WWE Raw On-Site Report (9/18): Big pops of the night, Cody addresses crowd after Raw ends, pre-Rwa match, Dominik heel heat

WWE RAW ON-SITE REPORT
SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
BY DEREK, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT

(This report is derived from Derek’s report on last night’s Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show. Listen to the full show HERE.)

-This was fun. I haven’t been to a TV event since right before the pandemic. The last event I attended was the AEW Dynamite where Ruby Gobert tested positive for COVID and the world shut down. It’s nice that WWE is in a place where there isn’t hostility among the attendees looking for a chance to adversely affect the show. It’s a lot of families with little kids who are excited and it’s hard not to have a good-time vibe when you’re around young fans who you see as yourself 20 years ago.

-Cody Rhodes got the reaction I expected. With the big stage and pyro, he comes across as a huge star beyond just a pro wrestling star. His mannerisms and the way he hits poses can seem contrived at times, but he feels like a big time star with a presence.

-The heel heat for Dominik is amazing. If they’re piping it in, they’re fooling me because people around me were just waiting to boo him. People pay money to have a chance to boo him. He’s selling tickets for that. That’s exceptional, not the norm.

-I sat in the upper section, which was partially topped off. (WrestleTix reported over 8,300 tickets distributed the morning of the event.)

-When the backstage segment aired with Gable, when they said he’d be wrestling, fans cheered. Chad got a better reaction than Ricochet. There were dueling chants for Shinsuke Nakamura and Ricochet during their match. Nakamura was the only heel who got some cheers. Gable got all cheers against Gunther.

-Nia Jax’s inference drew some groans, but there’s also some awe and fans gasped when she landed her big moves.

-Cody got the loudest cheers of the night, although he did have the advantage of being the first wrestler out on Raw. From an engagement level, Jey Uso was right there. The whole crowd was rocking for his entrance and it was fun to sit back and watch it.

-Before Raw, Tegan Nox faced Xia Li. Nothing too special. It was a standard “work the leg over, babyface makes a comeback” formula.

-Fans were actually hanging out after Raw ended. Fans weren’t running to the exists. After Raw, Cody said the building had a curfew and they had to wrap things up but he thanked everyone for coming. He told everyone to drive safely. I sensed they wanted more, but they were also happy with what they saw for three-and-a-half hours.

RECOMMENDED NEXT: WWE Raw Results (9/18): Pomares’s report on KO confronting Cody over bringing Jey to Raw, Drew vs. Jey, Cody vs. Dominik, Nakamura vs. Ricochet

OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: The reported list of wrestlers at this week’s WWE Performance Center tryouts