Smark Out Moment

Tonight's episode of WWE Monday Night Raw for November 23, 2015 is coming to you live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. Follow along here for live, ongoing coverage of the results of the show to find out what happens as things occur and chat with fellow WWE fans in the comments below and in the chat on the sidebar!



Roman Reigns is your new WWE World Heavyweight Champion! For five minutes. After defeating Dean Ambrose in the finals of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament, Roman Reigns was greeted by the leader of The Authority HHH in the ring. The Game comes out to shake hands, but Roman will have none of it. Instead he spears the 13x champ. Before he can celebrate much longer Sheamus appears and hits a Brogue Kick, cashes in his Money In The Bank contract, lands another Brogue Kick, and makes history by winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title! The night ends with him walking out with his arm around HHH, and Roman laying in the middle of the ring. The Brothers of Destruction also walk out with a victory over Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper, although the victory may not be the best moment of that match. It took both brothers, but they managed to double chokeslam Braun Stroman through the Spanish announce table. Charlotte also managed to retain her Divas Championship in an emotionally charged matchup with the anti-diva Paige. RAW is sure to be packed with build-up to TLC as Roman again starts to feud with The Authority!

PROMO: The opening promo of the night belongs to The Authority. Stephanie starts off by saying life is good for those who seize opportunity. HHH then tells us how he offered Roman an opportunity two weeks ago when he said Roman could skip to the finals if he shook his hand. Although he says he was not upset that Roman skipped his offer. He brings up that he was the first to congratulate Roman, and offered another handshake but instead got speared. A "cheap shot" he calls it. "Life is defined by opportunities. The ones you seize and the ones you miss." He then introduces the new champion, Sheamus. Sheamus traded in his Money In The Bank briefcase for the championship last night. Sheamus thanks the crowd even though they are obviously booing and chanting "you look stupid". He says nothing anyone can say will ruin his moment. He brings up how last night Roman reached the top of the mountain, but he Brogue Kicked him right off. He compares Roman to Caesar, but Caesar died like a man. Sheamus holds up the belt and asks the crowd "Who looks stupid now?". Then of course there are hugs to go around, but out comes Roman Reigns. Quite the pop for Roman in Tennessee. Sheamus immediately starts badgering Roman, but the crowds "Roman" chants shuts him up. Roman says one thing, he wants his rematch tonight. Stephanie says that any opportunity for him was lost when he speared his husband. Roman asks HHH if he is standing behind Steph because he is scared. The two have a pretty epic stare-down. That would be a hell of a match one-on-one. HHH says that he will get a rematch when he says he gets one. That surely will not be tonight. As The Authority is leaving, Rusev shows up and kicks Reigns in the chin and Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick. Sheamus and Rusev stand tall over Roman in the ring, and then leave joining HHH and Steph on the ramp. HHH announces that his rematch will come at TLC in the Tables, Ladders, & Chairs match. Steph announces the Reigns will face Rusev tonight, and Sheamus will be in Rusevs corner.

*Commercial Break*

MATCH: The Wyatt Family vs. The Dudley Boyz

Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper will be fighting for the Wyatt Family, and Rowan and Stroman will be in their corner.

Harper and Bubba Ray start the bout. Harper takes control first with slaps and upper cuts, but the veteran fights back. He gains control and tags in D-Von for a nice double team move. They quickly go for a 3D, but Wyatt pulls Harper out of harms way.

*Commercial Break*

When we come back from break The Wyatts are in control. Harper is beating on D-Von, but he is attempting a comeback. Harper quickly shuts that down, and bring in the patriarch. With Stroman and Rowan looming in the background D-Von begins to gain momentum. Both men tag out as Luke and Bubba trade hands. Bubba thn hits a huge back body drop a version of a Rock-Bottom type move. Bray causes a distraction and Harper hits a big clothesline for the win.

It was not over there however as Stroman and Rowan join the fray and assault the legendary tag team.

