Monday Night Raw Review - October 30, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ricochet Saved Sami Zayn From The Judgment Day and JD McDonagh; NXT North American Champion "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio def. Ricochet

Is McDonagh an official member day of Judgment Day at this point? They're acting as if he is, but it's tough to say (similar to Jimmy Uso in The Bloodline). They set up Zayn vs. Damian Priest for later in the night during the segment that preceded the match, which was solid in itself. Ricochet works well with just about anyone and can absorb the loss. It would've been silly for Mysterio to lose before he defends the NXT North American Championship against Nathan Frazer on Night 2 of NXT Halloween Havoc.

The Creed Brothers def. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis)

Alpha Academy issued an open challenge via social media over the weekend and the Creeds accepted. Reportedly, this was intended to serve as the main roster call-up for the Creeds and it's about damn time. They've been ready for a while and it's not like they have anything left to do in NXT (aside from that Tables, Ladders and Scares match with the former Los Lotharios on Tuesday night). The babyface vs. babyface dynamic worried me, but it was wonderfully wrestled and the crowd got into the action in the second half. The Creeds were super impressive and I'm happy they won clean instead of just being made to look credible in defeat.

Imperium Attacked The Miz on Miz TV

I saw rumblings of a potential Miz face turn earlier in the day on X, but it came from an unreliable source, so I needed to see if WWE was actually going in that direction with him and it appears they are based on what we saw here. Honestly, I don't hate it. I'm probably one of the few who didn't mind his previous babyface runs but acknowledge that he was burned by the booking, not because he can't cut it in the role (even though he's a natural heel, of course). Yes, he's a lost a lot of matches this year, but a character change for him wouldn't hurt. This was strong stuff from him and Gunther to set up an Intercontinental Championship clash for down the road.

#DIY def. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser)

The video package that aired for #DIY earlier in the episode was well done, but I wish it got a bit deeper into their history, which is pretty extensive. I understand why they wouldn't dedicate five minutes to a #DIY video package, but maybe they could have stretched out a series of vignettes for them over the course of a few weeks? Nonetheless, this was a nice return match for them. Imperium are obviously very talented in their own right but never really win when it matters most. Michael Cole emphasized that Vinci lost yet again, so the dissension within Imperium continues.

Xia Li def. Candice LeRae by Referee Stoppage

Cole accidentally referring to LeRae as Candice Michelle prior to her video package and Wade Barrett roasting him for it was hilarious. Anyway, the match was what it was. I'm happy both women are getting television time again, but it's going to take more than video packages to get the audience invested in them. This was essentially a squash for Li, which it needed to be if she's supposed to be a serious threat to Becky Lynch. I'm not sure if LeRae legitimately had her bell rung or not, but she certainly sold the hell out of it. If she was hurt, hopefully she's okay.

World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins def. JD McDonagh (Non-Title)

I absolutely loved the video package that aired for Drew McIntyre beforehand explaining why he's been acting the way he has been lately, and Rollins' response also made a lot of sense. The layers being added to their feud has left me looking forward to their match at Crown Jewel. Rollins vs. McDonagh was the quality contest you'd expect from them despite the obvious outcome. We were told it was Rollins' first Raw match in four months, which is hard to believe but it must be true. Priest showing up at ringside teasing a Money in the Bank cash-in likely means he won't be cashing in at Crown Jewel (though I didn't think he would, anyway).

WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Chelsea Green def. Natalya in a Trick or Street Fight

Green and Piper Niven cosplaying as Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart (complete with Green coming out to Bret Hart's entrance music) was just terrific. Green deserved to win for that alone. Speaking of which, I believe this marked her first singles win on WWE TV all year. It was long overdue, but at least it finally happened. Unfortunately, this wasn't as fun as past Trick or Street Fights that WWE has done (nor as fun as the Fright Night Fight that Hikaru Shida and Abadon had on Saturday's AEW Collision). It never clicked and the crowd was quiet throughout.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Damian Priest def. Sami Zayn by Disqualification

WWE really has to dial it back with the Judgment Day main events on Raw. I haven't complained about it nearly as much as others have this year, but much like Priest vs. Jey Uso from a few weeks ago, this was another instance of a good match that didn't need to be the main event. There was nothing at stake and we've seen Zayn work with the group ad nauseum in recent months, but I understand it was designed to give Priest a win before Crown Jewel. Priest using his old finisher, which is basically the Cross Rhodes, to send a message to Rhodes was a cool touch. The disqualification finish was lame, but at least the crowd was sent home happy with Zayn, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso fending off Judgment Day and Rhodes cutting a quick yet hot promo addressing Priest.

Overall Show

It lost some steam by the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed this edition of Raw on the whole. Although there was an excessive amount of video packages, they were all effective and well produced. It's going to be tough to get over so many fresh faces simultaneously, but it's an admirable attempt and this show was a step in the right direction. The Creeds delivered in their debut, #DIY are back, McIntyre's character work has me hooked, and I'm intrigued by what The Miz is doing for the first time in forever. There was also successful hype for all of Raw's matches at Crown Jewel this Saturday.

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