The fallout from WWE Fastlane 2023 goes down tonight.
WWE Monday Night Raw returns at 8/7c this evening on the USA Network, LIVE from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
On tap for tonight’s show is Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso vs. Finn Balor & Dominik Mysterio for the Undisputed WWE World Tag-Team Championships, GUNTHER vs. Bronson Reed for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler, Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ricochet in a Falls Count Anywhere match and more.
Featured below are complete WWE Monday Night Raw results from Monday, October 16, 2023. The following report was written by PWMania.com reporter Matt Boone (@MattBoone0709) as the show aired live on the USA Network from 8-11pm EST.
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW RESULTS (10/16/2023)
The usual “WWE Then. Now. Forever. Together.” opening signature airs and then we shoot inside the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK. for this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
Kevin Patrick welcomes us to the show as the camera pans the crowd. He hypes tonight’s “Season Premiere” of the show with two title matches. He introduces Wade Barrett who talk about those title bouts, which includes the I-C title and Tag-Team titles.
Sami Zayn & The Judgment Day Kick Off Season Premiere Of Raw
We hear Sami Zayn’s theme and out he comes to kick off this week’s show. The crowd gives him a huge pop as Samantha Irvin formally introduces him. As he settles in the ring we shoot to the commentators where Patrick informs us that he’s filling in for Michael Cole alongside Barrett tonight.
The two introduce quick highlights from Friday’s “Season Premiere” of SmackDown, which showed Kevin Owens being announced as new SmackDown GM Nick Aldis’ trade from Raw.
He talks about tonight being the season premiere of the show and mentions Kevin Owens being traded to SmackDown as a good thing for him, because it gives him a chance to show he can stand on his own two feet and prove what he has always known, which is that he is a future world champion.
As he continues talking, he is interrupted by the theme of The Judgment Day. Out comes Finn Balor along with Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley, talking about how if anyone should be kicking off the season premiere of Raw, it’s them. They taunt Zayn about how he is all alone now.
Priest talks about how he is ready to take out Zayn and get back the tag-titles from Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso tonight. He also says he’s ready to tear off Drew McIntyre’s head, but the rest of The Judgment Day try and calm him down. Dom-Dom goes to talk but the crowd boos like crazy. He brags about how Rhea Ripley is gonna beat down Shayna Baszler tonight.
Ripley talks about how Zayn is looking kind of lost. She said they used to recruit the lost looking souls and help them. She said when it comes to Zayn, they have a different plan, they want to get rid of him permanently. They drop their mics and surround the ring. Jey Uso’s theme hits and the crowd pops as he comes down to the ring with steel chairs.
He settles in the ring back-to-back with Zayn as they each hold chairs. The fans chant for them as Balor and The Judgment Day seem to back down. They drop off the apron and start to head back up the entrance ramp as Zayn and Uso remain tall in the ring.
Falls Count Anywhere
Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
We see footage of Shinsuke Nakamura and Ricochet brawling last week to build up the Falls Count Anywhere showdown between the two tonight.
When the video package wraps up, we shoot back inside the arena and Ricochet’s theme hits. Out he comes to a big pop as introduced by his better-half, Samantha Irvin. As he heads to the ring, we shift gears and head into a pre-match commercial break.
As we return from the break, we see Zayn walking backstage. Jey Uso stops him and asks if he’s good and if they’re good. Zayn says they are but he needs a minute. He tells Uso he handed him that chair and it reminded him that Kevin Owens should of been the guy to do that, but Kevin isn’t here and he’s not here because of him.
Zayn tells Uso that he’s got his friend and his titles and he doesn’t have any of that — and it’s because of him. Uso says he didn’t know he felt like that. He says he’s still got him. He walks off. Zayn gets upset and runs after Jey telling him to wait. Zayn catches up with him and tells him to forget what he said. He says he’s sorry. Jey smiles and they hug.
Back in the arena, we see Ricochet in the ring waiting as his theme dies down and the familiar sounds of Nakamura’s entrance tune begins. The crowd reacts as “The King of Strong Style” emerges and makes his way down to the ring for tonight’s opening contest.
Ricochet attacks Nakamura before he even fully gets in the ring. The bell sounds and Ricochet continues to beat down Nakamura on the floor at ringside after getting the early offensive jump on the Japanese legend. He rolls him in the ring but walks into a big kick from Nakamura that decks him.
Nakamura puts Ricochet on the top-rope but Ricochet fights back. Back on the floor, Ricochet hits a big dive onto Nakamura. The two battle up to the top of the entrance ramp where Ricochet hits a standing shooting star press for a close near fall in this Falls Count Anywhere match.
