Raw Review & Ratings - December 11, 2017

This week’s Raw was aired from Cleveland, Ohio. The show was full of chaos from the get-go. It was a treat for both classes and masses.

Continue reading to read a brief recap of what happened, as well as the ratings for each segment of this week's edition of Raw.

#1 The Opening Segment: Samoa Joe, Sheamus, & Cesaro

The Shield was seen flat on their backs.

The night commenced as Samoa Joe insulted the Shield and provoked Roman Reigns to come out and face him one-on-one. Of course, he had Sheamus and Cesaro, the Bar, waiting to pounce on the "Big Dog". This made the confrontation a one-sided affair for Reigns.

Shortly thereafter, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins raced into the ring to rescue Reigns, but were meticulously taken down by their adversaries. It was interesting to see how Joe and the Bar made it look like the 3-on-1 assault on all the three members of the Shield, a strategy for which the Shield is famous.

As the opening segment for the night concluded, all members of the Shield were seen flat on their backs.

Segment Rating: 3/5

#2 Absolution

The dream run continued for Absolution.

Absolution made their entrance as Sonya Deville calls her team, the Absolution, as the “Symphony of Carnage”. Paige did her usual small talk on the mic before making her way to the ring.

The match was short-lived and ended within a couple of tags. It seemed like an attempt to make the Absolution look good. However, it lacked much needed competition from their opponents.

Match Rating: 2/5

#3 'Woken' Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt

Wyatt-Hardy cut a decent promo.

As of now, Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt are the only two real "characters" in WWE. This week, they teased us with a promo. Wyatt started with his typical, “I'm here”, to which Hardy responded by saying “I am woken”.

Both Superstars were engaged in a confusing back and forth war of words. The “Eater of the Worlds” mentioned there is nothing new with Hardy as his darkness was already present. Hardy mentioned that his “Woken” wisdom with his “Broken” brilliance will illuminate the masses.

The promo concludes with an extended laugh by both adversaries. Although Hardy's character was new for WWE, Wyatt seemed more engrossed with his kayfabe.

It was an engaging dialogue with the shades of things to come, even if it did nothing to advance their storyline whatsoever.

Promo Rating: 3/5

#4 Finn Balor vs. Curtis Axel

It was an easy win for Balor.

The crowd erupted as Balor made his way to the ring. It has become a cliche to mention this for the Irish wrestler, which speak volumes about his popularity.

This match was a short affair as Curtis Axel didn't come across as a tough competitor. It is possible that a half-hearted storyline was booked for Balor as WWE has yet to decide what they want to do with the fan favourite.

I expressed my concerns over how Balor is being poorly booked. It seems we have to wait much more to see better use of this talented Superstar.

Match Rating: 1/5

#5 Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus

It was a hard fought match.

This was the first highlight match of the night. Both Rollins and Sheamus fought hard to ensure their team gets the first win of the night.

We witnessed a couple of top rope moves mixed in with some submission moves. It was a good mix of offense and defense. Sheamus displayed his ruthless style of attack, whereas Rollins dug deep despite the continuous attacks on his left leg.

Overall, it was a decent match in the first half of the show with Rollins coming out on the top.

Match Rating: 3/5

#6 The “second chance” Fatal-4-Way

The fatal-four-way match.

The match was made in short order due to the suspension of Rich Swann over the weekend. WWE's think-tank pulled out a good match with only a few days notice, and the fans loved it. They even had Drew Gulak join the commentary team for this match, which showed how much WWE is betting on the number one contender's match scheduled for the next week.

The match unfolded with an abundance of aerial moves, something the Cruiserweight division has become known for. The angle of "Zo-Train" was well fabricated with the match's proceedings as we saw members of the faction teaming up during the run against Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander, the eventual winner.

Rating: 3/5

#7 Reigns vs. Cesaro

Cesaro brought the fight to the "Big Dog".

This was by far the most grueling match of the night. The match highlighted strength as well as stamina from both the competitors. Both Reigns and Cesaro always give their best in the ring, and it was a treat to watch them compete against each other.

Cesaro was on offense for most of the match, as he specifically targeted Reigns' shoulder. We witnessed locks as well as submission maneuvers from the "Swiss Cyborg" to achieve the same.

There were a couple of nasty blows from Cesaro which included his counter to Reigns' Apron Dropkick, and his answer to Superman Punch with a well-placed punch. Also, he smashed Reigns' head into the barricade while performing the Giant Swing.

The crowd was delighted as they chanted “this is awesome”, which was truly deserved by the performers. Reigns retained the title, as per my prediction of the match.

Match Rating: 4/5

#8 Asuka's Decision

Absolution surrounded Asuka, again.

This was the night of Asuka's decision, as I predicted. Absolution came out stating they had given a couple of “free passes” to Asuka over the last couple of weeks. They suggested that Asuka should move out of the Absolution’s way, or they would do it for her.

The Japanese wrestler held the ring as Absolution surrounded her. However, just before the faction could commence the attack, the entire Women’s division came out to seek retribution.

With this many members of the Women's division in the ring at the same time, we can imagine how the Women's Royal Rumble would look like.

Segment Rating: 3/5

#9 Dean Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe

Jordan watched the match between Joe and Ambrose.

Before the match commenced, Jason Jordan comes out with a steel chair and sat at the same spot as Joe was (last week). This distracted Joe, and Ambrose capitalized with an early assault. Thanks to Jason Jordan, the good run for my prediction continued (Jason Jordan's interference).

The match went back and worth, depending on who was getting distracted by Jason Jordan. Joe got the better share as he was not only able to lock both other men in Coquina Clutch, but also picked up the victory.

It would be good to see Ambrose and Joe lock horns again without any distractions impacting the match.

Match Rating: 3/5

#10 Kane vs. Braun Strowman

Brutality was guaranteed in the battle of the Monsters.

What a great match! Tonight was the rare occasion that Kane delivered, as well as received a Chokeslam himself.

As the fight moved outside the ring, Strowman smashed Kane through the barricade. This caused a double count out, but Strowman continued his attack on Kane. This concluded when he delivered a Running Powerslam to Kane, driving the "Big Red Machine" through the table.

What stood out was that even though the match was well-balanced between the two opponents, Kane made Strowman look good. Hence, WWE reaped both short term as well long term gains from this "Monstrous" main event.

Given the match and the aftermath, I am rating this one as a combination of both.

Match/Segment Rating: 4/5

Raw's Rating: 6.5/10