Countdown to WarGames!

With both the Men’s and Women’s WarGames teams finalized, Monday Night Raw determines which sides will have the one-up advantage!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• The Last Time is Now Quarterfinals: GUNTHER VS Carmelo Hayes; Gunther wins and advances.
• Rey Mysterio VS JD McDonagh w/ Finn Balor; Rey wins.
• The Last Time is Now Quarterfinals: PENTA VS Solo Sikoa; Solo wins and advances.
• Men’s WarGames Advantage Tag Match: Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul VS The Usos; Drew & Logan win advantage for their team.

PLAY BY PLAY

Roman Reigns is here!

Even before the music hit, OKC was chanting for “O T C!” and here he is! THE Tribal Chief is in Oklahoma City and the fans go wild! Roman raises his finger, the pyro goes off, then he makes his way to the ring. The fans cheer as Roman again raises the one to the sky and there’s more pyro. The fans cheer for “O T C! O T C!” as Roman gets the mic, then they sing for “Roman, Roman Reigns~!” while he paces. Roman nods, and he revels in the “O T C! O T C!” before he says, “O K C! ACKNOWLEDGE ME!” The fans cheer, and now Cody Rhodes makes his entrance! The fans fire up all over again as they get to sing along with Kingdom, “WHOA~ OH!”

Cody gets his pyro now, then high-fives fans on his way down the ramp. Cody gets his second “WHOA~ OH~!” and second pyro and the fans fire up again as Cody steps into the ring to join Roman. Cody gets his own mic, the fans sing, “Cody, Cody Rhodes~!” and Cody says, “So, Oklahoma Citay…! Whaddya wanna talk about?” Cody says admittedly, he thought this would be different. Cody acknowledges that Roman is indeed a man of his word. But the last time Roman gave Cody his word, it was for a match. This time, this is war. Cody told everyone who would listen why he was involved with WarGames, but seems he’s just like everyone else: What’s in this for Roman?

Roman smirks and the fans cheer for “O T C! O T C!” Roman says, “What’s in it for me? Last time I checked, I been in this war. You’re just now joining. And this is the thing. I don’t like you, you don’t like me, we don’t even really know each other that well. But there’s one thing you know about me and there’s one thing I know about you: We don’t play around when it comes to our families. And last time I checked, half of this team IS my family! And before they were on this team, they were in my Bloodline.” The fans cheer that. Roman says that means he has been invested in this for a long time, and he is here to see that investment through.

Cody says, “Understood. Then all I can say is… Welcome to my team.” Cody offers a handshake, the fans cheer, but Roman is hesitant. And then CM PUNK shows up! The fans fire up again because they get to sing along with Cult of Personality! The fans join in with “IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME~!” and Punk goes right to the ring. He shows off the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, then grabs a mic before standing with Cody and Roman. The fans chant for “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” and he smiles. “Is it great to be alive on a Monday night in Oklahoma City or what?!” The fans cheer that, and then Punk looks between Roman and Cody.

Punk asks OKC, “ACKNOWLEDGE US!” The fans cheer that! Punk says he’s stealing material, but there’s an occasion for it, and that is this: In major league sprots terms, this is an All-Star WarGames team. So he is glad Cody has Roman’s word. Punk doesn’t need it, because he figured he and Roman were cool. Last year, Punk saved Roman’s life. And then ruined it four months later. Punk smirks and says that was reason for Roman to stab him in the back? But Punk knows Roman won’t because if he does that, he’s stabbing The Usos’ in the back, and surely Roman Reigns wouldn’t be so mean to his own cousins, would he?

Roman would never put his family between a rock and a hard place, would he? Cody says they’ve already got it, they’re all on the same team. Yeah, but who said it was Cody’s team? Did Punk hear that right? Cody said this was HIS team before offering a handshake? Last time Punk checked, this is NOT SmackDown, this is NOT the USA Network, this is Monday Night Raw, on Netflix, and Cody can be Quarterback on Fridays, but here, PUNK is champ. Roman says why not just measure ’em now, huh? Because it doesn’t matter if it’s Cody’s team, or if it’s Punk’s team, it doesn’t even have to be his team. He doesn’t like either of them!

The only thing they can all agree on is, they hate Paul Heyman and The Vision. That’s Roman’s word to them, that’s his promise: He hates The Vision more than he hates these two. And since we’re being honest tonight… That title would look so much better on Roman’s shoulder. Roman leaves, and Punk asks, “You talking to me? Or you talking to Cody?” Roman just chuckles and shrugs. The OTC still asserts dominance even when he says he doesn’t care. But can three alpha male egos survive each other long enough to survive WarGames?

Paul Heyman, The Vision, and Drew McIntyre meet backstage.

Speaking of WarGames, The Oracle has 80% of the team here, but he begs The Scottish Terminator to take this seriously. He is still under suspension, and the only reason he was allowed inside the building is because Heyman picked him for the Advantage match. If Drew steps outside this room and even goes “Boo!” to the wrong person, he could be removed from the arena. The advantage is a tag team match tonight, so Drew and someone else have to step in against two from the other team. Logan Paul says he’s got it! It should be BRRROCK! LESNARRR! Heyman says sure, but Lesnar is in a terrible mood after last week’s brawl.

