WWE Monday Night Raw 10/7/2024

WWE Monday Night Raw 10/7/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/wwe-monday-night-raw-9302024.html

Note - This is a 2 hour Raw. The show will be 2 hours until it debuts on Netflix in January. It's been 3 hours long since January 2012. As a fan, 2 hours is easier to get through but it means less people make the show and means segments and matches will be cut or be shorter. As a reviewer, it means less work.

We are in St. Louis, Missouri. Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are on commentary.

We see Sami Zayn taking photos with fans and we see Gunther, Pete Dunne, The New Day, Jey Uso and Sheamus arrive.

Sexyy Red is out there. She got arrested since the last time we saw her. We see clips from Bad Blood.

CM Punk comes out and has bandages on his face and arm.  He says it's good to be not dead and says if he's going to be set on fire, now's the time. He says he's in no position to be here or in the ring. He ays he's alive and a winner but doesn't feel it.

He thanks the fans and said he never thought he could do it without them. He thanks his peers and says it's been a joy to work with them. He thanks the people who don't like him as he turned their hate into cash.  He says he doesn't know why people keep doubting him but says to keep doubting him. He says he wants to say he will see us soon but says he doesn't know.

Seth Rollins comes out as Punk goes to leave. They stare down and Seth heads to the ring. Seth tells Punk to get well soon. He says the sooner Punk gets back, the sooner he can kick his @ss and retire him for good.

He talks about Bad Blood saying The Rock is back and Cody is teaming with Roman. He said he then got punched out by Kevin Owens (this didn't air on Bad Blood but happened after via fancam). He says he's back to destroy Bronson Reed and says Reed isn't here.

He said Reed tried to end his career 2 months ago and tried to make a name for himself. He says he knows Reed's name after 6 tsunami's. He says he will give Reed his 15 minutes of fame and says Reed can name the time and the place for their match. He says he will be expecting him this time.

Jey Uso comes out. Seth leaves and they don't say anything.

WWE Intercontinental Title - Jey Uso (c) vs Xavier Woods

It's 25 minutes in and our first match is about to start. They lock up. Woods hits corner spears. Jey running back elbows him and back enzugiri's him. They fight on the apron and Jey falls off of it after a knee. Woods hits an attitude adjustment on the floor. 

We go to PiP break and return. Woods is in control and they trade punches. Jey hits a flying elbow then takes a flying forearm. Woods superkicks him. Woods rope walks and takes a superkick. Jey hits a top rope splash and wins.

Thoughts: It was short and it was basically nothing of note. It ended before it really got started and I blame timing issues with the show being 2 hours. Woods wasn't going to win anyway but it was disappointing.

Kofi Kingston and Jey Uso help up Woods after. Woods walks off without shaking Jey's hand. 

Jey celebrates then Bron Breakker comes in and spears Jey. Kofi Kingston goes after Bron then Bron spears him too. Woods helps Kofi out of the ring. Bron runs around the ring and spears Woods. Bron spears Jey again and holds the title up over him. 

Rhea Ripley said Liv Morgan weaseled her way out at Bad Blood. She says all Liv has done is gurantee another beating. She says Liv needs Raquel.

We get a fire graphic that says PFR.

Bron Breakker is interviewed by Jackie Redmond. He says nothing and walks away. Jackie throws her hands up and says it remains unclear why Bron had a change of heart.

We get a tweet of Triple H saying the matter between Cody and Owens will be dealt with internally.

Cody Rhodes is in the back even though he isn't on his show. The feed gets messed up and they say they are having technical issues.

Sheamus says the only thing worse than getting cracked with a bat is getting cracked with one by a man you call your brother. Pete says Sheamus doesn't know when to quit. Sheamus says Pete went too far and will find himself on the end of a fight night. Pete says he will hurt him so bad that he will have to pass the torch. Sheamus says one more fight.

The Miz and Karrion Kross talk in the back. He says there's no Miz in Final Testament and The Wyatt's interrupt the feed. R-Truth comes in and says Miz kicked him in the head as he was confused and says he's not in Judgment Day anymore. Miz says he wasn't confused and says Awesome Truth is done. He says their kids play together and says he thought they were brothers. Kross says he needs to fix this now or people will look down on him. Truth wants to get Miz a match and Miz says he'll face him in one next week.

Good Ol' Fashioned Donnybrook Match - Sheamus vs Pete Dunne

Pete has his cricket bat and Sheamus has the shillelagh. The ring is surrounded by wooden barrels and a bar top. They run at each other and Sheamus pounds on him. Pete hits a big forearm then hits leg kicks. Sheamus lariats him then pushes the shillelagh against Pete's mouth.

Sheamus hits an alabama slam then catapults Pete out. Sheamus brogue kicks a barrel when Pete moves. Pete jumps off the barrels and does a tornado ddt. Pete double stomps him on the floor. Sheamus is banged off the bar then has his fingers stomped on it. Pete is slammed onto the commentary table.

We go to PiP break and return. Pete boots and slaps Sheamus. Sheamus hits him with a shillelagh then corner lariats him. Pete stunners him over the top rope then Sheamus uranage backbreakers him. Sheamus slams him. Pete superplexes him for 2.

