WWE Raw Results (10/30): Keller’s report on Crown Jewel hype, Seth vs. McDonagh, Dom vs. Ricochet, DIY vs. Kaiser & Vinci

WWE RAW TV REPORT
OCTOBER 30, 2023
GREENVILLE, S.C. AT BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA

Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin

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[HOUR ONE]

-They cold-opened with Rhea Ripley’s entrance theme. Michael Cole and Wade Barrett hyped matches and segments on Raw including noting it would be Seth Rollins’ first singles match on Raw in months.

-Ripley stood in the ring with Dominik Mysterio and J.D. McDonagh. Ripley bragged about Damian Priest “shattering” Cody Rhodes’s ankle. She then said Dominik is going to put down Ricochet and remind him not to disrespect The Judgment Day. She talked about McDonagh facing Seth later. Then Sami Zayn’s music interrupted. As Sami walked out, Cole said he’s “a long-time thorn in the side of The Judgment Day.”

Sami sat on the corner turnbuckle and said he was sorry he didn’t let her finish, but he’s so sick of hearing her talk. He said he has fought people like The Judgment Day his entire career, who think all that matters is power and that as long as you’re chasing power, you can do whatever you want and do so ruthlessly and oppress anyone as long as it’s in the name of power. He said if that’s their game, his name isn’t Sami Zayn, his name is Rebellion and Resistance. He was emphatically saying he will fight as long as there is a breath in his body. Fans chanted “Sami! Sami!” He said he will fight The Judgment Day until they are no more.

Ripley laughed and said he’s hilarious. “You can resist all that you want; it doesn’t matter,” she said. “We don’t need the numbers when it comes to you.” She invited him to go one-on-one tonight against Damian Priest. Dom began to talk when boos rang out. He said they should teach Sami a lesson right now. As Ripley, Dom, and McDonagh stepped toward him, Ricochet charged out. Rhea, McDonagh, and Dom left the ring. McDonagh then charged at Ricochet, but Ricochet ducked and he flew to the floor.

(Keller’s Analysis: Sami was fired up and seemed to be channeling recent terrible world events with his comments. Ripley continues to come across as a star.)  [c]

(1) DOMINIK MYSTERIO (w/Rhea Ripley, J.D. McDonagh) vs. RICOCHET

The match was joined in progress after the break with Ricochet taking Dom down with a head scissors. Cole talked about how this match came to happen during the Logan Paul segment last week. Cole said McDonagh continues to audition for a spot in The Judgment Day. Dom ducked a charging Ricochet and then yanked his leg so he crotched the middle rope. Cole hyped NXT on Tuesday night. Ricochet rallied at 3:00 and landed a running shooting star press for a two count. He dove through the ropes with a crossbody block as they cut to a break. [c]

Back from the break, Dom had Ricochet in a headlock. They showed a clip from during the break of a McDonagh distraction leading to Dom hitting Ricochet from behind. Dom landed three vertical suplexes. Cole said he’s not sure it’s meant as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero. Dom went for a 619, but Ricochet moved. When Ricochet stood on the top rope, Ripley distracted him. As the ref admonished her, McDonagh stood on the ring apron and distracted him. Ricochet kicked toward him, but McDonagh moved. Dom then rolled up Ricochet and yanked on his tights and got the three count.

WINNER: Dominik in 12:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: Good match.)

-Ricochet fended off a post-match attack and set up a top rope move on Dom, but Ripley pulled Dom to safety.

-They went to Cole and Barrett on camera. Cole talked about the reuniting of DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) tonight.

-A brief video package aired on DIY, but nothing about their feud in NXT and how they came to reuniting.

-Alpha Academy made their ring entrance. [c]

-A video package aired with Raquel Rodriguez discussing the five-way match at Crown Jewel she’s part of. Barrett said Raquel only has a “20 percent statistical chance” to win.

(Keller’s Analysis: WWE really needs to give a course on math to their announcers. There are 32 teams in the NFL, but not every team has a 3 percent chance to win the Super Bowl.)

