WWE RAW result (18-12-2017)

WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 18

The December 18 episode of Raw brought man a holiday gift to the WWE Universe, including the returns of Hideo Itami and The Revival, not to mention the announcement of the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match.
Though it lacked star power with the absence of Roman Reigns, it was a solid show that furthered ongoing rivalries, advanced stories and created genuine intrigue about the direction the brand is taking as the new year approaches.
How did each of the night's matches grade out, what impression did its in-ring segments leave and how significant was the announcement of the historic women's match that closed out the broadcast?
Find out with this recap of Monday's USA Network presentation.

Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman and Kane Kick Off Raw

On the heels of a main event in which nothing was settled between the two and neither Kane nor Braun Strowman were able to secure No. 1 contender recognition, the behemoths interrupted Kurt Angle to kick off Monday's show.
Touting that he was the only man left standing at the end of last week's broadcast, Strowman insisted he should be the top challenger to Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship.
Kane responded, claiming no Superstar had caused the amount of destruction he has over the last 20 years.
As Strowman and Kane came face-to-face, their differences far from settled, Paul Heyman's voice sounded over the PA system and the fans came alive.
Lesnar made his return to the brand after another grandiose introduction from his advocate and showed zero fear in confronting his prospective contenders.
With Strowman deposited to the arena floor, The Beast delivered a thunderous F-5 to Kane. As the champion and his second made their way up the ramp, Kane sat up, as if to suggest he as unfazed by the titleholders signature move.
In between the physicality, Angle announced a Triple Threat match for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
     
Grade
B
    
Analysis
Remember when Lesnar appeared poised to square off with Finn Balor and WWE even shot the promo between the leader of Balor Club and Paul Heyman?
Surely that sounds like a better, more intriguing match than Kane fighting for the Universal Championship in 2018.
Yes, he is likely there to take the pin and protect Strowman but the fact of the matter is that Lesnar's best match in years was against a smaller Superstar in AJ Styles, who could provide work rate and bump around for him.
Booking Lesnar in another battle of the big men, like the snoozer he had against Strowman at No Mercy, is hardly a way to inspire excitement for the co-headliner of an elite pay-per-view event like Royal Rumble.

Seth Rollins vs. Jason Jordan

The scheduled match between Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe never happened as Jason Jordan, eager to prove his worth on the Raw roster, challenged yet another former world champion in The Architect.
The Samoan Submission Machine watched peacefully from ringside as Jordan proved a tougher test for the The Kingslayer than Rollins likely imagined. Jordan wore him down with a headlock, testing his opponent and creating a scenario in which the more established star had to fight from underneath.
Back from the break, Rollins fought back into the match, blasting Jordan with a springboard forearm to the face that scored him a two-count.
Rollins went back to the well but was caught and the recipient of two straight Northern Lights suplexes.
Late in the match, the impatient Joe tried for a steel chair attack but ate a superkick from Rollins. Back in the ring, The Kingslayer was able to score a pinfall victory over the very game Jordan.
After the match, a furious Joe obliterated both Jordan and Rollins as referees rushed to their aid.
   
Result
Seth Rollins defeated Jason Jordan
   
Grade
B
   
Analysis
The story of Jordan coming so close to beating former world champions and established greats is becoming tired. WWE Creative is probably banking on him getting over by proxy but it is not happening. He is not any more respected because he hung with Rollins here or Roman Reigns weeks back.
It is not working and, honestly, all it is doing is exposing just how unpopular he is with the fan base at large.
The interaction with Joe and Rollins furthers the ongoing vendetta the former has with The Shield and keeps the double-tough heel in the thick of the main event picture.

Finn Balor vs. The Miztourage and The Debut of Hideo Itami

For weeks, Finn Balor has found himself embroiled in a rivalry with The Miztourage's Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. Monday night, he battled them in a 2-on-1 Handicap match.
The first universal champion was punished, beaten down and neutralized by The Miz's lackeys. As he fought back into the match, though, the frustrated heels drew a disqualification thanks to a double-team assault.
This brought out the debuting Hideo Itami, rushing to the aid of his former friend and NXT tag team partner. A tag match was suddenly underway.
The babyfaces overcame a united front by Dallas and Axel to pick up the win after Balor wiped the former out at ringside and Itami blasted Axel with the Go-To-Sleep for the pinfall victory.
Itami and Balor shook hands in a sign of respect to close the segment.
   
Result
Finn Balor and Hideo Itami defeated Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas
    
Grade
B
   
Analysis
Hopefully this brings about the end of the Balor-Miztourage rivalry that always felt like a step down for the Irishman.
Debuting Itami on Raw as part of this particular feud is interesting given the promos that introduced him as the newest member of the 205 Live roster. Yes, the cruiserweight division is associated with Raw but having him turn up here rather than in an angle with someone like Enzo Amore is curious.
Balor struggling to beat two longtime jobbers like Dallas and Axel does nothing for him, leaving one to wonder what exactly was the point of the program.

Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak

The No. 1 contender to Enzo Amore's WWE Cruiserweight Championship was determined Monday night in a match between Cedric Alexander and the leader of the so-called Zo Train, Drew Gulak.
Alexander interrupted a pre-match promo and Amore took his place at the commentary table, joining Corey Graves, Booker T and Michael Cole.
Gulak seized control of the bout during the commercial break and grounded Alexander for a few moments. He targeted the back of his opponent, working submissions and attempting to force a tapout from his more dynamic opponent.
Unimpressed by Gulak's inability to score the victory, Amore left the announce position. His inspiration gone, Gulak allowed himself to become distracted. Moments later, Gulak found himself on the receiving end of The Lumbar Check by Alexander, who scored the pinfall victory and cashed his ticket to a showdown with Amore.
    
