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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Oct. 29, 2018) from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, featuring the fallout show from the Evolution pay-per-view that went down just last night in Uniondale, New York.
Advertised for tonight: Ronda Rousey is still your Raw women’s champion, Nia Jax could be her next challenger, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins have some things to work out, 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. 29
Won’t you believe it, it’s just my luck. Won’t you believe it, it’s just my luck. Won’t you believe it, it’s just my luck. Won’t you believe it, it’s just my luck. No recess, only the liveblog for this here pro wrestling show.
The show opens with a recap of Roman Reigns’ announcement that his leukemia was back and he’d have to vacate the Universal Championship from last week.
Live in the arena, acting Raw general manager Baron Corbin is in the ring with the Universal Championship over his shoulder. He says last week was one of the most emotional nights of his career, but that was last week and life goes on. Personally he wishes Roman the best in his battle against leukemia, but he hopes when he does come back, it’s not to Raw.
Reigns made it more difficult to do his job, and that’s why--
Enter Brock Lesnar, with Paul Heyman at his side like always. Corbin tries to play into it by hyping up his match at Crown Jewel but Paul cuts him off and does his usual introductory schtick. He says we live in historic times because four days from now Lesnar will make history by again becoming Universal Champion at Crown Jewel. Heyman asks how often you know for a fact that history is going to happen?
He lists a number of historical events that happen every year, so it’s actually a fairly large amount of time if you ask me, but anyway the point is Brock’s gonna become champ, that’s historical, etc etc.
(RRROOOAAARRR!)
Enter Braun Strowman. He gets in the ring and calmly stares Brock down before declaring his intent to become champion at Crown Jewel and give him These Hands. Corbin steps in and holds Strowman back and the monster shoves him away! Baron attacks and gets powerslammed for his trouble! Staring at Brock, Braun goes back and slams Corbin again and yells at Lesnar that that’s his future!
The crowd chants for one more and Brock eggs him on... ONE MORE! But Lesnar was lying in wait... F-5! Brock holds the title over his head before dropping it on Strowman’s prone body.
Commentary recaps the tag title match from last week and Dean Ambrose’s turn on Seth Rollins in the aftermath and they promise that both men are here tonight with Rollins demanding answers.
Plus both the Brothers of Destruction and D-Generation X are here and we’ve got a ten-woman tag team match in the fallout from Evolution.
Finn Balor makes his entrance and Too Sweets at Corbin as referees help him to the back, he has a match after the break.
Back from commercial, Lio Rush is here to give his man his usual big introduction and run Balor down as a guy who got lucky last week. A fluke!
Bobby Lashley vs. Finn Balor
Circling, Lashley with a double leg into the corner, picking him back up and stampeding him to the next for repeat shoulder blocks before finishing up with a side slam. Flexing as Lio cheers him on, Bob follows with overhead elbows into the trapezius claw. Balor floats over a slam, shotgun dropkick sends Lashley to the floor, off the ropes... TOPE CON GIRO AND WE GO TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Lashley is in control and manhandling Balor as Rush cheers him on. Back to the trapezius claw, a standing waistlock takedown, and then into the claw again. Finn struggles to his feet and gets a knee to the gut for his trouble, right hand, back elbow in the corner, whip across and Balor takes the buckles hard. Boots up on the charge, flying forearm, Finn fighting back in and he gets another forearm off!
Double leg countered into a powerbomb lift, Balor punches out of it, back body drop into the double stomp! Chop in the corner, whip reversed, up and over and Bob catches him into an inverted Yokosuka Cutter... NOT ENOUGH! Lio tells him to stick to the plan and cheers him as Lashley draws Finn back up, into the delayed vertical but the former Universal Champion slips out and hits the Sling Blade!
Shotgun dropkick, Rush up on the apron for the diversion but Balor keeps at it, up top, Lio shoves him off and Bob recovers! Gamengiri from the apron, up top again, Rush shoves him one more time and referee Chad Patton has no choice...
Finn Balor wins by disqualification.