RESULT: The Wyatt family wins via pin fall.
THOUGHTS: Good tag match. The Wyatts needed to get back on track after their loss last night to The Brothers Of Destruction. Especially Harper since he was pinned to lose the match.

*Commercial Break*

The play a video package of the 25 year anniversary of one of the greatest ever, The Undertaker.

*Commercial Break*

MATCH: Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch

SASHA BANKS! (Insert heart eyes emoji here)

Becky starts with a quick throw to get Sasha off guard. Sasha however does not allow that to last long. Sasha hits her two knees to the stomach with Becky suspended by the ropes, and gets a two-count. Sasha continues to dominate while chocking Becky on the ropes, Tamina gets a cheap shot in for a two-count. Becky starts to fight back with a kick to the stomach and a quick roll-up for two. Then she hits a lot of upper cuts, and knocks The Boss down several times. The Lasskicker then hits a T-Bone suplex. Becky locks in the Disarmer but Team B.A.D helps her out, and Sasha gets a roll-up off a distraction for the win.

RESULT: Sasha Banks wins via pin fall.
THOUGHTS: I really hope they let these two go on a PPV in the near future. Sasha is in every single one of the best Divas matches I have ever seen in NXT. With Charlotte, Becky, and Bailey.

PROMO: Paige shows up on the big screen as Michael Cole brings up Charlotte. Paige claims Charlotte cheated because her arms were under the ropes when she locked in the Figure 8. They show the footage, and she is right.

*Commercial Break*

THE NEW DAYS FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY COUNTRY MUSIC JAMBOREE AND WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP OPEN CHALLENGE: The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons vs. The Usos

Everything about this sounds amazing. This is the official one year anniversary of The New Day. They are very upset that they have to spend their anniversary in the capital of country music. They obviously do not like it. I hope these guys are tag team champions forever. "Nobody wanna hear about yo tractor, man." They then say they are giving out the "power of opportunity" through an open challenge for their belts. The Lucha Dragons answer the open challenge. The New Day tries to leave, but out comes The Usos come out to stop them. Big E is not happy that they have ruined their jamboree. They then cancel their open challenge, but The Lucha Dragons and The Usos attack the champs anyway. The New Day then retreats yelling "you have ruined everything!". There will be no open challenge tonight. AMAZING segment though.

They then announce that Charlotte will defend her title against Paige tonight after Paiges' evidence of Charlotte inadvertently having her arm under the ropes as Paige tapped out to her Figure 8.

*Commercial Break*

PROMO: Charlotte speaks about having to defend her title again tonight. Charlotte says she respects Paige, but she knows things are not over between the two of them. She says shes happy to fight Paige again tonight.

MATCH: Mark Henry vs. Neville

Mark Henry laughs at the obvious size disadvantage. Neville lands several kicks with his speed, but they have no effect at all. Henry catches Neville and then begins a series of head butts and stomps. Henry then tosses Neville literally across the ring and out to the floor. Neville then tries to hop off the top rope but gets caught. Henry goes for the Strongest Slam, Neville escapes and lands a kick that drops Henry. Neville hits the Red Arrow for the win. Barely.

Henry offers a handshake and Neville accepts. You can hear Henry say "You're gonna be good, boy."

RESULT: Neville wins via pin fall.
THOUGHTS: This match was not very good. Not a whole lot happened and Neville landed one kick that downed Henry long enough for The Red Arrow. No sense at all. The handshake at the end was great though.

PROMO: Stardust is talking about Cesaro, and how he is the forgotten brother. Titus O'Neil shows up and says he "took a wrong turn somewhere".

*Commercial Break*

MATCH: Goldust & The Prime Time Players vs. Stardust & The Ascension

Stardust and Goldust start off, but Stardust tags to Konnor. Konnor then tags to Viktor. Viktor gets the upper hand, but Goldust quickly gets away and tags to Darren. Young gets in a few moves then tags to Titus, after a nice double team move Titus lands a couple of big slaps. Titus tags in Darren again for another nice double team move. Viktor gets away and tags in Stardust. Viktor gets in a cheap shot and Stardust gets a two-count on Darren. The Ascension comes in with a double team move as Konnor becomes the legal man. Konnor gets a two-count on Darren. Stardust then comes in and the assault on Darren continues. Darren shows a little more fight and desperately crawls to get Titus back in against Konnor. Titus hits Clash Of The Titus for the win.

