WWE Raw live results 11-2: The Wyatt Family vs. Undertaker & Kane

The Big Takeaway: 

Another step forward in getting Roman Reigns over as the company’s next big star. This time, it was a Survivor Series main event where Reigns was the captain of a team that included Dean Ambrose, Ryback and the returning Usos. Fans supported Reigns as a top guy. Also, Bray Wyatt did an interview where he claimed to have inherited the magical powers of the Undertaker and Kane. 

Show Recap: 

Roman Reigns came out to another good reaction and said Seth Rollins was good at kissing the Authority’s ass. He said there was no one that could stop him from beating Rollins and becoming the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion. 

Rollins walked out and said he didn’t believe Reigns. He admitted Reigns was very good, otherwise he wouldn’t have recruited him to join the Shield. He credited Reigns with standing toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar, but that night ended with him winning the World Heavyweight Champion when he pinned Reigns. Rollins said Reigns would always be second-best to him and the guy who used to carry Rollins bags. 

Reigns challenged him to carry himself to the ring and see who the real man is. Rollins walked down, but Stephanie McMahon and HHH came out. Stephanie asked the fans if they wanted to see Rollins vs. Reigns. See said they weren’t going to get it tonight and laughed at them. HHH asked how high were they? Instead, she said the match would be at the 29th annual Survivor Series. Why did they take out counting the number of WrestleManias but announce the 29th annual Survivor Series? 

Instead, HHH announced a five-on-five Survivor Series match where a team chosen and captained by Rollins would face a team chosen and captained by Reigns.

Kevin Owens (C) defeated Dolph Ziggler in a nontitle match (10:59) 

Midway through, Tyler Breeze and Summer Rae came out and took a seat at their new VIP spot by the announcer’s table. Breeze distracted Ziggler by taking a Selfie at ringside, which led to Owens hitting the Pop-Up Power Bomb in another distraction finish. Breeze went into the ring to take a Selfie over Ziggler’s prone body, but Ziggler kicked him. Breeze responded with a spin kick, otherwise known as the Beauty Shot. Breeze and Summer took the Selfie over Ziggler. Weird to see Rae hanging out with Breeze and taunting Ziggler when she was pretending to shack up with him six weeks ago. 

They showed footage from the very first Survivor Series match. Talk about a hot crowd in Cleveland. It was the babyface team captained by Randy Savage (which included Ricky Steamboat, Jake Roberts, Brutus Beefcake and Jim Duggan) beating a team captained by the Honky Tonk Man (comprised of Danny Davis, Ron Bass, Hercurlez and Harley Race). Since Hogan is in the doghouse, this was presented as the main event of the show, and the crowd was in such a fervor, you would think it was. 

Rollins approached Owens about joining his team. Owens looked wary of Rollins, who wanted Owens on his Survivor Series tonight. Rollins teased giving him a title shot at WrestleMania. Owens agreed to join his team, but said Rollins owed him one. 

Becky Lynch did a promo about Paige. Brie Bella walked in and said Lynch was nothing more than Charlotte’s sidekic. Lynch shot back that Brie was nothing but Nikki Bella’s little sister. One of those terribly scripted interviews that does no one any good. 

Cesaro defeated the Miz by submission (4:49) 

Cesaro won after a 25-rep Giant Swing and a Sharpshooter, which forced the Miz to tap out. Fans haven’t given up on pushing Cesaro even if creative has him headed straight for an undercard program. Stardust and the Ascension were planted in the crowd holding up signs saying “Stardust Section.” 

The Wyatt Family did another promo in the ring. Bray Wyatt said he was going to give the people something they would never forget tonight. Wyatt said he and his brothers have carted out the rotting carcasses of the Undertaker and Kane. He said they didn’t want the body, because after a while it’s useless. But a soul lives forever, unless the soul is consumed by a higher power. Bray has become that higher power. He said his family has harvested the souls of Undertaker and Kane. 

To prove it, Wyatt said he summons the thunder. Flashing lights and thunder went out. Wyatt summoned the lighting, and Kane’s pyro went off along with cheesy looking lightning bolts. Wyatt said he is the eater of worlds, and it is well within his power to take your world and burn it straight to hell. He laughed as lighgtning and thunder went off in the arena. 

Then a video of Kane and Undertaker highlights from when they were a tag team played on the TitanTron. It went off and Bray shouted “Follow the Buzzards.” I take it that Bray now has the magical powers the 1990s Undertaker had. 

Lucha Dragons defeated King Barrett and Sheamus (13:17)

Very good match where Kalisto pinned King Barrett with Solina del Sol. Barrett and Sheamus were great as the oversized heels beating up on the smaller babyfaces. Sin Cara took out Sheamus with a crossbody to the floor. Strong match and there was also a prematch package putting over the Dragons like they’re in line for a push. Good heat segments by the heels and the crowd responded. Michael Cole dropped Rey Mysterio’s name during the match. 

