WWE RAW
Episode 1332
#RAW
Original Air Date: December 3, 2018
Event Date: December 3, 2018 (aired live)
City: Houston, TX
Venue: Toyota Center
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
Ring Announcer: Jojo
Ring Area
In the ring, Jojo asks for silence as the WWE honors George H.W. Bush with a 10-bell salute.
Ring Area
Ronda Rousey heads to the ring for a tag match. Natalya follows, and their opponents, Nia Jax and Tamina, come out next. Everyone is in the ring for the night’s opening match, but the Riott Squad comes out before the match can begin.
Ruby Riott leads as Live Morgan and Sarah Logan carry a table down to ringside. While everyone is looking up the ramp at the Riott Squad, Jax and Tamina attack Natalya and Rousey from behind. The Riott Squad enters the ring and gangs up on Natalya while Tamina and Jax focus on Rousey.
Tamina and Jax beat up Rousey outside the ring while the Riott Squad sets Natalya up on the apron. Riott kicks Natalya as Morgan and Logan pull Natalya down off the apron and drive her through the table with double-team powerbomb. Ronda Rousey struggles to get back into the ring as is unable to do anything to help her friend.
Referees and Rousey attend to Natalya as everyone else leaves the ring area.
Backstage
Ronda Rousey helps Natalya and calls for some help. Natalya is attended to while Rousey looks mean and angry.
Ring Area
Alexa Bliss heads to the ring. She starts by talking about how she was appointed by Baron Corbin to lead the RAW women’s division. She says her open forum last week didn’t go as planned, so she’d like to try again. With that, she introduces Sasha Banks and Bayley who both head to the ring.
Alexa wants to start the open forum, bu Bayley wonders when the attack is going to happen. Alexa presses on, and she has Charly Caruso get a question from a fan. The fan asks for Bayley and Sasha to respond to rumors that Sasha is just using Bayley. Sasha answers by saying Bayley is her best fiend and that they will be tag partners for life.
Another fan asks both Bayley and Sasha whom they would like to face in a dream match. Sasha and Bayley say, in unison, Trish Stratus and Lita.
A third fan asks what superpower Bayley and Sasha would choose. Bayley would be able to make things disappear, and she would start with Alexa Bliss. Sasha agrees. Bliss is disappointed in Bayley.
The next question is about what changes Bayley and Sasha woiuld make to the women’s division. Bayley wants herself and Sasha to be the first-ever women’s tag champs.
As Bayley finishes answering, Dana Brooke, Mickie James, and Alicia Fox run toward the ring. Alexa stops them before they can attack, and she makes a tag match for right now.
Match 1
Sasha Banks & Bayley vs Mickie James & Alicia Fox w/ Dana Brooke
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: Bayley pins Mickie James after a backstabber (Sasha Banks) and the Bayley to Belly
Time: 4:30
Match Thoughts
Good match. It was kind of an exhibition for Bayley and Sasha, but Mickie and Alicia were good opponents for them. This was a solid tag match, and it really did make a decent point for having a women’s tag title.
Ring Area
Musician Morgan Wallen is in the crowd (the on-screen graphic misspells his last name as “Waller”).
Backstage
Ronda Rousey yells at Alexa Bliss for what happened earlier tonight. Bliss says she didn’t know the Riott Squad was going to attack, and she sent them home for the night. Rousey is still angry, and she says she’s going to get some payback on Nia Jax and Tamina tonight. Bliss tells Rousey not to do that. Instead, she offers to find Rousey a new tag partner. Rousey says she’ll find her own partner.
Video
A video chronicling Baron Corbin’s rise to power.
Backstage
Chad Gable and Bobby Roode tell Baron Corbin that they want a tag title rematch. Also, Roode wants revenge on Drake Maverick. Corbin says Gable and Roode don’t deserve another title shot, but they’ll get one if Roode and defeat Maverick tonight. Gable and Roode wonder what the catch is, but Corbin says the only stipulation is that Gable and the AoP are barred from ringside. Still suspicious, Gable and Roode cautiously accept Corbin’s match.
