WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from November 10
Just 13 days away from the 28th annual Survivor Series, Raw emanated from Echo Arena in Liverpool, England!
All eyes were on Team Cena and Team Authority as they both revealed new members to their respective teams. Who got the best of the other as the show went off the air, and more importantly, where exactly does Ryback stand after Monday's broadcast?
Sheamus attempted to avenge his defeat at the hands of Rusev last week by beating the Bulgarian Brute and regaining the United States Championship. Would the Celtic Warrior achieve his goal, or would Rusev prove his physical superiority over the former champion for the second consecutive week? What role would The Authority and henchmen Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble play in the match?
With the announcement Monday afternoon that Nikki Bella will challenge AJ Lee for the Divas Championship at Survivor Series, what would the buxom twin have in store for the champion? What would sister and personal assistant Brie have to do with it?
The WWE Universe would get the answer to all of these questions and more as sports entertainment's premiere show hit the USA Network airwaves.
Relive all of Monday's events with a look at the results, highlights, quotes and grades from this week's broadcast.
John Cena and The Authority Promo
1 of 9
With a gigantic Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination match on the horizon, John Cena hit the ring to kick off Raw! As the fans in Liverpool rained down on him with a chorus of boos, Cena revealed that Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger will be the first two members his team at Survivor Series.
He referenced the fear that the Superstars in the locker room were feeling following beatdowns of Dolph Ziggler and Randy Orton in consecutive weeks then called Ryback to the ring. The Big Guy hit the ring only to be followed shortly thereafter by The Authority, who had Mark Henry with them, indicating that the World's Strongest Man will join Kane and Seth Rollins on their team at Survivor Series.
Each side traded insults and tried pitching Ryback on joining their respective teams. After several minutes of back-and-forth banter, Ryback dropped Cena with a spinebuster and revealed that he had chosen The Authority.
Our resident power couple announced Dolph Ziggler vs. Mark Henry for later in the night to close out the show.
Highlights and Quotes
"At the hands of The Authority, Zack is now having surgery and will be out for six months." -Cena, putting over the torment inflicted on anyone who sided with him
"There's one guy I don't think is afraid of anyone." -Cena in reference to Ryback
"You can bet your ass that everything is on the line for everyone here." -Triple H
"Who is going to step in and have the guts to side with Team Cena knowing it is career suicide?" -Triple H
"Where's Captain B+ today? Sitting at home, watching. Yes! Yes! Yes!" -Triple H
"We all know that harsh reality is better than false hope." -Stephanie on Cena's motivational speeches
Grade
C
Analysis
It was an interesting start to the show in that it introduced fans to some new members of the Survivor Series main event, but the supposed Ryback heel turn smells like another failure by WWE Creative to capitalize on the Big Guy's popularity.
Stephanie McMahon was outstanding here, as everything from her mic work to the mocking of the royal wave was spot on and demonstrated why she has developed into the best non-wrestling personality in WWE.
At the very least, the segment added a personal element to the night's main event, making it even more interesting than it otherwise may have been.
Jack Swagger vs. Seth Rollins
2 of 9
In a match announced by The Authority at the top of the show, Seth Rollins squared off with fellow Money in the Bank winner Jack Swagger to kick off the in-ring portion of this week's broadcast. The two have met numerous times over the past five months, with Rollins seemingly always able to escape the vaunted Patriot Lock to secure a victory.
Would Swagger be able to turn the tide in his favor, or would Rollins manage to pick up another win as he continued his monumental 2014?
Swagger cut Rollins off at nearly every turn early, flattening him with a vertical suplex then working over his left arm with an armbar. He controlled the pace of the contest as the match went to commercial.
Rollins had gained control during the break, grounding Swagger with a rear chin lock. Swagger, however, fought back and sent the Architect soaring over the top rope and to the arena floor. He followed up with a Swagger Bomb and a Patriot Lock, but Rollins grabbed the bottom rope, necessitating the break.
Unfortunately for Swagger, Rollins caught him with the Curb Stomp to preserve the victory.
Result
Seth Rollins pinned Jack Swagger.
Highlights and Quotes
"Swagger's gotta be smarter than that." -JBL on the Real American joining Team Cena
"He's from Oklahoma; he's not that bright. I didn't think he was that dumb." -JBL on Swagger
"JBL, I've tried to read your mind but the print's too small." -Lawler
Grade
C
Analysis
It was a very average match between two guys who have had much better ones on both SmackDown and Main Event.