Lesnar is only going to show up to hunt down Roman Reigns. You don’t want any part of Lesnar, you shouldn’t even have let Lesnar’s name come out of your mouth. Logan says right, Brock’s name should not come out his mouth. Heyman is annoyed and asks, “Are you serious?!” Logan says sorry, he’s messing around. Drew’s partner tonight is obviously… Bron Breakker! The Badass shakes his head, and Heyman says no, it’s not. Then… Bronson Reed! No, it’s not. Logan points to himself, and Heyman says yes. The Maverick says that’s a wise choice. But is even Logan Paul worried about what could happen to him out there tonight? Or can #Mavericktyre make it work?

The Last Time is Now Quarterfinals: GUNTHER VS Carmelo Hayes!

Der Ring General’s return was a success as he defeated Je’Von Evans, and now he faces H1M in the second round. Melo may have gotten help against The Vision, but will he still hit Nothing But Net? Or will Gunther block the shot and take one step closer to Saturday Night’s Main Event?

Raw returns and Melo makes his entrance. The bell rings and the fans rally up. Gunther mocks Melo, “Who did you beat?” Melo fires off fast hands! Gunther THROWS Melo away, but Melo comes back to CHOP and fire more fast hands! Gunther puts Melo in the corner, smothers him, but the ref counts. Melo slips free to CHOP! The fans fire up, but Gunther just smirks! Gunther storms up, pie faces Melo, then soaks up cheers and jeers. But Melo gets up to ROCK and CHOP Gunther! The fans fire up, Melo headlocks, but Gunther powers up and out. Gunther CLOBBERS Melo, then climbs up the corner to soak up heat.

But Melo gets under Gunther to POWERBOMB him down! The fans fire up as Melo then runs up, V-TRIGGER! Melo keeps going, FADE AWAY JUMPER DDT! Cover, TWO! Gunther is tougher than that but Melo just keeps the energy up. Gunther goes to a corner, Melo fires more shots, and the fans rally behind Melo. Melo ROCKS and CHOPS and BOOTS, but Gunther eggs him on! Melo ROUNDHOUSES, ROUNDHOUSE- But Gunther blocks! Melo dodges the chop, springboards, but into a CHOP! And then Gunther CHOPS again! Gunther CHOPS Melo down again, soaks up more heat, and he paces around while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Gunther drags Melo up to scoop and SLAM! The fans rally while Gunther paces. Gunther drags Melo up, scoops him, but Melo wrangles Gunther to a cradle! TWO, and Gunther CHOPS him down again! Melo sputters, Gunther looms over him, then he drags Melo up. Gunther back suplexes, but Melo lands out! Melo jumps on for a SLEEPER! The fans fire up as Melo thrashes around, but Gunther slips behind to SLEEPER! They drop back, Melo rolls back to cover, TWO! Melo has the SLEEPER! Gunther fights up, powers up, and he hits a BIG back suplex! Melo writhes but the fans rally up.

Gunther taunts Melo and even asks the camera, “Who did he even beat to be in the ring with me?” Gunther goes back to Melo, stands Melo up, and UPPERCUTS him down! Melo crawls to ropes, Gunther taunts him, but Melo rises up. The fans rally as Melo snarls, and he CHOPS! Gunther UPPERCUTS Melo back! Melo goes to a corner, Gunther storms up on Melo, and he whips corner to corner. Gunther runs up, but into a SUPERKICK! The fans fire up and Melo rises again! Melo runs, tilt-o-whirls, but Gunther SLAMS him down! Gunther hauls Melo back up, BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and the fans cheer!

Gunther frowns, and Melo grabs at him. Gunther drags Melo up and CHOPS him down! But Gunther holds the wristlock and drags Melo up again. But Melo ducks the chop to jump on! SLEEPER! Gunther RAMS Melo into buckles, Melo holds on, and the ref counts. Gunther powers out, but Melo SUPERKICKS again! Melo runs, springboards, but into a BOOT! Melo wobbles, Gunther reels him in! POWER- DDT!! Melo turns it around and the fans fire up again! Melo reaches out as the fans rally, and Raw goes back to break.

Raw returns again, Melo is outside, the ring count climbs, but Melo is up and in at 8! Gunther is right on him! POWER- NO, Melo sunset flips! Gunther stays up and CHOPS Melo! Then Gunther YANKS Melo up, pops him up, but the FIRST 48 OUTTA NOWHERE! Melo runs, tries another, but Gunther stops the 48 to DUMP Melo out! Melo lands safe on the apron, then avoids a boot! ROUNDHOUSE! Gunther falls back, Melo goes up, and the fans fire up! Melo aims, but Gunther CHOPS first! Melo flops back down to the apron while the fans rally up. Gunther goes out to join Melo, winds up again, and CHOPS!

