WWE Raw November 21st: Analysing and grading each segment
With Survivor Series done and dusted, the Raw brand began the build towards Roadblock, which airs on December 18th. Championships were once again the focal point on the red brand after a few weeks of brand warfare, and a number of superstars shifted their attention back to the belts.
Cesaro and Sheamus challenged for the Tag team championships, attempting to dethrone the New Day as they edge closer to breaking Demolition’s record. Sasha Banks evoked her rematch clause for the Raw Women’s championship, but first, she had to team up with Bayley to overcome Nia Jax and the champion Charlotte.
T.J. Perkins, Noam Dar and Rich Swann competed in a triple threat match to determine, who would challenge the Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship on the first ever 205 Live next week. Seth Rollins attempted to dethrone the Universal Champion Kevin Owens in a No DQ match, with Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns banned from ringside.
So, was this a strong post-Survivor Series edition of Raw, or did the build to Roadblock get off to a rocky start? Let’s find out, as I Analyse and Grade Each Segment from the November 21st edition of WWE Raw.
Goldberg Opens the Show:
Grade: 9/10
This was the perfect way to open the show after the intrigue created from the Survivor Series main event. Goldberg once again received a huge ovation from fans, and his promo here was short and direct. Not dragging on too long, Goldberg was humble after his victory over Lesnar and thanked the fans for their support.
Also read: Reason behind the short match between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar
The announcement that he will be a part of the 2017 Royal Rumble match is a great way to get fans hyped for the event and seeing a legend like Goldberg wanting one more title run, makes both the World and Universal titles feel like an even bigger deal.
Although he did not address the Lesnar match too much, this was a short, but strong promo that created intrigue for the Royal Rumble with Goldberg’s big announcement.
The New Day vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (Raw Tag Team Championships):
Grade: 8/10
Given the chemistry between the two teams, it was no surprise that this match was excellent.
With the tag championships on the line, the Toronto crowd were hot for this bout, and both teams looked great here. However, the finish left a lot to be desired. Sure, Cesaro and Sheamus were protected in a loss as they had the match won, but the way New Day retained made them appear to be the biggest heels on the roster.
Distracting the referee while Kofi Kingston tapped out to Cesaro, Xavier Woods used the typical heel manager tactic to have New Day retain. Instead of booking a different, smarter finish, the New Day were booked as massive heels once again. Still, a stellar match and Cesaro and Sheamus appear to have a reason for a rematch.