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

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Finn Balor & Hideo Itami vs. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel

Result: Finn Balor & Hideo Itami defeated Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel via pinfall

Rating: 2.25 out of 5 stars

During the commercial break, Kurt Angle made a tag team match, meaning Itami officially made his Raw debut. And poor Curtis Axel, having to deal with taking Itami’s strikes with a busted schnozz. It’s bad enough having to get smacked by Hideo at 100%, let alone with blurry eyes and a painful nose.

The match itself here wasn’t anything super spectacular, but Itami’s debut makes it worth checking out. Giving him the hot tag spot was a brilliant decision, because the fans in attendance familiar with him popped, and everyone else got to see why.

It was a nice little showcase for Itami, who’s injury history has caused his career to stall a bit over the past few years. Remember how he debuted in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2015? Now he’s finally on Raw ready to show the world what he can do.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/942941401687384064

I just want to give the Providence crowd some props for not immediately going to “CM PUNK” chants when Itami hit the GTS to finish off Axel. No one needs that, especially when Itami innovated the move in the first place and is just taking it back. And kudos to Axel for selling it like a champ and immediately making Itami someone to be feared.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Cedric is Ready

From one cruiserweight to the next, Cedric Alexander is pumped for his match against Drew Gulak. Hopefully, he’s not looking past Gulak to the potential title match – you can’t sleep on Drew.