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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Oct. 9, 2017) from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming TLC pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for later this month in Minneapolis.
Advertised for tonight: Cesaro and Sheamus appear on Miz TV, 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. 9
When I was living this lie, fear was my game; people would worship and fall, drop to their knees. So bring me the blood and red wine for the one to succeed me, for he is a man and a God; and he will die too, but me, I'm gonna be busy liveblogging this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a video package covering last week's Intercontinental Championship match and the post-match beatdown of Roman Reigns.
Live in the arena, the Miz is waiting in the ring with Curtis Axel at his side and the MizTV set constructed. He does his intro spiel for MizTV, welcoming us to the Mizzies, part two. He says last week shook WWE's foundations because he went from the A-Lister to the Guy. The Miztourage is family, and when you attack one of them, you attack all of them, so the first award goes to a superstar who has shown perseverance in the face of adversity.
Drumroll... Curtis Axel wins the Mizzy for perseverance! Axel thanks him and dedicates the award to Bo Dallas, saying it's for him. Miz says they're thinking of him and they want him to get well soon, before putting Curtis over as one of the most talented guys on the roster. Best Supporting Actor up next, and last week was one of the greatest nights of his life, his masterpiece.
He calls it The Destruction of Roman Reigns, and the award goes to... lightning strikes twice, it's a tie! It's the Bar! They come down to accept their award, and Sheamus says they appreciate it and it's an honor. Last week they brought the Bar to new heights and proved they can go anywhere, to the stratosphere, the ionosphere, anywhere at all. He thanks the man who made it all possible, Roman Reigns.
Watching him lie in the ring, gasping for air, he just wanted to beat him down even more! He busts out a "Yo Roman, we did it!" and Cesaro says he thinks he forgot somebody. They couldn't have done it themselves, and he wants to thank Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Without them knocking his teeth up his jaw they wouldn't have had a good reason to put them in their place and prove once again that they don't just set the bar, they are the Bar!
Miz says we've seen the footage, and the Shield boys can look at each other all they want and fantasize about reuniting the Shield, but that's not reality. The Shield was great in their time, but they don't want any of this! He saw the look they shared, and it said "our time has passed us by and a greater revolutionary force stands in that ring". The A-Lister claims they've done something Brock Lesnar, the Undertaker, and John Cena couldn't do, they put an end to Reigns.
Sometimes hard work really does pay off and sometimes the good guys really do win, which brings him to his final Mizzy, for the guy who lead the charge and has proven to be the Big Dog of the WWE. His name isn't Roman Reigns, it's the Miz! He claims his own award that is named after him and clinks it with the other guys in the ring before dedicating it to his unborn child and every future child that needs a new role model.
Enter Roman Reigns. He stops short on the ramp and Miz starts running his mouth again, talking about the Big Dog having his tail between his legs. Roman says this is where he shuts up, and he's gonna give 'em one chance to get out of his ring. Miz says he thought Reigns was about action, not talk, but he knows damn well he's not gonna do anything since there are four of them and only one of him.
So maybe why not just go back in the locker room and get Dean and Seth, because by the looks of it, the rumors of a Shield reunion are exactly what Roman is, nothing but hype. Reigns replies back simply "Rumors? Who said anything about rumors?" and Dean Ambrose joins him on the ramp! Seth Rollins follows! They take in the atmosphere for a moment before heading to the ring!
It's on! Miz bails as the Shield take Axel and the Bar out one by one! They square off against Miz as the A-Lister begs off, but Dean and Seth pincer him... Dirty Deeds! The Shield celebrate for a moment before hoisting Miz up... TRIPLE POWERBOMB! FIST BUMP! THE SHIELD IS BACK TOGETHER!
Commentary hypes up the possible Sister Abigail reveal for later tonight and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package for the Unleash the Warrior campaign.
Jason Jordan vs. Karl Anderson
Jordan with a fireman's carry takeover right off and Anderson has to seek the ropes for the break. Waistlock takedown follows, Jason holds on, another takedown and again Karl gets the ropes. Jordan runs into a right hand and Machine Gun grabs a side headlock to take him down to a knee, shoot off, shoulder block, Jason hoists him up and drops him down!
Looking for the charging shoulder thrust, Luke Gallows catches his eye and Anderson takes advantage with a basement dropkick to wipe his knee out and send us to break.
Back from commercial, Karl is in full control with an armbar, working Jordan over. Boot up in the corner, Anderson spinebuster gets a nearfall and he goes back to the arm, keeping Kurt Angle's biological son locked down on the mat. Jason fighting to his feet, throwing elbows, Machine Gun fires back and catches him with a big uppercut off the ropes!
