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Welcome to Bleacher Report's coverage and recap of WWE Monday Night Raw on December 6.
After WarGames took place on Sunday, WWE was clearly still in the mood to stick Superstars in cages because it booked Kevin Owens to face Big E inside a steel cage on Raw.
Following their contract signing last week, Beck Lynch and Liv Morgan stepped into the ring to see who would leave as the Raw women's champion.
We also saw The Miz host an episode of his talk show with Edge as his special guest, and Damian Priest held an open challenge for the United States Championship.
Let's take a look at what happened on this week's Raw.
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WWE started off Raw with what many would have expected to be the main event with Owens taking on Big E in a non-title Steel Cage match.
As soon as the bell rang, KO tried to run for the door. He kept trying to fight Big E off so he could escape, but the powerhouse wasn't going to let that happen.
They fought in the corner on top of the turnbuckles until Big E was knocked down. He ran at Owens and crushed him against the cage with a Spear before throwing his head into the wall a few times.
We returned from a break to see KO trying to climb over the cage to escape, but he settled for a moonsault from the ropes for a two-count. The WWE champion almost left through the door before Owens dragged him back in.
The Prize Fighter hit a sunset powerbomb from the corner for another near-fall. Big E got the upper hand and tried to hit his running splash, but KO avoided it and hit a cannonball in the corner for a two-count.
Both men tried to crawl out of the door before Rollins appeared out of nowhere and slammed it in their faces. We returned from a second break to see Owens hit a frog splash for another near-fall.
Big E hit the Big Ending from the second rope but went for the door instead of making the cover. He made it out to win the match, but he was immediately attacked by Rollins. After he began to go after Owens, Big E took him out and ended the segment standing tall.
Grade: A
Analysis
Opening the show with three quick backstage promos from Seth Rollins, Owens and Big E before going to the cage match helped get the show off to a good start. The energy was high and the match itself was as good as expected.
Owens casually busting out moves like a moonsault and a sunset powerbomb are a good reminder of what he is capable of and how good he is when he puts everything into a match.
Rollins interfering made sense. He wants both guys to beat each other up, so slamming the door on both men ensured they remained in the cage to fight.
All in all, this was a great way to kick things off and set the tone for the rest of the night.
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Queen Zelina gave a promo on her way to the ring to battle one-half of the team she and Carmella beat for the Women's Tag Team Championships, Nikki ASH.
They had a competitive start that led to Nikki taking control and hitting a bulldog. Zelina countered a suplex and stacked her up in the corner. The ref saw the Queen's feet on the ropes and stopped the count.
A moment later, Zelina hit Code Red for the pin and the win as Rhea Ripley looked on disappointed.
Grade: C
Analysis
The action in this match was good, but there wasn't enough of it. With a few more minutes, Zelina and Nikki could have put on a really good performance.
Carmella and Ripley having little to no impact on the outcome was a nice change of pace. You would usually expect outside interference in a situation like this.
Let's hope more women's tag teams emerge soon so we can get some variety in this division.
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Riddle and Randy Orton had a backstage segment involving blazers before they came out to watch the first round of a tournament to find new contenders for the Raw tag titles.
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins battled AJ Styles and Omos to see who would advance in the bracket. The bout started with Styles going right after Ford with some kicks and punches before Ford took him down with a dropkick and brought in Dawkins to hit another.
Styles was able to take Dawkins out at ringside with a little help from Omos before the show went to a commercial. We came back to see Omos whipping Dawkins into the turnbuckle as hard as he could.
He picked Dawkins up with ease for a body slam from up high. Ford finally got the tag and came in fresh against Styles. He unleashed a flurry of strikes against The Phenomenal One.
Styles was able to turn the tables but when he went for his Phenomenal Forearm, Omos tagged himself in instead. The big man took out both Profits at ringside but ended up getting himself counted out by mistake to give the Profits the win.
Riddle tried to interview Styles after it was over, but The Phenomenal One seemed confused by his efforts to be a correspondent.
Grade: B+
Analysis
We have seen these two teams work together a couple of times recently and they always manage to have good chemistry, especially when Styles and Ford are in there together.
