WWE RAW Coverage & Discussion Thread - October 15th, 2018

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Will The Brothers of Destruction respond to
D-Generation X?

Are The Undertaker & Kane ready? Now that D-Generation X has re-formed for a tag team battle with The Brothers of Destruction at WWE Crown Jewel, what’s going through the minds of The Deadman and The Big Red Machine? Plus, two huge WWE World Cup Qualifying Matches and a response by Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey to last week's ambush by The Bellas.


:raw:

- Tonight's WWE RAW opens live from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Michael Cole welcomes us. He's joined by Renee Young and Corey Graves.

- We go right to the ring and out comes Braun Strowman as his music hits. He's joined by RAW Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre.

Ziggler takes the mic and says we're looking at the best three-man team in WWE history. McIntyre says they didn't need a catchy name or tactical vests to get it done. Braun says they proved it against The Shield last week and will prove it again, any time. Ziggler shows us a replay of last week's six-man match on RAW, a rematch from Super Show-Down. We also see the post-RAW cryptic comments from Dean Ambrose. McIntyre says they didn't just beat The Shield, they broke them. He goes on about how WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins have no use for Ambrose. McIntyre says finally everyone's eyes are open, finally Ambrose has opened his eyes and The Shield has been shattered. Braun says The Shield won't have Reigns' back when he destroys The Big Dog and The Beast to become champion at Crown Jewel.

McIntyre plugs the WWE World Cup and how he will mow through the competition, proving that he's the best in the world. Ziggler says Drew is great but he also has a qualifying match tonight and maybe they will go head-to-head in the finals. McIntyre says as good as Ziggler is, and he's absolutely fantastic, but he's no Drew McIntyre. They go on until the music interrupts and out comes Rollins and Reigns on the stage.

Rollins says The Shield is not broken, it's alive and well. Rollins talks about the World Cup and says he will prove he's the best in the world. Ziggler asks where Ambrose is. Ziggler says he will be happy to take a forfeit tonight. Rollins says Ambrose runs on his own time and shows up when he wants but the bottom line is that he always shows up. Reigns mentions how Braun will have to go to the back of the line after he loses at Crown Jewel. Rollins is ready for his qualifying match with McIntyre and that's next. We go to commercial.

WWE World Cup Qualifying Match: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

Back from the break and the match is underway. McIntyre takes control and keeps Rollins grounded, wearing him down.

Rollins mounts some offense and hits a dropkick. Rollins sends Drew out to the floor. Rollins runs the ropes for a suicide dive but Drew meets him and ends up launching him on the floor with a big throw. Rollins ends up turning it around and sending Drew into the barrier. Ziggler runs down and provides a distraction by running in the ring, allowing Drew to go under the ring. Drew drops Rollins at ringside as Ziggler looks on and laughs. The referee checks on Rollins as he clutches his arm. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Rollins has dropped Drew with a superkick. Rollins with a Slingblade. Drew catches Rollins for an Alabama Slam but Rollins rolls through for a 2 count. Drew charges but runs into the steel ring post shoulder-first. Rollins with a Blockbuster for a 2 count as Ziggler looks on from ringside.

Rollins goes to the top but Drew rocks him with a right hand. Drew with a big chop while Rollins is up top. Drew tries to scoop Rollins for a power move but Rollins slides out. Rollins jumps up with a big kick to the face. Drew is hung upside down now. Rollins looks to capitalize but Drew counters and launches Rollins to the mat, all while upside down in the corner. Drew climbs up but Rollins jumps up with him. Rollins nails a superplex and holds it for the Falcon Arrow but Drew counters with a Falcon Arrow of his own. Rollins kicks out just in time.

Drew goes on and misses a Claymore Kick as Rollins nails an enziguri. Fans cheer as Rollins looks to put him away. Rollins knocks Ziggler off the apron and Drew tries to capitalize but it backfires. Rollins with a dive out to Ziggler. He runs back in and nails another dive to Drew. They bring it back in and Rollins kicks Drew. Rollins goes for the Stomp but Drew gets involved again. The music hits and out comes Dean Ambrose to a big pop. Ambrose comes from the crowd and unloads on Ziggler from behind. Drew drops Ambrose from behind. Rollins with a Stomp to McIntyre on the floor. Rollins makes it back in at the 9 count but Drew is counted out. Rollins advances.

