11/2 KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT: Complete Live Coverage & Analysis

Monday’s Raw featured a traditional five-on-five Survivor Series match in the TV main event. Seth Rollins found four members and Roman Reigns found four members to square off…

KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
NOVEMBER 2, 2015
DENVER, COL.
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK

[HOUR ONE]

-Michael Cole introduced the show live from Denver, Col. Then Roman Reigns’s music  played and he made his way down the bleachers as Cole recapped the big night he had last week on Raw. Cole asked fans to use the hashtag “#survivorseries.”

Reigns entered the ring and said based on the fans’ energy, he is proud to be there in Denver, Col. He said he is also proud to stand there as the no. 1 contender “and the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion.” He swiftly moved to talking about Seth Rollins. Seth’s name received boos. Reigns said Seth is good in the ring, but he’s also good at brown-nosing and kissing The Authority’s ass. He said he doesn’t like people who lie to his face and stab him in the back. He said he doesn’t like weasels, so that means he doesn’t like Seth Rollins. He said he’s been lucky enough to be champion since WrestleMania, but his luck is running out. He said there is not a force on Earth that can stop him from beating Seth and becoming the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion. “And you can believe… that.”

(WK Reax: Good delivery. He seemed to really value the idea of becoming champion. He also wasn’t asked to talk excessively long as they were only three minutes into the show at this point.)

Seth came out and laughed at the very notion of Reigns beating him for the WWE Title. He said he wouldn’t have invited him to join The Shield if he didn’t think he was good. He said Reigns did manage to take everything that Brock Lesnar dished out in their match and threw it right back in his face. “But how did that night turn out for you, huh?” he asked. Then he gave that obnoxious heel “ha ha ha ha ha” laugh. He said overnight he rewrote history. He said Reigns will go down as good, but second best always to him. “People will remember you as the guy who used to carry my bags,” he said. Reigns told him to carry himself to the ring and they can find out who the real man is. Seth began to march toward the ring, but Triple H’s music interrupted.

Hunter and Stephanie McMahon stepped onto the stage. Steph said if they’re going to do this, they want to make it official. She asked the fans if they want to see them go at it one-on-one for the World Title. Cheers. She said, “Then you’re gonna get it. Just not tonight.” She laughed. Hunter laughed. He said he told her they’d bite. He asked how high they all are. Steph said they’re gullible to think they’d give it away in Denver. She said the match will be in two weeks at the 29th Anniversary of Survivor Series.

Hunter said since Reigns is itching for a fight, he suggested a traditional five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match tonight and he’ll be the captain of one team, and Seth will be the captain of the other. He said they can assemble their own teammates, so choose wisely. “Your survival, Roman, might just depend on it,” Hunter closed. Seth and Reigns jawed from a distance as Hunter’s music played out the segment.

-The announcers previewed the show including Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks vs. Brie Bella vs. Paige in a fatal four-way for the no. 1 contendership, plus Bray Wyatt declaring he owns the souls of the Brothers of Destruction. They showed a split screen of Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens heading out for their opening match.

-A commercial aired for Breaking Ground. [c]

-The announcers commented on a picture of Triple H’s Tweet of congratulations to the Kansas City Royals and a special replica WWE Title belt with the Royal logo on the sides.

(1) DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. KEVIN OWENS

An inset interview aired with Owens during his walk to the ring. He said he is the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. He said if anyone doesn’t like that, then they don’t like him, and so therefore he doesn’t like you either. He then cluck-winked. Cole said Owens feels very highly of himself. Byron Saxton said he’s never seen anyone enjoy riling people up so much with the words they say. Cole said Owens will continue to trash talk until someone knocks him off his pedestal. Bell rang 17 minutes into the first hour.

Owens kicked Ziggler in his injured left knee at the start. Owens gyrated his hips to mock Ziggler. A minute later Ziggler made a comeback, but he couldn’t support his weight on his leg. The ref checked on him, but Owens jumped in and dragged Ziggler back to mid-ring. He went for a senton splash, but Ziggler moved and landed a DDT. Owens rolled to the floor. As Ziggler clutched his knee, Tyler Breeze’s music played and he walked onto the stage with Summer Rae. They cut to a break. [c]

They showed that during the break, Breeze and Summer sat at ringside behind their velvet VIP rope and distracted Ziggler briefly, giving an opening to Owens. Cole plugged that Summer was streaming live on Ziggler’s Facebook page. Owens settled into a chinlock mid-ring. JBL said Owens was dismantling Ziggler. At 9:00 Ziggler rallied with a flying forearm, a neckbreaker, and a leaping elbowdrop for a two count. Ziggler rolled through on an Owens suplex attempt for a two count. He scored another two count with a roll-up. Owens immediately landed a released German suplex to stop Ziggler’s momentum. The crowd chanted “Summer’s over!”

