Posted on 11/18/125 by Bob Magee
**********
Show Recap —
Becky Lynch, The Vision (with Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre),
Solo Sikoa & Talla Tonga, and Gunther arrived at Madison
Square Garden. Lynch complained to a staff member that her
picture wasn’t on the hallway walls alongside other
wrestlers. She stuck a photo of herself over a CM Punk
poster.
It’s a packed house, so the stage just consists of a
relatively small screen.
John Cena kicks off Raw for the final time
Cena entered to a massive ovation. Chants of his name,
“Thank you, Cena,” and loud applause. His gear was in the
colours of the New York Yankees, and he carried his newly
won Intercontinental Championship title belt.
Alicia Taylor introduced him as “the greatest of all time”
and called this his last Monday Night Raw appearance in
Madison Square Garden. More chants of “Thank you, Cena.”
Cena welcomed the enthusiasm. He said New York City makes
and breaks careers. And now, at the end of his career, he
looked around and saw people as far as the eye could see. He
thanked them.
Madison Square Garden allowed him to step on the stage in
these hallowed halls for 23 years. There was some extra
enthusiasm in the air because it was the last time they
could talk together—at MSG and on Raw. It was a bittersweet
moment for some, but a very important one to him.
Dominik Mysterio interrupted (carrying the AAA Mega
Championship). He was booed as he spoke. Dom said Cena was
handed a title shot last week, just as he was handed
everything else. Dom fought for everything he had. He wanted
an IC title rematch.
Cena was up for it and polled the crowd. They cheered, but
Dom said no. Dom said they already did it Cena’s way. Cena
had management and his hometown by his side, so now they
would do it Dom’s way. The crowd loudly chanted, “Shut the f
—k up.”
Dom wanted the match in his hometown of San Diego at
Survivor Series. Cena had no problem with that, so he
accepted (and made sure to mention it was on ESPN).
Cena did have a problem: he told the fans he would have his
final Raw match tonight. Cena offered Dom a non-title match
and a chance to make history. Cena asked, “Do you feel
lucky, punk?”
Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh entered. Dom said Cena wouldn’t
be getting his last match, but a beating instead.
Judgment Day attacked Cena until Sheamus ran out to make the
save, but Judgment Day overwhelmed him, too.
Dominik Mysterio ran out next and immediately attacked his
son. Mysterio, Sheamus and Cena cleared the ring. Cena made
a six-man match and called out a referee.
A referee ran out and called for the bell to start the match
—which led to commercial break.
Six-man tag team match: Intercontinental Champion John Cena,
Sheamus & Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh & Dominik
Mysterio
During the break, Judgment Day tried to bail as the match
began, but the babyfaces went after them. Sheamus gave Dom a
Claudio big swing during the break, but Judgment Day used a
double-team to get the heat as they returned from break.
Rey got a hot tag and ran wild as Wade Barrett mentioned
this was his first match in seven months. Rey went for a 619
but was tripped by Dom from outside. Rey gave Dom a
dropkick, but Bálor attacked Rey from behind, allowing
Judgment Day to take over ahead of another break.
The first 10 minutes of Cena’s final Raw match included 6
minutes of commercials.
During the break, fans chanted, “Who’s your daddy?” right on
time for Dom to give Rey the three amigos (the last suplex
was a brainbuster). Rey fought back and fought off a double-
team by Bálor and McDonagh.
Cena made the much-anticipated hot tag and hit McDonagh with
shoulder tackles, a side slam, and five knuckle shuffle.
McDonagh landed on his feet off an AA attempt and followed
with a headbutt.
Everyone traded moves, which left Cena alone in the ring.
McDonagh hit Cena with a moonsault, Bálor hit a Coup de
Grace, and Dom hit a frog splash. The heels covered Cena,
but Rey and Sheamus leaped in to break it up.
Sheamus, Rey and Cena each grabbed members of Judgment Day
and hit ten beats of the Bodhrán (Rey did it to his own
son). With the heels down, Cena, Rey and Sheamus all did the
five knuckle shuffle.
