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The following report originally published 5 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
OCTOBER 14, 2019
DENVER, COL.
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
Announcers: Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler, Dio Maddin
[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with Firefly Funhouse music. They went into a highlight package of the Seth Rollins-Fiend saga so far including lots of freeze-frames and brief snippets of their violent Hell in a Cell match and then the angle with The Fiend coming up through the ring to put Seth in the Mandible Claw last week.
-The Raw opening theme aired.
-They went into the arena with a shot of the stage as pyro blasted.
-As Becky Lynch made her ring entrance, Joseph said Becky, the top draft pick overall, is the cornerstone of Raw. They went to the announcers on camera briefly. Becky said she came to Raw expecting to beat up Sasha, but now she hears Sasha can’t make it because of the beating she gave her. She said her replacement opponent is someone she just can’t seem to get rid of. She said it’s always a war between them, and she came ready to rip somebody’s arm off. Out came Charlotte. Joseph said Sasha isn’t medically cleared to wrestle after the Hell in a Cell match.
Charlotte made her ring entrance. She said maybe this nightmare will never end and she’ll get drafted to Raw and they’ll just keep fighting forever. (What a way to hype a TV main event, huh?) Charlotte said she doesn’t want to fight Becky, she wants to be friends with her again. Scattered boos. Charlotte robotically said she misses Becky and just wants to be her friend. She then elbowed Becky in the head. She said Becky makes it so hard to be her friend. They brawled. Referees ran out and tried to separate them. Joseph said they’ll battle for a draft advantage.
(Keller’s Analysis: So do we count this as a heel turn for Charlotte?) [c]
(1) CHARLOTTE FLAIR vs. BECKY LYNCH – Winner Gets No. 1 Pick for Their Brand
Maddin explained that Charlotte is wresting to secure the no. 1 pick overall for the brand she might not be part of by the end of the night. A crawler showed the draft order so far. They cut to a break a few minutes in after Charlotte knocked Becky into the ringpost. [c]
Back from the break, the announcers talked about the stakes in the match (as if Becky really cares whether Raw gets to pick one spot before Smackdown tonight). Lawler talked about the high stakes for Fox executives in Charlotte’s performance. Charlotte put Becky in a Boston Crab mid-ring. Becky crawled over toward the bottom rope, but Charlotte dragged her back to the middle. When Charlotte tried to pivot into a figure-four, Becky kicked her to the floor and then leaped at her at ringside with a flying forearm. Charlotte avoided a second rope flying move by Becky and then hit a sudden Natural Selection for a two count. Becky yanked Charlotte off the second rope and then set up a Disarm Her near the corner. Charlotte leg whipped her into the corner and then hit a clothesline for a near fall. Becky came back and landed a quick legdrop off the middle rope for a near fall. Charlotte came back with a spear for a two count. Charlotte sat up and started to laugh in frustration. That gave Becky an opening to roll her up for a leverage three count.
WINNERS: Lynch in 13:00.
-The announcers hyped a contract signing between Tyson Fury and Braun Strowman. Then they talked about the continuation of the WWE Draft. They showed the collage of eligible wrestlers.
-Backstage, Charly Caruso (with her name on the screen) interviewed Rollins. She asked how it feels that he and The Fiend could both be drafted to Smackdown. Seth said it’s a good day because it’s Draft Day in the Mile High City. Seth said he thought he put an end to The Fiend at HIAC because the things he did and the place he went to is not something he’s proud of. (The mere mention of the match led to a rise of boos from the live audience eight days after it happened.) Seth said he’s not even sure if The Fiend is a human being. He said he tried to pull him straight to hell on Smackdown last week. He said he got out of there, and then something clicked with him. He said he realized he might have been going about things wrong. He said he’s been going along with his life while Fiend has picked his spots, but tonight he’s going Fiend hunting. He said he’ll find Bray Wyatt and end this and burn it down. [c]
-They went to “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer in his studio talking about having to snatch up wrestlers whose stock is on the rise. He brought up Seth, Zelina Vega and Andrade, and Ricochet. Ricochet has already been drafted. They showed the draft rooms for USA and Fox.
