The December 4th, 2017 edition of WWE RAW aired live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
– RAW GM Kurt Angle makes his way out to the ring to kick off tonight’s show. Angle hypes up tonight’s show, and mentions that Roman Reigns is going to have to defend his Intercontinental Championship tonight. Angle quickly gets interrupted by his son Jason Jordan, who comes down to the ring. Jordan asks Angle for a match against Roman Reigns tonight because he wants to answer his challenge to take the Intercontinental Title from him. Angle says Jordan can’t be serious, his knee is still taped up from last week. Jordan asks his dad just to give him a chance. Before Angle can answer, Roman Reign’s music hits and he comes out to interrupt. Reigns steps into the ring and says he’s a fighting champion, but it won’t be Jordan he’s fighting tonight, he wants Samoa Joe. Reigns tells Jordan that if he wants an opportunity, don’t go running to his daddy, step up and take it. Jordan says Reigns shouldn’t talk about earning opportunities, but Reigns says he has earned his opportunities. Reigns tells Jordan again to step up and take it if he wants it. They come face to face with Angle between them, then Samoa Joe comes out to interrupt. Joe says his patience has worn thin with watching Reigns and Jordan pretending to be tough. Joe says he accepts Reigns’ challenge, but he will give Reigns a chance right now to back out and save himself the embarrassment. Reigns doesn’t retract his challenge. Jordan interrupts next and gets booed by the fans. Jordan says unlike Joe, he actually is tough, because he doesn’t attack people from behind. Jordan issues a challenge to Joe now, but Reigns wants Joe first. Reigns starts to talk to Joe, but Jordan grabs him and gives Reigns a belly to belly suplex. Kurt pushes Jordan off of Reigns and tells him to leave. Jordan steps out to ringside. Reigns gets on the mic and says Joe will have to wait for later, because Jordan is going to get it right now. Reigns tells Kurt to make the match, and Angle calls for a ref to come down.
– Roman Reigns vs. Jason Jordan: Reigns’ IC Title is on the line in this one. Joe is sitting on a chair on the stage watching. The two men go right at it right off the opening bell. Reigns starts taking control with strikes and a hard whip into the corner. Jordan takes the fight out to ringside and slams Jordan into the apron. Reigns throws Jordan into the barricade, then the ring steps. Reigns beats down Jordan some more, then hits the Drive By dropkick. Back in the ring, Reigns continues the offense until Jordan finally gets in a shot and turns things around. Jordan repeatedly rams Reigns into the opposite corners of the ring. Jordan goes for a spear but Reigns moves. Reigns goes to spear Jordan, but Jordan moves and sends Reigns crashing into the ring post. Jordan controls the new few moments of the match until Reigns fires back with a running big boot. Joe is still sitting on the stage watching, and he’s not happy. Reigns looks for the Superman punch, but Jordan blocks it with a dropkick to the face. Jordan pins for a two count. Jordan picks up Reigns but Reigns fights out with elbow shots to Jordan’s head. Reigns uppercuts Jordan and Jordan falls out to ringside. Reigns comes leaping off the ring steps for Superman punch on Reigns, but Jordan catches him in mid-air and slams him into the ring steps. Jordan rams Reigns into the ring steps again, then rolls him back inside for another two count. Reigns goes for a Superman punch and Jordan avoids it again, and he comes back with a suplex. Jordan covers for another two count. Jordan appears to re-injure his knee, and Reigns starts focusing in on it. Reigns locks Jordan in a half Boston crab in the middle of the ring. Jordan reverses into a pin, but Reigns kicks out and comes back with a Superman punch for a two count of his own. Reigns goes for a spear, but Jordan blocks it with a knee to the face. Jordan hits a Northern Lights Suplex, then rolls through and hits a second Northern Lights Suplex, but Reigns kicks out at two. Jordan is still selling the bad knee as he circles Reigns now. Jordan goes for a back suplex, but Reigns escapes and fires back with a Superman punch. Reigns follows up with a spear for the three count.