(2) THE CREED BROTHERS (w/Ivy Nile) vs. CHAD GABLE & OTIS (w/Maxxine Dupree, Akira Tozawa)

As the Creed Brothers made their entrance, Cole talked about their backgrounds. He said he was so excited for their debut match on Raw. Barrett said fans who hadn’t previously seen them “are in for a treat.” The bell rang 36 minutes into the hour. After Gable and Otis rallied and stereo suplexed the Creeds, they struck a celebratory pose as WWE cut to a break. [c]

Back from the break, Gable put Brutus Creed in an ankle lock and then rolled him up for a two count. Otis and Julius Creed tagged in at 8:00. Otis threw both Creeds around the ring and overpowered them. Otis delivered his Caterpillar elbowdrop for a two count. For the finish a few minutes later, Brutus leaped off the top rope and knocked Otis off of Julius’s shoulders. Cole said people have compared the Creeds to the Steiners and The Road Warriors. Gable and Otis shook hands with the Creeds and raised their arms afterward.

WINNERS: The Creeds in 11:00.

-They went to Barrett and Cole at ringside. Barrett said Raw and Smackdown should offer them contracts. Cole then pivoted to hyping Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest. A clip aired of the attack on Cody’s ankle last week.

-Backstage as Balor and Priest were chatting, New Day knocked on their door and said, “Trick or treat.” Balor said, “Come in.” They said they were dressed up as The New Judgment Day. After complaining they didn’t have candy, New Day left and crossed paths with Dom, Ripley, and McDonagh. Priest said the entire Judgment Day should’ve been out there earlier. Priest talked about possibly cashing in on Seth or Drew after their match or perhaps the winner of Roman Reigns vs. L.A. Knight. Priest took issue with Ripley deciding on a match for him without him present. Ripley said she made the match because he’s “the punishment of The Judgment Day” and he takes care of everyone standing in his way. Priest said tonight can be not about him, but about The Judgment Day. He said they’ll show everyone they run this place. Dom yelled excitedly.

-The Miz made his ring entrance. [c]

-A video aired on Nia Jax with her predicting victory at Crown Jewel.

-Miz TV: Miz introduced Gunther. Miz said it’s Gunther’s first time on any WWE talk show. Gunther didn’t walk out. Miz said it’s his first time and he probably doesn’t understand the protocols. He tried again, but still no one. He asked if he has to speak in German. Instead, out walked Ludwig Kaiser and Giovani Vinci. Kaiser said the Ring General isn’t going to walk to the ring just because Miz tells him to.

[HOUR TWO]

Kaiser said Miz is “literally everything that is wrong with the WWE universe today.” He said he’s the embodiment of what they absolutely despise. “You are nothing but a clown, Miz,” he said. There were murmurs and boos. Miz said he’s been a lot of things, but he’s never been another man’s sidekick. He told Vinci, “That must make you the third wheel.” Vinci asked Miz if he was his wife’s sidekick on their reality series. Miz got wide-eyed and said, “He talks!” He asked fans to give him a round of applause. “You wish you could get yelled at by someone as hot as my wife,” Miz said.

Miz asked Kaiser if he granted permission to Vinci to talk. Vinci said he talks when he wants to, but Kaiser interrupted and asserts his authority over Vinci. Gunther then walked out with his Intercontinental Title belt over his shoulder. Gunther entered the ring and told Miz he isn’t his guest. He said he wants to make two things clear to him. He said in 2023, he’s seriously trying to run a talk show. He said the ring is sacred to Miz and everything Miz does is beneath him.

Miz said he interviewed an invisible John Cena and said he was more entertaining than Gunther. Miz said he’s the top star WWE has. Gunther said Miz is a mere talk show host whereas he’s the great IC Champ of all time. Miz said he could be serious if he wants to be. He talked about big wins for titles in his history. Miz said he could win the IC Title again. Gunther broke into laughter.

Kaiser smashed the pumpkin carved with the Miz logo in front of him. Gunther said he wasn’t going to do anything about it. Kaiser threw a chair out of the ring. Miz turned and punched him. Gunther chopped Miz down. Gunther told Miz he isn’t in his league. Miz popped up and attacked Gunther. Kaiser and Vinci held Miz as Gunther kicked him. Cole said, “For all of Miz’s faults, he’s a very proud man.” Miz walked away and crossed paths with DIY as they made their entrance.

(Keller’s Analysis: The fans seemed slightly sympathetic to Miz, and he was designed to be the babyface there since he was outnumbered.)

-Miz approached Raw G.M. Adam Pearce backstage. He ranted about never being as humiliated and disrespected in his career. Pearce asked, “Are you so sure about that?” Miz demanded a shot at Gunther’s IC Title. Pearce said he can’t just give him a title match, but he can give him an opportunity to earn one. Miz asked against whom. In walked Bronson Reed.