WWE continues to limit the time Omos spends in the ring, which means Styles always gets a chance to shine in their tag bouts. He looked great against both members of The Street Profits.
The finish feels like the first step in a breakup of Omos and Styles' tag team. Omos got greedy and his inexperience led to him paying for his mistake. When Styles tried to talk to him after the match, Omos just walked away, so there is clearly frustration on both sides.
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Damian Priest's open challenge for the U.S. title was answered by Robert Roode during the break, so the match got started as soon as we returned.
Dolph Ziggler cheered on his partner as he cornered Priest for some kicks to the body, but The Archer of Infamy turned things around and started dominating his opponent.
The Showoff distracted Priest so Roode could run him into the steel steps and throw him over the barricade into the crowd. We returned to see Priest trying to make a comeback as Roode hit a blockbuster from the middle rope for a two-count.
Priest started to get fired up and hit a series of strikes, but Roode came back with a backstabber for another near-fall. Roode fought out of The Reckoning and almost won with a roll-up before Priest finally caught him with his finisher for the win.
Grade: B+
Analysis
This was a fun, competitive match between two guys who are known for their athleticism and endurance. They could have gone another 10 minutes and kept the crowd invested.
Priest's potential heel turn seems to have been canceled as he is back to playing the good guy most of the time, especially in this bout. There was a couple of weeks where his rage seemed like it was leading to a turn, but it never happened. At least, not yet.
These U.S. title open challenges are fun because they give Priest a chance to work with talents without having to engage in a long feud with each one.
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As Bianca Belair made her way to the ring, Doudrop attacked her from behind to get an unfair advantage. When we returned from a commercial, the bell rang when we returned.
Doudrop tried to maintain her advantage, but Belair was able to get the upper hand and corner her for some kicks to the stomach. She taunted Doudrop and backflipped over her in the corner.
The former NXT UK standout dodged a dropkick and hit a senton for a quick two-count. The EST tried unsuccessfully to fight back before Doudrop put her down again for another Near-fall.
They took the fight out of the ring where Doudrop hit a big splash on the floor to send us into a break. We returned to see Belair starting to rally as the crowd got behind her. She hit a nice crossbody for a close two-count.
Doudrop hit a Vader-style splash in the corner for another near-fall. Belair was able to power Doudrop up but couldn't hit the KOD before she rolled out of the ring. Doudrop decided to take a walk and the ref counted her out.
Grade: B
Analysis
Going into this match, it would be easy to assume it would be another two or three-minute deal, but this ended up being a longer bout with a lot to like.
Doudrop finally getting a chance to show off her athleticism was nice to see. She was a great talent in NXT UK and if she is used right, she can be an asset to any women's division.
Belair has reached the point where she looks good the majority of the time she is working in the ring. This bout is just another in a long line of solid performances she has delivered this year.
Goofy finish aside, this was a fun match that showed off both women's better qualities. More of this, please.
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The Miz was out for another episode of his talk show with Edge as his special guest. He gushed about the compliments Edge paid him last week before bringing him out to a hot crowd.
The A-Lister said the old Edge would have Speared him last week and it's an indication that he has become weak both mentally and physically.
Edge said he was trying to be kind and The Miz said he could have used a little kindness when he was being kicked out of the locker room and being forced to dress in the hallway.
He accused Edge of trying to protect his spot just like everybody else because they were jealous of his success pre-WWE. The Miz challenged him to a match at Day 1 and Edge accepted.
Edge even suggested they just fight right then and there, but The A-Lister did not want to dirty his $9000 shoes. Edge made him fall by pretending to lunge toward him before making his exit.
Grade: B+
Analysis
The Miz has had an up and down career but when he wants to, he can deliver one hell of a promo. His interaction with Edge in this segment showed why he has been so successful in WWE.
Edge as the grizzled veteran and The Miz as the bitter former main-event player made for a great combination. Both men are trying to get back something they once had but are going about it in different ways.
Edge and The Miz are both great at what they do. This was a good segment that helped sell their new feud and put the match on the books.
