The night after Smackdown Live’s second PPV No Mercy, Raw was focused on building towards their own second PPV Hell in a Cell on October 30th, as a number of high-profile feuds were continued throughout the show.
Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens’ Hell in a Cell match was in danger of becoming a triple threat with Chris Jericho looming on the outside. Sasha Banks and Charlotte opened the show and wrestled a mixed-tag, combining with the rivalry between Roman Reigns and Rusev.
We also saw Paul Heyman calling out Goldberg for Brock Lesnar. How did Raw compare to No Mercy, and were the segments helpful towards the build to Hell in a Cell? Let’s find out, as I Analyse and Grade Each Segment from the October 10th edition of Raw.
Sasha Banks Opens Raw, with Interruptions:
Grade: 8/10
This was a great way to open the show, as it capitalised on the hype of the women main eventing last week. Sasha Banks was extremely over with the California crowd, and the announcement that Banks and Charlotte will fight inside Hell in a Cell is incredibly exciting.
Rusev’s involvement felt odd at first, but the fire from both women towards the Bulgarian Brute and Lana after they mocked the women’s revolution made up for the random interruption.
Although Reigns’ involvement was expected, and this was all to set up the mixed tag match later, this was still a strong opening segment that highlighted the women and laid the groundworks for the Hell in a Cell match announcement.
Kofi Kingston vs Cesaro:
Grade: 6/10
This was all about furthering the story between Cesaro and Sheamus as the dysfunctional tag team, as Sheamus ended up costing the Swiss Superman the bout. The match was nothing special, and only served to continue Cesaro and Sheamus’ disagreements.
The crowd were still into the action nonetheless, which is a good sign for the inevitable tag match in future. More tension between the two teams rather than Cesaro and Sheamus will be key to progressing this rivalry in the coming weeks, but for now, the continuation of the dysfunctional duo will progress.
Overall, a decent match that continued the story, despite the lack of intensity between New Day and Cesaro and Sheamus.
Bayley vs Cami Fields and Braun Strowman vs the Splash Brothers
Grade for Both: 7/10
Without Brooke’s attack after the match on Bayley, this segment would have been poor. Thankfully, the squash match for Bayley was not a pointless bout to get her on TV, but rather a way to allow Dana Brooke to attack her from behind.
A feud between Brooke and Bayley is a nice development, as neither woman has anything significant on their plates at the moment. Expect the two to clash at Hell in a Cell, with Bayley giving Brooke her best match on the main roster thus far. Overall, a pointless match, but a great angle moving forward.
After the anticipation of Strowman’s opponent this week, we instead got two jobbers rather than one. Rather than capitalising on an intriguing development, Mick Foley looks like a fool for thinking that this was ‘real competition’.
Delaying the angle for another week, this felt like a lame excuse for not finding an opponent for Strowman. A good showing for Strowman once again, but nothing of note as usual with squash matches.
Sin Cara and Lince Dorado vs Drew Gulak and Tony Nese and T.J. Perkins vs Ariya Daivari:
Grade for both: 7/10
A great match, sure, but the continued lack of development for individual characters in the Cruiserweight division will hurt it moving forward, as fans cannot invest in characters who have not been fleshed out for them.
On a positive note, Sin Cara should be a splendid addition to the division, as his experience and still stellar in-ring work gives a nice boost to the non-title scene. Although Sin Cara’s introduction to the division and performance alongside Dorado was a positive, the lack of character development continues to plague these Cruiserweight matches.
A second feud in the division outside of the title picture with a story could help this cause. Although this happened later in the show, I thought I would combine both Cruiserweight matches on one slide. A short, yet solid bout between Perkins and Daivari, this was a match solely there to continue the Kendrick vs Perkins storyline heading into Hell in a Cell.
Perkins continues to get good reactions, although his character is lacking the depth of Kendrick’s. This match did little to further the feud, however, and was only there to allow Perkins to wrestle. A solid bout still, but more development for Perkins’ character will help this feud intensify.
Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon Address Hell in a Cell Matches:
Grade: 6/10
Before I dive into any analysis of the rest of the segment, I want to say how annoying the Stephanie McMahon character is. If not for her constant flip between babyface and heel, I would have given this a higher grade. But instead, we are stuck not knowing whether she supports Foley or secretly despises him.