Side headlock reversed to a back suplex and Anderson finds himself on the defensive, Jordan running him over and charging him corner to corner in a double leg. Belly-to-belly suplex, fired up, charging shoulder block, fireman's carry, again Gallows running interference and Karl gets a nearfall off a schoolboy and a handful of tights! Jason sidesteps a pump kick...
Jason Jordan wins by pinfall with the back suplex neckbreaker.
We cut to Elias walking backstage and go to break.
Back from commercial, Miz is getting checked on by Axel and Kurt Angle rolls up asking if he has any broken bones or torn ligaments. Miz says he doesn't, but if he had his way the Shield boys would, and Kurt says he should be happy because he's putting the spotlight on them, giving him and the Bar the main event of TLC against the Shield in the titular match of the pay-per-view!
Miz is apoplectic that he'd reward them for their actions but Angle catchphrases on him and takes his leave.
Elias is in the ring ready to sing us a song. He says Apollo Crews' career is like the Indy 500, it goes in circles and nobody cares. He starts playing but a cacophony of clashing notes comes up and Titus O'Neil comes out plucking a banjo! He does his own version of the Drifter's spiel and says everybody needs to get ready to follow Apollo, since he's drummed up a little song for Elias.
Titus plucks a few random notes and sings about how Samson is about to lose to a man by the name of Apollo Crews. Truly, he's the great musician of our time. Apollo makes his entrance, but we go to break before the match begins.
Apollo Crews vs. Elias
The match is in progress, both men a little worn down as the Drifter stomps away at Apollo in the corner. Heading outside, wrenching his arm over the apron a few times, back in, off the ropes, he drops him with a lariat but Crews kicks out at one. Arm wringer, to the turnbuckles, up top... OLD SCHOOL! Armbar, but soon enough Apollo is mounting a comeback, standing shooting star press... NO GOOD!
Back outside, whip, Crews leaps up to the apron and comes off with a moonsault! Clubbing away in the ring, referee John Cone having to back him off and that gives Elias an opportunity to drop toehold him into the ropes...
Elias wins by pinfall with Drift Away.
Enzo Amore is walking backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Enzo Amore makes his entrance, he does the deal.
He says he's doin' pretty good, and there's somebody he needs to make mention of right now, "Sexy" Kurt Angle. It was only a few weeks ago they were doing good business, because Angle gave him a no-contact clause that stated that if any one in the loserweight division lays hands on Sugar Ray Amore, they forfeit any title shots and get fired. But there's an anomaly he's scratching his head about, in that Kalisto comes out here, assaults him, and gets rewarded with a title oppportunity at TLC.
Well, he's the Realest Champ in the Room, and Kalisto ain't nothin' but a Tostito so he should have dipped? Your guess is as good as mine, folks. Anyway, he complains about Kurt not doing anything important and asks him to come down and join him in the ring right now. Kurt obliges and thanks the crowd, which confuses Amore since the crowd was chanting that he sucks.
Enzo unfolds a piece of paper and asks Angle if that's his signature, and it is. He asks if the clause states that anyone in the cruiserweight division lays a hand on him, they lost their shot and get fired, and Kurt confirms that as well. So Amore follows through and asks how Kalisto gets a title shot, and Angle says it only pertains to cruiserweights that were signed before he signed that, and Kalisto was signed afterwards.
Amore complains that Angle has hustled him, and asks him to show some respect. He's trying to understand why Kalisto is getting an opportunity when Kurt is GM, he's champion, and he's putting the division on the map as its biggest star, so stop hustling him and worry about what makes him happy. Angle says he does want to make him happy, so forget about the match at TLC...
Enzo celebrates, but Kurt isn't done yet... he's putting the title on the line TONIGHT! Amore is silent for a moment before saying he's the Realest Champ in the Room and he'll defend his lady, but only under one condition-- it has to be the main event. Angle shakes his hand, the deal is done! Enzo dances and Kurt leaves, but stops short on the ramp, telling him that if he better think twice about getting counted-out or disqualified, because he's suspending the no-contact for tonight and putting the cruiserweight division in as lumberjacks!
Commentary again hypes up the Sister Abigail reveal and has a giggle about the idea of Booker T dressed as a lumberjack before recapping the opening segment because Raw is three hours long.
Braun Strowman is walking backstage, he'll be in action after the break.
Back from commercial in time for entrances.
