WWE RAW
Episode 1384
#RAW
Original Air Date: December 2, 2019
Event Date: December 2, 2019
(aired live)
City: Nashville, TN
Venue: Bridgestone Arena
Commentary: Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler, Samoa Joe
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Backstage
Charly Caruso is waiting in the parking garage as a vehicle pulls up. The AOP exits the vehicle, and Caruso asks them why they attacked Kevin Owens last week. They respond in Albanian and Punjabi, so Caruso asks for a translation. They say Charly looks lovely tonight.
Intro Video
“Legendary” by Skillet
Ring Area
Seth Rollins heads to the ring. Rollins addresses his harsh words for the RAW locker room last week. He apologizes to everyone, especially to Kevin Owens. Rollins would like Owens to come down to the ring so he can apologize face to face. Owens heads to the ring.
Owens says he smells something in the ring right now. It smells like when the rodeo comes to Nashville. Owens is still upset about being attacked by the AOP last week, but Rollins denies having anything to do with the attack. Owens doesn’t believe him, and as the two men starts to bicker, the Authors of Pain come out to the stage.
They challenge Owens and Rollins to a tag match tonight. Rollins agrees to the match. Owens knows it’s a trap, but he’d rather not wait to get a three-on-one beating. Owens wants the match right now. Frustrated, Rollins says if Owens is going to be like that, then he wants nothing to do with the match. Rollins leaves Owens alone in the ring. Owens would like for AOP to come down to the ring for a fight, and he would like for them to come one at a time. AOP laugh and walk away. Owens still wants a fight, so he issues an open challenge.
Backstage
Bobby Lashley and Lana walk.
Ring Area
After a commercial break, Owens is still in the ring waiting for someone to answer his challenge. Lana’s music plays. Owens is visibly frustrated and annoyed. Lana begins talking, so Owens expresses his complete and utter state of not caring about anything Lana has to say or do. Lana talks over Owens and continues on with her wonderful shtick.
Lana says Rusev won’t be here tonight because of the restraining order we saw her serve to him previously. Owens speaks for everyone when he says Lana talks a lot while saying nothing. Lana calls Owens “basic” and a “pizza eater.” Lana introduces Lashley, so Lashley finally comes out.
Match 1
Kevin Owens vs Bobby Lashley w/ Lana
(referee: Shawn Bennett)
Result: Kevin Owens wins via DQ when the AOP attack
Time: 5:17 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was fine, but it was really just a setup for the post-match shenanigans. Lashley hit some powerful moves right away to put Owens at a disadvantage, then Owens started to mount a comeback. Owens’ comeback was cut short by interference from the AOP.
Ring Area
After the match, the AOP continue to beat up Owens. Lashley, Lana, and the two cops they have protecting Lana watch as Owens is dragged to the backstage area by the AOP.
Ring Area
After a commercial break, Charly Caruso asks Bobby Lashley if he knows anything about the attack from AOP on Owens. He says he doesn’t. Lana is tired of being booed. As she complains, Rusev comes in through the crowd and attacks Lashley. Lana’s cops are slow to react, so Rusev gets in some good shots on Lashley before leaving the ring and escaping back out through the crowd.
Lashley gets up after a few seconds, and he yells at the cops for not doing anything to stop Rusev. Lashley pushes past one of the cops, so Lashley if handcuffed and escorted up the ramp. Lana is pissed, and she slaps one of the cops. Lana is then handcuffed as well. Lana and Rusev are both under arrest.
Backstage
During the commercial break, Lana protests as she and Lashley are put into a car and driven away from the arena. The Street Profits and R-Truth watch and enjoy the show.
Match 2
Drew McIntyre vs Akira Tozawa
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Drew McIntyre wins via pinfall after the Claymore Kick
Time: 4:11
Match Thoughts
Tozawa got in some good shots and had McIntyre chasing him for a good part of this short match. For that reason I wouldn’t call this a squash, but it was pretty close. Even so, Tozawa looked good, and his speedy attacks simultaneously showed a slight weakness in McIntyre’s style and the agility McIntyre can display when he wants to. I liked the match for what it was.
