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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Oct. 19, 2020) from the ThunderDome at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, with all the latest build to the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view scheduled for later this month at the very same venue.
Advertised for tonight: It’s the season premiere episode, Asuka defends the Raw women’s championship against Lana, Braun Strowman vs. Keith Lee in a straight up singles match, Elias is promising “a concert for the ages,” Bray Wyatt brings the Firefly Fun House to the red brand for the first time, and so much 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. 19
If you can’t stand upon the water I will see you on the ocean floor. When you blink, do you only find the misery between the lines? Then take my hand and walk with me, while I liveblog this here pro wrestling show, folks.
The show opens with a new intro video and show theme.
Commentary hypes up the show.
The lights go red and Alexa Bliss appears in the ring to introduce Bray Wyatt.
Indeed, the Fiend makes his entrance and stands in the ring, hand in hand with Bliss.
The lights come up all the way and Retribution are here!
They get in the ring but Wyatt and Bliss stand stock still, unfazed.
Mustafa Ali puts a hand up, the lights go out, and when they come back, Bray and Alexa are gone.
The Hurt Business make their entrance and we get a brawl! Cedric takes half of Retribution out with a tope con giro and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a Matt Riddle hype reel.
Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, Cedric Alexander, Montel Vontavious Porter, & Shelton Benjamin) vs. Retribution (Mustafa Ali, Mace, SLAPJACK, & T-Bar)
Lashley and T-Bar to start, big boys throwing their weight around, shifting gears to Alexander on SLAPJACK. SLAPJACK beaten down in the corner, heat segment continues until Ali is able to turn the tide on Cedric. The match breaks down, all eight men on the floor and Wyatt appears on the tron to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Mace and Benjamin brawling it out, the Retribution man takes the lead but Shelton German suplexes him into the turnbuckles! Big knee strike, roll through, cover, no dice! Off the ropes, knee drop across the face, some tags, Bob nearly does it with a spear but Mustafa breaks it up!
Ali begging off, buying time for T-Bar to grab a waistlock, standing switch, big back elbows, Lashley gets the Hurt Lock... IT’S OVER!
Hurt Business win by submission with the Hurt Lock from Bobby Lashley on T-Bar.
Post-match, the lights go down again and come up red with the Fiend on the apron in Retribution’s corner. He takes ‘em all out! Sister Abigail to T-Bar!
Alexa Bliss appears on the tron and asks us “Let me in” in Wyatt’s voice to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for a Braun Strowman vs. Keith Lee that will be happening later tonight.
AJ Styles makes his entrance accompanied by Jordan Omogbehin, who is absolutely huge, at least two full heads taller than the Phenomenal One.
Styles gets on the mic and congratulates Raw for finally having drafted a true leader like him.
He cuts a whole promo about being the Face That Runs the Place, during which the feed cuts out for like fifteen seconds.
AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle
Referee Rod Zapata asks Omogbehin to leave the ring but he refuses. Five-count, Jordan grabs Rod’s hand to stop him but acquiesces and leaves the ring so the match can begin.
Riddle catches Styles, rolling Karelin lifts, action to the apron and Omogbehin’s presence spooks Matt to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Styles in control, working a waistlock, Riddle fires up, palm strikes, Styles Rush, big knee from Matt clobbers him but he gets the Pele kick in return! Matt has enough wherewithal to hit a German suplex in the aftermath! Drawing AJ up, reversed to the Ushigoroshi! Thinking about the Styles Clash, he takes a little too long and Riddle drops to a knee to block.
Counter, fisherman buster, small package... NOPE! Dragging Styles into the corner, AJ cuts him off with a chop block and climbs up after him. Jockeying for position, both men fall down but Matt crashes to the floor! Jordan Omogbehin stalks after him and makes a fist, Riddle rushes back inside, Styles nails him with a kick and hoists him up...
AJ Styles wins by pinfall with the Styles Clash.
We get a video package for Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Drew McIntyre is interviewed.
He wants to address Randy Orton directly, saying from the moment he met him through his entire career, it was always obvious to him that Randy is the most evil, sadistic, entitled, selfish individual in WWE. But he’s intelligent, and Orton attacked the legends after his should-have-been-feud-ending win at Clash of Champions to provoke a reaction.