-Stephanie walked out to the podium. She announced Seth was the no. 1 draft pick for Raw. “Are you kidding me!” exclaimed Lawler. (Why would Lawler say that? Isn’t that the obvious top pick?) She then revealed Smackdown picked Brock Lesnar. Maddin said it’s a brilliant move by Fox to lock down Lesnar, who has been a free agent for a long time. Next Raw picked Charlotte. Then Smackdown picked The New Day. Dio was disappointed. Finally, Raw picked Andrade and Zelina. Joseph exclaimed, “That’s a HUGE pick.”
-They went to Renee Young, Samoa Joe, Booker T, Beth Phoenix. Booker touted the three-for-the-price-of-one pick of New Day. He also touted Andrade. Phoenix said USA Network is focused on creating a star-studded women’s division with Becky on Friday and Charlotte tonight. Joe said the best pick is Brock for Smackdown. He said he is a force of nature and he’s very interested in seeing him fight Cain Velasquez.
(Keller’s Analysis: So far the presentation of the draft hasn’t been as offensive as it was on Friday, but the Cramer thing just felt extraneous. Overall, though, I can’t shake the vibe that everyone is trying too hard to make things that don’t matter or don’t make sense into something monumental, and the heavy-handed overselling of rather arbitrary moments best tiring quickly.)
-Zelina and Andrade walked out. Zelina said Becky and Charlotte are “two of the horse-faces, I mean horse women.” She said things are about to change. She told other Raw wrestlers to rejoice in having the pleasure of suffering a loss to Andrade.
(1) ANDRADE (w/Zelina Vega) vs. ALI
The announcers talked more about the draft so far. Joseph said it’ll be huge that Raw gets two picks for every one Smackdown gets. Ironically, Smackdown had acquired four wrestlers, just as Raw had to this point, because of the three-for-one New Day pick. Andrade dominated early and scored a two count at 2:o0 after a running high knee. Joseph said there was “breaking news.” A crawler on the screen said Seth has vowed to find The Fiend, and in response The Fiend has promised a new Firefly Funhouse. Lawler said if Seth knows where the Firefly Funhouse takes place, he can find The Fiend easily. Andrade applied an armbar over the ropes. The ref forced a break. Ali was going to go for a dive, but Zelina stood on the ring apron to stop him. He went for it anyway, so she ducked and he flew over her. Zelina then gave Ali a flying head scissors. Rather than decry the illegal interference, Maddin said that’s an example of why Raw picked her up. (How are heels supposed to get heat when announcers are extinguishing it like that by outright touting illegal interference?) Andrade then gave Ali hammerlock DDT for the win.
WINNER: Ali in 6:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s good to see Andrade being framed as a big deal and good to hear Zelina on the mic. They protected Ali a bit here by having Zelina’s interference lead to his loss.)
-Stephanie was back in front of the podium. She said Raw picked The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane). Joseph said they will still defend the titles on both Raw and Smackdown, but if they lose the tag team titles, they will be property of Raw. Steph said Smackdown is about to become “more eco-friendly” by picking up Daniel Bryan. The USA Network/Raw draft room reacted with cartoonishly over-the-top dismay. Stephanie said Raw picked Rusev. Maddin said Rusev is on the same brand as Bobby Lashley now, so Rusev is happy. Smackdown picked the Smackdown Champion Bayley. Stephanie announced Raw’s final pick of this round is Aleister Black. Joseph called it “an amazing pick-up.”
-As The Viking Raiders came out, Joseph said after the MLB playoff game on Tuesday night, Renee Young and Booker T host the “WWE Backstage” show. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Colin Jost and Michael Che from Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” were up next. Jost said he thought WWE was fake until Braun threw him around. He said he’s out of his wheelchair now and things are okay. He said he thinks he’s best friends with Braun. Che said he’s been insulting him all years. Che said Jost called him the world’s tallest virgin. Che said he makes fun of Braun, too. Jost denied saying those things. They signed off without talking about the draft.