Jack Swagger met with Zeb Coulter backstage. Swagger wanted to know what was the deal with Coulter joining up with Alberto Del Rio. Coulter said it was time for two great countries to unite. Del Rio walked in and told Swagger to back off. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated R. Truth (3:22) 

Del Rio got the pin with the stomp off the top rope while R. Truth was tied to the tree of woe. The Del Rio-Coulter pairing has zero chemistry. 

The latest flashback to the Survivor Series was the Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown match. It included a very young looking Randy Orton and Mysterio pinning the Big Show. Shawn Michaels got to work with Mysterio and it ended with Orton being the Sole Survivor for Smackdown. Imagine if they had actually done something with that Brand Split. 

Big E. and Kofi Kingston walked up to Rollins and volunteered to be on Team Rollins. Seth wondered who would be the fifth person on the team. Big E. and Kingston threw up their unicorn horns, and Xavier Woods popped up fresh from his honeymoon (which they didn’t acknowledge). Rollins grimaced but agreed to let Woods join the team This led to this week’s New Day Moment of the Week where they chanted Team Rollins in the same cadence as “New Day Rocks.” Even Seth started to dance. 

Jo Jo asked Sasha Banks if there was any pressure on her in the four-way match tonight. Banks said she always delivers and Charlotte was going to learn that she was the boss. Banks said the boss was takingover. 

Paige defeated Becky Lynch to become the number one contender to the Divas Championship in a four-way that also included Sasha Banks and Brie Bella (13:15)

Paige won by pinning Lynch after the Rampage. Moments earlier, Banks had delivered a Bank Statement on Lynch, but Paige threw Lynch into the post. Crowd came alive following a stacked up Superplex spot, which I think every four-way is obligated to have now. It was Banks who took the big bump, and the crowd chanted “This is Awesome.” Well, it was pretty good. Paige did a total heel interview afterwards saying anyone who pulled for Banks, Brie or Lynch is a loser, just like they are. With Paige and Banks doing heel interviews, it was tough for the fans to rally behind Lynch because she was in such a lame segment earlier. 

They showed highlights from last year’s Survivor Series, where the Authority was out of power if their team lost. A lot of good that did. They showed Ziggler pinning three men to give the babyfaces the win and send HHH and Stephanie out of the company for four whole weeks. 

Charlotte did a promo saying Paige would learn she earn the Divas Championship not by being Ric Flair’s daughter, but because she worked hard to reach the top. 

It’s funny to watch the fans chant New Day Rocks and have the New Day pretend they’re chanting New Day Sucks. Kofi claimed that the New Day’s favorite band is Survivor, their favorite reality show is Survivor, their Destiny Child’s song is Survivor, their favority book is “Lone Survivor,” and their favorite movie was also “Lone Survivor.” Woods then admitted it was really the Last Unicorn. The unicorn horns are already getting over, as well. 

Roman Reigns, The Usos, Dean Ambrose and Ryback defeated Seth Rollins, The New Day and Kevin Owens in a Survivor Series match in 30:07. 

The Usos made their return to a big pop. Jimmy Uso pinned Woods in :33 with a splash off the top rope to give them momentum right away.

Jay Uso eliminated Kingston with a big splash at 7:10 to make it 5-on-3,

 Big E. pinned Jay Uso with the Big Ending at 8:32 to make it 4-on-3. 

Owens pinned Jimmy Uso after a Pop Up Power Bomb at 9:00 to make it even. 

Great action between falls where Reigns got the heat, then started a comeback after Rollins got backdropped over the top rope to the floor. Ryback escaped a Big Ending from Big E. and pinned Big E with the Shellshock at 21:33.  

Immediately, Rollins hit the Pedigree on Ryback and pinned him at 21:49 to even the match again.

Dean Ambrose eliminated Owens after Dirty Deeds at 27:36. Rollins and Owens double teamed Ambrose until Ambrose accidentally kneed Owens off the top rope. 

Rollins tried to run away from being on the wrong end of a 2-on-1 situation. Reigns and Ambrose stopped him. Rollins and Ambrose tried to give Rollins the Doomsday Device, but Rollins ran out of the ring and hit Ambrose with a chair, leading to a DQ and the end of the match at 30:07. 

Postmatch, Rollins laid out Ambrose with chair shots across the back. Rollins rolled Reigns back in the ring and teased laying him out with the chiar, but Reigns gave him a Superman’s Punch and Rollins ran off. It was the second straight week where the fans rallied behind Reigns as a top guy. Ambrose got a good response, as well. 

SUMMARY: The shows without Cena and Orton have been a positive so far, ratings be damned. The match quality has been good, even with the depths of the roster tested. Del Rio can be a main event player if given the right partner, which isn’t the case right now. The Divas Division booking is still the biggest disappointment in the company, with Paige playing the rogue heel who some fans like anyway. Another good show.