 Randy Orton CAlled Out Jesse VenturaWe had a ton of throwaway guest hosts of Raw from 2009 to 2010 and a handful of decent ones, but Ventura was definitely among the best of them. Obviously, the gig came natural to him as a former wrestling personality, but he was so perfect in this segment as he set the stage for the Breakthrough Battle Royal main event, which would feature Superstars who had never before been world champion fighting for a world championship opportunity at TLC. He didn't seem to forget any of his lines and actually cared about what he had to talk about. Meanwhile, Orton attempted to convince Ventura that he deserved a title shot, but Ventura disagreed. Kofi Kingston def. Dolph Ziggler in a Breakthrough Battle Royal Qualifying MatchThese two went on to have many, many matches in 2010 and 2011, and most of them were enjoyable, but this was a forgettable first face-off from them. They weren't given much time and the crowd didn't care about Ziggler at all (he was largely exclusive to SmackDown at this point), but it did succeed in showcasing Kingston, who was on an absolute roll at the time by becoming the sole survivor at Survivor Series the night prior.
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 Ruby Riot def. Sonya DevilleBefore the bout began, video packages aired informing viewers that both Deville and Riot made their main roster debuts this week on Raw and SmackDown Live, respectively. This very well could be the last we see of either of them in NXT, and they went out on a high note with a fun match. Deville hasn't quite gotten herself over with audience just yet, but Riot is super likable and easy to rally behind as a fan favorite (which is why I'm not sold on her turning heel on SmackDown right now) and carried her to a good outing here that benefited from being the first matchup of the night. WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne def. Johnny GarganoNo, an American contending for the WWE United Kingdom Championship didn't make much sense, but who the hell cares when the match was as awesome as it was? We all expected that coming in, and it definitely delivered in being a blast. The pace was perfect and the crowd was engaged in the exciting action every step of the way. The closing minutes were especially exceptional and had me yearning for more of Dunne on NXT (or anywhere for that matter).
#AskGSM Edition #208: NXT Call-Ups, Survivor Series 2017 Fallout, Andrade Almas' Title Win, More11/22/2017  #AskGSM is a weekly Q&A video where I, Graham "GSM" Matthews answer fan questions from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in regards to the world of wrestling. Nothing is off limits, and this week’s edition touches upon a variety of topics including:
 Matt Taven def. Jay WhiteThe Kingdom and Search & Destroy have been feuding for a few weeks now, so this was a logical match to do and a well-wrestled one at that. The interference from the other Kingdom members was a bit excessive at times, but when it was just Taven and White going at it, they worked well together and had a nice opener. Taven scoring the win helped the stable build momentum ahead of eventually challenging for the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship and the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Shane Taylor def. Cheesebuger in a ROH World Television Championship Qualifying MatchObviously, this was a complete mismatch on paper, but Cheeseburger is so over with the audience that they were behind everything he did. That made this match more enjoyable even though the outcome was never in doubt. What's interesting is that Taylor came across like a heel during the bout, yet he apparently turned babyface afterward when he saved Cheeseburger from an attack at the hands of The Dawgs. That's the right move after his appearance on Coleman's Pulpit last week.
 Akira Tozawa def. Drew Gulak in a Street FightThe cool thing about Gulak is that he has always been able to hold his own in the ring, but now he has a gimmick that will actually get him over with the audience. The PowerPoint presentation stuff is hilariously entertaining and I've been digging it. As for this match, it was a fun Street Fight and something different from what we're used to seeing on this show. It wasn't quite as strong as the Street Fight Tozawa had with The Brian Kendrick earlier this year, but it was still very good and they effectively utilized the extreme environment surrounding them. Tony Nese def. Mustafa AliBecause the Cruiserweight division lacks depth, this is a match I feel like I've seen a dozen times over the last year. Don't get me wrong, this was a really well-wrestled match and the effort was there, but why should I care about either one of these guys? I guess the idea is that Nese winning might set him for a future WWE Cruiserweight Championship match, but we all know that won't happen, and he'll likely lose his next match on Raw or 205 Live.
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