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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Oct. 2, 2017) from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming TLC pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for later this month in Minneapolis.
Advertised for tonight: Roman Reigns challenges for the Intercontinental championship, Seth Rollins takes on Braun Strowman, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the Raw live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR OCT. 2
When all your fears collide you'll watch the sun rise, but it will rise over ruin. Unveiling your crimes, observing the depth of your failure. The violation of humanity still burning in your mind. Your final offering is a tragedy that haunts you deep in the night, but me, I'm just here to liveblog this pro wrestling show, folks.
The show opens with the roster on the stage for a moment of silent reflection for the victims of the shooting in Las Vegas, their families, and loved ones, and thence into a recap of Miz vs. Roman Reigns from last week in anticipation of tonight's Intercontinental Championship match.
Live in the arena, Seth Rollins makes his entrance for his previously announced match against the monster among men.
Braun Strowman vs. Seth Rollins
They square off and Rollins psyches himself up a bit before throwing a kick into punches only for Strowman to throw him off. Seth gets him in the corner for another flurry of blows but Braun just runs him over in the middle of the ring and attempts to take charge. The Architect slips out of a powerslam attempt, big right hand, outside, the monster follows, back in, enzugiri from the apron, going for the diving lariat, caught into a goozle but he gets away again!
Strowman finally catches him with a military press drop and stalks after. Whip across, Rollins takes the turnbuckles with his face and crumples to the mat! Braun choking him with a step, wrenching his arm over the ropes. but Seth is able to snap his neck over the apron to buy enough time to climb the turnbuckles. Braun catches him with a military press slam and again steps on his head!
Architect with a jawbreaker, trying to stay into it, a low bridge sends Strowman outside, slingshot dropkick, off the ropes... BRAUN CUTS THE DIVE OFF WITH A FOREARM! TO COMMERCIAL!
Back from commercial, Strowman runs into a corner boot from Rollins. Off the second with a crossbody, caught into a fallaway slam that sends Seth out of the ring! Referee John Cone begins counting but Braun follows after and breaks it, before breaking the Architect's face by introducing it to the ringpost. Powerslam clutch on the floor but Rollins slips out and pushes Strowman into the post in return!
Back in just long enough for a suicide dive but Braun remains standing! In again, lying in wait, a second suicide dive knocks Strowman down to his knees! Back in, springboard lariat connects, a second, the monster among men staggering, diving blockbuster, cover... ONLY ONE! Superkick, another, setting up the ripcord knee but Strowman counters! Up on his shoulders...
Braun Strowman wins by pinfall with the running powerslam.
After the match, Strowman hits another powerslam for good measure. He goes to leave but soon turns around thinking about another... DEAN AMBROSE MAKES THE SAVE! Braun fends him off and pops him in the ring but Ambrose is able to kick the top rope while he's climbing in and cut him off! A dropkick, up top for the diving elbow but STROWMAN COUNTERS WITH A CHOKESLAM! ANOTHER, UP ON HIS SHOULDERS... RUNNING POWERSLAM!
The Bar show up in the aftermath... NEUTRALIZER ON DEAN! BROGUE KICK ON SETH!
Commentary hypes up tonight's Intercontinental Championship match and we go to break.
Back from commercial, welcome to October because we've got a Breast Cancer Awareness Month video package pumping up the new Unleash Your Warrior campaign.
This leads to a recap of last week's promo segment between Mickie James and Alexa Bliss. Mickie is walking backstage when she runs into Alicia Fox laughing to herself. She says she didn't hear anything last week and Emma is next, telling James that even at her age she has a secret admirer, and something got left for her in her locker room. Mickie heads in and finds a box of Depends and a walker with bows on them.
She heads back out and Fox and Emma are laughing. James doesn't have time for them and asks where Alexa is, and gets directed to her locker room. Mickie heads over and bangs on the door, only to be met with Nia Jax. Jax says Alexa has determined her to be too fragile, and Bliss adds that she doesn't want to be in the ring with an, uh... mature woman. But Nia will fight her!
Mickie accepts and walks off.
(Wyatt noise.)
