Monday Night Raw
Date: October 8, 2018
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re done with Super Show-Down and that means we have less than a month to go before Crown Jewel. The big story coming out of Saturday seems to be an impending tag match between four people with more than two hundred years of age between them. Other than that, it’s time for Roman Reigns to remember that he’s Universal Champion. Let’s get to it.

Here are HHH and the still bald Shawn Michaels to talk about spending 25 years climbing a mountain. On Saturday in Melbourne, Australia, they made it to the top. It turns out that they were lied to the whole time and we see a long package on Saturday’s long main event, complete with Undertaker and Kane turning on them. HHH talks about respect, like the kind you get from fighting back to back with someone for years. Or living up to your word when everyone else tells you not to.

Shawn says respect is a two way street. The flight from Melbourne to Chicago is a very long trip and they’ve had a long time to think. He thought about the respect that never was there in the first place but when they landed, HHH asked if he was ready. HHH knows Shawn is ready, but are Undertaker and Kane ready? They reveal the DX shirts because they want DX vs. the Brothers of Destruction at Crown Jewel.

Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens

Lio Rush is at ringside and has his own mic to keep up the hype during the match. Lashley shoulders Owens down to start so they head outside with Owens punching him in the face. Rush isn’t sure why the fans are cheering for Owens, so he shows the fans how to cheer for Lashley, being booed out of the building for the second time in about two minutes. Owens hits a big flip dive tot he floor and the fans REALLY like that. A whip into the barricade takes us to a break.

Back with Lashley holding a chinlock and Rush hyping things up even more. Owens fights up and has had it with Rush, chasing him to the floor. Lashley sends Owens into the barricade and stomps away, much to Rush’s delight. Back in and Lashley cuts him off with a spinebuster but the delayed vertical suplex only gets two. Owens breaks out of a full nelson and superkicks him into a Stunner for a close two as Rush talks about still being in the fight. The frog splash is broken up with a crotching and a spinning Dominator finishes Owens at 13:00.

Result: Bobby Lashley b. Kevin Owens – Spinning Dominator (13:00)

Post match Rush tells Lashley to go back and do some more, so he wraps Owens’ knees around the post.

Cole talks about the WWE World Cup, an eight man tournament (four from Raw, four from Smackdown) and introduces a video on the first entrant: John Cena.

Finn Balor and Bayley aren’t worried about facing Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox again. Rush and Lashley come in to chant LASH-LEY some more, with Rush saying they’re the real too sweet combination.

Here’s Elias to say he’s the real legend around here. He doesn’t think much of John Cena and sings a song about him, throwing in a line about the Cubs losing in the playoffs for some serious booing. Cue Ronda Rousey of all people to cut him off though and it’s time for a match.

Ronda Rousey/Bella Twins vs. Riott Squad

Liv and Brie start things off as Liv slaps her in the face but gets taken down, allowing Brie to miss a YES Kick. They get into a catfight and fight to the floor for a big staredown. Back in and it’s Rousey taking Morgan down by the arm. The entire Squad runs in fear as we take a break. We come back with Nikki fighting up and hitting her spinning kick out of the corner. Brie comes in and gets caught with an STO on the floor to put her in trouble.

A shoulder to the ribs cuts Brie down again and an ugly hiptoss sets up a running knee to the face. Brie fights up from Ruby’s chinlock but Riott draws Rousey in so the Squad can keep Brie in trouble. A few forearms are enough to bring in Rousey and it’s time to hurt people. The spinning Samoan drop sets up the armbar with the Bellas running interference (including Logan laying down before Nikki grabbed her) for the tap at 9:25.

Result: Ronda Rousey/Bella Twins b. Riott Squad – Armbar to Riott (9:25)

Post match the Bellas jump Rousey and laugh at her. Thankfully Rousey shrugs them off and throws them both down, only to get sent into the post on the floor. Some more whips send her into the steps and barricade for a bonus.

Jinder Mahal/Alicia Fox vs. Finn Balor/Bayley

Mixed Match Challenge rematch with Jinder slamming Balor down for a chinlock less than fifteen seconds in. Balor fights up without much effort and brings Bayley in for a hurricanrana as we take a break. Back with Bayley fighting up from a chinlock but getting slammed back down again. Bayley finally sends her to the floor and makes the hot tag off to Balor for some house cleaning. An Eye of the Hurricane gets two with Fox making the save. The women fight to the floor and it’s an enziguri into the Coup de Grace to finish Mahal at 7:26.

Result: Finn Balor/Bayley b. Jinder Mahal/Alicia Fox – Coup de Grace to Mahal (7:26)

Dolph Ziggler gives Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman a pep talk before their rematch with Shield. McIntyre doesn’t want to hear advice from the guy who lost on Saturday but Strowman tells them to focus on helping him become Universal Champion. It’s best that way you see.

Heath Slater tells Baron Corbin that he wants in on the World Cup. Corbin declines, because Slater isn’t very good.

Battle Royal

The winner is automatically in the World Cup tournament. The wrestlers are a bunch of no names (though one has a Chile sash), plus a guy in a Los Conquistador mask. Corbin comes out to put himself in the battle royal because he wants to prove that he’s worthy for the honor. He introduces everyone, including a Russian, an Egyptian, a Mexican (El Hombre Sin Nombre), a Polish wrestler, a wrestler from Antarctica, a Swede, EL CONQUISTADOR (Cole: “Is it Edge or Christian? Matt or Jeff?”), a wrestler from Luxembourg and of course Corbin.

Everyone goes after Corbin to start but he fights them off and starts eliminating people, though El Conquistador is chilling on the floor. Corbin dumps everyone and poses but El Conquistador comes back in for some German suplexes. We get some jumping jacks and an Angle Slam for the elimination to give El Conquistador the win at 3:46.