Melo sputters, Gunther swings, but Melo dodges! CHOP HITS POST!! The fans fire up as Melo then slingshots, APRON DDT! Not the cleanest but it was still points on the board! Both men are down on the outside and the ring count starts. Melo rises, rolls in at 5 of 10, but Gunther is already standing at 6. Melo builds speed to FLY! Down goes Gunther and the fans fire up again! The count resets as both men are down, but “This is Awesome!” Melo stands, he brings Gunther up, but Gunther reels Melo in! Melo fights the lift, and he BACKDROPS Gunther into the timekeeper’s area! But then Gunther YANKS Melo around with a SLEEPER!

Gunther steps over barriers to head for the ring, but Melo jumps up, TORNADO DDT to the floor!! The count is still going! It is 7 of 10! 8! Melo is in, Gunther is down!! Gunther springs to life at 9.99!! Melo is stunned, as are the fans, but Melo runs! LA MYSTICA!! Melo hurries to the corner! OKC wants to see it! NOTHING BUT – NO! Gunther dodges, and LARIATS Melo inside-out!! Then the GENERAL BOMB!! High stack, TWO?!?! Melo survives and no one can believe it! Gunther is furious, and he rains down HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS!! Then the SLEEPER!! Gunther smothers Melo, Melo flails and fights, but he’s fading fast!!

The fans rally as hard as they can, and Melo gets a second wind! Melo rises, reaches out, but Gunther reels him back in! GENERAL BOMB!! High stack, Gunther wins!!

Winner: Gunther, by pinfall (advances to the semifinals)

Der Ring General got more of a fight than expected from H1M, but he still came out the victor! Will Gunther be unstoppable between now and that final match with John Cena?

Cody, Punk and Roman regroup backstage.

Cody says this arguing is exactly what Heyman wants to see. Punk says he did NOT ruin Roman’s life, he’s fine. But The Usos walk in, and Jey says, “Well woopy damn doo! Man, I’m glad we over here getting along like one happy ass family over here, Uce.” Punk side hugs Cody to try and play along but Jey says they’re arguing about everything that’s so important, except what is happening tonight! Jimmy says tonight is a big tag team match! The WarGames Advantage! And in order for them to win, they all gotta be on the same page here! Guess who IS on the same page here. The Usos! Guess who not? You three!

So the tag team needs to be the best tag team, go out there and do what they do, and get that W, that advantage for WarGames! YEET! Jey tells Roman, “Uce, we The Ones for a reason, right?” Roman says yes. Punk is Best in the World for a reason, right? Right. And Cody Rhodes, whatchu wanna talk about tonight? The Usos got the W tonight! YEET! Jey & Jimmy then head out, that decision made for the rest. Roman says if they’re both so smart, Cody and Punk can fix this. Roman then heads out, but can the Usos get that man-up advantage? Or will the Scottish Terminator & Maverick be very ImPAULsive?

Dominik Mysterio is here!

Oklahoma City cheers the AAA Mega Campeon, “Dirty” Dom, as he heads to the ring. He has his rematch for the WWE Intercontinental Championship this Saturday, but what will he have to say about it? We find out, after the break.

Raw returns and Dom has the mic. The fans boo as Dom speaks, starting in Espanol to say he is the King of the Luchadores. Then in English, Dom says he will end John Cena’s retirement tour early! The fans keep booing but Dom tells them to let him speak! This Saturday, Dom will embarrass John Cena in Dom’s hometown of San Diego! He will take back HIS Intercontinental Championship! And at Survivor Series, Dom will continue to be the GREATEST Mysterio of All Time! The fans definitely boo that. Dom says it doesn’t even matter if the fans cheer for Cena or not, he’s not here tonight! Dom doesn’t blame him for not wanting to come to this dump!

But wait! The music starts?! So last week wasn’t the last Raw?! Wait, they got a Mini to pretend to be Cena, and even one to pretend to be Stu. The fans still want to high-five Mini Cena, and he runs to the ring just like Cena! But he can’t just into the ring, it’s too high. Mini Cena goes up the steps and slides in from there. The fans still cheer Mini Cena as he then grabs a mic, but Dom says, “You don’t interrupt me, John! I should drop you where you stand. But y’know what? I’m gonna save my energy and I’ma let you walk away. Because…” Dom is almost laughing at his own joke as he says, “You have no idea what’s coming for you at Survivor Series.”

Mini Cena says, “Fine speech, young Dominik. I mean, coming from the Worst Mysterio of All Time.” The fans cheer that! Dom whispers that this isn’t what they agreed on. Mini Cena says if Dom won’t fight him in front of the good people of Oklahoma City, then maybe at Survivor Series, if you want some, come get some! Because the Champ is Here~! But Dom BOOTS Mini Cena over. The fans boo, Dom is fed up with his own joke, and he sets Mini Cena up for a “You Can’t See Me!” FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! Dom then puts Mini Cena on the ropes and CHOKES him! The fans boo, Dom dials it up, 619! Direct hit on Mini Cena!

