Monday Night Raw Review - November 6, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Intercontinental Champion The Miz Hosted Miz TV with Raw General Manager Kurt Angle

I could't have cared less about Miz vs. Baron Corbin at Survivor Series before their Twitter war last week, and Miz's promo at the start of this segment was needed to get people buzzing about the bout. Few stars on the active roster are better talkers than him, and he knocked it out the park with what he had to say about Corbin. As for his exchange with Angle, I enjoyed it. They've always had good chemistry together and it succeeded in both hyping Survivor Series and setting up the one of the night's main events between Braun Strowman and Miz.

Jason Jordan def. Elias in a Guitar-on-a-Pole Match

When I saw this announced by WWE.com over the weekend, I rolled my eyes at how silly it sounded, and it was every bit as ridiculous as I imagined it would be. It was a basic match where they attempted to take the guitar off the top of the pole and Jordan picked up the victory after hitting the guitar over Elias' back. Unsurprisingly, the England crowd booed Jordan, and while wins like this should help give him a momentum boost, it's evident he isn't getting over as a fan favorite and that a heel turn might be necessary.

Asuka def. Stacy Coates

Enhancement matches are the perfect way to use Asuka right out of the gate on the main roster, similar to her run in NXT. As previously noted, her first two matches against Emma didn't impress me, but between what we saw last week and this week, they're headed in the right direction with her. It was also logical for her to then be named the newest member of Team Raw for the women at Survivor Series.

Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe Ended in a Double Count-out

I think I can speak for everyone when I say no one was looking forward to Joe vs. Titus O'Neil, so Joe attacking him before the bout even began was definitely for the best. It made Joe look like an even bigger threat than if he had just squashed him in a matter of minutes. Plus, we got a way better match out of it with Joe and Balor. They were given plenty of time, but neither guy should have been beaten, so I was fine with the non-finish. The crowd was hot for the post-match brawl and I look forward to both men being a part of Team Raw.

Sasha Banks and Bayley def. Alicia Fox and Nia Jax

There was a point earlier this year that Bayley was being booed by crowds more often than not, so it must have warmed her heart to hear the crowd chanting for her at the beginning of this bout. As for the match, it was well-wrestled and the women made the most of the time they had. Bayley and Banks are always a blast whenever they team up and obviously Team Raw wasn't going to be complete without them.

Braun Strowman def. Intercontinental Champion The Miz (Non-title)

After Strowman decimated Miz and The Miztourage all by himself last week, there was no way this was going to be anything but a squash match. Strowman was on offense for the entire outing, and the fans in attendance might have been largely quiet because they knew Kane was coming out at some point. I was glad Strowman got the upper hand over Kane and I assume we'll be seeing them clash either next week on Raw or soon after that because Strowman is already in a match at Survivor Series. On the bright side, this appears to be a brief program.

WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne def. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore (Non-title)

Needless to say, Enzo's pre-match promo lasted far longer than it should have, but I guess the intent was for fans to grow tired of hearing him talk so Kalisto would get a big pop. Well, that wasn't exactly the case, but the England crowd did go nuts when Dunne showed up. It was weird to see him work as a babyface, but I'm sure that was only because he's from there. It was a nice debut for the United Kingdom Champion, so here's hoping this was more than just a one-off for him on the main roster.

Sheamus and Cesaro def. The Shield to Win the Raw Tag Team Champions

These two tandems have had a spectacular series of matches this year and their latest encounter was no exception. It wasn't quite as hard-hitting, but the nearfalls down the stretch (before The New Day caused the distraction) were well done and the action was entertaining. When I read the spoiler a few hours beforehand about Sheamus and Cesaro regaining the gold, I had no idea New Day cost Shield the championship. That means, with Roman Reigns returning next week, we'll be getting Shield vs. New Day at the pay-per-view, and that's pretty damn awesome in my book.

Overall Show

With Survivor Series next Sunday, it was expected more members of Team Raw for the men and women would be confirmed, and now it appears the entire card for the event is set in stone. The last half hour of this episode made it newsworthy with Dunne debuting and the tag titles changing hands. Beyond those happenings, only Balor vs. Joe was an above-average match, but it was still a solid show on the whole thanks to a lively England audience. Raw will be back to being live next week with the return of Reigns and Brock Lesnar, so expect WWE to go all out with that show.