Raw has left me in a bit of a Terry Funk lately. And by that I mean that I usually get an hour in before I feel the uncontrollable urge to launch myself off a ladder and through several burning tables.
This was a go-home show, as surprising as that sounds – the final episode of Raw before Hell in a Cell this Sunday. Much of it was dedicated to celebrating (commemorating?) the 20-year anniversary of Mick Foley’s unforgettable encounter against the Undertaker inside the cell at King of the Ring in 1998. We were repeatedly asked to think back to that match, and remember the devastation and brutality that so often plays out inside the hellish structure.
In the true spirit of reflection, I thought it might be appropriate to also revisit the corresponding go-home episode of Raw twenty years ago. How did the build to that Foley / Undertaker match differ from the modern day equivalent?
The Raw before King of the Ring 1998 emanated from Austin, Texas on June 22, 1998. In true ‘Attitude Era’ style (and because there’s a cap on how long these intros can be), I’m going to run off every major event from that night’s show, in quick succession and with limited context. Brace yourselves.
Kane uses his electronic voice box to announce the stipulation for his match against Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship. It’s a First Blood match and if Kane loses, he’ll set himself on fire (don’t expect an explanation, because we didn’t get one twenty years ago either.) We were given four King of the Ring qualifying matches, Al Snow dressed as an old woman, the debut of Edge (which tragically ended barely a minute into the bout when Jose Estrada broke his neck) and a match between the Rock and Triple H, which lead to a chaotic brawl between D-Generation X and the Nation of Domination. The final angle of the night featured Stone Cold getting a vat of fake blood dumped on his head (no context!).
And they managed all that in just two hours. The 90s were a crazy time.
But how did last night’s episode of Raw stack up against its historical counterpart? Like I said, this was a go-home show. But even that’s not telling the whole story. Because this wasn’t just any go-home show: Hell in a Cell as a pay-per-view lends itself to chaos and unbridled violence. It’s the very premise of the event in fact… things have gotten so out of hand, so uncontrollable, that only a cell can possibly contain it. So you would rightly expect the lead-in episode to be eventful.
But was it? Join our WrestleTalk writing team as we delve into the good, the bad and the ugly from last night’s Raw. Which moments did we enjoy, and which missed the mark? Read on to see our thoughts, as well as our rating of the show overall.
What Was Your Favourite Segment From Raw?
Brian Farrell
I’m taking a gamble here and going with the KO segment. I know Bobby Lashley could be a black hole for KO, due to no fault of his own, but I like how they gave an explanation to everything. This is the ruthless KO that we all wanted to see. I see a push incoming and that’s just great. (Guaranteed this doesn’t happen now that I said it).
Dylan Kapisky
What was in grave danger of becoming one of the worst WWE storylines of the year is now slowly turning around – though it has a long way to go. Owens completely destroying Tyler Breeze showed a dangerous side of KO that hasn’t been seen since he headbutted Vince McMahon. His promo afterwards did a good job of explaining his rushed return, though it did not completely cover it up. He claimed that before he could truly quit, Baron Corbin was begging Owens to come back, because the Constable wants Kevin to be the top guy on Raw.
The follow-up, where Owens explained that he now has free reign to do as he pleases in the ring, sort of covers for his attacking of The Shield last week. It wasn’t to do favors, he just doesn’t like the ‘Hounds of Justice’. His promo made him feel like a credible threat to Bobby Lashley, who he blames for quitting and returning. By making Kevin’s struggles revolve around Sami Zayn’s injury, rather than Braun terrorizing him, WWE made a solid attempt to fill the gaps in last week’s show. While many will be quick to dismiss this promo, and continue to see this as a huge mistake (which it was), I think the story WWE is now telling with Owens has potential and this promo, in particular, was a good step forward.
Ashley D’Altilio
The in-ring promo between Mick Foley and Elias. Although the choice to have Mick Foley as the guest referee for Braun vs. Roman at Hell in a Cell is fairly random, this was a promo that offered Elias a boost, especially as a heel. Mick Foley isn’t the best speaker, but he gives me such nostalgia every time he brings up that match. This promo was the only great preview for Hell in a Cell tonight. If it weren’t for this promo, I wouldn’t have known this was a go-home show by looking at the card. The ensuing match between Elias and Bálor was entertaining as well.