Winner by Count Out: Seth Rollins

- After the match, Ambrose enters the ring as Rollins has his arm raised. Ambrose and Rollins show each other some love as the announcers hype the WWE World Cup. We go to replays as Rollins' music plays.

- Still to come, Ziggler vs. Ambrose in a World Cup qualifier.

- We see The Bella Twins backstage walking and they look paranoid. We also see WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita backstage talking. Bayley appears and hugs them.

- Still to come, a look at the reunion of DX. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and the announcers encourage fans to donate money to help the victims of Hurricane Michael. Fans can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting MICHAEL to 90999.

- The Shield is backstage walking. Seth Rollins refers to Dean Ambrose as a "lunatic" and Ambrose doesn't like it. Ambrose says he's only good for laughs to them until they need him to show up and help them out. Ambrose says he has his own stuff to worry about and walks off.

- The announcers show us last week's DX reunion with Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. They plug HBK coming out of retirement to face Kane and The Undertaker at WWE Crown Jewel. We cut to a vignette with The Brothers of Destruction. Kane says the DX reunion was made on a bed of lies. Taker says respect didn't keep Shawn in retirement for the past 8 years, fear did. They go on and Taker says at Crown Jewel, when The Brothers unite to unleash hell on DX for the first time, all of HBK's fears will come true. Kane says Triple H may have won a battle in Australia but he started a war that will begin and end at Crown Jewel. Taker says when it ends, Taker can slink back to the comfort of the boardroom and Shawn can get back to the safety of retirement. Kane says DX had three words for them - are you ready?, but they have three words for DX - Rest In Peace, says Taker.

Ember Moon and Nia Jax vs. Dana Brooke and Tamina Snuka

We go to the ring and out comes Ember Moon as JoJo does the introductions. She waits on the stage and out next comes her partner - Nia Jax. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Dana Brooke is out with the returning Tamina Snuka. Ember starts off with Dana and they go at it with Moon taking control. Dana drops Moon with a big shoulder. Moon takes the legs out with a sweep and rolls Dana up for a 2 count. Tamina tags in and works over Moon in the corner. Tamina keeps control until Moon gets a break and in comes Jax.

Jax stares Tamina down as fans pop. They go at it and Nia gets the upperhand. Jax splashes Tamina on the mat. Tamina makes a comeback and delivers a boot. Jax fights back and they trade headbutts. Tamina ends up blocking a Samoan Drop attempt. Tamina goes for a Samoan Drop of her own but can't get her up either. Tamina finally scoops Jax up and hits the Samoan Drop.

Dana ends up tagging in but Jax tosses her into the corner and splashes her. Moon tags in with The Eclipse for the pin.

Winner: Nia Jax and Ember Moon

- After the match, Jax and Moon celebrate as we go to replays. Tamina approaches Jax but Moon gets in the middle. Moon is pushed to the side. Jax and Tamina tangle but Tamina drops her with a superkick. Tamina and Ember look at each other, then tip Jax over the top rope to the floor. Fans boo. Tamina talks trash to Jax and Moon tries to dump her over the top rope from behind but Tamina stops her. Dana comes from behind and puts them both over the top. Dana stands tall in the ring as her music hits.

- We get a video package on Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins.

- Back from the break and out comes RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey to the ring. Rousey says we all saw how The Bella Twins betrayed her in front of the whole world last week. She just wants an explanation, they at least owe her that. Ronda calls The Bella Twins out to explain why they attacked her. The music hits and out comes The Bella, Brie Bella & Nikki Bella.