Bray Wyatt is rocking in the smoky room. He says she told him to drop his bow and arrow, and use his hands to fight the man. She told him everything, and never lied to him. He repeats that she never lied to him many times before turning to the camera and saying she'd never lie to him one more time with emphasis.
(Wyatt noise.)
Elias is walking backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, the Drifter is in the ring to sing us a song. He'd rather drown himself a mile below the ocean than live here in Denver, and worst of all he has to fight that clown Titus. He begins his song, which asks when Titus is going to learn and pledging to make his world burn until he's eventually interrupted by O'Neil's entrance.
Elias vs. Titus O'Neil
Collar and elbow, and O'Neil shoves the Drifter away with ease. Elias goes behind with a forearm and backs Titus into the corner with more strikes before grabbing a side headlock and taking him to a knee. Blocking the shoot-off, throwing forearms, but Samson sticks on him until O'Neil manages to drop him with a back suplex. Two-handed biel puts the Drifter in the corner and Titus throws huge overhand chops on him!
Body slam in the middle of the ring, O'Neil fired up, Stinger splash, a big boot and Elias heads outside to safety... or to pick a fight with Apollo Crews, shoving him. Referee Darrick Moore tries to get ahead of things warning Crews, and Samson is able to counter an attempt to drag him in the ring. Back inside, Elias clips Titus' knee...
Elias wins by pinfall with Drift Away.
Apollo continues jawing at the Drifter while checking on Titus.
Commentary shills for the WWE Network for a while, before we toss to Mickie James walking backstage and go to break.
Back from commercial we get another Asuka vignette.
Mickie James vs. Nia Jax
Alexa Bliss makes her entrance and comes to ringside just as the bell rings. Nia takes full advantage, throwing Mickie around, but the veteran fights back. Jax with a headbutt, a biel, continuing to punish the former women's champion, all the way into a bear hug. I can hardly bear it! Dropping that, into a kneeling surfboard but Mickie is able to fight out and throw elbows!
Rally cut off, Nia dumps her outside and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Jax runs James over and then drops a maneuver that the camera misses entirely after. Mickie uses the ropes to help herself up and comes in hard with a flurry of hands, a boot to the midsection, alternating boots and slaps, kicks in the ropes but the big woman manages to put her down with a loose interpretation of a spinebuster!
Grounded cobra clutch applied, keeping James trapped on the mat; she's able to post to her feet and throw elbows to break but Nia turns her right back around into the bear hug! Wrenching it in despite Mickie's attempts to break with elbows, eventually she's forced to throw her forcefully to the mat to keep the edge. Up for a powerbomb, James floats over, kick combo into a palm strike, off the ropes with flying forearms, trying anything to cut her down!
Dropkick to the knee puts Jax down on one, punches find their mark to no avail as Nia hosses her into the corner and sets her up top. Meeting a boot, double boots, goozle James throws her off, tornado DDT but Bliss runs in and breaks it up...
Mickie James wins by disqualification.
Alexa gives Nia a desultory once over before heading out after Mickie and getting laid out with a crescent kick!
Commentary tosses to a recap of Enzo Amore getting the shit kicked out of him by everyone last week.
Enzo is then interviewed backstage about the mutiny. He takes a long beat to consider his words but doesn't come up with any.
Commentary then hypes up our Intercontinental Championship match again to send us to break.
Back from commercial we get a Hispanic Heritage Month video package honoring Carlos Santana. We then get a replay of the finish to the last match, because Raw is three hours long.
Mickie James runs into an interview backstage and says she shows those girls what an "old lady" can do. And there's nothing she'd like more than to represent the WWE Universe as Raw Women's Champion. Kurt Angle rolls up to congratulate her and give her her title shot at TLC, based on her performance recently and her history. James declares it true, damn true, and thanks him.
Matt Hardy makes his entrance and we get a Facebook video providing a little bit of backstory to the match by way of the Club calling Jason Jordan a nerd.