THIS SUNDAY: @RealMickFoley will officiate as @BraunStrowman challenges @WWERomanReigns for the #UniversalTitle inside #HellInACell! #RAW #HIAC pic.twitter.com/gAljoTnuWB
— WWE (@WWE) September 11, 2018
Nicholas Holicki
The fact that I found Renee Young’s commentary the most enjoyable aspect of Raw should speak volumes to both to her ability and the general purgatory that the red brand has found itself in for the past few weeks. While the show as a whole delivered absolutely nothing of any note, Renee was personable, impassioned and entertaining – basically the anti-Coach in that sense. I just hope that WWE appreciates the gem they’ve got on their hands. Now if we could only get rid of Michael Cole somehow…
What Was The Worst Part of Last Night’s Episode?
Brian Farrell
Finn Bálor vs Elias. Not a bad match by any stretch, but it meant nothing. Giving Bálor ANOTHER roll up win gives him nothing, and doesn’t help out Elias either. This was just a bizarre go-home match for Hell in a Cell. A decent but meaningless match that does nothing for either wrestler will always be bad. But it’s even worse in what was basically the main event of a go-home show!
Dylan Kapisky
Last week, this makeshift team of former NXT and WWE United States Champion, Bobby Roode, and former SmackDown and NXT Tag Team Champion, Chad Gable, got a pass because of how poorly handled the Kevin Owens storyline was. This week, though, nothing stands in the way of this being the worst part of Monday Night Raw. When you consider the talent involved, it’s upsetting that this team was formed, not because they were two of the top guys on the brand, looking to capture the Tag Titles as a dominant force. Instead, they were chucked together because creative had nothing for them as singles competitors. One of the best heel characters in NXT’s brief history and one of the pound-for-pound strongest, pure athletes in the entire company, and creative had nothing for them. And even as a team, they don’t have anything for them, as they just had the same match they had last week. It’s a damn shame.
GLORIOUS victory for @REALBobbyRoode and @WWEGable once again on #RAW! pic.twitter.com/4zh89NkrqL
— WWE (@WWE) September 11, 2018
Ashley D’Altilio
Nikki Bella vs. Ruby Riott. Lately, I hate any segment containing the Riott Squad; it’s not their fault, either. They’re talented and interesting women with half-decent gimmicks. It’s really because booking puts them in repetitive storylines and matches week after week. First they had a 50/50 feud with Sasha and Bayley, now it’s the Bella Twins. I’m expecting a Brie vs. Liv Morgan match next week. Then something similar after that… until we cannot shuffle them anymore. Then they’ll start again with two new people. They are simply booked horribly and it ruins it for me.
Nicholas Holicki
It’s not so much a moment as it is the path that WWE seems intent on going down. I’m still not sure how Braun Strowman has managed to co-opt the entire heel department of the Raw locker room. He’s beaten up more of them than the Shield has! Remember when he dropped a piano on Elias? Or tipped over a stage holding Jinder Mahal and Kevin Owens? Or tossed the Singh Brothers around like dusty floor mats? And yet, all of them were at ringside, listening obediently while Braun and his two ‘dogs of war’ delivered the same promo they did last week. This entire segment – much like the entire build-up to Hell in a Cell – was pointless, confusing and illogical.
How Would You Rate the Show Overall? (From best to worst: In Awe, Cor, AvRAWge, Poor and Bore)
Brian Farrell
AvRAWge. This was okay, it was fine. Nothing spectacular but nothing terrible. Everything ran well enough but there were not great matches. A couple of intriguing promos and storylines give this Raw a 3/5. I could see people ranking it a hit lower because it was a go-home show.
Dylan Kapisky
This week’s Raw is Poor. A lot of this show was just meh, and three hours of average ends up being one episode of below. The opening segment was a re-hash of last week, whacky Dean returned, the Bellas wrestled, Mick Foley cut the same promo he always does, and Triple H built a match that’s one month away and six years past its sell-by date. Oh yeah, and Hell in a Cell is Sunday.
Ashley D’Altilio
Poor. This show was horrendous, especially as a go-home show for a fairly important pay-per-view. None of the matches mattered, nor did any of the promos (except for that beautiful Big Show segment for Connor’s Cure). Nothing too significant occurred, and I really had a hard time picking out my worst and best segments because all of them were just… meh.
Nicholas Holicki
I had no idea this was a go-home show until Michael Cole told me that I could get Hell in a Cell for free if I subscribed to the WWE Network. That news only lead me to wonder even more why this episode consisted of nothing but video packages, promos for Super Show-Down and lectures on American jurisprudence. For the first time in a while, this Raw was a definitive Bore.
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