October 24, 2016
Episode 1222
(aired live)
City: Minneapolis, MN
Venue: Target Center
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
Ring Announcer: Jojo
Intro Video
“Enemies” by Shinedown
Ring Area
Chris Jericho heads to the ring. He has some terrible news. The triple threat match scheduled between himself, Owens, and Rollins has been postponed indefinitely. Something terrible has happened. Someone has stolen The List of Jericho, and he won’t do anything until he gets his list back. Kevin Owens then heads to the ring.
Owens doesn’t have the list, and he doesn’t care who does. But he cares about Jericho, so he’ll help him find the list. But first, they need to take care of Seth Rollins. Jericho reiterates that he won’t do anything until he gets his list back. Stephanie McMahon then heads to the ring.
Stephanie also does not have the list, but she will make sure Jericho gets it back. In the meantime, Jericho needs to listen to Owens and compete tonight. She tells Jericho to stop being ridiculous which sets Jericho off. He starts yelling when Seth Rollins comes out to the stage.
Rollins has the list behind his back. Stephanie orders Rollins to bring the list to the ring. Rollins reads some names from the list, including Stephanie McMahon and Kevin Owens. Jericho calls Rollins a liar and demands that Rollins bring him his list now. Rollins agrees to, but he wants to make some alterations first. He wants to make a new list, one of all of Kevin Owens’ body parts that won’t be the same after Hell in a Cell. He tells Jericho to come get his list as he walks away.
Backstage
Seth Rollins looks smug. Stephanie tells him to give Jericho his list back so tonight’s triple threat can take place. Rollins says he left it in the locker room.
Ring Area
Enzo and Cass come out and start into their pre-match sing-along, but their microphones get cut off. Anderson and Gallows come out and say that they had someone in the back shut off their mics. Enzo and Cass don’t need mics though, and they have the crowd do their entire speech for them.
** I’m not a huge fan of the sing-along stuff, but this was pretty cool. **
Match 1
Enzo Amore w/ Big Cass vs Karl Anderson w/ Luke Gallows
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Enzo Amore wins via pinfall after a big boot from Big Cass from the outside
Time: 3:49 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Not bad. A quick match, but the finish was good. I liked this whole segment. It was a good way to build interest in their PPV match.
Backstage
Sometimes Rusev has trouble sleeping, but not last night. He knows that Reigns’ time as US Champ will be ending soon, and he will be doing despicable things to Reigns in Hell in a Cell.
Ring Area
New Day heads to the ring. They compliment Cesaro, but say that Sheamus should feel shame for subjecting everyone to himself. And so, they will make him feel shame at Hell in a Cell.
Match 2
New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E w/ Xavier Woods) (RAW Tag Champs) vs Cesaro & Sheamus
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Sheamus pins Big E after a Brogue Kick
Time: 8:42 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. The winners weren’t surprising considering who needed the bigger boost in credibility as a team, but the action in this was very good. Sheamus and Cesaro started the match again trying to one-up each other, but they eventually sort of starting working together. There were some great moves in this, and the last segment of the match was pretty exciting. Very good finish.
Backstage
Jericho looks for his list in the locker room. The Shining Stars and Titus O’Neil haven’t seen it. Jinder Mahal tells Jericho he needs to find inner peace before he can find the list. Mahal teaches Jericho some breathing exercises. Jericho calls Mahal a “stupid idiot.”
Match 3
Arm Wrestling Match
Dana Brooke vs Bayley
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: Dana Brooke wins one match, then loses via DQ in a second match when she attacks Bayley
Time: 0:06, 0:08 (2 matches)
Match Thoughts
The crowd chanted “this is stupid.” I would tend to agree. This wasn’t a very good segment, not that arm wrestling matches ever produce compelling television.
Backstage
Jericho is roaming the halls, looking for the list. He tells Stephanie she has to help him. He’s upset that Rollins is driving a wedge between himself and Stephanie. Steph talks about how busy she is and demands that Jericho compete tonight. Jericho stands his ground and refuses. Steph tells Jericho that he’ll be suspended if he doesn’t compete tonight.
Ring Area
Curtis Axel really did “bo-lieve in Bo,” but Dallas turned on him. So, Axel has decided to go back to his roots. He carries the legacy of his grandfather and his father, and he is in his hometown of Minneapolis tonight.
Match 4
Curtis Axel v Bo Dallas
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: Bo Dallas wins via pinfall with a schoolboy
Time: 2:59
Match Thoughts
An okay match. Axel started off strong and hit a Perfect Plex, but as it went along it became clear that the match was more about Dallas’s new attitude. The finish wasn’t great.
Video
Rich Swann is motivated to give the people what they want.
Backstage
Jericho is still wandering the halls. He finds Braun Strowman looking at the list. Jericho politely asks for the list and gets it. For touching Jericho’s personal property, Strowman is added to the list.
Backstage
Roman Reigns says that Rusev doesn’t know what it’s like in Hell in a Cell. He also doesn’t know what it’s like to win in the cell, but Reigns does.