Rollins' winning only makes it look as if Team Cena is in even more trouble than previously believed, and commentators Jerry Lawler and JBL did a great job of putting that sentiment over.
The Architect remains hot heading into Survivor Series, a show he is all over the marketing materials for.
Alicia Fox vs. Paige
3 of 9
Paige returned to her native country Monday night and was greeted with a huge pop as she met former friend Alicia Fox in Divas action.
Fox took Paige down right at the bell, but Paige fired back with a series of knee lifts to the face. A big boot to the face cut the former NXT star off, however, allowing Fox to grab control of the match. She locked in the surfboard, but Paige mounted a comeback and demolished Fox with the Ram-Paige for the win.
Result
Paige pinned Alicia Fox.
Highlights and Quotes
"She's got more curves than a race track." -Jerry Lawler on Alicia Fox
"There's nothing like beating someone in their hometown." -JBL
"The Divas stab their good friends in the front. It's the ones they don't like they stab in the back." -Lawler
Grade
D
Analysis
Considering the very little bit of time allowed to them, it is a wonder Paige vs. Alicia Fox was even booked for the show in the first place. The feud seemed to have concluded weeks ago, and Paige dispatching Fox does nothing to sustain it.
With that said, it was nice to see Paige get some exposure in front of her fellow countrymen after falling out of the Divas Championship picture in recent weeks.
United States Championship Match: Sheamus vs. Rusev
4 of 9
A week ago, during the first-ever WWE Network-exclusive match, Sheamus defended his United States Championship against Rusev. The two had a very hard-fought contest in which Rusev proved to be physically superior to the Celtic Warrior, blasting him with several leaping sidekicks before putting him away with The Accolade.
The young Bulgarian Brute would have to prove himself for a second consecutive week as he defended his newly won title for the first time against the man he defeated for it.
With the question of whether Rusev would join Team Authority looming large, the two big men took to the squared circle for the night's big championship clash.
A proclamation, supposedly written by Vladimir Putin, was read in celebration of Rusev’s accomplishment before the Russian national anthem was played. Sheamus’ music cut it off, and the Irishman hit the ring as an irate Rusev bailed.
The big men traded hard rights and lefts before Sheamus caught the new U.S. champion with a knee to the face that stunned him. Rusev was able to recover nicely and locked in a front facelock to take control of the contest. Sheamus fought his way out but was caught with a spinning heel kick by Rusev, who stood tall heading to break.
Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury made their way to ringside as Sheamus mounted his comeback. He pounded away at Rusev and appeared poised to regain his title when Rusev flattened him with a dropkick.
A battering ram from Sheamus was followed up by a cloverleaf submission attempt, but Rusev’s legs were too massive for the former champion to grab hold of.
The action spilled to the outside, and Sheamus was eventually counted out courtesy of Mercury and Noble. Rusev and Lana left with Mercury and Noble as commentators discussed conspiracy theories.
Result
Rusev defeated Sheamus by countout.
Highlights and Quotes
“I don’t like that Russian flag flying over every arena we go into but no one’s been able to stop Rusev yet.” -JBL
“If looks could kill, Rusev would be a weapon of mass destruction right now.” -Lawler
“It’s not going to be a happy day at the Kremlin if Rusev loses the U.S. Championship to an Irishman tonight.” -JBL
Grade
B
Analysis
As is the recurring theme here tonight, Sheamus and Rusev failed to live up to their previous match from last week, though it was still very good.
Sheamus is on a year-long run of outstanding in-ring performances, delivering quality matches with any and all Superstars put in front of him.
The introduction of Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble, not to mention all of the backstage interactions between Stephanie McMahon and Lana, was a great way to make the feud over the United States Championship fit into the overarching story of Team Cena vs. Team Alliance, something the entire show has achieved for the most part.
Los Matadores vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow
5 of 9
For weeks, Los Matadores and The Miz and Damien Mizdow have been two of the four teams in the hunt for the WWE Tag Team Championships. Monday night, the build for a potential elimination tag bout between them continued as Diego battled the Hollywood star and his lead stunt double.
Hornswoggle accompanied Miz and Mizdow, naturally to counteract the presence of El Torito with Los Matadores.
Miz taunted the English audience by teasing a tag to Mizdow only to remain in the match. He worked the majority of the bout, refusing to give the audience what it wanted. He finally gave in, and the crowd popped for the introduction of Mizdow to the match. Of course, Mizdow stayed only seconds as he tagged back out of the contest, much to the dismay of the fans.