Pete climbs a barrel pyramid and gets hit with a shillelagh. Sheamus climbs up there with him and clubs him on top of the barrels. Sheamus hits white noise off the barrels through 2 tables next to each other. Sheamus pump kicks him then hits a razor's edge for 2.

Pete splits Sheamus' fingers then hits him with a cricket bat for 2. Pete hits Sheamus with a drawer. He zip ties Sheamus' hands behind his back. Pete pump kicks him for 2. Sheamus brogue kicks him with his hand tied and wins.

Thoughts: They did too much here. That table spot should have been the finish of the match, not a spot in the middle of it. I didn't like Sheamus winning with his hands tied behind his back. It got a lot of time at least and otherwise was entertaining, but I can't really put it over.

Cody Rhodes is interviewed. He says he's here to find out what it takes to be the first ever Crown Jewel champ. He runs into Sami Zayn. Sami says he plans on being the one Cody faces at Crown Jewel. Cody says he wants Sami to be the one to face him at Crown Jewel and wishes him luck.

We see Liv, Dom and Raquel earlier in the day. Cathy asks about Bad Blood. she says Rhea won by DQ but she still has her title, Dom, Judgment Day and Raquel. She says she's the only person in WWE who lives when she loses. Liv says she's moving on from Rhea and focusing on Crown Jewel. Dom then says let's leave and Raquel doesn't answer when asked if she's a member of Judgment Day.

Adam Pearce talks to Ava in the back. Ethan Page walks in and introduces himself. Page says he wants to talk business and said CM Punk cost him his title. He says he wants to talk with Pearce and get this on track. Pearce says he didn't appoint him the ref but Ava did. Ava says she's off the cloc kand doesn't want to hear him complain.

Sexy Red walks in and asks Page how he is. He says he has done better.

The Unholy Union and Pure Fusion Collective vs Natalya, Lyra Valkyria, Zelina Vega, Katana Chance and Kayden Carter

Zoey lariats Chance and all 10 girls fight. Lyra dropkicks SOnya through the ropes and Zoey is pulled over the top. Chance corkscrew plancha's her. Carter jumps off the top onto Shayna and Isla. Natalya is pulled out by Sonya and sent into the steps.

We go to PiP break and return. Nat reverses a double team move. Vega is tagged in and beats up on Zoey. Vega 2nd rope diving headscissors her. Zoey superkicks Vega. Vega stunners out of the suplex. Vega moonsaults Zoey then takes a stiff running knee to the back of the head. Everyone comes in and hits a move.

Vegs is knocked off of Sonya's shoulders then Lyra hits a top rope diving legdrop on Sonya's neck and pins her.

Thoughts: It was a rushed tag that didn't have enough time. A bunch of girls wouldn't have made the show though otherwise so they did what they had to do here. It wasn't much.

They try to do damage control over a leaked Crown Jewel poster showing Gunther on it in the title match.

Jade/Bianca say it's time to get back to business. Biana says she can't wait to face them. She says they aren't taking the title for granted and says Damage Ctrl has been tearing it up. She says Iyo caught her slipping but says they have another thing coming if they think Damage Ctrl is taking back over. 

World Heavyweight Title - Gunther vs Sami Zayn

Gunther side headlocks him then takes him over. Gunther is pulled over the top. Sami teases a dive but Gunther moves. We go to PiP break and return. Gunther puts him on the ropes and foot chokes him.

Sami comes off the buckkles and gets chopped. Gunther twists his neck with his feet. Gunther hits more chops. Sami hits punches. Gunther back elbows him.

Gunther bends over and is kicked. Sami gets put in a sleeper and hits a blue thunder. We go to PiP break and return again. Gunther keeps chopping him down and Sami takes him down. Gunther rolls out. Sami back body drops him on the floor.

Sami exploders him into the rails. Sami facekicks him on the rails. Sami corner facekicks him. Gunther hits a big lariat. Sami escapes a powerbomb and cradles Gunther. Gunther shotgun dropkicks him then powerbombs him for 2. 

Gunther running lariats him then powerbombs him for 1. Sami fires up. Gunther sleepers him and wins via sleeper.

Thoughts: It was another brief match than what we are used to. It wasn't bad or anything but they definitely rushed things and it didn't have the time it needed to mature into something special. Gunther winning was no surprise here as they had already spoiled the result and it just didn't feel like Sami was going to win.

Gunther holds his title up after. Cody Rhodes comes out. They then stare down some as the show ends.

Overall thoughts: The show being two hours instead of three hours was the big story coming out of this. The show was paced differently. The card was too stacked for two hours and the matches suffered because of it. The IC Title match in particular got no time whatsoever and might as well have not even been on the show. I never imagined myself wanting a three hour Raw (see my post on Raw going to three hours from July 2012) but this needed to be a three hour show. If Raw was going to permanently be 2 hours, WWE would cut a bunch of people and the roster would be trimmed down to fit the show. But, Raw's only going to be two hours for the next 3 months, so they need to keep their large roster and find ways to get everyone on the show.

I imagine the show will be a bit better pacing wise in the upcoming weeks as they get used to it. But there's going to be a learning curve for everyone. I sadly don't think we are going to get such wrestling focused shows for the next three months and I don't expect any great Raw matches until 2025. 

This show was just average for the most part with nothing getting enough time and not so much developing storyline wise. I wouldn't really recommend it, though at least it didn't wear out its welcome.