(3) ROBERT ROODE & DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. THE VIKING RAIDERS – Raw Tag Team Title match
Roode saved Ziggler early after a splash, yanking Ziggler out of the ring by his leg during the pin attempt. Roode and Ziggler took over. Ziggler side-stepped a charging Erik, so he tumbled to the floor. Ziggler then gave him a flying Zig Zag into chairs at ringside. Ziggler seemed to get the worse of it. [c]
Back from the break, Ziggler had Erik down on the mat. Ivar eventually got the hot-tag just as Ziggler tagged in Roode. Joseph called Ivar “the burly wrecking ball.” Ziggler kicked Eric as the Vikings set up a double-team move on Roode. Roode then threw Erik into the ringpost and rolled him up for a near fall. Then Roode and Ziggler gave Erik their double-team Zig Zag/Spinebuster for a near fall. Ziggler gave Erik a Fameasser next for a two count. Ziggler superkicked Erik, then Roode hit a Glorious DDT, but Ivar broke up the cover. Fans chanted “Let’s Go Vikings!” The guy in the front row with the Minnesota Vikings jersey wasn’t participating, ironically. Ivar knocked Roode and Ziggler down with flying back elbows. Then they finished him with their Viking Experience finisher. They showed the guy in the front row in the Viking jersey applauding afterward.
WINNERS: The Viking Raiders in 13:00 to capture the Raw Tag Team Titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good tag match. The crowd reaction for the Raiders during the match and after their win has to be encouraging, too.)
-The announcers hyped that The Kabuki Warriors would face Natalya and a mystery partner later. They also hyped the Braun Strowman-Tyson singing. [c]
-They went to the NBC Sports Network set with the NHL crew. They said they were enjoying watching the Draft. One of the panelists compared Seth to Conor McDavid from the Edmonton Oilers. Another picked New Day because they’re a perfect line combination. She said they’d keep an eye on where the rest of the Superstars landed.
(Keller’s Analysis: Viewers know the panelists aren’t standing around watching the draft from their sets. Trying to portray it that way just feels needlessly dishonest and makes viewers feel like they’re being played for fools. They’re so generic, without any reference to what has happened so far, which makes it all the more obvious.)
-The Viking Raiders celebrated their title win backstage. They said winning them is one thing, but defending them will be another. That’s true. Erik said they’re the first team to win the belts who are undefeated in WWE. He said they’ve won the IWGP, Ring of Honor, NXT, and now Raw titles. He closed with, “The Raid is here!”
(Keller’s Analysis: Wow, WWE acknowledging New Japan and ROH. Nice to see a post-win interview, especially after the title match.)
-Stephanie stood at the podium and announced that Raw drafted Cedric Alexander. Maddin called it a “keynote pick.” Steph revealed Shinsuke Nakamura was staying with Smackdown. She didn’t say anything about Sami Zayn. They showed the Smackdown War Room applauding. Stephanie then announced that Raw had chosen Humbero Carillo, “a standout from 205 Live.” Dio said he’ll fit right in on Raw. Stephanie said Smackdown has picked Ali. Joseph said Smackdown must’ve liked what they saw earlier in his match against Andrade. She then revealed that Raw drafted Erick Rowan. Interesting that Raw chose not to pick Luke Harper.
(Keller’s Analysis: Why would Raw go out of their way to not pick Harper if they could have picked him with Rowan? Why didn’t the announcers bring that up that obvious questions?)
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Podcast weekly Tuesday Flagship episode with guest cohost Jason Powell: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
(4) ALEISTER BLACK vs. ERIC YOUNG
Young and Black might have set WWE’s record for most visible body tattoos. Black put Young out with his new rear-wrap submission, The Dark Ritual.
WINNER: Black in 2:00. [c]
-Stephanie stood at the podium and announced Raw picked Buddy Murphy next. Maddin called it a steal in this round. Smackdown picked Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode. (Good timing for them to lose the Raw Tag Team Titles tonight.) Raw picked Jinder Mahal. Smackdown picked Carmella. Raw picked R-Truth. Stephanie apologized to Carmella for that pick. Maddin said it’s huge because they got themselves another champion. They showed the Raw Draft Room celebrating the drafting of R-Truth, a comedy figure with a farcical title belt.
-The Street Profits backstage talked bout the Braun-Fury contract signing. Then they talked about being drafted to Raw. The O.C. walked in and mock-cheered along with the Profits. A.J. Styles said whatever it is, they have it. Styles said while they’ve carved out a niche for themselves, but Raw belongs to The O.C. He smiled and welcomed them to the fam. Then O.C. turned to leave, then turned back and attacked The Street Profits. A ref and a guy in a suit called for medics.
-Ricochet made his ring entrance. In a pre-taped promo, Ricochet said he’s learned in life that no one is forced to be a passenger, and you and only you are the driver of your own destiny. He said last week his destiny took flight when he was officially drafted to Raw. He said he will continue to overcome all obstacles and prove that super heroes can be real. [c]
-WWE Fact: Raw was the most social show on all of TV last Monday.