After that, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues. When we return, we see Ricochet standing high in the crowd. He leaps off a doorway and hits a shooting star press onto Nakamura and a pile of security guards. The crowd roars and we see several slow-motion replays of this.
The action resumes with Nakamura recovering, poking Ricochet in the eyes and going to work on his smaller opposition. He knocks Ricochet off the barricade and back onto the ringside floor. He continues to dominate him at ringside and then reaches under the ring and pulls out a table for a big pop from the crowd. He also grabs nunchucks.
He uses them but when the action returns inside the ring, Ricochet cuts off Nakamura’s attempt to hit his running finisher. He takes back over and connects with a springboard 450 splash for a close near fall. He heads to the top-rope but Nakamura stops him and kicks him off the top, where he falls backwards and crashes through a table on the floor.
On the floor, Nakamura stalks Ricochet, waiting for him to get up from the pile of toothpicks that used to be a table. He runs and connects with a Kinshasa for the pin fall victory on the floor in an exciting Falls Count Anywhere match.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Piper Niven vs. Natalya
We shoot backstage and see Piper Niven and Chelsea Green come across Tegan Nox and others backstage. They bicker back-and-forth and then walk off, as Niven is up next in our second match of the evening. They walk to the ring together as we head to another commercial break.
When we return from the break, we see a fiery vignette for “The Ring General” GUNTHER. We then return and hear the commentators talk about his Intercontinental Championship defense tonight against Bronson Reed. Back in the arena, we see Niven in the ring awaiting the arrival of her opposition.
Natalya’s theme hits and out comes the women’s wrestling legend for this one-on-one showdown. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. Nattie starts off strong, taking it to her larger foe, but Niven ends up rag-dolling her out to the floor. With Nattie laid out at ringside, we head into a mid-match commercial break.
When we return, we see Nattie fight back into the offensive lead and look for the Sharpshooter. Chelsea Green gets on the ring apron. Nattie knocks into her and then turns into Niven, who lays her out and connects with a basement splash for the pin. After the match, Niven and Green continue to beat Nattie down until Tegan Nox’s theme hits. She runs down to make the save.
Winner: Piper Niven
Backstage With The Judgment Day
We shoot backstage and we see Damian Priest telling Finn Balor that he wanted to see JD McDonagh get smashed last week but then felt bad when Drew McIntyre did what he did. He said that’s why they should take out Drew tonight. Balor agrees but Dom-Dom tells them not to touch Drew.
Rhea Ripley walks up and says she’s got Drew handled. Dom asks if she needs him in her corner tonight. She says she doesn’t because Mami always comes out on top. They talk about their other business and then the segment wraps up.
Seth “Freakin'” Rollins Wants Answers From Drew McIntyre
Back inside the arena, we see Seth “Freakin'” Rollins make his way out. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion makes his way down to the ring, and as he settles inside the squared circle, we shift gears and head into another quick commercial break.
When we return, we see Rollins in the ring and he talks about how Drew wanted him at 100% for Crown Jewel. He says last week he helped him, and then didn’t, and he’s got some questions. He calls Drew out and out he comes to the ring.
Drew says he isn’t going to babysit him for the next few weeks just because he wants him at 100% for their match. Rollins asks if that’s the case or if Drew has enlisted some help. He introduces some footage and we see while Ricochet and Adam Pearce were talking backstage last week, Drew was spotted in the background talking to Rhea Ripley.
McIntyre claims Ripley came up to him to talk, not the other way around. Rollins still questions if he’s getting in bed with The Judgment Day and tells him things won’t work out like he hopes if he is. Drew says Rollins sounds a little testy and mentions how the last time they fought, he beat his ass.
He says he isn’t getting any help from The Judgment Day. They continue going back-and-forth about their separate journeys leading up to their match and things boil over again when McIntyre mentions The Bloodline and his issues with them.
He tells Rollins he’ll have a hard time re-inventing himself for the 100th time after he beats his ass and takes his title at Crown Jewel. Rollins says he knows what it’s like to get back to the top from the bottom.
Seth says all he’s hearing from Drew is excuses and vows he will beat him at Crown Jewel and when he does, it’ll be the best thing that happens to him because he’ll have no one to blame but himself. He drops the mic and walks off as Drew looks lost in thought.