It’s no secret, Drew has a temper problem and in the heat of the moment he accepted the challenge, but Hell in a Cell is a last resort custom built for injury, and men like Orton thrive in them. McIntyre’s never been in one, but against him it’s not such an advantage. He’s defended the title with the honor and respect it deserves, but on Sunday there’ll be no honor and no respect because Randy deserves neither.
He’ll go through hell to remain WWE Champion, and one of the crew pointed out that he looks like he’s headed to a funeral, all in black and whatnot, and maybe he is Orton has an interview later, and maybe he’ll show up.
Asuka (c) vs. Lana (WWE Raw Women’s Championship)
Asuka with a side headlock, wrenching it in, shot off, shoulder block takes Lana down! Drop down, leapfrog, shove, and Asuka dances to taunt her. Arm drag reversed, pin attempt countered, Asuka Lock applied but Lana gets in the ropes to force the break! Test of strength, fakeout into kicks, schoolboy gets Lana a two-count!
Duck the uraken, kick to the midsection, kick combo to the head, cover for another two! Drawing the champ up, smashing her face into the corner, putting boots to her but Asuka shoves her away! Back elbow, a roundhouse kick, trading forearms, Asuka catches a kick, German suplex blocked with back elbows, jockeying for position, cover reversed...
Asuka wins by submission with the Asuka Lock, retaining the WWE Raw Women’s Championship.
Post-match, Nia Jax attacks, putting Lana through the announce table with a Samoan Drop, as is our time-honored tradition.
Shayna Baszler scoops Asuka up but she fights her off with a kick and hip attacks her off the apron!
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are still in the ring for promos.
They talk about how they’re on the same page and they’re a real tag team despite what people like to say. Week after week they come out here and dominate, and they own the women’s tag titles, so they own both women’s divisions, and if any of them would like to refute that, they dare them to come do something about it.
Enter Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose.
And Lacey Evans & Peyton Royce, who uh, don’t get along great.
And the Riott Squad, who aren’t on Raw anymore but none of this makes any sense anyway!
Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose vs. Lacey Evans & Peyton Royce vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott)
Four-way tag team chaos from the jump, we get brawling, Evans dives on the crush and the Riott Squad follow after her to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Royce in control on Morgan, tagging Evans in, snapmare, powerbomb lift countered into a Frankensteiner! Liv charging her in the corner, tag to Riott, soon enough Rose and Brooke are in to double-team Jax but get suplexed by her instead! Charging in, sidestep, Nia goes shoulder-first into the post and Dana hits the handspring back elbow!
Off the ropes, big knee strike from Mandy, tag made, clear the apron, Brooke off the top with a senton atomico but Baszler breaks it up! The match breaks down into the “everybody do something cool” bit, Woman’s Right takes Riott out, Dana dumps her, Jax shoves her off, tag to Morgan! Clubbing away at Jax, shotgun dropkick, Evans tags in!
Drop toehold puts her in the corner, a wicked pop-up stomp puts her down, inverted lungblower connects, Riott Kick... Shayna pulls Ruby out of the ring and chokes her out with the Kirifuda Clutch on the floor! Nia tags in on Ruby, fireman’s carry...
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler win by pinfall with the Samoan Drop from Jax on Lacey Evans.
Elias is backstage chatting with his band to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Elias and his band are set up on the stage for their concert.
He cuts a promo about his album, Universal Truth, coming out next week, and does the Walk With Elias schtick. He has a medley for us, starting with a song called Amen that he dedicates to Jeff Hardy. This segues into Lead Me Home, which concludes the concert.
Or it would, but Elias has decided we want an encore and he asks for his guitar but the man holding it won’t give it back and plays a little riff. He demands the guitar and the guy unmasks to reveal Jeff Hardy! He swings the guitar at him but Elias runs away!
We go backstage with Miz and John Morrison, who talk about how they “saved” Mandy Rose and they’re going to “save” the Money in the Bank briefcase, when Tucker Knight rolls up.
He berates them for trying to ruin his friend’s life and he pledges to find a partner to ruin their lives in return in a tag team match later tonight. Miz says he’s not trying to ruin Otis’ life, but they accept.
New Day make their entrance, Kofi Kingston will be in action after the break.
Back from commercial, Elias is interviewed.
He loses his mind over nobody respecting his music and challenges Jeff Hardy to a match at Hell in a Cell.
New Day get on the mic and cut a promo about being WWE Raw Tag Team Champions for the first time in years and how much has changed over the last year.