Rey gave Bálor and McDonagh a double 619, Sheamus gave Bálor
a Brogue Kick, and Cena hit McDonagh with an AA for the
pinfall win.
The crowd went nuts as Sheamus and Rey hugged Cena. The
babyfaces left together and posed on the stage.
Cena looked into the camera and stated, “Monday Night Raw.
That’s all she wrote. Love you. Thank you.”
Match result: Intercontinental Champion John Cena, Sheamus &
Rey Mysterio defeated JD McDonagh, Finn Bálor & Dominik
Mysterio (14:42)
********
Nick Aldis met with Adam Pearce. Pearce wasn’t surprised to
see Drew McIntyre game the system on SmackDown. Paul Heyman
sauntered in and could tell they were heated. Heyman said
what he did was within the rules and regulations (Aldis and
Pearce didn’t disagree).
Heyman said if they were pissed about him picking McIntyre,
they should see who he picked next. Heyman handed them a
clipboard, and they were not happy to see the name.
*******
Jackie Redmond introduced Andrew Schulz during a break. Fans
weren’t thrilled to see him. Schulz introduced injured New
York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (who was also at UFC
on Saturday). Skattebo wore a New York Rangers Matt Rempe
jersey.
Schulz referred to Dom as a bitch, but Dom and Judgment Day
were still at ringside, so Dom got in his face. Skattebo
stood up for Schulz and shoved Dom to the ground. Bálor,
McDonagh, and Dom attacked Schulz, Skattebo, and other
members of the NY Giants until it was broken up.
After the break, Eric Andre, Ashley Cooke, and members of
the Philadelphia Eagles (they were booed) were shown at
ringside, as were the Giants whom we saw moments ago.
********
Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella segment
Redmond was in the ring to interview Stephanie Vaquer, but
Nikki Bella attacked Vaquer from behind during her entrance.
Bella said she didn’t come back to be Vaquer’s sidekick. She
returned to take back her division. She told Vaquer she
would be giving her a shot at the Women’s title, and Vaquer
would bow down to the woman who changed this entire
industry. Bella posed with the belt.
(This was a fairly standard angle, but Vaquer had to stay
down selling for way too long after Bella’s attack. All
Bella did was shove Vaquer once into the video screen.)
********
Asuka and Kairi Sane approached Bayley and Lyra Valkyria
backstage. Asuka said she was feeling kind. They needed five
people for WarGames, so she would forgive Bayley for the
past if she teamed with her. Bayley laughed maniacally at
the idea, considering everything they had done to her. She
said no. Asuka and Sane left.
Valkyria was proud of Bayley for that. She wanted a high
five, but Bayley was suddenly in no mood and asked Valkyria
if she was five years old (for offering a high five). Bayley
walked away while saying, “Let’s go, you idiot.”
********
The Last Time Is Now Tournament Round One: Solo Sikoa (w/
Talla Tonga) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler was the mystery opponent, and he received a
big pop and chants of “Welcome back.” Ziggler started with
his usual offence: a dropkick, Stinger splash, neckbreaker,
and an elbow drop. Ziggler hit a flying elbow drop moments
later for just a one count.
Sikoa took control during a break and hit a Samoan drop when
they returned. Ziggler fought back with a leaping DDT and
Fameasser for two. Sikoa responded with a Spinning Solo for
two.
Ziggler ducked a spike and applied a schoolboy for two.
Ziggler followed with a Zig-Zag for a close nearfall. The
fans went nuts for that and told the ref that he sucked.
Ziggler tuned up the band for a superkick, but Sikoa blocked
it. Ziggler managed to hit a superkick anyway, but Sikoa
shoved him off and hit a Samoan spike for the pinfall win.
Match result: Solo Sikoa defeated Dolph Ziggler to advance
in The Last Time is Now Tournament (8:53)
A returning mid-carder who was never taken seriously as a
world champion wasn’t the most exciting mystery participant,
but it came across well enough thanks to these fans giving
him the biggest reaction he was going to get anywhere.
********
There was a quick video package for Je’Von Evans.
New Day did their usual commercial break promo alongside
Grayson Waller, who wore a Tyrese Haliburton jersey for
heat.