Nikki says first of all, no one here paid to see Ronda but they paid to see The Bellas. Fans boo. Nikki says they don't owe Ronda an explanation. Brie says this is show business, not show friends. Brie says Rousey disregarded everything they have done for the business. Brie asks what did she expect, for them to sit on the sidelines and watch Rousey? Nikki says they came back to compete because she cringed at Rousey being the face of the revolution. Nikki says Rousey is a loser who doesn't deserve anything. Nikki says she deserves to be champion, not Rousey. Nikki goes on about how they and other women made the word "Diva" mean something, made it strong and powerful. She goes on about how The Bellas made people want to see women's wrestling even more.

Nikki says she has already done more in the ring than Rousey ever will. She goes on and says the title Rousey carries around wouldn't even exist if it weren't for them. Rousey says she tried... fans cheer for Rousey. Rousey says she tried her best to be respectful, she really did. She knew WWE was their territory first and she tried to not be judgmental, even though everything the Divas era stood for made her sick. She goes on about how she thought she and The Bellas could be driving forces together but that was her mistake. She was too naive and idealistic. She calls them DNB's - Do Nothing Bellas. She says they weren't there to support her, they were there because cameras were also there and she's never seen such desperation. She says they have the absolute minimal amount of talent. They leached off their men. Fans pop at that line. Rousey says they plagiarized and diluted their men's move-sets. They're not pioneers, they're relics of the past, waiting to be eradicated like smallpox. She goes on and says the only thing stopping her at Evolution is a referee and we know they're not good at holding her back. Rousey says she will ruin them, no matter how much marketing is put into them. Brie says Rousey just sounds really jealous of them. Brie says the word Bella did more last week worldwide than Rousey has in her career here. Nikki rants on how they have broken down more doors and how Rousey doesn't even compare to them. Rousey says she's been knocking down doors her entire career - in judo, Strikeforce, UFC and now here at home in WWE. Fans pop for Rousey.

Rousey says the only door Nikki ever knocked down was the door to John Cena's bedroom. Fans go wild at the shot. Rousey says Cena eventually threw Nikki out of that same door. Rousey asks if they're going to come get the ass whipping they deserve or does she have to come give it to them? They look to head to the ring for a fight but they stop and taunt Ronda on the stage instead. Several security guards come down and walk down the ramp, The Bellas' own private security team. Rousey takes them all down at ringside for another pop. The Bellas retreat to the back. Rousey stands on the apron and calls them back to the ring, fired up as the crowd cheers her on. Rouse stands tall as her music hits.

- The announcers show us how RAW General Manager Kurt Angle made his surprise return to qualify for the World Cup last week. The WWE Hall of Famer is backstage with Bobby Roode and Chad Gable now and he's decked out for vacation, Hawaiian shirt and all. Gable and Roode leave as No Way Jose comes in and dances with Angle a bit. Acting RAW General Manager Baron Corbin walks in and says he's arranged a match for Angle tonight. Angle says he didn't bring his gear. Corbin says he will figure it out but the match is a Handicap Match against The Authors of Pain. Corbin walks off.

- Still to come, Lita and Trish Stratus are here.

- The announcers plug the current Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign with Susan G. Komen.

WWE World Cup Qualifying Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler

We go to the ring for the next WWE World Cup qualifying match as Dean Ambrose makes his way out. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes RAW Tag Team Champion Dolph Ziggler. They lock up and trade holds. Ambrose drops Ziggler first with a shoulder. Ambrose with a quick pin attempt. Ambrose unloads on Ziggler for another 2 count. Ambrose with a snap suplex for another quick pin attempt.

Ambrose with more offense and another pin attempt until Ziggler turns it around and grounds him, telling the referee to ask him if he quits. Ambrose fights up and out but Ziggler rocks him and mocks him some. They run the ropes and Ambrose misses a shot but catches Ziggler's crossbody. Ambrose with a big fall-away slam. Ziggler goes to the floor for a breather but Ambrose follows. Ambrose sends Ziggler into the barrier a few times as fans cheer. Ambrose ends up going for the Cloverleaf but it's blocked. Ambrose goes to the top but Ziggler runs up and brings him to the mat face-first. Ziggler sells the knee and can't make the pin as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Ziggler gets launched into the post. Ambrose is slow to capitalize. Ambrose levels Ziggler with a forearm and a clothesline. Ambrose drops Ziggler with an elbow to the chin. Ambrose drops Ziggler over the top rope and looks to go for a submission but Ziggler fights him off. Ziggler with an elbow. They trade holds and pin attempts. Ambrose gets the Cloverleaf applied in the middle of the ring.