Ziggler blocked a cannonball with a superkick. When Ziggler made the cover, at the two count, the director inexplicably cut away to ringside to apparently something more important – Breeze using his selfie stick to take a picture of himself with the match in the background. JBL said people do it to Lebron James and he doesn’t seem bothered. Ziggler then foolishly leaned over to slap Breeze’s selfie stick. Owens then gave Ziggler his Pop-up Powerbomb for the win.

WINNER: Owens at 11:00.

(WK Reax: That finish made Ziggler out to be an undisciplined idiot. JBL’s point was too good – that basketball players such as Lebron deal with such “distractions” and keep their eye on the ball, so to speak. Ziggler deserved to lose and Owens didn’t do anything wrong. Why not have Owens taunt Ziggler a bit and goad him into paying attention to Breeze, or have Breeze stand on the ring apron to get a better angle where it seemed he was actually a real distraction?)

-Afterward, Breeze kneeled next to Ziggler with his selfie stick and admired himself. Ziggler noticed and punched Breeze. Breeze, though, gave Ziggler his Beauty Shot spin wheel kick. Summer Rae laughed and applauded. Summer and Breeze posed next to Ziggler’d KO’d body. Breeze and Summer left to his music.

-They went to the announcers at ringside. Cole talked about the tradition of the Survivor Series dating back to 1987. This was the first pay-per-view that I covered for PWTorch. The video package mentioned “Wall Street” ruling at the box office, Michael Jackson ruling album sales with “Bad,” and President Reagan telling Gorbachev to “tear down that wall.” Clips aired of the main event elimination match with Jake Roberts, Danny Davis, Ron Bass, Brutus Beefcake, Honky Tonk Man, Hercules, Ricky Steamboat, Randy Savage, and others. Steamboat & Jake & Savage were the survivors after HTM walked out to get counted out on purpose. [c]

-They showed the exterior of Pepsi Center.

-Backstage the camera showed Owens taking off his wrist tape. Seth walked up to him and congratulated him on his win. Owens seemed like he was just barely tolerating Seth. Owens asked him where this was all going. Seth said with WrestleMania just around the corner, he couldn’t think of a better main event than champion vs. champion. Owens liked the sound of that. Seth asked if he liked the idea of him being on Team Rollins tonight. Owens said he’s in, but he told him, “Just remember, you owe me one.”

-Back to the announcers, Saxton reacted to the implied promise of a title vs. title match at WrestleMania. Cole threw to a sponsored video package on Paige’s heel turn last week.

-Renee Young interviewed Becky Lynch, introducing her as “The B in the team formerly known as PCB.” Lynch took exception to that and said children are watching. She said the only “B” in that team was Paige. She said she’s not sitting at home crying over what happened, curled up at home with a pint of ice cream watching TV. She said last week was an eye opener, though. She said she can’t wait to get her hands on Paige. Renee said if she wins tonight, she’ll be facing her best friend. Brie interrupted and said that won’t be an issue because she’ll win, not Becky, whom she called “Charlotte’s whacky sidekick.” Becky called Brie “Nikki’s pathetic doormat of a sister.” Becky fist-bumped Renee and said there will be a showdown tonight in Denver, giggling and squealing with excitement.

-Cesaro’s ring entrance took place. They showed fans in the Cesaro Section holding up signs. [c]

(2) CESARO vs. THE MIZ

Cole talked about Miz’s infinity scarf, which he learned about during the Raw pre-show. He said Cesaro said Miz is a sports entertainer and he’s a wrestler. Is Cole really allowed to say that? Good. They showed The Ascension and Stardust sitting in the crowd, taunting Cesaro from their “Stardust Section.” Miz hilariously obnoxiously gestured for the crowd to be silent before he took off his sunglasses. After Cesaro outwrestled Miz early including a tilt-a-whirl suplex mid-ring and a running uppercut in the corner, Miz bailed out to ringside. Miz, though, yanked Cesaro by his trunks into the ringpost. The camera got a close-up of Cesaro saying, “Aw shit!” He was bleeped. Miz threw Cesaro into the ring and kicked him in the face for a two count. He settled into a chinlock.

