WWE RAW
Episode 1329
#RAW
Original Air Date: November 12, 2018
Event Date: November 12, 2018 (aired live)
City: Kansas City, MO
Venue: Sprint Center
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
Ring Announcer: Jojo
Video
Today, WWE honors America’s veterans.
Match 1
Tag Team Battle Royal
The Revival vs Heath Slater & Rhyno vs Lince Dorado & Kalisto & Gran Metalik vs The B-Team vs Chad Gable & Bobby Roode vs The Ascension
(referees: John Cone, Rod Zapata; stipulation: the winning team will captain the RAW tag Survivor Series team)
Result: the match ends in a No Contest when Braun Strowman clears the ring
Time: 2:25
Match Thoughts
Not a match. This was an excuse to watch Braun Strowman beat up a bunch of people.
Ring Area
After getting all of the tag team to leave, Braun Strowman sits down in a chair in the center of the ring. He’s not moving until Baron Corbin comes and gets his hands. Stephanie McMahon heads to the ring.
Stephanie tells Strowman that he can’t hold RAW hostage. She tells him that he needs to look at the bigger picture. Doesn’t Strowman want to get back at Shane McMahon for what he did at Crown Jewel? Strowman says he doesn’t care about any of that. He knows when someone is trying to manipulate him. All he wants is Baron Corbin.
Stephanie proposes a compromise. If Strowman leads RAW to a victory at Survivor Series, he can have whatever he wants. Strowman wants a Universal Title match. Steph agrees. Before that, Strowman wants Corbin. Steph agrees. He wants to pick the stipulation. Steph agrees. But she tells Strowman not to lay a hand on Corbin until after Survivor Series.
Steph continues to talk, but Ronda Rousey interrupts as she heads to the ring. Steph tries to introduce Rousey, but Rousey takes the mic from her hands. Rousey angrily talks about how much she wants to hurt Becky Lynch. Rousey then approaches Steph, but Baron Corbin comes out and stops anything before it can happen.
Corbin says that, like Stephanie, he’s here to motivate RAW Talent. Corbin begins to talk down to Ronda Rousey, so she throws him to the ground. Rousey leaves, and Strowman stares at Corbin. Stephanie gets Corbin to leave, but not before Strowman issues a warning to him.
Backstage
Nia Jax and Tamina yell at people as they walk.
Match 2
Ember Moon vs Tamina w/ Nia Jax
(referees: John Cone)
Result: Tamina wins via pinfall after a top-rope splash (and a distraction from Nia Jax)
Time: 5:04 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This wasn’t great. They got the intended point across (Moon is mad and the team of Jax and Tamina are really mean), but there were more than a few moments in this match that didn’t work super well. There was some miscommunication, some moves didn’t connect completely, and some moments were telegraphed way in advance. They can both do better.
Ring Area
After the match, Nia Jax attacks Ember Moon for whatever reason.
Video
Last week, Seth Rollins lost the tag titles to AoP.
Ring Area
In the ring, Corey Graves introduces Seth Rollins who heads to the ring. Graves asks Rollins about his mental state heading into Survivor Series. Rollins doesn’t care about his match with Shinsuke Nakamura right now. He’ll be focused when the match starts on Sunday, but tonight, Rollins wants answers from Ambrose.
Dean Ambrose appears on the tron. He’s outside, sitting on a car next to a fire in a barrel. He says that he used to think that The Shield was stronger together, but The Shield made him weak. Being a brother to Rollins and Reigns was a burden. But now he has a chance to burn down the past. He drops his Shield vest into the fire and walks away.
Back in the ring, Rollins walks away.
Video
Last week, Drew McIntyre embarrassed Kurt Angle.
Ring Area
Kurt Angle’s music plays, but it’s replaced by Dolph Ziggler’s. Ziggler heads to the ring with Drew McIntyre. McIntyre reminds people that he said he was going to take over when he first appeared on RAW. Do you believe him now? He broke The Shield, and he made Kurt Angle an embarrassment. He made Kurt Angle cry. McIntyre claims ownership of RAW. There will be no more weakness and no more nostalgia acts. Finn Balor interrupts as he heads to the ring.
