Monday Night Raw Review - November 7, 2016

Team Raw attempts to band together.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​Stephanie McMahon Announced Seth Rollins as Team Raw's Final Member

You had to know Rollins would be the final member of Team Raw considering no other role for him at Survivor Series would have made sense. The live crowd liked him, but needless to say, Jeri-KO were the most over guys in this entire segment. I guess it was wise to have Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman not say a single word while Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens carried the segment with their entertaining mic work. This was also effective in setting up the night's big Fatal 5-Way main event.


Rich Swann and Sin Cara def. WWE Cruiserweight Champion The Brian Kendrick and Noam Dar

After Bo Dallas was arrested at an airport a few months ago, he returned to Raw the very next week and Raw. This time around, Sin Cara was involved in yet another backstage fight and then won his next match on Raw. So, kids, the lesson here is that if get in trouble at work, you just might be promoted. In all seriousness, the match was fun while it lasted, and while it was weird for the babyfaces to be put in a position to get booed, it made sense afterward with Dar attacking Kendrick and the audience going nuts for him. Glad to see he has finally arrived.

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The Club decisively defeat The New Day.

The Club def. Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Non-title)

New Day playing to the Scottish fans was funny for a while before it grew old the longer the segment dragged on. But hey, at least the live crowd dug it. The subsequent match was fine, but we've seen Club vs. New Day so many times that it was hardly anything new. Club winning was a slight surprise, but then I remembered how many meaningless matches they have won in the past before constantly losing when the titles were at stake. Insert obligartory rant about how misused they have been since debuting in WWE.


The Shining Stars def. The Golden Truth to Qualify For Team Raw

I don't think it was ever officially announced that a spot on Team Raw at Survivor Series was at stake in this match, but the crowd probably would have sat on their hands either way. The Golden Truth are unbearable to me and Shining Stars aren't much better. Deciding who would be on Team Raw is like selecting the lesser of two evils. Of course, this was a total throwaway match that would have been better relegated to WWE Superstars.


Bayley, Sasha Banks and Alicia Fox def. Raw Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax and Dana Brooke

I'm sure there will be plenty of debate among fans whether the live crowd "ruined" this segment with their constant chants for Bayley, and maybe this is just me, but I would much rather have a crowd that doesn't stop chanting than a quiet crowd. Although the segment established which women will be on Team Raw at Survivor Series, no one's mic work was all that memorable. I might not have minded the six-woman tag team match as much had we not seen three tag team matches already in the night. For this keeping track at home, Charlotte was the third straight champion pinned on this show.


Sami Zayn def. Rusev in a No. 1 Contender's Match For the Intercontinental Championship

I assumed they would wait until Survivor Series to reveal who Dolph Ziggler's challenger was going to be, but I'm happy Zayn was announced as his opponent in advance because it was bound to be him, anyway. Plus, the event will be emanating from his native Canada, so he should be advertised in advance for the card. This was a solid match, but the crowd was tired by this point in the show. I worry for Rusev who doesn't have any immediate direction for the foreseeable future.


WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens def. United States Champion Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman in a Fatal 5-Way (Non-title)

Usually it's two people in the ring at one time during these type of matches, so they did a nice job of straying away from the tired formula with everyone playing their roles well. As a result, there was never a dull moment and I liked all of the little stories that were told with Reigns and Rollins nearly reuniting, Jeri-KO dominating the field, and even Strowman holding his own among the elite. The incorporation of the Signapore cane and the table helped, too. To top it all off, Owens unintentionally pinning Jericho was a very clever finish that I'm sure planted the seeds for something pitting the two of them against each other down the line.


Overall Show

Although the main event was very entertaining, the rest of the show left a lot to be desired. The crowd tried to be as lively as they possibly could, but I couldn't help but feel bad for Glasgow that WWE gave them an underwhelming episode their first time there for a live show. There was far too much talking and not enough wrestling. I appreciate the build for Survivor Series, but are fans really any more excited for the top matches at the event than they were before? I will say, though, besides the main event, the various video packages for Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg were fantastic. Here's hoping their confrontation next week will be equally enjoyable.

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