Post PPV RAWs are often entertaining, with the fallout of the previous night’s moments and the rejigging of storylines. How will the post No Mercy RAW hold up?

We start off with Miz and his crew in the ring and a recap of his ‘tourage assisting in his win over Jason Jordan.

The Miz introduces his guest.

Roman Reigns

Fresh off beating John Cena, Roman got a very excited reaction, with one particularly excited screaming girl near a microphone.

The Miz starts off by apologizing for the crowd, to which Roman replies ‘nah, we like it loud’. Face or heel hmmm?

Miz asks about Cena declaring the loss a ‘passing of the torch’.

Reigns says since Miz is long-winded, he’ll keep it short, and that he now respects Cena, and is proud to say he beat him. He then says it’s the biggest win he’s ever had (but hesitates).

Reigns then says he’s tired and doesn’t want to talk to an ‘idiot’ like the Miz.

Miz turns that into calling Jordan a loser.

Reigns says Jordan is a thoroughbred and that Miz couldn’t beat him 1-on-1. He then asks the Miztourage to get him a beverage, and then escalates that to ‘get me a beer boy’ in a put-on accent.

Miz says they don’t drink beer on such a classy show.

Miz continues to say that Reigns used to ride the coattails of two other stars, and that the Miztourage are much better than the Shield.

Reigns laughs at the prospect of the Shield competing with the Miztourage. He also says it won’t happen because he’s going after ‘Brock Les-Lesnar’. Yes, just when things were going so smooth for him he had a glitch in his matrix.

Miz gets passionate about carrying RAW and representing the title and how he won’t be disrespected.

Roman says ok ‘let’s run it, let’s fight’. (Roman and his cool slang).

Miz says he isn’t ready to wrestle in his suit, Reigns says he’ll rip it off in his cool slang voice.

Miz tries to head to the back but….

Kurt Angle comes out

Angle says Maryse will have to wait a little longer since he’s going to make a match between Reigns and The Miz.

He also teams up Matt Hardy with Jason Jordan to face Axel and Dallas.

Matt Hardy and Jason Jordan vs Axel/Dallas

Graves and Cole bust Booker’s balls after he says he doesn’t like the matchup, since Jordan and Hardy have never teamed up before.

Cole and Graves immediately correct him. Graves mentions a six-man tag that put Jordan with The Hardys.

Booker’s retort to Graves:

“…you would equate that to, you know, uh, a tag matchup, a three way.  That wasn’t, that’s something totally different, this is a tag-team matchup, and I know something about that, 10-time World Tag-Team Champion.

Cole says they were still tagging in and out in the previous match, and Booker sarcastically calls Cole a professional.

Jordan comes out strong against both Dallas and Axel, tossing the two around with ease.

Matt gets a huge cheer for his tag-in.

Booker criticizes Jordan for trying to ‘get all his stuff in’ (what’s with all the shoot talk lately?) and mentions it should be about teamwork.

Dallas and Axel are actually quite coordinated together, pulling off some nice teamwork.

Matt eventually gets the hot tag, getting all his stuff in as Booker failed to mention.

Jordan eventually joins in with a few big moves that allows Hardy to hit a finisher for the win.

Booker T again mentions that Jordan just wants to get his stuff in even though he just helped Hardy get the win? Booker is either being fed a really clumsy story or it’s his usual incoherent self.

Elias vs Apollo Crews

Booker was even worse here, talking more nonsense over the finish this time.

During Elias’ finisher, Booker was saying ‘alllll that messin around’.

During the three-count Booker says ‘it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon…..oh we got a winner’. AWFUL

Elias wins

What the heck is happening here? Graves is putting over the faces in retaliation to Booker’s terrible meandering. Get rid of him and Cole, bring back Ranallo, Ross, or someone that actually gets excited about wrestling. 

Finn Balor Backstage interview

Balor thanks Wyatt for the match and says he’s back to aiming for the World Championship.

Curt Hawkins 118-match-losing-streak

Who wants to make history with Hawkins tonight?

Braun Strowman!

Hawkins runs to the outside, behind the crowd, but Strowman catches him in the aisle, tossing him through tables and then power-slamming him through the entrance screens!

Strowman asks for a real competitor

Ambrose answers the call!

