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Sunday's Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view gave fans a lot to talk about, including the apparent murder of Bray Wyatt by Randy Orton.
During their Firefly Inferno match, The Viper set The Fiend's entire body ablaze in the middle of the ring. It brought back memories of The Undertaker being burned in his casket, but this time, we saw the body go up in flames.
We also saw Charlotte Flair return to help Asuka win the Women's Tag Team Championships, and The Hurt Business defeated The New Day to become the new Raw tag team champions.
This week's Raw dealt with all of the fallout from Sunday's show while also setting up the Royal Rumble on January 26. Let's take a look at everything that happened on Monday's episode.
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Raw opened with Charlotte coming out to give her first promo since returning Sunday night to help Asuka win the Women's Tag Team Championships from Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. She talked about being in the ThunderDome for the first time and walking in as champion. She said all a friend had to do was ask for her help, and that was what Asuka did. She introduced The Empress of Tomorrow as her friend and partner.
Asuka bragged about being a double champion. Charlotte seemed like she was about to ask for a Raw women's title shot before Jax and Baszler interrupted them. After some trash-talking, Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke came out. They said they wanted a women's tag title shot, but Charlotte suggested the two teams face each other while she and Asuka watch. Apparently, The Queen has booking power because a ref showed up.
The match got going after the break. Rose and Baszler started for their teams. Surprisingly, Rose took down the MMA fighter a few times and cornered her for some shoulder thrusts. Brooke and Rose were brought in, and the former bodybuilder took down The Irresistible Force with a headscissor takeover. Brooke and Rose took down both women with a double crossbody from the apron.
After another commercial break, Brooke hit Jax with a series of forearms. Baszler tagged in and took her down with a shot to the body. She worked over Brooke's leg. The Golden Goddess hit a few strikes and a suplex as she made a comeback. Brooke tagged in and hit a round-off splash for a two-count. The match ended when Baszler got the submission win over Brooke.
Grade: C-
Analysis
The opening promos were clunky and poorly written, especially when it came to the weak insults delivered by Brooke and Rose.
The match that followed wasn't bad and actually exceeded expectations, but it still shouldn't have taken up the first three segments of the show.
Rose and Brooke looked better than they have in other recent bouts but still have some work to do when it comes to building chemistry and coming up with some good double-team spots. This would have been better in the middle of the show.
After such a strong PPV, WWE should have opened with somebody like Drew McIntyre or Orton to capitalize on the attention their matches received.
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Angel Garza gave a quick interview backstage before heading out to face Drew Gulak. They locked up, and Garza got the first few strikes before Gulak planted him with a side slam.
Garza tried to apply a submission, but Gulak reversed it on him. The Latin Lothario broke free and hit a hip toss for a two-count. Gulak fired back with some punches, but he ran into a boot to the face.
Garza nailed him with a superkick before hitting the Wing Clipper for the win.
Grade: C+
Analysis
This was a solid encounter, but it was way too short to be anything special. These two looked like they could have put on a great show if they were given 10 minutes.
Garza finally being used on TV again is nice to see. He is still pursuing some mystery woman, so we will have to wait and see if WWE follows up on it with anything interesting.
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The Miz opened this episode of "Miz TV" by saying he failed to cash in the Money in the Bank contract successfully and let down his family. He apologized before bringing out his guest, AJ Styles.
The A-Lister told Styles he tried to take advantage of an opportunity Sunday, but Styles told him to shut up. He called Miz selfish and incompetent. He even claimed The Miz cost him the title and said both men lost because of him. The Miz got angry and said he knew that and it was why he was so pissed.
The A-Lister ranted about how long he had been trying to get back to the top of WWE and be the posterchild of the company. He showed what appeared to be some real emotion when he talked about how this was his path to earning the respect he deserved.
He apologized to Styles and said both men were robbed because he blew it. He offered Styles a role in the next Marine movie, and it led to an argument between everybody, including Omos. John Morrison and Styles almost came to blows before Miz got between them and said he just realized something. Morrison cashed in for him and he thought he should get the contract back since he was the only one who could cash it in.
Drew McIntyre showed up and reminded them of their match later in the show. He recited a poem and was joined by Sheamus and Keith Lee. They got in the ring and started a brawl.
Grade: B
Analysis
Using the detail of The Miz not being the one to hand in the contract at TLC was low-key brilliant. Small details like that can make a storyline a lot better.
The Miz was on point with his promo. We have heard this song and dance from him before, but he always delivers this kind of speech with conviction and emotion.
Morrison and Styles added some needed levity, and the brawl was a decent way to end the segment, but it should have led right into the six-man tag match instead of being separate.
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Ricochet rushed T-Bar after the bell and tried to get the upper hand right away. The big man caught him trying to hit a crossbody and hit a few knees to the body before throwing him to the mat.
He grounded Ricochet for a bit, but the high-flyer sent him over the top rope and took out Slapjack on the apron with a dropkick through the ropes. He also took down Mace, but T-Bar was able to nail him from behind with a clothesline.
Mustafa Ali yelled at Ricochet that he belongs with them before T-Bar hit his finisher for the win.
Grade: C
Analysis
Ricochet is always easy to watch because everything he does is so fluid. T-Bar is obviously gifted, but he hasn't had many opportunities to show it since his days in NXT as Dominik Dijakovic.
They had a decent back-and-forth fight before the rest of the group got involved, but like Garza vs. Gulak, this bout didn't have enough time to leave a lasting impression.
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After MVP gave a short promo, Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander talked about winning the tag titles. Alexander cut Benjamin off, but they didn't address it.
