RAW Thread 11/16/15: The Elite Eight

[Steveweiser]

RAW is live from Greenville, South Carolina, and we're down to the last eight of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament - which four men will move on to Survivor Series in Atlanta this Sunday night to compete for the title?

The standout match of the quarter finals sees Roman Reigns, who many peg as the favourite to win it all, take on another major fan favourite in Cesaro. In most cities, Reigns would be really up against it from Cesaro fan support, but he might be fortunate in Greenville. Still, it'll be a tough in-ring challenge, and if Reigns can get past the Swiss Superman, he'll be in a good position to reach what he's supposedly destined for.

In the same half of the bracket, WWE's MexAmerican Champion Alberto Del Rio takes on another Hispanic star in Kalisto, who caused the shock of the tournament so far by downing former Intercontinental Champion Ryback. Can the Lucha Dragon continue on his Cinderella run, or will Del Rio and his compadre Zeb Colter shut it down?

The other side of the bracket starts with the current Intercontinental Champion, Kevin Owens, taking on a fellow former NXT Champion, Neville. They've had some great matches on both NXT and the main roster, and this has the capability to steal the night. Will Neville gain the biggest opportunity of his career, or will Owens fulfil his destiny of main eventing a major PPV for the biggest prize in the sport?

The final quarter final pits Dean Ambrose against Dolph Ziggler - both men enter this match with injuries, with Ambrose suffering from a shoulder problem, and Ziggler with his leg. Ambrose defeated Tyler Breeze to get here, and Breeze has an issue with Ziggler, so maybe we see Prince Pretty get involved here?

Bray Wyatt thought he had disposed The Undertaker and Kane's bodies and devoured their souls, but he didn't know where he put the bodies. Turns out the Brothers of Destruction are just fine, and they pure destroyed the Wyatt Family last week on RAW. On SmackDown, Wyatt challenged Taker and Kane to a tag team match - which two Wyatt Family members will take the Brothers of Destruction on in Atlanta?

Paige suffered a bump in the road on her way to Survivor Series and her challenge of Charlotte for the Divas Championship, as she suffered a surprise loss to Becky Lynch on RAW last week. Though Paige gained a modicum of revenge by putting Lynch in the PTO on the announce table after the match, the loss could come back to bite her. Will Lynch be added to the title match, will Charlotte have a mental advantage? Either way, Paige had better get her act together...

All this, and other matches to be set up for the PPV, tonight from 8/7c on USA, and following the show, head on over to the WWE Network, where JBL talks with Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and Triple H about the career of The Undertaker!

[Welfare Willis]

"elite"

[Jeff Mangum PI]

Guys, is Eli Manning elite?

[Push R Truth]

Kalisto... prepare to take your first steps into the larger world that is The Wheel of Aggression

[Big Poppa Pumpkin]

Reigns/Cesaro is tonight? I am hyyyyyped!!

[Ryback on a Pole!]

Can't wait for Reigns vs Cesaro and Neville vs Owens. Hope both get plenty of time. Del Rio vs Kalisto could be a decent match too as long as the offence isn't 90% Del Rio and his boringness.

[mhamm05]

The "will Lynch be added to the title match" bit was strictly a bit of speculation, yeah? I mean I'd be all for it, but thought maybe ya'll knew something I didn't...

[Push R Truth]

Nov 16, 2015 9:19:47 GMT -5 Big Poppa Pumpkin said:

Reigns/Cesaro is tonight? I am hyyyyyped!!

Corrupt a Wish:

Cesaro gets a huge pop from the crowd. He eats it up and the announcers talk about how it could be his night. Roman comes down and we get "18 seconds" all over again.

Of course the WWE acts shocked when the crowd takes a collective dump on Roman.

[The Kevstaaa]

There are returns, and there are returns. The second coming of The Brothers of Destruction at the end of last week’s Raw was the latter. As The Undertaker & Kane’s unholy war against The Wyatt Family reaches its crescendo, the tournament for Seth Rollins’ vacated WWE World Heavyweight Championship has taken a tour into four must-see matches. What awaits the WWE Universe as the road to Survivor Series rounds its final bend? WWE.com previews Monday’s Raw.


In perhaps the biggest wild card of all the quarterfinal tournament matches taking place Monday, Roman Reigns faces Cesaro in a match that may well leave a crater in the Earth when all is said and done. A battle of grassroots support — expect the Cesaro Section to get rowdy for their boy — and what could very well be manifest destiny, the match already has both Superstars, and the WWE Universe, on the edge of their seats. Will fan favorite Cesaro uppercut his way to the semis? Or is the Roman Empire simply too powerful to overthrow?


