WWE Raw Results, Highlights, And Grades For December 31, 2018

Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler Steel Cage Match

The only advertised match before the New Year’s Eve episode of WWE Raw will kick things off, and Drew McIntyre has a chance to end his rivalry with Dolph Ziggler once and for all.  He’s the heavy favorite in this matchup, but, of course, Ziggler is the first person to pin McIntyre in his second stint on the main roster.

Ziggler enters the match as focused as ever, because this is a big opportunity for him to prove to the critical WWE Universe that he is no joke. There’s a narrative that he was simply propped up by McIntyre as Intercontinental Champion and as a Raw Tag Team Champion, so he must prove that his Finn Balor-assisted win over McIntyre wasn’t a fluke.

After being berated and beaten by McIntyre, Ziggler got an early opening via the satellite DDT, which is a trusty move that has served him well throughout his career. Ziggler then traded strikes with McIntyre before being nailed by a “Glasgow Kiss”, which just might be one of the best non-finisher moves in WWE.

Both men traded strikes again, but this time they were on the top rope, seeking to potentially exit the cage. They did this to a dead stalemate, as both men were crotched on the top rope heading into the commercial break.

Immediately following the break, McIntyre gained a decisive advantage over Ziggler, slapping him around before urging the babyface to fight back. Ziggler’s comeback was successful, as the Show-Off hit a famouser for an easy two-count. During this sequence, we saw Finn Balor observing the match from backstage, as he defeated both men in a Triple Threat on Christmas Eve.

Ziggler hit another signature move, nailing McIntyre with a superkick for a much closer two-count. He attempted to crawl out of the cage, but just as he managed to get his hands on the steel steps, McIntyre dragged him back into the ring.

For a second time, Ziggler tried to crawl out, and he slammed the door on his opponent. However. this didn’t give Ziggler an opening, as both men went down, with McIntyre falling closer to the door, erasing any advantage Ziggler had despite the damage inflicted on McIntyre.

A second famouser yielded yet another two-count, and while McIntyre labored out of the kick-out, he managed to get plenty of power behind it and kicked out right at the two-count.

McIntyre wrecked Ziggler with a nasty superplex after the second commercial break, leading to “This is awesome!” chants for the former tag team champions. The Scottish Psychopath begged Ziggler to “Rise” before hitting another big move, finally picking Dolph up himself to throw him into the steel cage. McIntyre started toying with Ziggler, throwing him into the steel cage repeatedly.

He kept on goading Ziggler, toying with him and making it clear that he doesn’t view defeating Dolph as any tall task; he expects to defeat his opponents. No, his main goal was to embarrass him.

Ziggler briefly came back and hit a Zig Zag for another nearfall, and just as it seemed like he’d seal the deal with a superkick, McIntyre blasted him with arguably the best Claymore kick of his main roster career.

But instead of pinning him, McIntyre just kept going, furthering the narrative that he’s here to destroy Ziggler beyond recognition.

The second Claymore from McIntyre was just as brutal, and it was decisive. Match over.

But it wasn’t over for McIntyre, who started unloading on Ziggler, placing a steel chair over him and hitting Dolph with a Claymore that ENDED the former Mr. Money in the Bank. And the crowd absolutely loved that message.

Drew grabbed the mic to give everyone a message, proclaiming himself as the “King of the Raw Jungle” before calling Dolph “pathetic” and “dead weight”. He told Ziggler that he doesn’t even deserve his scraps. He announced his intention to enter the Royal Rumble match and fulfill his destiny as a Universal Champion.

But before he left for good, McIntyre noticed that Ziggler wouldn’t stay down, and he saw this as a sign of disrespect. And for that transgression, McIntyre Claymored his former partner for the fourth time.

Grade: A+, I thought this was an excellent match to start the show and is well-worth anyone’s time. These two have great chemistry and understand how to tell a story as well as anybody. The crowd was hot, Dolph’s selling was tremendous (as usual), and McIntyre was OUTRAGEOUS. I enjoyed the post-match angle, too, and everything gives Drew a huge push into 2019 as a future Universal Champion.