Braun Strowman vs. Matt Hardy
Collar and elbow, Strowman throws Hardy away with ease but Matt goes right back to it! Again, right hand, and Braun biels Hardy across the ring! Boot up on the charge, lariat off the second, throwing punches, forcing Strowman to waste energy covering up and shoving him away, trying Side Effect but Braun counters with a suplex! Freight train runs his broken brilliance over and we head to break.
Back from commercial and Braun is hanging Matt up with a reverse chinlock, but Hardy breaks free with a jawbreaker and sidesteps a charge to put the monster into the ringpost! He cuts Strowman off on his way back in with a kick but Braun shoves him away. Matt to the second, fending him off with boots, he leaps... TORNADO DDT TAKES THE BIG MAN DOWN!
Kick to the gut, Twist of Fate... BRAUN KICKS OUT AT ONE! Another kick to the gut but Strowman throws him away and hits a chokeslam! Another for good measure, he scoops Hardy up...
Braun Strowman wins by pinfall with the running powerslam.
After the match Braun dumps Matt out of the ring and picks him up. He walks up the ramp but before he can do anything the Shield come out! The atmosphere is electric and the monster targets the Big Dog, forcing him against the LED board! Ambrose and Rollins beat on him to get some separation... SPEAR! Putting boots to him with That Damned Numbers Game!
Dean and Seth clear the announce table... TRIPLE POWERBOMB THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE!
WE'RE GOIN' TO BREAK!
Back from commercial we get a recap of what we just saw because Raw is three hours long but also it was awesome and worth seeing again.
Backstage the Shield are walking along in a celebratory mood when they run into an interview. Seth cuts her off and says they're back and stronger than ever, and Dean adds that they're gonna do their best, and destroy everything in their path. Roman says they'll take on the whole world if they have to, but know this-- they're the workhorses that run this business. Rollins drops the "believe that" and they're off!
Mickie James makes her entrance and she says since she came back she hasn't felt quite accepted in the locker room and wonders if it's her accent or her music or her age, but she realized she has one person to thank for feeling this way, and that's Alexa Bliss. Every since Bliss realized she can't manipulate James, she's been running around playing her little games and taking cheap shots at her.
But not to her face, no, behind her back. And when she's one second from beating her "best friend", Alexa attacked her from behind. So the way she sees it, it's time for Bliss to jump out of her booster seat and put on her big girl pants. James says she doesn't play games and she's all woman, can she say the same? She's got more energy than Alexa has hair extensions, and the only number she cares about is the number seven.
She's gonna make history by becoming a seven-time women's champion--
Enter Alexa Bliss. She's not here to cause trouble or make fun of her age, and she says she's sorry. Mickie has been treated so badly for so long, and she's spend all week putting together a career retrospective for the younger fans who might not know who Mickie is or what she's accomplished. She rolls footage and of course it's a black-and-white newsreel calling James a senior citizen.
Alexa's laughing her face off when the video stops and she asks "grandma" if it isn't past her bedtime and tells her to go home and get some rest, because the last frames of that video are gonna be filmed at TLC where she'll run circles around her, and she'll send her a link to the video, or better yet a VHS tape. Mickie says her age must be catching up to her because she can't quite hear her, and she invites the champion to bring her "biscuit butt" into the ring to say it again.
Bliss asks if anybody has a battery for a hearing aid before saying if she wants to do it, she'll do it right now. She holds the title high and walks to the ring before saying yeah, right, that move is as old as Mickie is. James follows after and pulls her back into the ring for a beatdown! Alexa barely dodges a Mick Kick and heads for the hills!
Commentary hypes up our lumberjack match for later and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get an Asuka vignette and it's revealed that Kurt Angle was watching it backstage with Bayley and Sasha Banks. Bayley pitches him on being Asuka's first opponent and welcoming her with a big ol'... hug. Sasha stakes her claim and Alicia Fox rolls up to complain about them getting all the opportunities, seeing as she's been around a decade and hasn't even got a t-shirt.
Dana Brooke joins the pile to complain and says sometimes she doesn't even feel like she exists. Emma tells her to zip it and says she deserves the match since she started the women's revolution and it would break Twitter. Angle says they settle in the ring and he books a five-way tonight for the pleasure of wrestling Asuka at TLC.
Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher vs. Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali
Alexander and Kendrick to start, Brian jawing at him to distract from Gallagher yanking Ali off the apron! Taking it to Cedric in their corner, quick tag to Gallagher, snapmare into a rear chinlock, releasing him for a dropkick when it seems he'll escape and making the tag. Kendrick with a butterfly suplex for one, Jack getting an assist in with a choke and making the tag.