Miz hit a clothesline in the corner at 4:00 and then leaped off the top rope with a double axe handle. He played to the crowd. Cole said he might be closing in on a big win. Cesaro countered a Skull Crushing Finale and then gave Miz the Cesaro Swing. The crowd counted along. Cole said it must be worse at this high altitude. The crowd stopped counting as he got deep into the teens. He then applied the sharpshooter mid-ring for the tapout win.

WINNER: Cesaro at 5:00.

(WK Reax: Good use of Miz, who doesn’t really get hurt by losing to Cesaro like this given that he’s not being positioned as anything but a legacy mid-card heel act at this point. Cesaro, in other words, needs to win this to retain any credibility.)

-Clips aired of last week’s Wyatt Family angles with Undertaker at Hell in a Cell and Kane on Raw.

[HOUR TWO]

-Bray Wyatt and his family (Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, Braun Strowman) walked out to the ring. Bray said last week he wanted to give everyone something they’d never forget, and this week he’s going to give everyone something special. He bragged about carrying out “the rotting carcass of the Undertaker” and “the scorched body of Kane.” He said they weren’t after their bodies, though; they were after their souls. Bray said a body is eventually useless whereas a soul lives forever – unless it is consumed by a higher power. “I have become that higher power,” he said. He said he and his family have successfully harvested the souls of Undertaker and Demon Kane. He said that power is now surging through his veins and it feels really, really good. “And it all belongs to me.” He summoned the thunder. Thunder noises and flashing lights and even lightening and Kane’s red fire from the ringposts all blasted. He dropped to a knee and held out a hand palm up and laughed as more thunder and lighting filled the arena.

A video of Undertaker and Kane highlights suddenly began playing on the big screen. Bray continued kneeling and then yelled, “Follow the buzzards!” He laughed and they cut to a break.

(WK Reax: A bunch of histrionics that didn’t really add up to anything tangible other than overwhelming evidence Bray has the WWE production team in the palms of his hands. I’d like to see more opportunity for his three henchmen to get on these segments and develop and differentiate their characters.) [c]

-Cole hyped the Fatal-Four Way match to earn a Divas Title shot, plus the Survivor Series traditional elimination tag match.

-A video package aired on the Lucha Dragons with fast-paced clips of their high flying moves.

(3) LUCHA DRAGONS vs. KING BARRETT & SHEAMUS

As Barrett and Sheamus walked out, the announcers talked about the Wyatt Family segment. JBL said they may be the most powerful force in WWE history. Sheamus palmed Kalisto in the face and shoved him down. Cole called it bullying. JBL said, “That’s not bullying; that’s beating him up.” JBL is right. Barrett tossed Kalisto around at ringside and they cut to a break. [c]

Back from the break, Barrett remained on offense. He tagged in Sheamus at 7:00. Kalisto managed to fight back and somersault into his corner and hot-tag in Sin Cara. He chopped Barrett off the ring apron and then head scissored Sheamus. He hit Sheamus with a flurry of kicks and chops. He dove onto Barrett at ringside and played to the crowd. Back in the ring, Sheamus lifted his knees on Sin Cara diving off the ring apron after a Barrett distraction. Barrett then whipped Sin Cara into the ringpost. Then he rammed him into the ringside barrier back-first. Back in the ring he scored a two count and then settled into a chinlock. “Let’s Go Lucha!” chanted younger fans.

Eventually both Barrett and Kalisto hot-tagged in at 13:00. Kalisto hit a barrage of cool spots on Barrett leading to a pin attempt broken up by Sheamus. Sin Cara and Sheamus tumbled over the top rope, although Sin Cara got his ankle caught up in the top rope. Meanwhile in the ring, Kalisto countered a Barrett Bullhammer and landed his finisher for the win. The announcers touted this as a big win for the Dragons, while also noting that the heels dominated most of the way.

WINNERS: Lucha Dragons in 14:00.

(WK Reax: Good tag match. Nice mix of two different styles and building to hot tags with a meaningful finish, in the sense that it felt like the Dragons win really indicated momentum on their side.)

