Seth Rollins made his heel turn official as he joined forces with AOP Monday night on Raw.
WWE Raw saw several storyline developments as the opening “divorce” segment predictably ended up in a brawl while Seth Rollins officially turned heel, joining forces with AOP as part of an ambush on Kevin Owens.
In the night’s main event, Rey Mysterio retained the WWE United States Championship.
WWE Raw was up slightly last week with 2.208 million average viewers. The go-home show for WWE TLC will have limited competition form a Monday Night Football game between the hapless New York Giants and the struggling Philadelphia Eagles, albeit in a game that will mark the return of Eli Manning.
WWE Raw Viewership—Last Five Weeks:
- December 2, 2019—2.208 million viewers
- November 25, 2019—2.109 million viewers
- November 18, 2019—2.127 million viewers
- November 11, 2019—2.058 million viewers
- November 4, 2019—2.136 million viewers
WWE Raw Key Competition:
- NFL Monday Night Football: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
From the Forbes WWE Vault:
WWE Total YouTube Viewership for WWE Raw Last Monday: 11,412,838 views (down from 12,093,269)
- Most-Viewed: Bobby Lashley and Lana are Arrested (3,379,343 views)
- Least-Viewed: The Viking Raiders vs. Mark Sterling and Mitchell Lyons (130,762 views)
- Median Viewership: 430,259
Average WWE Attendance for “B+ City”: 7,608
Average WWE Raw Ticket Price at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena: $73
Estimated Live Gate for WWE Raw: $555,384
WWE Raw Results: Monday, December 9, 2019
Opening Segment Featuring Rusev and Lana’s Live Divorce
WWE was very ballsy to open the show with a divorce segment that could easily get away from them in a hurry.
I thought Lashley would never be the same after getting crushed by a lighting rig but thank god for bad storyline continuity.
Say what you will about this angle, but it’s somehow making Rusev into a surging babyface.
Drew McIntyre def. Matt Hardy
Backstage, Rey Mysterio bequeathed his steel pipe to Kevin Owens. At this point, Rey’s everybody’s dad.
This match may very well have had a completely different result had it taken place while the two were in Impact Wrestling.
If this is WWE’s way of convincing Matt Hardy to stay when his contract is up next year, then good luck keeping him around.
The Viking Raiders def. The Street Profits—WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
This match begun in a haste, with The Street Profits teasing a quick squash victory. Had that been the actual finish, I would have had zero problem with it, The Viking Raiders have had enough time to get over on Raw for now.
This may have been the rare meaningful win for The Viking Raiders, but it was patently obvious this match was designed to showcase The Street Profits as a tag team to watch.
After this match, The Viking Raiders displayed pinpoint facial expressions by using their eyes to say “let’s do this again sometime!”
Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins Face off, Sami Zayn and Mojo Rawley Interject
Heel Seth Rollins is a lot like heel Shawn Michaels except with a lot less charisma and none of the likability.
Sami Zayn’s presence in this segment means a) the man is officially a manager b) “Managerial License” will become the new “Wild Card Rule.”
Mojo Rawley is always so good with the little they give him to do. He’s like Akira Tozawa if Akira had Gronk’s phone number.
Aleister Black def. Akira Tozawa
I expected “Doors Match” to trend at any second because most of WWE Twitter was making the same hack joke about Aleister Black and Tables, Ladders and Chairs.
For a second, I thought Raw was going to go to commercial during an Akira Tozawa squash match, which would have all but killed Aleister Black’s push for not being able to put Tozawa away before a commercial break.
WWE should always have Akira Tozawa around. Among all his endless talents, the guy is so good at taking finishes!
Humberto Carrillo def. Andrade
The announcers were billing this as quite possibly the most important match of Humberto Carrillo’s career which is going to make for a very awkward conversation when AJ Styles hears this.
This just felt like one big troll job against Sin Cara. I wouldn't be surprised if Carolina resurfaces next week and gets a win over Zelina Vega AND Andrade. #RAW
Following this match, Zelina Vega and Andrade were arguing intensely. If they broke them up, it would be a terrible leader. Unfortunately, WWE is the worldwide leader in terrible ideas.
Buddy Murphy def. Zack Ryder
All of a sudden, Buddy Murphy vs. Aleister Black has quietly become the best built match on the entire TLC crowd.
For somebody destined to get kicked in the face on pay-per-view, WWE is really spending a lot of time building up Buddy Murphy.
Seth Rollins Officially Aligns with AOP
Typically when a babyface walks around with a led pipe looking for heels in today’s WWE, that babyface is destined for failure.
The reveal of Seth Rollins in cahoots with AOP came with zero shock factor but was still well done.
For a second, I thought Rollins was going to begin speaking Albanian.
First Bayley had to turn heel twice and now it’s Seth Rollins’ turn. WWE is getting really good at this multiple heel turn thing.
The Kabuki Warriors vs. Becky Lynch
I would have loved to be a fly on the wall as a heel Seth Rollins passed his babyface girlfriend Becky Lynch on her way to the ring.
This match, while very good, was nowhere near as good as Charlotte’s two-one-one classic from last week.
God forbid the women’s tag team champions get back-to-back wins in two-on-one competition.
Erick Rowan Battles Local Competitor to a No Contest
Erick Rowan lost his mind when the local competitor ran off with his mystery creature, but I don’t blame him, he’s basically down to his last friend.
After I thought I saw enough ref stoppages for a lifetime at Hell in a Cell, WWE had another ref stoppage in this match.
The Monday after Weekend Update Featuring The Street Profits
This was different. Not funny or necessary, but different.
At least Angelo Dawkins decided to sell their physical match against The Viking Raiders toward the end.
I feel like Monday After Weekend Update was written by Colin Jost and Michael Che, but they gave The Street Profits their worst jokes to make sure their jobs were safe.
Rey Mysterio def. AJ Styles—WWE United States Championship
With more time, a bigger stage and about five years into the past, this match would be one of the biggest draws in wrestling.
This could double as a match to crown the locker room’s new elder statesman.
This was a rare example of a match that physically would have been better 10 years ago, but due to the maturity of both performers, it was a better overall match in 2019—until that Styles Botch.