Winner & still Intercontinental Champion: Roman Reigns
– After the match, Joe gets on the mic and says it looks like Jordan wore out Reigns. He says it looks like Reigns made a bad decision because he’s tired now, and now Joe is going to come put him to sleep. Joe runs into the ring and starts brawling with Reigns. Joe locks Reigns in the Coquina Clutch, but Jason Jordan makes the save and suplexes Joe. Reigns then runs up behind Jordan and hits a Superman punch on him. Joe heads to the back, then Jordan recovers an heads to the back too, while Reigns stands in the ring with his IC Title belt.
– Kurt Angle is backstage on the phone telling Stephanie that he’ll get everything under control. Jordan demands that his dad gives him another chance against Reigns next week, and a shot against Joe tonight. Jordan begs again, and Angle says he’ll consider it. Angle yells at Jordan to get out of his office and go cool off. Samoa Joe then runs in out of nowhere and tackles Jordan into the wall. Kurt gets between them and Joe yells at Kurt before leaving. Kurt checks on his son as the segment comes to an end.
– Michael Cole introduces a video package about Paige, Mandy Rose, and Sonya Deville.
– Paige vs. Sasha Banks: Mandy and Sonya are in Paige’s corner here, and Sasha has Mickie and Bayley in her corner. Women’s Champ Alexa Bliss joins the commentary table. The opening bell rings and Sasha stares down Paige. They take their time and finally lock up. They back into the ropes, then Paige slaps Sasha and Sasha nails her back. Paige hits a headbutt and takes control briefly. Sasha ends up tackling Paige off the ropes and mocks her. She tosses Paige across the ring a few times then stomps on her in the corner. The ref pulls of Sasha and Paige nails her. Paige puts the boots to Sasha then slams her down and hits a knee to the face for a two count. Paige controls the next few moments of the match until Sasha connects with a kick to the face. Sasha hits a hurricanrana, then a crossbody off the top for a two count. Sasha connects with some knees and works on keeping Paige grounded. Deville and Rose distract Sasha from ringside, leading to Paige hitting a double leg takedown. Paige and Sasha trade strikes now and go back-and-forth for the next few moments. Paige goes up to the top rope, but she takes too long and Sasha climbs up and they fight on the corner. Paige hits a sunset flip powerbomb for a tow count, and Sasha is selling her neck. They trade blows now and Paige blocks a Banks Statement. Banks blocks a RampPaige, and successfully applies the Banks Statement now. Paige reaches the rope to break the hold, then rolls out to the floor. She rolls back in the ring, and then at ringside Deville and Rose start brawling with Bayley and Mickie. The distraction leads to Paige hitting a kick on Sasha, and following up with the Rampaige for the three count.
Winner: Paige
– Paige, Rose, and Deville beat down Sasha some more after the match. Bliss gets up and leaves the announce table without getting involved.
– Elias confronts Kurt Angle backstage and says he wanted a shot at Reigns tonight, but Angle gave the shot to his son instead. Elias says the people of L.A. want to walk with Elias, but since he has no match, they’ll have to settle for a live concert. Elias warns Angle to watch his bias towards his bastard son. Angle tells Elias to go start his concert, and he’ll find him an opponent for tonight.
– Michael Cole queues up a video package highlighting the history between Braun Strowman and Kane on RAW.
– Enzo Amore is backstage with “The Zo Train” – Drew Dulak, Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, and Noam Dar. Enzo says Gulak and NEse have a big opportunity to seize tonight, and he knocks Daivari for losing last week. He says they have to do better because they represent him. He orders them to get the job tonight. Enzo turns around and sees Nia Jax smiling at him. Nia asks Enzo how he’s doin’ and seems to flirt with him before walking off. Enzo looks confused.
