A brilliant PPV TLC ( I will review it tomorrow) is over, and WWE RAW begins with a video package. We are live from Tropicana Field in Florida as Tom Phillips welcomes us to yet another edition of Monday Night Raw. He is joined at the ringside by Bryon Saxton and Samoa Joe.
They start discussing last night’s PPV and hype tonight’s street fight main event and Randy Orton’s reaction to burning Bray Wyatt alive at TLC.
It is a Christmas edition of RAW, and the stage is set with Christmas Trees and lots of cheesy lights. We go to the ring, and here comes the new WWE Tag Team Champ Charlotte Flair. She’s back after six months.
Flair starts talking about winning the gold yesterday. Flair introduces Asuka, and she comes with both the WWE Women’s Championship and Tag Team Titles.
She talks in Japanese and brags about being a double champion as the Thunderdome crowd cheers them on. Asuka says Baszler and Nia Jax were not ready for Asuka and were definitely not prepared for her partner, The Queen. Charlotte laughs and then responds with a bond as Asuka bounces around.
Charlotte talks about the RAW Women’s Title and says, “Friend to friend…” but the music interrupts as Baszler and Jax enter the ring. Tom announces that they will face Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke later tonight. Nia says that it took six months to heal Flair’s broken arm, but that didn’t clean up her voice. Flair mocks Nia Jax and says she kicked her ass last night. Jax says Santa isn’t the only one with a nice or naughty list, but they don’t hand out coal; they hand out beatings, Season’s Beatings. Just ask Kairi Sane or Lana. The music interrupts, and here comes Brooke and Rose. Brooke and Rose try to crack jokes on how Baszler and Jax look without the titles this week. They tell them to move on. Rose and Brooke are in the WWE ring now. Flair asks Asuka if she wants to wait and watch this, and she does. Charlotte calls a referee to come to the ring. Charlotte’s music hits as she and Asuka head to ringside to watch the match. The other two teams have words as RAW goes to commercial.
Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax Vs. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke
Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax rolled into Raw angry and set their sights on Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke to take out their frustrations. The “Sexy Muscle Friends” overwhelmed WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Charlotte Flair at ringside with a robust offensive against the imposing tandem. Dana Brooke went high-risk to try and secure the win, but The Queen of Spades countered into a Kirifuda Clutch to force the tap out. After the match, Jax & Baszler turned their attention to the new champions, but Brooke and Rose happily dispatched them from the ring to prove they aren’t backing down from the title chase.
Winner: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler in 12:50.
Match Review: 2.25/5. Average match with Nia and Shayna Baszler coming out strong. I thought they would keep it short, but Dana and Mandy were given enough time to shine as well.
Drew Gulak Vs. Angel Garza
Before the opening bell, Angel Garza gifted a romantic rose to Sarah Schreiber and then come inside the ring, ready to dish out pain to Gulak. The international ambassador of love was in control from the beginning, and a picture perfect superkick stunned Gulak. Garza sprung at the chance and hit a Wing Clipper and struck a gimmick pose on the ropes to secure his victory.
Winner: Angel Garza in 2:10.
Match Review: 1/5. Short match with crowd not caring enough for either of the wrestlers because they have not been featured that much of RAW.
T-BAR Vs. Ricochet
RETRIBUTION continued their pushy recruitment of Ricochet with a strong showdown against T-BAR. A devastating clothesline leveled the high-flyer, but Ricochet kicked out before the three-count. As has been the case for months, Ricochet was pushed to deal with the entire RETRIBUTION horde outside the ring and kept on defying Mustafa Ali’s master plan. As Ricochet returned his focus back to the ring, T-BAR was waiting with a crushing knee to the jaw that resulted in T-Bar’s victory.
Winner: T-Bar in 2:45.
Match Review: 1/5. YAWN! I am done with this storyline. Stop burying Ricochet or send him back to NXT to shine. He deserves better than losing in under 3 minutes week after week.