Action broke down late, as El Torito took Hornswoggle down. From there, Mizdow tripped up one of the Matadores on a suplex attempt, allowing Miz to score a pinfall victory.
Result
The Miz and Damien Mizdow defeated Los Matadores.
Highlights and Quotes
"Is he the stunt double's stunt double or is he a stunt double for Miz?" -JBL on Hornswoggle
"Mizdow is quite popular here in the U.K." -JBL, with the understatement of the night
Grade
D-
Analysis
This was an incredibly disjointed tag match more interested in toying with the audience with the Mizdow teases than actually delivering solid wrestling.
Miz and Mizdow's win should keep them in the tag team title hunt, which could result in a multi-team match as soon as Survivor Series. Otherwise, expect a four-on-four elimination bout come November 23.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Mark Henry
6 of 9
Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler was the first Superstar to stand side-by-side with John Cena in his war with The Authority and as a result has been brutalized and mercilessly beaten by Seth Rollins, Kane and Randy Orton in recent weeks. Tuesday night he found himself face-to-face with the World's Strongest Man as his punishment continued.
Prior to the contest, a video hyping the eventual reappearance of Luke Harper aired in which the former Wyatt Family member threatened Ziggler, vowing to piece himself back together with pieces of the IC champion.
Ziggler dodged Henry's powerful offense before getting run over by his much larger opponent. Ziggler ducked and dodged, trying to elude Henry, but he found himself tossed around the ringside area like a rag doll. A chair shot to Ziggler drew a disqualification win for the Showoff, but unfortunately Ziggler was sent crashing into the steel steps as Henry tried anything to ensure that his opponent would not make it to the Survivor Series.
Before he could inflict maximum damage, however, Big Show's music hit, and the seven-foot Superstar made his way to the ring, looking to avenge the assault he suffered at the hands of his former tag partner last week.
Big Show grabbed the steel steps and chucked them at Henry before revealing that he had joined Team Cena.
Result
Dolph Ziggler defeated Mark Henry by DQ.
Highlights and Quotes
"Dolph looking to survive here tonight." -Michael Cole, telling the story of the match with a single sentence
Grade
C
Analysis
The match was nothing special, as Ziggler spent the majority of his ring time ducking out of the way of his massive opponent in an attempt to preserve his health and thus his spot on Team Cena.
Big Show's arrival after the bell, along with the announcement that he had joined Cena and Ziggler for the Survivor Series main event, gave the babyfaces a bit of momentum during what had otherwise been a dismal evening for Team Cena.
Non-Title Match: AJ Lee vs. Brie Bella
7 of 9
Monday afternoon, news broke on WWE.com of a Divas Championship match between AJ Lee and Nikki Bella at the Survivor Series. Monday night, Nikki watched from ringside as her subservient sister Brie squared off with WWE's resident Black Widow in a non-title match.
Brie actually controlled the action for a period of time, pounding away at AJ in the corner. She caught the champion with a missile dropkick while Nikki shouted orders from ringside. Moments later, though, AJ caught Brie with the Black Widow for the submission win.
Immediately following the tapout, Nikki attacked AJ from behind and delivered the Rack Attack. She ordered Brie to hold the ropes open for her as she exited the squared circle.
Result
AJ Lee defeated Brie Bella.
Highlights and Quotes
"Boy, the hypocrisy runs wild out here with you two!" -JBL
Grade
D-
Analysis
Clearly, this was a match that suffered from a lack of time.
AJ and Brie delivered a much sloppier match than they had been accustomed to last year when the two wrestled seemingly every week. At the end of the night, though, the entire purpose of the segment was to put heat on Nikki ahead of the Divas Championship match at Survivor Series. In that regard, it succeeded.
It's impossible to ignore the rushed nature of the whole ordeal and an ugly match that could have resulted in one of the Divas being injured.
Adam Rose vs. Tyson Kidd
8 of 9
This past Friday on SmackDown, Adam Rose attacked The Bunny, believing that the costumed creature was attempting to steal his spotlight and one-up him. It was a moment that showed a new side of the party animal, a side that could prove quite dangerous if any other Superstar was to evoke it.
Monday evening, Tyson Kidd had the opportunity to be that first star. Would The Bunny be lurking around the ringside area, though?
Early in the match, Erick Rowan came to ringside to get a firsthand view of the contest. He walked around ringside and stopped in front of the commentary table, uttering the words "she's not here" before leaving through the crowd.
Inside the squared circle, Rose appeared to be on his way to victory when The Bunny climbed the ropes. Rose became distracted, and Kidd locked in the Sharpshooter for the win.
