Monday Night Raw Review - December 5, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos def. Matt Riddle and Kevin Owens

Riddle was originally supposed to challenge for the tag titles with Elias, but The Bloodline attacked Elias in the parking lot before the show started. Owens was a logical partner for Riddle given his own issues with Bloodline, but it probably should have been advertised in advance because Owens would have been a bigger draw. Nonetheless, this was the entertaining outing you'd expect from these teams. Speaking of changes, Drew McIntyre announced earlier in the evening that he isn't currently medically cleared, so Sheamus will team with Butch instead this Friday on SmackDown to challenge for the tag titles.

Bayley def. Asuka and Rhea Ripley in a Triple Threat Match to Qualify for Next Week's Raw Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

I really liked the pre-match verbal exchange from Bayley and Becky Lynch. They referenced their history and I'm all for a feud that isn't over one of the women's titles. Unfortunately, Bayley is coming off a string of losses right now, so it doesn't mean as much as it would had Damage CTRL been booked better in Lynch's absence. The Triple Threat was unsurprisingly good given the talent involved, but the crowd was quiet for a majority of it. I figured Ripley would win after that extended face-off between her and Lynch beforehand, but I'm perfectly fine with them saving that instead.

Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Bobby Lashley Brawled

Rollins is pretty much a babyface at this point, but you would never know it based on how he dresses each week. The annoying laugh doesn't help, either, and he came across like a heel in this segment. Lashley is definitely a tweener, but I wish they'd define their roles a bit better. This was a well-done brawl to set up their match for next week where the winner will eventually contend for the United States Championship.

United States Champion Austin Theory def. Mustafa Ali by Disqualification

This came together after Theory and Ali ran into each other backstage and Ali took a shot at Theory's failed cash-in. So, while Rollins and Lashley are fighting for a title shot next week, Ali earned himself an opportunity simply by being a loser, apparently. Don't get me wrong, Ali can clearly go, but he's been so damaged by the booking that I have no desire to see him in the title mix any longer. Their match was decent yet flat, and that one botch in the middle was scary. Dolph Ziggler resuming his rivalry with Theory doesn't interest me, either.

The O.C. (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) def. Baron Corbin and Alpha Academy

Styles and Corbin got into it during JBL's Poker Invitational backstage and that was how this bout came to be. There served no purpose other than to kill television time, so although this was well worked, it was difficult to care. This was the first week where The O.C. didn't interact with The Judgment Day in any form or fashion, which would seem to indicate their feud is finally over. I'm not sure what else The O.C. does until the Royal Rumble, but at least Mia Yim is still with them for now.

Dominik Mysterio def. Akira Tozawa

This also stemmed from JBL's Power Invitational because Tozawa was accused of cheating. Dominik is getting much more comfortable as a character and I assume he's getting so many matches on Raw so he can improve against experienced opponents. I can understand that, but this isn't a match you put in the dead spot in the third hour of Raw. This was solid for what it was, but you can tell the audience was ready for the show to be over.

Alexa Bliss def. Nikki Cross and Becky Lynch in a Triple Threat Match to Qualify for Next Week's Raw Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

This was the exact opposite of the other Triple Threat in that this was an absolute mess. I don't know if they had trouble clicking or what, but there were several sloppy spots and they never really recovered. To make matters worse, the crowd sat on their hands the entire time, which is weird because Lynch is obviously over and Bliss is as well. Despite the stakes, these fans just didn't care. Damage CTRL costing Lynch the win was logical

Overall Show

This was another edition of Raw that started strong and gradually fizzled out as the night went on. The three hours are perhaps the biggest issue, but it's worth noting that there were some overall great Raw shows a few months ago when Triple H first took over, so it's possible for Raw to be better than it is right now. The Royal Rumble isn't until late January and exactly what I feared seems to be happening in that there are very few engaging storylines at the moment and we're getting too many matches and segments that don't matter. Raw needs to get out of this slump it's found itself in as of late as we enter the final few weeks of the year, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

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