Raw - October 16, 2017

32 million (total)

The **October 16, 2017, edition** of **Raw** was a professional wrestling episode of NNJ Wrestling's Raw brand that aired live on NBS Television in the United States, Sportsnet 360 in Canada and many other channels worldwide. It was the first show of NNJ Wrestling television since the company's closure in early 2016. It took place at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in front of a crowd of 56,642 fans.

The episode was the second highest rated episode of Monday Night Raw in history, garnering an average viewership of 8.3 million with a peak audience of 10.7 million during the main event and a total viewership of approximately 32 million total worldwide.

## Background

To celebrate the relaunch of NNJ Wrestling as well as the first episode of Raw, commissioner Ned Edgewalker picked his hometown of Vancouver to host the event, although instead of the city arena, Edgewalker selected BC Place Stadium. Within 45 minutes of tickets going on sale, it was reported by NNJWrestling.com that 35,645 seats had already been sold and on September 13th, 2017, it was announced that less than 7,000 tickets remained. On September 24th, it was announced that the event was sold out.

Edgewalker organized "hype events" named Road to Raw, but only one was held due to an undisclosed contract dispute with some of the wrestlers who were scheduled to appear. The only Road to Raw event that took place was Road to Raw - London, England and focused on The Young Bucks vs. The New York Jets and Christian vs. Randy Orton.

## Minor Summaries

* **Santino Marella** defeated **Jervis Cottonbelly** with a roll-up after the two "fought" to see who could be friendlier. In a battle of friendliness, Jervis never loses. Even if it means getting pinned.
* **Jay Lethal** defeated **Ricochet** via pin after hitting a diving elbow drop.
* The **New York Jets** defeated **The Young Bucks**to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
	+ While Zandig and Matt Jackson were fighting in the ring, R-Truth left the Jets' corner, ran to The Young Bucks' tag corner and pulled Nick Jackson down from the apron before hitting him with the *Lie Detector*on the concrete floor. This distracted the referee, allowing Zandig to hit Matt Jackson with a low blow. From the outside of the ring, Khali then handed Zandig two water jugs. Matt, on his knees, was then hit by Zandig on both sides of his head with the water jugs in a move resembling a *con-chair-to*, but with water jugs. Zandig tossed the jugs out before the referee turned around and covered Matt for the pin.
* **Christian**defeated **Randy Orton**via disqualification
	+ Christian had Orton in position for the killswitch, but Orton retained enough strength to shove Christian into the ropes before hitting him with the *RKO* upon his rebound off of the ropes. Instead of attempting a pin, Orton lined up in the corner of the ring closest to Christian, setting up for a punt. Orton callously waited for Christian to stumble to his knees, which he did. Orton punted Christian, throwing Christian's now seemingly lifeless body back into the centre of the ring. Orton, however, was still not finished. Orton exited the ring and grabbed a steel chair, and then re-entered. Orton then dragged Christian's body to the bottom left corner of the ring, set Christian's head against the ring post and jammed the steel chair between the two ropes on the other side of Christian's head. Orton then exited the ring, lined up from the other side of the ring, and took a running kick at Christian. Finally, after this, the referee called the match off and declared Christian the winner by disqualification. It was announced after the show that Christian had suffered a massive concussion and a fractured skull that would require surgery. Christian will be out for 3-8 months.
* **Tamina**won the **WWE Raw Women's Championship**.
	+ Charlotte had reached the top of the ladder to grab the championship before Tamina stopped her from grabbing the title by shaking the ladder. Tamina tipped the ladder over, sending Charlotte to the outside of the ring where she landed on the other competitors. Tamina then climbed the ladder and grabbed the title for herself.
* **René Duprée**, **Drew McIntyre**and **Sami Zayn**fought to a *No Contest*
	+ McIntyre hit Zayn with the *Future Shock*and was prepared to go for the pin, but was stopped by Duprée. The two engaged in a flurry of punches before Duprée pushed McIntyre off of him. Duprée then ran back and rebounded himself off of the ring ropes, but McIntyre thought to do the same. The two jumped at each other and collided in a near head-first impact in the middle of the ring, where Sami Zayn was laying. Both men landed on top of Zayn, Duprée had one arm over McIntyre and McIntyre had one over Duprée. The referee counted to 3 and after much debate and an official video review, the match was ended as a no contest.
* **Bray Wyatt**defeated **Kenny Omega**to win the **WWE Intercontinental Championship**
	+ During an already hard fought and brutal match, following Wyatt's reversal of Omega's *Dr. Wily Bomb*, Wyatt hit Omega with *Sister Abigail*, but this did not knock Omega out. After this, feeling frustrated, Wyatt began searching under the ring and eventually found a pair of handcuffs. Wyatt re-entered the ring and forced Omega into the corner. Wyatt hung Omega upside down on the turnbuckle and handcuffed his feet under the first turnbuckle. Wyatt then proceeded to beat Omega senseless with a kendo stick and later a baseball bat and this persisted until a combination of pain and the blood rushing to Omega's head caused him to pass out, making Wyatt the victor.

