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RAW PREMIERE LIVE BLOG

Added 2019-09-30 23:57:01 +0000 UTC

Opening Segment

Jerry Lawler already sounds like he's reading voiceovers for a video game.
For some reason Lawler says the show is starting with a Universal Title match. It's a promo.
Rey Mysterio comes out and is interrupted by Brock Lesnar and welcomed with two huge F5s.
Vic Joseph isn't really selling the violence of all this well. Lawler is, though.
Brock BEATS THE PISS OUT OF DOMINIC MYSTERIO.
There's a clear botch, but Lesnar heaves Dominic all over the place. There is an insane German suplex.
Lawler calls Dominic a teenager. He's 22. Some stumbles, but Lawler was good here.
Let's just talk about how Dominic can bump his ass off.
Rey Mysterio will not be returning tonight, but Rollins will still defend the title.
Paul Heyman apologizes for Brock Lesnar's actions, but blames Vince McMahon for allowing him to schedule Brock Lesnar on Raw.

Sasha Banks defeated Alexa Bliss
5.25/10

Becky Lynch comes out, and is the focus of much of this match on commentary.
The work here is pretty good.
Dio Maddin has barely talked and when he does, he's interrupted. Him and Vic sound very similar in this setting. Lawler keeps saying "BECKY YOU TOLD ME IN THE BACK YOU WOULDN'T DO THIS."
Sasha kicks Alexa Bliss in the knee after distracting her by pretending Bayley was running in.
That's not cheating, that's just being smarter than your opponent.
Becky Lynch comes down and ends up running off Sasha. She says the odds will be evened up at Hell in a Cell.
Sasha "YOU SEE" Banks. She says it twice, then says she'll never let "THE MAN" win a women's Hell in a Cell because

WWE Raw Tag Team Championships
Roode & Ziggler (c) defeated Heavy Machinery
5.5/10

I love the championship intros.
Otis and Tucker are over. They're also very strong.
They sandwich the champs.
Outside of a brief period where Heavy Machinery get worked over, they're in control.
Roode and Ziggler stop the Compactor with a Zig Zag and a series of Superkicks.
Roode beats Tucker with a nice Glorious DDT.
The finish to this match was outstanding.

Miz TV

Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart come out and they all shoot the shit.
Ric Flair says he's been sick of hearing Hogan's music for years.
Hogan and Flair squared off and the crowd came to their feet.
Miz announces Team Hogan vs. Team Flair for Crown Jewel. A five on five tag team match.....weeks before Survivor Series.
Seth Rollins is Hogan's captain, Orton is Flair's.
They wanna fight, and they show the team rolling the carpet out of the ring, which is different.
Baron Corbin's music hits and he helps Orton jump Rollins.
Rusev makes the save. How did they know who Rusev was going to attack?
"Rusev Day" chants. This would have been a great spot for Rusev to make his return.
This isn't the greatest Raw or anything, but it's not been bad to me. The facelift of commentary, graphics, presentation, pyro has helped. It won't matter to me in a few weeks, but for tonight it's nice.
Rusev says he was the only person to help Rollins, and challenges him to a title match tonight. That's good. They made sense of why Rusev helping him.
Rusev wouldn't detail why Lana wasn't around.

Viking Raiders defeated THE OC
5.5/10

Before this match we see another AOP promo.
This is hard hitting, but doesn't have a lot of heat. The opposite of Viking Raiders the last couple of weeks.
Erick delivers a great knee before the break.
Ivar wakes up that dead crowd with his cartwheel combo and a clothesline/German suplex.
A good spinebuster hits for Gallows, but he's Tornado Bombed and pinned after a big splash.

Ricochet defeated Cesaro
5.5/10

Cesaro is happy about what Brock Lesnar did to Rey Mysterio. Ricochet and his bad scripting takes exception to it.
Cesaro still wearing capri joggers in the ring. He gets monkey flipped out of the ring.
Gorilla 2 Sleep by Ricochet.
Ricochet wins with a Dragonrana!

Backstage Crappenings

Firefly Funhouse. Rabbit dies again. This one is a little more pointless than others.
Maria Kanellis says Rusev is not the father of her kid.

WWE United States Championship
AJ Styles (c) defeated Cedric Alexander
6.75/10

Cedric connects with a carthweel dropkick, Styles with an slingshot Phenomenal Forearm.
These guys always go at it hard.
Scoop reverse DDT from AJ Styles, and it was amazing. As was the Michinoku Driver that followed by Cedric.
Neuralizer, and a great fireman's carry kick from Cedric.
An amazing transition into the Styles Clash leads to a Styles win.
These two have special chemistry.

Lacey Evans defeated Natalya
5/10

WWE Universal Championship
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Rusev
4.5/10

Rusev dupes Rollins into a handshake and attacks.
It's great to see Rusev back in action.
We see a Fiend image before the break.
We come back to see a great Blockbuster and a few less great suicide dives.
Rusev plants Rollins with a swinging side slam as Randy Orton and King Corbin both watch on.
Jerry Lawler references marriages in wrestling rarely working out "like that guy Otis in Heavy Machinery." Otis is one of the strongest people on the WWE roster and won the NXT combine for trap bar deadlift, bench press, and was second in the weighted pull- up contest
Bobby Lashley comes out with Lana and kisses her. Lashley and Lana dry humping on the season premiere of WWE Monday Night Raw.
Rusev just stands there watching. Forever. Like, uncomfortably long.
Like, so much of what happened in this main event didn't need to exist.
Fiend attacks Seth Rollins. That's a wrap.