-Jack Swagger walked up to Zeb Colter backstage. They said it’s been six or eight months since they’ve seen each other. Swagger said too long. He asked if he was okay. He asked him about wanting to form a new nation, Mex-America. He said they want join two great countries together as one. “It’s time to unite, not divide.” He said he’d even ask Canadians to join them if they weren’t so simple-minded. He said Mexico has great people and great resources, just like America. Swagger said he doesn’t believe for one second that they are really together. Alberto Del Rio walked in and told Swagger to stay away from them. He said if he’s looking for trouble, he came to the right place. Swagger said he wants to know what’s going on. Zeb said they want to join two great countries as one. Swagger rubbed his chin as Del Rio and Zeb left the room. [c]

-Cole congratulated Batista for being on the cover of “Muscle & Fitness” magazine.

(4) ALBERTO DEL RIO (w/Zeb Coulter) vs. R-TRUTH

ADR showed off the new Mex-American flag, which is half the U.S. flag and half the Mexican flag, each cut diagonally in half and sewn together. Truth got in a surge of offense right out of the gate. Del Rio regrouped briefly at ringside. Del Rio took control and settled into a chinlock at 2:00. Cole said Twitter was lit up over the Bray Wyatt segment earlier. Del Rio then won clean with a double stomp off the top rope on R-Truth who was hanging upside down in the corner.

WINNER: Del Rio in 3:00.

-Cole said Del Rio’s past run as World Champion is available to watch on WWE Network in the archives. Cole then threw to a clip from 2005 of the Raw vs. Smackdown match at Survivor Series. It showed Randy Orton beating Shawn Michaels to give Team Smackdown a win over Team Raw. There was even a Mr. Kennedy sighting in the post-match celebration. And Orton had “long” hair. [c]

-The announcers hyped the new WWE 2K16 video game.

-Backstage New Day approached Seth Rollins. Kofi Kingston and Big E offered their services to Seth who looked like he was just accosted by someone on the street asking him for change. Seth said they could be on his team, but they’re still a man short. Xavier Woods jumped into the picture with his trombone and said, “I’m back!” Seth welcomed them to Team Rollins. Xavier, despite Seth’s protests, played the trombone as Kofi and Big E chanted “Team Rollins!” Seth finally gave in and joined in, briefly, before walking away.

-Jo-Jo asked Sasha Banks if she is feeling any anxiety before this match because of the pressure she surely feels after the WWE Universe has been chanting “We Want Sasha.” Sasha said everyone will learn she’s The Boss around here. She said she’s coming for Charlotte and her title. She then told Jo-Jo that Halloween is over and The Boss is taking over.

-Becky’s ring entrance took place. [c]

[HOUR THREE]

(5) BECKY LYNCH vs. BRIE BELLA vs. SASHA BANKS vs. PAIGE

Cole talked about ticket sales for WrestleMania in Dallas next year and said, “Can you believe it’s almost WrestleMania season?” The announcers noted that teammates were banned from ringside given the stakes in the match. JBL mentioned Velvet McIntyre, saying that Becky would be the second Irish women’s champion. I think Velvet might clarify she was not a “Divas Champion,” though. At 3:00 Becky tackled Paige through the ropes and beat her up at ringside. Paige reversed Becky hard into the ringside steps. Brie knocked Paige off the apron. Banks then went to work on Brie. Brie ended up taking over and getting sustained offense on Banks. Paige tried to sneak in and “steal” a pin on Brie, but Banks broke it up. Actually, Brie kicked out and then Banks hit Paige. [c]

Brie met Banks on the top rope. Paige got up and knocked Brie off balance. She headbutted Banks. They set up a two woman suplex of Banks. Lynch jumped into the ring and powerbombed all three to the mat. That woke up the crowd. All four were slow to get up. A “This is awesome!” chant broke out. Becky got up first and tossed around Paige and then put Brie in her armbar submission. Banks broke it up and threw Brie to the floor. She then went to Lynch, but Lynch surprised her with a small package. Banks gave Lynch a neckbreaker for a near fall. Then came the Bank Statement for a near tapout. Paige broke it up with kick. She threw Banks into the ringpost. Paige then gave Lynch her Rampaige for the win.

WINNER: Paige in 14:00 to become no. 1 contender for the Divas Title.

(WK Reax: Solid match. They succeeded in giving the impression anyone could win that match because of the pre-match promos and the way the match played out.)