## Major Events

### Show Opening

*Raw intro plays; featuring Famous by Puddle of Mudd*

*The camera cuts to a wide shot of the lower bowl of BC Place before red pyro explodes across the stage before one final explosion of red and white pyro*

*The stadium fills with frantic cheering and the song 'Famous' in the background as the smoke from the pyro dissipates as the camera cuts to a panoramic shot of the stadium before fading to Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves at the broadcast table*

**Mauro Ranallo:**Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the return of the longest-running weekly-episodic television show in history, this is the return of Monday Night Raw! We are live from the sold-out BC Place Stadium in beautiful Vancouver, Canada! I'm Mauro Ranallo and I'm here joined by my broadcast colleague, Corey Graves!

**Corey Graves:**Well Mauro,tonight is the night where friends, families and whoever the hell else can put all of their differences aside because tonight, professional wrestling returns to Monday Night and I could not be happier!

*Kaleidoscope by Ukiyo begins to play and right on cue, Raw commissioner Ned Edgewalker emerges from backstage to an ovation from his hometown*

*Edgewalker reaches the ring and grabs a microphone*

**Ned Edgewalker:** Tonight is about wrestling. No petty segments, no needless filler, no commercials *during the matches*. I have come out here to simply say one thing to all of you fans and to every single one of you watching at home. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to Monday Night Raw.

*The crowd erupts into cheers as Edgewalker then exits the ring and the camera zooms in on ring announcer Greg Hamilton*

**Greg Hamilton:**The following match is scheduled for ONE FALL, and it is for the WWE Tag Team Championship!

### Seth Rollins vs. Shawn Michaels

#### ***Pre-Match***

*Raw returns from commercial break with the camera on Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves with Famous playing in the background*

**Mauro Ranallo:**Well, we've finally reached the moment that everyone has been waiting for. This is it. A rivalry renewed over the biggest prize in WWE. Seth Rollins is arguably the most talented professional wrestler currently employed by WWE-

**Corey Graves:**But standing across from him tonight is the greatest in-ring talent of all-time, Shawn Michaels.

**Mauro Ranallo:** ...Yeah, thanks Corey. As fans will remember, Rollins bested Michaels twice during their feud over the WWE Championship back in late 2015 and early 2016.

**Corey Graves:**I'm finished waiting, personally. Let's get to it!

*Seth Rollins' theme begins playing throughout the stadium and Seth emerges from backstage*

**Mauro Ranallo:**This capacity crowd of over fifty thousand is on their feet for the proverbial face of Raw!

**Corey Graves:**Seth Rollins has a look of determination on his face that I don't think I've ever seen from him before. And he should. The stakes are obviously very high.

**Mauro Ranallo:**And as Seth makes his way to the ring, you have to begin to wonder which trait will be the deciding one. Experience or youth?

**Corey Graves:**How about the trait that Seth Rollins cleanly beat Shawn Michaels in their only other matchups? That's a pretty decent trait to have if you ask me.

*Seth Rollins takes off his entrance gear in the ring and awaits his opponent with an unparalleled look of determination on his face*

*Shawn Michaels' theme begins playing as The Heartbreak Kid appears from backstage to an ovation from the fans in attendance*

**Mauro Ranallo:**Now, as you said earlier Corey, Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest in-ring performers of all-time, but can he finally get the job done against Seth Rollins?

**Corey Graves:**The entire story coming into this match has been 'Can Shawn Michaels finally defeat Seth Rollins?', well I'd like to raise the opposite question Mauro. Can Seth Rollins defeat Shawn Michaels? I mean, obviously we know he can, but can he do it with this much pressure on him? Seth Rollins is SUPPOSED to win this match! Seth Rollins is SUPPOSED to board the plane out of Vancouver with the WWE Championship in his hand. Is he good enough to handle the pressure?

**Mauro Ranallo:**I suppose we'll find out.

*Shawn Michaels enters the ring and performs his signature ring taunt before taking his entrance gear off and taking his place in the upper left ring corner. Rollins, in the corner opposite Michaels, stares down his opponent with ferocity and determination for the task at hand.*

*The camera pans and zooms in slowly on Greg Hamilton standing squarely in the centre of the ring*

**Greg Hamilton:**The following contest is scheduled for ONE FALL, and it is for the WWE Championship! Introducing first, weighing in at two-hundred-twenty-five pounds, from San Antonio, Texas, he is a Hall of Famer but most importantly, HE IS THE HEARTBREAK KID, ***SHAWN MICHAELS!***

*Michaels poses for the crowd*

**Greg Hamilton:**And now, introducing his opponent. Weighing in at two-hundred-seventeen pounds, he is from Davenport, Iowa, THE FORMER WWE CHAMPION, ***SETH ROLLINS!***

*Rollins remains still*

*The referee holds the WWE Championship up towards the hard camera, which zooms in directly on the championship. The referee then takes the championship to both competitors who agree on the match one last time.*

#### ***Match Opening***

**DING DING DING!**

**Mauro Ranallo:**Alright, here we go ladies and gentlemen. The two get started off early with a collar and elbow tie-up. Rollins transistions to behind Michaels, lifts him up and slams him down onto the mat. Now Rollins has Michaels in a headlock on the ground... and a few stiff shots from Rollins in the grounded headlock!

