SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW REPORT
NOVEMBER 4, 2024
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA AT MOHAMMED ABDO ARENA
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Lilian Garcia
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch’s Javier Machado to review WWE Raw LIVE tonight right after the show ends. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
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[HOUR ONE]
-After “Then, Now, Together, Forever,” they showed aerial scenes of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, site of the pre-taped episode of Raw.
-Michael Cole and Corey Graves stood ringside and introduced the show and noted it was the first-ever Raw taking place in Saudi Arabia. They threw to a video package of highlights of the entire Crown Jewel event ending with Paul Levesque raising the arms of Cody Rhodes and Liv Morgan.
-Back to the arena, pyro blasted as Cole touted the sellout crowd. They showed wrestlers arriving earlier in the day with a focus on the four wrestlers in the Fatal Four-way.
-Liv Morgan made her entrance, accompanied by Raquel Rodriguez and Dominik Mysterio. Liv said the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour is over and now it’s time for the Liv Morgan World Tour. She said last week she defeated Tiffany Stratton and then “took out Rhea Ripley for the third time.” She said she made sure this time she’ll be gone for a very, very, very long time. She said she then traveled half way around the globe to become the first Crown Jewel Champion. She said she’s done everything she promised to do and has proven she is the greatest women’s champion of all time. She handed the mic to Dom. Fans booed. Dom was interrupted by Jade Cargill’s music.
Cargill walked out, with the Women’s Tag Title over her shoulder. Bianca Belair followed. They entered the ring. Liv glared at them. Belair said she isn’t the only one who walked out of Crown Jewel with gold. Jade asked if they want a piece of them. Liv asked why they’re coming out there all angry after they were successful at Crown Jewel. Liv mockingly told Belair that she thinks she’s the best, but her partner thinks that about herself. She said their friendship isn’t sincere, unlike hers with Rodriguez. Belair said she sees what she’s trying to do, so how about they have a match tonight. Liv asked Raquel her thoughts. G.M. Adam Pearce marched out and told them to back away from each other.
He told them to back down and calm down. Liv said, “Yeah, get out of my ring. Listen to the boss.” She told Jade to watch for the knife that Belair is going to stab in her back with. She taunted Belair and said she wouldn’t do anything. Belair slapped her. Pearce yelled for them to calm down. Pearce said what she did to Ripley was disgusting, and there will be a new no. 1 contendership battle royal later and Jade and Belair will be in there. He said it starts “right now.”
-Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane came out next. [c]
(1) WOMEN’S BATTLE ROYAL – No. 1 Contendership for WWE Women’s Title at stake
The ring was full after the break. The bell rang 19 minutes into the hour. Liv and Raquel watched from ringside. Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Isla Dawn, Sonya Deville, Natalya, Maxxine Dupri, Shayna Baszler, Ivy Nile, Zelina Vega, Lyra Valkyria, and Alba Fyre had made their way to the ring during the break. Dawn was first out via Carter. Deville eliminated Carter a minute later. Ivy eliminated Maxxine. Zelina eliminated Nile. They cut to a break at 3:30. [c]
Sky dropkicked Katana to the floor. Liv taunted her afterward. Kairi was eliminated next. Jade and Bianca eliminated Shayna and Sonya as they were yelling down at Liv. It came down to Valkyria, Sky, Belair, and Jade. Jade and Belair stared at each other at one point and teased an exchange. Raquel yanked Belair by her braid to try to eliminate her. Cole noted there are no DQs in battle royals. Belair came to her aid. Liv leaped onto the ring apron and pulled Belair and Jade over the top. Fans chanted, “You suck!” Belair and Jade chased Liv and Raquel away.
Kairi and Valkyria battled next. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” They battled on the ring apron. Sky gave Valkyria a German suplex onto her head and then Valkyria fell to the floor, so Sky won.
WINNER: Sky in 13:00 to become no. 1 contender.