Lashley rams him betwixt apron and barricade a few times post-match before throwing him back in the ring. Up into the full nelson, he swings Finn around as Lio gets into the ring to ask Balor how he’s feeling and slap him a few times. Rush tells Bob to pick him back up and slaps him one more time for good measure!
Commentary hypes up a look at Ronda Rousey’s title defense from Evolution and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Lio is walking backstage with Lashley looking at his phone and saying “he” wants to meet with them ASAP.
It turns out to be Baron Corbin and he wants to tell them what they did to Finn just now was impressive. Bob says Balor’s good but nowhere close to his level, and Baron says he’s one of the best in the world and he’s qualified for the World Cup at Crown Jewel. Bob says he thought the tourney was full and Corbin says he’s replacing John Cena.
Commentary recaps Nikki Bella vs. Ronda Rousey from Evolution and announces that Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey in a champion vs. champion match is official for Survivor Series.
They then play a WWE.com exclusive staredown between the two of them from last night.
We get babyface entrances for our ten woman tag and go to break.
Alicia Fox, Mickie James, & Riott Squad (Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, & Sarah Logan) vs. Boss and Hug Connection (Bayley & Sasha Banks), Lita, Natalya, & Trish Stratus
Stratus and Logan to start, collar and elbow, Trish goes behind, snapmare, flying mare, another one with a headscissors to an intervening Riott to boot and Sarah backs off and tags Morgan in. Flying forearm into mounted punches from Stratus, hard whip and a tag to Lita. Lita lines her up... POETRY IN MOTION! Whip reversed, tilt-a-whirl headscissors, kick to the midsection, snap DDT and Lita heads up top but the Riott Squad save their pal and so Sasha and Bayley take them out with baseball slides and splashes off the apron as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Bayley is in control on Fox with a wristlock. Shift to an armbar, tag to Banks, they double-team her into the corner and tag Stratus back in. Double back elbows into a double elbow drop, only two, snapmare, Sasha legal in there somehow, Alicia lands a dropkick for two of her own. James in, cutting Banks off from the tag, smashing her face into the turnbuckle, tag to Logan.
Suplex countered into a small package, only two and Sarah comes roaring back with a knee for two of her own! Cobra clutch backbreaker into the grounded cobra clutch, the Boss throws her aside, reaching for the tag but she’s caught and taken to the heel corner for a tag to Riott. Putting boots to her, getting in referee Rod Zapata’s face to let her teammates get their cheap shots in and she grabs a guillotine choke.
Sasha staggers into the corner but Ruby throws her back and pops Lita one before throwing Banks into her corner and mocking her trademark pose. Dodge the charge, Fox tags in, O’Connor roll, no good, clear the apron, Sasha tags Natalya in! Clearing house, slingshot back suplex into the basement dropkick, discus lariat... Logan makes the save! Stratus in with an axehandle and the handstand headscissors!
Banks with Meteora, Riott Squad breaks her celebration with Trish up, Lita and Bayley... STEREO TWISTS OF FATE! Bayley up top... diving elbow drop! Lita up top... the moonsault! Fox in, but she gets hoisted up... HART ATTACK! ONLY TWO! Pick the legs, Sharpshooter applied in the middle of the ring...
Boss and Hug Connection, Lita, Natalya, & Trish Stratus win by submission with the Sharpshooter from Natalya on Alicia Fox.
Commentary recaps the battle royal from Evolution and we cut backstage where Nia Jax is being interviewed.
She says Ronda has Becky at Survivor Series, so after Rousey makes Lynch tap, she’ll be waiting for her. Ember Moon joins the interview and says she gets chills about making history last night. She caught lightning in a bottle last night, and Nia cuts her off to say she was incredible and she’s glad it came down to the two of them, but she won. Moon says she gets it, she hasn’t forgotten that she debuted as Jax’s partner and she hopes there’s a mutual respect between them, but maybe she’ll respect her even more after a match tonight.
Nia gives her her match and more advice-- last night when she had lightning in a bottle, she still lost, and it’s gonna happen again tonight.