**Corey Graves:**Great ring awareness shown by Rollins in this opening sequence.

**Mauro Ranallo:**Michaels fights out of the headlock and the two get back on their feet. Collar and elbow tie-up again. Michaels gets the arm and forces Rollins down to one knee... OH! WHAT A DEVASTATING KNEE TO THE FACE FROM MICHAELS!

**Corey Graves:**That's sure one way to send a message of strength.

#### ***6:00 Minute Mark***

**Mauro Ranallo:**Michaels has dominated these early happenings in the matchup. Michaels gets Seth Rollins back on his feet. And now an irish whi- OH! *RIPCORD KNEE!*ROLLINS HUNG ON TO MICHAELS AND REVERSED THE IRISH WHIP INTO THE RIPCORD KNEE!

**Corey Graves:**AND JUST LIKE THAT, SETH ROLLINS IS IN FULL CONTROL OF THIS MATCH!

**Mauro Ranallo:**Seth goes for the cover!

**Referee:**ONE! TWO! TH-

**Corey Graves:** Shawn Michaels just barely kicked out of that!

**Mauro Ranallo:**And Seth gets Michaels back on his feet. Looks like he's trying to set up for another Ripcord Knee, CAN HE CONNECT!? NO! MICHAELS DUCKS OUT OF THE WAY AND OH! WHAT A CLOTHESLINE FROM SETH ROLLINS!

**Corey Graves:**He couldn't hit another Ripcord Knee, but Seth Rollins managed to retain control and that's what matters!

#### ***17:00 Minute Mark***

**Corey Graves:**And now Shawn Michaels is about to tune up the band! It's about to be time for some Sweet Chin Music!

**Mauro Ranallo:**It could be all over except for the whining if Michaels hits this. Rollins is up... and ROLLINS CARTWHEELED OUT OF THE WAY! NOW MICHAELS IS PERSUING ROLLINS, ROLLINS SHOVES MICHAELS STRAIGHT IN THE CHEST AND BAM! SOME SWEET CHIN MUSIC, EXCEPT IT CAME FROM SETH ROLLINS!

**Corey Graves:**COVER HIM!

**Referee:**ONE! TWO! THRE-

**Corey Graves:**NO! SHAWN KICKED OUT.

**Mauro Ranallo:**Seth is back on his feet and is preparing for the Curb Stomp!

**Corey Graves:**Rollins is just stalking Michaels. I love it.

**Mauro Ranallo:**You just can't pick a side today can you?

**Corey Graves:**No, I can't, because my job is to call matches right down the middle Mauro.

**Mauro Ranallo:**Shawn is in position, here comes the Cur- NO! SHAWN GRABBED SETH'S LEGS! HE'S STRUGGLING! AND MICHAELS HAS GOT SETH IN THE FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK! WILL HE TAP?

**Corey Graves:**It sounds cliché to say, but everyone knows the only way Rollins is going to get out is him somehow finding a way to flip himself over and reverse that pressure back onto Shawn Michaels. Everyone says it beause it's simply effective.

**Mauro Ranallo:**Rollins is using his arms to push his legs FURTHER into the hold? What's the strategy here?

**Corey Graves:**As I said Mauro, he's got to find a way to flip himself over and pushing his legs further in gives him more control and more power with his legs to flip Shawn o-

**Mauro Ranallo:**Rollins is kicking Shawn in the face repeatedly, and it looks like that'll force him to release the hold!

#### ***23:50 Minute Mark***

**Mauro Ranallo:**Shawn is gonna attempt to tune up the band yet again! This could be it! Rollins is in perfect position and- SETH SIDESTEPS SWEET CHIN MUSIC! NOW SETH HAS SHAWN FROM BEHIND! HE'S IN POSITION! *RIPCORD KNEE! RIPCORD KNEE!*HE'S GOING FOR THE COVER!

**Referee:**One! Two! Three!

**DING DING DING!**

*Seth Rollins' theme begins playing throughout BC Place amongst rabid cheering from the fans*

**Corey Graves:**SETH ROLLINS HAS DONE IT! SETH ROLLINS IS ONCE AGAIN THE WWE CHAMPION!

**Greg Hamilton:**Here is your winner and ***NEW***WWE CHAMPION, ***SETH ROLLINS!***

*Rollins, on his knees in the middle of the ring, is approached by the referee with the WWE Championship. Rollins stands up, is handed the championship and his hand is raised to a great ovation from the fans in attendance. As his hand is raised, red and white pyro is shot off from the stage and from outside of BC Place*

*The Raw logo is shown in the bottom right corner as the screen fades to black on a shot of Seth Rollins celebrating amidst fireworks and pyro.*

**© NNJ Wrestling, Raw 2017**

## Results

**P - indicates the match was on the Pre-Show**

## Gallery

The host stadium, BC PlaceThe exterior of BC Place during the eventFireworks set off outside BC Place following Seth Rollins' victory