Ring Area
After the match, McIntyre says people today are cowards. They go to social media and are cryptic when they have a problem with someone. McIntyre is no coward though. He says he has a problem with Randy Orton, and he calls Orton to the ring.
After waiting through a commercial break, McIntyre shows footage of Orton sticking a thumb in McIntyre’s eye last week on RAW. McIntyre calls that move “stupid, stupid, stupid.” Orton finally comes out and heads to the ring.
Orton laughs at McIntyre, but McIntyre will not be disrespected again. McIntyre says his problem with Orton is that Orton does whatever he wants and has no respect for anyone or anything. McIntyre says being Randy Orton doesn’t give him the right to speak to McIntyre like a child. Orton used to be the most ferocious thing in WWE, but now he’s only ferocious on social media. McIntyre is the most ferocious thing in WWE right now. Orton is the past, and McIntyre is the present and future.
Orton doesn’t think McIntyre has a problem with Orton; McIntyre has a problem with reality. Orton has earned the right to do whatever he wants, but McIntyre has earned nothing. If McIntyre still has a problem though, they can settle it right now. The OC comes out before any altercation can take place in the ring.
Anderson and Gallows say that Randy Orton ruins people’s lives. They blame Orton for Styles losing the US Title. Styles is not okay, and it’s Orton’s fault. Styles wants to get his hands on Orton tonight, and he doesn’t care what kind of match it is. McIntyre excuses himself from the ring to allow Orton and The OC to settle their differences.
The OC enters the ring from three sides, and they take Orton down. Ricochet then runs to the ring, but he gets swarmed upon entering the ring. Humberto Carrillo runs down and joins the brawl. Rey Mysterio comes out next, and he turns the brawl around. The OC is cleared from the ring as Rey, Ricochet, and Carrillo stand tall.
Backstage
Orton appreciates the assistance from Mysterio, Ricochet, and Carrillo, but he says he didn’t need it.
Match 3
Tony Nese vs Aleister Black
(referee: Rod Zapata; watching in the back: Buddy Murphy)
Result: Aleister Black wins via pinfall after Black Mass
Time: 3:27
Match Thoughts
Good match. I know this was a showcase for Black, but I’d love to see this match happen again with more time given to it. Nese showed a great combination of technical ability and dirty trickery to counter as much of Black’s onslaught as he could. I like the extreme differences in personality as well. This could be a great mini-feud if they allowed it to happen. Also, I think the commentators should have put over the fact that Nese and Murphy have been off-and-on allies for along time. That would have helped tie in to the growing feud between Black and Murphy even more.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Buddy Murphy is he regrets knocking on Alesiter Black’s door. Murphy says he’s still hurting from his last encounter with Black, but he still wants to expose Black for what he is. He says Black takes himself way too seriously, and he needs to calm down.
Match 4
Andrade w/ Zelina Vega vs Eric Young
(referee: Shawn Bennett)
Result: Andrade wins via pinfall with a hammerlock DDT
Time: 4:37
Match Thoughts
Good match. Eric Young got a good amount of offense in the match. Andrade hit Young with some good strikes, but Young kept coming back. The match was short, but I think it worked well for the position both men are in right now (Andrade possibly moving up and Young just needing to get some good ring time).
Ring Area
After the match, R-Truth runs down to the ring with his 24/7 Title in hand. R-Truth hides behind the barricade where Kyle Busch and Michael Waltrip are sitting in the front row. Busch and Waltrip motion to the men chasing R-Truth (Cedric Aleander, Titus O’Neil, Mojo Rawley, Zack Ryder, and Curt Hawkins) that the champ as gone out through the crowd.
The mob runs by, so R-Truth thanks Busch and Waltrip. Waltrip slowly unzips his jacket to reveal a referee shirt. Busch gets R-Truth in a schoolboy, then Waltrip counts. Kyle Busch is the new 24/7 Champ.
Backstage
The Street Profits sell stuff on Cyber Monday. No Way Jose and his conga line pass by.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Seth Rollins (who is leaving the arena) why he wouldn’t help Owens if he considers the RAW locker room his family. Owens says he tried to help Owens, but Owens didn’t want help. Caruso also questions the sincerity of his apology. Rollins says he can’t win. Everyone hates him no matter what he does, so what’s the point. He says everyone’s a critic, but not everyone can be a leader.