(5) RICOCHET vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN
Joseph said this is a chance for Shelton to move up the USA and Fox draft boards. Shelton got in some early offense but Ricochet came back with a springboard clothesline as a set-up to a top rope move. Shelton got up and slowed Ricochet, but Ricochet kicked him in the head. Ricochet then climbed to the top rope. Shelton met him up there. He overhead suplexed him, but Ricochet landed on his feet and then gave Shelton a Recoil for the win.
WINNER: Ricochet in 5:00.
-They went to the announcers on camera. They threw to a video package on Fury.
-They went to Lana lying face down under a big white towel on a massage table. She was receiving a massage on her feet. Not sure it’s legal to have a camera in there, but whatever. Lana asked for the pressure to be harder. She moaned in ecstasy. [c]
-Back from the break, Lashley secretly took over the massage. Not sure that’s legal, either. He was wearing a towel around his waist. He massaged her calf. Lana sat up and smiled and said, “I like that. You’re such a gentle touch. Rusev was never that good.” Lashley said this is so much fun, but not for Rusev. Lana suggested she flip over. Lashley lifted the towel and then snuck a peek as she rolled over.
(Keller’s Analysis: So storyline-wise, why was a camera present for Lana’s massage? This is just coming across as a stupid angle mean to excite Vince McMahon and/or others in creative that they can put Lana in situations where they can imagine her being naked.)
[HOUR THREE]
-Lawler stood mid-ring and introduced Braun and Fury. Maddin said Braun might be a Smackdown wrestler, but he’s also with WWE and he roots for WWE. Fury came out to little or no reaction. Braun said Fury is stepping into his world at Crown Jewel and he’s going to give him his first loss ever in Saudi Arabia. “In Saudi Arabia, you’re stepping into my world.” (He said “Saudi Arabia”!) He vowed Fury will “get these hands.” Fury said at Crown Jewel, he’s going to prove he’s not out of his element in any ring. “I’m going to knock you out!” They both stood up. Lawler scurried out of the ring. Braun smashed the desk and flexed. Fury exhaled as if he was impressed a little, then held up the pen and smiled. He tried to snap it in half, but he couldn’t, even with four tries and a wince. Then he did. (#Comedy.) Then he left the ring as Braun looked on. He walked to the back, smiling and waving. Maddin said the pen was completely destroyed by Fury, and what if that’s what happens to Braun.
(Keller’s Analysis: Has a pro wrestling announcer ever tried to sell the idea that what happened to a pen is illustrative of what could happen in a fight?) [c]
-A generic NXT ad aired.
-Al Roker from NBC’s Today show compared the WWE Draft to weather. He said mortal enemies could find themselves sharing a locker room! Willie Geist said they know one thing – WWE will keep them guessing.
-Stephanie stood at the podium and announced that Raw drafted Samoa Joe. Maddin said it’s a great pick-up for Raw after he slid down the draft due to his injury. Smackdown picked Miz. Joseph said that could be a steal this late in the draft. They showed the Smackdown Draft Room celebrating and popping confetti and dancing. Raw picked Akira Tozawa. Then Smackdown chose King Corbin.
(6) BUDDY MURPHY vs. CEDRIC ALEXANDER
After some back and forth athletic action and bad jokes by Lawler, Murphy knocked Alexander off the top rope to the floor. They cut to a break. [c]
Back live, Murphy gave Cedric a jumping knee as he re-entered the ring. Then he landed a flying flip dive over the top rope. He nearly overshot him as he got so much distance. He landed a Meteora for a two count. Joseph said Murphy is no longer WWE’s “best kept secret.” Cedric landed a spinning elbow to slow Murphy. Murphy rolled to the floor. Cedric wrecking ball kicked Murphy and then dove through the ropes and knocked Murphy hard into the ringside barricade. Cedric then hit a Flatliner for a near fall. Murphy came back with a sitout powerbomb off the top rope for a near fall. Next he hit Murphy’s Law for the win. Joseph said this is just a taste of what’s to come on Monday nights.
WINNER: Murphy in 9:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Both of these wrestlers have been defined by WWE as mid-carders, and fans have been burned so often by start-and-stop pushes for wrestlers like them that I doubt we’ll see fans get invested in either of them at a higher level anytime soon. The crowd heat here was near zero despite good athleticism.)