-Saxton interviewed Paige in center-ring after the match. She said Lynch and Banks are losers, and if the fans cheered them, they’re all losers, too. She said any fans who cheers “Little Baby Flair,” well, they’re losers too, “because this is my house!”

(WK Reax: By-the-numbers heel promo that works with Paige’s character.)

-They went to ringside where JBL and Cole discussed the Charlotte vs. Paige Divas Title match scheduled for Survivor Series. Then they threw to last year’s Survivor Series and set the stage with various pop culture events. Cole said it was the highest stakes Survivor Series ever – as Team Cena beat Team Authority to knock them out of power… for a handful of weeks.

-Cole plugged Team Reigns vs. Team Rollins was up next. There were still no teammates shown for Reigns yet. [c]

-After a clip of Paige’s win, Renee interviewed Charlotte backstage. She said it’s clear Paige will do anything to win, but so will she. Charlotte told Paige to keep beating the same drum about being Flair’s Baby Girl, because every time someone brings that up, she works all the harder to prove she earned her title. She said Paige will learn that the hard way.

(WK Reax: Much improved demeanor here by Charlotte. She gave off a sense of gravitas rather than seeming like she was trying to get accepted. No awkward “woos” or anything like that. This really gave off the vibe that she was the queen of the division and planned to stay there. Nice.)

-New Day made their way to the ring and, of course, did mic work every step of the way. They said their favorite band is Survivor, favorite reality show is Survivor, favorite Destiny’s Child song is Survivor, and favorite book is Lone Survivor. When Kofi said their favorite movie is Lone Survivor, too, Xavier said it’s actually “The Last Unicorn.” They sang “New… Day Rocks.” [c]

(6) TEAM ROLLINS (Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens & The New Day) vs. TEAM REIGNS (Roman Reigns & The Usos & Ryback & Dean Ambrose)

After Seth’s ring entrance completed his team, Reigns was introduced first for his team. he made his way through the crowd. Cole said they had no clue who his teammates were going to be. Probably Dean Ambrose was a pretty sure bet, so to say “no clue” feels a little foolish. The Usos were revealed as his first two partners. This was their return. Cole exclaimed, “They’re back!” Cole said Jimmy Uso has been out a half year. Saxton quickly corrected him and said Jey is the one who has been out. Ooops. That’s pretty bad. Cole said the Usos would be on ESPN SportsCenter with Coach tomorrow morning at 9 ET. Ryback came out next. And then Ambrose.

The bell rang to start the match 37 minutes into the third hour. Xavier made a big show of being the first in for his team. He walked right into a Jimmy superkick. Jey then landed a top rope flying splash for the quick pin. Seth called his teammates to conference at ringside. [c]

Back in the ring, Seth tagged in Kofi against Jey Uso. Owens was thrown off by Big E’s gyrating. JBL said when Big E does that, it reminds him of Rick Rude. The heels tagged in and out and isolated Jey. Cole noted that Randy Orton will be out of action “for some time” with a shoulder injury, and sent viewers to WWE.com for details. JBL said it’s so unfortunate. Jimmy hot-tagged in and went to work on Kofi. The Usos double-dove onto Kofi and Big E at ringside. Cole said, “It’s U-so Crazy!”, ruining that term for everyone. Jimmy then frog splashed Kofi in the ring to eliminate him. Big E jumped Jimmy from behind as Seth panicked on the ring apron. When Jey went for a top rope splash, Owens interfered. Big E then gave Jey the Big Ending off the top rope for the elimination at 8:00.

Jimmy superkicked Big E, knocking him to the floor. Owens tagged in and surprised Jimmy with a Pop-up Powerbombed. Reigns entered against Owens and took him down with a clothesline. The fans popped. No boos. Reigns clotheslined Owens in the corner, then gave him a boot. He took a shot at an interfering Seth Rollins. Ambrose then knocked Seth to the floor and dove at him at ringside. Big E hit Ambrose. Ryback hit Big E. Back in the ring, Reigns gave Owens a Samoan Drop. Seth distracted Reigns, and Owens gave him a superkick. They cut to a break. That was bad timing for a break. [c]