Ludwig Kaiser vs. Johnny Gargano
We see another video package hyping tonight’s Intercontinental Championship showdown between GUNTHER and Bronson Reed and then return live inside the arena where Imperium’s theme hits. Kevin Patrick informs us that GUNTHER isn’t the only member of Imperium in action tonight.
As Ludwig Kaiser heads to the ring accompanied by Giovanni Vinci, the commentators remind us about their attack of the DIY duo of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. When we return, Kaiser goes one-on-one against Gargano. On that note, we shift gears and head into a pre-match commercial break.
When we return from the break, we see footage of Logan Paul calling out Rey Mysterio for a shot at the U.S. title after beating Dillon Danis in a boxing match via DQ. We then see footage of Rey Mysterio being interviewed by Peter Rosenberg and saying he wants the match, too. The commentators then confirm Logan Paul for this Friday’s SmackDown.
Back inside the ring, we see Kaiser waiting for the arrival of his opponent for tonight. The commentators then introduce footage from last week of Barrett’s interview with DIY where Imperium attacked them backstage. Gargano’s theme hits when return live and he runs down to the ring for our next match of the evening.
The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. Gargano immediately takes it to Kaiser with a vengeance. The commentators point out that Ciampa is not here tonight and has not been medically cleared due to the attack last week. Kaiser knocks Gargano out to the floor but he returns to the ring and he ends up collapsing and clutching his knee.
Kaiser continues to work him over as he settles into the early offensive lead. When we return from the break, we see the match still in progress. Gargano starts to shift the offensive into his favor and he enjoys some time controlling the action. Kaiser takes back over after a couple of minutes. Gargano hits a big DDT and comes off the top and nearly gets the pin but Vinci interferes with a poke to Gargano’s eye.
Gargano exits the ring and sprints after Vinci with an attack. He bounces his head off the commentators table but then returns to the ring and eats a big enzugiri from Kaiser, who follows up with his finisher for the pin fall victory.
Winner: Ludwig Kaiser
Backstage With Becky Lynch, Indi Hartwell & Rhea Ripley
Now we shoot backstage and we see Becky Lynch walking with her NXT Women’s Championship when she is stopped by Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae. Indi applauds Becky for defending her title against the up-and-comers in NXT but wonders why the woman who never lost the title hasn’t gotten a shot.
Becky tells Indi she deserves one and she’s gonna go talk to Adam Pearce and get it made now. Becky goes to walk off and ends up face to face with Rhea Ripley, who smiles and keeps walking as we head into another commercial break.
Sami Zayn & Drew McIntyre Have Words
We shoot backstage upon returning from the break and we see Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre run into each other. They each talk nice about the other and then relate to having a long past with The Bloodline. Zayn says the one thing Seth Rollins was right about was that Drew should let that stuff go.
He also talks to Drew about being the only one who doesn’t seem to trust Jey Uso. The talk turns unpleasant when Drew says Zayn can’t relate to him because he’s never been a world champion. Zayn says he’ll show him he can be a world champion in the middle of the ring next week. Drew agrees and walks off.
Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler
Back in the arena, Rhea Ripley comes to the ring by herself. She gets on the mic and talks about everyone trying to be the baddest chick in WWE. She says the reality is this is her division. She calls tonight Monday Night Mami and says Mami will always be on top. She boasts taking out Nia Jax and vows to do the same thing to Shayna Baszler.
The theme for Baszler hits and out comes “The Queen of Spades” to the ring for a one-on-one non-title showdown against the WWE Women’s World Champion. As Baszler settles into the squared circle, we shift gears and head into a pre-match commercial break.
When we return, we see a Crown Jewel video package and then return live in the arena where Ripley and Baszler are standing across the ring from each other. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. Ripley starts off strong but then Baszler takes over and drops Ripley on her head. She screams in pain as Baszler stomps on her arm.
Ripley takes back over and lays Baszler out. She heads to the top-rope and connects with a missile drop kick. She looks to follow up with the Rip-Tide but Baszler counters into an armbar on the arm of Ripley she was softening up earlier in the match. Ripley dead lifts Shayna and power bombs her way free. Nia Jax comes down as both ladies are laid out.
Raquel Rodriguez attacks Jax before she gets to the ring. Zoey Stark comes out as well and all three brawl at ringside. Stark ends up in the ring and as soon as she lands a kick on Ripley, the ref calls for the bell. Ripley takes out Stark and stares down Nia Jax on the floor.
Jax hops on the ring apron but Ripley and Stark beat her down. Ripley hoists Jax up but Stark kicks her and she squashes Ripley. She rolls out of the ring and Stark is actually left as the last woman standing.
