Monday Night Raw was live last night in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After an eventful week in Brooklyn, Raw continues to be the yard of not only the Universal Champion Roman Reigns, but the yard of the Hounds of Justice, The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, & Dean Ambrose).  What also does Mr. Monster in the Bank Braun Strowman do to respond to Roman Reigns after The Shield nearly cost him the Money in the Bank contract cash-in.

   Raw kicks off with Universal Champion Roman Reigns, alone without The Shield alongside. He responds to Braun Strowman response on Twitter earlier in the day. He calls him out to face him man to man. Braun does not cash in because he knows The Shield would protect their brother. That is why Braun states that he will cash in the briefcase in three weeks. He will cash it in inside Hell in a Cell.

   Outcomes then Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. They challenge Braun and Roman for a tag match later in the night, which acting general manager Baron Corbin makes official. He also makes a match between himself and Finn Balor.

Finn Balor v. Baron Corbin

   And here we have yet another rematch. There is nothing more this rivalry can do to make it interesting. Baron would attack Finn with a chair. Which the match ended in DQ. However, since Baron has the power, he restarts the match as a no disqualification match. Baron would crack Finn Balor with a steel chair and then hit the End of Days for the win.

Sasha Banks v. Dana Brooke

   Sasha Banks won this competitive contest. Dana Brooke put up a heck of a fight but was not enough to top the Boss. After the match, there is some dissension between Titus Worldwide.

Seth Rollins Intercontinental Championship Open Challenge

   Rollins re-opens his Open Challenge even though the last time he had an Open Challenge, he lost the Intercontinental Championship. Canada’s own Kevin Owens answers the challenge and vows to leave Raw with a championship.

   What a match this was. From superkicks to stunners, each man knows the meaning of being a champion in WWE. Seth Rollins was able to capitalize off KO’s only mistake in the match and hit the Stomp for the win, retaining the Intercontinental Championship. What a match by two of the workhorses of the WWE.

   After the match, we return to Kevin Owens still in the ring. He is sitting in the ring and looks completely dejected. Kevin Owens in a move no one saw coming, Kevin Owens quits. He states, “I Quit” and walks out.

   What on Earth is going on to lead KO to quit? I do not know if it is a storyline. If it is, KO in a snap of his fingers has the best storyline on Raw. If it is not, could we see KO next Saturday night in Chicago? Is Kevin Owens All In?

The Revival v. The B-Team

   The B-Team’s luck as a team has now gone away. The Revival continue to beat the B-Team and continue to impress. The B-Team schtick was cool, but now the fun has fizzled and it is time for a new team to take the titles and try to bring back tag team wrestling. Especially on a tag team division that needs a huge boost.

Elias Performs

   He mocks Toronto by stating that when Drake mentioned starting from the bottom, he meant Toronto. He states that going from New York to Toronto is the biggest disappointment in his life.

   But, before he can continue, outcomes Toronto’s own Trish Stratus. The WWE Hall of Famer and former 7 time Women’s Champion comes out to defend her city. Trish has been making news as she will be facing Alexa Bliss at the first ever all women pay per view Evolution. Trish smacks Elias across the face after his slightly sexist comments about women’s wrestling.

Natalya v. Alicia Fox

   Natalya returns home to Canada alongside Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey as she takes on Alicia Fox who is accompanied by Alexa Bliss. Natalya wins pretty handily with the Sharpshooter. After the match, she celebrated with Ronda and Trish.

Bobby Lashley v. The Ascension

   Acting general manager Baron Corbin puts Bobby in a handicap match against The Ascension. This comes from Bobby dominating Baron last week. The two challengers were no match to Bobby as he dominated The Ascension for the win.

Dean Ambrose v. Jinder Mahal

   In a quick match, Dean Ambrose picked up the victory over Jinder Mahal. It is a win for Dean. However, it is still sad that Jinder Mahal one year ago was WWE Champion. Yet a win is a win.

Roman Reigns & Braun Strowman v. Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler

   Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman are partners tonight, but opponents inside Hell in a Cell in a few weeks. How well will Braun and the Universal Champion Roman Reigns get along? The answer is not very.

   Roman took the brunt of the punishment. When he tags Braun, he does not enter the ring, leading to Dolph and Drew to continue the onslaught on Roman. The match ends in a no contest. Dean and Seth try to come in for the save but the numbers game was too much. Braun, Drew and Dolph stands tall. Has Braun joined forces with Dolph and Drew or was this a one time only thing?

Conclusion

   Raw started off slow, but once it picked up, it got good. The unexpected return of Trish definitely shocked me. Then, the end was great because it was Braun getting revenge on the Shield and evening the odds with the alliance with Drew and Dolph was great storytelling. Plus Seth and KO stealing the show and then KO quitting made a lot of good moments. Besides KO quitting, this was a pretty good Raw.

David Jacobus
Reporter