Result
Cedric Alexander defeated Drew Gulak
    
Grade
B
    
Analysis
The match itself was as good as you would expect given the quality of the Superstars involved but the real story here was the story of Amore completely taking Gulak for granted and the cruiserweight feeling truly awful for letting the cruiserweight champion down.
Gulak was the star of the match and though Alexander won here, it almost appears as though Gulak vs. Amore is the real end game. Given how any advancements the mat technician has made with his character in recent months, it is an opportunity well-deserved.

Asuka vs. Alicia Fox

The systematic destruction of the Raw women's division by Asuka continued Monday night as she battled Alicia Fox in singles competition.
Fox was able to take control of the match momentarily, delivering a big kick and her picture-perfect Northern Lights suplex. Her offensive onslaught was short-lived, though, as she found herself on the receiving end of Asuka's bone-crunching strikes.
Ultimately, The Empress of Tomorrow scored the submission win with an arm bar.
    
Result
Asuka defeated Alicia Fox
    
Grade
C-
    
Analysis
We know the end game with Asuka is a championship opportunity and, more imminently as showdown with Absolution, but something must be done with the former NXT star before fans become bored by the squash matches.
Yes, she has a unique charisma and a badass aura but fans of the main roster product do not have the attention span of those who enjoy NXT. They want to know what is going to happen next and the longer they have to wait, the more likely they lose interest.

Jason Jordan, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe and The Bar

After a relentless assault by Joe left both Rollins and Jordan lying earlier in the show, The Samoan Submission Machine partnered with Sheamus and Cesaro to battle The Kingslayer, the former collegiate wrestler and Dean Ambrose in a big Six-Man Tag Team match.
Still exhausted from a hard-fought match with Jordan earlier in the night, Rollins found himself isolated and beaten down by his opponents.
The action eventually broke down, with the action spilling to the arena floor.
At one point, Rollins delivered a suicide dive that wiped out his opponents but also sent Ambrose crashing to the floor, apparently injuring his arm. The official called for help for Ambrose, who clutched at his arm and appeared to be legitimately hurt.
Rollins was distracted by the apparent injury suffered by his tag team partner, leaving him open to a pinfall from Cesaro, who scored the victory for the heels.
     
Result
The Bar and Samoa Joe defeated Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan
    
Grade
B
    
Analysis
A match with this much talent will never be bad but it can be unsatisfying.
From a storyline standpoint, what are these guys feuding over? Jordan was literally only thrown into the mix this week because Roman Reigns was not in the building. Ambrose and Rollins have been feuding with Sheamus and Cesaro for so long that the original cause for their animosity is a distant memory.
Joe's issues are with Reigns, who was not available tonight, and thus he was a guy who was given enough of a spotlight to remain relevant but whose story was in somewhat of a holding pattern until The Big Dog returns next week.
One can only hope the injury to Ambrose is for storytelling purpose and not legitimate as the last thing The Shield reunion can stand at this point is another extended absence.

Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. The Revival

Remember that time Heath Slater and Rhyno were the SmackDown tag team champions?
Pepperidge Farms remembers.
In all seriousness, that former duo returned to the Raw airwaves Monday night but it was not their re-emergence that left fans talking. That would, instead, be the reintroduction of The Revival, who returned amid great fanfare and the hopes of re-establishing themselves as the future faces of the Raw tag team division.
As Titus Worldwide's Titus O'Neil, Apollo Crews and Dana Brooke watched from backstage, Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson impressively picked Slater and Rhyno apart en route to a victory via the Shatter Machine.
    
Result
The Revival defeated Heath Slater and Rhyno
    
Grade
C+
    
Analysis
The match itself may not have been much more than a showcase for The Revival but what it did really was tease the potential showdown between the returning team and Titus Worldwide, who has gone underutilized since this past summer.
Dash and Dawson are, when healthy, the elite tag team in professional wrestling today. A throwback to days gone by, they are ruthless aggressors and methodic in their dissection of the competition. They will inject the division with a much-needed spark after months of Shield-Bar rematches.

Mickie James, Sasha Banks and Bayley vs. Absolution

JoJo introduced Elias to the fans and after some cheap heat at the expense of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Sasha Banks interrupted.
Mickie James and Bayley followed and Absolution joined for the night's main event.
The match hardly got started before the heels drew a disqualification, the three of them working over Banks in what was little more than a glorified mauling.
Nia Jax hit the ring and wiped out both Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose with a double Samoan Drop before Paige clipped her leg. The remainder of the women's locker room hit the ring and a massive brawl broke out.
Suddenly, Stephanie McMahon's music played and the most powerful woman in the sport made her way to the ring. After running down the list of accomplishments the women of WWE have been responsible for over the last two years, she announced the first-ever women's Royal Rumble and drew a major "YES" chant from the WWE faithful.
     
Result
No contest
    
Grade
C
    
Analysis
The announcement is a historic one, for sure, but it felt completely out of place.
After weeks of Absolution feuding with the women of Raw, the intense brawl everyone was engaged in suddenly stopped and everyone made up, excited for another opportunity to "make history," as WWE seems all-too-concerned with doing these days?
It made no sense and, actually, killed the heat the rivalry had established to this point. Watching Deville and Rose stand side-by-side with Paige just moments after being decimated by Jax's Samoan Drop did not help matters.
It should be exciting to see what the women have in store for fans in the weeks ahead of Royal Rumble but this felt like an announcement designed to garner attention so management could pat itself on the back rather than telling the latest chapter in a story. 
The END