The hold is broken but Ambrose gets the upperhand for another close 2 count. Ambrose goes to the top but Ziggler crotches him. Ambrose sends him to the mat. Drew McIntyre runs down but so does Seth Rollins. They brawl on the floor. Ambrose leaps from the top and drops McIntyre on the floor. There's a mix-up on the floor as Ambrose shoves Rollins away on the floor. Ambrose goes back into the ring but Ziggler superkicks him for the pin. Ziggler earns the final RAW spot in the World Cup.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

- After the match, Ziggler and McIntyre leave as we go to replays. Rollins looks on confused from the outside while Ambrose is face-down on the mat. Rollins enters the ring but Ambrose wants nothing to do with him. Ambrose storms off but Rollins follows. They argue and shove each other on the stage. Roman Reigns comes out to break it up but they're still arguing. The Acting RAW GM comes out with a mic. Baron Corbin asks if they're still having problems and says the last thing he wants is for The Shield to dissolve on his watch. Corbin is going to give them a chance to redeem themselves with another six-man shot at Braun Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre tonight. Corbin grins as Rollins and Reigns stare him down. Ambrose has already left to the back.

- Still to come, Kurt Angle vs. The AOP plus Trish Stratus and Lita are here.

Finn Balor vs. Jinder Mahal

We go to the ring and out comes the Mixed Match Challenge team of Finn Balor with Bayley. Cole plugs the new WWE NXT UK series on the WWE Network as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Strowman, McIntyre and Ziggler are backstage talking about the main event. Strowman and McIntyre argue some. Strowman warns Ziggler and McIntyre - they will "get these hands" if they screw up tonight. We go to the ring and the match is underway. Samir Singh has returned and is at ringside with Sunil Singh and Alicia Fox. Jinder Mahal is going at it with Balor as Bayley watches.

Balor ends up hitting a Slingblade and getting the easy win with a Coup de Grace

Winner: Finn Balor

- After the match, Balor and Bayley celebrate until the music interrupts and out comes Bobby Lashley with Lio Rush. Lashley enters the ring and flexes in Balor's face as Rush hypes him up on the mic and taunts Balor. Balor leaves as Lashley poses. He's in action next after the commercial.

Bobby Lashley vs. Tyler Breeze

Back from the break and Lio Rush is running his mouth while Tyler Breeze and Bobby Lashley get the bell. Rush sends Lashley to the corner to keep posing and flexing.

We finally get some action and Breeze nails an enziguri. Lashley comes back with a one-arm vertical suplex. Rush continues working the mic. Lashley with a one arm Full Nelson. Lashley dominates but wastes some time. Breeze looks to turn it around but Lashley cuts him off and nails a powerslam. Rush chants Lashley's name some more and laughs. Lashley plants Breeze into the mat and covers for the easy win.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

- After the match, Rush enters the ring and continues running his mouth as Lashley stands tall and his music plays.

- Still to come, Trish Stratus and Lita are here. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and out comes WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. She waits on the stage as WWE Hall of Famer Lita comes out. They head to the ring together and pose for the fans.

Lita says what's up to her old friend Philadelphia and says it's good to be back home. She plugs the WWE Evolution pay-per-view but is quickly interrupted by the music as Alexa Bliss comes out with Mickie James. They mock the Hall of Famers and mention putting an end to Stratusfaction at Evolution. Mickie says Trish and Lita haven't been in a WWE ring in a long time and while they've been kicking back, she and Bliss have been kicking butt.

Bliss goes on about nostalgia and says Evolution will be a cake walk. They go on but Trish and Lita interrupt, mocking them. Lita and Trish finally challenge Bliss and Mickie to come to the ring for a fight. Bliss and Mickie drop the mics and head to the ring but stop and change their minds. They turn around and head back up the ramp as fans boo.