Match 2
Lucha House Rules Match
Lucha House Party vs Scott Dawson w/ Dash Wilder
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Result: Gran Metalik pins Scott Dawson after a rope-walk senton bomb
Time: 2:38
Match Thoughts
Like the other Lucha House Rules matches, this was fun because we got to see the Lucha House Party do some crazy things in a completely dominant match. But of course, this wasn’t really much of a match, it was just a display of what Lucha House Party can do as a team.
Backstage
Baron Corbin yells at a crew member after he brings Corbin something in a box.
Ring Area
Baron Corbin is in the ring. He’s happy about his TLC match where he will win by forfeit and become the permanent GM of RAW. His rise to the top hasn’t been without adversity, but he has had someone by his side who has helped make last few weeks easy and problem free. That man is Drew McIntyre. Baron Corbin shows a video package of McIntyre beating people up.
Tonight is Drew McIntyre Appreciation Night, so Corbin introduces Drew. McIntyre heads to the ring.
Corbin thanks McIntyre for his hard work and support. To commemorate McIntyre’s efforts, Corbin presents McIntyre with RAW’s gold medal of excellence. McIntyre appreciates Corbin’s gesture. McIntyre talks about how he has reformed RAW in his own image. He also says that he plans to hurt Finn Balor and break his spirit at TLC. As McIntyre continues, Dolph Ziggler interrupts and heads to the ring.
Ziggler wonders if McIntyre is having memory problems. They were a team, but Ziggler didn’t see himself in McIntyre’s video package. McIntyre tells Ziggler that he was always the brains and the talent of their team. Their business relationship worked at the time, but it doesn’t work for McIntyre anymore. Ziggler served his purpose for McIntyre, and now McIntyre excuses Ziggler. As McIntyre keeps talking, Ziggler attacks. Ziggler hits McIntyre with the Zig Zag before leaving the ring.
Baron Corbin stops Ziggler. He tells Ziggler that if he wants a fight, then he’ll have one right now.
Match 3
Drew McIntyre vs Dolph Ziggler
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: Dolph Ziggler wins via pinfall after a superkick (and an attack from Finn Balor at ringside)
Time: 9:55 (joined in progress; 1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was very much a one-sided beating from McIntyre to Ziggler, but at least the ending was interesting.
Backstage
Elias walks backstage.
Backstage
Charly Caruso stops Drew McIntyre and asks for a comment. McIntyre says Ziggler was never his friend, but now he is his enemy. Also, Finn Balor is a marked man.
Ring Area
In the ring, Elias says Bobby Lashley is afraid of him. Elias begins to play a song when Lio Rush interrupts. Rush and Lashley are on the stage, and Rush says tonight’s spotlight belongs to Bobby Lashley. Rush has Lashley pose, including the butt pose.
Elias has heard enough. Elias heads up to the stage, but Lashley quickly gets the upper-hand. Lashley tries to slam Elias into the LED board on the stage, but Elias reverses and slams Lashley instead. Elias grabs his guitar and chases Lashely to the backstage area. Elias comes back out to the stage, and as he does, Finn Balor attacks Rush, causing Rush to stagger onto the stage. Elias smashes his guitar onto Rush’s back. Elias and Balor exchange approving glances with each other.
Backstage
Jinder Mahal tells Baron Corbin that he can’t let this night get to him. Mahal offers to take care of Balor tonight. Corbin thinks that’s a good idea, so Mahal and the Singh Brothers leave.
Corbin calls for Heath Slater and Rhyno to join him. Corbin informs Rhyno and Slater that there is only enough room on RAW for one of them. He asks for one of them to quit to save the other guy’s job. Neither wants to quit, so Corbin decides to put them in a match tonight where the loser is fired.
Match 4
Bobby Roode vs Drake Maverick
(referee: John Cone; stipulations: AOP and Chad Gable are barred from ringside, if Roode wins then he and Gable get a tag title shot)
Result: Drake Maverick pins Bobby Roode after the Super Collider
Time: 3:33
Match Thoughts
The match, of course, got changed to a three on two handicap match after it was shown on the tron that AOP was attacking Chad Gable in the back. AOP came down to the ring, followed later by Gable. AOP dominated. I’m not a fan of this kind of thing.