Ambrose vs Strowman

Ambrose uses his agility to evade and attack at first but Strowman interrupts a punch-chop combo with brute power, taking control and brutalizing Ambrose. After a particularly big attack, they slap each other before Ambrose collapses.

The announcers are focused on saying how strong Strowman was even though he lost to Lesnar, and how tough/brave Ambrose is even though he’s getting pounded by the big man.

Ambrose hits a spinning ddt on the outside and almost wins via countout.

The wildman rallies one last time but Strowman catches him off the top rope for a powerslam.

Strowman wins by powerslam and pin

This was a nice pick-me-up to refresh the power of Strowman after his loss to Lesnar. Ambrose was a great choice as a big name that doesn’t need a singles win.

Enzo talks with Kurt Angle backstage

Amore wants to spice up tonight’s RAW with a celebration of his championship victory. Angle offers him some advice but Amore smugly declines.

If you missed No Mercy, Amore low-blowed Neville after getting destroyed for 10 minutes, picking up the win. I like Amore’s acting ability, selling, and the young fans love him. Watching Neville chase him could be fun.

Ambrose backstage in pain

Rollins brings Ambrose an ice pack and asks him to curb his destructive patterns.

Ambrose says it’s self-improving.

Rollins has ANOTHER match with Sheamus and wishes Ambrose could be there.

Ambrose calls Rollins predictable, and finishes Rollins sentence for him.

Rollins says he can be unpredictable, and says he’ll ask Angle for a match with Strowman next week.

Alexa Bliss promo

Bliss says her and the audience haven’t seen eye-to-eye but still considers them friends. Since she has to be honest with her friends, she says she’s ‘VERY DISAPPOINTED’ in all of them. After beating four of the best women RAW had to offer she expected congratulations and cute memes of her accomplishments, but instead saw nonsense and gossip about Asuka.

Mickie James interrupts

James argues that Bliss needs to go through her to realize her claim of beating every women in the division. She asks Bliss to repeat what she said about her on RAW Talk.

Bliss says James used to be her favorite as a little girl, even her Top 8 on Myspace, back when Myspace and Mickie James were popular. Bliss ‘respects’ James but doesn’t want to see her break a hip.

James calls a ‘little girl’, and lists her accomplishments that happened before Bliss was wearing a training bra, which ‘is obviously still helping’. She repeats the demand to have Bliss repeat what she said, but this time to her face, or get out of the ring, as it’s ‘no place for a coward’.

Bliss repeats that James is an ‘old lady’.

James slaps her twice and finishes with a big kick.

Bliss shambles off checking her mouth as she usually does while James stands tall in the ring.

Definitely didn’t see James getting involved, but think they could have a great feud together. Also hope this means WWE can manage multiple women’s storylines.

Asuka video package

The same Asuka promo from last week, showing her masks, entrances, and revealing her face at the end.

Asuka coming to TLC Oct 22

Seth Rollins vs Sheamus

At No Mercy, Cole tells us Cesaro had his teeth driven four milimeteres into his gums (ouch). They had to be pulled back down and will require surgery. He still finished the match (wow.)

The teams wrestled yesterday at No Mercy. To quote a legend ‘Enough is enough, and it’s time for a change!’

Rollin suicide dives early and Sheamus takes control. Rollins narrowly escapes a pinfall and then dodges a Brogue Kick.

Rollins kicks Sheamus during a top-rope manuever and does his weak looking new finisher for the win. In fairness, the knee in his finisher looks devastating in a slo-mo replay, but the setup is still lackluster

Rollins wins clean.

Talented guys but please stop.

Goldust confronts Balor

Balor struts backstage saying hello to ‘Goldy’.

Goldust is pissed that Balor got in his business, saying he doesn’t need help.

Balor apologizes.

Goldust attacks him.

Miz vs Roman Reigns

Miz offers to shake hands and not fight.

Reigns shakes his hand but holds tight as Miz tries to walk away. Romano seems rather inspired after his Cena win. He sells his back well and explodes with offense.

The Miztourage helps Miz get the upper hand a few times but Roman’s strength wins the day.

Roman wins clean.

Post-match, Axel and Dallas attack Reigns but the Big Dog fights off all three. Reigns trash talks the Miz about the Shield and goes for a powerbomb but is hit with Dallas/Axel chairs.

The crowd chants for the Shield.

Miz hits a Skull Crushing Finale on a helpless Reigns.

Rollins and Ambrose do not come out to help.