Chest kicks from the Gentleman into a front chancery, Alexander ducks a kick and fires one of his own and tags Mustafa in. Off the ropes, pop-up dropkick, Brian tags in, Ali evades him and kicks him from the apron, rolling thunder neckbreaker gets two but Gallagher makes the save and takes Mustafa outside. Ali puts Jack into the barricade, shoulder block, slingshot in, Kendrick with a legscissors takeover into a cover, he grabs a cravate after the kickout...
Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher win by pinfall with Sliced Bread #2 from Kendrick on Mustafa Ali.
Commentary promises us the Sister Abigail reveal after the break.
Back from commercial we get a recap of all our Shield fun from tonight.
Kurt Angle is on the phone backstage when Miz rolls up. Kurt says he's not calling the match off, but Miz says he and the Bar actually want to face the Shield, he just wants to take the Shield at their words. Dean Ambrose said they could fight off any number of people, so he wants to go find another partner. Angle reluctantly agrees and Miz introduces their fourth man... BRAUN STROWMAN!
Braun gets in Angle's face and breathes heavy before walking off, and Miz is all smiles.
Finn Balor makes his entrance. He says Indianapolis is Balor Club and says that Bray Wyatt introduced the world to Sister Abigail last week, and he's speechless. Wyatt is like a poison, a virus that keeps mutating with more lies and mind games, and to be honest, he doesn't believe it. Bray's desperate for attention, desperate to instill fear, desperate to have the WWE Universe listen to his garbage.
Balor's said it before and he'll say it again, he's not afraid of Bray Wyatt. Balor Club isn't afraid of Bray Wyatt. The Demon isn't afraid of Bray Wyatt, so if that was Sister Abigail, bring her on, bring on the whole family for all he cares--
(Wyatt noise.)
The rocking chair is rocking empty in the smoky room and Bray comes over to sit down in it. He says Finn may not be afraid of him, but he will be afraid of her. She was young, beautiful, and knew the truth, so they feared her, turned her into some kind of monster. He was there when she took her final breath, and she chose Wyatt, promising they'd make them all pay.
Now the season of the witch is upon them, and she's here. Bray fades and when the light comes back up he's in corpse paint with a veil over his head, saying in a modulated voice that men are all the same, they just want to control everything. Bray is different, Bray is special, and she taught him the world is a very easy place and that the darkness is stronger than the light.
She promised she'd always be by his side, so here she is, scorned, scarred, and burnt to a crisp, rising from the ashes to fulfill her promise to her sweet, innocent Bray who wouldn't even harm a fly. But look what they did to him. She knows all about demons, call it her specialty, and she can turn a demon into a pretty little dandelion. She says Finn can't beat her, she's worse than anything he ever read in his mythology books.
Her touch could have saved him, but her kiss will burn it to the ground. Run.
Commentary hypes up our two announced matches remaining and we go to break.
Back from commercial in time for entrances.
Alicia Fox vs. Bayley vs. Dana Brooke vs. Emma vs. Sasha Banks (Elimination Match)
Emma tries to sell Alicia on an alliance and gets her to agree but backs off when she pairs off with Bayley and Dana pairs off with Sasha. Banks and Brooke fight outside, Dana putting the Boss into the barricade and putting boots to her as Fox takes care of the Hugger and goes at it with Emma when she realizes her subterfuge. Brooke in, Emma tries to get her on board and they put boots to Alicia!
Emma pats her head but Dana swats her hand away and hits a forearm, whip, handspring back elbows, Bayley in and throwing forearms of her own at Brooke. Whip reversed, crossbody countered into a slam, handspring splash, only good for a nearfall. Bayley comes over...
Bayley eliminates Dana Brooke by pinfall.
Hugger and Boss getting into it, Foxy comes in...
Alicia Fox eliminates Bayley by pinfall with the axe kick.
On that note, we go to break.
Back from commercial and Emma and Fox have a rough alliance going as they choke Banks in the corner and land a double suplex on her but it breaks down when Emma goes for a schoolboy pin on Alicia. Begging off, jawing at each other, Fox gets loud, whip reversed, a forearm, struggle in the corner into a sunset flip for a nearfall.
Sasha lands a double dropkick to start getting back in the fight, duck a lariat, axehandle smashes into a dropkick, off the ropes, tilt-a-whirl headscissors! Corner knees, Emma back in, Banks has a kick for her, thinking Bank Statement but Fox rolls up on her with an O'Connor roll nearfall. Bank Statement in on Alicia in the middle of the ring...