Commentary then plays a recap of Dean Ambrose’s turn from last week and promises appearances from both him and Seth Rollins. A video recap of Triple H vs. Undertaker from Super Show-Down follows.
We see Elias is in the ring to play us a song and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Elias is indeed in the ring to sing us a song.
He plays a few bars instrumentally before launching into his usual intro and says he came into Charlotte early because Ric Flair invited him and told him he was his favorite and was so happy about what he did to Baron Corbin last week, which he asks the truck to roll the footage of for the Nature Boy to enjoy. He thought about calling Corbin out again but after what happened with Braun earlier he decided against it.
So he’s a giver, and he’s gonna come give his music right to Baron’s face. Elias drifts to the back, guitar over his shoulder. He runs into Dana Brooke backstage and refuses to play her a song before telling a man to take a cake to his dressing room and knocking on Corbin’s door. Baron says he doesn’t want to open for anybody but Elias gives him his spiel and starts playing outside the door anyway.
The song is about how Corbin had potential but he’s a coward and got left lying in the dirt and showed the world he’s just a taller, stupider version of Kurt Angle. This gets Baron to come out and the Drifter continues running his career down, saying he used to be the Lone Wolf but now he’s just Stephanie’s little... Corbin slams the door and Jinder Mahal jumps Elias from behind!
The Modern-Day Maharaja leave him lying with a knee strike and Corbin comes back out to gloat and informs him he’s got a match, after the break.
Elias vs. Jinder Mahal
Elias throwing chops, whip across, big forearm but Mahal catches him with a back suplex and a kick to the injured ribs. Putting boots to him, the Singh Brothers running interference to help their man out, another stomp, crossface strike into a rear chinlock with a knee to the back. Into a top wristlock and then an inverted bear hug, I can hardly bear it! Full nelson in passing sets up a knee to the ribs and Jinder locks a Dragon sleeper in briefly before shifting to a cobra twist and then back to the inverted bear hug.
The Drifter fights out with right hands and gets kneed in return, whip, up and over, slingshot double stomp and he hammers Mahal in the corner until referee Darrick Moore admonishes him. Off the ropes, Jinder with a fireman’s carry, slipped out, Elias ducks a boot, hooks him up...
Elias wins by pinfall with Drift Away.
This is followed by a recap of our opening segment, because Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
A feature on Kurt Angle is after the break.
Back from commercial, we get a media round-up for Evolution, including us here at Cageside Seats for once.
Commentary shows us the brackets for the World Cup-- Rollins vs. Lashley and Angle vs. Ziggler feed into each other, as do Hardy vs. Miz and Mysterio vs. Orton on the other side, and then we get a video package about Kurt Angle’s career.
This is followed by a handcam promo from Angle talking about how people think he’s out of his mind if he thinks he’s gonna win the World Cup, but he asks if he was out of his mind when he won all of his other major accomplishments. Maybe he was, but winning World Cup would mean more to him than anything he’s accomplished, and he’s coming to Crown Jewel to prove that he’s the best in the world.
Bobby Roode & Chad Gable get a handcam promo where Gable asks about the thread count of Roode’s robe.
We get entrances for a triple threat tag and the Ascension, Roode, and Gable blindside the Authors of pain and put them into the steps and post before getting in each other’s faces in the ring as referee John Cone struggles to restore order and we go to break.
Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. the Ascension (Konnor & Viktor)
Gable in on an Author, jawbreaker, tag from Konnor and he charges at Chad but gets sidestepped. Viktor yanks Roode off the apron and Konnor hits a spinning spinebuster! Akam in, big men jawing but Gable recovers and clears them both with a single dropkick! Tag to Viktor, going for a back suplex, lands on his feet, blind tag... CHAOS THEORY / NECKBREAKER, IT’S OVER!
Bobby Roode & Chad Gable win by pinfall with a Chaos Theory / neckbreaker combination on Viktor.