Lil Yachty, Aljamain Sterling, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephanie
McMahon & Elyse Dudzinski were shown in the crowd.
Alexa Bliss promo and WarGames angle
Alexa Bliss entered. She said she hasn’t heard back from
Charlotte Flair all weekend. Since Charlotte wasn’t
responding, Bliss looked into the camera to address her
instead. Bliss knew Charlotte was upset they lost the tag
titles, but they could get those back. It would be harder to
get back trust.
Everyone warned her not to trust Charlotte, but she ignored
them because she knew who Charlotte was on the inside. But
maybe now Charlotte was proving her wrong. Bliss got her ass
beat simply because Charlotte didn’t like Rhea Ripley.
Charlotte wasn’t there when Bliss needed her best friend.
(Bliss was getting ‘What’ chants, but she did a great job
dealing with it by incorporating it into her promo.)
She was interrupted by Asuka, Sane, Nia Jax, and Lash
Legend. Jax, as Bliss’ former friend, said she understood
why Charlotte left her. The heels surrounded Bliss on the
apron, but Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky ran out to join her.
Ripley and Sky brawled with Asuka and Sane outside the ring,
but that left Bliss alone in the ring for Jax and Legend.
Charlotte ran out with a kendo stick and attacked Jax and
Legend until they left the ring. Charlotte helped Bliss to
her feet and hugged her. Ripley and Sky were in the other
corner of the ring, and upon seeing them hug, Sky quickly
hugged Ripley in response. The crowd laughed at the amusing
visual, and Charlotte broke out laughing, too.
********
Women’s Intercontinental Championship match: Becky Lynch (c)
vs. Maxxine Dupri
Jessika Carr was the referee. Lynch wasn’t happy with this
because she blamed Carr for her previous losses. Lynch got
in Dupri’s face during her introduction, and she
aggressively handed Carr the title belt.
Lynch was still arguing with Carr as Carr called for the
match to start, so Dupri booted Lynch for a quick nearfall.
Lynch took over quickly by knocking Dupri off the top rope,
and they went to break 90 seconds into this title match.
Dupri fought back as soon as they returned from break with
clotheslines and a roundhouse kick for two. Dupri hit a
fisherman’s suplex, dropped her straps, and hit (missed) a
leg drop for two. Lynch booted Dupri’s arm and tried
targeting it, but Dupri fought back again. Lynch lifted her
out of the corner and hit a powerbomb.
Lynch tried applying an arm bar, but Dupri bridged out of
it. She countered it a second time and applied a cradle for
two. Dupri applied an ankle lock and grapevined the legs to
avoid a rope break. Lynch still managed to slip out of it,
and she kicked Dupri in the arm again. Lynch hit a Man-
handle Slam right next to the ropes, so Dupri got a
predictable rope break.
Lynch got in Carr’s face and poked her in the chest. Carr
knocked her hand down and told her to get back to the match.
Lynch chucked Dupri out of the ring and, as Carr checked on
Dupri, Lynch tried to expose the top turnbuckle.
AJ Lee then skipped out to her music, which distracted
Lynch, so Dupri caught her with a flying crossbody for the
pinfall win. Dupri is the new Women’s Intercontinental
Champion.
Dupri sprinted out of the ring and embraced AJ. Fireworks
went off as Dupri posed with her new title belt. Lynch was
pissed.
Match result: Maxxine Dupri defeated Becky Lynch to win the
Women’s Intercontinental Championship (9:50)
This match was not good. They tried to manufacture a moment
while also getting heat behind a Lynch/AJ Lee singles match.
But now Maxxine Dupri is the IC champion. The crowd was not
really into Dupri here, and they only popped for the finish.
Perhaps they will get behind her more now, but she won’t
improve fast enough, and fans can see she isn’t ready.
********
Byron Saxton interviewed Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez
during a break. The most notable thing here was Perez
correctly complaining that Bella was getting a title shot
despite Perez beating her twice in a row.
Brandon Marshall, Chuck Zito, and Gabriel Iglesias were in
the crowd.