After the break, Seth settled into a chinlock on Reigns as they went to split screen to show clips of the previous eliminations. Owens tagged in and went to work on Reigns. Seth and Owens double-suplexed Reigns. Seth gloated and taunted Ambrose. Reigns sat up and had enough of Seth’s trash-talking and began the Hogan no-sell routine from his knees. Seth cut off Reigns’s comeback with a reverse sidekick. He took a quick shot at Ambrose. Reigns backdropped Seth over the top rope. The crowd chanted “Feed me more!” and, sure enough, Reigns hot-tagged Ryback. He went to work Big E and then Seth. Big E came back with a clothesline of his own. Ryback countered with a Meat Hook. Owens broke up the pin attempt. Ambrose then top rope kicked Owens. Owens rolled to the floor. Ambrose went after Owens at ringside. Seth threw Ambrose hard into the ringside steps. Big E then gave Ryback a belly-t0-belly for a near fall. Big E dropped his straps and clapped as Ryback stood. He went for the Big Ending, but Ryback escaped and gave Big E his Shellshock for the pin.

So it was down to Ryback, Ambrose, and Reigns versus Seth and Owens. Seth immediately gave Ryback a Pedigree to eliminate him, making it two-on-two. Saxton earned his pay by saying, “It’s getting down to the nitty-gritty!” Seth then called Ambrose into the ring and went for a Pedigree. Ambrose backdropped out of it. Reigns crawled back onto the ring apron and reached for the tag. Seth ran at Reigns and knocked him to the floor before a tag could be made.

[OVERRUN]

Ambrose rallied as Cole set the stage for those tuning in for the overrun. Ambrose leaped off the top rope onto Seth for a near fall. Seth landed a superkick, but Reigns broke up the pin attempt by Seth. Seth tagged Owens back in at 19:00. Owens asked the crowd if they like “this guy” Ambrose, then gave him a knee to the gut. Seth caught his breath sitting on the ring apron as Owens beat up Ambrose. Seth tagged in and leaped off the top rope and hit Ambrose with a knee to the side of the head. Owens held Ambrose and brought him over to Seth. Owens told him to “just do something!” Seth just trash-talked. Ambrose broke free and hit Seth. Then Seth dove off the top rope, but landed a knee on the side of Owens’s face when Ambrose moved. Ambrose then delivered Dirty Deeds for the three count. That left Seth vs. Ambrose & Reigns. Reigns and Ambrose smiled.

Ambrose tagged in Reigns at 28:00. Seth took his time, but eventually entered the ring. He quickly, though, rolled to the floor and tried to run away. Ambrose cut him off and threw him into the ring. Reigns landed a clothesline. Seth flung himself out of the ring and over the ringside barrier, flipping upside down trying to get away. Reigns grabbed his boots and gave him a flying dropkick on the announce table. Back in the ring, Reigns clotheslined Seth ten times hard in the corner as the crowd counted along. Reigns tagged Ambrose, then lifted Seth onto his shoulders. Seth broke free and slipped to ringside. Ambrose chased him down, but Seth gave Ambrose a chairshot. The ref called for the bell.

WINNERS: Team Reigns via DQ in 30:00.

-After the match, Seth continued to hit Ambrose with the chair. Reigns was in the ring trying to regain his senses when Seth slowly entered the ring with the chair. Reigns popped up and gave Seth a Superman punch. Seth scurried up the ramp with his title belt as Reigns continued to try to catch his breath.

(WK Reax: Good main event tag match. They gave viewers a taste of Seth vs. Reigns. Seth was hilarious as the sometimes falsely brave, otherwise cowardly heel. Everyone involved got their spots, but the guys with the best cardio did the majority of the ring work.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Solid episode of Raw. Enough good wrestling to carry that side of things, even absent any great matches. Even though looking at the entirety of the show, it seems it might have dragged at times, the longer matches were strong enough to prevent that. I really liked some of the small touches that matter, specifically the interviews with the wrestlers involved in the matches either before or afterward. It made it seem like the matches mattered. Not a blockbuster show, but for a show without any Special Attractions including John Cena, they filled the three hours and 14 minutes pretty well.

TONIGHT at 11:30 ET, James Caldwell will discuss Raw live with PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill, and then take live phone calls. STREAM IT LIVE at www.PWTorchLivecast.com and call 646-721-9828 to participate. It’s available on demand, also, at the same URL. Tomorrow Jason Powell from www.prowrestling.net joins me live at 5 ET to also discuss Raw live with callers.