WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW PRIMER 11/2: Target on Viper’s Back, Guitar on a Pole Match, New Day vs. Hurt Business in a Non-Title Affair, Mandy & Dana Clash with the Champs, Next Up for Team Raw

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WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW PRIMER
ORLANDO, FL. AT THE THUNDERDOME IN THE AMWAY CENTER
NOVEMBER 2, 2020
AIRS ON USA NETWORK, 8:00 p.m. EST
BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH.COM CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

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Top Three Developments from Last Week

• Keith Lee, Sheamus, and A.J. Styles all qualified to participate on team Raw for Survivor Series. Keith beat Elias, Sheamus beat Riddle (not Matt Riddle anymore folks, but Riddle. How moronic is this?), and A.J. beat Jeff Hardy. Here’s A.J. in a WWE exclusive offering to be the team captain:

• Lana qualified for the Raw women’s team by defeating Peyton Royce, Nikki Cross, and Lacey Evans in a fatal four-way match. She joins WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax and Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke. And yes folks, Lana got a Samoan Drop through the announce table by Nia, making that six times. Here’s Lana in a WWE exclusive talking about how she gets knocked down, and she gets up again. You’re never gonna keep her down. She gets knocked down (what, you don’t remember the Chumbawumba song?):

• New WWE Champion Randy Orton was a guest of Alexa Bliss on A Moment of Bliss. He was confronted by former champion Drew McIntyre with whom he then fought. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt’s effects started, and he appeared behind Orton. Orton went at it again with McIntyre to close out the show.

Items Advertised by WWE

We’re now on path towards Survivor Series. All the champion vs. champion matches were announced last week and are listen in this past Friday Smackdown’s primer for your reference. We’ll likely get more qualifiers tonight to fill out the last two spots on the men’s team. WWE has a full preview out, which is nice for a change. It makes my life easy, and that’s what matters. (Oh, stop rolling your eyes. YOU try to write these primers when WWE gives you squat with which to work.) Anyway, here’s what advertised for tonight:

• Target on the back of WWE Champion Randy Orton.
• Jeff Hardy and Elias to meet in Guitar on a Pole Match.
• The New Day set to clash with The Hurt Business’ Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin.
• Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke look to make statement against Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler.
• Who else will step up to join Team Raw at Survivor Series?

Target’s on WWE Champion Randy Orton

I talked about what happened regarding new WWE Champion Randy Orton, former champion Drew McIntyre, and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in the top three developments. To add color to the situation, the Miz is now Mr. Money in the Bank because of defeating Otis at Hell in a Cell. Last week, he interrupted Drew McIntyre at the opening of the show where Drew was expressing his desire to be WWE Champion again. Later, Drew defeated the Miz, who still holds the contract.

We all know the feud Orton and Drew had recently, and by the looks of things it doesn’t appear to be over. The Miz and Orton have history as it was the Miz who cashed in Money in the Bank back in 2010 to defeat Orton to become WWE Champion, immediately after Orton retained against Wade Barrett. Ironically, that happened in the Amway Center which was pointed out by the Miz last week. Orton was aligned with Bray Wyatt around three years ago where they briefly held the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. Orton’s real intentions were to destroy the Wyatt family from within, and he ended up burning Bray’s house down. He then took the WWE Championship from Bray at the 2017 WrestleMania, ironically in Orlando. There are a lot of connections between these men in central Florida!

Orton has a lot on his plate, which includes a non-title match with Universal Champion Roman Reigns at Survivor Series. We’ll find out if WWE clears up the title picture tonight as they discuss the target on his back.

Frank’s Analysis: If they put the title on Orton to avoid doing a Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns match at Survivor Series, that’s most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard. WWE is not required to do a champion vs. champion match. I’m not sure how all the pieces (Orton, Bray, Drew, Miz) fit into the puzzle. Part of me wonders if Drew will get the title back, and they pivot to an Orton-Bray feud while Drew feuds with someone else. A Miz cash-in is part of this too, but I wonder if they hold off as long as possible and wait until they can have somewhat of a crowd.

Guitar on a Pole Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Elias

At Hell in a Cell, Elias defeated Jeff Hardy via DQ when Jeff hit Elias with his guitar. I mentioned in the top three developments how Jeff nor Elias qualified for Survivor Series because of losing their matches. Like Riddle, Jeff was intimidated by A.J. Styles’ new “heavy” Jordan Omogbehin during their match. After Keith Lee defeated Elias, Jeff attacked Elias with a guitar.

Tonight, these men go at it in a Guitar on a Pole match. WWE doesn’t explain the rules in their advertisement, but usually any “on a pole” match means the first wrester to get to the object gets to use it. Here are Jeff and Elias on Twitter:

#WWERaw.