– Tony Nese vs. Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander: The winner of this match will face Rich Swann next week. Ali, Gulak and Nese are at ringside. The opening bell sounds and Nese attacks Ali, while Gulak goes after Alexander. Cedric and Ali clean house, then start fighting each other. Cedric hits a suicide dive onto both Gulak and Nese on the floor, then starts brawling with Gulak. Nese helps Gulak beat down Cedric, but then they start arguing with each other. Ali runs in and takes them both out. Ali makes a few pin attempts for two counts. Gulak and Nese now double team Ali in the corner until Cedric runs over and unloads on them. Cedric and Ali now deck Nese with a double superkick, then start fighting each other again. Ali stuns Cedric with shot to the face, and Cedric comes back with one of his own for a two count. Nese runs in now and Cedric rocks him with a right hand. Nese comes back with a palm stike, and the three are now fighting in the corner. Cedric knocks down Nese, then Ali hits a huge springboard Spanish Fly on Cedric. Ali covers, but Gulak breaks the pin. Fans chant “This is Awesome” as Ali and Gulak slowly get up. Gulak hits a jawbreaker then attempts a suplex, but fails. Ali drops Gulak in the corner and climbs up. Nese pulls Gulak away to safety, then knees Ali in the head on the turnbuckle. Cedric hits a Lumbar Check on Nese, then he hits it on Ali. Gulak runs in and hits Cedric with a knee to the face, then steals the pin on Ali for the win.
Winner: Drew Gulak
– After the match, Gulak does an interview in the ring where he’s asked about possibly moving on to face Enzo. He says it’s a hard hitting question, and he’s prepared a powerpoint presentation for us, as we go to commercial.
– Elias is backstage heading towards the gorilla position.
– Elias comes out to the ring and sets up with his guitar. He sings a song taking shots at Los Angeles, until Braun Strowman comes out to interrupt. Strowman attacks Elias and beats him down. Elias falls outside and Braun follows. Elias ducks a shot and Braun hits the ring post, then Elias smashes his guitar over Braun’s back but Braun no-sells it. Braun decks Elias then takes him back in the ring for a running powerslam. Braun rolls out and gets the ring steps, but before he can continue the assault, Kane’s music hits and the lights go down. Kane shows up on the big screen and taunts Braun. Kane cuts a promo on Braun and says next week they’ll face off again. Kane says they’ll ascend into the abyss next week, and only one monster will emerge. Kane laughs, and Braun looks angry.
– We see a replay of what happened earlier tonight with Jordan, Reigns, and Samoa Joe.
– The Shield is backstage, and we see Reigns telling Ambrose and Rollins that he did his job tonight, now it’s time for them to do theirs. Rollins says they always get the job done against The Bar, and Ambrose is confident too.
– Still to come, Asuka will be in action tonight.
– Michael Cole promotes that John Cena will be on Jimmy Fallon this Wednesday, and on The Today Show on Thursday, to promote his new movie Ferdinand.
– We see a pre-taped promo by Alicia Fox saying that she’s not Dana Brooke, and she’s not going to lose to Asuka.
– Asuka vs. Alicia Fox: Fox strikes first off the opening bell, but Asuka comes back quickly and hits the hip attack. They trade kicks, and Asuka gets frustrated and hits a big kick on Alicia. Asuka blocks a scissor kick attempt and hits another kick, then takes down Fox with the armbar for the win.
Winner: Asuka
– Asuka celebrates her win in the ring until Paige, Many and Sonya come out to interrupt. They surround the ring and stare down Asuka. Asuka backs up and walks back up the ramp like last week. Paige gets on the mic and talks to Fox, telling her not to worry because Fox was her only friend when she was here. Paige says she loves Fox, but Mandy and Sonya don’t feel the same way. Mandy and Sonya attack Fox as Paige watches.
– Finn Balor is shown backstage walking towards the gorilla position.
– Finn Balor vs. Bo Dallas: Bo takes control early on after Curtis Axel distracts Finn from ringside. Bo works over Balor and talks trash to him. Bo hits some knee shots for a two count. Dallas works on keeping Balor grounded and hits more knee strikes for another two count. Dallas sends Balor into the corner, but Balor fires back with a boot to the face. Balor starts firing up and hits the double foot stomp. Balor continues the offense and hits the Slingblade, then dropkicks Dallas into the corner. Balor goes up top and hits the Coup De Grace for the three count.
Winner: Finn Balor
– We see a video package highlighting the history between The Bar, and Rollins & Ambrose.