RESULT: The Prime Time Players & Goldust win via pin fall.
THOUGHTS: Not a bad match. Great to see Goldust back! The inevitable match between he and Stardust should be great!

*Commercial Break*

THE STATE OF MEXAMERIA ADDRESS: Zeb Colter and the United States Champion, Alberto Del Rio, will grace us with their presence. I'm a fan of Zeb and ADR, but this "MexAmerica" gimmick just sucks to me. Nonetheless, Zeb says he wants to make one thing very clear. Just because ADR didn't win the tournament last night, MexAmerica is not in trouble. Zeb was not happy with how everyone went to social media to complain about MexAmerica. Even listing "Grinder" as one of the social media sites on his list. Which, I would not know, but I would assume people on Grinder do NOT care about MexAmerica. Like most other people. Zeb says that the work and charity they had for everyone is over. The borders of MexAmerica are closed forever. Which hopefully means these two will stay there until this gimmick is over. Because I hate it. Out comes Jack Swagger, the Real American! Jack is obviously very upset with what Zeb has become. Saying he used to stand for something(ironic since he uses a scooter). ADR jumps in to stop Jack from embarrassing Zeb any more. Jack says he has sworn to defend this country against all enemies, and if ADR does not like that he should do something about it. He then heads down to the ring. The two stare down, but Alberto grabs his title and leaves. Before they leave, Jack has everyone say "We The People" just so Zeb can hear it.

*Commercial Break*

DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Charlotte (c) vs. Paige

This is a rematch from last night at Survivor Series. Earlier tonight Paige proved that Charlotte had her arms outside of the ropes when she tapped out to the Figure 8. Thus leading to the rematch for the anti-diva tonight.

They start with a lock-up and then they trade a multitude of slaps. Charlotte then takes control keeping Paige on the mat, and using an arm bar to do so. Paige forces a break and roles out of the ring. Paige continues to run around the ring, but Charlotte throws her back in. Charlotte gets a two-count. Charlotte then uses her legs to wrap them around Paige and gets off three suplexes for a two-count. Paige then whips up and throws Charlotte in the corner hitting her neck very hard. Paige uses a submission maneuver to target the neck. Charlotte reaches the ropes, but Paige continues the attack on her neck. Paige gets a very close two-count. She continues to target the neck. Then Paige shifts focus to the knee of Charlotte. Paige has clearly taken over. Tons of slaps and a kick that would knock anyone out, but only gets a two-count. Another suplex into the ropes hits Charlottes knees hard. Charlotte takes down Paige, but she reverses it to a pin for two. Then there is another submission move targeting Charlottes knees. Both women, thinking the same thing, use super kicks and knock each other down.

*Commercial Break*

We come back from break with both divas down just like we left before. Paige is beginning to gain the momentum, but Charlotte starts those classic Flair chops and gets a two-count. Charlotte locks in a bear hug type move on the mat that has Paige completely wrapped up. She gets to the ropes and forces a break. Charlotte spears Paige out of the ring, but it might have been the worst spear ever. They then get a double count out to end the match.

Charlotte gets thrown into the steel steps and Paige clears the announce table. She then locks in the PTO on the announce table. Paige continues the assault before leaving.

RESULT: Charlotte retains via double count out.
THOUGHTS: I like the double count out ending. You do not see it used often, but other than that this match was another snoozer between these two for me. The spear that was supposed to be big, sucked. But the post match assault was not bad. I do not understand the use of a submission move on top of the announce table, but hey you do you Paige.