Dom then puts Mini Cena in the drop zone, goes up, and gives some Latino Heat! FROG SPLASH!! Dom picks up his AAA title, stands over Mini Cena, and soaks up the heat. But here comes REY! The fans cheer as Dom stands his ground against his dad, to then run away the moment Rey is in the ring. Rey checks on Mini Cena, but here comes JD McDonagh! Dom hands this off to his Judgment Day amigos, but can the Irish Ace trump the true King of Lucha? Or will Rey just add on to last week’s defeat?

Rey Mysterio VS JD McDonagh w/ Finn Balor!

Raw returns and the match is already going as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and MONKEY FLIPS JD! JD tumbles to a corner, Rey RAMS into him, and then Rey climbs up. The fans cheer and count along as Rey rains down fists! Rey goes to nine, then winds up for TEN! The fans cheer as Rey MONKEY FLIPS JD again, and JD lands on his tailbone! JD stands, Rey ROCKS him, then Rey RAMS JD into the corner. Rey climbs up, but JD slips free and YANKS Rey down! Finn applauds but the fans boo. JD whips Rey to ropes, tilt-o-whirl scoops and BACKBREAKER! JD soaks up heat, Finn joins in, and Rey goes to the ropes.

JD stomps Rey, CHOKES him at the ropes, but the ref counts. JD stops, Rey goes to a corner, and JD storms up. Rey kicks JD, ROCKS him, and fires more shots. The fans rally for Rey as he whips, but JD reverses to drop toehold! JD drops the leg, brother! Cover, TWO! JD stays on Rey with a forearm to the back! JD clamps on with a chinlock but the fans rally up. Rey endures, fights up, and stands up to body blow! Rey runs, tilt-o-whirl and crucifix takeover, TWO! JD LARIATS Rey back down! Finn applauds but the fans boo while Rey sputters. JD puts Rey in a corner, RAMS him, and RAMS him again! And again!

The ref counts, JD stops, and JD soaks up more heat while he throws up the Too Sweet. JD hops down, stands Rey up, and whips corner to corner. Rey goes up and Electric Chair! Rey throws hands, then he RANAS JD out! But JD holds onto Rey! Rey still fights, only for JD to SLAM Rey on the desk! Rey sputters, Finn fires up for JD, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and JD grinds Rey down with a cobra twist. He links up with Finn and the fans boo! The ref notices that, Finn lets go, and Rey HIP TOSSES JD! Rey goes to a corner, JD runs up, but Rey sends him into buckles! Rey DECKS JD from the apron, the fans cheer, but JD SWEEPS the legs! Rey lands on the apron, JD CHOKES him with a heel to the  neck, but JD stops as the ref counts. JD goes out to the apron, soaks up more heat, then storms up on Rey. Rey BOOTS JD to the corner! The fans cheer as JD falls to the floor! Rey rises up, the ring count climbs to 5 of 10, and JD stands at 6.

Finn directs JD into the ring, but Rey is there to SEATED SENTON! The fans fire up, Rey whips, JD sunset flips! Rey rolls through to BUZZSAW! Cover, TWO! JD survives, Finn is relieved, but Rey fires up with the fans. He calls for it, then stands JD up. But JD knees low! JD scoops, Rey slips free! Rey kicks, JD blocks, but the ENZIGIRI sends JD stumbling! JD is on the ropes, Rey dials it up, but he runs into a SPANISH FLY! Cover, TWO! Rey survives and the fans fire up again! JD stalks Rey, gives him Kawada Kicks, and he RIPCORDS, but Rey hits a CODE RED!! Cover, TWO!! JD survives and even Finn is shocked!

Rey waits on JD, and drop toeholds him back onto ropes! Rey dials it up, but Finn TRIPS Rey up! The fans boo as the ref misses that! Rey PUSHES Finn! The fans cheer, Finn gets up on the apron, but then Rey sends JD into Finn! Finn is down, JD is on the ropes! Dial it up, 619! And the slingshot SPLASH! Cover, Rey wins!

Winner: Rey Mysterio, by pinfall

Judgment Day tried to get revenge but it all blew up in their face! But then Finn runs up anyway! Rey dodges, tiger feints again, and then he slips away! Finn looks less like a Prince and more like a joker. Will Rey be laughing all the way to the bank? Or can Judgment Day get even?

Raquel Rodriguez talks with Adam Pearce backstage.

She can’t believe that Nikki Bella gets involved in her title match with Stephanie Vaquer, and yet Nikki gets the match at Survivor Series? What about her, Pearce?! The Raw General Manager admits, he actually agrees here. But the Survivor Series match is still on. So on the other side, Raquel will be in the mix, you have his word. Good. Raquel leaves, and New Day walks in, Grayson Waller included. Pearce says he’s actually been meaning to talk to them, too. Xavier Woods says he wishes he could be thankful to be here, and he wishes he could be thankful for being part of the greatest tag team in pro-wrestling. But Kofi Kingston says Pearce ruined EVERYTHING!