– We see some clips of Matt Hardy’s post-match breakdown last week, and see some of his strange “woken” tweets. We cut to Bray Wyatt backstage, and he cuts a promo on Matt. The video is interrupted by Matt, who cuts in and has some “broken” words for Wyatt before it cuts back to Wyatt. The video cuts back and forth, and Matt says thanks to the consumer of terrestrial entities, he has been woken. Wyatt says it wasn’t Matt’s breaking point, it was his, and he feels alive again. Matt says he has no choice but to sentence Wyatt to… deletion! Matt and Wyatt trade evil laughs as the announcers chant “Delete.” The announcers try to make sense of what they just saw.
– Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (c): The RAW Tag Team Titles are on the line in this one. Cesaro and Ambrose start off trading holds, then Sheamus tags in early. Ambrose gets the upper hand until Cesaro distracts him by pulling Rollins off the apron. Sheamus capitalizes with a clothesline on Ambrose, then he tags Ambrose into the corner for some double team punishment. The Bar continues to take turns working over Ambrose in the corner and using frequent tags to control him. Sheamus hits a running big boot and really puts the boots of Ambrose now as the ref warns him to back off. Sheamus takes Ambrose to the ropes and Cesaro hits a cheap shot. More beating from Sheamus on the Lunatic Fringe. Ambrose finally breaks free and gets the hot tag to Rollins. Rollins starts going at it with Sheamus, then hits a Blockbuster off the middle rope. Rollins follows up with the Slingblade for a two count. The fight ends up spilling out to ringside where Rollins has to fight off Cesaro, allowing Sheamus to drop Rollins from behind. Back in the ring, The Bar remains in control, this time taking turns beating on Rollins. Rollins manages to drop Sheamus, but Cesaro pulls Ambrose off the apron so he can’t get the tag. Rollins tries to fight off both Sheamus and Cesaro, but he gets dropped by a European Uppercut. Rollins continues to be beat down as he looks for the tag, but Ambrose is still down at ringside. Rollins finally hits a superkick that knocks Sheamus out of the ring and gives him a breather. Ambrose and Cesaro tag in and start going at it. Ambrose dumps Cesaro outside, then knocks Sheamus outside. Cesaro comes back in and hits an uppercut then goes for a cross body, but Ambrose catches him and rolls through for a two count. Ambrose escapes a Cesaro Swing, but then misses a Dirty Deeds. Ambrose avoids a BRogue Kick, then sends Sheamus back out to the floor. Sheamus comes right back in and hits a knee to Ambrose’s face while Cesaro distracts the ref. The Bar beats on Ambrose until he escapes a super powerbomb and starts fighting back. He gets the tag to Rollins who comes in for a big superplex on Sheamus. Rollins follows up with a Falcon Arrow for a two count as Cesaro breaks up the pin. Cesaro goes for a Neutralizer, but Rollins escapes and hits a forearm shot to the face. Cesaro comes back with an uppercut, but Rollins shuts him down with knee to the face. Sheamus runs in and stomps on Rollins as the ref warns him. Ambrose runs in but Sheamus knees him in the face, then goes back to stomping on Rollins. The ref tries to get Sheamus to stomp stomping on Rollins, but he won’t, so the ref calls for the bell and disqualifies Sheamus for not listening to him.
Winners via DQ: Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose
– Kurt Angle comes out after the match and tells the Champions they aren’t getting off that easy, and he’s going to give them a chance to prove they really are the bar. Kurt re-starts the match, but this time it’s a no DQ match. It’s true, it’s damn true.
No DQ: Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. The Bar: The Tag Titles are once again on the line. Rollins and Ambrose immediately take control. Cesaro fires back with uppercuts, but Ambrose shuts him down with a lariat. Rollins drops Cesaro and Ambrose covers for a two count. They can’t believe he kicked out, and as they wait for Cesaro to get up, Samoa Joe hits the ring. Joe takes out Ambrose and Rollins. Roman Reigns runs in and chases out Joe. Joe runs out through the crow, but Reigns doesn’t follow. Reigns delivers a Superman punch to Cesaro, while Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick on Ambrose in the ring. They cover Ambrose for the win to retain the Tag Titles.
Winners: Sheamus and Cesaro
– After the bell, The Bar takes the Tag Team titles and runs through the crowd to leave with Joe. Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose recover in the ring as RAW goes off the air.