Jason Jordan & Matt Hardy vs. the Club (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows)
Hardy and Anderson to start, collar and elbow, against the ropes, Matt grabs a side headlock and wrenches it in. Shoot off, shoulder block, arm wringer, Karl breaks with a punch and takes Hardy into the corner for punches before tagging Gallows in. Punching away, Hardy ducks one and throws a few back, to their corner and a tag to Jordan. Clubbing blow to Big Hoot's back, shoulder thrusts in the corner, one-handed bulldog into the opposite turnbuckle but Luke comes back with those hamhocks of his, punching away.
Headbutt, whip but Jason comes off with a springboard lariat, Matt with a Side Effect for Machine Gun and they double clothesline Gallows outside to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Hardy is fighting out of a Karl Anderson armbar but gets slammed to the mat. A boot follows, tag to Sex Ferguson, clubbing blows, a headbutt, a lariat, and a tag right back to Machine Gun keep Matt on the back foot. Punching away, scraping his forearm across Hardy's face in the corner, hard whip but Matt dodges the senton and tags Jordan in!
Jason in like a house afire, belly-to-belly, shoulder thrust, well in control of Karl but Big Hoot had made the blind tag! Repeated elbow drops into a cover for a nearfall, then into a reverse chinlock. Jordan escapes only to run into a big boot and a leg drop for another nearfall. Gallows tosses him into their corner and tags Anderson in, and he comes in stomping.
Arm wringer into an armbar, grinding his elbow into the back of Jason's shoulder but the son of Kurt Angle makes it to his feet, reaching for the tag! Denied, back suplex, Jordan lands on his feet, a suplex of his own in return, crawling... tags made! Hardy blocking punches and throwing them back, whip reversed, dodge the charge, corner lariats into the bulldog, adding a lariat for Anderson!
Cover's only good for two, so his broken brilliance smashes Luke's face into each turnbuckle repeatedly. Cut off with a right, Gallows sets him up top only to catch a tornado DDT for his trouble! Matt with the elbow off the second but Karl makes the save! Jordan wipes him out with a dropkick but gets put into the barricade. Twist of Fate denied, off the ropes, elbow to Gallows' face, body avalanche from behind, tag to Anderson...
The Club win by pinfall with Magic Killer on Matt Hardy.
Commentary informs us that Enzo Amore will address the cruiserweight division later tonight, as well as hyping up our Intercontinental Championship a bit more, but first we get a recap of the Bar assaulting the tag champions because (you guessed it) Raw is three hours long.
Roman Reigns is backstage strapping his vest up when an interview rolls up. He's not surprised Dean and Seth got attacked, because they took the titles and knocked Cesaro's teeth into his brain. But they're big boys and if anything they're coming up with a strategy for next week. As for Miz tonight, he's not much for complicated strategies-- he's gonna break Miz's jaw and leave with the title.
This sends us to break.
Back from commercial we get another Breast Cancer Awareness Month video package.
This segues into Dana Warrior live in the ring with the Raw women's roster and a few other women. She says Warrior said to always believe, and this year WWE and Susan G. Komen have tagged up for another ultimate tag team. The unfamiliar women in the ring are breast cancer survivors who exemplify strength, embody boldness, and who have chosen to always, always believe.
So, to honor their Warrior spirit, she presents them each with pink replicas of the current WWE Women's Championship in turn, Dianne Primavera, Julie Zaveral, and Sherri Goldstein. They proceed to do Warrior's shake the ropes gimmick.
Commentary informs us that the Intercontinental Championship match is coming up next, after the break.
Back from commercial in time for entrances, which Miz and the Miztourage make from the stairs, Shield-style.
Reigns takes the Miztourage out with Superman Punches and a Drive-By during introductions! Putting Dallas into the steps for good measure, clotheslining Axel, the Big Dog looks for plunder and comes out with a chair! He follows after Curtis through the crowd, chair in hand, putting it into his gut and waffling it across his back when they reach the stage, but Bo makes the save!
Superman Punch takes him out before he can bring the chair to bear and Roman brings the steel down across their backs repeatedly! Reigns and Miz stare each other down and we go to break before the match proper begins.
Roman Reigns vs. the Miz (c) (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Back from commercial and Miz slaps Roman from the floor only to run into a slicing right as the bell actually rings. Action to the outside, Reigns with a headbutt before tossing the A-Lister into the barricade twice. Back in and out, Miz takes charge with a well-placed shot before tossing the Big Dog into the steel steps and dumping him into the crowd.
