out of the corner, but Elias then put a pumpkin over Otis’s head. “Finally a head that fits the body,” said Patrick, with a Line of the Night contender. Riddle then hit something resembling an RKO on Otis and the pumpkin head for the win.
WINNER: Riddle in 8:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: That happened. Patrick’s one-liner about Otis made it all worth it. They picked the right wrestlers to partake in this year’s pumpkin-themed silliness.)
-Kai was fuming over how undeserving Asuka & Bliss are of a title shot. Bayley said she’s right and said they will the last women standing by this time next week after she’s done with Belair at Crown Jewel.
-Miz made his ring entrance. [c]
(5) THE MIZ vs. MUSTAFA ALI
Ali’s entrance aired after the break. Graves complained that Miz isn’t 100 percent because of Reign’s Superman Punch. Miz wore his t-shirt that said, “My balls are massive.” Miz took control a couple minutes in and they cut to a break. [c]
Ali came back with a satellite DDT after the break. Miz rolled to the floor. Graves said Miz has a swollen jaw. Ali climbed to the top rope and leaped onto Miz at ringside. Miz shoved Ali over the announce desk. When Miz went after him, Dexter Lumis grabbed Miz from behind. Miz escaped his grip, but was still spooked when he re-entered the ring, so Ali superkicked him. Ali then landed a 450 splash for the win. Security, meanwhile, pursued Dexter through the crowd. Graves said “he who shall not be named continued to make life for Miz a living hell.”
WINNER: Ali in 9:00.
-Patrick hyped the Gargano tell-all interview next. [c]
-Postcard shots aired of Dallas.
-A “WWE Investigates” logo appeared on the screen. Byron then said someone has come forward with a bombshell regarding the Miz-Dexter situation. He said Gargano is “a whistleblower with an inside scoop.” They played a “60 Minutes” style ticking clock. Gargano said Dexter married into his NXT family, so he had to accept him “like a son-in-law or a pet racoon, one in the same.” He said after the wedding, their family fell apart. “How so?” asked Saxton. Gargano said he lost his job and fell on hard times. He said Miz took advantage of it. “In what way?” asked Saxton. They showed blurry reenactments with Gargano playing all the roles of everyone in the story. Gargano said on Aug. 22 in Toronto for his surprise Raw debut, he overhead Miz and Dexter talking. He said he recorded it on his phone “because, you know, it’s 2022.”
They played Miz saying people are buying their rivalry and so he should keep it up and he’ll pay him the rest when it’s all done. He told him to take the money and keep his mouth shut. Saxton asked if Miz and Dexter had a financial arrangement. Gargano said he thinks Miz paid Dexter to stage attacks on him. Saxton asked why he’d do that. Gargano said Miz is a celebrity who desires attention and he wanted a stalker. He said he exploited Dexter’s situation. Gargano said there were no physical altercations and there was evidence that Miz didn’t put up a fight when Dexter dragged him away.
Gargano said Miz orchestrated his own downfall. When Saxton asked about Dexter costing Miz his U.S. Title match against Lashley, Gargano said Miz knew he couldn’t win, so he staged an excuse for losing. Gargano said Miz stopped paying Dexter at some point, so now Dexter is coming after Miz for what he is owed.
-They went to Graves and Patrick at ringside. Graves said he didn’t believe a word of it and ranted about it. Patrick smiled and shifted to a plug for Crown Jewel.
-Belair, Asuka, and Bliss made their ring entrances. [c]
(6) DAKOTA KAI & IYO SKY (w/Bayley) vs. ALEXA BLISS & ASUKA (w/Bianca Belair) – WWE Tag Team Title match
When Bliss started aggressively against Sky, Graves said they haven’t seen this in her in a long while. He said that aggression is what’s needed to be a top tier player in WWE. A few minutes later, the heels got the better of Asuka at ringside. They cut to a break. [c]
Asuka caught Sky leaping off the top rope with lifted knees. She followed with an Asuka lock. Bayley distracted the ref on the ring apron. Kai broke up the Asuka lock. Belair went after Bayley at ringside and they tumbled over the barricade into the time keepers’ area. Kai blocked a Bliss DDT with a headbutt. Asuka roundkicked Kai, but Kai fired right back with a scorpion kick. Both were down. Belair and Bayley brawled at ringside and onto a production platform. Bayley landed a Bell to Bayley onto a table at ringside, which was essentially a crash pad. Fans chanted “Holy shit” which got bleeped. Bliss threw Kai into the ringside steps. Sky leaped off the top rope, but Asuka moved and then roundkicked her. Bliss then landed a top rope Twisted Bliss for the win.
WINNERS: Bliss & Asuka in 19:00 to capture the WWE Tag Team Titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good match and with a dose of fighting between Belair and Bayley to build their match on Saturday.)
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