WWE Raw on October 30 went live from Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. It was a special episode of Raw as it was the go-home episode to Crown Jewel, and it was a Halloween special, too.
There was a Trick or Treat Street Fight. Seth Rollins was in action, and DIY battled against Imperium. Let’s talk about everything that went down on October 30 Monday Night Raw.
Non Title Match
Ricochet vs Dominik Mysterio
The show kicked off with Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh. Ripley talked about Judgment Day’s recent actions. She also talked about the Fatal 5-Way match for her title.
Sami Zayn interrupted and said that he was tired of hearing the same stuff from Judgment Day members. He said that he has fought these kinds of people his whole life, and he will take down Judgment Day, too.
It was a passionate promo, and the “Sami” chant picked up in the end. Ripley asked Zayn to face Damian Priest in a match. As they were about to attack Sami, Ricochet arrived, causing Judgment Day to back off.
Ricochet and Dominik battled in a non-title bout. Dom was consistently getting help from Ripley and McDonagh. The match was filled with high-flying action from Ricochet and heel tactics by Dom. In the end, distractions allowed Dom a cheap rollup win on Ricochet as he got his feet on the ropes.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
Grades B+
Analysis
The promo segment was good between Zayn and Ripley. Sami is getting the spotlight, which is a good step, as the crowd loves him. Dom’s wrestling abilities have improved very well. On the other hand, Ricochet can give a great match to anyone on the roster. It was a good opener for the show.
Tag Team Match
The Creed Brothers vs Alpha Academy
The Creed Brothers, Julius and Brutus Creed made their main roster debut against Alpha Academy. Maxxine and Tozawa were at ringside.
For those unfamiliar, The Creed Brothers have been the highlight of the NXT Tag Team Division for more than a year now.
Ivy Nile accompanied them. Nile even suplexedTozawa at ringside, which looked hilarious. The Creed Brothers showed their action.
The face-off between powerhouses Otis and Brutus was great. A standing moonsault from Brutus was awesome. Otis delivered the World’s Strongest Slam to Brutus. However, Julius broke the pin by a 450 Splash.
In the end, Julius gets Otis in an electric chair, followed by Brutus Ball by Brutus for the win. All four men shook hands and celebrated together in the ring.
Winners: The Creed Brothers
Grades B
Analysis
It was a decent way to have The Creed Brothers on the main roster. There are reports that they have been called up to the main roster, and their upcoming match will be their last one on NXT.
Backstage: We went into the Judgment Day locker room. Balorpraised Dom for winning his match. Priest talked about beating Cody at Crown Jewel and cashing his MITB contract. He was not very happy that Ripley made her match against Sami Zayn.
Miz TV with Gunther
The Miz invited his guest, Gunther. Instead, Kaiser and Vinci came out and insulted the A-Lister. They even mentioned The Miz’s wife, Maryse. As they were arguing, Gunther came out.
The Ring General said that he has no respect for The Miz. He questions Miz’s wrestling abilities. He made fun of The Miz by saying that it’s 2023, and he is the longest reigning IC Champion while The Miz is still doing talk shows.
The Miz cut a serious promo and talked about his achievements. Kaiser and Vinci started dismantling chairs and other stuff from The Miz’s show. The Miz tried to fight but was laid out by Gunther with a hard chop and a big boot.
The Miz approached Adam Pearce in his office after the segment and asked for an IC Title shot. Pearce said he has to earn it against Bronson Reed.
Grades: B+
Analysis
There are reports that The Miz will be turning a babyface soon, and this segment was a glimpse of that. A feud between Miz and Gunther will be great.
Tag Team Match
DIY vs Imperium
DIY’s double-team moves looked great after a long time. Kicks and dives from Gargano were impressive. Kaiser’s European UpperCut and Vinci’s Suplex on the apron looked brutal.
In the end, Ciampa delivered a knee to the face of Vinci and tagged Gargano in. The combo move Meet in the Middle got the win for DIY.
Winner: DIY
Grades B
Analysis
DIY looked impressive in this match. On the other hand, Imperium’s Kaiser was disgusted with Vinci. There is a strong chance that DIY reunion can bring the breaking point of Imperium.
Singles Match
Candice LeRae vs Xia Li
Indi Hartwell was alongside Candice LeRae. The match had decent action until it went. A few minutes into the match, Xia Li hit a spin head kick called Sudden Impact. LeRae was done after that. She couldn’t get up, and the referee called the match. The doctors checked on Candice.
Winner: Xia Li by Referee’s decision
Grade C
Analysis
Candice LeRae looked legit injured this time. If it is a story, they have done great work as that looked real. Xia Li looked great in this role.
Non Title Match
Seth Rollins vs JD McDonagh
Seth Rollins talked about McIntyre. He said Drew beat him in 2020, but he is no more messiah, and this is a different Seth Rollins. JD McDonagh attacked him from behind.
The match started. Rollins used all his signature moves. There was a Slingblade and a buckle bomb. Damian Priest came out with the briefcase and a referee.
Rollins hit a pedigree and a stomp to get the win. He dared Damian Priest to cash in. Seth also warned Priest not to waste the briefcase on him. Priest walked away.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Grades B
Analysis
Seth got the final momentum before Crown Jewel. A video package of his opponent, Drew McIntyre, was shown, too. It looked great that WWE made fans aware of the briefcase by that cash-in angle.
Backstage: Becky Lynch was interviewed. She praised LyraValkyria. She also mentioned how she defended the title more quickly than Roman Reigns and Rhea Ripley. Xia Li challenged her for a match.
Trick or Treat Street Fight Match
Natalya vs Chelsea Green
Natalya faced Chelsea Green in a Halloween special Trick or Treat Street Fight. Tables and carved pumpkins surrounded the ring. Green and Niven were dressed as The Hart Foundation, while Natalya was a provocative bunny. This was an entertaining match involving pie, candy corn, kendo sticks, tables and pumpkins. Chelsea Green got the win in the end by Un-Pretty-Her.
Winner: Chelsea Green
Grades C
Singles Match
Sami Zayn vs Damian Priest
Sami Zayn and Damian Priest collided in the main event. The match began at a high pace. Priest’s Broken Arrow ended in a near fall. We saw South of Heaven on the apron. Sami’s Springboard Lariat looked awesome.
All of Judgment Day ran down to the ring. The distraction allowed Priest to capitalize. We saw Reckoning from Priest after a long, long time, which once was his finisher. Zayn escaped the Razor’s Edge but was laid out by Dominik as Balor distracted the referee.
Jey Uso came out to help Zayn. In the chaos, Uso superkicked Priest and the match ended in disqualification.
Judgment Day’s attack continued. Cody Rhodes arrived for the save. A stereo somersault senton/plancha combo from Zayn and Jey took out Balor and Dominik.
Cody got Priest on the commentary table, but McDonagh made the save. Zayn hit McDonagh with a HelluvaKick and handed him to Rhodes.
Two Cross Rhodes on the commentary table by Cody to McDonagh. Cody then delivered a serious, passionate promo to hype up his match against Damian Priest at Crown Jewel to end the show.
Winner: Damian Priest by Disqualification
Grades B+
Analysis
The match was good, but the aftermath was the highlight of the main event. WWE is involving multiple persons in this mix, reportedly giving us a WarGames preview.
It was a good show to hype up the Crown Jewel ple, which is happening on November 04 in Saudi Arabia.