*Commercial Break*

PROMO: Heath Slater is in the ring with a guitar. Oh no. He wanted to bring a little rock n' roll so Nashville can hear some good music. Before heath can start singing, out comes Ryback. Ryback is doing his entrance and playing to the crowd as Heath Slater uses the guitar as a weapon and hits Ryback. Ryback knocks him down, hits the Meathook clothesline, and then ends this weird segment with a Shellshock.

*Commercial Break*

MATCH: Dolph Ziggler & Dean Ambrose vs. Tyler Breeze & Kevin Owens

Ziggler and Breeze start off. Tyler gains the upper hand but then tags in KO. Ziggler escapes, and then tags in Ambrose. KO wants nothing to do with Ambrose as he tags out. Dean gets in a few quick moves, and tags Dolph back in. Dolph and Tyler go back and forth and Breeze lands in a huge kick, and then Owens comes back. KO uses his running senton for a two-count. Breeze is tagged back in and lands a few punches, then tags Owens back in. Owens keeping Ziggler down. Ziggler fights out and goes for a tag but is stopped. He then hits a big drop kick. He tries to crawl over Owens for a tag, gets away and gets  in Ambrose. Breeze is also tagged back in. Breeze is knocked out of the ring and Dean dives through the second rope.  Back in the ring Ambrose hits a neck breaker and a missile drop kick. He then hits his bounce back clothesline. Owens comes in but Ziggler takes him out and fight on the outside,. Dean hits Dirty Deeds for the win as Owens watches.

RESULT: Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose win via pin fall.
THOUGHTS: Good match! All four of these guys are overly talented. Looking forward to more from all four.

*Commercial Break*

They play a terrible Hardy's add involving JBL, Torito, and Mark Henry. Then they play the closing moments of Survivor Series when Sheamus cashed in.

*Commercial Break*

MATCH: Roman Reigns vs. Rusev (w Sheamus)

Rusev tries to catch Roman off guard but Roman was ready. However Rusev still gained control. However it does not last long as Roman storms back. He goes for a Samoan Drop but Rusev escapes instead Roman hits a neck breaker. With Rusev in the corner Roman starts landing punches. Rusev escapes and starts  stomping away. Rusev targeting the back and does so for a while. Then Roman comes back and throws Rusev over the ropes. He follows him out and then throws Rusev into the barricade. He then stares down Sheamus.

*Commercial Break*

As we come back from break we see Rusev in control. Rusev tosses Reigns outside and Sheamus gets in a cheap shot. Rusev stays in control back in the ring. Still targeting Romans back. After a series of moves destroying Romans back, Rusev gets a two-count. Roman begins to fight back as Rusev has him in the center of the ring. Roman goes for a bounce off the ropes but Sheamus grabs his ankle and Rusev takes advantage. Then the ref tossed Sheamus out of the match at ringside. The champ heads to the back. Reigns goes for a roll-up off the distraction but he gets a two-count. The two trade blows when they get back to their feet. Reigns gets a little boost of energy and gains control. Then Rusev hits a big rolling heel kick for a two-count. Rusev goes to the top rope but Romans gets up to join him. He tries for a superplex but Rusev knocks him off the ropes and hits a flying head butt for a two-count. Roman hits a Superman Punch out of nowhere for a  two-count. Rusev stops all momentum with a huge super kick. Rusev then bounces Romans head off the announce table several times. Reigns then comes back with several kicks to Rusevs chest and then hits another Superman Punch. Reigns then hits the Drive By and King Barrett comes out with a Bull Hammer to end the match. Reigns then gets dismantled by Rusev and Barrett. Until a chair is introduced and then Roman goes swinging. Sheamus comes out and east a chair shot too.

RESULT: Roman Reigns wins via DQ.
THOUGHTS: Not bad. Not good. Having King Barrett come out was a head scratcher since he was not seen with these two all night. But thats about it.

I usually do not add my opinion at the end of the show, but tonight I am going to. WWE needs to thank their lucky stars they have The New Day. Without them this may have been the worst RAW I have ever watched. What did you guys think? Let us know!