Backstage
Erick Rowan again talks to a camera behind a mesh (because he’s supposedly talking to an animal in a cage).
Match 5
No Way Jose vs Erick Rowan
(referee: John Cone)
Result: Erick Rowan wins via pinfall after an iron claw slam
Time: 2:08
Match Thoughts
Rowan got angry that one of Jose’s conga line tried to look into his covered cage at ringside. Rowan destroyed nearly everyone and squashed Jose along the way.
Backstage
The Kabuki Warriors warm up.
Backstage
Sarah Schreiber asks Rowan what’s in the cage. Rowan refuses to say anything. Sarah gets scared.
Backstage
Charly Caruso reminds Asuka that Charlotte Flair broke her undefeated streak. Asuka goes off on Charlotte in Japanese while Kairi laughs.
Match 6
Charlotte Flair vs Kabuki Warriors (Women’s Tag Champs)
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Result: Kairi Sane pins Charlotte Flair after the Insane Elbow
Time: 12:56 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was pretty wild. I’m rarely a fan of handicap matches where one overpowered person takes on two people at the same time, especially when those two people are tag champs. I always get nervous when tag champs are put into matches like this because WWE has a history of having tag champs lose. Also, Asuka beat Charlotte one-on-one last week, so I didn’t even think this match was necessary or made any sense when I saw it announced earlier in the day.
Still, despite all that, I enjoyed this match. Charlotte was angry, so her chaotic style of fighting made sense, and that chaos mostly helped make it make sense that she could take on two people at once. This was pretty much a tornado match, but Asuka and Sane were seemingly thrown off by Charlotte’s rage. That allowed Charlotte to capitalize on confusion. The Kabuki Warriors are usually on the same page in a structured tag match, but this was a struggle for them. The crowd was also super into it. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. I still don’t want to see Becky and Charlotte become tag champs together, but I’ll just look at this feud one match at a time. Most of the matches so far have been enjoyable.
Oh yeah, and the Kabuki Warriors finally have a real theme song as a team. It’s not the lazy mashup of both of their themes anymore.
Backstage
The Viking Raiders breathe in their red room.
Backstage
Sarah Schreiber asks Charlotte if she regrets challenging the Kabuki Warriors. Charlotte says “no” and walks away.
Match 7
Viking Raiders (RAW Tag Champs) vs Mark Sterling & Mitchell Lyons
(referee: Shawn Bennett)
Result: Erik pins Mitchell Lyons after the Viking Experience
Time: 1:38
Match Thoughts
Squash. Again. Why?
Backstage
Ricochet says he, Mysterio, and Carrillo are going to shut down The OC. Carrillo is happy to be teaming with Ricochet and Mysterio. Mysterio says the honor is all his.
Match 8
Rey Mysterio (US Champ) & Humberto Carrillo & Ricochet vs The OC
(referee: John Cone)
Result: AJ Styles pins Ricochet after an avalanche Styles Clash
Time: 11:06 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. After the opening few minutes, this match broke down into chaos. Everyone was going as fast as they could and doing as much damage as possible to their opponents. It was a super fun main event.
Ring Area
After the match, AJ Styles is left alone in the ring. Randy Orton sneaks up from behind and hits Styles with an RKO to end the show.
Show Impressions
This was an okay show. I liked how it was structured. The first half of the show flowed really well from segment to segment with people and segments overlapping. I really enjoy that style of live event. What they were giving us during those segments wasn’t always the most interesting though. The lack of meaningful matches had me losing interest until the women’s handicap match. That match and the main event were really the only two that went for a decent amount of time. None of tonight’s matches really meant much though, even if some of them were definitely entertaining to watch.
Match of the Night
Mysterio & Carrillo & Ricochet vs The OC
This was just fun. I love how The OC, and Styles especially, can be comedic in one moment then deadly serious the next. Styles really is one of the greatest performers of all time.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2019-12-02