Sheamus interrupts and reminds them that Big E is on SmackDown and that makes them two-thirds (he emphasizes his accent so it sounds like “two turds”) of New Day and Kofi’s gonna end up on the wrong end of the Brogue Kick. Kingston says being on different brands doesn’t mean they’re broken up, it just means they’re holding it down on different brands and they get to spread their seed (of positivity!) all over the WWE Universe.
Woods reminds Sheamus that Big E dropped him into a car and our match begins.
Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus
Circling, collar and elbow, Sheamus with a headlock takeover, headscissors to reverse. Kingston with a side headlock, shot off, shoulder block, off the ropes, drop down, dropkick, cover, arm wringer into kicks. The Celtic Warrior punches Kofi into the corner, he fights back with slaps and chops, kick to the midsection from Sheamus and he clubs Kingston down.
Whip across, front kick, military press drop but Kofi lands on his feet and clotheslines Sheamus to the floor! Dropkick through the ropes, trust fall dive caught into a facebuster on the apron to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Sheamus in control with a side headlock, into the ropes for the Beats of the Bodhran, Big E is shown watching pensively in the ThunderDome and Xavier Woods points him out as Kingston struggles out of a rear chinlock. Float out, pop-up stomp, big double chops, dropkick, duck a lariat, off the ropes, Kofi hits the Superman Lariat!
Boom Drop follows, springboard crossbody gets two! To the apron, enzuigiri, back up top, Sheamus catches him on the dive into a Bossman Slam... NOPE! Looking for the cloverleaf, upkicks to block but the Celtic Warrior counters a dropkick into the cloverleaf in the middle of the ring! Kingston crawling for the ropes before just sitting up and reversing into a cover!
Boot up on the charge, Trouble in Paradise, no dice, Sheamus lifts him up, Alabama Slam... SO CLOSE! Sheamus takes him up top, Kofi slips out, avalanche Russian Legsweep! Cover... NO! Both men slow to rise, SOS countered into a schoolboy, Kingston kicks out! Float over the Irish Curse, crucifix pin for two! Kofi snaps it off...
Kofi Kingston wins by pinfall with Trouble in Paradise.
We get a recap of Hurt Business vs. Retribution, because Raw is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Retribution cut a promo backstage.
Mustafa Ali says the Hurt Business made the mistake of thinking his power was strength in numbers, when his power is creating chaos— all he needs is a laptop, a cell phone, and a secret, and with one click he can make anyone’s world come crumbling down. Over the past year, sitting at home because this corrupt company couldn’t figure out how to make a buck off a guy named Mustafa Ali, he watched these spineless superstars backstage each other to get ahead.
He learned all their pathetic secrets, and he was the mysterious hacker over on SmackDown, and he did it because he wants the entire world to know this sick place is infecting everyone with greed and corruption, and good, talented individuals are forgotten, abandoned, their dreams left to die.
But he found them, united them, and promised them that their truth will be heard, and anyone who tries to stop them will get shut down.
Miz and John Morrison make their entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, the Hurt Business are chatting backstage when Titus O’Neil rolls up.
He shakes their hands and says they showed Retribution a thing or two and he’s been thinking about how he’d be a great addition to the Hurt Business. He dresses the part, he looks the part, and with his connections he can take them worldwide. MVP takes a minute to “talk about it” and says they’re in business.
Titus can’t wait to get started, but Porter says THEY are in business and Alexander attacks! The Hurt Business beat Titus down to end the segment.
Miz and Morrison are waiting for Tucker Knight to introduce his partner. He says he’s scouted one of the world’s most premier luchadors... El Gran Gordo!
It’s Otis in a lucha mask, which if I may toot my own horn, I said it should be earlier in the show.
Miz says it’s Otis and he’s even holding his lunchbox, but Gordo cuts a promo in Spanish to prove he’s not Otis.
Miz fires back and calls Otis a joke and talks up his own credentials before saying you can put a pig in a mask and it’s still a pig. Tucker and Gordo clear the ring and we go to break.
El Gran Gordo & Tucker Knight vs. the Miz & John Morrison
Back from commercial, Tucker and Morrison to start, big crossbody gets Knight a two count. John kicks him into the corner, chokes him over the ropes, Miz with a cheap shot and then the tag. Double-team gutbuster, tag back, working him over with kicks, standing shooting star press from Johnny Raw for two!
