Welcome to the Raw review for December 31, 2018. For this and Smackdown, I will go over the talking points and pick the match of the night.
New Faces
The announcement that former champions would not get an automatic rematch continued as Seth Rollins was informed that he would not get a match with Dean Ambrose. The challenger would be determined by a battle royal, filled with a lot of faces that did not usual spark championship discussions. The standout and eventually winner was Apollo Crews, who eliminated 8 people. You may not believe that the McMahons were serious about a fresh start, but so far that have made different moves.
The Kingslayer Snaps
Maybe it was the fact that Rollins was not going to get his rematch. Maybe it was Triple H reminding him how he used to be. Whatever the reason, Rollins went into his match with Bobby Lashley with a different mindset. Lashley was more of a powerhouse, the jokes from Lio Rush being left backstage. Rollins could not overcome Rush’s interference, he grabbed a chair and proceeded to beat anything in sight. His eyes told of a man who had tried, but was not good enough. The new year might bring some interesting changes for Rollins
Waiting on the Belts
After the announcement of the Women’s Tag Team Titles, there has been more of a focus to see what teams might shape up. Bayley and Sasha Banks are a no brainier, as well as The Riott Squad. Tamina and Nia Jax might be the first champions, if Natalya and Ronda Rousey don’t throw their hats into the ring. The big question is will there be one set of belts or one for each show
Match of the Night
Dolph Ziggler vs Drew McIntyre (Steel Cage Match) McIntyre wins by pinfall)
Drew McIntyre is an interesting character. He is portrayed as being bigger and badder then most of the locker room, but has not been shown doing Braun Strowman levels of destruction. He is more of a man who wants to punish his opponents in the ring. He and Ziggler had a fantastic match in the cage with Ziggler looking like he could pull out the victory multiple times. A fantastic final match for both men for 2018
Conclusion
Bayley, Banks and Ember Moon beat the Riott Squade. Rousey and Natalya beat Nia Jax and Tamina. Elias beat up Corbin. Ambrose defeated Crews. Jinder Mahl and the Singh Brothers beat Heath Slater and Rhyno.
