WWE Raw Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for December 18

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Sasha Banks, Mickie James, & Bayley vs. Absolution (Paige, Mandy Rose, & Sonya Deville)

Result: Sasha Banks, Mickie James, & Bayley defeated Absolution via disqualification

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

What a disappointment this match was. I don’t use the term “cluster” all that often, especially because we’re a family friendly site and I can’t use the word that should follow it. But this was 110% a cluster of a match, segment, whatever.

For a brief moment, this had the potential to something great. But because WWE is so focused on history, and breaking new ground, the company often suffers from short-sightedness. You want to announce the first ever women’s Royal Rumble match? Don’t destroy one of your more compelling storylines just so Stephanie McMahon can come out and bring everything to a grinding halt.

The Absolution reign of terror has been great thus far, in my humble opinion. So for the first time on Raw, they’re booked in a trios match. It’s a rematch from Tribute to the Troops against Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Bayley. It started off okay, but quickly moved to a DQ finish out of the blue. Okay, then.

As Absolution took down their opponents, out came Nia Jax, who single handedly neutralized Rose and Deville before Paige attacked from behind. Then we got a rehash of last week’s total division brawl before Stephanie came out – and everyone stopped in their tracks. Seriously? No one wanted to keep fighting? How ridiculous is that?

And then Stephanie has to remind everyone about just how great her women’s revolution/evolution has been. She has to put a spotlight on the Middle East match, which, yes, is trailblazing, but unrelated to what was just happening in the ring. It comes across as a self-aggrandizing pat on the back.

Then the reason for the whole brawl-ending appearance – Stephanie announces a women’s Royal Rumble match. It’s honestly a great moment for WWE, but the way the announcement came about was pretty awful. Wouldn’t it have been better to do the announcement with all the women on the stage or in the ring, without fighting each other first? Or let Stephanie announce it on social media, or one of the morning talk shows everyone goes on all the time?

Next: The Mount Rushmore of Women's Wrestling

Other than that, the announcement itself was great. And despite the main event match being a non-finish yet again, Raw itself was pretty good overall. What did you think?