Constantly destroying babyfaces then heels, her character has no substance anymore. Besides Stephanie, this was a solid segment that announced two huge Hell in a Cell matches, especially Banks vs Charlotte inside the structure. Owens and Jericho continue to be highly entertaining, especially Jericho’s list.
The continuation of the teased babyface turn for Jericho by splitting from Owens was awesome, as the fans reacted extremely well to the possibility of Jericho being added to the bout to make it a Triple Threat at HIAC. Although he wasn’t added, this initial tease was a stellar way of getting fans excited for when/if it finally happens.
The Club Attacks Enzo and Cass:
Grade: 8/10
After a number of demoralising losses to the New Day, Gallows and Anderson are finally being handled right by WWE management, as they look to revitalise themselves against the duo of Enzo and Cass.
Rather than interrupting the team with mics and going along with the games, Gallows and Anderson attacked the duo from behind, making a statement on their intentions to end the fun and games in the tag division. This should be a great feud for both teams, who have been treading water for a while now (especially Enzo and Cass).
Expect further development in future weeks, as well as a match at Hell in a Cell.
Sami Zayn and Neville vs Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel and Titus O’Neill vs R-Truth:
Grade for Both: 5/10
Although a tag team between Zayn and Neville is appealing, the underlying issue is WWE’s inability to push either individual with any purpose as an upper mid card or top babyface. Rather than being another team in the tag division, Zayn and Neville should be clashing in high-profile feuds.
Once again, a disappointing misuse of both men, as both have incredible potential in the singles picture but are underutilised. A decent match, yes, but a strong continuation of a storyline moving forward, no.
So apparently, WWE are looking to book O’Neill on a losing streak. This almost never works out for the man involved, and the matches he has aren’t good enough to sustain over a long period of time. Unfortunately, this seems destined to fail, especially when he’s losing to R-Truth rather than Sami Zayn.
Overall, a poor segment that was a way of filling three hours of Raw. Expect O’Neill’s losing streak to go nowhere and disappear.
Roman Reigns and Sasha Banks vs Charlotte and Rusev:
Grade: 8/10
This was a very fun, fast-paced mixed tag match that felt like it could have gone on for longer but was stellar nonetheless. All four competitors had their moments of dominance, but it was ultimately the babyfaces who triumphed in a spectacular finish where Charlotte tapped out to Banks as Rusev was speared by Reigns.
This ending popped the crowd huge, and both feuds benefited from this match despite the short nature. Neither pairing felt overexposed either, so both rivalries still have significant steam heading into their Hell in a Cell bouts on October 30th.
Overall, a strong match capped off by a great finish, as both feuds benefited from this mixed tag bout.
Paul Heyman Addresses Goldberg’s Comments:
Grade: 8.5/10
Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar II seems to be on the horizon, and this is a wonderful time to be a pro wrestling fan. Paul Heyman was brilliant here as he always is, hyping up the already dream encounter even more, as he challenged Goldberg to a rematch against his client Lesnar.
The announcement that Goldberg will appear on Raw next week is incredibly exciting, as we are sure to see Goldberg vs Lesnar II confirmed for either Survivor Series or later. Whether Lesnar appears for a confrontation is yet to be seen, but for now fans (including me) are very happy about this development.
Overall, a great promo as always from Heyman, as a wonderful possible dream rematch is in the motions.
Seth Rollins vs Chris Jericho:
Grade: 8.5/10
A brilliant match to close the show, Rollins vs Jericho was even better due to the high stakes a Jericho win would come with. The split crowd was firmly behind Rollins by the end, highlighting Rollins’ further development as a babyface which has been great so far.
The selfishness of Owens to scatter as his ‘best friend’ Jericho was being pedigreed continued to highlight cracks in the JeriKO friendship, as a Jericho-Owens feud is bound to happen sooner rather than later.
Although a Jericho win here could have paved way for a nice addition to the Hell in a Cell bout, Rollins vs Owens on its own will be incredible as the slow build towards a JeriKO implosion continues. Expect Triple H to start a rivalry with Rollins while Owens and Jericho clash over the Universal Title sooner rather than later.
Overall Grade for Raw: 7/10
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