He’s ruined their holiday, he’s ruined the tag division, and where are the 86,000 dragon links? Pearce shouts, “Would you shut up!?” If you’d listen, he is here to tell them that AJ Styles & Dragon Lee are ready to put the tag titles on the line. And it’d be against the New Day! Why would they care about- Wait. The New Day? He did say it. No, he has to say it again. Will they leave if he says it again? Yes. Then it is AJ Styles & Dragon Lee VS New Day for the WWE World Tag Team Championships… It is official. WOO! Thank GAWD! Woods & Kofi head out, Pearce still wishes them a Happy Thanksgiving, and Waller says they have a gift for him.

Waller puts a very big wig on Pearce’s head. Waller says it looks great. Pearce shouts for him to get out! Pearce needs a drink… But will The New Day be toasting their success next week? Or will the Dragons with Style, or whatever name they settle on, still be golden for the holidays?

Brock Lesnar has arrived backstage!

The Beast is roaming the halls, but he finds Paul Heyman and is welcomed to his own private locker room. Will Lesnar make sure he gets his hands on Roman Reigns before the night is over?

Becky Lynch is here!

The Man has come around to Oklahoma City, but she rips up a sign that says “LOSER” and has her picture in it! Becky and her big fur coat go to the ring, but what will she have to say? We find out, after the break.

Raw returns and now The Kabuki Warriors make their entrance to join Becky, Nia Jax & Lash Legend in the ring. The team is all here, the fans boo, and Becky has the mic to say, “I can hear it, I can hear it. You’re all very unhappy about the injustice that happened to me last week on Monday Night Raw. Everybody’s been asking about it, but I have the best lawyers in the country working on it. But you’re not gonna like this, you’re not gonna like this. I’ve been advised NOT to talk about it. And unlike Maxxine Dupri and that corrupt referee, Jessica Karr, I actually follow the rules, okay?!

“But lemme tell ya, lemme tell ya… Heads are gonna roll, okay? And that decision is gonna be overturned, I’m gonna get my title back, and the company is gonna be a lot better for it, okay?” The fans boo, but Becky says she knows, it is a travesty. There is nothing they can do about it right now, but this company will be a lot better off when she gets rid of AJ Lee once and for all! The fans boo more, but Becky promises AJ that she made a big mistake coming back, and a bigger mistake costing Becky her title. But the biggest mistake she’ll ever make is locking herself inside of a cage with Becky! Because Becky has assembled, by herself, the greatest WarGames team in the history of the match!

And she knows, she knows, they’ve had their differences. Becky side-hugs Asuka as she says they’ve beaten the hell out of each other, Becky probably beat Asuka nine out of ten times, but Asuka always made her work for it. And uh… That brings Becky to… Well, Asuka can say it. Asuka shouts for “KAIRI~!” Becky says she saved Kairi’s life, she owes Becky a great deal. Iyo Sky was a fool to cross them and they’ll make her pay! Then there’s Nia Jax. Becky side hugs the very powerful, very strong Nia. Not as powerful as Becky but very powerful nonetheless. Nia’s the only woman who ever damaged Becky’s face.

But Becky has great bones, strong bones, she didn’t have to wear a mask to protect herself like “Rotten Rhea Ripley!” The fans boo, but then Becky moves on to her newest friend, the specimen of a woman, long legs Lash Legend! Stick with Becky, she’ll make you a star like she did the rest of the team! And then “Charlatan Flair” and “Awful Alexa” won’t know what hit them! But speaking of, here comes the opposition! Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and of course A J LEE are all here! AJ frolics as she leads her team to the ring, and then grabs herself a mic. “Oh, Becky… Now the old AJ, she would’ve come down here and torn that pretty little face off.

“But luckily for you, therapy works! But all this bravado, all this tearing people down just to lift yourself up, I see what that is: It’s insecurity. It’s fear. See, I don’t need to run my mouth to lift myself up, I know exactly who the hell I am. I don’t need to bark, bark, bark like an angry little chihuahua. I don’t bark, I bite. And you reminded me of that, Becky! You lit a fire in me, and these women by my side, they poured gasoline on it. And now you’ve made the mistake of locking yourself inside of a cage with me?! Where I get to let the Old AJ out, and she can do whatever the hell she wants to do to you!”

The fans cheer, and AJ says she knows she’s not the only one who cannot wait to knock Becky down from her high pedestal, and laugh as Becky falls all the way down. Isn’t that right, Rhea? Rhea takes the mic, the fans cheer, and Rhea just BOPS Nia! The brawl is on! The Kabuki Warriors throw hands with #Charlexa, Rhea keeps after Nia, Iyo ends up with Lash, and AJ of course TACKLES Becky! Lash hoists Iyo way up high! Lash THROWS Iyo to the corner! Then she stands Iyo up to short arm LARIAT! In heels, no less! Rhea DRIBBLES Nia, Alexa fights free of Kairi and SLAPS, ROCKS, and KNEES her down! Lash TOSSES Rhea around, Alexa SHOTGUNS Kairi!