Winner via DQ: Shayna Baszler
Jade Cargill Confronts Becky Lynch
We shoot to Adam Pearce’s locker room. Becky Lynch talks to Pearce about defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Indi Hartwell. Pearce says he needs to talk to Shawn Michaels to confirm but if he does, it’ll take place next week on Raw.
As Lynch goes to leave, she is confronted by Jade Cargill. Lynch smiles and walks off. Pearce looks at Cargill’s blue outfit and says she needs a red one of those.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
GUNTHER (C) vs. Bronson Reed
Now we head back inside the arena where the familiar sounds of Bronson Reed’s entrance theme hits the house speakers. As the walking Natural Disaster makes his way to the ring for his title opportunity, we shift gears and head into a quick pre-match commercial break.
When we return from the break, we shoot to a quick backstage interview with Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, who talk about how Jey will always have Sami Zayn’s back and how they are ready to defeat The Judgment Day to retain their tag titles tonight. They build up Jey saying “Yeet” to end the quick segment.
Back in the arena, out comes GUNTHER for his latest defense of his record-setting reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion. He heads to the ring accompanied by Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. He settles inside the squared circle and the bell sounds.
Samantha Irvin handles the formal pre-match ring introductions for the champion and the challenger and then the bell sounds again to get this one officially off-and-running. GUNTHER starts off strong but it isn’t long at all before we see the larger Reed begin to manhandle “The Ring General.”
The crowd “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” as Reed continues the attack on GUNTHER on the floor at ringside. GUNTHER fights back with his trademark loud chops and then rolls Reed back into the ring. He looks for a power bomb on the big man but Reed defends it. GUNTHER tries working on the arm of Reed but Reed brushes it off.
GUNTHER goes for a sleeper hold but Reed backs himself into a corner to free himself. GUNTHER slaps it back on again and Reed starts to fade. Reed drops to one knee but then stands back up. He lifts GUNTHER off his feet but GUNTHER drops back down and continues to squeeze as Reed fades down to one knee once again.
Reed hits a Samoan Drop to finally get GUNTHER off his back for good. He heads to the top-rope looking for his Tsunami finisher, but GUNTHER pops up and stops him. Reed slams GUNTHER on the hard part of the ring apron. GUNTHER crashes and burns on the floor. Reed launches himself onto GUNTHER on the floor.
On that note, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as this title tilt continues. When we return, we see the two trading chops and headbutts and then they each hit a clothesline at the same time. Reed hits a quick power slam for a close near fall. GUNTHER begins fighting back but can’t knock Reed off his feet.
Bronson takes over again and slows down GUNTHER’s momentum with a death valley driver for another close near fall. Bronson takes GUNTHER to the very tip-top-rope and connects with an enormous super-plex for a very close near fall attempt. We see some cool replays of that wild high spot.
Reed goes for the big Tsunami but GUNTHER gets the knees up. He lands some big kicks and then comes off the top-rope himself with a big splash for a super close near fall of his own. GUNTHER picks Reed up and hits a massive power bomb on the enormous individual and covers him for the three count. Awesome match. GUNTHER retains.
Winner and STILL WWE Intercontinental Champion: GUNTHER
Nia Jax Interrupts The Miz’s Backstage Interview
We shoot backstage after the match where the ridiculously good-looking Jackie Redmond is standing by with her guest at this time, the self-proclaimed “Most Must-See WWE Superstar” The Miz.
The Miz complains about not being on the show until hour three. He says he isn’t the self-proclaimed most must-see, he really is. He makes fun of Sami Zayn and then says Nick Aldis should run both shows because he knows how to put respect on his name.
Before he can say anything else, Nia Jax grabs the mic. She says everyone has hit her with their best shot and she’s still standing — and looking pretty. She says on Monday night, she does the squashing. She slams the mic back onto Miz’s chest.
Miz says as he was saying before he was so rudely interrupted, but Jackie interrupts him again to tell him that she’s sorry and that they are all out of time. We see The Judgment Day warming up backstage and then we head into another commercial break.
Fatal-5-Way Title Match Set For WWE Crown Jewel
We shoot backstage and we see Rhea Ripley bsrking orders at Adam Pearce in his locker room and Pearce ends up losing his cool and saying she can prove herself at Crown Jewel, as she’ll be putting her WWE Women’s World Championship up against Raquel Rodriguez, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax in a Fatal-5-Way match.
Undisputed WWE World Tag-Team Championships
Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso (C) vs. Finn Balor & Damian Priest
It’s main event time!