Back in the ring, happy to take a countout, demanding referee John Cone begin his count. Reigns beats the count but runs right into the basement DDT for a nearfall! Left hands to the forehead raining down, off the ropes for a boot to the face, another nearfall, before locking Roman down with a reverse chinlock. Reigns to his feet, firing body blows but he gets a knee and a big boot in return.
Cover gets two, so the A-Lister begins choking Roman over the middle rope. Another cover, another two count, and we go to break with the champ fishhooking his challenger's nose.
Back from commercial, Reigns is down and out as the Miz circles before launching into the Daniel Bryan chest kicks. Roman catches the buzzsaw, deadlift... SITOUT POWERBOMB! NOPE! Calling for the Superman Punch... MIZ CATCHES HIM INTO SKULL CRUSHING FINALE! NOT ENOUGH! Both men spent, crawling to their feet, determination filling their faces.
The A-Lister rises first, charges in... SUPERMAN PUNCH! NO GOOD! The Big Dog is fired up, he calls for the spear... AND THE BAR YANK HIM OUT OF THE RING!
Roman Reigns wins by disqualification.
The Bar put boots to him before throwing him back in the ring. The Big Dog fights valiantly but That Damn Numbers Game wins the day as Miz gets involved. Cesaro drops Reigns with the Neutralizer, Sheamus lands a Brogue Kick, and Miz closes it out with the Skull Crushing Finale. Miz shakes his newfound allies' hands and they take their leave... until Cesaro gets the idea that the crowd wants the Shield.
So they turn around to give it to them, hoisting Roman up... TRIPLE POWERBOMB! They proceed to do a hybrid of the Shield's fistbump and the Bar's thumbs sideways gesture, and so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of what we just saw, because Raw is three hours long and it was pretty cool.
Finn Balor makes his entrance. He gets on the mic and says Balor Club is right here in Denver, Colorado. (The place, not the man.) He wants to be honest, he doesn't like to come out here and talk, he likes to come out and fight. Bray Wyatt, though, he likes to play mind games. Last week he's got a kid singing, but he doesn't buy it for a second. If Bray actually had the whole world in his hands, he wouldn't know what to do with it.
He may call himself a god, the Eater of Worlds, but Finn sees Bray for what he really is, a coward. He tells Wyatt that he lost to the Demon at SummerSlam and to the man at No Mercy, and he's afraid that despite all his games, he cannot beat Finn Balor. But if he thinks otherwise, why not come out and face him now. Don't sing it, bring it!
(Wyatt noise.)
Bray is rocking in the smoky room, still going on about her never lying to him. But Finn did, and she warned him about people like Balor. He lied, saying he was just a man, but at No Mercy he was different, he was more. And he said he created the demon, but that's a lie, too. You don't paint your face to become the Demon, you peel your skin to reveal it. So show your true face and he'll do the same. Reveal the Demon and Bray will peel his face back to reveal the truth.
Abigail is a lie, he says, and she is dying to meet you. Wyatt fades into shadow laughing as a woman's laugh double-tracks with his, and we go to break abruptly.
Back from commercial, another Asuka vignette, this one peppered with interviews from her peers putting her over.
Alicia Fox & Emma vs. Bayley & Sasha Banks
Emma and Sasha to start, collar and elbow, Emma forcing Banks in the corner and breaking dirty with a shove. Side headlock applied, the Boss shoots her off but gets run over in short order with a shoulder block. Drop down, leapfrog, drop toehold, floating over and riding the Australian before grabbing a wristlock and making the tag. Bayely in, arm wringer, wrenching away, drop toehold into a ride of her own!
This gets Emma's dander up and she starts clubbing away, putting Bayley face-first into the turnbuckle but all it does is fire the hugger up and get emma put into the turnbuckles a bunch herself! Fox creates a distraction and tags in, double suplex, a dropkick clears Sasha out and she throws Bayley to the floor to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Sasha gets a nearfall on Emma but the Australian clobbers her with a forearm and tags Alicia in. A shoving match breaks out right into windmill punches, a knee from Fox, Banks catches a boot and returns a kick, dropkick, snapmare, off the ropes, short Meteora... only a nearfall! Big boot gets Alicia a nearfall in return with a bit of a distraction from Emma.