-Cathy Kelley interviewed New Day backstage. Xavier Woods said they should have won last week’s match, but Chad Gable interjected himself. Kingston said the War Raiders didn’t win straight up, but he’s not sure that was the issue. Xavier said: “What’s your problem? You dropped the ball and I picked it up and got us back in the game.” Kofi asked how he dropped the ball. Xavier said he got pinned. Kofi said there’s actual video footage of what happened. Xavier said he was trying to neutralize the Hall of Famer in the match. They were interrupted by a grainy video from The Wyatt Sicks.
The video included Miz telling Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel years ago he’d make them stars their families would be proud of. Then they went to Miz tied to a chair with a mask on as Bo Dallas talked about “the serpent with his forked tongue searches for those he can deceive, crawling into their ears and laying eggs of false promises and lies.” Then someone pulled off the mask and pulled the tape off of Miz’s mouth. Miz said they have it all wrong and he’s not with Final Testmanent. Miz said it’s all a big misunderstanding and he’s willing to forget all of it. Bo Dallas leaned in and said they never cared about Final Testament because they always wanted him. Bo said he would crawl on his belly over thorn and thistle to pay for what he has done to others until he begs and pleads for mercy until he returns to the ground for the dust he is and he will become. Miz hyperventilated and then Uncle Howdy came up behind him and the grabbed him and the video abruptly ended. [c]
-As an aerial scene aired of Riyadh aired, Cole said Goldberg was at a Georgia football came where he announced he would be “having his retirement” in 2025. Cole said details aren’t known, but his retirement match would take place next year.
-As New Day came to the ring, Cole said their production team had nothing to do with that video that aired where Miz was obviously abducted. Graves said they’re on the other side of the globe and the Wyatt Sicks are letting their presence be known. Cole said they’d pass along any new info if they get it. Then they pivoted to what happened last week when the War Raiders pinned Kofi Kingston after Xavier left the ring to try to stop Rey Mysterio from entering the ring.
(2) THE NEW DAY (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. THE WAR RAIDERS (Ivar & Erik)
Cole said Erik and Ivar have talked about having to change their approach after returning to Raw as a reformed tag team. The bell rang 42 minutes into the hour. Cole talked about Big E saying at Crown Jewel during the panel discussion that New Day stayed together for so long because there was no leader. Erik kneed Kofi to the back of his neck in a nasty looking spot. Ivar then splashed Xavier against the ring apron at ringside. They cut to a break at 1:00. [c]
Back from the break, Ivar had Xavier grounded. Cole talked about Ivar’s history of injuries that led to him thinking he would have to retire, but doctors gave him clearance to return. Cole said in 2014, Erik was in a motorcycle accident and needed neck surgery. He said as a result of all that, they told him that they had had to change how they wrestle. Cole asked Graves how a team with a bulldozing power style, how do you change. Graves said they have to wrestle a little smarter.
At 6:00 Xavier leaped and tagged in Kofi, who went on a flurry of offense, including a crossbody off the top rope onto Erik followed by an S.O.S. for a near fall. Kofi flipped over the top rope onto Ivar at ringside after Ivar broke up the cover. Kofi went back after Erik and landed a Boom Drop. He played to the crowd. Fans cheered. Xavier tagged himself in by slapping Kofi’s back as he set up Trouble in Paradise. Kofi turned and glared. Erik then hit Kofi, who rolled to the floor. Erik slammed Xavier and then tagged in Ivar. The Raiders finished Xavier with their War Machine finisher.
Cole and Graves commented on the issues Kofi and Xavier had leading to the finish.
WINNERS: War Raiders in 9:00.
-They showed Sami Zayn backstage. [c]
-They went to Cole and Graves at ringside. They talked about Raw and Smackdown going on tour in Europe before WrestleMania this spring. They showed the dates in March in Germany, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Austria, and Netherlands.