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Rey and Dominik Mysterios worked with Otis and Chad Gable quite a bit on SmackDown, so this match in the RK-Bronament rekindled their feud a bit.
Gable took Dom down by his legs, but they didn't stay down for long. Dom hit a few moves and went for a tag, but Gable yanked him back and slapped him in the face after a few harsh words about relying on his daddy too much.
Dom pulled Gable away from Otis and hit his own slap to the face before tossing Gable out of the ring. The Olympian hit a quick belly-to-belly out of nowhere before working over his leg.
They kept preventing each other from tagging out. Dom avoided a moonsault and rolled Gable up for the win out of nowhere. Riddle tried to interview Alpha Academy but Otis just ended up slamming him to the mat.
Grade: B-
Analysis
While Dom still has a long way to go on the mic, seeing how much he has improved since joining WWE has been a fun journey. He has kept getting better and it has increased his confidence along the way.
Otis and Rey had little to no involvement here, but it kind of worked. The story of both Gable and Dominik preventing each other from tagging out until one of them got the win was something we don't see too often.
Gable remains one of the most underrated and underused stars in the industry. This could have been longer, but they were smart with their time and put on a good show.
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Finn Balor used his quickness to get in the first couple of shots before T-Bar caught him in an attempted crossbody and threw him away like he was nothing.
The powerhouse tried to ground him with a chinlock, but Balor eventually broke free and hit a jumping double stomp. T-Bar answered back with a boot to the face for a near-fall.
The Prince took him down with a sling blade and climbed up to the top rope. T-Bar grabbed him by the throat and tried to chokeslam him, but Balor fought him off and hit the Coup de Grace for the win.
Austin Theory came out and attacked Balor before taking a selfie with him to impress Vince McMahon.
Grade: C
Analysis
There was once a time when Dominik Dijakovic was putting on incredible matches in NXT with guys like Keith Lee. Seeing that Superstar face Finn Balor would have been awesome.
Unfortunately, he has been saddled with this T-Bar gimmick and has never been given the opportunity to show the world what he can do since being called up to the main roster.
This match was solid but it was nowhere near what we all know it could have been.
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Morgan finally got her title shot against Lynch in the main event of this week's show. Before the match, WWE aired a special video package highlighting Morgan and this feud.
Morgan looked like she was going to tear up a bit before the official introductions. The ref called for the bell and both women circled each other before Lynch grabbed Morgan by the waist for a takedown.
The Man knocked her down with a shoulder and flexed for the crowd. Morgan took her down and made Lynch take a breather at ringside to avoid a dropkick. Becky took her down by the legs during a leapfrog but Morgan was able to get a couple of near-falls with different pinning combinations.
Morgan countered the DisarmHer and kept trying to get the pin. Big Time Becks kicked out every time and eventually went at Morgan hard with a big right hand.
Lynch kicked Morgan out of the ring but missed a baseball slide right after. Morgan took her down with a double knee to the face followed by a suicide dive.
We returned from a commercial to see Lynch get a close two-count. The Man maintained control as she kept trying to pin the challenger unsuccessfully. Morgan nailed her with an enziguiri to give herself a moment to breathe.
Morgan hit a slingshot double knee for a two-count as she started building up a head of steam. She hit a missile dropkick for another two-count before she put Lynch in a double armbar. The Man rolled over and tried to apply the DisarnHer, but Morgan got her foot on the rope.
After Morgan countered the Manhandle Slam, Lynch rolled her over and grabbed the rope to get leverage for the pin and the win.
Grade: A-
Analysis
A lot of fans have been asking for Morgan to get a big opportunity like this and WWE finally gave her a shot. This was her night to prove she belonged in the title picture and she did not disappoint.
Lynch was a great champion for her to face because she has a proven track record of being able to have good matches against a variety of opponents. They worked together to create an interesting story inside of a good match.
The finish was the only weak point. Even if Morgan was going to lose, the dirty pin didn't protect her the way WWE wanted it to. Other than that, this was a fantastic main event that should lead to Morgan getting more opportunities.
This was one of the best episodes of Raw in recent memory. Let's hope WWE can keep this trend going.
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WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 6 - Bleacher Report
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