Raw Recap, Reactions, & Biggest Moments- Drew McIntyre Appreciation Night

With so much TV to fill every single week in WWE, not every Raw is going to be a home run. However, fans expect Raw to be better than it was last week, even if every show isn't absolutely unmissable. The red brand had some making up to do on Monday night. If it was another three hours of dominance from Baron Corbin and co, WWE would run the risk of fans not bothering to tune in next Monday.

No authority figures to bore us at the beginning of Raw this week. Instead, as soon as the show officially begun, Ronda Rousey's music hit. That's because, in the night's opening match, it would be Rousey and Natalya going up against Nia Jax and Tamina. At least that's what was supposed to happen. The Riott Squad stuck their noses in once again and chaos ensued. Rousey might be good, but she's not five versus two good. The segment ended with Ruby Riott and co sending Nattie crashing through a table, so naturally, the match didn't happen.

Despite the backlash from fans following last week's Raw, WWE creative decided to repeat the terrible open forum featuring Sasha Banks and Bayley. On the bright side, we did get back to back women's segments. Plus, at least it didn't last too long this time and ended with a match. Mickie James, Alicia Fox, and Dana Brooke tried to rush the ring and attack Bayley and Banks for the second straight week. Surprisingly, Alexa Bliss was the one who stopped them short. The woman in charge of the rest of Raw's women instead booked James and Fox in a tag match versus Bayley and Banks, a match the latter team won.

Following the work he has done by his side in recent weeks, Baron Corbin decided that this week's Raw would be Drew McIntyre appreciation night. The acting GM even awarded The Scot with a gold medal. That tender moment was interrupted by Dolph Ziggler. The Showoff questioned why he was being overlooked. He brought McIntyre to Raw after all. The heated altercation ended with McIntyre being dropped courtesy of a ZigZag, but Ziggler didn't get off easy. His actions earned him a match with his former tag partner. The match didn't go the way most would have expected, though. After Finn Balor managed to get to McIntyre at ringside, the former NXT Champion was greeted with a superkick as he stumbled back into the ring. Ziggler then covered him for the win, marking McIntyre's first loss since he returned to Raw.

Dean Ambrose was the subject of a frankly baffling segment during last week's Raw. The Lunatic was in a doctor's office receiving shots to protect him from filthy fans. Rather than forget it ever happened, WWE leaned into the gimmick and actually made it work, at least a little. Ambrose came to the ring this week wearing a gas mask and was flanked by six other gas mask wearing men. When in the ring, he removed the mask and proceeded to explain what he is going to do to Seth Rollins at TLC. The Architect has been waiting to get his hands on Ambrose, so it didn't take long for him to arrive and attack. Thanks to the constant distraction of The Lunatic's mask-wearing goons, Rollins was the one who ended up being laid out. If that happens at TLC, we'll have a new Intercontinental Champion.

It has been a while since we've seen Heath Slater and Rhyno on Raw, and it will be a long time until we see them again, at least together. Corbin revealed to them both that there was only room in the budget for one of them to remain on Raw, and they'd have to fight for that spot. Slater defeated Rhyno pretty quickly, meaning the man he has been teaming with for the last two and a half years is no longer a Raw Superstar. Corbin then revealed to Slater that the spot he now occupies on Raw is no longer as a wrestler, but as a referee.

Just because The Riott Squad stopped the opening match of the night from happening didn't mean it had been scrapped altogether. Rousey's tag match was moved to the main event slot, providing she could find herself a replacement partner. She did. Ember Moon. Moon has got history with Jax and Tamina so took great pleasure in being a part of the proceedings. She will have taken even greater pleasure in delivering an Eclipse to Tamina. Right after, Rousey slapped on an armbar and made her tap. Jax was reluctant to get in the ring with Rousey at any point. Not a good sign for the former Women's Champion's title match at TLC.

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