Ring Area
Some people in gas masks come out and stand on both sides of the ramp. Dean Ambrose comes out next, also wearing a gas mask. They all head to the ring. Ambrose enters as everyone else surrounds the ring.
Ambrose breaths into a microphone for a while before speaking. He then says that he needs protection from the diseases in Houston, and he also needs protection from “that madman” Seth Rollins. Ambrose says Rollins is needy, just like all the fans he meets. He says Rollins is a low-life scumbag with no character. Ambrose used to be proud of The Shield, but eventually Rollins and Reigns just wanted to be role models. Ambrose has never changed though. He is the last man in this industry with integrity. The only thing he is guilty of is trusting people, but no more. Ambrose is proud to stand alone as the moral compass of WWE.
Ambrose says Rollins will finally lose control at TLC. He will lose control of his emotions, and he will lose control of his Intercontinental Championship. Rollins’ music plays, but while most people are looking at the stage, Rollins attacks from the crowd. Rollins dumps Ambrose out of the ring, and the people in gas masks enter the ring to take Rollins down. Rollins manages to fight them off, and he chases Ambrose through the crowd.
Ambrose and Rollins brawl with both men getting some shots in. As they head back to ringside, Ambrose hits Rollins in the face with a gas mask. Ambrose hits Rollins with Dirty Deeds on the floor, then Rollins is put back into the ring by the gas mask guys. Ambrose again hits Rollins with Dirty Deeds.
Backstage
Charly Caruso welcomes Nia Jax and Tamina. Caruso tells them that Ember Moon will team with Rousey tonight. Jax says she wanted Charly to team with Rousey, but that’s ridiculous. She also says something about Ember Moon’s face, and she mentions Becky Lynch. Mentioning Becky is the only time I could hear the crowd react to anything Jax.
Match 5
Heath Slater vs Rhyno
(referee: Dan Engler; stipulation: the loser is fired from RAW)
Result: Heath Slater wins via pinfall after a neckbreaker
Time: 1:08
Match Thoughts
This was short and all about the story. Rhyno started the fight, but Slater ended it. Quickly.
Backstage
Baron Corbin congratulates Heath Slater. Slater wants to know if there’s anything he can do for Rhyno, but Corbin tells Slater to not worry about that. Corbin also hands Slater his new work uniform, a referee shirt.
Match 6
Jinder Mahal w/ The Singh Brothers vs Finn Balor
(referee: Dan Engler)
Result: Finn Balor wins via pinfall after Coup de Grace
Time: 4:04 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. It was kind of short and it had a fair amount of shenanigans, but it was fine. The Singhs tried to get involved, but Apollo Crews came down to the ring to help offset them. This has certainly been a night of people helping people.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Finn Balor for a few words. Balor is pleased with his night, but he is quickly attacked by Drew McIntyre. Referees try to pull McIntyre away, but McIntyre does whatever he wants to do.
Video
Lars Sullivan is headed to the main roster.
Match 7
Nia Jax & Tamina vs Ronda Rousey (RAW Women’s Champ) & Ember Moon
(referee: Chad Patton)
Result: Ronda Rousey forces Tamina to submit to an arm bar
Time: 5:55 (joined in progress)
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match, though not surprising in any way. Moon started for her team, Rousey tagged in late, and Jax avoided Rousey. It was an okay ending for an okay show.
Show Impressions
This show wasn’t as boring as last week’s, so that’s a good. I think we still got a lot of stuff we’ve seen before (another Lucha House Rules, another open forum, another screwing of Roode and Gable), but we did have some good stuff like Balor standing up against his attackers (until he got knocked down).
I’m interested to see where the Rhyno/Heath Slater thing goes. The Ambrose/Rollins stuff was fine, but I’m probably going to enjoy their TLC match regardless of any predictable talking segments they have leading up to it (although Ambrose’s Bane outfit was an interesting choice). The main story tonight with Rousey, Jax, and Tamina was okay, but not great.
Match of the Night
Sasha Banks & Bayley vs Mickie James & Alicia Fox
Even though there were seven matches, the wrestling once again took a backseat to story. With that in mind, the opening tag match was probably my favorite of the night. It was enjoyable and competitive. Mostly.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2018-12-03