Monday Night Raw Review - October 3, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) def. AJ Styles and Damian Priest

We've seen a lot of Judgment Day against Mysterio in recent months, and although I'm sick of seeing them interact and am ready for the rivalry to be over, it's hard to complain when most if not all of the matches have been enjoyable. Mysterio and Styles formed a fun pairing here with the intent being to put more heat on Judgement Day ahead of Balor vs. Edge at Extreme Rules. Edge didn't appear in person on this episode, but he did cut an excellent pre-taped promo toward the end of the show. I applaud WWE's booking of Judgment Day since Clash at the Castle, but will Balor actually win when it matters most come Saturday?

United States Champion Bobby Lashley def. Mustafa Ali (Non-Title)

Ali interrupted Lashley backstage before the bout and demanded an opportunity. We haven't seen Ali on Raw in what feels like ages, so I was glad he got television time here and he made the most of it. I liked the story they told with Lashley hitting Ali with all of his offense and Ali withstanding all of it, showing great heart in defeat. Just as Lashley was showing respect for Ali afterward, Seth Rollins attacked them both, setting up Lashley vs. Rollins in a rematch for the United States Championship on next week's Raw.

Matt Riddle Confronted Seth "Freakin" Rollins

It was noted that there was a "no contact" clause between these two to prevent them from brawling before they step inside the Fight Pit at Extreme Rules. That allowed them to talk trash without getting physical, so it was reminiscent of their back-and-forth from before Clash at the Clash. Both guys got some good digs in and I thought Daniel Cormier's pre-taped involvement was perfect. He delivered his lines exceptionally well. Apparently, the current rumor is that he'll be Brock Lesnar's next opponent in WWE. I know Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez three years ago was a disaster, but I honestly think that has potential.

WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Dakota Kai def. Candice LeRae

These were two women who helped carry the NXT women's division for several years, so I was looking forward to this and I thought they had a nice match. I also appreciated them getting as much time as they did despite the crowd not caring for most of it. LeRae losing her second match on the main roster won't kill her since she works best as an underdog babyface, but the continued interference in Damage CTRL's matches has already grown tiresome.

Otis def. Johnny Gargano

I was surprised this wasn't longer than it was considering Gargano vs. Chad Gable went a while a few weeks ago. They worked well together and had a solid match, but I'm sure it could have been better with more time. Like with LeRae losing to Kai, I don't hate Gargano losing here, but it was slightly strange since Otis hasn't been positioned as anyone important on his own other than taking Braun Strowman to the limit recently on SmackDown. It's also weird that Gargano would lose before facing Austin Theory next week on Raw. That's a match that makes more sense for Gargano to lose and for Theory to win based on how the latter has been booked since becoming Mr. Money in the Bank.

Braun Strowman def. Chad Gable

I loved that the video package Gable tweeted over the weekend promoting this match made its way onto Raw. That made it mean so much more because of their history from their NXT days. Similar to Strowman vs. Otis, this was another blast of a bout, though that shouldn't be much of a shock considering who his opponent was. Gable received a favorable reaction in his home state, but Strowman was still as over as he usually is. That German suplex from Gable was just terrific. This definitely delivered.

Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair and Bayley Signed the Contract for Their Raw Women's Championship Ladder Match at Extreme Rules

The Belair vs. Bayley hasn't been as strong thus far as I originally anticipated, likely due to how Damage CTRL has been handled, but I thought they did an awesome job with their contract signing and selling viewers on their Ladder match. The stipulation itself doesn't add anything to the feud, but Bayley comparing Belair to her past babyface persona was well done and added an extra layer to their storyline that wasn't there previously. Damage CTRL's backstage attack on Asuka during this also set up Alexa Bliss vs. IYO SKY for the main event.

Solo Sikoa def. Angelo Dawkins

Montez Ford was shown wearing a walking boot during Dawkins' entrance, so it appears he's out injured for the time being. Sikoa had Sami Zayn and The Usos in his corner, and although Zayn and Jey bickering on the apron nearly cost him the win, he was thankfully able to put Dawkins away. The match was basically a backdrop to further tease tension between Zayn and Jey and I don't think it needed to be as competitive as it was.

WWE Women's Tag Team Champion IYO SKY def. Alexa Bliss

This was at least the second Raw main event Bliss has been in within the last month. This was decent but certainly not main event-worthy. I was wondering why it closed the show, and it ended up being because they wanted Damage CTRL standing on the ladder with all the gold to be the show-closing visual. Damage CTRL needed a big week and they got some much-needed heat on them on this episode. I really hope whatever Bray Wyatt comes back with doesn't involve Bliss, who should be a heel on her own and not the horror movie villain she was last year.

Overall Show

As a go-home show, this Raw did its job of building hype for Extreme Rules. I was already excited for the event, so while this show didn't move the needle much for me, it was a commendable effort on the whole. That said, the three hours were a step down from last week, and I found myself more interested in deciphering the QR code/White Rabbit stuff than anything that happened in the second half of the show (and the lifeless crowd reflected that). Here's hoping the payoff to the White Rabbit teases will be worth it.

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