AJ POSTS Becky! Becky falls out hard, Asuka fires hands on Charlotte, but Charlotte BOOTS in return! Charlotte throws her jacket away, but Lash KNEES her low! And feeds her to Nia’s LARIAT! The fans boo but AJ & Alexa wait. They each jump onto the taller Nia & Lash! The fans fire up as these two scrap and thrash, but Nia RAMS AJ into buckles! Lash THROWS Alexa off! But Charlotte & Rhea BOOT Lash & Nia out! Then they both say “SUCK IT!” Iyo is back and she climbs up top! The fans fire up for the ARIHARA MOONSAULT!! Becky runs away to avoid the impact, but the rest of her team is down! Will this be just how it goes in just five days?

The Last Time is Now Quarterfinals: PENTA VS Solo Sikoa w/ Talla Tonga!

The Man with No Fear made it through the Prince while the would-be Tribal Chief survived the return of Dolph Ziggler. But will Solo survive into the semifinals? Or will it be all about #CeroMiedo?

The bell rings and the fans rally as the two circle. Penta KICKS, and KICKS, but Solo pushes Penta. Penta CHOPS, and CHOPS, but Solo pushes him again. Penta SUPERKICKS< then lines up a shot! Penta runs up, but Solo ELBOWS him down first! Solo says get outta here with that! Solo CLUBS Penta, whips him, but Penta duck s’n’ dodges then RANAS! Solo tumbles to the corner, Penta runs up, GAMANGIRI! Penta sits Solo down, headstands, and- NO, Solo bails out before the dropkick. Penta runs, Solo dodges another dropkick and he LARIATS Penta down! The fans boo but Solo THROWS Penta over barriers!

The fans boo but Solo mocks Cero Miedo. But Penta is on the barriers! FLYING RANA and Solo tumbles into Talla! The fans fire up, but the ref has the check both Solo and Penta. Penta points to his arm, a medic hurries over, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns, and unfortunately, Penta’s arm is too badly hurt from that fall. The match is CALLED, Solo Sikoa wins!

Winner: Solo Sikoa, by forfeit (advances to the semifinals)

The fans boo but nothing could be done about an injury. Solo is now a semifinalist, set to face Gunther! Will he hit Der Ring General with that Samoan Spike?

A woman drinks wine.

As she strums her finger around the lip of the glass, the music plays, and then the screen goes black. “4 DAYS” is all we’re told. That’s this Friday Night SmackDown! Who could it be that’s going to shake up what’s going on?

Maxxine Dupri talks with Adam Pearce backstage.

The NEW Women’s Intercontinental Champion says it is a dream come true, Pearce says she is on cloud nine, but she needs to focus. Now that she’s the champion, she has to move forward. More and more women are calling, ready to take the title off her, perhaps more than any title ever. Maxxine needs to focus and be ready. She will be. She says this means all the hard work has paid off, but she knows that if she wants to be the kind of champion the fans can be proud of and respect, then the work is just getting started. Pearce says she’s figured it out. Maxxine will call Natalya and get to work. Maxxine shakes Pearce’s hand and the Raw GM heads out.

But then Ivy Nile storms up on Maxxine! And she tells Maxxine, “That title is MINE.” The Diamond Pitbull has put Maxxine on notice, and Maxxine turns around to see Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez! Oh, sorry to startle you. They just wanted to congratulate her on the new title. What a moment! But, um, Roxie just hopes Maxxine knows that The Prodigy can take it all away. Pearce walks back in, asks if there is a problem, and Roxie says no, no problem at all. But he didn’t talk to her about this, did she? Oh, sorry, no, he didn’t. He’s gonna talk to Maxxine again if they don’t mind. Happy Thanksgiving.

Roxie & Raquel leave, and Pearce double checks on that call to Natty. It should probably be now. Maxxine nods and gets on her phone. Will the Queen of Harts help Maxxine have that edge nice and sharp for whoever gets the first shot?

The Usos are in the concourse!

The fans are all fired up, and Jey asks that they please, PLEASE hit his music. Oh yeah, UH UH, YEET! Oklahoma City is bringing the thunder, and they all bounce along with the song! But can #BigJim & Main Event Jey Uso get that critical win for WarGames? Or will #Mavericktyre ruin all the fun?

Stephanie Vaquer speaks.

“Nikki, you have been here a long time. You are a legend. You let me trust you, and you became my friend.” In Espanol, “Everyone told me not to trust you, but I still made you my friend.” And then, Nikki betrayed her. Nikki is clever, but not as smart as she thinks she is. Vaquer knows how Nikki plays the game, and she knows Nikki’s history. But Nikki doesn’t know Vaquer’s. If she were as smart as she pretends to be, she would know exactly who she is messing with. Now, Nikki will beg for Vaquer’s mercy! Does Nikki really want to get in the ring with her? See you at Survivor Series. La Primera has spoken, will she make Nikki regret ever coming back?