The Last Time Is Now Tournament Round One: Je’Von Evans vs.
Gunther
Gunther dismissively patted Evans on the head, so Evans
smacked him. Evans chopped Gunther and countered a few spots
until Gunther simply booted him to take over.
Gunther maintained control through a commercial break, and
there was a “Y2J” chant as he did.
Evans countered a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. It might’ve
been a nice nearfall, but the referee stopped counting
because Gunther’s shoulders weren’t flush against the mat.
Evans followed with a somersault kick, and the crowd started
to get into him. He tried a suicide dive, but Gunther caught
him and chucked him hard into the side of the ring.
During a break, Gunther tried a German suplex, but Evans
landed on his feet. Gunther cut him off again, this time
with a dropkick. Evans countered him again, this time into a
sunset flip cradle for two as they returned from break.
They traded strikes until Evans tried springing off the
ropes, but Gunther booted him. Evans countered Gunther once
again, this time into a cutter, and he hit a dive over the
top rope. Evans followed with a great-looking frog splash
for two. (The crowd is fully into this now.)
Gunther hit an uppercut to the back of Evans’ neck as he
came off the top. Gunther followed with a suplex and
powerbomb, but Evans kicked out. Gunther applied a sleeper,
and Evans tried fighting through it, but Gunther cinched it
in, and Evans tapped out.
— Gunther left the ring, and you could hear the crowd
starting to give Evans an ovation, but they cut to the back.
Match result: Gunther defeated Je’Von Evans to advance in
The Last Time is Now Tournament (15:04)
This was really good. Evans and the match would’ve benefited
from an extra minute or two, but Evans still came across
great. Unlike the previous match, the crowd really got into
the underdog as it went along, and it seemed like the fans
were ready to give him a big ovation despite the loss.
*******
Backstage, Dupri (with AJ Lee) told Redmond that this title
win meant everything because all the hard work paid off. She
beat one of the best of all time, and that meant she finally
belonged here. It was all thanks to AJ Lee.
AJ said the credit belonged to Dupri. AJ hated a bully and
just wanted to put Lynch in her place. Otis and Akira Tozawa
showed up to celebrate with Dupri, and they left together.
Redmond asked AJ if she was sticking around. AJ said she
initially came back to help her husband, but Lynch lit a
fire under her, so we’ll see. Ripley approached AJ and asked
if they could chat. AJ left with Ripley. The fans cheered.
*******
Somebody named Gangster Granny was shown ringside during a
break.
Main event WarGames angle
Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Logan Paul
entered together. Drew McIntyre entered separately to join
them. Heyman said he walked with the Samoan Swat Team & The
Freebirds, with the Dangerous Alliance, and with The
Bloodline to the ring for WarGames, but this was the
greatest assembly of talent for WarGames ever.
CM Punk interrupted to his music. He waited ringside as Jey
and Jimmy Uso entered to Jey’s music through the crowd. They
all waited for Cody Rhodes to come out next to his music.
(Rhodes stood side-by-side with Punk and went for a fist
bump, but Punk legitimately didn’t see it, so Rhodes
forcibly bumped his fist so it didn’t look like he got left
hanging.) The babyfaces cleared the ring, and Punk dropped
Paul with a bulldog.
Brock Lesnar entered. Punk went after him, but Lesnar laid
him out with a couple of suplexes. Rhodes went after Lesnar,
but Lesnar laid him out with suplexes, too. Lesnar stood
tall, and they displayed the trademark graphic to fake that
the show was over, but it wasn’t.
Roman Reigns entered and faced off with Lesnar. Lesnar tried
to attack, but Reigns ducked a clothesline and knocked
Lesnar out of the ring with a Superman punch.
Security stepped in front of Reigns, so Reed attacked Reigns
from behind. Reed went for a Tsunami, but Reigns popped up
and gave Reed a Superman punch.
“NYPD” appeared at ringside as Punk choked out Paul with a
kendo stick. NYPD and security tried settling things down,
but Reigns speared Reed through the barricade as the show
abruptly ended at 10:25 pm ET.