- The Riott Squad approaches Bayley backstage and they mock her before walking off. Still to come, Ruby Riott vs. Natalya. Also, The Shield vs. Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre in the main event. Back to commercial.

Handicap Match: Kurt Angle vs. The Authors of Pain

Back from the break and The Conquistador is in the ring. Apparently this is WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle. Out next comes The Authors of Pain, Akam and Rezar. WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick leads them to the ring.

The bell rings and they go at it. Baron Corbin comes out to the stage and watches from a chair. They look to dominate the masked man early on but it seems fishy as he forgot how to do the ankle lock. They easily drop the Conquistador with the double team slam and Akam covers for the pin.

Winners: The Authors of Pain

- After the match, Drake enters the ring and stands tall with The AOP. Drake orders them to unmask Angle but as expected, it's just some unknown jobber, not Angle. The real Kurt Angle suddenly appears on the stage and drops Corbin with the Angle Slam for a big pop.

- The Riott Squad is backstage taunting Natalya from outside of her locker room door. We go back to commercial.

Natalya vs. Ruby Riott

Back from the break and out comes The Riott Squad - Ruby Riott with Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. Natalya is out next with a mic. She says she wouldn't come out here without some back-up. She introduces Bayley to watch her back. Natalya says she's not done because they found someone else to help them even the odds tonight. Out comes the returning Sasha Banks to a pop. They all head to the ring together.

The bell rings and Natalya unloads on Riott, sending her into the ropes. Riott lands a kick in the middle of the chaos and drops Natalya for a 2 count. Riott keeps control and covers for another 2 count. Natalya with a roll-up out of nowhere. Riott drops Natalya with an elbow for another 2 count. Riott keeps Natalya grounded and talks some trash now. Fans try to rally for Natalya but Riott levels her for a close 2 count.

Riott with thrusts in the corner as the referee warns her. Natalya counters a move in the corner and dumps Riott over the top rope to the floor. Liv and Logan check on Riott and she returns to the ring. Riott talks some trash but Natalya slaps her and drops her. Natalya applies the Sharpshooter but Logan runs in and nails her for the disqualification.

Winner by DQ: Natalya

- After the bell, a big brawl breaks out between both teams. Liv decks Sasha and dumps her to the floor. Bayley is also tossed out. They go to triple team Natalya but Sasha and Bayley pull Riott to the floor. Bayley and Sasha go after Liv and Logan next, taking turns on them in the ring. Liv takes a Backstabber and a Bayley-to-Belly suplex. Natalya with a big German suplex to Ruby. The Riott Squad retreats as the others look on from the ring.

- We see Elias backstage bullying another staffer around. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and Elias is out with his guitar.

Elias mentions how John Cena and everyone else knows that WWE stands for Walk With Elias. He gets some heat when mentioning the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and knocking the city of Philly. He also disses the Phillie Phanatic, mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies. Elias is interrupted by the music of Apollo. Apollo says he just figured it was his turn to come out and interrupt Elias. Elias says Apollo better pray he's on his good side tonight and tonight is not the night he makes a star out of Apollo. Apollo says he's not like Elias, he doesn't sing and stuff but what matters is what he does when he gets in the ring. Elias takes more shots at the Philly sports teams and Apollo. Apollo says he's kept his mouth shut for too long, he's sat in the back for too long and watch other people pass him by, like Elias, and he's sick of it. Elias goes on about how he's better than Apollo and says he's going to show what happens when you interrupt him.

Elias gets ready for a fight but Apollo rocks him and presses him high over his head, holding him in the air. Apollo drops Elias to the mat and talks some trash, saying that's who he is. Apollo poses in the corner as his music hits.

- We see Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns backstage talking. Still to come, The Shield vs. Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre. Back to commercial.

The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre

Back from the break and it's time for the main event. Out comes Braun Strowman and RAW Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre to the ring. The Shield is out next - Dean Ambrose, WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. All three members come to the ring through the crowd.