We shoot backstage for a quick comedy segment involving Alpha Academy and The New Day working out, which concludes with a match being made between the two teams for next week’s show. We return inside the arena and the stage begins getting set for our final match of the evening.
With that said, the lights go down and we hear the familiar sounds of the entrance theme song of The Judgment Day. Out comes the former tag-team championship duo of Finn Balor and Damian Priest for their title rematch against the new champs. They settle into the ring as we head into a quick pre-match commercial break.
When we return from the break, we see GUNTHER backstage talking to Imperium. He mentions that Giovanni Vinci didn’t get his job done tonight even though he did against Bronson Reed and Ludwig Kaiser did with a win in his match. He then tells Vinci if Gargano doesn’t leave on a stretcher next week, he won’t have done his job. Kaiser tells Vinci “no pressure” and walks off.
Now we return inside the arena where we hear the familiar sounds of the theme music for “Main Event” Jey Uso. “Just him, Uce. Day one ish!” Out he comes to a big pop and gets the sea of fans to do the hand waive with him as he settles into the ring. His theme dies down and he awaits the arrival of his partner for our final match on the “Season Premiere” of Raw.
The theme for Cody Rhodes hits next and as fireworks and pyro explodes, out comes “The American Nightmare” to thousands of members of the WWE Universe singing along with his catchy entrance tune as he settles inside the ring alongside Jey Uso. Samantha Irvin handles the formal pre-match ring introductions for the champions and the challengers.
On that note, the commentators send us into one final commercial break before our Undisputed WWE World Tag-Team Championship main event between the team of Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso and The Judgment Day duo of Finn Balor and Damian Priest gets underway.
As we settle back in from the final pre-match commercial break, the bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. Cody Rhodes and Finn Balor kick things off for their respective teams. Cody sets the tempo early on and establishes the early offensive control. He then tags in Uso. Uso hits the ring but ends up getting the top-rope pulled down and he sails out to the floor where he crashes and burns at ringside.
Damian Priest tags in for The Judgment Day and goes to work against one-half of the Ucey tag-team champs on the floor. Back in the ring, Priest continues to take it to Uso and then tags in Balor, who hits the ring and picks up where he left off, taking it to the former member of The Bloodline.
Cody tags back in and connects with a Disaster Kick on Priest for a close near fall. As he gets up, he notices Dominik Mysterio running down to the ringside area from the back. Cody hits a Cross-Rhodes on Priest and goes for the cover but Dom-Dom puts Priest’s boot on the ropes to keep The Judgment Day duo alive and in this one. The crowd loudly boos. Cody goes out after Dom on the floor and the chase is on.
Rhodes ends up running into a clothesline from Balor. The fans loudly boo as we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues with The Judgment Day duo of Balor and Priest back in the offensive lead. When we return from the break, we see Cody fighting back into competitive form on Priest. He hits a pedigree and both guys are down looking to make the tag. They each do.
Balor works over Uso a bit but then Uso catches Balor coming in with a big kick. He and Cody hit their 1-D-Cutter and they go for the cover, but somehow Balor kicks out. Cody runs and dives onto Priest, who catches him and hits his South of Heaven chokeslam on the hard part of the ring apron from the floor. He clears off the commentary table after that. Jey Uso climbs to the top-rope but Dom grabs his boot.
Uso kicks his way free but then leaps and splashes onto the raised knees of Balor. The ref is distracted by Dom-Dom on the apron moments later and this brings Sami Zayn running down to the ring to help out. He slams Dom into the ring post and the steel steps but then Priest rams Zayn into the post. Cody comes over and knocks Priest over the barricade and into the crowd.
Priest hoists Cody up and puts him through the commentary table with a Razor’s Edge. Uso dives out to the floor but then Balor beats him down and brings him in the ring where he hits a sling blade. He goes for the Coup de Grace off the top but Uso moves. Uso hits Balor with a spear and climbs to the top himself. He sees Priest coming and takes him out with a spear.
He goes to head to the top-rope again but Jimmy Uso decks him with a super kick. Balor follows up with the Coup de Grace off the top-rope and the pin fall for the victory. Balor and Priest have re-gained the Undisputed WWE World Tag-Team Championships thanks to the assist from Jimmy Uso.
That’s not gonna help Jey Uso’s case around Raw. They celebrate with the titles as fireworks explode behind them. That’s how this week’s show goes off the air. Thanks for joining us!
Winners and NEW Undisputed WWE World Tag-Team Champions: Finn Balor & Damian Priest