Sasha Banks eliminates Alicia Fox by submission with the Bank Statement.
Emma rolls up in a hurry...
Emma wins, last eliminating Sasha Banks by pinfall with a schoolboy pin to earn the right to wrestle Asuka at TLC.
Commentary hypes up our lumberjack match once more and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Finn Balor is interviewed backstage.
He says last week when Bray said Sister Abigail was alive, he assumed Wyatt had lost his mind. He couldn't beat the man, he couldn't beat the Demon, and he couldn't cope. But tonight, after seeing and hearing Sister Abigail, he fears that Bray may have unleashed something awful. (You ain't wrong, brother.) He felt her words echo in his head, he felt a shiver in his spine, he felt pure evil, but now he knows what he has to do.
We then get a recap of all our Shield festivities from the show thus far and some hype for the four-on-three TLC match, as well as the announcement that Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns will do battle next week inside a steel cage.
Kalisto is interviewed backstage about his upcoming title match. When he was a little kid, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero inspired him to work hard, travel the world, and make his dream in WWE a reality. But then he sees Enzo, and when he became cruiserweight champion, he couldn't just sit back, that was a slap in the face to everyone. He just hopes he can make Rey, Eddie, and the WWE Universe proud when he wins the title.
Some of the lumberjacks make their entrances and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get a little hype for tomorrow night's 205 Live, which will feature another TJP vs. Rich Swann match.
Enzo Amore makes his entrance, he does the deal. He says they call themselves lumberjacks but they couldn't chop this tree down if they were Paul Bunyan and his big blue dog. (Don't worry, Corey Graves corrected him.) He fluffs himself up more and runs the lumberjacks down, declaring them SAWFT.
Enzo Amore (c) vs. Kalisto (WWE Cruiserweight Championship Lumberjack Match)
Circling, test of strength but it's fake-out and Enzo kicks Kalisto in the midsection. Side headlock, Kalisto shoots him off but Amore grabs it right back. So he shoots him off again and again Enzo grabs the headlock right back. The shoot finally takes on the third try, shoulder block, drop down, leapfrog, but Amore ducks the offense and finds himself outside.
He runs back in to avoid the beating from the lumberjacks but Kalisto kicks him right back out and he finds himself forced in by Mustafa Ali! Jawing at them, Kalisto rolls him through into a kick and attacks him in the corner before running the "Lucha!" chant. Charging in, drop toehold, Kalisto grabs a front chancery and we go to break.
Back from commercial as our competitors trade blows. Enzo knocks Kalisto down and yells at the lumberjacks some more before firing off a grounded punch at his challenger. Backing off and squaring him up, shoot kick to the ribs gets two and the champion tries to throw him outside but Kalisto stops himself short. Kick, springboard crossbody for a nearfall and he clotheslines Amore out of the ring!
Enzo gets back in before any real damage can be done and schoolboys Kalisto head-first into the bottom turnbuckle! Kalisto flops out and the lumberjacks put boots to him before rolling him back inside. Amore putting boots to him in the corner, reverse STO... NOT ENOUGH! Leg drop to the side of the head into a reverse chinlock, rolling Kalisto into the middle of the ring.
The luchador gets to his feet but the champion slams him back to the mat, taking a breather before again squaring up for the kick but Kalisto catches his boot! Rolling solebutt, off the ropes, headscissors driver... NO GOOD! To the corner, Kalisto charges in but Amore drops him with a boot and tries to roll him outside, only to see Ali and Alexander roll him right back in!
Enzo kicking at Mustafa, Daivari comes over to yell at him and we got an all-out brawl from the lumberjacks! Kalisto takes advantage, catching Enzo up top... SUPERPLEX INTO THE CRUSH OF HUMANITY! Amore back to the ring first, Kalisto moments after, determination filling his visage as he bids the champion to rise, three-quarters facelock but Amore slips out, hits the inverted stomp facebreaker... MUSTAFA ALI PULLS ENZO OUT OF THE RING!
Amore is fighting mad and jawing, Ali telling him he doesn't represent the cruiserweights! Enzo wipes him out with a lariat and crotches Kalisto up top! Struggle in the corner, three-quarter facelock...
KALISTO WINS BY PINFALL WITH AN AVALANCHE SALIDA DEL SOL, WINNING THE WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP!
Ali and Alexander hit the ring to celebrate with Kalisto, raising him up on their shoulders to hold the title high. They're joined by Akira Tozawa and Rich Swann for MAXIMUM DRAGON GATE.
That's the show, folks.