(3) DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. GIOVANI VINCI & LUDWIG KAISER

The bell rang 14 minutes into the hour. Cole said it’s a huge match for Vinci because he has something to prove to Kaiser and Gunther. They cut to a break at 3:00 with Imperium in control. [c]

DIY eventually finished Vinci with their Meet in the Middle finisher. Cole said Kaiser looked at Vinci with a look of disgust.

WINNERS: Gargano & Ciampa in 10:00.

-A vignette aired with Shinsuke Nakamura saying he is still looking for his next victim. He asked if everyone is afraid to step up. He said he is waiting.

-They went to Cole and Barrett at ringside. Cole mistakenly threw to a “Candice Michelle” vignette.

-A vignette aired on Candice LeRae. Barrett said Cole was “stuck in 2008.” Cole apologized to LeRae and added, “Getting old is a terrible thing.”

-LeRae made her ring entrance. [c]

-A vignette aired on Xia Li.

-A clip aired of Xia attacking LeRae backstage last week.

(4) CANDICE LERAE (w/Indi Hartwell) vs. XIA LI

The bell rang 35 minutes into the hour. A minute in, LeRae rolled up Xia for a two count. Xia came back with a spinning roundkick kick to the side of Candice’s head. Candice went down hard. The ref checked on her and called for the bell when she couldn’t stand.

WINNER: Xia in under 2:00

-Jey checked in with Sami backstage and encouraged him to beat Priest later. Jackie Redmond interviewed Jey. He said Sami will handle business tonight and Cody will handle things Saturday. He said maybe he and Cody can regain the tag team titles, too. He said he’d then see how Ripley feels about it. [c]

-Cole hyped the Crown Jewel line-up.

-A vignette aired on Shayna Baszler talking about her match at Crown Jewel.

-LeRae was shown getting her shoulder iced backstage as Indi and DIY checked in on her. Cole acknowledged Gargano is her husband. Cole then pivoted to hyping the Seth vs. Drew McIntyre match.

-A video aired on Drew McIntyre, including a rare clip of the Performance Center victory over Brock Lesnar. He said one of the biggest moments of his career took place during a time nobody wants to remember. He said it bothers him. He talked about his journey out of and back into WWE. He talked about winning the Royal Rumble, but then COVID happened and his match was in an empty Performance Center. He then talked about another chance, this time against Reigns at the Clash at the Castle. He said he can make everything right at Crown Jewel. He said Seth is willing to break his back to retain the title and he’s willing to break his back to take it from him.

-Cole said everything Drew says is true, but noted that Seth says Drew needs to stop blaming everyone else for his problems.

(Keller’s Analysis: Excellent video package. I’m still not sure where they’re going with Drew’s character, but they’ve set this match up well by having Drew pull from real-life recent history that everyone has had the chance to see first-hand.)

-Seth made his ring entrance. [c]

-A vignette aired on Zoey Stark. She said the Fatal Five-way match at Crown Jewel is for her.

-Seth stood mid-ring and talked to the crowd. He called McDonagh “The Judgment Day’s little bag boy.” Seth told Drew everyone was fighting their battles during the pandemic, so “boo hoo” to Drew. He said people were worried about having money for groceries or ever seeing their loved ones again. “So excuse me for not feeling sorry for you that you didn’t get to win the WWE Championship the way you dreamt it,” he said in a snotty tone. He said Drew then blames The Bloodline for everything else. He said he’s not alone, but guys like Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes have had the same issues. “You don’t hear those guys asking for pity,” he said.

[HOUR THREE]

He said if Drew can beat him, he’ll be the first to shake his hand and call him champ just like he did in 2020. He said he’s not the same person Drew beat back then. McDonagh attacked Seth from behind as he began talking about why fans sing his song. Cole said regarding McDonagh that he was “trying to create his moment.”

(5) SETH ROLLINS vs. J.D. MCDONAGH

The ref checked on Seth and told him he doesn’t have to do this. Seth took off his jacket and okayed the match to start. The bell rang 1 minute into the hour. He kicked a charging McDonagh. Seth beat up McDonagh at ringside for a minute. They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]

At 11:00, McDonagh made a comeback and scored a two count after countering a charging Seth mid-ring. Seth bucklebombed McDonagh seconds later. He climbed to the top rope, but Priest walked out. McDonagh lifted his knees when Seth finally leaped at him and then small packaged him for a two count. Barrett said Priest had a referee with him and could cash in. Priest stood and watched near the announce table. Seth finished McDonagh a minute later with a Pedigree and a stomp. Seth stared down Priest after getting the three count.

