No. 1 contenders in pro wrestling can be funny. Sometimes all you have to do to be one is ask the champion for a title match. Other times you have to do something to offend them so they want you to be their top contender, which is some nice reverse psychology. And still other times, you have to earn a shot at the title in the ring, which is what’s going to play out tonight on WWE Raw from Wilkes-Barre.
Gunther has fended off many challenges to his Intercontinental Championship during a record-setting reign. So Adam Pearce is making four men who want a shot at him compete against each other to sort themselves out: Bronson Reed, Ivar, Ricochet and The Miz. Some have already taken on the Ring General and others have not, but it’s an intriguing field, to say the least.
At least Gunther doesn’t have to (for now, anyway) worry about facing all four in one match … which is what Rhea Ripley just had to do at Crown Jewel. Now Pearce is going to cast an even bigger web to find a challenge for Mami than he is for Gunther, as a Battle Royal will take place in Wilkes-Barre to figure that out.
These are some time honored ways of sorting out the title challengers and should be fun. And there’s going to be a tag team match between The Judgment Day and The New Day, so that’s a good thing as well.
Plus there are rumors of a big main event, so let’s see what the night has in store.
WWE Raw results from Wilkes-Barre:
(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)
- Seth Rollins wants to thank Sami Zayn, and he does … by giving Zayn a world title shot tonight
- Backstage, Damian Priest is furious about that first segment, but he and Finn Balor have their own business to attend to right now
- The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. The New Day by pinfall
- Perhaps unsurprisingly, Drew McIntyre doesn’t want to talk about his loss at Crown Jewel, blowing off an interviewer on his way into the building
What is on the mind of @DMcIntyreWWE?#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/xgHWngAqfU
— WWE (@WWE) November 7, 2023
- Shinsuke Nakamura def. Akira Tozawa by pinfall, then seems to dismiss a challenge from Otis for the time being
- A hype video for Natalya is shown touting her accomplishments and legacy, which she punctuates by declaring herself the most accomplished woman in WWE history
- Pearce runs down the four men in the Intercontinental Championship contender four-way, making a case for each of them
- A busy Pearce double checks with Rollins to see if he’s sure about defending his title tonight, but Seth simply says “I’m born to run, boss”
- The Miz def. Bronson Reed, Ivar and Ricochet in an Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contenders Fatal 4-Way match, though the finish is a little wonky
- Tozawa apologizes to Alpha Academy, but Chad Gable says they will be there to support him for his Heritage Cup match tomorrow on NXT; Maxxine Dupri runs through her strategy for the Battle Royal
- Earlier today, Pearce signs the Creed Brothers (and Ivy Nile) to Raw contracts, and #DIY comes to challenge them to a match tonight
- The Creed Brothers def. #DIY by pinfall after Ludwig Kaiser gets in a cheap shot on Johnny Gargano to set up the finish
- A video package takes us back to Zayn’s last world championship opportunity, a losing effort against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber; he then gets good luck wishes from Jey Uso, who informs him that Pearce gave Jey and Cody Rhodes a rematch for the tag team titles next week
- Jackie Redmond asks Becky Lynch about her thoughts on the Battle Royal, and she says count me in; Nia Jax is behind her to say she’s going to win tonight, which would make her the happiest she’s been since breaking Becky’s face, though The Man reminds Jax she got fired after that happened
- Elsewhere, the women’s tag team champions exchange pleasantries with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark
- Zoey Stark wins the Battle Royal for a Women’s World Championship shot at Survivor Series, last eliminating Shayna Baszler
- Rhea Ripley is asked about the next week of preparation for The Judgment Day, but Stark drops by to remind her she already hit Rhea with her finisher at Crown Jewel, which doesn’t seem to faze the champ
- Seth Rollins def. Sami Zayn by pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
- As Zayn goes to leave, The Judgment Day comes down the ramp and lays him out; they battle to the ring, where Jey Uso, and eventually, Cody Rhodes come to the side of the faces, setting off a huge pull-apart brawl that rages out of control; a furious Pearce says that if all eight men want to play games, they can play WarGames at Survivor Series, but they resume fighting as the show goes off the air
Let the #WarGames begin!#SurvivorSeries pic.twitter.com/LtOwd22qbL
— WWE (@WWE) November 7, 2023