Cravate knees, Tucky clubs him back, double throat thrust puts Knight on his back and Morrison keeps the pressure up with a cross armbar attempt. Shifting gears, Japanese stranglehold applied, Tucker to his feet, tag from Miz. Knight kicks him away and tags Gordo in! Off the ropes, lariats, fired up, pop-up drop to Morrison!
Clothesline sends John to the floor, boot up on the charge to the A-Lister, Gran with a lucha arm drag and a cartwheel! Scoopo and a slamo, Morrison breaks it up but Tucker runs in to slam him! Miz with a boot, Gordo in his sights, and R-Truth comes running through with the 24/7 Championship! Drew Gulak and Akira Tozawa give chase, Gordo with a lariat... EL CATERPILLAR!
He follows it up with the Vader Bomb...
El Gran Gordo & Tucker Knight win by pinfall with a Vader Bomb from Gordo on the Miz.
We get a teaser for Firefly Fun House to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Tucker and Gordo are celebrating backstage with New Day.
Mandy Rose rolls up with an entire ham for Gordo and she joins in the fun.
A new Firefly Fun House is up next.
Bray Wyatt is digging through a box— he pulls out the square mallet, Erick Rowan’s black sheep mask, and some kind of weird brand or something that I believe was in one of the old Wyatt Family vignettes. He says he’s sad to leave his SmackDown friends behind but he’s excited to make new friends here on Raw.
This leads to a montage of the Fiend’s earlier appearances on tonight’s show, and Bray says we’re off to a great start. Abby berates him, saying she wants to sleep, but he says they’re here to have fun. Huskus says he likes it raw, and Rambling Rabbit says he’s going to do his best to be a good father and a husband.
Wyatt says he didn’t know Rabbit had a wife (c’mon now, Bray, that’s awfully heteronormative of you) and promises to be a better friend, which leads to a montage of all the abuse he’s put Rabbit through. Rambling Rabbit appreciates this and says he wanted a fresh start, which leads Mercy to tackle him and drag him offscreen.
There’s a knock at the door and Bray answers it, which brings Alexa Bliss out.
She says their fun is just getting started and they wave goodbye together.
Braun Strowman makes his entrance to send us to break.
Braun Strowman vs. Keith Lee
Collar and elbow, behemoths struggling against each other, Strowman overpowers Lee and backs him into the corner for elbows. Stinger Splash, clothesline to the floor, Braun heads out after and charges for the Pounce! Back inside, powerslam attempt but Keith attacks Strowman’s injured ribs! Kicking at him, big splash, cover for two!
Shoulder thrusts, arm wringer, Braun fires back with clubbing blows, charging in, sidestep puts him into the turnbuckles... KEITH LEE WITH THE POUNCE! Strowman drops out when he goes to lift him for the Spirit Bomb and then headbutts him in the gentleman’s area! Referee Danilo Anfibio didn’t see it, or at least doesn’t want to call it, Braun off the ropes...
Braun Strowman wins by pinfall with a big boot.
Post-match, Lee blatantly low blows Strowman in return! He jaws at him, warning him that he’s tangled with the wrong one.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Hell in a Cell is lowered around the ring.
We get some hype for tonight’s edition of Raw Talk.
Randy Orton makes his entrance and gets inside of the cage.
He locks the door behind him and gets on the mic.
He says he asked for the cell to be lowered because he wanted to come out here and reflect and remember. He says the cage makes him understand himself better, each and every time. He understands what he’s truly capable of, and on Sunday he’ll face Drew McIntyre. It’ll be his eighth time inside of Hell in a Cell.
He remembers standing toe-to-toe with the World’s Strongest Man, surviving the Celtic Warrior, mutilating Jeff Hardy, beating Daniel Bryan, facing John Cena twice, becoming WWE Champion twice, but the most important thing he remembers about Hell in a Cell, despite Drew McIntyre saying he’s never earned a thing in his life, he remembers standing and looking the Deadman in the eye and earning his respect.
The word legend gets thrown around these days, and rather loosely. There’s legends and then there’s legendary moments. Drew beating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania was one of those moments—
Enter Drew McIntyre.
He stalks outside the cage as Randy taunts him about being locked outside. Drew says he’ll come and get him, and he reaches over the barricade and gets a pair of bolt cutters! He cuts the lock off as Orton runs and grabs a steel chair for safety!
Drew advances on him.
That’s the show, folks.