Men’s WarGames Advantage Tag Match: Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul VS The Usos!

Raw returns and Logan makes his entrance first, followed by Drew. They fist bump before Drew gets his pyro, then they go to the ring. The teams sort out and Jimmy starts against Logan. The fans rally up as Jimmy and Logan circle, feel things out, then tie up. They’re in a deadlock, but Logan powers through to headlock. Jimmy powers up and out, Logan RUNS Jimmy over, and Logan soaks up heat. Things keep moving, Jimmy swings, Logan whips him away, then Logan hurdles over. But Jimmy UPPERCUTS Logan down! Jimmy drags Logan up, CHOPS, and he tags in Jey! The fans cheer as The Usos double whip Logan, but Logan tumbles up and out!

Drew goes to check Logan, helps him up, and Logan gets back in the ring as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Jimmy scoop SLAMS Logan! Cover, TWO! Jimmy drags Logan over, tags Jey, and The Usos split the wishbone! Logan writhes, The Usos mock his pain, and the fans rally up. Jey drags Logan up, DECKS him, then winds up to ROCK Logan in the corner again and again! “YEET! YEET!” Jey whips, Logan blocks, Jey scoops to SIDEWALK SLAM! Jey stomps Logan, drags him up and scoops again, to then SLAM! Jey drags Logan over, anchors him, and tags Jimmy. Jimmy runs to FALLING HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO! Logan toughs it out but Jimmy keeps close. Jimmy drags Logan up, wrenches an arm, and tags Jey back in.

The Usos trap Logan in the corner, and Jey runs to forearm SMASH! Logan flounders, the fans cheer, and Jey stays between Logan and Drew. But Logan RAMS Jey into the corner! Drew tags in, he throws hands on Jey, but Jey counter punches! And again! And again! Jey whips, Drew reverses, but Jey goes up, only for Drew to KICK him outta the air! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer as Jey stays in this, but Drew suplexes Jey high and hard! Drew mocks the call for the encore, then he drags Jey back up. Drew reels Jey in, suplexes again, and then he continues to mock the encore. Drew grins while the fans boo, and Drew brings Jey up.

Drew reels Jey back in, but Jey suplexes this time! The fans fire up while both men are down! Jey and Drew crawl, hot tag to Logan! Logan hurries and he BLASTS Jimmy! The fans boo but Logan just soaks up the heat. Logan goes back to Jey, and he SPLASHES DOWN! The ref keeps Jimmy back, Logan taunts him, then he tells the ref to count the cover. TWO! Jey is tougher than that, but Logan drags Jey up and brings him around. Logan TOSSES Jey out of the ring, tags Drew, and Drew goes to the desk! The fans chant “Logan Sucks!” but Drew scoops Jey! SWINGING SLAM onto the desk! Jey flounders around, flops to the floor, and Raw goes back to break.

Raw returns once more, and Logan stalks Jey along the ropes. Logan taunts Jimmy, taunts the fans, and he tags Drew. Drew & Logan haul Jey up to DOUBLE SUPLEX, with a stall! The fans boo as they hold Jey up for TEN, then flex before the SLAM! They both kip up and the fans are torn given the impressiveness of that feat. Drew takes a bow, aims at Jey, and Drew runs up, only for Jey to BOOT Drew down! The fans fire up as Jey reaches out for his corner! Jey crawls, Drew crawls, hot tags to Logan and Jimmy! The fans fire up as #BigJim LARIATS again and again! Jimmy pops, locks, spits out his gum, and then UPPERCUTS!

Logan takes a swing but Jimmy dodges to fireman’s carry! Logan fights free, blocks a kick, but not the DRAGON WHIP! SUPERKICK for Drew! Jimmy runs at Logan in the corner, but Logan puts him on the apron! Jimmy blocks a shot, UPPERCUTS, and goes up top! CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Logan survives and Jimmy grows frustrated, but the fans rally behind him as he goes to the corner. Jimmy aims, runs up again, but Logan ELBOWS Jimmy! Then BOOTS him! Then goes up, BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Jimmy survives and now Logan grows frustrated. Logan huffs ‘n’ puffs and then winds up that hand.

Jimmy rises, the fans boo, but the ONE LUCKY- NO, Jimmy dodges! SUPERKICK! Jimmy runs and SPEARS Logan down! The fans fire up and Jimmy goes up! USO SPLASH!! Cover, DREW BREAKS IT! Drew stands, he attacks Jey first, then he TOSSES Jey out. Drew then goes outa fter Jey, but he gets a SUPERKICK! Drew comes back, GLASGOW KISS HEADBUTT! Wait, Bron Breakker is here! He helps Logan up, as does Bronson Reed. The Bron-Brons tell Logan to get going, but Cody & Punk rush out here! Flashbacks to last week as they brawl with the Bron-Brons! The fans fire up as Cody & Punk have the edge!