How many of my beautiful guitars have suffered and been destroyed at the hands of this man??!   It’s time to end this.  #GuitarOnAPole @JEFFHARDYBRAND pic.twitter.com/9qCfKJOu9O

— Elias (@IAmEliasWWE) November 1, 2020

AhhhhYeah!Tomorrow,4 me..I get 2 do a, “1stTimeEver”match.Right now,myself & @IAmEliasWWE are tied at 2 guitar shots apiece.What will tomorrow hold?🎸? #WWERaw #GuitarOnAPole pic.twitter.com/M7FMXoVg2Y

— #BrotherNero DELETED (@JEFFHARDYBRAND) November 1, 2020

Frank’s Analysis: I wonder if Jeff Jarrett is jealous somewhere. That’s J-E-double F J-A-double R-E-double T double J (ha ha) Jeff Jarrett. Maybe he’ll want to referee this thing?

Non-Title Match: Raw Tag Team Champions New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin)

As we found out last week, New Day has a date with Smackdown Tag Team Champions the Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) at Survivor Series. New Day were previously Smackdown tag champs while the Street Profits were the Raw champs. When drafted to the opposite brand, WWE official Adam Pearce authorized a “title swap” between the teams.

The Hurt Business (MVP, U.S. Champion Bobby Lashley, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin) were busy themselves last week, once again dispatching of Retribution (T-Bar, Slapjack, Mace, Mustafa Ali) in an elimination four-on-four match (basically a Survivor Series match). Slapjack rolled up MVP for a pin after Reckoning was oddly convulsing and itching herself. Lashley then pinned Slapjack but got counted out along with T-Bar. Shelton pinned Mace, leaving he and Cedric as the last men standing for Hurt Business and Mustafa Ali for Retribution. Ali hit Cedric with a chair to get disqualified.

Tonight, Cedric & Shelton have earned a date with New Day in a non-title match.

Frank’s Analysis: I think Cedric & Shelton are lined up for a title match, since MVP said last week that he expects to Hurt Business to be “paid in gold” because of taking care of Retribution. I could see them getting involved in this match. I really hate trying to build up teams by having them work non-title matches with the champions. If they want to build up Cedric & Shelton, have them win matches against other teams and line them up as challengers to New Day.

Non-Title Match: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax vs. Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke

I mentioned earlier how the aforementioned women will be part of team Raw at Survivor Series and will be joined by Lana. Several weeks ago, Shanya & Nia won an impromptu fatal four-way non-title match against Mandy & Dana, the Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan) and the very odd paring of Lacey Evans & Peyton Royce. Last week, Shayna & Nia bickered as they have been previously including when Angel Garza gave Nia a rose.

Tonight, Mandy & Dana take on their Survivor Series partners in a non-title match.

Frank’s Analysis: There’s nothing much to discuss here other than it being a non-title match where Shayna & Nia will probably bicker and win, and Mandy & Dana will go nowhere as expected. I’m disappointed in the use of Shayna the most out of all of this.

Filling out Survivor Series Team

I listed earlier who qualified to be on team Raw at Survivor Series. WWE advertises on their website “who will be the next superstar to join them?” Since they had qualifying matches last week, I’d imagine they’ll have more to fill out the team.

Frank’s Analysis: I don’t know what matches they will put together, but there are wrestlers left. Ricochet, Humberto Carrillo, Tucker, Drew Gulak, Braun Strowman, R-Truth, Titus O’Neil, Erik, Angel Garza, Bray Wyatt, Dabba-Kato, Akira Tozawa, Riddick Moss, Arturo Ruas, and Drew McIntyre are the singles acts left. I don’t see anyone from Retribution or the Hurt Business getting involved. I don’t count Miz or John Morrison. Ricochet, Strowman, Garza, and Drew would be the strongest candidates for me.

Other Match Results and Stories from Last Week

• Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik) defeated Akira Tozawa & Drew Gulak.
• Bray Wyatt ran another episode of the Firefly Funhouse.

Final Thoughts

I don’t have much to add outside of what I’ve talked about. I think I’m disappointed they took the title off Drew McIntyre. I’m sure he’ll get the title back, and this will all make sense, but I just don’t see the positive in putting the title back on Randy Orton at this stage of the game. Bray Wyatt’s involvement is interesting, but I sure hope he doesn’t get the title or even a title match. It’s a little early post-draft to see overall how things are going to work. Last week was not all that inspiring, and now with the Survivor Series nonsense I don’t expect much better.

Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankPeteani. Questions and discussion are welcome! Thank you for reading.