WWE Rawemanates live from Greenville, South Carolina of 16-07-2025, and it’s the final episode of Monday Night Raw until the TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay-per-view on Sunday, December 15. So far, only SmackDown-branded matches have been announced for TLC, so tonight’s episode of Raw should lay the groundwork for the matches thatWWEfans will get to see at the upcoming pay-per-view.
There’s only one match announced ahead of time for Raw on 12/9/19, and that’s Rey Mysterio defending his United States Championship against AJ Styles. Mysterio won the title from Styles on the November 25 episode of Raw with the help ofRandy Orton, so it will be interesting to see if Orton interferes in this match as well.
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And while no other matches have been announced for Raw 12/9/19, we do know of at least one other segment that will be on the show, and that is the divorce of Lana and Rusev. WWE has featured many weddings on its television, but not many divorces, so who knows what will happen.
This post will be updated as Raw rolls along with match results and more.
1. Rusev and Lana Sign Divorce Papers
This segment started off hot with the crowd booing Lana’s every sentence, but it just went on way too long and lost most of its heat by the time Bobby Lashley came out. The feud between Lashley and Rusev continues to be one of the top-drawing feuds for the company for whatever reason though, so it’s not all that surprising that WWE decided to start the show off with the divorce proceedings.
As can be expected whenever WWE has people sign papers in a ring, things got heated and Rusev ended up putting Lashley through the table. Rusev only signed the divorce papers on the condition that he would get a match against Lashley, which will presumably be taking place at TLC, though that hasn’t been clarified yet. Hopefully WWE doesn’t pull a bait and switch like it did atStarrcade 2019when the Last Man Standing Match between the two was advertised and ended up not taking place.
2. Kevin Owens Started Searching for the Authors of Pain
Kevin Owens was attacked by the Authors of Pain during his match with Seth Rollins last week on Raw, and Owens seems to think that the Akam and Rezar were working on the orders of Rollins. Owens is now on the hunt for the Authors of Pain, and while searching for them, he ran into Rey Mysterio backstage. Mysterio gave Owens the lead pipe he’s been using to even the odds against Brock Lesnar at events likeSurvivor Series, so now Owens has an “equalizer” to help him out.
3. Drew McIntyre vs. Matt Hardy
Winner:Drew McIntyre. McIntyre came out and insulted Matt’s newborn baby, which didn’t get much of a reaction from the crowd, unfortunately. Hardy has reverted to his 90s “Hardy Boyz” gimmick, but is still doing the “Delete!” taunt from hisBroken Matt Hardycharacter, and he’s clearly just enhancement talent at this point. Hardy hit McIntyre with a Twist of Fate before the match even started, but despite this, McIntyre was able to make short work of Hardy. He hit him with the Future Shock DDT and followed that up with the Claymore to pick up an easy victory.
Grade:C
5. More Backstage Segments
Following the match, we got some more backstage segments. One sawBecky Lynchdeclare her intention to fight the Kabuki Warriors in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match like we saw Charlotte Flair do last week, and the other saw Kevin Owens slap Mojo Rawley in the face as he continued his hunt for the Authors of Pain.
6. Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The Viking Raiders (c) vs. Street Profits
Winners:The Viking Raiders.The Viking Raidersare having trouble finding legitimate competition on the Raw roster, and so they issued an open challenge, giving anyone that wanted it a shot at their titles. The Street Profits answered the challenge, and while they had a strong start, they were still defeated fairly quickly by The Viking Raiders, who were able to retain their titles without too much trouble.
7. Sami Zayn Got His Managerial License
WWE really just can’t stick with the Raw/SmackDown brand split very long. In this segment, The Authors of Pain arrived at the arena, Seth Rollins kept insisting he wasn’t involved with them, and thenSami Zaynrevealed that he now has his managerial license. This means that he can move freely between Raw and SmackDown, managing various superstars. Mojo Rawley is apparently his second client after Shinsuke Nakamura, though Rawley ended up getting hit with a Stunner and a beating with a steel pipe (or a lead one, depending on who you ask).
8. Akira Tozawa vs. Aleister Black
Winner:Aleister Black. Another short match with an obvious winner, but this match was elevated a bit compared to the others on the card by a couple of especially hard-hitting spots. At one point, Black countered a Suicide Dive attempt by Tozawa with a vicious knee to the head, and then later hit a Black Mass square to the jaw to pick up the victory.
Grade:C+
9. Andrade w/ Zelina Vega vs. Humberto Carillo
Winner:Humberto Carillo. WWE clearly has a lot of stock in Carillo, as he has been consistently featured in higher-profile matches. This week’s episode of Raw was no different, with Andrade and Carillo given much more time than any other match of the evening so far. Carillo botched his Aztec Press a bit, but it didn’t really hurt the crowd’s investment in the match, with the audience consistently engaged. The finish came when Andrade accidentally knocked Zelina Vega off the apron, allowing Carillo to get a roll-up victory.
Grade:B
10. Buddy Murphy vs. Zack Ryder w/ Curt Hawkins
Winner:Buddy Murphy. This entire Raw has largely been enhancement matches, but that does make some sense with the TLC pay-per-view around the corner. This match succeeded in making Buddy Murphy look dominant, though it’s weird to see how far Zack Ryder’s star has fallen.
Grade:B-
11. Seth Rollins Shows His True Colors
Kevin Owens started destroying the Authors of Pain’s SUV backstage, but then was attacked by the two of them. Their leader was hiding in the back of the vehicle, and it was revealed to have been Seth Rollins. The Authors of Pain and Rollins brutalized Owens, slamming his head with a car door and then hitting him with a Curb Stomp on concrete. Owens was taken away on an ambulance, and then later Rollins addressed the crowd. He explained that he wasn’t originally aligned with the Authors of Pain, but is now because everyone assumed it of him, basically. His heel turn is now complete, in any case.