Tag made, Emma stomping away at the Boss, snapmare into a reverse chinlock, wrenching it hard and keeping her grounded. Butterfly suplex when Banks looks to escape, again only a nearfall. A tag back to Fox, whip into the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and another nearfall as Alicia loses her mind and covers again, screaming mad. Back to the chinlock, dropping Sasha with a mat slam when she gets to her feet.
Fox declares that she doesn't listen to rules as referee Darrick Moore tries to keep the order, tag to Emma, Alicia gets a cheap shot in before grabbing a front chancery, another attempt at the backbreaker countered into a crossbody but Fox has the wherewithal to block the tag! The Boss shoves her into Emma, crawling, desperate... TAG MADE! The Hugger in like fire, lariat takedown into punches, she passes Alicia to the apron for the middle rope stunner!
Charging shoulder thrust, back roll, tube man elbow but Fox cuts the rally off with a jawbreaker! Emma decides she's done, Bayley capitalizes on the confusion...
Bayley & Sasha Banks win by pinfall with the Bayley-to-Belly from Bayley on Alicia Fox.
We get another recap of Enzo Amore's absolute destruction to set up his address to the rest of the division, after the break.
Back from commercial, we're informed that the Bar will be guests on MizTV next week.
Enzo Amore makes his entrance, he does the deal. He says he's doing great and gets down to brass tacks-- as far as the entire cruiserweight division is concerned, each and every one of them, they can go to hell. He'll even lend them his certified G-PS to get them there, the same G-PS he used to put 205 Live on the map!
Not only did he make 205 Live relevant, he made it the main event two weeks in a row. You could hear a pin drop when those guys were in the ring, and now he's champ, he brings the noise, and suddenly he's public enemy? (Bass! How low can you go...?) He carries on for a bit recounting the attack, before getting to the "You deserve it!" chants, and he holds up the title and says you're damn right he deserves it.
And if having success is wrong, he doesn't want to be right. Because some of us are jealous, and if he was us he would be too, since he's making more money than the rest of the cruiserweights put together. And he earned every single penny of that money. Whoever said that talk is cheap never booked Enzo Amore and footed the bill for one of his appearances. Because he's a ratings draw and a star, putting more butts in seats than La-Z Boy.
He's carrying the division on his back, he didn't have to wait in line for the title, he crossed the line, and the rest of them can head to the back of the line, because those fools put their hands on him when he had a clause that said if any of them lay a hand on him, they forfeit any opportunity at the Realest Champ in the Room. So he went out and got another document signed by "his dog" Kurt Angle, and if any cruiserweight lay hands on him tonight, they'll get fired.
So he's sitting on his throne, wondering where his opponents have gone, and they're all lucky, since he showed what kind of champ he was last week, beating Neville with a crutch. And if any of these cookie cutter cruiserweights want to step outta line, he'll show them there's only one word for them, etc, etc.
Neville makes his entrance, followed by the rest of the cruiserweights. Amore keeps running his mouth as he realizes he's completely surrounded, making fun of Mustafa Ali for "being named after the Lion King", and he taunts a bunch of them, brandishing the no-contact clause in their faces one by one. He tells them not to be stupid and lose their jobs--
Enter Kurt Angle. He tells Enzo that based on last week, none of the cruiserweights at ringside can get a title shot, and based on their conversation today, none of them can have physical contact in any way, BUT... none of this applies to the newest member of the division that he just signed... KALISTO! The Dragon Gate man makes his way inexorably to the ring, he ducks the lariat, solebutt connects, headscissors driver... SALIDA DEL SOL!
In the locker room, Roman Reigns is sitting clutching his midsection and coughing in pain when Dean Ambrose rolls up. Roman gets to his feet and they share a wordless moment as Seth Rollins comes in on the other side. They nod and have a moment before leaving the Big Dog.
That's the show, folks.