Result: El Conquistador won a battle royal last eliminating Baron Corbin (3:46)

And it’s Kurt Angle.

Post break Angle looks like he needs oxygen and says he’s still on vacation.

Ember Moon vs. Nia Jax

Ember starts fast with an enziguri but gets slammed down without too much effort. A sleeper doesn’t get Moon very far so she goes with a hurricanrana. Nia gets caught with a baseball slide to the floor and there’s the suicide dive, which doesn’t even put Nia down. A missed charge sends Nia into the LED board though and that’s a countout win for Ember at 2:58.

Result: Ember Moon b. Nia Jax via countout (2:58)

Here’s Trish Stratus to say last week’s Moment of Bliss was a Moment of BS. Instead, it’s time for a Moment of Stratusfaction but here are Alexa Bliss and Mickie James to cut her off. After a short joke, Alexa talks about how she idolized Trish growing up. After all these years now, she’s learned that Trish really sucked. If Bliss had been around back then, Trish wouldn’t have even been able to get in the same ring with her.

Trish says come get in the ring right now so Bliss and Mickie do just that with the latter saying not so fast. Mickie brings up beating her in Chicago at Wrestlemania but Trish says they’ll both find out what a Hall of Fame beating feels like. If that’s the case, maybe we should just make it a tag match. Trish likes the idea, but thinks it’s an EXTREMELY difficult decision to pick a partner. Or it could just be Lita, who is here as well. The brawl is on but Mickie gets away before the moonsault.

The Shield given an old school hold the camera promo, talking about how this is a brotherhood and the results are the same either in Melbourne or Chicago.

Ascension vs. Bobby Roode/Chad Gable

Before the match, Konnor promises to take them both to the wasteland. Gable sends Konnor to the floor to start but Viktor is right back up with a running elbow to the face for two. The stomping in the corner begins and it’s off to a chinlock as the fans chant for CM PUNK. Gable rolls over for a tag to Roode so house can be cleaned. There’s the Blockbuster to Konnor but Gable tags himself in for the Rolling Chaos Theory and the pin at 4:19.

Result: Chad Gable/Bobby Roode b. Ascension – Rolling Chaos Theory to Konnor

Before Roode can yell at Gable, here’s the AOP to take all four of them apart.

We look back at the opening segment.

DX video, focusing on their comedy stuff.

Here’s Paul Heyman to say he’s here to see a fight. He finds it interesting that Reigns and Strowman beat each other up on Saturday and now they’re here after a twenty hour flight for the fans’ entertainment all over again. While they’re doing that seven days a week and twice on Sundays, Brock Lesnar is in his own bed in his own house before waking up to a home cooked meal.

He’ll then run a mile to the Death Clutch Gym, which he designed to make it easier to become a two sport World Champion. Lesnar is on his own while Reigns has to keep an eye on Ambrose and Rollins. For Lesnar, it’s about me and now we and he’ll win at Crown Jewel. Shield’s entrance cuts Heyman off and panic ensues.

Shield vs. Braun Strowman/Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre

It’s a big staredown before the bell until McIntyre runs Rollins over to start. Ambrose comes in for a double suplex and some clubbing forearm shots to Drew’s face. That’s enough of that so it’s off to Strowman vs. Reigns with Roman not being able to Samoan drop him. Reigns gets saved from a double suplex and a double clothesline puts McIntyre and Ziggler on the floor. Strowman thinks better of fighting all three of them at once and goes outside for some yelling instead.

Back from a break with Reigns in trouble until he punches Ziggler out of the air. Strowman comes in and misses a charge into the post, allowing Reigns to hit the Samoan drop. It’s off to Rolling to speed things up but he spends too much time tuning up the band, allowing Ziggler to avoid the Stomp. The Buckle Bomb gets two instead as everything breaks down. Ambrose and Rollins hit the double suicide dives but Strowman is ready for them. Reigns takes out everyone with the BIG dive and we take a second break.

Back again with Strowman cranking on Rollins’ neck and handing it back to McIntyre, who cuts off a hot tag and kicks Rollins in the face. Ziggler gets catapulted into the corner and McIntyre takes an enziguri, only to have Strowman knock Ambrose and Reigns to the floor. Strowman yells at Ziggler, who yells right back until Strowman grabs him by the throat. That brings Drew into Strowman’s face until Rollins knocks McIntyre into Strowman for two. Rollins brings Ambrose in to pick the pace way up, including a suicide dive.

A swinging neckbreaker gets two more on Drew but it’s too early for Dirty Deeds. Ambrose has to elbow Ziggler down, allowing McIntyre to spinebust him for two. Rollins comes back in and suplexes Ziggler to the floor, leaving Dean to slug it out with McIntyre. A double clothesline puts both of them down and Strowman posts Reigns. Dean’s dive onto Strowman is caught so he spins it into a DDT to put both of them down as well. There’s a spear to Strowman but Drew is waiting for Ambrose with the Claymore for the pin at 21:58.

Result: Drew McIntyre/Dolph Ziggler/Braun Strowman b. Shield – Claymore to Ambrose (21:58)

Post match Ambrose walks off on his own, leaving Rollins and Reigns confused to end the show.

Results
Bobby Lashley b. Kevin Owens – Spinning Dominator
Ronda Rousey/Bella Twins b. Riott Squad – Armbar to Riott
Bayley/Finn Balor b. Alicia Fox/Jinder Mahal – Coup de Grace to Mahal
El Conquistador won a battle royal last eliminating Baron Corbin
Ember Moon b. Nia Jax via countout
Bobby Roode/Chad Gable b. Ascension – Rolling Chaos Theory to Konnor
Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre/Braun Strowman b. Shield – Claymore to Ambrose

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 28 wrestling books. His latest book is the the Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews.

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