You know things have gotten really bad in WWE when Vince McMahon announces that he is going to be on a show. Unless it is some sort of special or anniversary, of course. There was no milestone to celebrate on Raw this week, just a failing show with sinking ratings that needed addressing. Mr. McMahon wanted to make it an unmissable Raw, we'll let you be the judge of whether he achieved that or not.
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As promised, Vince McMahon was on Raw this week. The chairman opened the show and was joined by the rest of the McMahon family, Shane, Stephanie, and Triple H. The four of them acknowledged that something has to change, but they never really said what exactly will be changed. It all felt a little bit like four people who help run WWE using corporate phrases to try and distract us from the fact that Raw has been failing. They told us that they will be taking back control of Raw, and also giving the power to the fans.
Weirdly, the man who has been blamed for Raw's demise entering the fray actually injected a little meaning and interest into the segment. Baron Corbin confronted the McMahon family, explaining why his match at TLC was unfair. After looking like it was going to be a resounding no to his request to become permanent GM, Mr. McMahon had a change of heart. Corbin got one last chance to become GM. All he had to do was beat Kurt Angle. However, Heath Slater was the referee, then the match was changed to a handicap affair, and last but not least, a no DQ match. Corbin lost his last chance, so who is Raw General Manager now?
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At TLC on Sunday night, Drew McIntyre lost yet another main roster match. However, just like that first loss to Dolph Ziggler, his defeat at the hands of Finn Balor will forever have an asterisk next to it due to Ziggler helping out. On Raw, Ziggler and Balor battled in the ring. Even though both men have helped each other in recent weeks, neither man wants the label of needing help to win matches. This time it was McIntyre's turn to interfere, and it resulted in nobody winning. Instead, both Ziggler and Balor got laid out by Claymore Kicks.
Dean Ambrose became Intercontinental Champion at TLC, further adding to the woes he has been inflicting upon Seth Rollins. As you might have guessed, he did a fair bit of bragging about it on Raw. What we weren't expecting was for The Lunatic to take a page out of Rollins' book. The new champ issued an open challenge, and Tyler Breeze answered. A good showing from Prince Pretty, but winning was never on the cards for him. After the match, Ambrose questioned whether Rollins was still too scared to show his face. That's when he discovered The Architect had been at ringside all along, masquerading as one of Ambrose's gasmask wearing goons. Finally some much-needed revenge for Rollins.
Ronda Rousey had quite the night at TLC. Not only did she successfully defend her Raw Women's Title against Nia Jax, but she played a big part in the finish of the night's main event. If it wasn't for Rousey, Asuka probably wouldn't be SmackDown Women's Champion right now. The Rowdy One addressed all of that on Monday as well as issuing an open challenge. We were then taken backstage and shown the entire women's locker room arguing over who would get the shot. Stephanie had to step in, and she decided the only fair way to decide a challenger would be via an eight-woman gauntlet match.
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Two women would start in the ring, then once one is defeated, they are replaced with the next challenger. Bayley and Alicia Fox kicked things off with The Hugger not taking too long to eliminate her opponent. Next up was Dana Brooke, and The Hugger left her by the wayside too. Bayley's impressive night came to an end at the hands of entrant number four, Mickie James. The six-time Women's Champion couldn't replicate Bayley's impressive performance, though, being sent away by Ember Moon who came next. Moon was then sent packing relatively quickly by Natalya which led to a TLC rematch between Nattie and Ruby Riott. Natalya made it two wins in two nights versus Riott, which left just one more entrant, Sasha Banks. After a grueling battle with The Boss, Banks tapped to Nattie's Sharpshooter. That means on the Christmas Eve edition of Raw, Natalya will face her friend Rousey for the Raw Women's Title.