McIntyre says Balor has a lot of guts. Balor says he couldn’t listen to McIntyre talk any more. He says McIntyre crossed the line with Angle last week. McIntyre says he could have done way worse to Angle. But he knows Balor is really upset that McIntyre kicked Balor last week. McIntyre says all of Balor’s feelings make him sick. Balor tells McIntyre to shut up. Balor has been dealing with bullies his whole life, and he knows how to deal with them. With that, he challenges McIntyre to a match right now. McIntyre agrees to a match… against Dolph Ziggler.
Before a referee can get in the ring, McIntyre hits Balor with a headbutt.
Match 3
Dolph Ziggler w/ Drew McIntyre vs Finn Balor
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Finn Balor wins via pinfall with a counter to a pin from Ziggler
Time: 8:51 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. I’m not necessarily a fan of Balor having to “steal” victories lately, but at least he’s gaining some good momentum. This was a good match with a nice buildup to the finish.
Backstage
Stephanie McMahon congratulates Finn Balor on his win and on standing up for his convictions. Steph wants Balor on the RAW Survivor Series team, but Corbin has other thoughts. McIntyre and Ziggler walk up, and they’re pissed. Steph shuts everyone down. She doesn’t want teammates fighting, and they are all going to be on team RAW.
Backstage
Charly Caruso welcomes Ronda Rousey. Rousey backtracks a bit, saying she wasn’t trying to insult Becky Lynch. She then doubles down, insulting Becky Lynch again and downplaying Lynch’s journey. Nia Jax and Tamina walk up and wish Rousey luck at Survivor Series.
Ring Area
The Riott Squad heads to the ring. Ruby Riott shows footage of her breaking Natalya’s sunglasses last week. She knows that she struck a nerve. And she enjoyed every second of it. Did Ruby take it too far? No, they didn’t take it far enough. Last week, Ruby wanted Natalya to feel real emotion, and she wanted Natalya to bawl like a baby. And that’s what happened. Ruby knows why Jim Neidhart wore sunglasses; It was because he was ashamed to look at is daughter.
Natalya appears and attacks Ruby Riott from behind. Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan quickly subdue Natalya, and Ruby (with Sarah Logan) hits Natalya with a Hart Attack.
Match 4
Tag Team Battle Royal
The Revival vs Heath Slater & Rhyno vs Lince Dorado & Kalisto & Gran Metalik vs The B-Team vs Chad Gable & Bobby Roode vs The Ascension
(referees: ; stipulation: the winning team will captain the RAW tag Survivor Series team)
| Order Eliminated | Team Eliminated | Member Eliminated | Eliminated By | Time eliminated | Total Team Eliminations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heath Slater & Rhyno | Heath Slater | Scott Dawson | 0:26 | 0 |
| 2 | The Revival | Scott Dawson | Gran Metalik | 1:28 | 1 |
| 3 | Lucha House Party | Kalisto | Konnor | 2:09 | 1 |
| 4 | The B-Team | Bo Dallas | Viktor | 2:20 | 0 |
| 5 | The Ascension | Konnor | Bobby Roode | 3:05 | 2 |
| Winner | Chad Gable & Bobby Roode | 1 |
Result: Gable & Roode win and will captain Team RAW for the tag team Survivor Series match
Time: 3:05
Match Thoughts
This was very short. I liked how well The Ascension did though.
Backstage
Paul Heyman knocks on Brock Lesnar’s locker room door.
Ring Area
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman head to the ring. Heyman congratulates Braun Strowman on being an almost unbeatable monster, and for negotiating his way back into a title match. Heyman also congratulates the entire SmackDown roster for avoiding the beating that will be handed to the WWE Champ. He also congratulates AJ Styles. Styles came close to beating Lesnar last year, but that just makes Lesnar want to destroy Styles even more this year. As Heyman finishes, Jinder Mahal (with the Singh brothers) comes out and heads towards the ring.
Mahal has some advice for Heyman and Lesnar. Mahal says that they shouldn’t underestimate Styles. Last year, Mahal was looking forward to facing Lesnar, and he was so focused on that match that Styles was able to steal the WWE Title. Mahal offers to show Lesnar his mantra. Lesnar invites Mahal into the ring.