-The announcers hyped the Crown Jewel line-up. It now includes a Tag Team Turmoil match with ten teams battling for The World Cup. Team Hogan is Ricochet & Seth & Rusev vs. Team Flair with Orton, Corbin, Lashley, and Nakamura. Joseph said the Raw Team “is set,” even though there were two question mark silhouettes on the screen. Also, Seth vs. Fiend in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Joseph, prone to cliches, said it will be “an event like no other.”
-The Street Profits reacted to The O.C. attacking them earlier. They decided they needed a partner to even the odds, but they’d keep it a mystery. Montez said what’s not a mystery is that they want the smoke. [c]
-They went to the Premiere League soccer panel from NBC Sports Network to talk about the WWE Draft. They showed Sheamus leading a song in a pub like they sing at soccer games. One panelist sang “This is awesome!”
-Stephanie announced that Raw selected Rey Mysterio. (Are we to believe Raw picked Rey after Tozawa, Shelton, Mahal, and Humberto Carillo?) Smackdown chose Shorty Gable. Raw picked Titus O’Neal. Smackdown picked Elias.
-They went back to Renee, Joe, Booker, and Phoenix. Renee asked Joe who got the value pick. Joe said Murphy. He said Ali went ahead of him, but Murphy has a bigger chip on his shoulder. Phoenix talked about Corbin and made a “Game of Thrones” reference. Booker talked about free agency and rumors of a trade. He said they’d talk about it after the Astros-Yankees game on FS1 tomorrow night on “WWE Backstage.” Renee told viewers to check out WWE.com for updates on the free agents and any trades with a deadline of Midnight on Tuesday night.
(7) THE KABUKI WARRIORS vs. NATALYA & LACEY EVANS
The Warriors came out first. Then Natalya walked onto the stage. She said she knew she had to pick the best and someone with the drive and determination to match her. She said she picked a woman who took her to her limits. Out came Lacey Evans. Lawler said they just tried to destroy each other.
(Keller’s Analysis: This just makes fans feel foolish for caring about the personal nature of the Natalya-Lacey feud. It makes Natalya seem foolish and naive for trusting Lacey, and compromised for wanting to associate with someone like her. It also doesn’t help the Kabuki Warriors establish themselves as heels when they’re matched against Lacey, the least likely of any WWE wrestler to get cheered this side of King Corbin.)
They cut to a break a few minutes in. [c]
Back from the break, Asuka had Natalya locked up mid-ring. Natalya eventually reached for a hot-tag and Lacey was there for her, tagging in and going to work on the Warriors. Sane hung Lacey upside down from the top rope and leaped down with a double-stomp. Natalya broke up the cover. Sane leaped off the top rope, but Lacey moved. Lacey hit Sane with her Woman’s Right, but then Asuka rolled her up for the win as she had blind-tagged in.
WINNERS: Kabuki Warriors in 15:00.
-Firefly Funhouse: Bray smiled and laughed and said, “Seth, I saw you!” He said people say bad things about Seth, but he thinks he’s brave and smart. A panicked Ramblin’ Rabbit said Bray was on his way. Bray said it’s okay because “he keeps us safe.” Seth barged in and attacked Bray. The puppets cried out in fright. Seth threw the framed pictures from the wall. Bray stood and asked what he did. “Why are you doing this to me?” he said. “Please stop.” Seth beat him up some more. Boos from the crowd. Seth said, “Burn it down.” He then lit a match and set the Funhouse on fire.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I’m off to podcast live about this show with live callers, so join us. Detailed below…
RAW: Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Andrade & Zelina Vega, Kabuki Warriors, Rusev, Aleister Black, Cedric, Humberto Carillo, Erick Rowan, Buddy Murphy, Jinder Mahal, Samoa Joe, Akira Tozawa, and Shelton Benjamin, Rey Mysterio, Titus O’Neal, and Liv Morgan.
SMACKDOWN: Brock Lesnar, The New Day, Daniel Bryan, Bayley, Shinsuke Nakaura, Ali, Robert Roode & Zolph Ziggler, Carmella, The Miz, King Corbin, Shortly Gable, and Elias.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: 20 YRS AGO – KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN TV Report (10-14-2004): Rey Mysterio vs. Carlito, plus RVD, Kidman, Luther Reigns, Heyman, Teddy Long, Eddie Guerrero
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