After the match, Rose kicked The Bunny and left, a look of frustration painting his face.
Result
Tyson Kidd defeated Adam Rose via submission.
Highlights and Quotes
"Imagine if you could cut one of those bunny's feet off, the good luck you could have from a foot that big." -JBL, with the worst English ever
"Disqualify the match if an animal interferes?" -JBL
"I always wanted to punt a bunny." -JBL
Grade
C-
Analysis
Why does this segment, which featured a nothing match between Adam Rose and Tyson Kidd, grade higher than some of the other segments on this week's show? Because it accomplished two things at once.
First, Erick Rowan's new infatuation with Renee Young was played up as he made his way to the ringside in search of the beautiful, quirky blonde on-air personality.
Second, the Adam Rose-Bunny issues intensified as the latter blatantly cost Rose his matched with Kidd. While Rose will ultimately be portrayed as the heel, JBL had it right in blaming the costumed nutcase for the boot to the gut he received from Rose.
John Cena vs. Ryback
9 of 9
Ryback's actions earlier in the evening only made Monday's gigantic main event between he and John Cena that much more personal.
The Superstars have history with each other, competing in a series of bouts in 2013 that came about following Ryback's ill-fated heel turn, and looked to renew their rivalry this week on Raw.
Despite the fact that The Big Guy had joined Team Authority earlier in the evening, there was still a sense that he could not stand his new teammates any more than he could Cena, leading to a very interesting and intriguing marquee match.
Cena attempted the Attitude Adjustment early, but Ryback cut him off. He tried a bulldog, but again, Ryback countered into a big powerslam. He tossed Cena to the arena floor and caught him with a big boot. Kane distracted Ryback, ordering him to do his job. This allowed Cena to knock Ryback into the Corporate Demon, drawing his ire as we headed to break.
The leader of the Cenation began mounting a comeback following the break, but Ryback again cut him off with a slingshot side suplex.
Ryback continued to cut Cena off, catching him with a gorilla press into a powerslam that kept Cena's shoulders pinned for two.
Cena picked the leg and locked in the STF, but Ryback was able to inch toward the ropes and break the hold. Cena again locked the hold in as Kane became noticeably worried at ringside. Ryback powered out and looked to deliver Shellshock, but Cena countered into an Attitude Adjustment attempt.
After Cena sent him crashing to the arena floor, Kane entered the ring and attacked the leader of the Cenation, drawing a DQ finish.
Ryback and Kane exchanged words after the match, and a "Feed Me More" chant broke out. Kane caught Ryback with a cheap shot, leaving Cena to suffer from a six-on-one beatdown. Sheamus tried to make the save but failed. Big Show followed suit, stalking toward the ring and delivering KO Punches to Noble and Mercury.
Seth Rollins and Rusev ended Big Show's threat and put the numbers advantage back in The Authority's favor.
Ryback re-entered the ring and cleared the ring of The Authority before flattening Kane with the Shellshock. Ryback stood tall as the crowd again chanted his catchphrase.
Backstage Dolph Ziggler was tossed at the feet of Triple H, and it was revealed that Luke Harper was the culprit of the assault. "I'm a team player," he told the COO as the show left the airwaves.
Result
John Cena defeated Ryback by disqualification.
Highlights and Quotes
"A team they have assembled out of fear." -Michael Cole on Team Authority
"It's all they know." -Cole on The Authority and the questions that await its members if they lose their jobs at Survivor Series
"Anyone who knows Cena knows he doesn't quit. Drives you absolutely nuts." -JBL
Grade
A
Analysis
At the beginning of the night, it very much appeared as though WWE Creative had managed to kill the Ryback character for a second time by having him turn heel and join The Authority. As this week's show came to a close, though, one could not help feeling slightly better about the future of the Big Guy than three hours earlier.
The way he cleared the ring of Team Authority has him looking very much like an unstoppable force entering Survivor Series. Whether he is the final participant on Team Cena remains to be seen, but he is likely to be the hottest babyface on the roster by the time November 23 rolls around.
Luke Harper's injection into the fray is incredibly interesting because the video packages focusing on his eyes seemed to be hinting at a revelation further down the road. Being thrown into the main event of the biggest fall pay-per-view spectacular as a singles guy, an associate of The Authority, will only help elevate his star.
Harper has been one of the revelations for WWE, arguably the best wrestler of all three Wyatt Family members and could benefit tremendously from that one big push to go along with his superb ring work.
Overall, it was a dynamic close to the show that would have benefited greatly from a hotter crowd.