Match 5
Golden Truth w/ Mark Henry vs Shining Stars w/ Titus O’Neil
(referee: John Cone)
Result: R-Truth pins Primo after a combination flapjack (Goldust) into a reverse STO (R-Truth)
Time: 4:01
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. Goldust got beat up a lot and the outside shenanigans of Mark Henry and Titus O’Neil led directly to the finish, but it was entertaining enough. I doubt this storyline will go much of anywhere, but I like having things like this on the show. Smaller stories that keep lots of guys on TV are good, and these guys work well together.
Ring Area
Already in the ring, Mick Foley is set to officiate the contract signing for Sasha Banks’ and Charlotte’s Hell in a Cell match. Both women come out. Foley talks about how both of them are changing the business. Charlotte is ready to sign, but Foley hesitates when she demands the contract from him.
Foley tells Sasha and Charlotte that they have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. He rants about how it will change their lives. Charlotte says she has conquered everything she has ever faced, and she will take back her title in the cell. Sasha understands that the cell might break her, but she will prove that she is the best female performer of all time. She’s not afraid of the cell.
Foley tells them they should be afraid. He yells about how he suffers every day because of the decisions he made in Hell in a Cell. When Sasha and Charlotte look at him, they’re looking at their future. He talks about believing in Charlotte since she was little and how Eddie Guerrero would be proud of Sasha. He wants them both to look him in the eye and tell him that they know the risk they’re taking. Charlotte signs. Then Sasha signs.
** Foley added a ton of weight to this match. Hopefully it can live up to his promo. He set the bar high. **
Video
The Makeover of Emma to Emmalina is coming soon.
Match 6
Brian Kendrick vs Rich Swann
(referee: Rod Zapata; guest commentary: TJ Perkins)
Result: Rich Swann wins via pinfall with an Oklahoma roll
Time: 5:01 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. Swann started quick, getting the better of Kendrick. Kendrick came back, and the rest of the match was pretty even. Kendrick looked like he was started to dominate towards the end, an ending which came suddenly.
Backstage
Tom Phillips welcomes Kevin Owens and asks him about tonight’s match. Owens says he and Jericho will break Rollins tonight. And at Hell in a Cell, Owens will leave Rollins broken and scarred.
Ring Area
Braun Strowman heads to the ring for a match followed by Sami Zayn. Once they’re both in the ring, Strowman gets on the mic. He calls out to Foley, saying that he wanted competition but doesn’t see any. Zayn hits Strowman in the back, prompting Strowman to chase Zayn around the ring. Strowman catches Zayn and throws him into the barricade. Strowman then walks away.
Backstage
Brian Kendrick needs help from TJ Perkins. Kendrick says the clock is ticking. He needs to win the Cruiserweight Title. For his family. Perkins tells him that if he needs it, then he should go out there and try to win. Kendrick wants Perkins to let him in. When he hears that, Perkins walks away.
Ring Area
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman head to the ring. Heyman starts talking about Goldberg and seems like he’s struggling for words. The crowd starts chanting, and Heyman says that the chants are starting to piss Lesnar off. All of the chants in the world won’t be able to put Goldberg back together again after Lesnar is finished with him. The crowd keeps chanting. Eventually Heyman and Lesnar give up and leave.
** Not the best Heyman promo. It was a little odd how he stumbled over his words, and he thing with the crowd chanting didn’t seem to fit what Heyman was saying terribly well. **
Backstage
Jericho assures Owens that they’ll still be best friends no matter what happens in tonight’s match.
Match 7
Triple Threat Match
Seth Rollins vs Chris Jericho vs Kevin Owens (Universal Champ)
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: Seth Rollins wins via pinfall when he covers both Owens and Jericho with a double schoolboy
Time: 9:57
Match Thoughts
An okay match. It was just Jericho and Owens teaming up against Rollins, as expected. The finish was fine, but it was the after match beating to Rollins that really had the most implications for the upcoming PPV.
Ring Area
After the match, Owens and Jericho run Rollins into the ring steps. Jericho walks away ahead of Owens. Before Owens can leave, Rollins recovers enough and attacks him. Owens retaliates with a powerbomb to the ring apron.
Show Impressions
This was an okay show. I liked the stuff with Jericho’s list, but there was no real payoff to it. They just blew it off mid-way through the show, and in the end it didn’t matter for the main event.
The matches were kind of mixed, some were good, but others were just average or not so good. It really did feel like the last show before a PPV, meaning lots of things felt unfinished.
I thought Kendrick asking Perkins to throw the match was interesting. I think it’s pretty obvious Kendrick is playing mind games, but it still leaves it open enough to play it as f he’s really that desperate. The highlight of the show was probably Foley’s promo though. I don’t know if it’s fair to Sasha and Charlotte to associate their match with Foley’s time in the cell (that’s not a fair association for anyone), but it made for a good segment on RAW.
Match of the Night
New Day vs Cesaro & Sheamus
A very good match, and the best part is their match at the PPV will probably (or at least hopefully) be even better.