-Sami made his entrance. Graves said he has a lot of questions to answer. A clip aired of Sami’s role at Crown Jewel’s Bloodline vs. Bloodline match. Sami spoke to the crowd in Arabic and said he’s so proud to speak in front of his people on WWE TV. He said he wanted to explain what happened at Crown Jewel. Jey Uso made his entrance.
[HOUR TWO]
Jey entered the ring and thanked Sami for having his back. He told Sami to be straight forward in answering whether it was an accident when he kicked Roman Reigns in the face. Jey Uso marched out and had a bit of snarl on his face. Graves said Jimmy might be the only one who has seen Sami for who he is in the role he played in “destroying the original Bloodline.” Cole said Jey ended up better off. Graves agreed, but asked, “What about the rest of the family?”
Jimmy entered the ring and told Jey they saw Sami kick Roman in the face on purpose. Jimmy said he and “OTC” are pissed. “We can’t trust this fool!” said Jimmy. Sami angrily cut in and said he could remind him of their background. He said Jimmy was his dawg and brother who brought him into the family first. He said when things started to go bad with him and Roman, Jimmy kicked him in the face. He said when things went bad with him, Jey, and Roman, he kicked Roman in the face. Then when Jey had a chance to do things on his own, he kicked Jey in the face. He said it was always Jimmy who couldn’t be trusted.
Jimmy asked Sami if he thinks he owes him an explanation. He said he’s not the bad guy. Sami said he might not believe him, but he doesn’t hate him. He said he never had and he’s not a bad guy, “but you make bad decisions.” He said he came out at Crown Jewel just to make sure Jey was okay. He said he wouldn’t lie, though, because when they were all fighting side by side, it felt like old times. “It felt pretty damn special,” he said. Fans chanted, “Ucey! Ucey!” Sami said it lasted one minute, and then it all fell apart, “just like it does every single time with the four of us.” He said he’s not going to do it again. He said he won’t have his loyalty questioned and he won’t be put on trial. He said he loves them both, but he can’t do it again. “I’m out,” he said.
Sami began to leave. Jey told Sami, “I’m asking you, please come to Smackdown so all four of us can talk this out like family do.” Jimmy said, “Family? He ain’t family.” Jey looked at Jimmy said he was wrong and he put his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “Just because he’s not blood-related, that don’t mean he’s not family. He is family.” He said he sees Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and Sami Uso. Fans beat him to it and chanted, “Sami Uso! Sami Uso!” before Jimmy got to it. He said he hopes to see him Friday at Smackdown.
-Jackie Redmond interviewed Seth Rollins outside the stadium about his fight against Bronson Reed, which earned him a spot in tonight’s main event. He said it’s his resume that earned him a spot in that match. He said Reed is as advertised. He said he gave him all he had and he got up and asked for more. He said he and Reed will “do that dance again.” He said now, though, he has gold on his mind. He said “three of the very best in the world and Dominik Mysterio” would fight for a shot at the World Title. He closed with his catch phrase.
-Dragon Lee made his entrance. [c]
(3) DRAGON LEE (w/Zelina Vega) vs. CHAD GABLE (w/Ivy Nile)
The bell rang 15 minutes into the hour. They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
Gable overhead-suplexed Lee into the corner as Lee charged at him at 6:00. Lee rallied a minute later. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” They stood mid-ring and exchanged strikes. Cole started treating this like the craziest, most competitive back-and-forth match he had ever seen. Lee landed a leaping sitout powerbomb for a near fall at 10:00. Lee climbed to the top rope, but Gable met him up there and suplexed him to the mat. He delivered a cliffhanger DDT and put his boots on the bottom rope for extra leverage. Zelina shoved his feet off. Ivy then choked out Zelina. Rey Mysterio ran out to ringside. Gable went after Lee, who tried to rip off his mask. Lee then gave Gable his Operation Dragon finisher for the win. Cole and Graves touted how incredible the match was.