In an odd twist of fate, Tyler Breeze missed the opportunity to face off with his rival Dolph Ziggler in the semifinals after falling to Dean Ambrose in the round of 16. Now, The Lunatic Fringe has The Showoff in Round 2, and both Superstars are banged up. Ambrose is sporting a sore shoulder; Ziggler’s swiveling around on a wonky leg. It’ll take an especially gritty effort for either man to make it through, and even then, there’s no telling what shape they’ll be in come the semifinals. And that’s if a jilted Breeze doesn’t decide to get involved …


The biggest upset of the tournament yet occurred when Kalisto surprised Ryback on SmackDown to advance to the quarterfinals, where Alberto Del Rio is lying in wait. Given that some of Del Rio’s most timeless confrontations came against Rey Mysterio, it’s safe to say that Kalisto, whose style resembles The Ultimate Underdog, will give the U.S. Champion a terrific fight. But can The King of Flight clear this obstacle to stick his landing in the semis?


Fans of NXT should be salivating over this one: The last quarterfinal contest pits two former NXT Champions against each other when Neville (who bested King Barrett) and Kevin Owens (who beat Titus O’Neil) butt heads in a match that has occurred only a handful of times. These two NXT alumni make magic whenever they set foot in the ring, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll be satisfied with simply having a great match. Who will advance to the semis is anyone’s guess, but at least we know that, win or lose, KO’s post-match interview will be on point.


“Survivor Series” may end up becoming a very literal name when all is said and done. After The Brothers of Destruction were regurgitated from Hell or wherever Bray Wyatt sent them to, the storied Superstars accepted The Eater of Worlds’ challenge for the fall classic: Two of them against two of his. The Deadman and The Devil’s Favorite Demon's opponents have yet to be selected from Wyatt's flock, but expect the battle lines to become clearer come Monday at 8/7 C, live on USA Network. Then rest in peace … until Survivor Series, of course.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Holy crap, four matches announced for RAW ahead of time? That's gotta be some kind of record.

[The Heartbreak TWERK]

I'm actually going to watch RAW tonight.

Help me.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Cesaro vs Reigns

The "Watch the Internet burn before our eyes" match.

[YellowJacketY2J]

I wouldn't be surprised if Kalisto pulls off an upset victory over Del Rio tonight to spin off into a feud between the two. Maybe even have Del Rio attack and injure Kalisto either after the match or on the Survivor Series pre-show, giving Reigns a bye or (through WWE logic) putting ADR in Kalisto's place. I'd say we could also get Kalisto/Reigns at the Survivor Series in the semi-finals, but I'm not that hopeful.

[Deleted]

I have no idea if I'm watching tonight or not. Not that interested, but it's been hell trying to find stuff on TV today so might as well.

[Big Bad Kahuna]

I 100% expect one surprise victory (either Kalisto, Neville or Cesaro winning)

If Cesaro wins and gets the title I PROMISE I won't bitch about anything WWE-related for a full year

[Deleted]

Nov 16, 2015 17:34:42 GMT -5 Big Bad Kahuna said:

I 100% expect one surprise victory (either Kalisto, Neville or Cesaro winning)

If Cesaro wins and gets the title I PROMISE I won't bitch about anything WWE-related for a full year

The only one I can maybe see is Kalisto, and that'd just be through Swagger causing a distraction to continue his feud with Alberto. Outside of that, I think it's going to be pretty straightforward, winners are who they look like.

[wisdomwizard]

Nov 16, 2015 16:42:20 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Holy crap, four matches announced for RAW ahead of time? That's gotta be some kind of record.

That's one of the little things they've been doing lately that are part of why I think they've been doing better since HIAC.

[wisdomwizard]

Caesaro vs Reigns will be match of the night regardless who wins, so I'm looking forward to it. The Internet will blow up for a little bit either way. As long as Caesaro doesn't lose several straight matches in a row afterward, I'm not going to worry about him losing.

[Big Bad Kahuna]

Nov 16, 2015 18:06:29 GMT -5 wisdomwizard said:

Nov 16, 2015 16:42:20 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Holy crap, four matches announced for RAW ahead of time? That's gotta be some kind of record.

That's one of the little things they've been doing lately that are part of why I think they've been doing better since HIAC.

Yup thats why I believe HHH has gained way more power/influence since HIAC...booking seems more logical, less repetitive matches, bigger pushes for NXT guys (Cesaro, Breeze, Owens, maybe Neville too)

[wisdomwizard]

Nov 16, 2015 18:10:21 GMT -5 Big Bad Kahuna said:

Nov 16, 2015 18:06:29 GMT -5 wisdomwizard said:

That's one of the little things they've been doing lately that are part of why I think they've been doing better since HIAC.

Yup thats why I believe HHH has gained way more power/influence since HIAC...booking seems more logical, less repetitive matches, bigger pushes for NXT guys (Cesaro, Breeze, Owens, maybe Neville too)

Yeah, I've been thinking Hunter has been groomed to take full control, because contrary to popular belief I think Vince is going to step down soon within the next few years. It's just been a gradual process because there's a lot of different things Hunter will have to do. Because of what's happened with ratings, it's possible Vince is letting him do the micro-managing.