WINNER: Seth in 14:00.

-Seth got in Priest’s face and told him to make a move. Seth told him not to waste that MITB cash-in on him. Cole talked about the possibilities and said Priest controls his future.

-Ricochet told Pearce that he had to have seen what happened earlier. Pearce said he did. He said to make it up for him, he’d like to give him a match to earn a shot at the IC Title. Ricochet said that sounds good, but he also has a bone to pick with Dominik. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven walked in dressed as Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart, respectively. (That was great!) Ivar and Valhala asked to see Pearce in his office about the IC Title. Pearce said to no one in particular, “I need a drink.”

-Natalya made her entrance dressed as a bunny with a whip. Cole said Green and Niven were trying to get under Natalya’s skin dressing up as the Hart Foundation, including her father Neidhart. [c]

-Redmond interviewed Becky Lynch about losing her NXT Title last Tuesday. She said losing has never kept her down. She said she defended her title in 42 days as champion more frequently than Ripley or Roman have all year. She said she doesn’t need the title, the title needs her. Xia walked in and asked if she was scared of her because she didn’t give her a title match. Becky said if she wants a fight, they can fight right now. Xia said they’ll fight, but on her time. An exasperated Becky asked Redmond when her time is.

(6) NATALYA vs. CHELSEA GREEN (w/Piper Niven) – Trick or Street Fight

The bell rang 25 minutes into the hour. They brawled with pumpkins and around ringside with other Halloween stuff. Nikki Cross popped her head out from a hole in the table. Cole said he saw her nose twitch, so it’s really Nikki. Niven handed Green a black bag with candy corn. She poured it onto the mat (like thumb tacks) and set up a suplex of Natalya, but Natalya powerbombed her onto the candy corn. “That was almost a candy finish,” Cole said. (Someone watched Collision. The candy corn seems like it’d hurt more than the taffy and gummy worms used on Collision.) Natalya applied a sharpshooter, but Niven distracted Natalya and then held her. Green then won with the Un-pretty-her.

WINNER: Green in 6:00. [c]

-Cole and Barrett hyped NXT tomorrow night and then Crown Jewel.

-Ring entrances took place for Priest and Sami. [c]

-Cole hyped Ivar vs. Reed vs. Ricochet vs. Miz next week for an IC Title shot. Barrett hyped Nakamura vs. Akira Tozawa.

(7) DAMIAN PRIEST vs. SAMI ZAYN

The bell rang 46 minutes into the hour. They cut to an early break at 3:00 as Priest chokeslammed Sami on the ring apron. [c]

Back from the break, Balor and Dom ran to ringside to distract Sami. Priest hit South of Heaven for a two count. He followed with a Reckoning. Cole said that’s Priest’s old move, but almost exactly like Cody’s Crossroads finisher. Cole speculated it was a message for Cody. Priest set up a Razor’s Edge, but Sami slipped free and then avoided a charging Priest who went head-first into the top of the ringpost. Dom punched Sami as Balor distracted the ref. Jey came out to his music and took out Dom and Balor. Fans chanted “U-so! U-so!” Jey kicked Priest. The ref DQ’d Sami.

WINNER: Priest via DQ in 9:00.

-Dom, Balor, and Priest attacked Sami and Jey. Fans chanted for Cody. Cody indeed came out. The three babyfaces beat up the three heels. Cody threw Priest into the ringpost and the announce desk. Cody set up a Priest for a Crossroads on the announce desk. McDonagh made the save. Sami then gave him a Helluva kick. Cody stood on the announce desk and told Sami to bring McDonagh to him. Sami threw him to Cody. Cody delivered the Crossroads on the table. Fans chanted, “One more time!” Cody jumped back onto the table and delivered another Crossroads.

Cody told Priest he was unsuccessful in his attempt last week to take him out. He said he’s within a whisper of immortality with the briefcase, yet he’s not the leader of The Judgment Day. Cody said he walks behind Rhea, Balor, “and even Dominik Mysterio.” He said Saturday at Crown Jewel, his path goes straight through him. Cole asked if it will be a Saudi Arabian Nightmare for Priest.

(Keller’s Analysis: WWE is getting too comfortable mentioning Saudi Arabia again. They rightfully shied away from it for a while for all the obvious reasons, and now they are counting on that country not being toxic for their image to associate with again, obviously. The phrase “Saudi Arabian nightmare” was just unnecessary as it makes light of actual nightmares being faced by people in that country being jailed and sentenced to death for social media posts critical of the regime running the country.)