Bobby Lashley spoke next and said there is not a man alive who can beat him for the U.S. title. MVP asked them to pose for a picture. R-Truth appeared behind them holding up the 24/7 title. A bunch of Superstars chased him away from the ring.
Riddle and Jeff Hardy came out on the stage and traded some words with The Hurt Business. Their match didn't happen until about half an hour after this segment instead of right away, which is what would usually happen.
Lashley took Riddle down right away when the match began. He brought him to the corner so he could tag MVP to keep up the beating. Hardy eventually got the tag, and they did some double-team spots together. We returned just as Hardy was knocked off the top rope onto the steel steps.
The Charismatic Engima was slow to get back into the ring. After Lashley and MVP punished him for a bit, Hardy made the tag to Riddle. The former MMA fighter went on a rampage, but Lashley saved MVP from being pinned. The All Mighty finished Hardy off with the Hurt Lock.
Grade: B-
Analysis
"The VIP Lounge" segment allowed Alexander to shine on the mic with his new attitude, but as soon as Riddle got involved, it was a lot less entertaining.
Riddle and Hardy worked well together during the match, but their promo styles don't mesh at all. WWE is trying to make Riddle popular by pairing him up with somebody the crowd loves, but that won't work if they have no chemistry.
Lashley and MVP getting the win was the right call. The match was good, but the segment earlier in the night had its ups and downs.
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As Elias was giving a promo, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado came to the ring. This immediately turned into a match between Jaxson Ryker and Metalik. For some reason, Elias was allowed to sit on the top turnbuckle and perform until Metalik took him down with a hurricanrana.
Ryker hit the luchador with a chokeslam for the win.
Grade: D-
Analysis
What was this? Was this match scheduled or was it impromptu? If it was made in the moment, why was a referee there so quickly?
This was the definition of a filler segment. There's not much more that can be said about this. If Elias had actually gotten to sing, it might not have been such a waste of time.
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Orton came out and said he has been called a lot of things during his career like sick and twisted. He said he proved he was all of those things last night when he burned The Fiend alive.
The Viper spoke about how the smell of burning flesh lingered and he could still smell it in the ring. The voices in his head were gone after last night. All he hears now is the sound of Wyatt gasping for his last breath.
The lights dropped, and the usual sounds that accompany The Fiend echoed. When the light came back on in the ring, Alexa Bliss was sitting there on a swingset. She said Wyatt built it for her and she invited Orton to play with her.
She speculated about where The Fiend could be at that very moment and made some jokes about him being burned. She said Wyatt was home now, but if he ever came back, it would be like nothing Orton had ever seen. The lights went out again as she stared him straight in the eye.
Grade: A
Analysis
Bringing back Wyatt the night after Orton set him on fire would have been a mistake. He needs to stay away for a little while, and this segment set up his hiatus perfectly.
Bliss is so great in this role, and The Viper has always been amazing at playing the heel who doesn't care about who he hurts to get what he wants.
The only downside to all of this is Bliss might be off TV while The Fiend is gone. It would be great if she stuck around and competed in her own matches while we wait for his return.
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Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce appeared to have some tension during a backstage interview before the match took place.
Royce and Asuka kicked things off with an exchange. Evans tagged herself in, and she was able to sweep Asuka's leg but missed a slingshot elbow.
Royce tagged back in and scored a two-count. After a commercial break, Royce and Evans beat down Asuka in the corner. They kept tagging themselves in and arguing with each other but managed to keep Asuka cornered until she hit Royce with a suplex.
The Queen got the tag and took out both opponents with ease. She ended up getting the win with a Figure-Eight.
Grade: C-
Analysis
This match was just another reminder that breaking up The IIconics was shortsighted and dumb. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay worked so well together because their friendship was real. Now, neither of them has a clear direction.
This is one of those rare matches where nobody benefitted at all. Royce and Evans never should have been a team to begin with, and Asuka and Charlotte gained nothing by defeating two women who don't work well together.
Some of the action was good, so this wasn't a total wash, but it wouldn't be hard to think of several segments that would have done better in this slot.
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The main event of the evening saw Keith Lee, McIntyre and Sheamus team up to battle Styles, The Miz and Morrison. During their scuffle earlier in the show, Lee accidentally took out Sheamus and caused some friction.
Sheamus and JoMo started the match with an exchange of strikes. Morrison brought him down and tagged in The Miz to stomp him into the mat. The WWE champion tagged in and took control of Morrison until The Monday Night Delight took out his knee.
Lee came in and launched Morrison across the ring with McIntyre. He tagged Sheamus back in, and they hit a double shoulder block. They worked together to take out Styles and Miz, too. Their playful banter almost led to another fight before the break.
Sheamus was in control of Styles when we returned. He and McIntyre hit Miz and Morrison with the 10 Beats of the Bodhran before Lee grabbed both men and ran them into the apron. They slowly started to incorporate some of the stuff around the ring.
McIntyre powerbombed Styles through a table with a bowl of eggnog to make a huge mess. Sheamus tagged himself in to hit the Brogue Kick, but Lee also tagged himself in. Omos put Morrison through a table while Lee beat Miz with a Spirit Bomb. Sheamus immediately hit Lee with a Brogue Kick and McIntyre yelled at him as the show ended.
Grade: B-
Analysis
This was a good match, but it went on longer than necessary. They waited too long to use any kind of weapons, and when they did use them, it was sparingly.
The tension between Sheamus and Lee will likely continue to build up leading to a fun spot during the Royal Rumble, especially if one of them wins.
McIntyre is continuing to grow as a top star and looked more confident than he did during his first title reign. This was a decent ending to a hot and cold episode of Raw.
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