WINNER: Lee in 12:00.
-Redmond asked Gunther about Cody Rhodes beating him to become Crown Jewel Champion. Ludwig Kaiser took exception to the question, but Gunther said it was okay and said Cody deserved to win. He said whoever wins tonight will be a tough challenger for him. He looked at Kaiser when he brought up Sheamus. Kaiser looked away. Gunther said after Saturday’s result, it’s on him to do better. “We both have to do better,” he said. Kaiser winced a bit. The fans applauded Gunther’s seemingly gracious comments.
-Damien Priest made his ring entrance. [c]
(4) DOMINIK MYSTERIO vs. DAMIEN PRIEST vs. SHEAMUS vs. SETH ROLLINS – No. 1 contendership to World Title match
Dom made his way out. Cole complained he was flicking his sweat on him. Graves said it was conditioner and it made him smell better. Sheamus came out next. Seth came out last. The bell rang 40 minutes into the hour. When Dom scurried away early, Graves said he wants to create dissension among his three opponents and just stand at ringside “being handsome.” Sheamus caught him on the ring apron and pounded on Dom’s chest. Seth rolled up Priest from behind, so Sheamus had to stop hitting Dom and break up the cover. Seth kicked Sheamus in the chest as Sheamus lifted Priest. Priest then went for a South of Heaven on Seth, but Seth slipped free. Sheamus yanked Priest to the floor by his boot. Seth leaped onto both of them at ringside. He then dove onto Dom on the other side of the ring. He did a running dive through the ropes onto Priest and Sheamus. They cut to a break as Seth celebrated. [c]
Dom was in control after the break. They showed that during the break, Dom shoved Seth off the top rope, then knocked Sheamus into the ringside steps, and finally threw Priest into the ringpost. Dom landed a tornado DDT on Priest in the ring for a two count. “Can you imagine Dominik and Gunther for the World Title?!” asked Cole. Cole then paused and said it might be fun to see, actually, the implication being Gunther would dismantle Dom.
Dom punched Priest. Priest fired back with a clothesline and then a faceplant. Priest threw a barrage of kicks and a forearm to drop Dom. He landed a running elbow into Dom in the corner followed by a Flatliner. Sheamus re-entered and took out Priest with an Irish Curse. Sheamus gave Dom a backbreaker next. Sheamus knocked Seth out of the ring and then climbed to the top rope. He leaped off with a knee to Dom. Seth broke up his cover. Priest then clotheslined Seth. All four were down and slow to get up. Fans applauded. They cut to a break. [c]
Back from the break, Sheamus was in control and landed White Noise on Priest. Sheamus powerbombed Dom next and played to the crowd. Cole said he “might be closing in on victory.” Sheamus played to the crowd and then went for his Brogue Kick, but Seth intercepted him with a superkick. Seth gave Dom a Pedigree and then played to the crowd. Reed came out and attacked Sheamus and Priest at ringside. Seth got wide-eyed and went after him. A fresh Reed got the better of him. He rolled into the ring. Cole noted there is no DQ in this match. Reed gave a Death Valley Driver to Priest and then to Sheamus. Fans didn’t react much. Dom hid at ringside and watched as he landed Tsunamis on Priest and then Sheamus. Cole said there were bodies strewn everywhere.
Reed went after Seth at ringside. He put him on the announce desk and then leaped off the ringside barricade with a splash that collapsed the table under Seth. Dom leaped off the top rope with a frog splash on Sheamus, but Priest broke it up. Dom landed a 619 on Priest and then leaped off the top rope. Priest gave him a South of Heaven for the three count. Priest couldn’t celebrate much as he was gasping for breath, still selling the Tsunami.
WINNER: Priest in 19:00 to become no. 1 contender.
-Gunther entered the ring and eyed Priest. Priest eyed the belt he formerly held as the show ended.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch’s Javier Machado to review WWE Raw LIVE tonight right after the show ends. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
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