Bobby Lashley and MVP Vs. Jeff Hardy and Riddle
After Jeff Hardy and Riddle crashed The Hurt Business’ championship celebration earlier in at RAW, Bobby Lashley and MVP came out furious. The United States Champion imposed his will until The Original Bro began chopping him down with a series of kicks. The Charismatic Enigma provided the assist for a teamed up “The Hardy Bros” , and Floating Bro appeared to be creating some serious “Poetry in Motion.” A devious maneuver by The All-Mighty knocked Jeff Hardy off the top rope and sent him crashing onto the steel steps. Riddle got rolling and nearly finished MVP with a fisherman suplex, but Lashley broke up the pin and tagged himself in. Jeff Hardy dug deep to try and get his payback on the United States Champion, but Bobby Lashley clasped in the Hurt Lock once again, and there was no escape.
Winner: Bobby Lashley and MVP in 11:35.
Match Review: 3/5. Good match with predictable ending. I liked how ‘perfect’ Riddle was inside the ring. Jeff is a seasoned veteran who knows how to sell and Bobby Lashley continues to dominate the ring.
Gran Metalik Vs. Jaxson Ryker
Jaxson Ryker has been reborn through the “Universal Truth,” and Gran Metalik found out inside the squared circle. As Elias provided the battle’s soundtrack, The King of the Ropes knocked the songbird from his perch, and Lince Dorado was left with his own guitar solo. The party was short-lived, as an incensed Jaxson Ryker charged Gran Metalik and destroyed his opponent with a Sit-out Chokebomb for the win.
Winner: Jaxson Ryker in 0:55.
Match Review: NR A match under 1 minute on a 3 hour episode of Monday Night Raw is criminal. I am rooting for longer matches and concrete storylines.
Charlotte Flair and Asuka Vs. Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce – Non-Title Match
Lacey Evans & Peyton Royce showed initiative to match the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. They were out to show they belonged, as Peyton Royce impressed with repeated attacks against Asuka. Chemistry issues began to doom Royce & Evans, as a couple of unprompted tags proved bad. As the pair argued, Asuka rallied with a picture perfect suplex and tagged in Flair, who began unleashing on Peyton Royce. Peyton Royce nearly won the match, but Asuka broke up her hold, and Charlotte locked in Figure Eight to force the submission.
Winner: Charlotte Flair and Asuka in 8:20
Match Review: 2.5/5. Good match with a predictable outcome. Asuka and Charlotte look good together.
Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, and Keith Lee Vs. AJ Styles, The Miz, and John Morrison – Six-Man Holiday Street Fight
An unstable “Miz TV” created a volatile situation for both teams heading into the Six-Man Holiday Street Fight. Keith Lee and Sheamus began throwing their weight around, but it wasn’t long before the two titans were at each other’s necks. An inconvenient distraction allowed John Morrison to throw Sheamus from the top rope and sent him crashing through the holiday spread on the outside. The holiday hijinks then kicked into overdrive as The Phenomenal One targeted the hobbled knee of Drew McIntyre with a candy cane, but The King of Claymore Country presented his own holiday feast. McIntyre sent AJ Styles flying into the ringside Christmas tree and then dabbling into the eggnog. With The Miz down, Lee and Sheamus fought over the final tag, and Lee finally seized the moment with a Spirit Bomb win. After the final bell, an angry Celtic Warrior dished out a Brogue Kick to Keith Lee, much to Drew McIntyre’s dismay.
Winner: Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, and Keith Lee in 17:55.
Match Review: 3.25/5. A good match with lots of things going on. It was a holiday special episode and the main event felt like a glorified house-show tag team match with faces winning the fight to send the crowd happy.
NYK Rating of WWE Raw, 21st December 2020: 5/10.
Three stars of the show.
- Charlotte/Asuka
- Drew McIntyre
- AJ Styles