Both teams stare each other down as we get the bell. Strowman yells at Ziggler to start the match and show him something. Ziggler starts off with Rollins and they trade holds. Ziggler fires back at Strowman and asks him if he likes what he sees while keeping Rollins down. Ziggler runs the ropes but Rollins catches the crossbody and slams him in the middle of the ring. Ambrose tags in for some double teaming. Ambrose drops an elbow for a 2 count. Rollins tags back in for more double teaming with Ambrose. Strowman yells at the referee. Ziggler shoves Rollins into Ambrose and there's some quick tension there. Reigns comes in and gets in between them to calm things down. Strowman comes in and nails all of them. Ziggler keeps control and nails a big DDT for a 2 count. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Reigns is fighting McIntyre off in the middle of the ring. Drew drops Reigns and hits the jackknife cover for a close 2 count. Ziggler tags back in and keeps Reigns down on the mat. Some fans try to rally for Reigns. Reigns fights to his feet and tosses Ziggler. Reigns with a pair of clotheslines. Drew tags back in and stops the tag but Reigns comes flying off the ropes and levels him as they both go down.

Strowman tags in and stops Reigns from tagging. Strowman splashes Reigns in the corner. Strowman yells at McIntyre about how to get the job done but McIntyre tags himself in, staring at Strowman. McIntyre works over Reigns but Strowman does the same thing, keeping the tension going for their team. Strowman ends up going for another splash in the corner but Reigns moves. Reigns tries to lift Strowman but can't get him up. Strowman hits the ring post after missing in the corner again. Reigns manages to get Strowman up this time, nailing the Samoan Drop.

Ziggler and McIntyre stop Reigns from tagging by decking the others on the apron. They come in and hit the Claymore - Zig-Zag combo on Reigns but Ambrose and Rollins prevent the pin. Reigns ends up dropping Ziggler and tagging in Rollins. Rollins unloads on McIntyre. Rollins tags in Ambrose and they double team Drew. Strowman comes in but they send him to the floor. Ambrose and Rollins with suicide dives to Ziggler and McIntyre on the floor. They go for a double dive on Strowman but he catches them by their throats. Reigns jumps off the steel steps and hits Strowman with a Superman Punch to make the save. Ambrose and McIntyre tangle now in the ring. Ziggler breaks up Ambrose's close 2 count. Chaos breaks out as Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds on McIntyre. Ziggler shoves Rollins into Ambrose and the pin is broken.

Ambrose and Rollins argue some more now. Ambrose kicks Rollins for a Dirty Deeds but Rollins avoids it and stares at him. Ziggler tries to take advantage from behind and ends up hitting a Zig Zag on Ambrose for a close 2 count. Drew come in and tells Ziggler it's time to put Ambrose away. They go for the Claymore - Zig-Zag combo but Reigns makes the save with a Superman Punch for both men. Reigns avoid the running powerslam from Strowman. McIntyre hits a Claymore on Strowman as Reigns moves out of the way, sending Braun out of the ring. Reigns with a Spear on Drew. Ziggler comes from behind and Reigns blocks the Zig-Zag. The Shield hits their triple powerbomb on Ziggler and Ambrose covers for the pin to win.

Winners: The Shield

- After the match, The Shield stands tall together as their music hits. Reigns clutches the Universal Title as Rollins is handed the Intercontinental Title. The Shield walks up the ramp as the others recover. Strowman stares down Drew and he's not happy. Braun enters the ring, where Ziggler and McIntyre are still working their way up. Fans chant "get these hands" as Braun stares them down. Braun grabs Ziggler and says he warned him what would happen if he screwed up. Braun scoops Ziggler and hits the running powerslam. Braun turns around to a big Claymore from McIntyre. Drew looks down at Braun and leaves the ring as his music hits. Strowman stumbles to his feet. Drew turns around on the ramp and stares back at Strowman. We go to replays. We come back to Strowman and Drew staring at each other. Drew walks to the back as RAW goes off the air.