The Authors attack post-match and hit a powerbomb / neckbreaker combination on Viktor... SUPER COLLIDER ON GABLE AND ROODE!
Commentary then recaps Roman Reigns’ announcement and talks about him visiting a children’s cancer ward last month, and we get a video package from those kids wishing Roman well.
Michael Cole goes to continue but stops short when a “Roman!” chant goes up. Soon enough we get a recap of Dean’s turn and commentary promises Rollins and Ambrose after the break.
Back from commercial, Seth Rollins makes his entrance.
He gets on the mic and says it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions this week and he’s feeling a lot of things, but first the gratitude. All the love and support we’ve sent for Roman Reigns is beautiful and powerful and he thanks us on his behalf. The positivity makes him happy, and so does that he won the tag titles for a third time last week. But he’s also feeling kinda sad, because he should be out here celebrating with his brother, Dean Ambrose.
But that’s impossible because Ambrose turned his back on the Shield and on all of us, and if he’s being honest that makes him feel guilty, because he’s been wondering all week if it’s his fault. Maybe what he did four years ago, Dean just couldn’t forgive and he held that inside and let it fester. He doesn’t know but he’s frustrated and confused and Ambrose is the only one with the answers.
The problem with that is Dean is the kinda guy where if he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be, so he didn’t call or text, because he knew Ambrose would be here tonight for sure. So he’s asking as a friend and as a brother for Dean to come out and tell us why. The spotlight is all his, he simply has to come down and take it.
Dean’s music plays, but he doesn’t come out and Seth looks around, confused, until Ambrose appears in the crowd, Shield-style. Rollins says he doesn’t want to know why from all the way up there, he wants Dean to face him like a man in the ring and give him the answer he deserves. At least when he put the knife in his back he had the decency to tell him why, says Seth, and that gets Dean walking.
He only takes a few steps down the stairs before raising the mic to his mouth and tapping his finger on it. His silence stands and he stares Rollins down. Seth tells him he really is a coldhearted bastard and he spat on his brothers on a night when Roman left to battle leukemia and he had to make it about him? He wants the spotlight so bad, he’s got it, and for as long as he lives he’ll be fixed on Ambrose and make his life a living hell!
And you know what, maybe it wasn’t just a nickname, maybe he really is a soulless lunatic. That gets a response out of Dean but before he can start talking, Rollins says he’ll come up and beat an answer out of him! Ambrose turns around and leaves, not bothered by the Architect’s threats, and Seth stops short before heading into the crowd.
Backstage, Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush are interviewed about replacing John Cena at Crown Jewel. Bob demures to Lio and Rush says to be called best in the world you have to dominate the competition and they’ll add another trophy to Bob’s case. MMA championship, amateur wrestling championship, world championship, Lashley’s done it all and Rollins stands no chance in his current emotional state.
When you look and smell and do money, it’s a foregone conclusion that Bob will prove he’s the best in the world. That gets a thumbs up from Lashley and they leave.
Commentary tosses to a recap of D-Generation X’s promo on the Brothers of Destruction from a few weeks ago and hypes up their segment later.
Nia Jax makes her entrance, her match against Ember Moon will be after the break.
Ember Moon vs. Nia Jax
Moon right in with a jump kick, clubbing blows, duck a lariat, leg kick, face kick, enzugiri, into the corner for a backsplash, up top, but Jax cuts her off with a right hand. Fireman’s carry, escape, off the ropes and Nia freight trains her on down! Elbow drop gets two, drawing her up, a lariat takes Ember right down and Jax locks a bear hug on! I can hardly bear it!
A biel to end it, Nia waits for Moon to rise but Ember sidesteps the charge and she takes the post hard! Moon up top... SENTON ATOMICO TO THE FLOOR! Referee Dan Engler counting, he gets to seven when Jax throws Ember back in and climbs after her, only to get interrupted by Tamina making her entrance! Nia refuses to be distracted, elbow knocks her down...
Nia Jax wins by pinfall with a leg drop.
Jax and Snuka face off, but Tamina smiles and backs away.