In the ring, Mahal attempts to get Lesnar to repeat, “shanti.” Lesnar clotheslines Mahal out of the ring and proceeds to suplex the Singh brothers directly on their heads. Repeatedly. He then hits Mahal with an F5 on the floor.
Backstage
Alexa Bliss discusses something with Stephanie McMahon.
Ring Area
In the ring, Lio Rush talks about Bobby Lashley’s body. Lashley shows his butt to everyone. Again. Suddenly, a guitar is strummed and Elias appears on the stage.
Elias calls Child Protective Services on Lashley for kidnapping a ten-year-old. Lashley calls Elias a clown and dares him to say what he has to say to his face. Elias heads to the ring.
Match 5
Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush vs Elias
(referee: Dan Engler; stipulation: the winner will join Team RAW at Survivor Series)
Result: Bobby Lashley wins via countout when Lio Rush prevents Elias from entering the ring
Time: 2:13 (joined in progress)
Match Thoughts
This wasn’t much of a match, but it was kind of funny. I like seeing Lio Rush make himself useful like he did.
Ring Area
After the match, Elias throws Lio Rush out of the ring and onto Bobby Lashley.
Ring Area
Alexa Bliss heads to the ring, and she is followed by Mickie James, Nia Jax, and Tamina. Bliss has put together her team for Survivor Series. Natalya is part of the team, but Bliss sent her home for the night. Mickie James, Nia Jax, and Tamina are also on the team. The final member of the team will be the winner of the next match.
Match 6
Sasha Banks vs Bayley
(referee: Rod Zapata; stipulation: the winner will join Team RAW at Survivor Series)
Result: the match ends in a No Contest when Tamina, Nia Jax, and Mickie James attack both competitors
Time: 5:04 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
I liked the match as it was happening, but it was cut pretty short. I was hoping this would reintroduce a wedge to Sasha and Bayley’s friendship, but the way this ended will probably just reinforce their alliance. I did like how this was all just about Alexa Bliss messing with both of them though. Alexa never intended for there to be a winner.
Ring Area
Alexa Bliss enters the ring and introduces the actual fifth member of Team RAW: Ruby Riott. The Riott Squad heads to the ring. Everyone is happy, until…
Backstage
Becky Lynch has Ronda Rousey in Disarm-Her in the locker room. Becky eventually releases the hold and walks away.
Ring Area
Becky Lynch heads towards the ring with Alexa, Mickie, Nia, Tamina, and the Riott Squad still there. At ringside, Becky gives a signal, and the women from SmackDown Live swarm into the ring. Alicia Fox and Dana Brooke run out to try to help the RAW women, but SmackDown has taken control of the ring.
Ronda Rousey runs down to the ring. Becky rolls out as Ronda enters. Ronda takes down some of the SmackDown women, but that gives Becky enough time to get a steel chair. Becky repeatedly hits Rousey with the chair.
Ronda Rousey is left alone in the ring as Becky and the SmackDown women leave through the crowd. Rousey seeths as Becky smiles from the crowd.
Backstage
Stephanie McMahon yells at Baron Corbin for being terrible at his job.
Show Impressions
I hated how this show began (with Strowman plowing through the tag division), but I loved how it ended. Becky Lynch is the best, and this show made me really, really want to see her beat Ronda Rousey this Sunday.
Other than that, the only other thing that really stood out was the stuff with McIntyre, Ziggler, and Balor. I liked all of that, and I’m looking forward to more.
I also think that RAW is going to have to adjust to the elimination of their run-over time. I believe this was the first week since the Attitude Era where the show ended right on time rather than running over into the next hour. The main event started way earlier than usual, and there was a significant amount of time with people just standing and staring at each other before the show was over. I think it worked for what they did tonight, but they might want to make it a little tighter going forward. It felt like the cut to the backstage area where Stephanie was yelling at Corbin was added to kill time until the show ended.
Oh yeah, and Becky Lynch is the best. She got busted in the nose early during the in-ring brawl (I think by Nia Jax), and she started bleeding quite a bit. It made for some very memorable shots.
Match of the Night
Finn Balor vs Dolph Ziggler
This was easily the best actual wrestling match of the night. Of course, two matches ended in a No Contest, so the bar was pretty low. But the match was good.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2018-11-12