Monday Night Raw Review - November 6, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins Offered Sami Zayn a Title Opportunity

Zayn stole Damian Priest's Money in the Bank briefcase at Crown Jewel when Priest attempted to cash in on Rollins, so it was revealed here that Adam Pearce granted Zayn a title shot because he gave the briefcase back. I guess that makes sense, but why reward him for stealing the briefcase in the first place when it was totally legal for Priest to cash in when he did? I can't complain too much, though, because of how it led to Rollins vs. Zayn in the main event. This was a solid segment to set it up and The Judgment Day not being out there for a change was refreshing.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) def. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) (Non-Title)

I know they interacted in a backstage segment last week on the show, but I'm surprised this was given away without much fanfare, if only because I figured they could have a proper program over the tag titles at some point. I guess they still could, but Judgment Day winning fairly decisively here didn't leave the door open for a rematch. It was a good match in the time allotted. There really needs to be focus on the tag titles as they feel like props in Judgment Day right now.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Akira Tozawa

Nakamura has basically been in a holding pattern since his storyline with Rollins wrapped up at Fastlane, but I'm all for building him back up with some wins. Tozawa scored more offense than I thought he would, but it was a straightforward squash for him otherwise. Otis stepped up to Nakamura afterward, so he appears to be Nakamura's next opponent. If Nakamura vs. Chad Gable is the endgame, then sign me the hell up.

The Miz def. Bronson Reed, Ricochet and Ivar in an Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match

Gunther has been champion for so long that we've seen so many of these multi-man matches over the last year, but at least they're always fun and this was no exception. They all worked well together and it was nicely paced. However, I don't understand why the referee acted confused over the finish. It was actually clever that Ricochet kicked out while Reed did not, but it was clear Miz won. Miz will get will his opportunity against Gunther at Survivor Series and will face Ivar next week.

The Creed Brothers def. #DIY

I was excited when this match was initially announced earlier in the episode but also confused. Both teams are in the process of being introduced to the main roster audience. Why put them against each other when neither duo is over yet and they're both babyface tandems? It was a well-wrestled match, but I don't blame the crowd for being quiet at certain points. Ludwig Kaiser costing #DIY the win keeps Imperium's feud with them alive for a little longer.

Zoey Stark Won a Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal

This started out as your typical Battle Royal, but it got more interesting as it went along. It helped that it didn't have a predictable outcome, and Stark winning was quite the surprising. Stark vs. Ripley will be heel vs. heel, but hopefully they can overcome that with a great match. I liked how this Battle Royal managed to tell multiple stories and kick off several feuds. Ivy Nile's strong showing was also appreciated. The renewed effort Triple H has been putting into Raw's women's division lately has been apparent.

World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins def. Sami Zayn

I might be mistaken, but I believe it's been years since we last saw these two have a real one-on-one encounter. I feared it would be marred by interference by Judgment Day or Drew McIntyre, but thankfully, that was not the case. Instead, they had a straightforward singles match with a clean win for Rollins. Zayn once again proved he can hang at the main event level and hopefully it isn't long before he's holding world title gold on either brand. The post-match chaos with Rollins, Zayn, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso fighting Judgment Day perfectly set up WarGames announcement by Adam Pearce.

Overall Show

All in all, this was an excellent edition of Raw. The show has seen a significant increase in quality since Triple H took complete creative control again and this episode was another example of that. It was fully focused on Survivor Series and it successfully set in stone Raw's side of the card. This episode was both eventful and entertaining and the fact they continue to advertise so many matches for the following week's Raw one week out is yet another sign that Triple H is indeed at the helm.

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