Commentary shills for the WWE Network by way of running down the card for everybody’s favorite Saudi blood money spectacular, Crown Jewel.
A bit more hype for the old men that will be main eventing tonight, and commentary promises the Raw debut of the Lucha House Party, after the break.
Back from commercial, Lucha House Party and their pinata, Penelope, make their entrance.
Lucha House Party (Kalisto & Lince Dorado) vs. the Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)
Wilder and Kalisto to start, Dash ramming him into the corner and beating on him but a quebrada gets the former Cruiserweight Champion back into it and fired up! Dorado with a dive and the luchadors celebrate for a beat before returning Dash to the ring. Hot Shot, back suplex, Revival back in it, tag to Dawson. In with a leg drop, snap suplex, elbow drop, only two!
Repeated covers, Scott getting frustrated, and he follows with a Gory Special. Escape gets an uppercut, Kalisto fighting out of the corner, leg kicks and forearms, gamengiri for Wilder, Dawson clears the apron and lands a wicked short-arm lariat! Kalisto with Salida Del Sol outta nowhere, Lince takes Wilder out... IT’S OVER!
Lucha House Party win by pinfall with Salida Del Sol from Kalisto on Scott Dawson.
Commentary promises Dolph Ziggler up next and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Dolph Ziggler makes his entrance, flanked by Drew McIntyre.
He gets on the mic and says he’s got his eyes on the prize at Crown Jewel before asking McIntyre what’s on his mind. He says now that they’ve finally broken the Shield, his full attention will be on Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman. Dolph says that makes sense, but Kurt Angle talking about winning World Cup doesn’t, and he wants to tell us the truth.
His entire career he’s looked up to Angle, for what he did for collegiate wrestling, in the Olympics, winning a gold medal with a broken freakin’ neck, without guys like him, guys like Ziggler wouldn’t exist in WWE. But he’s Dolph Ziggler, and Kurt is not, and he’s going to cement his legacy at Crown Jewel and win the World Cup. He says we’ll get a chance to see that but we should know he’s the best damn thing that ever happened to this business, the best in the world.
Apollo Crews makes his entrance, they’ll wrestle after the break.
Apollo Crews vs. Dolph Ziggler
The match in progress, Ziggler has a reverse chinlock on but Crews fights out of it. Dolph backs him into the corner with strikes, uppercut, in the ropes but Apollo gets a kick for some separation. Kick to the midsection, off the ropes with a pump kick, leaping lariat and he’s fired up! Another kick gets two, up top, Ziggler cuts him off and gets two. Putting boots to him, lying in wait, superkick blocked, big DDT denied, military press... AND INTO THE DROP!
Standing moonsault follows... NOPE! Up top, jockeying for position, knocking Dolph down, frog splash... BUT THE KNEES ARE UP! Superkick...
Dolph Ziggler wins by pinfall with a superkick.
We get a replay of the Brothers of Destruction video package in the cemetary and then a hype reel for tomorrow night’s Mixed Match Challenge that sends us to break.
Back from commercial, Kane makes his entrance.
(DONG.)
And so does the Undertaker. He gets on the mic and says it’s not easy to heed his call and say goodbye, but when the reaper calls, it’s your time to go. Kane says in the distance they can hear their names being whispered and as time went by it got louder, and the whisper has now become a deafening cry. Taker pledges to take DX’s beaten battered souls to the fiery gates of hell.
It won’t be swift, he says, it’ll be slow, agonizing pain. It won’t just be the end of an era, it’ll be the end of their error. But that’s on Friday, Kane says, and tonight Triple H and Shawn Michaels are being summoned to the ring right now so that their souls might be taken for eternity and never REST. IN. PEA--
(Are you ready?)
Triple H comes out alone before realizing his mistake and stepping back to summon Shawn Michaels with his hand gesture... HBK is in the ring and lays the Deadman out with Sweet Chin Music! DX high five on the ramp as Kane returns to the ring and Taker sits up!
The two teams stare each other down.
That’s the show, folks.