The Miztourage music plays and the walk away but they come back for more.

Booker seems to be cheering on the heels, so did I miss a turn or is Booker normally so incoherent it’s hard to figure out which side he’s on?

The three baddies do the Shield fist bump over Reigns unconcious body.

Goldust vs Finn Balor

Here’s a surprise, Goldust dominates the early match by focusing on the sore ribs of Bally-boy.

Balor eventually reverses a few moves and starts an aggressive comeback, hitting a Slingblade and missile dropkick. He goes up top, nails his finish and gets the clean win.

Balor wins clean.

A match that felt rushed and one-sided with a too-short comeback that didn’t allow the crowd to get fired up with Balor.

Bray Wyatt tomfoolery…

Oh no, why will these feuds never end?

The arena goes dark but we just get a childish voice singing ‘whole world in his hands’, no Wyatt.

Banks and Bailey backstage

Watching wrestlers act in soap-opera scenes is borderline at best. Banks and Bayley are much better letting their skills do the talking.

Bailey is traumatized from her shoulder injury, but vows to make Jax feel her pain tonight.

Amore confronts Angle againg

Amore wants his celebration and a no-contact clause that states any wrestler that touches him will forfeit their chance at his title.

Angle says Amore is annoying, but grants his wishes.

Nia Jax and Emma vs Bayley and Banks

Jax’s confidence is growing, I see a lot of potential in her. She mocks Bayley’s entrance and injured shoulder (that she injured via an unsafe move).

Jax orders Emma to the apron and starts the match against Bayley. Nia looks great doming Bayley early on.

After commerical Emma is working on Bayley but is too worried about accidentally bumping Jax that she lets Bayley give the hot tag to Banks.

Unfortunately, Banks hot-tag-comeback looked like garbage. Not sure whether her or Emma should get most of the blame but it was awful. Bayley sneaks a tag and hits a Bayley-to-Bayley for the win.

Bayley and Banks win

Enzo Amore Celebration

Look who’s headlining the show?

Amore celebrates by himself, presenting a certified G jersey he would like retired and hung in the rafters. He tells the crowd that he made the cruiserweight division and 205 Live relevant.

Most of the cruiserweight division stands on the ramp

Amore rips through the division.

Richie Swan: A nobody who danced his way to a championship, and then danced his way back to being a nobody.

Cedric Alexander: The man that charisma forgot.

Gran Metalik: His guts so big there’s no way he’s under 205.

Neville appears

Could be my feed, but Neville appears to have glowing purple bags under his eyes.

Amore says Neville’s crown is now on the shoulders of a real man.

Amore compares Neville’s ears to satellite discs.

Neville responds by saying Amore is so toxic that he’s alienated everyone he comes in contact with, continuing that Amore is only on 205 because no one else wanted him.

Neville is great on the mic, matching Amore with several gears of intensity.

Neville wants to ‘end’ Amore, but is reminded of the no-contact clause.

Amore reminds them that he’s the only cruiserweight in the division to headline this slot and talks about his merchandise royalty cheques.

Neville thinks about it, and decides he’d rather beat the hell out of Amore.

Amore tries to leave but the cruiserweights insist he goes back, allowing Neville to grab him.

Neville shoves the clause into Amore’s mouth and superkicks it. He finishes the show with a gorgeous Red Arrow, bouncing off the mat to a one-handed-handstand.

Amore’s selling and catchphrases make him a natural babyface, but his natural arrogance make him feel like a heel. Neville plays an incredible evil villain but is sticking up for an entire division of underdogs with his mindblowing offense. I suppose my constant guessing of faces/heels is an archaic or at least flexible philosophy within the WWE. It makes sense with a divided audience that cheers and boos whomever they feel. Older fans cheering clever heels and booing the child-friendly stars has created this dynamic and although it feels confusing, it seems to be the most logical course of action given the crowds current response.

Overall

An above average show with surprises like Ambrose challenging Strowman, James going after Bliss, and an inspired Roman Reigns looking to make Cena and the WWE proud. Even Booker T’s frustrating nonsense was dealt with logically by the commentary team. RAW is riding high again after the creative high of No Mercy. Taking a chance on Amore to close the show paid off bigtime and I’m quite excited to see Neville play the Austin Jr. role as he recklessly chases the championship from Enzo ‘the Rock’ Amore.