Cody throws Bronson around, but Bron and Bronson turn things around! These four brawl to the ramp, Drew joins in, but the ref reprimands! The Usos see this, Jey runs, Jimmy holds ropes down! JEY FLIES! Down goes everyone, but Logan rolls Jimmy up, with tights! LOGAN WINS FOR THE VISION!

Winners: Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul, by pinfall (The Vision has WarGames advantage)

But now Punk DECKS Logan! The brawl moves into the ring, Bronson after Punk and Bron after Cody! Jey and Logan throw shots, Drew has Jimmy, but the fans chant for “O T C! O T C!” And so Roman obliges! The fans fire up as the Tribal Chief makes his way back out to ringside! SUPERMAN PUNCH for Bron! Then a dodge and SUPERMAN PUNCH for Bronson! Roman HOTSHOTS Logan away, and then DUMPS Drew out! The fans fire up as Roman runs to SUPERMAN PUNCH Logan! And SUPERMAN PUNCH for Drew! Roman stands with his teammates, but now BROCK LESNAR joins in!!

The Beast is on stage, gets a little too pumped up for his own pyro, and he has The Oracle hold onto his cowboy hat. Lesnar leads the way for the team as we now get round two! The fans are thunderous as the hands fly all over the ring! Lesnar has Roman, Bronson goes after Punk, Drew RAMS Cody, Logan throws hands with Jimmy and Bron puts Jey in a corner! The fans go wild as this continues, even as Raw is going off the air! Will these ten men just brawl from here to San Diego?!

My Thoughts:

A great episode, especially as a go-home, but you could still feel the usual go-home low energy. It felt like there was a lot of space between all four matches, but those promos that filled the gaps were still pretty good. Great opening promo from the “big three” of Roman, Punk, and Cody to make it pretty clear that their egos are going to be the real enemy in WarGames. With that, great promo later with The Usos jumping in and getting them all to take a step back and realize they can’t let that happen. The Vision had a pretty fun promo, too, with Logan trying to be the brains of the operation when he’s clearly not.

That said, the WarGames advantage match to main event was… good… But things were really rocky to start, mostly all on Logan. While he botched, he had the safest botches I’ve ever seen. He definitely shouldn’t have tumbled out of the ring from that simple whip, and then he forgot how to let Jey whip him corner to corner, making for some awkward scoops. But in the end, the overbooking costing the Faces was fine, and then we got a great brawl. Lesnar waiting until credits appeared on screen was weird, maybe just an issue of timing, but then I can’t believe he fell on his own pyro cue. He laughed it off, and the brawl to go off the air was still fun. I feel like the Faces win out, maybe with Logan getting on everyone’s nerves so that The Vision leave him to take the loss.

On the Women’s WarGames side, a little surprised they didn’t do a match, but maybe that’s for SmackDown. Great promo, though, with Becky running her mouth like she’s the captain and the only reason the team is what it is, and then great response from AJ Lee. And I could sense how Rhea was just gonna bop Nia to spark the brawl. On the flipside here, the Faces clearly stand tall, they probably even get advantage on Friday, meaning the Heels might win the Women’s WarGames. It’d make sense, as Lash can get great momentum as she continues to team with Nia, the Kabuki Warriors will have momentum as the tag champs, and Becky needs a rebound from losing to Maxxine while moving into the feud with AJ Lee.

Speaking of Maxxine, good promo from her with Pearce, Ivy Nile, and the Judgment Day leading ladies. Roxie is definitely a frontrunner in the chase, but I would love if Ivy Nile got a dedicated feud with Maxxine given the past of Alpha Academy VS American Made. Very good promo from Pearce with New Day to set up the tag title match for next week, it happened right as I was wondering what would happen with the tag titles. Styles & Dragon VS New Day will be great stuff, could honestly go either way, but it would be a shame if Styles lost a title going into December and essentially his final year as a wrestler.

Great promo from Dom, though I feel like Mini Cena was a bit cheesy, a bit Vince McMahon type gag, but I do appreciate Dom thinking it was funny because I think he really was breaking seeing Mini Cena in front of him. But of course Dom “got upset” and beat up Mini Cena as if he was sending any kind of message to the real Cena. Rey making the save to then segue into his match with JD McDonagh. Great match there, great win for Rey, and great stuff with Rey evading Finn. Rey VS Finn could be great stuff, but a lot of this feels like biding time since Rey VS Dom the Rematch isn’t happening for awhile. Great promo from Vaquer, pretty sure she’ll beat Nikki.

Great stuff in the Last Time is Now Tournament, except for Penta sadly getting hurt legitimately. It’s wild how Penta can do a lot of other crazy moves and be fine, but a mostly normal flying rana does him in. Maybe Solo could’ve been of better help, but sometimes this stuff just happens. I feel like this is the opposite result, it was likely meant to be Penta VS Gunther next. Gunther VS Melo was awesome stuff, and while I wish Melo had won instead, they still made him look amazing. Plus, the rumor is still on track, Gunther is still heading for Saturday Night’s Main Event. Gunther VS Solo will still be some great stuff, though, as a rather fresh match-up.

My Score: 8.8/10